Emotions are both complicated and complex, both mysterious and mystifying. Even the experts are not sure what causes us to experience emotions. Both social science and neurobiology have tried, to no avail, to explain the origin of emotions. And for Christians, emotions can be troubling, frustrating, and untrustworthy. Some emotions seem deeply spiritual; other emotions seem downright sinful. God created us to experience emotions, yet there are still godly and ungodly ways to manage them. This 12-session course on the Book of Psalms will help you sort this out.

  

The first two lessons in the Got Power Series has been breadfrom heaven. So, what's next? In the third part of this series God will opensour eyes to the enormous power that Jesus enjoyed while here on earth...Thesame power is available to us?

The ancient Greek’s definition of happiness was the full useof your powers along lines of excellence. Naguib Mahfouz is quoted as saying,"Happy is he who can give himself up." Jesus used His power incomplete excellence and in full power gave Himself up for us! If we have accessto the same power and are not doing the same, than we are guilty of the misusedof power.

Join us as we learn more about this power—the third personin the trinity—the Holy Spirit. Learning more about His working in Jesus’ life;will empower us to live in excellence and to give ourselves up to the greatergood—the divine will of God for our life. Background scripture reading for thethird lesson is: Luke 1 & 4, John 14. Hope to see you in the house.

  

Spiritual Power

By: John F. Walvoord

Man’s Inadequacy

Those who become Christians by faith in Christ soon discover that being born again does not automatically solve all their spiritual problems. Satan, who has done everything he can to keep a person from becoming a Christian, now changes his tactics to keeping a Christian from achieving a real testimony for Christ.

1. The Christian is faced with a world system that is contrary to serving the Lord. The world’s standards, its values, its immorality, and its materialism constitute a formidable opposition to a Christian who wants to serve the Lord effectively.

2. Satan also will do all he can to keep a Christian from fulfilling God’s plan for his life. Christians, accordingly, are exhorted to “be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings” (1 Peter 5:8-9).

3. In addition to satanic opposition, which can be very real in a Christian’s life, we still have a sin nature. Even though we are born again and have a new nature in Christ, the sin nature resists the desires and goals of the new nature. What we were before we were saved tends to draw us back into the old life, which does not honor Christ. This is not a peculiar problem for some Christians; it is a problem for all Christians. The apostle Paul speaks of this when he states, “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it” (Rom. 7:18-20). After further discussion of this problem, Paul concludes “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Rom. 7:24-25).

The answer to this inadequacy of human beings to solve their own problems, even after they are saved, is found in God’s provision for power over sin and the power to have victory in Christ. To accomplish the purpose of a Christian leading a holy life, God has made rich provision.

The Power of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit indwells every Christian, and because He is God and has all the power of God, He is able to help a Christian to overcome his inadequacy and to have a life and testimony that is honoring to God. The secret of drawing on His power is one of faith so that we live by the Spirit. Paul wrote to the believers in Galatia saying, “Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law” (Gal. 5:16-18).

Living by the Spirit is depending moment by moment on the power of the Spirit to overcome our own inadequacy. Christians need to realize that within them is the omnipotence of God and that there is no problem that God cannot solve. Accordingly, the life of victory is a life of faith as we live day by day, relying on the Holy Spirit to give us power to serve the Lord effectively.

Today airplanes provide rapid transportation from one place to another. It is possible to get on a plane and travel thousands of miles in just a few hours. The secret, however, is trusting the plane enough to get on board and let the plane carry you. Likewise, a Christian faces the impossible task of honoring God on his own, but as he rests in the power of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God can support him and carry him moment by moment in his service and testimony for the Lord. It is impossible for a believer to achieve what he should by way of obedience and commitment to God without relying upon the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Power of the Word of God

In addition to what God provides by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, the Bible with its infinite revelation of God is available to Christians. One of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is to teach us the Word of God and to acquaint us with the facts of God’s provisions for our needs as well as God’s standards and values.

In the epistle to the Hebrews, the power of the Word of God is described, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any doubled-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Heb. 4:12). The Bible provides a most essential avenue of communication of God to us. In it He declares infinite truths that acquaint us with God and His purposes in the world. The Word of God, because it is such an accurate presentation of the truth of God, serves to purify and to guide.

