Tag: knowledge

Articles

The End of Pursuing Knowledge

Pete

Chasing Knowledge Shall Cease

1Co 13:8 Love never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

In the spirit, riches often symbolize knowledge and specifically the knowledge of the Scriptures.  Having such knowledge is a good and wonderful thing as it brings an understanding of God’s ways and purposes and opens up the Word for further learning and growth.

2Ti 3:16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 

2Ti 3:17  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. 

But knowing the Scriptures and studying them, is not the same as knowing Christ and having Him abiding within us.  We as Pharisees first, will not understand this until we are given to look behind our walk and see the vanity and idols we built trusting in our spiritual riches and knowing not we were still in need of a Saviour.

Joh 5:39  You search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 
Joh 5:40  And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. 

We can’t come to Christ until the Lord gives us the free gift of His faith and then draws us near [Joh 6:44] by the journey of salvation.   The Scriptures reveal that salvation is a process that takes three spiritual days.  Our gaining knowledge and spiritual riches is only the beginning of a walk with God.  His work is not completed in us until the third of the three days during which the Lord builds His temple within us.

Joh 2:19  Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 

2Co 6:16  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 

It is on this third spiritual day which is also known as the day of the Lord.  The coming of the Lord is with fire and vengeance for His temple.  Peter spoke of this same day that is what remakes the temple and creates a new heaven and a new earth within, wherein righteousness [Christ] dwells.

2Pe 3:12  Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 

2Pe 3:13  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. 

The story of the rich young ruler is the story and experience of all mankind, who will in their appointed time begin to follow Christ yet lack the most basic requirement for salvation which is faith.

Mar 10:17  And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 

Mar 10:18  And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. 

Mar 10:19  Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. 

Mar 10:20  And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. 

Mar 10:21  Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. 

Our outward obedience and striving to be good by our strength is our time of being drawn to Christ but still in bondage to the law.  Continuing to trust in ourselves we are enslaved to the law and carnal reasonings that have us buying and selling in the Spirit to justify ourselves.  Christ must come and give us His faith.

Gal 2:16  Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. 

Spiritually rich and immature (young) rulers lack the faith of Christ.  Without this gift, we can never fully let go of trusting in our Spiritual possessions and the knowledge we have learned as the Called and Chosen of God.   Few are given the ability to come and be made faithful in this outward age.

Mar 10:22  And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. 

Mar 10:23  And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 

Mar 10:24  And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! 

Our faith has grown and is being increased by the Lord as we abide in truth and take captive the carnal thoughts that only lead to spiritual death [Rom 8:6].  True riches are found as we are becoming poor in Spirit.

Mat 5:3  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Being in weak and rebellious flesh, we are made willing by the Lord to pay the high cost of discipleship in following Him.  We all first walk away unwilling to let go of our wealth and great possessions in the Spirit.  But thankfully the Lord has ordained a day when He will return and come for us where we are transformed, made poor in the Spirit, and able to put all we have into the Lord’s treasury.

Mar 12:44  For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

A rich man in spirit is a man who is like a rich man in the physical.  Neither needs anything from anyone, being self-sufficient and by carnal reasoning have already made it [arrived] and is in need of nothing.  The Lord wastes nothing in His marvelous work and our time spent in bible studies and digging for the mysteries and the spiritual types and shadows in the Scriptures benefit all and are used to bring us to the day of Christ.   The fire is yet to come where we will buy the true riches in our day of judgment when the grace of God is poured upon us in full measure.

Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 

Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 

These spiritual riches of bible knowledge only get us so far on the road to salvation and thus we find ourselves as a “rich” young ruler.  Amazingly the Lord’s strong delusion will deceive us before judgment comes and the third day perfects us.  Trusting in our spiritual riches and outward good works (possessions) we claim to see but remain blind to greater truths and the true wisdom of God.  Without the faith of Christ, our sin remains as we have not the righteousness that comes only by faith.

Joh 9:39  And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. 

Joh 9:40  And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? 

Joh 9:41  Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth. 

It is the day of the Lord for every man that will usher in faith and bring His righteousness to us.   It is here in day three that the Lord will Himself teach His people chosen to be made faithful in this age.

Heb 8:10  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: 

Heb 8:11  And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. 

Heb 8:12  For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. 

Heb 8:13  In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. 

The old carnal covenant of the law is now gone, having vanished as we henceforth are walking only by faith.  Our sanctification now comes as we die daily with Christ, suffering for a righteousness outside the camp of Israel following our Lord.

Heb 13:12  Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. 

