Being a soldier for the Word of God. Part 9.
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Prepare yourself for learning the Word of God!
Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge (confess) your sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father).
1 John 1:9 says: "If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (known sins) and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [unknown or forgotten sins]." NKJV (New King James Version) [italics added]; we call this REBOUND, read the full doctrine as to “why” we need to use 1 John 1:9 to grow spiritually. REBOUND
If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God, the promised Messiah, as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to simply exercise faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life; when you do, you will instantly receive Eternal Life: John 3:16, 5:24, 6:47, 20:30, 31.
John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life." NKJV [italics added]
Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.
John 3:14-15, 16, 17, 18, says: "14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV
Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:
Study to show yourself approved to God!
Grace Bible Church
Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is taught Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday
God’s Word is taught Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday
STUDY TITLE:
Being a soldier for the Word of God. Part 9.
Being a soldier for the Word of God. Part 9.
We have began noting the age of accountability and we began approaching it from the perspective of the Christian Soldier. Like every doctrine it is multifaceted, similar to a perfectly chiseled diamond.
You can roll it around in your fingers and look at the sides and sparkle of each cut and corner.
The doctrine of the Cross is not simply about salvation nor is simply about payment for sins. Those are cornerstones of the Cross, but not the whole depth of it. The Cross probably covers a thousand realms of doctrinal answers in the spiritual life. The Angelic Conflict was resolved, the CA was being ushered in, The barrier between man and God was removed, the Trinity was about to make a dramatic shift from exterior to interior concerning the Believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The sin issue was resolved, the Lord Jesus Christ was seated at the right hand of the Father and invited everyone who believed the same opportunity, the scriptures were fulfilled. Satan and the fallen angels witnessed the victory of the Lord Jesus Christ and the failure of the first Adam was removed.
So many things are attached to that one doctrine of the Cross… so it is with most doctrines from the word of God. Age of accountability and the term the point of God consciousness to the Unbeliever in the area of his or her salvation. God consciousness truly speaks to the time within a person’s life when they realize the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a serious matter.
God has appointed times that people, places and events will happen in our lives that will lead us to the Lord.
The Holy Spirit is always working in and around our lives…this includes Unbelivers. There are appointed times where God is knocking on our hearts to become born again and saved. He will do this several times over the course of many years and it may start at a young age. We simply can-not put a chronological age to that time. Just as we can-not put a chronological age to the time in your spiritual life when God says you have reached a point where you need to step into the Pre-designed plan and participate. God has set a time in our lives for everything.
For someone today it may be that time to finally accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior.
Ecc 3:11, He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God had done from the beginning even to the end.
The word time here points to an event or an occurrence that happens. It actually says that God has planted eternity within the human heart. There is a God shaped void in the heart of man. Whether this doctrinal lesson is speaking to the Unbeliever who, for tenth time in the last few years has heard the message of the Cross, but still refuses to accept it. Or it’s to the believer who has been born again and saved for 10yrs and refuses to grow up in God’s plan. There is accountability. There is a purpose, there is a plan, there is a battle raging around you! Ignoring it does not make it disappear. If accountability wasn’t an issue why was Adam and Eve removed from the garden? Why was Abraham life’s complicated with strife and difficulties after making a choice to follow his wife’s instruction instead of waiting on God. In fact God was silent in his life for about 13yrs after that affair with Hagar.
The Apostle Paul was warned not to go to Jerusalem by the HS several times. He went back and started to backslide, getting involved in Judaism which is a form of reversionistic legalism. Moses lost his blessing of seeing the Promised Land.
When we look at the interactions between Pharaoh and Moses, we can see accountability concerning salvation. Pharaoh was given every opportunity to repent and he certainly was at a point of God consciousness. He knew who the God of Abraham was, because he had perpetuated the slavery of his people. The result that Pharaoh suffered a loss of his son after all the time he spent rejecting the PPOG is accountability. God is in the business of forgiveness and love and grace but He is not mocked.
Gal 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
God will do everything in His power to draw you toward Him…He will be patience and longsuffering but when the misery and pain enter your life it will be because of your own free will not a cruel punishment designed by God. Paul made it clear in the book of Romans chapter 1. God gives the foolish, stubborn and wicked over to their own lusts. There is a time table connected to your life. A divinely implanted sense of purpose working in our soul over the ages that nothing under the sun can satisfy except God. That purpose starts with salvation…then it develops into growth.
We know that every word of scripture is inspired by God, God breathed. God’s word is designed for instruction & guidance, 2Ti 3:16-17 All scripture is inspired by God & profitable. 2Ti 3:16, All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
All Scripture is GOD. That is why when you hear the term “the Bible is the mind of Christ” it is true! The word equipped in verse 2Ti 3:17 is a Greek verb meaning finished or accomplished to perfection. It is designed to give us a full source of problem solving devices, give us comfort and bring us completely through the course until the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.
But it once again comes down to free will…dedication, commitment accountability on our part. You have those who will fight against the truth of the word of God. No matter how you present it and feed it to them. Truth cannot be altered to suit human viewpoint, but human viewpoint can be adjusted to finally recognize truth.
Just like those that are living for this world, the unbelievers whom we saw stood against the people of God in the lives of Gideon, David and Joshua do not want to believe in accountability to God. They will buy into human viewpoint, they will believe on human strength and will bet on cosmic game plans for their lives.
Any avenue but Bible Doctrine. They will consider it legalism if you explain something like the age of accountability to them. They will say that’s not true…don’t lay that guilt trip on me. But as long as you explain with compassion and understanding…if and when they reject truth it is not on you!
