DETRIMENTAL COMPETITION-VIII—John 3:22-36
Christians & the Church indeed have ‘the market’ on truth. We are in competition with false doctrine. But the Church invites grave difficulties upon herself when they become competitors among themselves...i.e., When their competition becomes detrimental to God’s desire.
While empowered & triumphant in Christ, individual Christians within the church, & even the local Church, can become a breeding ground for a Competitive spirit, driven by turning privilege in Christ into entitlement & deserving. Such a Competitive spirit is unhealthy & Detrimental to the Christian faith.
A biblically doctrinal(truth) understanding is vital to your growth as a Christian! We must stand firm for the truth, & we must also be certain to avoid standing firm for that which is contrived of man!
*Verses :25 & 26 form the hinge/focus around which this passage flows.
John the Baptist pointed out the weakness/detriments/absurdities/incompatibilities of competitive ministry.
A competitive spirit can be detrimental to Christian ministry.
cf.—Php. 1:15-18—“Some indeed preach Christ even from envy & strife, & some also from good will: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; & in this I rejoice, yes, & will rejoice.”
We are always best served, & the Good News is best served, & the Kingdom of God is best served, by those who preach Christ from good will, rather than from envy & strife.
Jesus said, in Mark 3:24, 25—“If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.”
When is a competitive spirit detrimental to Christian ministry?
9 detriments of a competitive spirit to Christian ministry.
(And these all center around ‘me,’ ‘my,’ & ‘mine’!)
We have already seen that,
A competitive spirit is detrimental to Christian ministry when...
1. Your LAND/AREA is Best(:22-23)
2. Your IMMERSION/Baptism is Best(:23-24)
3. Your PURITY is Best(:25-26)
4. Your PLAN is Best(:27-28)
5. Your FULFILLMENT is Best(:29-30)
6. Your ORIGIN is Best(:31)
7. Your TESTIMONY is Best(:32-34)
Our concern at FBCC is that you leave the ‘land’ of YOUR’ for the ‘land of the LORD!’
8—A competitive spirit is detrimental to Christian ministry when...
Your AUTHORITY is Best(:35)
Explanation:(:35)
:35—“The Father loves the Son, & has given all things into His hand.”
God “the Father” loves the only-begotten Son(:14, 18; 1Jn. 4:9).
Due to His perfect “love” for His perfect Son, “the Father” has perfectly bestowed upon His Son all authority in heaven & on earth(Mat. 28:18; Mat. 11:27(Lk. 10:22).
That Jesus has had “all things” placed “into His hand,” by His Father means obvious that all humanity is answerable to God thru Jesus. Jesus is the only means of attaining the way, the truth & the life(Jn. 14:6). These are sourced & centered in Jesus. To forego surrender to Jesus is to choose that which is utterly, unquestionably, & eternally foolish!
Thereby, it is inferred & stated(3:18; Jn. 5:23; 1Jn. 2:21-23; 1Jn. 4:14-15) that whoever denies Jesus the Son of God, likewise denies the authority of the Father.
The devil denies allegiance to Jesus & he cannot recount his decision because that decision was made in the perfection of his being. From the time Lucifer was created he lived continually in & witnessed God’s perfect presence of which men cannot even look upon. Therefore the devil is doomed to hell without hope.
You & me & individuals of all humanity of all time can change our minds. We have opportunity to repent until we reach our eternal state.
Once we reach our non-fleshly/earthy(pre-eternal) state(thru death), we can no longer repent...We cannot turn to Jesus then. Our fate is sealed forever at death! That’s why it is so sad when someone dies without Jesus. And that’s why it would behoove you to not do ‘foolish & irreverent things’ with the life with which you’ve been blessed!
“Father”—pathr—Noun Masc.—1) Generator or male ancestor; 2) metaph.—2a) The originator & transmitter of anything; 3) God is called the Father. Strong—apparently a primary word; A “father”(literally or figuratively, near or more remote).
“Loves”—agapaw—Verb—1) of persons—1a) To welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly; 2) of things—2a) To be well pleased, to be contented at or with a thing. Strong—perhaps from agan(much) [or compare bge[To breathe after, i.e. To love(sensually)]]; To love (in a social or moral sense). RWP—“the noble word so common in the Gospels for the highest form of love.”
“Son”[See :36]—uiov—Noun Masc.—1) A son—1a) Rarely used for the young of animals, 1b) generally used of the offspring of men, 1c) in a restricted sense--The male offspring(one born by a father & of a mother), 1d) in a wider sense--A descendant, one of the posterity of any one, 1e)) used to describe One who depends on another or is his follower—1e1) A pupil. Strong—apparently a primary word; A “son”(sometimes of animals), used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinship.
