The Doctrine of Supergrace (spiritual maturity). Lesson 2.
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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]
If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ 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 have faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life:
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 3:14-18 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 R. McLaughlin Bible Ministries
The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings
God’s Word is Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings
STUDY TITLE:
The Mystery Doctrine of the Church Age. Part 61.
The Doctrine of Supergrace (spiritual maturity). Lesson 2
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Terms & Abbreviations used:
PPOG = Predesigned Plan of God
Human Good = Evil + Good Deeds while not in fellowship with God
OSN = Old Sin Nature
TLJC = The Lord Jesus Christ
SSE = Spiritual Self Esteem
PVTD = Positive Volition Towards Doctrine
+H - The Happiness of God
NVTD = Negative Volition Towards Doctrine
Doctrine = Bible Truth
Human Good = Evil + Good Deeds while not in fellowship with God
OSN = Old Sin Nature
TLJC = The Lord Jesus Christ
SSE = Spiritual Self Esteem
PVTD = Positive Volition Towards Doctrine
+H - The Happiness of God
NVTD = Negative Volition Towards Doctrine
Doctrine = Bible Truth
BEGIN BIBLE STUDY
Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotes and references
are from the NASB – New American Standard Bible
We continue our study of the Doctrine of Supergrace. Let’s review the different categories of the blessings of Supergrace.
Category one: Spiritual blessings. Sharing the perfect happiness of God, occupation with Christ is maximum category one love which is intensified in Supergrace and ultra-Supergrace. There are many kinds of blessings because of your maximum love for the Lord Jesus Christ. The Supergrace believer has great capacity for life, love, happiness, blessing, and total appreciation for grace; all of these are intensified in Supergrace. Also, there is the tremendous ability to face undeserved suffering in life without complaining. For the Supergrace believer, the intensification of spiritual blessings comes while wearing that shroud of maximum suffering, unremitting suffering that never seems to terminate and does not terminate until departure from this life. Remember the corrected translation of PHI 1:29 “Because to you it has been graciously given with reference concerning Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer on behalf of Him,” This is for the Supergrace believer and the ultra-Supergrace believer. Under spiritual blessings, the Supergrace believer also has the ability to correctly interpret history, to evaluate current events in the light of the Word of God. He is not a slave to the circumstances of life and has adaptability to changing circumstances. The mature believer is a great innovator in time of historical disaster because he has grace orientation, freedom orientation, authority orientation, common sense; a total sense of security, whether in prosperity or disaster.
Category two: Temporal blessings. This includes wealth, either received or acquired. You can be wealthy and enshrouded in the great suffering mantle. You can have professional prosperity which means having a great influence on others, leadership dynamics, success, promotion, recognition in one's sphere of life. When God promotes you, that’s when you are qualified for the job. Under Supergrace, you will have the ability to assume responsibility and authority without emotional inspiration or pseudo motivation. You will also have great social prosperity, great friends, and you will also have sexual prosperity with your right one of the opposite sex. There's also technical prosperity or mental prosperity which is the ability to think and concentrate. This will give you a greater capacity for life, a greater interest in life where every day is meaningful. You will have cultural and establishment prosperity which includes enjoyment of freedom, privacy, and protection of life and property from criminals and reprisal. There is also prosperity in the area of health.
Category three: Blessings by association. Those around a mature believer are blessed by their association or relationship with that person. They are blessed either directly by God or indirectly from the Supergrace believer as a result of the overflow of blessings. The Supergrace believer shares his blessings with others and is very gracious. There are peripheral areas of blessing by association such as loved ones, business, and social life, and to those in a local church. There are also geographical blessings to the Supergrace believer's city, state, and nation.
Category four: Historical blessings (2TI 1:5). This is the doctrinal principle that the mature believer stabilizes his generation, and becomes a stabilizer for future generations. The ebb and flow of history does not disturb the tranquility or impact of the mature believer. He is the MAT 5:13-14 individual, the salt of the earth and the light of the world. The Supergrace believer is on the right side of history, while the reversionist is on the wrong side. The reversionist is caught up in the disasters of history and swept along with them, living as EPH 4:14 says, “As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;” The Supergrace believer rides on the crests of the waves of blessings. He rises above historical disaster and is not tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming.