The psalmist asked the question, “How can a young man keep his way pure?” (Ps. 119:9). The same verse gives us the answer, “By living according to your word.” Knowledge of the Word of God and the availability of divine power does much for a Christian and enables him to lead the kind of a Christian life that will be an honor to God. The psalmist states, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Ps. 119:105). In the darkness of the night a lamp will show enough of the path ahead to guide us in the next step. The Word of God is like that. It may not give us guidance regarding ten years from now, but it does give us guidance concerning what we should do day by day. In addition to the Word of God itself, the Holy Spirit interprets the Word and applies it to our particular need and gives us even more direct instruction.

Scriptures are a work of the Holy Spirit. As stated in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” As this passage states, the Holy Spirit teaches us the truth we need. It rebukes us if we have transgressed the Law of God. It provides a way of correction and shows how we should be living, and then it gives us training in how to live a righteous life before God. The result would be that if the Word of God has its full effect upon us, the individual Christian is equipped for the work that God has called him to do.

The blessed man described in Psalm 1:2-3 is the one who meditates upon the Word of God, “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” Just as a tree planted near water can draw water and prosper even when the rest of the area is dry, so a Christian living in a world that does not support his spiritual life can draw upon the deep springs of the Word of God and in that truth be able to live above the standards of the world. Christians soon discover the necessity of reading the Bible every day. It is important to have a daily appointment with God to read the Bible and to pray and, if possible, to make it a family practice.

In Scripture there is a revelation of who God is, His holiness and righteousness, His infinity, His omniscience, His omnipresence, His love and grace. The Bible also reveals who man is—that he was created in the likeness of God but fell through willful sin. Man is capable, however, of receiving the transforming grace of God, and those who put their trust in Christ begin the process of sanctification that ultimately will present them perfect in the presence of God. The Bible outlines God’s philosophy of history, including His program for the Gentile nations as illustrated in the book of Daniel, His program for Israel in the past, present, and future, His program for the church, and His warning of the future of the unsaved. The Bible is the timeless book that meets our current needs and helps us to achieve the utmost in a godly life and useful service for God.

The Power of the Blood of Christ

The Bible also speaks of the power of the blood of Christ that was shed upon the cross. The fact that the blood of Christ was shed assures us of the power of God to forgive sin. This is stated in Hebrews 9:22, “The law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” It is through the blood of Christ that we have redemption (Eph. 1:7; Rev. 5:9). Through the shed blood of Christ we receive propitiation, or satisfaction before God, so that our sins may be forgiven (Rom. 3:25). The blood of Christ has the power to cleanse us from sin.

This is the argument of Hebrews 9:13-14, “The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”

Our cleansing is not through a redemption purchased with silver and gold but with the precious blood of Christ as stated in 1 Peter 1:18-19, “You know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” The power of the death of Christ, as stated in these many passages that refer to the blood of Christ shed for us, is one of the important aspects of God’s process of sanctification of a believer. As we contemplate the death of Christ and all He did for us, it serves to remind us of God’s holy purpose and His desire that we might be examples of His righteousness even in our daily lives.

The Power of Prayer

One of the great privileges given to a Christian as a child of God is his access to the throne of God in heaven. Again and again in Scripture the Christian is reminded that he can come to God with his petitions and expect God to hear and answer. Christ reminded His disciples frequently of this. On the night before His crucifixion He told them, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you” (John 15:7). Later the same evening Christ said, “I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name” (John 16:23).

In offering prayer to God, it is important to ask in the name of Christ. As Jesus told His own disciples, “I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” (John 14:13-14). Jesus also said, “In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name” (John 16:23).

Asking in the name of Christ implies that it is God’s will. This is stated more clearly in 1 John 5:14-15, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”

Prayer is not a means by which a believer receives something contrary to the will of God. It is rather the means by which God miraculously brings into a believer’s life that which he requested in prayer according to His will.

Some companies that write checks today require two signatures, and the check is only good when both signatures are affixed. Likewise, in our prayer life we send our petitions to God and sign the check. We then send it to Jesus Christ. If He signs it, it does not make any difference how great or impossible it is—that prayer will be answered in keeping with what has been asked.