Heb 13:13  Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. 

Heb 13:14  For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. 

It is truly a blessing to be stripped of trusting in our knowledge of the Scriptures and to be shown the vanity of the pursuit of riches to justify ourselves.   Our form of outward godliness denies the power of God to save us as we are ever learning but unable to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Rejoice in the Lord’s work.  He is come and will come for His people and finish the good work He started within us.

Pete

 

Articles

Warning Every Man

Pete

“Warning Every Man”

Preaching the gospel and the whole counsel of God has us warning and admonishing one another of the Lord’s words and ways.

Eze 3:17  Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

Col 1:28  Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: 

Col 1:29  Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily. 

The NT word for warning, G3560 is the same word as admonishing.

G3560

íïõèåôǻù

noutheteō

noo-thet-eh’-o

From the same as G3559; to put in mind, that is, (by implication) to caution or reprove gently: – admonish, warn.

 

Our coming into the knowledge of the truth [His Word] and learning the lessons of sowing and reaping is the beginning of true wisdom of the Lord.

Pro 9:10  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Learning the Lord’s methods [MO] of saving us by fiery grace is how we are in due time caused to obey the Lord [Eze 36:27, Isa 26:9] and enter into true righteousness becoming doers of the Word.

Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

When our day has come to be saved and glorify the Lord within us, the Lord’s grace will not fail to deliver.

Heb 10:26  For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,

Heb 10:27  But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries

We learn the fear of the Lord as we are taught the connection between our disobedience and the pouring out of grace.

Gal 6:7  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap

Rom 5:20  Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

Rom 5:21  That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Maturing in Christ does not mean knowledge of doctrine, it means we are becoming doers of the Word.  This means we are exhibiting the accompanying good works and fruits of the Spirit [Gal 5:22] in all our behavior.  We are to be concerned first and foremost about ourselves.

Php 2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Coming to see the workings of true grace and the law of sowing and reaping is a blessing that brings us the strength to suffer and wait on the Lord to deliver us unto righteousness.

We do have a role in the Body to be watchmen and overseers of the flock helping our brothers and sisters escape from bondage and corruption of either false doctrines and sin.  The armies of Christ bring correction and warnings of the Lord’s methods to win back those erring from the way.

2Th 3:14  And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. 

2Th 3:15  Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish [warn] him as a brother. 

Paul was warning the Thessalonians about some who had stopped working out their own salvation and had become busybodies in the lives of others.

2Th 3:10  For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. 

2Th 3:11  For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. 

2Th 3:12  Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. 

2Th 3:13  But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing

Ceasing to work is physically and spiritually being slothful.  To the extent we are able, we are to work for our own spiritual food and thereby reap the spiritual growth that work will bring.  Being diligent and not slothful is necessary if we are to move onwards to maturity in Christ.

Pro 12:24  The hand of the diligent shall bear rule [over their house having dominion over sin]: but the slothful shall be under tribute. 

Heb 6:11  And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: 

Heb 6:12  That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith [with accompanying works] and patience inherit the promises. 

Growing Weary

We are warned about growing weary in doing well because that is exactly what our flesh which is weak will seek to do and the knowledge will lull us to sleep thinking we have arrived when there is a long journey ahead to travail.  It takes the coming of Christ with the fire as in the lake of fire to expose our sloth and awake us to His true and much higher standard of righteousness.

Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 

Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 

Mat 5:20  For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees [those that had a lot of knowledge], ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. 

The most insidious deceiver is the one within ourselves and within our midst who can easily speak what our flesh wants to hear by picking and choosing from the Scriptures.

Act 20:29  For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 

Act 20:30  Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 

Act 20:31  Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears

If we are going to go to make it in this age, we are going to endure severe trials and suffer far more than we at first can imagine or bear.  There is no other way except by the cross of Christ and our following Him to death.  Paul like Christ was an example for us to follow and learn from what is written.  There are many temptations to water down our walk and not stand for Christ in the face of an unbelieving world.  When we bow to this pressure, it takes the heat off and makes us better received by those outside the faith.  Yet that is not the mark of the high calling!  To be godly in Christ, we are guaranteed we will suffer persecution and be hated of those outside the faith.

2Ti 3:12  Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 

Paul warns about the evil and seducer [without ourselves and our own wicked fleshly heart and carnal mind] that will wax worse as we mature to bring temptation and deception to try our faith.  A little knowledge will lead us to deceive ourselves in this way and thereby avoid persecution.

2Ti 3:13  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. 