“Given”[See :27, 34]—didwmi—Verb—1) To give; 2) To give something to someone; 3) To give—3a) To cause, profuse, give forth from one's self; 4) To grant or permit one—4a) To commission. Didwmi denotes “to give” in general, opposite to lambanw “to take”; dwreomai specific, “to bestow, present”; didwmi might be used even of evils, but dwreomai could be used of such things only ironically. Strong—a prolonged form of a primary verb(which is used as an alternative in most of the tenses); To give(used in a very wide application, properly, or by implication, literally or figuratively; greatly modified by the connection).
“All”[See :26, 31]—pav—Adj.—1) individually—1a) Each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things, everything; 2) collectively—2a) Some of all types. Strong—apparently a primary word; All, any, every, the whole.
“Into”—en—Preposition—1) In, by, with etc.. Strong—a primary preposition denoting (fixed)position(in place, time or state), & by implication--Instrumentality(medially or constructively), i.e. A relation of rest(intermediate between eiv[into, unto, to, towards, for, among] & ek/ex[out of, from, by, away from]).
“Hand”—ceir—Noun Fem.—1) By the help or agency of any one, by means of any one; 2) figuratively applied to God symbolizing his might, activity, power. Strong—perhaps from the base of ceimwn[a storm, rainy season/winter] in the sense of its congener the base of casma[a "chasm" or vacancy(impassable interval)](through the idea of hollowness for grasping); The hand(literally or figuratively--[power]; especially[by Hebraism]--A means or instrument).
Argumentation:
Jn. 14:6—“Jesus said to him[Thomas], “I am the way, the truth, & the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Mat. 28:18—“And Jesus came & spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven & on earth.”
Mat. 11:27(Lk. 10:22)—“All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, & no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, & the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”
Jn. 3:18—“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
1Jn. 2:21-23—“I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, & that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father & the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”
2Pet. 1:13-2:2—“Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease. For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power & coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor & glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns & the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. 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, & bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.”
1Jn. 4:14-15—“And we have seen & testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, & he in God.”
Jn. 5:18-30—“Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. Then Jesus answered & said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. “For the Father loves the Son, & shows Him all things that He Himself does; & He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead & gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word & believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, & shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, & now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; & those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, & has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice & come forth--those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, & those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; & My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.”
Illustration:
Re-entering society from a former life of crime—No firearms are permitted in your possession!/Assume I live in the country—I want to hunt squirrels & rabbits, plink cans, etc./My intentions are honorable/I then thru various means, come into possession of a .22 rifle & a .410 shotgun/My personal authority will not overrule that of the state!/Is YOUR AUTHORITY Best?...I think not!
Some things in Scripture are truly individually open-ended merely because His work is you is open-ended...His work in you depends upon your individual application of it as it’s tied to the freedom with which God created you/Each of us is thus unique in how we relate to God’s voice. However, do not suppose that because God has created you a free agent, that God’s Good News in Christ Jesus can be compromised at all, much less in the manner that you see fit to accept!—The Gospel is NEVER to be compromised. Christ is the One & Only Savior! You must make a conscious choice to accept Jesus & His sacrifice personally by faith! The Holy Spirit of God does indwell all believers individually. The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of your acceptance into the eternal Kingdom of God., etc...
Application:
?In YOUR mind, Is YOUR AUTHORITY Best?
?Is YOUR spirit Detrimental to OR Conducive to Christian Ministry?
9—A competitive spirit is detrimental to Christian ministry when...
Your FAITH is Best(:36)
Explanation:(:36)
:36—“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; & he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” ”
This verse reiterates :15-16, & 18, as well as 1:12-13. Personal responsibility for “belief” is paramount for every person.
*Any time belief is founded on Jesus-plus, or minus-Jesus, then your belief will exclude everlasting life for you & for anyone to whom it is taught.
This fleshes out, expands, but more than anything, applies the previous statement(:35) of Jesus’ all-encompassing authority. It places the responsibility for salvation directly upon all individuals/people(“He who”) of all the ages. Specific personal “belief” is what guarantees “everlasting life.” Per a person’s “belief in the Son”(& all the Son of God encompasses) “everlasting/eternal life” is attained once for eternity(Jn. 1:12-13; 3:16). It is ‘hard-wired,’ within every individual’s God-ordained image, to assess & prioritize repentance in turning to & personally accepting Jesus’ authority(:35) regarding salvation. However, you individually may choose to repress that built-in drive with outward, temporal satisfactions. This you do to your detriment!
Anyone who “believes in the Son” is guaranteed “everlasting life.” Such “life” is God’s offer to be with Him eternally as His child(1:12) & servant(Mat. 6:24; 10:25; 25:21;1Pet. 2:15-16;1Pet. 4:10;Rev. 1:1-2).
Mat. 10:25—“It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, & a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!”