It is a fact of human experience that sometimes God does not seem to answer prayer, and this may indicate that our prayer has not been according to the will of God. It is also true that sometimes God will answer our prayer, but not immediately. For this reason we need to keep on praying. God in His own time and in His own way will fulfill our request even as He honors and glorifies Himself in our prayer life. This, of course, is all that an intelligent, God-fearing Christian would desire. Once we have presented our petitions to God, we can rest in God’s answer even if no apparent answer is received. Now that our request has been made, the problem remaining is in the will of God, at least for the present.

The Power of Christ’ s Intercession

An important aspect of the prayer of believers is the fact that Christ is in heaven interceding for us. According to Hebrews 7:25 Christ “is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” Because God is infinite, He is able to give His full attention to one believer without detracting from His attention to another. It is a marvelous truth of Scripture that God continuously gives His attention to us, and Christ is interceding on our behalf. When believers pray to God, they are joining a prayer meeting already in session, and the object of their prayers is to fulfill and coincide with what God desires for them.

Scriptures also make clear that sometimes believers do not receive answers to prayer because they do not ask or they ask from the wrong motives. As James expresses it, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (James 4:3). James also expresses the problem of failing to pray, “You do not have, because you do not ask God” (James 4:2). The challenge in the prayer life, accordingly, is to ask and present our needs to God, but to ask with the right motives and with the right goals. If we ask according to the will of God in the name of Christ, our prayers will be answered. In addition to moment-by-moment fellowship with God, we need stated times for daily prayer.

Appropriating the spiritual power that God has provided is an important factor in a believer’s life and service. In view of his own inadequacy, he needs the power of the Holy Spirit, the power of the Word of God, the power of the blood of Christ, the power of prayer, and the power of Christ’s intercession. God has richly provided, and Christians should avail themselves by faith of what God has provided in His grace for a Christian’s life.

Questions

1. Is it normal for Christians to realize that they are inadequate in themselves to solve their spiritual problems?

2. What is the effect of the world’s system upon a Christian?

3. What is Satan’s desire in regard to a Christian?

4. Define the problem of the sin nature, explaining how it relates to the new nature received in the new birth.

5. What is the secret of gaining victory over the sin nature?

6. How does the Holy Spirit relate to a believer’s inadequacy?

7. How can the Christian draw on the power of the Holy Spirit?

8. How does flying in an airplane illustrate the Christian life?

9. Explain why it is impossible for a Christian in his own power to lead a Christian life.

10. How is the Word of God described in its relationship to a believer in Hebrews 4:12?

11. How does the Word of God affect a person’s purity? And how does it serve as a guide for a Christian’s life? How does a lamp illustrate this?

12. According to 2 Timothy 3:16-17, what can we expect that the Scriptures will accomplish in our lives?

13. How is the blessed man of Psalm 1 an illustration of how a Christian can draw from the unseen power of God?

14. To what extent does the Bible provide God’s philosophy of history?

15. Why is the shedding of blood essential to the sacrifice for sin?

16. What do Scriptures teach that the precious blood of Christ accomplishes?

17. What are some of the promises that God will answer prayer?

18. What are some of the conditions that relate to God’s answer to prayer?

19. How can prayer be defined?

20. Explain how a check with two signatures illustrates prayer.

21. How does prayer change things even if the prayer is not answered?

22. How does the fact that Christ in His resurrection lives forever relate to His intercession for us?

23. How much of God’s attention do we have moment by moment?

24. To what extent are we joining a prayer meeting already in session?

25. How do wrong motives hinder answers to prayer?

26. Is it possible to miss blessing because we do not ask for it?

27. In summarizing God’s provision for the Christian and its availability, how are we to experience spiritual power in our life?

  

Text: Hebrews 10 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

 

  ³² Remember the earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings³³ Sometimes you were publicly exposed to taunts and afflictions, and at other times you were companions of those who were treated that way. ³⁴ For you sympathized with the prisoners and accepted with joy the confiscation of your possessions, knowing that you yourselves have a better and enduring possession.   ³⁵ So don't throw away your confidence, which has a great reward³⁶ For you need endurance, so that after you have done God's will, you may receive what was promised. 

    ³⁷ For in yet a very little while,

the Coming One will come and not delay.

    ³⁸ But My righteous one  will live by faith;

and if he draws back,

My soul has no pleasure in him. 

