What Shall I Do - Part Nineteen Mar 19, 2023 by: John Herbert | Series: What Shall I Do... Audio Study Notes PDF https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T053_20230319.mp3 Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Jn 15:8 "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. We will continue to look today what we should do with respect to receiving the Word of Truth. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday March 19th 2023 What Shall I Do…….. Part 19 1). Jn 15:8 "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. 9 ¶ "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. Producing fruit is a subject that we keep coming back to and is a subject that is at the heart of going on to maturity to receive the salvation of the soul. And we have also seen from v7-8 in Hebrews Chapter 6, that there are two types of ‘fruit’ that can be produced, described as either herbs or thorns and briars, and which of these we produce will be determined by how we regard the Word of Truth, what we do when we hear the Word of the Kingdom. a). Either we will choose to allow the Word to child train us, to bring us forth out of the wisdom from above, bringing about an inward change that will result in bearing the fruits of the Kingdom, or we will choose to do the opposite producing thorns and briars instead, whose end is to be burned. b). Either we will honor and value the Word of Truth as the greatest treasure trove a saved individual will ever discover – Pr 8:6 Listen, for I will speak of excellent things, And from the opening of my lips will come right things; 7 For my mouth will speak truth; Wickedness is an abomination to my lips. 8 All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; Nothing crooked or perverse is in them. 9 They are all plain to him who understands, And right to those who find knowledge. 10 Receive my instruction, and not silver, And knowledge rather than choice gold; 11 For wisdom is better than rubies, And all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her. Col 2:1 For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. Or we might be deceived into treating the Word of Truth casually and carelessly, considering it of no greater value than Man’s wisdom, the wisdom from below, thereby having the same ambivalence toward it as the first generation of Israel to come out of Egypt had towards God’s provision for them, epitomized through their use of the phrase, ‘What is it?’ And we might be persuaded in this direction by being enticed by the leavened ideologies coming from deceiving spirits and the doctrines of demons that we once walked in – Mt 7:15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them. 2 Pe 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. And as we have seen time and again, it is our new man, the man of the spirit alone who can produce the good fruit, whereas the old man, the man of the flesh cannot produce anything other than bad fruit, thorns, and briars. Hence the reason why we also keep coming back to the necessity of continuing to see our old man as crucified with Christ. Accepting by faith that he has died and thus remains dead to us. We know that we have an unredeemed soul, a sin nature, and we know that our old man has been crucified. And this has been our challenge, to keep both of these in their proper scriptural perspective - Jn 12:24 "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. If we want to produce fruit for the Kingdom, we must continue to believe that that associated with our first birth, our old man, remains in the place of death and then choose to live according to that associated with our being brought forth from above, the new man, the man of the spirit. 2). If we cast our minds back to the Parable of the Sower, we will recall that those sown in good ground are those who have understood the Word of the Kingdom, have sent down roots into that Word, who have a good foundation for the age to come, and have endured through persecution and have not been overcome by the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches, and the pleasures of this life. a). However, the persecution that comes because of the Word of the Kingdom continues, even for those sown in the good ground, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches and the pleasures of this life don’t supernaturally disappear, they remain an ever-present part of the kingdom of Satan in which we live, they surround us on a daily basis. b). This being the case, we will realize that when we come face to face with these things, we can be deceived into listening to the wisdom from below regarding them, choosing to deal with them according to what seems right in our own eyes, or we can choose to keep them in their proper scriptural place. And we have seen Demas, one of Paul’s associates as an example of the former – 2 Ti 4:10 for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica……… We can be deceived into doing what seems right in our own eyes or we can submit ourselves to the Word of Truth. And should we choose the wrong course of action, then our fruit production for the Kingdom would stop, and thorns and briars would appear instead, and we would be a hair’s breadth away from becoming like Orpah and turning back or becoming like Lot and dwelling in the gates of Sodom, or like Esau and despising our birthright. c). And the tension that exists between these two options is the reason for the exhortation given to us in - Heb 3:6 but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. And in - Heb 3:14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end….. And again in - Heb 6:11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end….. And it is not surprising that we find these exhortations to remain steadfast in our faith to the end of our journey in the Book of Hebrews because it is this Book that deals with the willful sin, a Book that deals with going on to maturity and having faith to the saving of the soul, all set within the context of the age to come that will not be in subjection to angels but in subjection to Christ and the many sons who will be brought to glory with Him. d). We must not waiver in our focus or our determination, but like Caleb and Joshua, we must patiently endure knowing that God is faithful, as we consistently walk by the faith and not by sight during whatever period of time we have on this earth, irrespective of the circumstances of our life. Our circumstances over the course of time may change, they may become better or worse, but such is not the issue. The Word of Truth remains constant and remains certain, and nothing can change the reality of what it reveals concerning what awaits us. And therefore, we need to have the same determination as the Lord had – Lu 9:51 ¶ Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, Heb 12:2……who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. And the same resolve shown by Paul - Ac 20:22 "And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, 23 "except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. 