Lord willing, we are learning to stand and follow the way of Christ in spite of the ongoing temptations from our physical families, our neighbors, our workplace, the entire world [kosmos] in which we dwell in these marred vessels of clay.  Showing all the standard of God and leading by example was an oft-repeated theme of Paul’s life and his writings and with it came much suffering and persecution.

1Co 4:12  And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: 

1Co 4:13  Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day. 

1Co 4:14  I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you. 

1Co 4:15  For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. 

1Co 4:16  Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.

We can’t be an effective witness or preacher if we ourselves have not been successful in overcoming.  A desire to serve the Lord and be His minister should help us strive for the higher calling of having the Lord glorified in our deeds and acts.

Rom 15:17  I have therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God.

Rom 15:18  For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed,

Rom 15:19  Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

The Goal in the Kingdom of God

Obviously, the end goal of the Lord’s work in every man is salvation. That is the saving of every man or said another way being delivered from their sins.  This means far more than just being forgiven those sins, it means the power of God unto salvation has come unto us and we have [are in process] been risen above with Christ.

Gen 4:7  If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. 

Mat 1:21  And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 

The signified language of the Book of Revelation [Rev 1:1] reveals that the wrath of God against our old man and sinful ways, is how we are given the victory and how we stand on top of the sea that represents our flesh and its lusts.

Rev 15:1  And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. 

Rev 15:2  And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. 

We touched on charity and love being the prime thing [1Co 13:8] a few studies back.  That is what the Lord seeks and is getting done  [Psa 135:6, 2Pe 3:9] when He comes for salvation in every man’s day of the Lord.  We should never stop working out our salvation remembering our measure of faith is there to work a work in us that is not yet finished.

1Jn 3:7  Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 

1Jn 3:8  He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 

We should be fervently be seeking the Lord in His kingdom within us and hastening His coming [2Pe 3:12] more and more [thereby destroying the works of the devil within us] through prayer and fasting.  This is far more important than knowledge of the Scriptures and knowing all the types and shadows of the Old Testament.

Mat 6:8  Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. 

Mat 6:9  After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 

Mat 6:10  Thy kingdom [within] come. Thy will be done in [our life and actions] earth, as it is in heaven. 

The God of love is a God of obedience and that is what He is transforming within us when He comes to us a second time for salvation.

1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 

1Jn 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 

Without God’s love growing more and more in us, our witness and testimony profits becomes a clanging gong and our knowledge of doctrine amounts to  nothing without it. These words of Paul take on great importance as we remember what the love of God truly is all about.

1Co 13:1  Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 

1Co 13:2  And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 

1Co 13:3  And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 

The event of flesh Israel rebelling against the Lord and not being content and demanding meat to eat, is an example for all of us to learn from regarding true righteousness and our pursuit of it.   The walk of faith can become boring to the fleshly minded.  Who wants to be still and wait on someone else [even the Lord], when our flesh is accustomed to the fulfillment it finds in the world [Egypt].  Our flesh will naturally desire some spiritual meat [gold nuggets, types and shadows] to make it interesting and give us something to boast about.

Num 11:4  And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? 

Num 11:5  We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: 

Num 11:6  But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes. 

The Lord will wean us of this “self-pursuit” by giving us what our flesh demands; so much so that we will get sick and spiritually die from it.

Num 11:32  And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp. 

Num 11:33  And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague.

Lusting after spiritual meat is lusting after riches [knowledge] and is what we all do in showing the pride of life and discontent of our carnal mind with waiting on the Lord.  The higher calling is the righteousness of Christ.

1Ti 6:8  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

 

Rom 14:17  For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Rom 14:18  For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.

Rom 14:19  Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

 

Gal 6:15  For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

We have come along way and learned many things to get to where we are as a Body of Christ.  Yet the Lord is now beginning a greater work in us.  We all must come through the fire that is the lake of fire in order to be raised with Christ and be given the crown of life that is His Mind being dead to our carnal mind.  Our measure of faith given to us open up the access into the fiery work of the Lord and our enduring the many tribulations needed to work true godliness on the inside.

Rom 5:5  And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God [our obedience] is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. 

The sifting of the true church is leading us back to the simplicity of the gospel and its good news [to the new man] message.  A mindset of profiting and getting rich from being chosen of God now, had led us into a slothful and sleepy walk with the Lord.  We as a Body must strive for obedience and step up and help one another in a godly and meek way.  We have many warnings/admonishments in the Scriptures to teach us the fear of the Lord and remind us of all the errors and the consequences of Israel’s rebellion in failing to take heed the Lord.