    ³⁹ But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and obtain life.

 

I. Grasping A Hermeneutics of Trails and You

 

In the New Testament the Greek word for trails means to prove by testing; an event that demonstrates the genuineness of you faith in Christ and refines the quality of you spiritual life. With that being said, trails are therefore: painful circumstances allowed by God to Change My Conduct and my character.

 

My conduct—what I do, and my character—who I am, are being fine-tuned through the trails that God allows in my life. Trails are God fine tuning of me...Or adjusting my character and conduct for greater impact. Therefore, trails are necessary. There are several biblical terms for trails that the bible uses interchangeably: suffering, hardship, tribulation, chastising and discipline.

 

God's love of us is not so much a pampering love, it more-so a perfecting love. It is not a spoiling love, but a sanctifying love. He is more concerned about perfecting us than pampering us. His perfecting of us most often comes to us through the discipline of trails.

 

Heb. 12: 3-11 (ESV)

 

3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives." 7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

 

The word us for discipline in this text is translate in Titus 2:11, 12a as teaching, training and instructing in various translations.  God is not a father that spoils us, but rather sanctifies us and that involves teaching, training, instructing and sometimes spanking us!

 

 

W. H. Griffith Thomas has stated for these five warnings: “Don’t drift, disbelieve, degenerate, despise, depart.” For our study we will follow the following order.

 

1. Drifting (2:1‑4)

2. Doubtings (3:7–4:13)

3. Deformity (5:11–6:20)

4. Despising (10:26-31)

5. Denying (12:15‑29)

 

 

Grasping A Hermeneutics of Trails and You

 

II. Grasping A Hermeneutics of The True You

 

A.   The Believer's Identity

 

"For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive." (1 Corinthians 15:21-22)

 

The believer’s identity is sandwich within their baptism in Christ. 

 

MY RELATIONSHIP     

 

 . I am reconciled to God - 2 Cor 5:18

I.  I'm a child of God - He is my Father - 1 Jn 3:1,2   

II.I am a saint - Eph 1:1; 1 Cor 1:2; Phil 1:1

III.   I am Christ's friend - Jn 15:15       

IV.  I am a fellow citizen in God's kingdom - Eph 2:19

V.   I am born of God - 1 Jn 4:7

VI.  I have been brought near to Christ - Eph 2:13

VII. I have been adopted by God - Rom 8:15

VIII. I'm to be righteous and holy like God - Eph 4:24

IX.  I have direct access to God - Eph 2:18

 

MY INHERITANCE

 

X.   I am a citizen of heaven - Phil 3:20

XI.  I am an heir of God - Rom 8:17    

XII. I've been rescued from Satan's domain - Col 1:13

XIII. I am a joint heir with Christ - Rom 8:17; Gal 4:7

XIV. I am hidden with Christ in God - Col 3:3

XV. I am blessed with every spiritual blessing - Eph 1:3     

XVI. I am chosen of God - holy, beloved - Col 3:12

XVII. I am a child of promise - Rom 9:8; Gal 3:14        

XVIII. I am a child of light, not darkness - 1 Thess 5:5

XIX. I've been given great promises - 2 Pet 1:4          

XX. I am a partaker of Christ - Heb 3:14

XXI. I'm one of God's living stones - 1 Pet 2:5

 

MY TRANSFORMATION         

 

XXII. I'm a member of a royal priesthood - 1 Pet 2:9

XXIII. I'm redeemed and forgiven - Eph 1:6-8   

XXIV. I'm to be a stranger to this world - 1 Pet 2:11

XXV. I've been justified - made righteous - Rom 5:1  

XXVI. I'm an enemy of the devil - 1 Pet 5:8

XXVII. I have eternal life - Jn 5:24

XXVIII. I died w/Christ to the power of sin - Rom 6:1-6  

 

MY CALLING

 