Category five: Undeserved suffering. Only in time does God have the opportunity to give us pressure, disaster, and undeserved suffering in order to prove to Satan and the fallen angels that Bible doctrine can handle any situation. God gives us the ability to handle suffering and turn it into blessing (ROM 8:28, DEU 23:5). A mature believer knows when he is under divine discipline or undeserved suffering. The former is unbearable suffering, while the latter is bearable. The Supergrace believer's ability to handle undeserved suffering glorifies God and becomes evidence against Satan in his appeal trial. Undeserved suffering is also used by God to help you keep your eyes on God and your focus on eternity (REV 2:10; 2CO 12:9-10). Undeserved suffering also teaches us the value of Bible doctrine PSA 119:67-71, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Thy word. Thou art good and doest good; Teach me Thy statutes. The arrogant have forged a lie against me; With all {my} heart I will observe Thy precepts. Their heart is covered with fat, {But} I delight in Thy law. It is good for me that I was afflicted, That I may learn Thy statutes. The law of Thy mouth is better to me Than thousands of gold and silver {pieces}. Thy hands made me and fashioned me; Give me understanding, that I may learn Thy commandments. May those who fear Thee see me and be glad, Because I wait for Thy word. I know, O Lord, that Thy judgments are righteous, And that in faithfulness Thou hast afflicted me.”
Category six: Dying blessings or dying grace. Every believer has a choice in time between being positive to Bible doctrine and receiving dying grace, or being negative to doctrine and dying the sin unto death. For the Supergrace believer, the curse of death, with its pain and fear, is removed (HEB 2:15). It is the greatest experience in life; it is the antithesis of the sin unto death. The mature believer has the best of life, the best in dying, and better than the best for all eternity. That's why PSA 116:15 says “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones.” Dying grace is taught in 2TI 4:6-8, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure [death] has come. I have fought the good fight [glorification of TLJC in the angelic conflict], I have finished the course [PPOG for his life], I have kept with doctrine; in the future [the Judgment Seat of Christ] there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” This crown is awarded at the Judgment Seat of Christ to the Church-age believer who fulfills the PPOG and advances to spiritual maturity.
Category seven: The blessings of surpassing grace at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Surpassing grace is the optimum in spiritual achievement. It is the maximum place of blessing and reward, and the ultimate in glorifying Jesus Christ. Surpassing connotes something beyond Supergrace and beyond time. Surpassing grace is the status of special blessings and rewards in eternity for the believer who breaks the maturity barrier. JAM 1:25 “But one who looks intently at the perfect law [Bible doctrine], the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer [perception, metabolization, and application of Bible doctrine], this man shall be blessed [have +H] in what he does.” There are no surpassing grace blessings without the attainment of Supergrace blessings (1CO 3:11-16). The Judgment Seat of Christ is the time of distribution of surpassing grace blessings.
