Laying It All Down
Chapter 12
Doctrine and duty always go together, but doctrine is first. If you do duty without knowing really why the result is burn out, pride, confusion, frustrating.
Faith - Faith Depends on its object; The depth of faith is determined by the depth of our knowledge of the object.; Faith is an action word.
We must translate our learning into living and show by our daily lives that we trust God’s Word.
The key idea in this section is relationships. When we have a right relationship with God, it will come out in our care for people.
I Jn 4:18-21
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
19 We love Him because He first loved us.
20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
What is true dedication to God?
1. When you give your body to Him.
2. When you give your mind to Him.
3. When you give your will to Him.
V1 - 2
Why should you fully give yourself to God? Because He has saved you as He did not have to do it. You received His mercy.
Present - a once for all act, complete.
You should be living a loser life, a dead life, a life that has no real purpose or power but you have come to know Him so give yourself completely to Him. You were dead but now you are alive in Christ.
This is a indirect look at the story of Issac. As Issac went on the alter and his dad, Abraham was going to plunge a knife through him, so we must go unto the alter and trust our Father God.
If you really want to life you must die. If you really want to experience what it means to be on the “cutting edge” with God then you must abandon all personal hopes, desires and dreams. You must be willing to give up trying to find life on this planet and reach for the next.
Matt 22:37-40
37 Jesus said to him," ’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
38 "This is the first and great commandment.
39 "And the second is like it: ’You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
40 "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."
Why should you give your earthsuit to God? Because it is reasonable or it is a true spiritual way to worship Him.
V2 The world wants to control your mind, God wants to transform it.
Transform - “metamorphosis” - like a catapillar into a butterfly. (the incredible hulk) It describes a change from within. The world wants tries to control your mind by places eternal peer pressure against you. God controls your mind by making internal changes in your belief system. The world is a conformer, God is a transformer.
He will do this mainly through His Word and doctrine being understood by the revealing of the Holy Spirit.
1 Cor 2:14-16
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.
16 For "who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ.
The secret of finding God’s will is asking three questions:
Is this good, as God sees good?
Is this acceptable to God?
Is this what a mature child of God will be doing?
You don’t feel your way into good behavior, you behave your way into good feelings.
Your mind controls your body and your will controls your mind.
Many people try to control their will be “willpower” but usually that fails. It is only when we yield the will to God that His power and let us understand and know why and how we will accomplish His requests through us.
You can not do the will of God in your “flesh”.
You must “live in the spirit” to do the will of God.
How do we yield our wills? Through prayer.
Luke 22:42
42 "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."
V3 Now God is going to live His life through you. He will gift you to accomplish His plans.
These gifts are not for you, per say, but for the edifying and building up of His body.
So how do we use these gifts?
1. Honest evaluation. (3)
Each Christian must know what their gifts are and what ministry they should be involved in.
2. Faithful cooperation. (4-8)
The body is going to grow in a balanced way if everyone does their assignment. Spiritual gifts are tools to build with, not toys to play or weapons to fight with.
3. Loving participation (9-21)
With each other:
Here is the emphasis on the attitude of those who exercise their spiritual gifts. It is possible to have a spiritual gift and use it in an unspiritual way.
With our enemies:
The believer who lives for God is going to have some enemies. We must learn to love them because this is the way of Christ. We are to live on the highest level.
V20 “heap coals of fire on his head” is saying we will share or resources to make their home warm as ours is warm.