XXIX. I am free from condemnation - Rom 8:1 

XXX. I am to be salt on the earth - Mt 5:13

XXXI. I have received the Spirit of God -1 Cor 2:12

XXXII. I am to be light in the world - Mt 5:14

XXXIII. I have been given the mind of Christ - 1 Cor 2:16        

XXXIV.       I'm chosen and appointed to bear fruit - Jn 15:16

XXXV. I have been crucified with Christ - Gal 2:20       

XXXVI.       I am called to do the works of Christ - Jn 14:12

XXXVII.      I am a new creation - 2 Cor 5:17  

XXXVIII.    I am to do what Christ commanded  His disciples -     Mt 28:20

XXXIX.       I have been made alive with Christ - Eph 2:5    

XL. I have been given spiritual authority - Lk 10:19

XLI. I am God's workmanship - Eph 2:10        

XLII. Signs should accompany my work - Mk 16:17-20

XLIII. I have received fullness in Christ - Col 2:10      

XLIV. I am a minister of a new covenant - 2 Cor 3:6

XLV. I am a minister of reconciliation  -   2 Cor 5:18,19

 

MY POSITION

     

XLVI. I am to be an expression of life in Christ - Col 3:4

XLVII. I am connected to the true vine - Jn 15:1,5        

XLVIII. I am a partaker of a heavenly calling -   Heb 3:1

XLIX. I'm a willing slave of righeousness - Rom 6:18,22       

L.    I am a temple of God - 1 Cor 3:16; 6:19   

LI.   I am one spirit with the Lord - 1 Cor 6:17

LII. I am a member of Christ's body - 1 Cor 12:27    

 

 

Grasping A Hermeneutics of Trails and You

Grasping A Hermeneutics of The True You

 

III. Grasping  A Hermeneutics of The Triumphed You

 

Psalm 18:1-3 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

For the choir director. Of the servant of the LORD, David, who spoke the words of this song to the LORD on the day the LORD rescued him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.  He said:

 

 ¹ I love You, LORD, my strength.

    ² The LORD is my rock,
my fortress, and my deliverer, 
my God, my mountain where I seek refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, 
my stronghold.

    ³ I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, 
and I was saved from my enemies

 

1.    God Is Our Stability - David describes God as a Rock. When everything else in the world is being tossed and twisted, God forever remains the same. He is always stable, Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8.

 

2.    God Is Our Safety - David says that God is like a fortress. This surely has reference to the lofty mountain citadels to which he fled when he was running from Saul. David reminds us that the Lord us a place of safety to which the saint can flee in times of adversity and trial, Psa. 57:1. (Ill. Satan is like a roaring lion, 1 Pet. 5:8. However, the saint has a place of safe refuge in the day of attack. God is our fortress, out place of perfect peace and safety.

 

3.    God Is Our Savior - David refers to the Lord as his deliverer. This word refers to one who saves, one who rescues, one who delivers another from danger. This is a word that is filled with glory! You see, not has the Lord saved us when we received Him by faith, but He goes on saving us day by day, 1 John 1:7, and when this life is over, we will be ultimately saved when we arrive home in Heaven. (Ill. If we can never find another anthem to raise to the glory of the Savior, surely the redeemed can find within them to praise the Lord for His saving grace.

 

 

 

4.    God Is Our Sovereign - David refers to Him as God. This is the word "El." It refers to God as the Almighty God. This word pictures God as One Who is over all things and as One Who is in control of all things. The saints of God should surely rejoice in the knowledge that everything that happens is in God's plan and that He is in control of all things, even when we cannot make sense of it, God is still on His throne, Isa. 45:7; Rom. 8:28; Job 23:10.

 

5.    God Is Our Strength - David tells us that God is all we need. Folks we can ever rejoice in the fact that the Lord God of Heaven will be the strength of our lives. None of knows what we will face as we go through the years of our lives, but we can know that God in Heaven will give us the strength we need to face life's trials and battle and that He will help us all along the way, 2 Cor. 12:9-10; Isa. 43:2; Heb. 4:14-16. Remember that He is an ever present God - Heb. 13:5; Matt. 28:20; Psa. 46:1.

 

6.    God Is Our Shield - David calls the Lord a "buckler". This simply means a shield. When trouble comes into your life and mine, sometimes the Lord will allow those things to come and He will give grace. However, there are times when the Lord steps between His children and their trials and acts as a shield to stand between His child and the storm that is coming. I like it when the Lord is my shield! Only in Heaven will we fully comprehend the times when God in His providence has stepped between us and something awful that was coming our way!