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition [warning], upon whom the ends of the world are come. 

1Co 10:12  Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. 

We are doomed to repeat the lessons of the Lord who is chastening us.  So taking heed the warnings and putting the fear of the Lord into action is something we all should be striving to follow the way of righteousness and be alive with Christ.  James wrote of the double-minded and the struggle to have both faith and works in our actions.  We are saved by faith but true faith, not the vain kind, will result in works showing up as the Lord has willed.  We should hasten to that coming.

Jas 2:14  What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 

Jas 2:17  Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 

Jas 2:26  For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. 

We are to be faithful watchmen, warning the people of God of the wolves, the error and the sin that is approaching or has already come into the camp of the saints.  This applies first and foremost within ourselves but does extend to our loving our brother and sisters by our works.

Mat 7:5  Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye. 

Gal 6:1  Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. 

The Lord will awaken His people to righteousness and is going to work His good pleasure in us all.  May we encourage and warn one another both to hasten His appearing in the kingdom of God within us all.

 

 

Articles

Knowing the Lord

Pete

In today’s study, we are focusing on the truth that we are being transformed with a renewed mindset (Rom 12:2) meaning God being all and all which is the end purpose of Christ. This will come to pass exactly on schedule in the appointed times for all men as death (the carnal mind) is destroyed in every man.

1Co 15:26  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 

Dying to this death is the function of the lake of fire and how we overcome all that is at enmity with God. This is the only way we become like Christ and are being given His mind.

Rom 6:5  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death [second death – Heb 2:14-15], we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 

Life cannot be “all in all” with God when enmity between Him and man still exists. Hence death has to be destroyed.

Rom 8:5  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 

Rom 8:6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 

Rom 8:7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 

Rom 8:8  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Man profess the Name of the Lord and proclaim to know Him, yet we only know Him in the flesh at first. It takes the coming of Christ in the Spirit, in faith, giving us eyes to see and ears to hear to usher in the age of the day of the Lord by which we grow into our true knowledge of the Lord and be given His mind through a fiery process.

Jas 1:12  Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

It is those being judged now in all areas of their lives that are being purified through the lake of fire that is simultaneously giving them the mind of Christ the more we endure in the fiery furnace in our day of the Lord.

1Co 2:15  But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 

1Co 2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? [only those judging all things now] But we have the mind of Christ. 

We have this crown in down payment form now as our foreheads have been sealed with the Spirit of Truth. Yet we have to endure to the end to receive the full prize of the upward calling of God, which is to have His mind, a crown of glory.

1Pe 5:4  And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

Obedience Manifested by the Fear of the Lord

Knowledge of the Lord comes from understanding which originates from us fearing the Lord.

Pro 9:10  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Knowledge of the holy is speaking of our obedience which conforms us into the image of the Lord. The gold we are buying in the fiery trials of our judgment (Rev 3:18, 1Pe 4:12) is the fear of the Lord. This is the beginning of us having wisdom into God’s ways.

Isa 33:5  The LORD is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness.

Isa 33:6  And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure.

It is our fiery lake of fire experience we have to endure to receive a new heart of the Lord. This is the true spiritual circumcision, made without man’s hands (Col 2:11) that brings with it a growing and healthy fear of the Lord.

Jer 32:39  And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:

Jer 32:40  And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.

God’s judgments teach us the righteousness of Christ. It teaches us the fear of the Lord and leads to our receiving the great reward, the mind of Christ as a result.

Psa 19:11  Moreover by them [the judgments] is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward. 

The fear of the Lord is how our obedience is being made manifest in our lives. It is through this fiery process, in our heavens and earth that the Lord is giving us age-abiding life. That is the Lord’s will for all men beginning with the house of God upon which judgment is first fallen (1Pe 4:17).

Php 2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

This fear is being taught in a similar way our earthly or physical father taught us and demonstrated they are in charge and we are to be obedient to their commandments. The Lord’s favor upon us is His grace which is chastening and scourging us into following His ways and commandments as His sons.

Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

Heb 12:9  Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence [feared them]: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

Heb 12:10  For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit [our good], that we might be partakers of his holiness.

So right there is the purpose for all judgment and all chastening that is scourging and bringing to naught the man of sin within us. To be made partakers of His holiness, we go through our chastening judgment and not cut those words out of our life. If we want to be like our Lord, we obey His Word as He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek that Word. If we hearken to Him, we are taught the fear of the Lord which hastens His coming within us.

Psa 34:11  Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD. 

