THE LORD KNOWS THOSE WHO ARE HIS

In 2 Cor. 1:22 God has “sealed us” and given us the “earnest of the spirit.”  In Ephesians 1:13 “having believed,” we are “sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise.”  In Ephesians 1:14 the Holy Spirit is described as the “earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession.”  In Ephesians 4:30 we are “sealed for the day of redemption” by the Holy Spirit, where the word “redemption” literally means “deliverance to Jesus at His coming.”  And 2 Timothy 2:19 states, “The solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: The Lord knows those who are His.” The word “earnest” (gr., arrhabon) means a down payment or security deposit guarantee made by a purchaser and is in common usage in real estate transactions (i.e., earnest money).  The word “sealed” (gr., sphragis/sphragizo) means to mark indicating ownership, security and destination.

The Holy Spirit which Christ promised is the first installment, first portion or foretaste, of the manifold blessings to come, of our inheritance in Christ Jesus. It’s just a taste, a snippet of what Daddy has prepared for us, signifying Christ’s love and commitment to us, and the guarantor of our inheritance in God’s kingdom. Having believed, we are marked with the ownership of God, His righteousness, secure in His promises and destined to be with Him.  This mark (seal) is more than just an identifier; it is the essential component of our relational dynamic with God. Reconciliation, the cross, reestablished access to God. The imputing of God’s righteousness enables us to come into His presence without getting fried, making communion now and forever possible. We are cloaked like a coat, clothed with His righteousness, sinless in His sight, sinless but not perfect.  The down payment has been made, the Holy Spirit has been “deposited” in our earthen vessels to secure the purchase transaction with God and guarantee our inheritance in His Kingdom. Notice the reciprocal nature of the word “earnest”; it guarantees the purchase, ownership, to the buyer and guarantees the purchased item an inheritance in its new owner. The Holy Spirit has clothed us in the very righteousness of God, giving us access into the King’s presence – the King’s scepter is always lifted for us – and marked us as God’s purchased property until Christ’s return to claim and pick up His own.  And the foundation of God’s promise is firm and strong (i.e., “sure”, gr., stereos) providing this security to us, “The Lord knows those who are His.”

THEREFORE, COMFORT AND ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER WITH THESE WORDS

SUFFERING

A clear understanding of the role of “suffering” in the Christian life is important. The ancient goldsmith refined crude gold ore by bringing it to a liquid in a crucible, under intense heat. The impurities which float on the surface were skimmed off; when the goldsmith could see the reflection of his face clearly mirrored in the surface of the liquid, he knew the content was pure gold. The Apostle Peter had this imagery in mind when he spoke of the “fiery trials” of the saints. Paul and James likewise admonished to count the joy and rejoice in the perfecting work of trials and tests, what Jesus called the narrow gated “difficult” way to eternal life in Him. Christian suffering may take on many forms but come it will for we are called to adversity:

Whether it comes in the form of rebukes, chastening and scourging which accompany Sonship, the reining in of our wayward will … Whether it comes in the form of trials and tests of faith which are the divine accompaniment and godward impetus of becoming Christlike … Whether it comes in the form of persecution and tribulation because of a Christlike nature …Whether it comes as the natural consequence of sin, reaping what we have sown … Suffering will come!

Suffering’s source is satan who lives to inflict pain on humanity, but, just as in the time of Job, God, who is absolutely sovereign over all, establishes the conditions and sets the limits of satan’s attacks. Suffering is described by many words in scriptures: difficulties, sickness, persecution, troubles, hardship, adversity, distresses, affliction, tribulation, etc., all words translated from the Greek “thlipsis”, to crush in the wine press of life. Suffering may be of a physical, emotional, financial or relational nature, or any combination thereof, and may be swiftly metered or lingering. These are the Potter’s, sculpturing tools used by a God of love to transform our nature into His. God never wastes anything, especially suffering and pain, but uses it to our very best benefit according to His eternal purposes … the testimony of the Cross. Suffering burns out the dross in our nature, makes for humility, purifies and increases our faith, induces spiritual mettle, and enriches our lives, drawing us ever godward into Christlikeness. And like the goldsmith of old, God keeps us in the smelting furnace of His love until He can see the reflection of the face of the Lord Jesus in our lives. God is not so much interested in how much work we do for Him, as He is in how much we resemble His Son. This is the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, preparing us for eternity with God while teaching us to kneel and kiss the hand that sometimes hurts.

NO ONE SHOULD BE SHAKEN BY AFFLICTION AND SUFFERING,

FOR YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT WE ARE APPOINTED TO THIS

(1 Thess. 3:3)

THE WATERING HOLE: WHO IS GOD

Church today is viewed as a watering hole, a welcome natural oasis out in the desert that feeds a huge variety of natural life.  In this analogy Christian’s are the animals, the desert is the world and the church is the watering hole, the source of life itself, and without it we are dead.  Like a real watering hole things get a little crowded, and there’s a pecking order about who gets to be in the prime spots at the water’s edge.  The fittest and strongest will fight their way toward those prime spots while the weak ones, the marginalized, hang around the outer edges and find themselves easy prey for wild predators, the two legged kind.  If this seems to be carrying the analogy to far, then consider the fact that approximately 97% (average) of the people who walk into a church and make a commitment to Christ are gone within one year.  There are two wrong messages here, that the local church is the hope of the world and that Christianity is all about life lived within the walls of the church, a life full of the church, a life full of church-based activities.  Social religiosity is safe and comfortable, so we can feel good about ourselves and look forward to more church and more water to quench our spiritual thirst.  Is Christianity really supposed to be a faith lived out in isolation?  Is it really supposed to be carried out behind closed doors?  Is the main aim of the church to encourage people to be better at attending meetings?  Is it all about going to church to get?  And who is God? - How fresh is the water in the hole?  When we focus only on the water in front of us, when we forget the context of our lives in the world, we become far less useful in the fight - oh yes, don’t forget about the fight, the spiritual war being waged for the souls of mankind and our role beside our warrior king.  This message that Christianity is all about church (small c), about life lived within the confines of a building, doesn’t match up with the Bible model.  Formalized Christianity has drawn the church away from its’ divine charter as the launch pad from which believers (i.e., not pastors) obeyed the commands of Matthew 28:19 - to “go make disciples” and Matthew 25:31-46 to “help the poor, the sick, the oppressed.”  The church has usurped the role of God, pretending to be the water hole.  God and only God is the water hole - the source of life itself.  Jesus and Jesus alone is the hope of the world.  And we, the believers, need to be the Church (big C), to a lost and dying world.

SLAVES

We are all slaves
We choose our masters
Choose wisely
*   *   *
Lifestyle patterned after the world
Mind set on earthly things
Habitual domination by spirit of this age
Progressive process
Disobedience, rebellion, hostility against God
Relational separation from God
Strongholds of demonic influence
Look like the world
Walk like the world
Fruit of unrighteousness
*   *   *
Lifestyle patterned after the Kingdom
Mind set on things above
Habitual domination by the Holy Spirit
Progressive process
Intimate relationship with God
Stronghold of obedience to Christ
Look Christlike
Walk in Kingdom power
Kingdom fruit that glorifies God
*    *   *
Stop living, thinking and acting like the world
*   *   *
Start living, thinking and acting like Kingdom people
By the renewing of your mind
*   *   *
Then you will understand, test, and approve God’s will,
His good, well pleasing and complete will for you
*   *   *     
SET YOUR MIND ON THINGS ABOVE