24 "But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And in v24 we can discover the heart of a man totally established in the Word of the Kingdom, a man who had faith to the saving of the soul, whose focus was not on his circumstances – Php 4:12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. A man who instead of focusing on his circumstances was focused on finishing his race with joy – 2 Ti 4:6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. And here we find our example. We must, like Paul, be established, a word that means to be set fast, to turn resolutely in a particular direction. And again, to be established in this fashion will in no small part be due to what value we place upon the Word of the Kingdom – Col 3:1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. We will realize that hearing the Word of the Kingdom is not just about the accumulation of ‘epignosis’ knowledge. What we hear is to result in faith - Ro 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. And through our faith to the saving of the soul we will allow what we hear to produce the inward change in us, the child training of the Lord, that will propel us forward toward our destination, no matter how tired, lonely, isolated, or rejected we may feel. e). To say again, the Kingdom will not be gained by the accumulation of ‘epignosis’ knowledge of itself, but by the fruit that comes from the metamorphosis that such knowledge makes possible. f). As we continue on our own three days’ journey, we should not allow anything to prevent us from reaching our destination. Not persecution, nor the cares of this world, nor the cucumbers, leeks, and garlic, nor friends, nor family even. And this determination we can see through Ruth clinging to Naomi as they headed for Bethlehem, rather than following Orpah who turned back. Or Rebecca who went with Abraham’s oldest servant and would not let her family detain her for another three days. Or Abraham settling in the hill country rather than with Lot in the cities of the plain. g). And in these examples, we see the straining of every muscle to win the prize that Jude spoke about - Ju 1:3 Divinely loved ones, when giving every diligence to be writing to you concerning the salvation possessed in common by all of us [salvation by grace through faith], I had constraint laid upon me to write to you, beseeching you to contend with intensity and determination for the Faith [to the saving of the soul] once for all entrusted into the safe-keeping of the saints. [Wuest] We are to encounter every circumstance that comes our way with the surety of the faith. And particularly in the face of those Laodicean leftovers, the false teaching, which provides the context for the verse from Jude. g). We will understand that in doing this we are working in the harvest and beating out the grain pictured through Ruth. We are going on to perfection seen in Hebrews and growing up in all things into Christ in Ephesians. We are producing fruit for the Kingdom seen in Matthew 13. We are walking in the good works that God has prepared beforehand for us to walk in them in Ephesians 2. These make up the righteous acts of Revelation 19, that produce our wedding garment. And these good works, for that’s what they are, will neither be forgotten nor discarded – 1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 ¶ Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Ru 2:11 And Boaz answered and said to her, “It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before. 12 The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.” Mal 3:16 Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, And the LORD listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the LORD And who meditate on His name. 3). If we allow ourselves to be cultivated through receiving the rain that often comes upon us, so inevitably fruit must be produced - Ga 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. As the Spirit works the metamorphosis in us, the child training, through the Word of Truth renewing our mind, so the Spirit’s work produces in us the fruit seen in Gal 5:22-23. This is a work that is done in us not a work that we do ourselves. And as such, this fruit cannot be faked. It will either be evident in the way that we relate to one another, or it won’t. And the connection between the fruit of the Spirit, crucifying the flesh and walking in the Spirit seen in these verses, will not escape our attention. a). And to this we will add - 1Co 3:11 ¶ For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. The gold, silver, precious stones we are to build with, the fruit of the Spirit worked in us through the metamorphosis, the good works prepared beforehand for us to walk in them, beating out the grain, denying ourself and taking up our cross, are all facets of our journey from the land of our birth to the land of our calling, they are all facets of our growth to spiritual maturity, and all come as a result of hearing the Word of the Kingdom and having faith to the saving of the soul because of it. And there is the promised reward on offer for us if this is our experience. And all are taking us towards our inheritance in the Kingdom of the Heavens – 2Pe 1:3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 5 ¶ But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. 