Our Lord sets for us the supreme example of obedience and fearing God and how the prayers of one being made righteous are answered mightily.

Heb 5:7  Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; 

Learning anything takes experience in doing it right but also doing it wrong. Our judgment is the correction of our Father bringing upon those whom He loves. We learn that it’s not just about doctrine, it is about doing righteousness, being obedient. The Lord rules not only in heaven with His truth but also in our earth as all things are being brought into subjection.

Act 7:49  Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? 

Act 7:50  Hath not my hand made all these things? 

The Lord is Lord of the outward heavens and earth but also the inward heaven (our mind) and the earth (our walk/bodies). The work of God in His Kingdom in ushering in righteousness is happening within our hearts and minds.

Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Eternal Life is to Know the Lord

When we are dead to death, we are alive to Christ and the Father. This is the definition of “eternal” or “age abiding” life that the faithful receive first as they are the first to go through judgment and die to death.

Joh 17:3  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 

Christ has already come in the hearts and minds of His sons. We henceforth are coming to know Him as we follow Him to the old man’s death (death to death) in the lake of fire.

1Jn 5:20  And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding [His mind], that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. 

This gift of God that comes via grace is what makes us One with the Lord and our Father. This begins with the household of God separated from this world who are the first to partake of the Lord’s mind.

Joh 17:21  That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 

Joh 17:22  And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 

Joh 17:23  I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 

Our suffering through our judgment, carrying our cross to death is what we do in order to receive the gift of God which is eternal life.

Rom 6:4  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into [the second] death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 

It is a desire to love (obey) God and to know Him that is the reward and the prize we as the possessor’s of God’s oracles are pursuing. If the love of God is in our hearts, we are pressing onward and upward for this high calling to know the Lord.

Php 3:10  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

This will take us going to our death and experiencing all the vengeance of the Lord for His Holy temple that we have defiled (1Co 3:17).

Heb 10:30  For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.

Heb 10:31  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 

The best litmus test of do we truly “know the Lord” is to examine ourselves on which will help us stay on the narrow way.

1Jn 2:3  And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

1Jn 2:4  He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

All of us are the many that at first say we know Him, but we have yet to go through the fire and die that is necessary to know Him in Spirit and Truth.

Mat 7:21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 

Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 

Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

It’s the same lesson for the foolish virgins who we are before we become wise and gain understanding and know Him by going through the fire. That is the only place oil can be purchased that will give us what is needed to keep our internal lamps burning.

Mat 25:12  But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 

No man can enter in any other way except by living out all the wrath of God. That wrath is the same as the seven plagues brought to us by the seven angels of the Lord.

Rev 15:8  The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed. 

When carnal mindedness, which is death, is destroyed; then all men will have a new mind.  This comes by losing the old mindset, which spiritually speaking is a beheading of our old man in our day of judgment. The new man (the overcomer in us) is raised to life as the dead in us (the old man and his mind) is destroyed.

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

New life comes forth from death in the Lord’s fire. If we die with Him, we live with Him and that is how we come to know Him and His power. The plan of our redemption and overcoming the world has never been changed. It was always there from Genesis to Revelation. The process is how we gain knowledge and receive His mind, knowing the Lord.

Exo 6:6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:

Exodus 6:7 And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

To know He is the Lord of our heavens and our earth, we are given not only a new mind (heaven) but also a new heart.

Jeremiah 24:7 And I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.

Eze 36:26  I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

How does the Lord do this and by what process? We need not guess or speculate but go to the source of Truth (Psa 119:160).

Eze 36:27  I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

Rom 5:5  Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God (zeal to obey the Lord) has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Agape or true love really means.

1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.

1Jn 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

Our carnal minds are being slain right before our eyes.

Ezekiel 6:7 And the slain shall fall in the midst of you, and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

The carnal mind being slain by the sword of the Lord is what brings us to life. Only the faithful are given to experience salvation in this age when the armies of Christ bring the fiery words of life to our hearing.

Rev 19:21  And the remnant were slain with the sword of him [died to second death by the Body’s sword] that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. 

Ezekiel 11:10 Ye shall fall by the sword; I will judge you in the border of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

Looking behind ourselves, it is the entire experience that will be attributed to the Lord and His works in us. Every step we take including our eating of the tree of good and evil is all the Lord’s work.

Ezekiel 12:15 And they shall know that I am the LORD, WHEN I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries.

Our time of judgment, the time when the wrath of God is at hand (Rev 1:3) is when we are blessed and begin to come into the true knowledge of the Lord.