 

7.    God Is Our Security - Here, the Lord is called a "horn of salvation." The horn is the symbol of strength and conquest. When David calls God the horn of salvation, he is saying that the Lord is the strength of salvation and that in His salvation, we have absolute security. I believe that we can all rejoice in the knowledge that if we are in the Lord, then we are totally secure in Him, 1 Pet. 1:5! (Ill. He has never lost on yet, and He isn't going to start with you! He didn't save you to lose you along the way, but He saved you to take you to Heaven, John 6:38-41.)

 

8.    God Is Our Supply - In this last metaphor, David says that the Lord is our High Tower. This refers to the great towers that were built around the ancient cities. From these towers, soldiers could look down on their attackers and send volleys of arrows down on their heads. These towers were usually stocked with ammunition and supplies. When the soldiers ran to the high tower, they were above the battle, they were in a place of rest, refreshment and ready supply. God is the same for the child of God. When the battle rages about us, we can run to Him and be lifted above our battles and find the rest and refreshment we need to be able to fight the battles and win! Surely we can rejoice in the knowledge that the Lord is ever there for us to run to in the day of battle. Surely we can remember that the "battle is the LORD's", 1 Sam. 17:47.

 

Conclusion

 

· United with Him in His death.

"Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?" (Romans 6:3)

 

"I have been crucified with Christ... " (Galatians 2:20)

 

· United with Him in His resurrection.

"Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into. death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:4)

 

· United with Him in His ascension

. "...even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. " (Ephesians 2:5-6)

 

· Baptized Into Christ's body (the Church)

"For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slave or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:13)

 

· Chosen by God

"...just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him." (Ephesians 1:4)

 

 

· Saved by grace

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

 

· God is propititated (satisfied)

"...and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world." (1 John 2:2)

 

· Reconciled to God

"For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!" (Romans 5:10)

 

· Redeemed

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace. " (Ephesians 1:7)

 

· Freed from the Law

"Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, that we might bear .fruit for God." (Romans 7:4)

 

· Totally forgiven

"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision a your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave u; all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; He took away, nailing it to the cross. " (Colossians 2:13)

 

· Totally cleansed

"And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God." (1 Corinthians 6:11)

 

"He saved us, not on the basis of deeds we have done it righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing o1 regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit." (Titus 3:5)

 

· Made holy and blameless

"But now He has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation." (Colossians 1:22)

 

· Hidden with Christ in God

"For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." (Colossians 3:3)

 

· Clothed with Christ

"For all of you who were united with Christ in baptism have beer clothed with Christ." (Galatians 3:27)

 

· Sealed in Christ

"In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation - having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory." (Ephesians 1:13-14)

 

· Given Christ's righteousness

"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that w4 might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

 

"For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and o7 the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17)

 

· Justified

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are Justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:23-24)

 

· Safe from the wrath of God

"Much more, having been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him." (Romans 5:9)

 

· Made at peace with God

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:1)

 

· Freed from condemnation

"There is therefore now no condemnation or those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1)

 

· Sanctified (made holy)

"By (God's) will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus once for all." (Hebrews 10:10)

 

"And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God." (1 Corinthians 6:11)

 

· Made perfect forever

"For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified." (Hebrews 10:14)

 

· Totally accepted

"Wherefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God." (Romans 15:7)

 

· Translated out of darkness into light

"For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (Colossians 1:13-14)

 

"For you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light." (Ephesians 5:8)

 

· From death to life

"Truly, truly 1 say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life." (John 5:24)

 

"And you were dead in your trespasses and sins ... But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ." (Ephesians 2:1,5)

 

· Born again

"Blessed by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." (1 Peter 1:3)

 

· Indwelt by the Holy Spirit

"However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him." (Romans 8:9)

 

· Made into a temple of the Holy Spirit

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?" (1 Corinthians 6:19)

 

· Made into a new creation

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has comet" (2 Corinthians 5:17)

 

"For we are His ' workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10)

 

· Made children of God

"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:12-13)

 

· Adopted into God's family

"For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again. but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!"' (Romans 8:15)

 

"But when the fulness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, in order that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons." (Galatians 4:4-5)

 

· Made heirs of God

"Therefore, you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God." (Galatians 4:7)

 

· In fellowship. with God

"God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 1:9)