10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the age lasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 12 ¶ For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. The verses from Peter make clear that God’s ‘Divine power’, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit working together, has given us all things that pertain to life in the age to come allowing for ‘godliness’ in the present. And these things have been given to us through the ‘epignosis’ knowledge of Him who called us with a heavenly calling. In other words, then, these things are ours through the work of the Spirit, as we hear the Word of the Kingdom, the same Word who was made flesh, who is also the Father, the ‘epignosis’ knowledge which renews our mind. And by this same means we have been given ‘exceedingly great and precious promises’ – Ro 4:13 For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. Gal 3:29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. Ge 14:18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth….. And not only this, but these things make it possible for us to be companions of the ‘Divine nature’, thereby conducting our lives in alignment with the Scriptures as we go from faith to faith. And this progression from faith to faith, the transforming work of the Spirit, is what we see in 2 Peter 1:5-7, where we find the pinnacle of this transforming work in having ‘agape’ love for one another; the same love that Christ has for us – Jn 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” 1 Jn 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born [brought forth out of] of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 4). So, what can we say then, that the production of fruit towards this glorious end is always smooth and easy? Certainly not. To go back to Hebrews 6:7-8 for a moment, the verses concerning the earth and the rain, we will remember that God has provided all that is necessary for us to produce an abundant harvest, but the ground must be cultivated; the weeds need pulling out and the rocks removing, and the ground broken up. We must submit ourselves to the child training of the Lord, that our thoughts and our actions are brought into alignment with the Scriptures. And this process may not be pleasant for us in the moment, but – Heb 12: 9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no child training seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. That the child training of the Lord may not be easy, nor painless, is what our verse tells us. But look at what it produces. It yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness, the fruit of the Kingdom, which is profitable for us, if we will be trained by it. And if we take this back to the verses from 2 Peter we have just read, we see the result is the supply of an abundant entrance into the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. a). The peaceable fruit of righteousness – Jas 2:23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. Abraham believed God, Abraham had faith to the saving of the soul, and this was accounted to him for righteousness, allowing him to be called ‘the friend of God.’ b). And this is the same faith that Paul spoke about in – Php 3:8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith…. The peaceable fruit of righteousness is not righteousness that we produce, but the righteousness of a righteous God accounted to us in response to us having faith to the saving of the soul. The righteousness that comes through the outworking of the metamorphosis, the child training of the Lord. And these acts of faith, acts of faithful obedience coming out of the child training of the Lord will take us again to Revelation Chapter 19 – Re 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” Once more a present process leading to a glorious conclusion. We will continue next time if we remain and the Lord is willing, and we have prayed. What Shall I Do - Part Nineteen Mar 19, 2023 Speaker: John Herbert Series: What Shall I Do... Category: Sunday Morning https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T053_20230319.mp3 Download Audio x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Jn 15:8 "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. We will continue to look today what we should do with respect to receiving the Word of Truth. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday March 19th 2023 What Shall I Do…….. Part 19 1). Jn 15:8 "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. 9 ¶ "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. Producing fruit is a subject that we keep coming back to and is a subject that is at the heart of going on to maturity to receive the salvation of the soul. And we have also seen from v7-8 in Hebrews Chapter 6, that there are two types of ‘fruit’ that can be produced, described as either herbs or thorns and briars, and which of these we produce will be determined by how we regard the Word of Truth, what we do when we hear the Word of the Kingdom. a). Either we will choose to allow the Word to child train us, to bring us forth out of the wisdom from above, bringing about an inward change that will result in bearing the fruits of the Kingdom, or we will choose to do the opposite producing thorns and briars instead, whose end is to be burned. b). Either we will honor and value the Word of Truth as the greatest treasure trove a saved individual will ever discover – Pr 8:6 Listen, for I will speak of excellent things, And from the opening of my lips will come right things; 7 For my mouth will speak truth; Wickedness is an abomination to my lips. 8 All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; Nothing crooked or perverse is in them. 9 They are all plain to him who understands, And right to those who find knowledge. 10 Receive my instruction, and not silver, And knowledge rather than choice gold; 11 For wisdom is better than rubies, And all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her. Col 2:1 For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. Or we might be deceived into treating the Word of Truth casually and carelessly, considering it of no greater value than Man’s wisdom, the wisdom from below, thereby having the same ambivalence toward it as the first generation of Israel to come out of Egypt had towards God’s provision for them, epitomized through their use of the phrase, ‘What is it?’ And we might be persuaded in this direction by being enticed by the leavened ideologies coming from deceiving spirits and the doctrines of demons that we once walked in – Mt 7:15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them. 2 Pe 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. And as we have seen time and again, it is our new man, the man of the spirit alone who can produce the good fruit, whereas the old man, the man of the flesh cannot produce anything other than bad fruit, thorns, and briars. Hence the reason why we also keep coming back to the necessity of continuing to see our old man as crucified with Christ. Accepting by faith that he has died and thus remains dead to us. We know that we have an unredeemed soul, a sin nature, and we know that our old man has been crucified. And this has been our challenge, to keep both of these in their proper scriptural perspective - Jn 12:24 "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. If we want to produce fruit for the Kingdom, we must continue to believe that that associated with our first birth, our old man, remains in the place of death and then choose to live according to that associated with our being brought forth from above, the new man, the man of the spirit. 