Ezekiel 25:17 And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.  

Judgments are what brings about death to the old man which is life for the new man. The other side of the same two-edged sword (Heb 4:12)! We know He is the Lord when He is destroying the old mindset replacing it with the new.

Ezekiel 37:6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

There is no boasting for resurrecting ourselves from the spiritually dead. We know we are unworthy and unprofitable servants (Luk 17:10) who have simply been blessed by the Lord and are doing our reasonable service (Rom 12:1).

Ezekiel 37:13 And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves

Knowing all of this and the Lord’s plan for His people what shall we be doing?  Our lives do not continue in the same way and manner as before.

Heb 10:24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love [obedience unto holiness] and to good works:

Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Articles

Beware Lasciviousness

Pete

 

1Pe 4:3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:

Walking with the same mind of Jesus Christ is how we overcome and are getting beyond the fleshly pursuits listed here by Peter.  Once we are chosen to suffer by the Lord and brought into the Truth and abide in the fire of the Body of Christ; we are no longer supposed to be living our lives the way the Gentiles (our former self included) live.

1Pe 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;
1Pe 4:2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God

Those precious few given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God can easily forget these warnings.  We have many reminders to stir up the truth and admonish and exhort us to beware of becoming slothful and lazy with regards to our battle with worldly lusts.  This sinful way of living needs to be put behind us.

Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Eph 2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Becoming a doer of the word and not just a hearer requires work as we will see. Jesus Christ did not come and is not still coming so we can continue to live in sin. He comes to set the captives (all men) free from our bondage to sin.  That is the very essence of what salvation is all about.

All of the Lord’s people will struggle with sin to some degree all the days we live in these marred vessels of clay. However, the promise of salvation is we are being saved from our sins.  This comes little by little as the Scriptures declare and for good reasons that are to keep us from thinking we d0 it by our own strength and initiative.

Deu 7:22 And the LORD thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee.

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

As we mature we must be able to look behind us and see progress being made as we are giving more and more dominion over sin. The Lord is surely long-suffering and this process takes far longer than we want in order to teach us patience.  Yet it is not an excuse to take a let’s eat, drink and be merry attitude.

Heb 6:12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

All things becoming new include our old behaviors passing away in the Aorist Greek tense as the word is, was, and will be working in our lives.

2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passing away; behold, all things are becoming new.

Not seeing that progress should be a warning sign something is amiss.  We must examine ourselves to see if we are really in the faith.  The grace of the Lord that scourges us and teaches us and ultimately causes us to obey the Lord (Eze 36:27) can be received in vain.

2Co 6:1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

We receive such grace in vain, when we do not learn from our mistakes and the chastening the Lord brings for our sins.  If we fail to learn the lessons, we are doomed to repeat them and this will impede moving on to be a mature man in Christ.  There is a fine line between claiming ourselves to be the chief of sinners (which we are apart from Christ working in us) and to receive the grace of the Lord in vain.  To sit back and say the Lord is making you sin is being lascivious if we are not careful.

Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

The Lord sends us trials and delegates the tempting of our sinful flesh to the enemy in order to test our faith.  Those that fail get more trials and more grace until they get it.

Jas 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

Knowing what real grace is is of utmost importance for our progress of being saved.  Grace is what scourges us and the resulting chastening is what teaches us to obey with time and repeated “lessons”.  We must learn that our every disobedience will result in our just reward from the Lord.

Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

Tit 2:11  For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,

Tit 2:12  chastening (training) us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,

Where sin increases, the suffering and chastening in the heat of His furnace increases.

Rom 5:20  Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, (scourging and fiery) grace did much more abound:

Still, we are naturally brute beasts (Ecc 3:18, Rom 7:24) and it takes our entire lives to be fully delivered and we only ever receive it in down payment form until we are given our new spiritual bodies. We all fall victim to lascivious spirits that keep us in bondage to sin.  We need to be reminded of this and our need to get up and to get back on the narrow road and learn what went wrong and make changes in our walk.  To win the war we must (be given to) start and continue in winning the battles against our fleshly desires.

1Pe 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

Sin no longer should be ruling in our mortal fleshly bodies.  As our faith grows and actions are added to our faith and we (Christ rising up in us) begin to gain victories little by little.

Rom 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

This is a serious calling and a serious walk of faith that requires tremendous effort and endurance that the Lord will give us as we grow in faith.