Retaining the Objective of Supergrace and Moving on to Ultra-Supergrace. Getting to Supergrace is one thing; retaining the objective is another. In PHI 3:12-14, we not only have the concept of retaining the objective, but its implication in the field of the ultra-Supergrace status. PHI 3:12-14, “Not that I have already obtained it [received ultra-Supergrace status; he was in prison at this time in Supergrace but not ultra-Supergrace], or have already become perfect [the objective for the apostle Paul is ultra-Supergrace], but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that [ultra-Supergrace] for which [ultra-Supergrace] also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet [ultra-supergrace]; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind [reversionism in Jerusalem] and reaching forward to what lies ahead [ultra-Supergrace], I press on toward the goal [I keep advancing toward that objective] for the prize of the upward call [the upward call is ultra-Supergrace] of God in Christ Jesus.” The objective of Supergrace must be held to reach the further objective of ultra-Supergrace, enter into the blessings of dying grace, and receive surpassing grace at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
The Promotion Principle of Supergrace (Psa 84). Always remember that very simple, but profound, principle that if God doesn't promote you, you aren't promoted. Even more important, if God doesn't provide it, it isn't worth having. Psa 84 deals with the promotion of the Supergrace believer and the ultra-Supergrace believer. Here is the attitude of anyone who reaches Supergrace or ultra-Supergrace. PSA 84:1 (For the choir director; on the Gittith [harp]. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.) “How lovely are Thy dwelling places, O Lord of hosts!” The phrase O Lord of the hosts means O Lord of the armies, a title for the Lord Jesus Christ as a defender of those with PVTD. PSA 84:2 “My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.” David's soul longs for the place where Bible doctrine was being taught. The word for longed is the Hebrew verb kacaph which means to desire, to yearn for, to long for deeply. The Hebrew word for yearned is kalah which means to be consumed by something, to be so determined that you'll do anything to get it. The Supergrace attitude longs for the communication of the Word of God, Bible doctrine. The Supergrace believer needs it more than his daily food, JOB 23:12 “I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth [doctrine] more than my necessary food.” The Supergrace believer is willing to be like the Queen of Sheba who went over 1,000 miles to come to Bible class. When you get to the place where you are rejoicing over the living God, it is because you are very close to, or have attained, the goal of Supergrace. Singing for joy over the living God is an expression of your love and gratefulness and gratitude to God (Act 16). The Bible teaches that singing is one of the methods of praise. God's people have always been a singing people, and God's deliverance has inspired many songs. When the Jews left Egypt and were freed from slavery, Moses and the Israelites broke out in a song of praise (EXE 15:1). COL 3:16 says, “Let the doctrines of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word or deed [such as singing], do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” Hymns are expressions of praise to God; Psa 136 is an example in which God is praised for His past actions. Every verse in Psa 136 ends with the phrase that the grace of God endures forever. The words of the songs we sing should reflect the words and teaching of Scripture. The more doctrinal our songs are the more glorifying will our singing be to God.
In PSA 84:3, we have an illustration, “The bird also has found a house, And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, Even Thine altars, O Lord of hosts, My King and my God.” The Hebrew word for bird is tsippowr which is a sparrow, one of the lowest birds in the bird family. In fact, when grace is portrayed, the sparrow is used. MAT 10:29 “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.” The point is that if the Father takes care of the sparrows, which is the lowest bird of all, how much more will he take care of you? So, this represents the fact that David had such an attitude of humility that he realized that he was a nothing. However, a nothing can reach Supergrace; a nobody can enter into Supergrace capacity and be blessed by God. 1CO 1:26-29, “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen, the things that are not, that He might nullify the things that are, that no man should boast before God.” A man can cause himself to be a courageous spiritual man not by dressing up the outward appearance, but by dressing up his soul. Of course the same thing is true for the woman. She can cause herself to be a beautiful woman not by dressing up the outward, but by dressing up the inner soul with the result that her character and integrity will reveal what's inside. That's why Paul said in 1TI 2:9-10, “Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments; but rather by means of good works, as is fitting for women making a claim to living the spiritual life.” So PSA 84:3 “The sparrow also has found a house, And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, Even Thine altars, O Lord of hosts, My King and my God.” If the sparrow is taken care of by God, and if the sparrow has found a house in Supergrace, how much more can you develop that Supergrace capacity to receive from God? That's what God wants you to do. He wants you to have within your soul a Supergrace capacity to be blessed by Him. The sparrows and the swallows are the two most helpless of all the birds, and they have found a nest, and the word nest means a resting place. The resting place is the courts of the Lord; this is where the Word of God is being communicated, and this is the place that your soul should long for; it is the words that are