2). If we cast our minds back to the Parable of the Sower, we will recall that those sown in good ground are those who have understood the Word of the Kingdom, have sent down roots into that Word, who have a good foundation for the age to come, and have endured through persecution and have not been overcome by the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches, and the pleasures of this life. a). However, the persecution that comes because of the Word of the Kingdom continues, even for those sown in the good ground, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches and the pleasures of this life don’t supernaturally disappear, they remain an ever-present part of the kingdom of Satan in which we live, they surround us on a daily basis. b). This being the case, we will realize that when we come face to face with these things, we can be deceived into listening to the wisdom from below regarding them, choosing to deal with them according to what seems right in our own eyes, or we can choose to keep them in their proper scriptural place. And we have seen Demas, one of Paul’s associates as an example of the former – 2 Ti 4:10 for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica……… We can be deceived into doing what seems right in our own eyes or we can submit ourselves to the Word of Truth. And should we choose the wrong course of action, then our fruit production for the Kingdom would stop, and thorns and briars would appear instead, and we would be a hair’s breadth away from becoming like Orpah and turning back or becoming like Lot and dwelling in the gates of Sodom, or like Esau and despising our birthright. c). And the tension that exists between these two options is the reason for the exhortation given to us in - Heb 3:6 but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. And in - Heb 3:14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end….. And again in - Heb 6:11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end….. And it is not surprising that we find these exhortations to remain steadfast in our faith to the end of our journey in the Book of Hebrews because it is this Book that deals with the willful sin, a Book that deals with going on to maturity and having faith to the saving of the soul, all set within the context of the age to come that will not be in subjection to angels but in subjection to Christ and the many sons who will be brought to glory with Him. d). We must not waiver in our focus or our determination, but like Caleb and Joshua, we must patiently endure knowing that God is faithful, as we consistently walk by the faith and not by sight during whatever period of time we have on this earth, irrespective of the circumstances of our life. Our circumstances over the course of time may change, they may become better or worse, but such is not the issue. The Word of Truth remains constant and remains certain, and nothing can change the reality of what it reveals concerning what awaits us. And therefore, we need to have the same determination as the Lord had – Lu 9:51 ¶ Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, Heb 12:2……who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. And the same resolve shown by Paul - Ac 20:22 "And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, 23 "except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. 24 "But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And in v24 we can discover the heart of a man totally established in the Word of the Kingdom, a man who had faith to the saving of the soul, whose focus was not on his circumstances – Php 4:12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. A man who instead of focusing on his circumstances was focused on finishing his race with joy – 2 Ti 4:6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. And here we find our example. We must, like Paul, be established, a word that means to be set fast, to turn resolutely in a particular direction. And again, to be established in this fashion will in no small part be due to what value we place upon the Word of the Kingdom – Col 3:1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. We will realize that hearing the Word of the Kingdom is not just about the accumulation of ‘epignosis’ knowledge. What we hear is to result in faith - Ro 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. And through our faith to the saving of the soul we will allow what we hear to produce the inward change in us, the child training of the Lord, that will propel us forward toward our destination, no matter how tired, lonely, isolated, or rejected we may feel. e). To say again, the Kingdom will not be gained by the accumulation of ‘epignosis’ knowledge of itself, but by the fruit that comes from the metamorphosis that such knowledge makes possible. f). As we continue on our own three days’ journey, we should not allow anything to prevent us from reaching our destination. Not persecution, nor the cares of this world, nor the cucumbers, leeks, and garlic, nor friends, nor family even. And this determination we can see through Ruth clinging to Naomi as they headed for Bethlehem, rather than following Orpah who turned back. Or Rebecca who went with Abraham’s oldest servant and would not let her family detain her for another three days. Or Abraham settling in the hill country rather than with Lot in the cities of the plain. g). And in these examples, we see the straining of every muscle to win the prize that Jude spoke about - Ju 1:3 Divinely loved ones, when giving every diligence to be writing to you concerning the salvation possessed in common by all of us [salvation by grace through faith], I had constraint laid upon me to write to you, beseeching you to contend with intensity and determination for the Faith [to the saving of the soul] once for all entrusted into the safe-keeping of the saints. [Wuest] We are to encounter every circumstance that comes our way with the surety of the faith. And particularly in the face of those Laodicean leftovers, the false teaching, which provides the context for the verse from Jude. g). We will understand that in doing this we are working in the harvest and beating out the grain pictured through Ruth. We are going on to perfection seen in Hebrews and growing up in all things into Christ in Ephesians. We are producing fruit for the Kingdom seen in Matthew 13. We are walking in the good works that God has prepared beforehand for us to walk in them in Ephesians 2. These make up the righteous acts of Revelation 19, that produce our wedding garment. And these good works, for that’s what they are, will neither be forgotten nor discarded – 1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 ¶ Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Ru 2:11 And Boaz answered and said to her, “It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before. 