Rom 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

We tend to focus only on the positive and not the negative aspects of the Word of God. It is a two edged sword and we need not forget either side.  Who wants to talk about sin and the chastening we are given in return?  Who wants to talk about us falling away and becoming a reprobate?  No, our flesh wants to rest and take it easy thinking knowledge is what it is all about.  We speak often to one another of the Lord’s Sovereignty in ALL THINGS but much less frequently of the battles and lessons REQUIRED to overcome sin and walk out our faith. We can’t misuse the sovereignty of God and use it implicitly as an excuse for our continued sinful ways.  We need to beware of lascivious spirits and remember we do not inherit the promises until we have done the will of God.

Heb 10:36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

And what is that will?  We do not need to guess what it is.

1Th 4:3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from (spiritual ) fornication:

Our turning grace into lasciviousness is not something we are done with after we leave the physical Babylonian churches.  We need to beware of carrying this spirit even while we are in the truth today.  Jude was writing to us, the Body of Christ, when he penned these words.  We best beware of “those men”, especially our carnal deceitful hearts that creep in unawares with a lascivious spirit.  It’s what flesh loves to do.  Like Jude, we need to exhort one another to be diligent which means careful to contend for our faith.  It is this lazy spirit of sloth and lasciviousness that wants to use God’s sovereignty and the salvation promised to all men to avoid the need to strive and labor in our walk of faith.

Jud 1:3  Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

Jud 1:4  For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

We can have all the truth we want but if we turn it into lasciviousness, we are denying the Lord and His Power within us.  Jude reminds us what happens if we do not move on to maturity and stop our progress of overcoming sin.

Jud 1:5  I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

It is a mistake to not be exhorting each other over this battle with sin. We are far too quick to just say it’s the Lord and go about our daily lives.  Battling and contending with this spirit is never ceasing until the day we physically die.

Heb 3:13  But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Our learning comes by suffering and being chastised by our Lord.  But we cannot continue to pursue the same course.

Heb 12:13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
Heb 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

1Pe 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

We know we must endure to the end and we do that by fighting, striving and working.  It is the last days and we are warned what happens in those days in each of us and this is what happens, we have a form of godliness but denying  the power of Christ in us (thru our unbelief) to change us.

2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

Being cautious of pinning all of our sins on the Lord and using that to justify our continued bad behavior is how a lascivious spirit deceives us. Sure He is causing it but He is doing it to His people so we will learn to stop doing it.  We are fighting to lay hold of the life promised and flee from those things that defile us.

1Ti 6:11  But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

1Ti 6:12  Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses

If we have issues with besetting sins, we need to be changing our behavior Lord willing to remove those things from our pathways.

Pro 22:3  A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.

At times we have humility but lack the fear that is so needed to bring us to obedience.

Pro 22:4  By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.

Guarding our hearts and the entry points into our life is required.  This is a serious matter requiring us to take ACTION.  Faith without these works are dead.

Pro 4:23  Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life…

Pro 4:26  Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.

Pro 4:27  Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

Contrary to the myths some apply to the Apostle Paul, he was not soft on sin, he warned every man and labored himself to the very end.

Col 1:28  Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

Col 1:29  Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

We are to be putting off the old man and putting on the new man.  This takes diligent action on our part.

Col 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
Col 3:6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
Col 3:7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
Col 3:8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
Col 3:9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
Col 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

This is working out our own salvation WITH FEAR and TREMBLING.

Php 2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

We will never attain perfection in this life but we must beware the ditch on the other side of this narrow road.  Our entire life is the works of the Lord’ hands and no matter what we do,  it’s the Lord doing it.  Yet we must beware a lascivious spirit leading us away from fear and trembling at the Word.  If we stop striving diligently we are falling short.

 Luk 13:24  Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

We will reap what we sow. If we continue to sow inequity to that disobedience (no matter what it is) we are also reaping.  We have heard these things before but we are not taking heed of these serious matters.

Heb 2:1  Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things (i.e. strive and work) which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.

Heb 2:2  For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;

There are no free passes.  Grace is not a wink wink and no punishment.  Sin will be recompensed.

Rom 2:6  Who will render to every man according to his deeds:

So don’t get me wrong here and this is not intended to discourage anyone, but rather encourage you.  We don’t save ourselves but I hope to instill in all of us a renewed respect and fear of the Lord.  When we do sin and it is brought to our attention we need to respond in faith.  We have seen people taken right out of the truth who failed to heed this and came to believe we are not to fear the Lord or tremble at every word.  We need to take seriously our sins and disobedience. When we fall down, we must take action and get right back up, Lord willing of course.  Unless we are given of the Lord to progress, and this takes WORK, we are falling short of the goal.