Mat. 20:27-28—“And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave-- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, & to give His life a ransom for many.”
Mat. 24:45-51—“Who then is a faithful & wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ “& begins to beat his fellow servants, & to eat & drink with the drunkards, “the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him & at an hour that he is not aware of, & will cut him in two & appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping & gnashing of teeth.”
Mat. 25:21—“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good & faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’”
Privilege honor & blessing flows from personal faithfulness!
1Pet. 2:15-16—“For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men-- as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.”
1Pet. 4:10—“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
Rev. 1:1-2—“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants--things which must shortly take place. And He sent & signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, & to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw.”
We must be servants of God in the same way that every other Christian thru the ages has & will give themselves in service to their Master. ?Are you a faithful servant?
The counterpart, opposite, or obverse of “life”-attaining belief is stated as well. Those individuals who “do not believe” the Son of God are those very individuals who will “not see life.” “Life” is attained only in Christ(1:4). This is reiterated at least from 3:15-18. Rejection of the light with it’s corresponding “life” is what those do who love darkness & evil(3:19-20). It is their choice.
Jn. 1:4—“In Him was life, & the life was the light of men.”
*Merely because a person freely chooses darkness over light does not mean that they are free from obligation by virtue of that choice!
It is rather similar to a parent offering an adult child a choice to conform their heart & behavior to the standards of the family or to reject the family outright. A fork in the road or moment of decision is reached. Such a child either chooses the family’s benefits or what he/she would consider beneficial to the full exclusion of their loving family.
*God’s “wrath” remains upon the person who rejects God & His family. If such a poor decision is maintained(unrepentant) thruout one’s lifetime until death, then God has no choice but to continue to honor that rejection thruout eternity(1Jn. 5:10-12). God must honor the rejection of Himself & the family of God thruout eternity(Rom. 1:18-20).
1Jn. 5:10-12—“He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, & this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
Rom. 1:18-21—“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness & unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power & Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, & their foolish hearts were darkened.”
“Believes”[See :]—pisteuw—Verb—1)To think to be true, to be persuaded of, place confidence in; 2) To entrust a thing to one, i.e. his Fidelity. Strong—To have faith(in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), i.e. Credit; by implication--To entrust (especially one's spiritual well-being to Christ).
“In”[See :22, 24]—eiv—Preposition—1) Into, unto, to, towards, for, among. Strong—a primary preposition; To or Into(indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or figuratively--Purpose(result, etc.); also in adverbial phrases.
“Son”2X[See :35]—uiov—Noun Masc.—1) A son—1a) Rarely used for the young of animals,, 1d) in a wider sense--A descendant, one of the posterity of any one, 1e)) used to describe: One who depends on another or is his follower—1e1) A pupil. Strong—apparently a primary word; A “son”(sometimes of animals), used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinship.
“Everlasting”—aiwniov—Adj.—1) Without beginning & end, that which always has been & always will be; 2) Without beginning; 3) Without end, never to cease, everlasting. Aiwniov gives prominence to the immeasurableness of eternity. Strong—Perpetual(also used of past time, or past & future as well).
“Life”2X—zwh—Noun Fem.—1) Life—1a) The state of one who is possessed of vitality or is animate, 1b) Every living soul; 2) Life—2a) Of the absolute fulness of life, both essential & ethical, which belongs to God, & through him both to the hypostatic "logos" & to Christ in whom the "logos" put on human nature, 2b) Life real & genuine, a life active & vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions(among them a more perfect body), & to last for ever. Strong—Life(literally or figuratively).
Zwh corresponds to Hebrew—yx. A)quch—Breath, i.e. by implication--Spirit, abstractly or concretely--The animal sentient principle only, which is distinguished from, B) pneuma—The rational & immortal soul, & C)zwh—Mere vitality, even of plants. These terms thus exactly correspond respectively to the Hebrew...A)vpn, B)xwr & C)yx.
“Not Believe/Not Obey/Not Subject”—apeiyew—Verb—1) Not to allow one's self to be persuaded—1a) To refuse or withhold belief, 1b) To refuse belief & obedience; 2) Not to comply with. Strong—To disbelieve(wilfully & perversely). Used 16X.
From—A(as a negative particle)—&—peiyw—a primary verb; To convince(by argument, true or false); by analogy--To pacify or conciliate(by other fair means); reflexively or passively,--To assent(to evidence or authority), To rely(by inward certainty).
“See”—optanomai—Verb—1) To look at, behold; 2) To allow one's self to be seen, to appear. Strong—a(middle voice) prolonged form of the primary(middle voice) optomai; which is used for it in certain tenses; & both as alternate of oraw; to gaze (i.e. with wide-open eyes, as at something remarkable; & thus differing from blepw, which denotes simply voluntary observation; & from eidw, which expresses merely mechanical, passive or casual vision; while yeaomai, & still more emphatically its intensive yewrew, signifies an earnest but more continued inspection; & skopew a watching from a distance).