 

· "...what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ." (1 John 1:3)

 

· Made into a holy and royal priesthood

"...To Him who loves us, and released us from our sins by His blood, and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father..." (Revelation 5b.6)

 

"You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ ... But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." (1 Pet. 2:5,9)

 

· Given total access to God

" ...Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him." (Ephesians 3:12)

 

"Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is. His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." (Hebrews 10:19-23)

 

· Made complete

"For in Him all the fulness of deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete..." (Colossians 2:9-10)

 

· We have been given everything

"Blessed by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." (Ephesians 1:3)

 

"...seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence." (2 Peter 1:3)

 

  

In preparing for the second lesson in the series Love Sex and Commitment, I needed to note the difference between conflict avoidance and conflict prevention. Robert Bacal said it better than I could. So I borrowed his words and here they are:

  

  

  

Sustaining The Vision

21^st Anniversary of Come As You Are Community Church

 Prayer for the Future

Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the waters of life; having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity; and in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas where storms will show your mastery; where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars. We ask you to push back the horizons of our hopes; and to push into the future in strength, courage, hope, and love.[1]

Proverbs 29:18 (ASV)

18 Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint; But he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

Acts 26:12-19 (ASV)

12 Whereupon as I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests, 13 at midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them that journeyed with me. 14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying unto me in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the goad. 15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. 16 But arise, and stand upon thy feet: for to this end have I appeared unto thee, to appoint thee a minister and a witness both of the things wherein thou hast seen me, and of the things wherein I will appear unto thee; 17 delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom I send thee, 18 to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in me. 19 Wherefore, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:

 

Sustain:

1.	to support, hold, or bear up from below; bear the weight of, as a structure.

 

2.	to bear (a burden, charge, etc.).

 

3.	to undergo, experience, or suffer (injury, loss, etc.); endure without giving way or yielding.

 

4.	to keep (a person, the mind, the spirits, etc.) from giving way, as under trial or affliction.

 

5.	to keep up or keep going, as an action or process: to sustain a conversation.

 

6.	to supply with food, drink, and other necessities of life.

 

7.	to provide for (an institution or the like) by furnishing means or funds.

 

8.	to support (a cause or the like) by aid or approval.

 

9.	to uphold as valid, just, or correct, as a claim or the person making it: The judge sustained the lawyer's objection.

 

“All philosophy lies in two words: Sustain and Abstain” Epictetus quotes (Greek philosopher associated with the Stoics, AD 55-c.135)

 

“Only those who truly love and who are truly strong can sustain their lives as a dream. You dwell in your own enchantment. Life throws stones at you, but your love and your dream change those stones into the flowers of discovery. Even if you lose, or are defeated by things, your triumph will always be exemplary. And if no one knows it, then there are places that do. People like you enrich the dreams of the worlds, and it is dreams that create history. People like you are unknowing transformers of things, protected by your own fairy-tale, by love.” Ben Okri quotes (Nigerian author who uses magic realism to convey the social and political chaos in his country, 1959)

 

 

Six Components of Visionary Leadership

1.    Self-Mastery

2.    Stewardship

3.    Visionary

4.    Precise Communication

5.    Empowerment

6.    Service

To sustain The Vision: We Must Be…

Saturated In The Heavenly Vision.

To Sustain The Vision: We Must…

Unconditionally Surrender To The Heavenly Vision

Sacrificial Service The Heavenly Vision

Trust In The God Of The Heavenly Vision

Align With Those of The Heavenly Vision

Intellectually Grow With The Heavenly Vision

Nurture Our Spiritual Growth With The Heavenly Vision

---

[1] Sir Frances Drake Quoted in OC Missionary Prayer Letter of Jeanie Curryer, September, 1997

  

Download | Duration: 00:35:09

  

Dr. Oscar Underwood has been a brother and a friend for many years. He and his wife have given so much to this community and the pages thereof, are written on the mind and hearts of our children. It was wonderfully to be with them on Sunday. We both had the honor of sharing on the Warsaw IN Committee's Martin Luther King Program. This video is from some photo I took of Dr. Underwood and some of his church members. I regret that I did not get any of his wife for this video...She has a WONDERFUL and GRACEFUL MINISTRY TOO!