Heb 4:1  Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

So we must work and strive together to make our calling and election sure.  We need to add to our faith and our knowledge the things Peter mentions.  This is the only way we are made partakers of His Divine nature (i.e. saved from our sins) and escape the lusts of this world.  We can’t sit back and continue doing the same old worldly things and expect a different result.  That is called insanity.  We are moving on to maturity if the Lord wills.  The end of the matter is our obedience and this comes by ADDING to our knowledge and to our faith. This is how the DOING part comes about.

2Pe 1:5  And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

2Pe 1:6  And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

2Pe 1:7  And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity (LOVE)

We are made whole with the Lord when we obey the commandments.  That is the end of the matter as it relates to what the Lord is doing with us, His pieces of clay.

Ecc 12:13  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole (duty) of man.

2Jn 1:6  And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

2Ti 2:19  Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

Once the salvation of all men becomes the new reality and we realize we were lied to all our lives, lasciviousness is a common trap our sinful flesh and deceitful carnal hearts will stimulate in our lives.  Why strive to obey the Lord since all men will be saved anyway?  But there are many reasons for such a thing, beyond this post to cover.  But one thing is for sure such an attitude is immature and there is no fear of the Lord in one’s eyes who thinks such a thought.  We all will learn and our continuing to learn that Jesus Christ is not a minister for sin.

Gal 2:17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.

So we must be very careful for thoughts that make it okay to justify our continued living in sin.  We are indeed slaves to sins when we start out.  But we need to stop being slaves to sin and become slaves of righteousness if we are going to make the cut for the first resurrection.

Rom 6:18  Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

Rom 6:22  But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

Freedom is not free as the world likes to say and that is true in the spiritual sense as well.  There is a price to be paid (count the costs) and we work for our freedom from sin and that is by becoming slaves to righteousness.  We won’t eat and progress if we do not work for it ourselves. Without us being given the zeal to work, we won’t eat and thereby won’t grow in our faith and maturity.   A lazy spirit leads to lasciviousness and abusing the grace of the Lord.

2Th 3:10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

We learn this by being judged, yet if the behavior does not change, we are not learning and more grace is needed to work righteousness within us.  The sooner we get this done the sooner we can enter into rest.

Wisdom is the combination of KNOWLEDGE with understanding that comes with experience.  Fear of the Lord is necessary to move us on to be Holy as our Lord is Holy.  Until we get over our lasciviousness we are not progressing and need to be retaught basic oracles of the Lord including fear.

Pro 9:10  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Wisdom results from this fear and that is how we learn the lessons and become wiser and wiser with the trials and temptations we are continually given.

Isa 33:5  The LORD is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness.

Isa 33:6  And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure.

A lazy attitude will keep us from maturing and we will continue to learn over and over again the function of grace until we get it.  Under the law of true faith, Jesus is not a minister for sin, He will judge His people and this is how that works.

Heb 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
Heb 10:27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

We will learn obedience by the things we suffer and the sooner we learn it the better off we will be.

Heb 10:28 He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
Heb 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

We learn to fear our physical fathers when our disobedience is punished and it is no different with our heavenly father.  In our day of abiding in the scourging grace we will learn to fear and we will be caused to stop our disobedience.

Heb 10:30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
Heb 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

The Lord’s people are fellow laborers who are striving daily to ensure and progress onward to maturity.  We like the Apostle Paul, continue to learn and appreciate more and more the warnings of keeping our sinful ways under subjection lest we be castaway despite knowing all the truths we know.

1Co 9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

The doing part is the hard part.  We have to walk out our faith and becoming a true example to others.  Otherwise, we cannot be used for the Lord’s purposes now or for the Higher Calling in the ages to come.  If we don’t overcome we too, are becoming reprobates. We are proving our faith by passing the test and trials that are given to us.

2Co 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

We are warned about being deceived about this ongoing battle against sin.  Here are both John, Paul and Peter’s words written for our admonition.

1Jn 3:7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
1Jn 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Gal 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

1Pe 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
1Pe 1:14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
1Pe 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
1Pe 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

It is those who overcome who will be given the Eight Promises of the Lord in the Book of Revelation.  Talk about a carrot, an incentive to strive and labor on this journey.  These promises are reserved only to those few that are being found faithful to the end.  Here are just the last three promises linked to overcoming (sin) that are cited.

Rev 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

Rev 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

Sincere questions or comments welcome. You can email me at peterjwilson56@gmail.com.

Your Brother in Christ,  PETE