“But”—alla—Conjunction—1) But—1a) Nevertheless, notwithstanding, 1b) An objection, 1c) An exception, 1d) A restriction, 1e) Nay, rather, yea, moreover, 1f) Forms a transition to the cardinal matter. Strong—neuter plural of allov[else, i.e. different]; properly--Other things, i.e. adverbially--Contrariwise(in many relations). RWP—Perhaps, "nevertheless," in spite of the difference just noted.
“Wrath”—orgh—Noun Fem.—1) Anger, the natural disposition, temper, character; 2) Movement or agitation of the soul, impulse, desire, any violent emotion, but especially anger; 3) Anger, wrath, indignation; 4) Anger exhibited in punishment, hence used for punishment itself—4a) Of punishments inflicted by magistrates. Strong—properly--Desire(as a reaching forth or excitement of the mind), i.e. by analogy--Violent passion(ire, or [justifiable] abhorrence); by implication--Punishment.
“Abides”—menw—Verb—1) To remain, abide—1a) in reference to place—1a1) To sojourn, tarry, 1a2) Not to depart—1a2a) To continue to be present, 1a2b) To be held, kept, continually, 1b) in reference to time—1b1) To continue to be, not to perish, to last, endure—1b1a) Of persons, to survive, live, 1c) in reference to state or condition—1c1) To remain as one, not to become another or different; 2) To wait for, await one. Strong—a primary verb; To stay(in a given place, state, relation or expectancy).
“On”—epi—Preposition—1) Upon, on, at, by, before; 2) of position--On, at, by, over, against; 3) To, over, on, at, across, against. Strong—properly, meaning superimposition(of time, place, order, etc.), as a relation of distribution[with the genitive case], i.e. Over, upon, etc.; of rest(with the det.)--At, on, etc.; of direction(with the accusative case)--Towards, upon, etc.
Argumentation:
Ps. 2:10-12—“Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.”
Habakkuk 2:4—“Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.”
Rom. 1:16, 17—“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first & also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
Jn. 6:47—“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.”
Lk. 2:25-33—“And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, & this man was just & devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, & the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms & blessed God & said: “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.” And Joseph & His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him.”
Jn. 6:53-57—“Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man & drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh & drinks My blood has eternal life, & I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, & My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh & drinks My blood abides in Me, & I in him. As the living Father sent Me, & I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.”
Lk. 9:18-26(Mat. 16:13-19; Mk. 8:27-30)—“And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, & He asked them, saying, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” So they answered & said, “John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; & others say that one of the old prophets has risen again.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered & said, “The Christ of God.” And He strictly warned & commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, & be rejected by the elders & chief priests & scribes, & be killed, & be raised the third day.” Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, & take up his cross daily, & follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, & is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me & My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, & in His Father’s, & of the holy angels.”
1Jn. 5:9-13—“If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, & this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, & that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”
Jn. 8:51—“Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”
Rom. 8:16-25—“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, & if children, then heirs--heirs of God & joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans & labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.”
Rom. 4:13-5:8—“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. For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void & the promise made of no effect, because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed--God, who gives life to the dead & calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), & the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, & being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, & was raised because of our justification. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, & rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; & perseverance, character; & character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
?Does the Son of God carry all the weight in your decisions?
Illustration:
There is something you can look up on the internet called, ’This Is Why Women Live Longer Than Men.’/Pictures of men doing dangerously stupid things/Examples of: 'Your FAITH is Best'...
My favorites:
1)Adult men floating an active multi-outlet precariously on flip-flops, in a large blow-up pool to power an electric grill placed precariously in the center of the pool as they gleefully & satisfactorily sit around it drinking beer![side note: Drinking & stupidity are best buds!]
2) 3 Adult men, at least 3 stories up, outside on the ledge of their apartment. 2 employing themselves as counterweights on a ladder to aid one who is precariously at the end of the ladder over open space. All this in order to repair a room air conditioner!
Application:
?In YOUR mind, Is YOUR FAITH Best?
?Is YOUR spirit Detrimental to OR Conducive to Christian Ministry?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
A competitive spirit is detrimental to Christian ministry when...
8. Your AUTHORITY is Best(:35)
9. Your FAITH is Best(:36)
1. Your LAND/AREA is Best(:22-23)
2. Your IMMERSION/Baptism is Best(:23-24)
3. Your PURITY is Best(:25-26)
4. Your PLAN is Best(:27-28)
5. Your FULFILLMENT is Best(:29-30)
6. Your ORIGIN is Best(:31)
7. Your TESTIMONY is Best(:32-34)
Pts. 8-9 -END SERIES-presented 01/28/2018pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE(Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