12 The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.” Mal 3:16 Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, And the LORD listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the LORD And who meditate on His name. 3). If we allow ourselves to be cultivated through receiving the rain that often comes upon us, so inevitably fruit must be produced - Ga 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. As the Spirit works the metamorphosis in us, the child training, through the Word of Truth renewing our mind, so the Spirit’s work produces in us the fruit seen in Gal 5:22-23. This is a work that is done in us not a work that we do ourselves. And as such, this fruit cannot be faked. It will either be evident in the way that we relate to one another, or it won’t. And the connection between the fruit of the Spirit, crucifying the flesh and walking in the Spirit seen in these verses, will not escape our attention. a). And to this we will add - 1Co 3:11 ¶ For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. The gold, silver, precious stones we are to build with, the fruit of the Spirit worked in us through the metamorphosis, the good works prepared beforehand for us to walk in them, beating out the grain, denying ourself and taking up our cross, are all facets of our journey from the land of our birth to the land of our calling, they are all facets of our growth to spiritual maturity, and all come as a result of hearing the Word of the Kingdom and having faith to the saving of the soul because of it. And there is the promised reward on offer for us if this is our experience. And all are taking us towards our inheritance in the Kingdom of the Heavens – 2Pe 1:3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 5 ¶ But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. 10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the age lasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 12 ¶ For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. The verses from Peter make clear that God’s ‘Divine power’, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit working together, has given us all things that pertain to life in the age to come allowing for ‘godliness’ in the present. And these things have been given to us through the ‘epignosis’ knowledge of Him who called us with a heavenly calling. In other words, then, these things are ours through the work of the Spirit, as we hear the Word of the Kingdom, the same Word who was made flesh, who is also the Father, the ‘epignosis’ knowledge which renews our mind. And by this same means we have been given ‘exceedingly great and precious promises’ – Ro 4:13 For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. Gal 3:29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. Ge 14:18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth….. And not only this, but these things make it possible for us to be companions of the ‘Divine nature’, thereby conducting our lives in alignment with the Scriptures as we go from faith to faith. And this progression from faith to faith, the transforming work of the Spirit, is what we see in 2 Peter 1:5-7, where we find the pinnacle of this transforming work in having ‘agape’ love for one another; the same love that Christ has for us – Jn 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” 1 Jn 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born [brought forth out of] of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 4). So, what can we say then, that the production of fruit towards this glorious end is always smooth and easy? Certainly not. To go back to Hebrews 6:7-8 for a moment, the verses concerning the earth and the rain, we will remember that God has provided all that is necessary for us to produce an abundant harvest, but the ground must be cultivated; the weeds need pulling out and the rocks removing, and the ground broken up. We must submit ourselves to the child training of the Lord, that our thoughts and our actions are brought into alignment with the Scriptures. And this process may not be pleasant for us in the moment, but – Heb 12: 9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no child training seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. That the child training of the Lord may not be easy, nor painless, is what our verse tells us. But look at what it produces. It yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness, the fruit of the Kingdom, which is profitable for us, if we will be trained by it. And if we take this back to the verses from 2 Peter we have just read, we see the result is the supply of an abundant entrance into the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. a). The peaceable fruit of righteousness – Jas 2:23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. Abraham believed God, Abraham had faith to the saving of the soul, and this was accounted to him for righteousness, allowing him to be called ‘the friend of God.’ b). And this is the same faith that Paul spoke about in – Php 3:8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith…. The peaceable fruit of righteousness is not righteousness that we produce, but the righteousness of a righteous God accounted to us in response to us having faith to the saving of the soul. The righteousness that comes through the outworking of the metamorphosis, the child training of the Lord. And these acts of faith, acts of faithful obedience coming out of the child training of the Lord will take us again to Revelation Chapter 19 – Re 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” Once more a present process leading to a glorious conclusion. We will continue next time if we remain and the Lord is willing, and we have prayed.