Realize many believers and certainly unbelievers think that the Bible is a nice source of inspiration but it’s not suited for this life. Not for this day and age and it has no real value in their lives. The great thing about truth is it marches forward without any help from human effort…in fact truth needs nothing to sustain it or stick up for it. It always finds its way to the surface even after human effort to bury it or hide it or ignore it. Think about politics and celebrities who try to live in their own version of truth…they present a twisted version or expect you to buy what they are selling. Sooner or later it all comes out…maybe it’s too late…maybe it isn’t in time to rescue the innocent or point out the villain.
But it comes to the forefront sooner or later…steady slow marching unstoppable. How many times has a famous person or politician or even someone in your life had some ugly truth surface after years of living a lie?
God’s time and man’s time are two different zones!
Prov 28:5, Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand all things.
Ignore God’s word all you want…it will slowly march forward without you.
Rom 2:5-6, A day of righteous judgment is coming, God will render to every man according to His deeds.
This is not about guilt…in fact truth is designed to set you free. If you feel guilt after doctrinal lessons maybe it’s because you are living in the wrong nature…maybe you have your own truth.
Truth is singular…there can only be one. Just like God…there isn’t Buddha, Muhammad and Dalia lama all sitting on a cloud together. One God in the form of the Trinity, One sacrifice for sin, One act upon the Cross, One savior, One decision for eternity…and sadly for some One judgment in the end.
Rom 14:12 states each one of us will give an account of himself to God. This is where God can look a person in the eye & say what did you do with the time I gave you? Here is what you could have had…here is what I wanted for you…here is what you chose for yourself.
Heb 5:13 speaks upon the believer who has not grown up…someone not ready to advance to any stage of spiritual growth. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.
This word gala in the Greek is always used for milk…but most of the time it is a metaphor pointing to a baby.
Meaning a believer who has been stagnant in the PPOG. The Exodus generation was caught up in it…Saul and David’s brothers were examples of it and those who left Gideon by the thousands when he was choosing men for the battle all had negative volition.
There are 6 stages of rejecting truth
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Refusal to hear the word, not willing to make yourself available. Many believers do not even care about Bible class or the accurate teaching of the word of God. TV sitcoms and worldly relationships take precedence over learning truth.
Refusal to Rebound, no filling of the HS. There are those who do not believe in rebound and there are those who just don’t care enough to get in fellowship before taking in BD.
Refusal to use faith as a means to transfer what you have learned. Without faith it is impossible to please God. You have to have faith to apply something you have learned…in fact you need faith for it to remain within your soul structure.
Refusal to be consistent, no dedication to the PPOG. There are those luke-warm Christians who float in and out of church. Two months of doctrine six months in the cosmic system.
Allowing life distractions to become a priority over BD. This area is a direct result of allowing the devil’s system and schemes to infiltrate your life.
Emotionalism, a lack of mental stability.
James 1:19-25, Covers the majority of these issues. The book of James has a strong emphasis on faith…really an application of Christian principles. It may not come across like a book with deep doctrinal principles but it is important in the guidance and living of the Spiritual life.
This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger. for the anger of a man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in the mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
The word of God is the weapon we all need. Heb 4:12 says the word of God can cut through the cosmic junk you have developed, it brings to light the only truth! This one verse is very descriptive and is a symbol of what the word of God does to our inner being…our thoughts, our norms and standards and what it does to nourish the spiritual life.
Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
In salvation God the H.S. did all the work with only a positive thought upon our behalf to agree with the fact we are sinners and only can be saved by grace that was offered up on the Cross of Jesus Christ. It works very similar with learning BD, we put ourselves in front of a good teacher and get filled with the H.S..
After that our growth will depend upon our attitude and faith. How strong and how positive are you?
These principles are very important to note because when you get into accountability it all depends upon what you have allowed into your soul structure. Something circulating in your soul when you are filled with H.S. will be accepted and stored for later use or rejected for not fitting into the plan of God. What happens when you are not filled and you accept false doctrine or cosmic viewpoint is scar tissue of the soul. This is where MA sins and problems arise that play out in our flesh.
When your emotions rule it is turmoil! Jer 2:35. Yet you said, I am innocent; Surely His anger is turned away from me. ‘Behold, I will enter into judgment with you because you say, I have not sinned. Jeremiah is dealing with Israel again wandering away from God putting faith and love toward the things of the world, false gods and cosmic viewpoint. Forgetting the God that rescued them from the cosmic system of Egypt the slavery of sin. It’s amazing how cosmic Bel’s or Unbels have their own standards and view on what they believe is right or wrong in the sight of God.
The Bible is clear on God being long- suffering and patience…but there is also clarity with the fact that there is accountability and there our certain sins that bring discipline upon our lives. People that do not truly understand the Bible use it as a large, sloppy paintbrush to create their own vision. They do it in negative terms and positive to suit themselves. Adjusting the Bible to suit your lifestyle is sheer arrogance. This gives them comfort and stability…something to cling too. And that carries many believers an unbelievers for years until the reality of mortality and eternity stare them right in the eye.
For those that wonder if God has no compassion on people with disabilities or children and innocent animals, simple look at verses like Jon 4:11 ISa 30:18, Psa 68:10, James 3:17. These verses are a few among several pointing out how God deals with the innocent.
Jhn 4:11, Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?
The people described in Jonah here that are not able to tell right from left are very simple-minded people that God would never condemn. A child before the age of accountability is face to face with the Lord when he or she passes away…same goes for anyone with a mental disability. God is never unfair or unjust in His judgments.
The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life: Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.
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