coming forth from the pulpit that give you life. That's the place that's giving you a capacity to reach Supergrace so that God can give you what He desires to give to you. You must get it communicated to you in the place that God has ordained for the communication of Bible doctrine. You may wander around until you find your right pastor and then that becomes your home. PSA 84:3 tells us that even the children benefit by the communication of doctrine. PSA 84:4 “How blessed or happiness's to those who dwell in Thy house! They are ever praising Thee. Selah.” They will be at peace, at rest, and they will continually be praising and giving thanks to the Lord. You praise God when you set aside time to perceive, metabolize, and apply Bible doctrine. If you have the privilege of having a local doctrinal ministry, you should live in the light of HEB 10:25 “not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.” In PSA 84:4 the Hebrew word `ashreey is the plural of happiness, used because there are seven categories of happiness's: Spiritual, temporal, association, historical impact, undeserved suffering, dying blessings, and blessings at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
PSA 84:5 “How blessed [or happiness's] to those whose strength [Supergrace status] is in You; In whose right lobe are the highways to Zion.” Happiness's belong to those whose strength or power comes from God. The Word of God is alive and powerful! They're receiving power, and they are receiving capacity to become Supergrace believers and to be blessed by God. PSA 84:6 “Passing through the valley of Baca, they make it a spring, The early rain also covers it with blessings.” Here is ultra-Supergrace. Ultra-Supergrace believers go through the valley of Baca, or a place of tears and sorrows. The valley of Baca is the place of suffering and of pressure. Notice that these Supergrace men and women pass through the valley of tears and pressure because happiness's belong to them. When they go through those times, ultimately, they don't let the pressure get to them. They may fail momentarily, but they rebound and move forward! They overcome the situation through Supergrace. That's why the Bible says in MAT 5:10 “Happiness's to those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake.” This means that happiness can belong to you when you go through times of being persecuted because you have Supergrace capacity to receive from God. The problem is that many people don't even have the capacity. It doesn't matter how much knowledge you get; if you don't have a capacity to enter into Supergrace and to enjoy the rest and the happiness's, you will never ever become a mature Christian. Many people reach a point in Christianity where they think they've got it all down pat; they think they have arrived and they no longer need to be taught anything. Perhaps they think because they have more knowledge than someone else that they can't receive anything from them. They don't have a capacity to be blessed by God because their springs are filled with water from yesterday; it's yesterday's manna, instead of a fresh new relationship with God today.
PSA 84:7-9, “They go from strength [Supergrace] to strength [ultra-Supergrace], Every one of them appears before God or is seen by God in Zion [Supergrace status]. O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; Give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah. Behold our shield, O God, And look upon the face of Thine anointed.” The shield represents the Word of God that's in your life. The Word of God commands a blessing; it commands a healing. Notice the confidence that this type of Supergrace believer is to have; he says, look at my shield, and look at my face, I'm Your anointed. Only a Supergrace believer will be able to have confidence like this. Only a Supergrace believer will be able to have what 1JO 4:17 says, “confidence in the day of judgment;”
PSA 84:10 “For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God, Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.” This verse brings out the principle that it takes a day at a time; therefore, one day in Bible class is better than a thousand days in reversionism; that's what it means! One day in Bible class is worth more than all the activities and pleasures that life can ever give you; you could go out there and chalk up a thousand days of pleasures and activities, but if you don't have a capacity to receive blessing, what good is it when you get them? You'll only want more because you won't be able to appreciate what you have today. God wants every one of us to live one day at a time. You live one day at a time, enjoying the Christian life, because you don't even know what tomorrow will bring. What's the use of worrying about what you're going to do next week, next month and next year and not enjoying today?
PSA 84:11 “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” The Lord's going to give you more grace and more promotion. God desires to promote us and if you're not promoted, it's because God hasn't done it yet, and unless you are rightly related to the grace of God, you're not going to get promoted. God will not hold back any divine good from any of those who walk uprightly, and that means to walk in honor, and to walk in grace. God will not withhold any good thing. It is the Supergrace and the ultra-Supergrace believers that walk with honor. The conclusion is in PSA 84:12 “O Lord of the armies, How happy or happiness's to the one who depends on You!” This means to depend upon God Who has so many blessings for all of us, the only thing that holds us back is not having the capacity to receive what is rightfully ours that was given to us before the foundation of the world. However, for many different reasons, most believers are not on that highway where those blessings are. God desires for each of us to get back on that highway of Supergrace and to receive what is rightfully ours.
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.
