Weekly Bible Study – November 7, 2016

Study: Our ultimate goal in life, how we can glorify God.

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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 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 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 R. McLaughlin Bible Ministries

Doctrinal Statement

The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is taught Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings

STUDY TITLE:

Our ultimate goal in life, how we can glorify God.

Terms & Abbreviations used:

PPOG = Predesigned Plan of God
Human Good = Evil + Good Deeds while not in fellowship with God
Old Sin Nature = Old Sin Nature
TLJC = The Lord Jesus Christ
SSE = Spiritual Self Esteem
PVTD = Positive Volition Towards Doctrine [Bible Truth]
+H - The Happiness of God
NVTD = Negative Volition Towards Doctrine
Doctrine = Bible Truth

To look up other “terms”, go to:

Alphabetical Listing

BEGIN BIBLE STUDY
Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotes and references are from the NASB – New American Standard Bible. However, a few may be corrected translations developed from the exegetical study of the original languages.

Our ultimate goal in life, how we can glorify God.

This past week we noted the importance of understanding that there is coming a time when God will manifest the epitome of His justice and righteousness blessing man in what is called the Millennial Reign. The Millennial reign is a literal not figurative thousand-year reign of Christ on earth beginning at the Second Advent and going to the end of human history, prophesied throughout the Old Testament and in Rev 20. The millennium is promised to Israel in the Davidic covenant found in 2Sa 7:8-17. Psa 89:20-37 which says that David would have a son who would sit on the throne in Jerusalem where He would rule the world for 1,000 years.

Psa 89:35-37, “Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David. His descendants shall endure forever, And his throne as the sun before Me. It shall be established forever like the moon, And the witness in the sky is faithful.” Selah.

Then in speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ coming from the lineage of David, the Lord says in 2Sa 7:16, “And your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”

A fulfillment of our Lord ruling during the Millennial reign. The millennium is plagiarized by Satan’s attempt to create perfect environment on the earth, not only during the Church Age, but especially in the Tribulation period. The Millennium is also proclaimed by angelic heralds [messengers] in Rev 10 and by human heralds in Rev 11. It is a time of perfect environment existing because Satan is bound and demons are removed. And because Satan and demons are removed, there is no religion in the Millennium. Religion is part of human good and evil.

The baptism of fire removes all unbelievers from the earth at the beginning of the Millennium, (Jewish unbelievers) Eze 20:34-38; (Gentile unbelievers) Matt 25:31-46. Therefore, it will be a period of time when the justice of God imputes fantastic blessings to the righteousness of God found in mankind. However, meanwhile we live in the dispensation of the Church-age which can reveal some of the manifestations of this promised kingdom right now in the midst of Satan and his kingdom of darkness which is made up of both fallen angels and demons. And the question you and I should have is how can we do so?

Our main subject that we have been noting concerning the justice and righteousness of God with the doctrine of imputations which is coming up in our study. The main principle again is that all blessing from God originates with divine justice and terminates with the divine righteousness that was imputed [credited]. But always remember, God will never give us anything unless we have the capacity and therefore capacity becomes a big issue.

This is the principle behind passages like Phil 4:10-13 where the apostle Paul says, But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

2Co 12:9-10, And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

1Ti 6:6-8, But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.

Heb 13:5, Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”

Contentment and inner happiness reveals you have the capacity to fill up the potential that you have for divine blessing from God which glorifies God. Now, always remember this principle speaking to the Jewish people but also applicable to us Gentiles in Isa 60:21, “Then all your people will be righteous; They will possess the land forever, The branch of My planting, The work of My hands, That I may be glorified.”

God is glorified when He is able to give to us. He is glorified by the work He does for us. The glorification of God by means of the Church (Eph 3:21) occurs when the believer attains spiritual adulthood and moves to spiritual maturity. In Eph 3:20 Paul writes, Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, that is the divine power of the Holy Spirit, Acts 1:8, Eph 5:18 and Heb 4:12.

Eph 3:21 to Him [God the Father] be the [notice] glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. Notice that God is to be glorified “in the Church” just like He was glorified by means of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it is at this time that the believer is said to be “filled with all the fullness of God,”

Eph 3:14-19, For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

Eph 1:3-4 says not blessed but eulogetos means “Worthy of praise and glorification be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He (God the Father) elected us in Him before the foundation of the world,

Ephesians 1 teaches that the first thing God ever did for us is the means of glorifying Him, which is to receive the blessings He has provided for us. Billions of years ago, God the Father deposited into escrow, the greatest blessings that you and I can’t even imagine. And these fantastic blessings are tailored perfectly for you. And because under the doctrine of election, God wills the highest and the best for you as a believer, it is only when you receive that highest and best that you glorify God. This is why we have noted that every believer has a tremendous escrow account in Heaven. People often ask what is God’s will for my life? And the answer is very simple. God’s will is for you to glorify Him.

How?

God’s will is for you to withdraw from your escrow account as much as you can. God has the highest and the best for you. He has the greatest blessings, blessings that stagger the imagination. And God’s will for your life is for you to have the most phenomenal blessings. And the very fact that some of you don’t truly believe that and think God is fighting against you because of some sins in your life reveals that you have bought a lie from Satan and his kingdom. The fact that you do not have the most phenomenal blessings in time and eternity simply means that you’re choosing to be a loser. It is making choices that makes us losers. It is making choices that makes us winners.

God not only wills the highest and best for each believer but, at the same time, He provides equal privilege and equal opportunity to attain these blessings. Equal privilege means that you are in union with Christ and His church. Equal opportunity means that you have logistical grace support. And so there is no excuse for any believer in all of the history of the Church-age for not receiving phenomenal blessings. The reason is just plain old negative volition toward doctrine. It takes perseverance and positive volition toward doctrine. And you can’t be positive if you submit to negative feelings and depressions…or if you allow someone’s personality to get in the way of your momentum.

I know of certain individuals right now who have problems with some of the personalities in positions of leadership in this assembly and that is the pettiness found in an immature believer. It’s petty, it’s unimportant, inconsequential, it comes from small-minded carnal believers as 1Co 3:1-3 teaches. They choose personalities over doctrine. And when you do so you will end up thinking doctrine doesn’t work and you start to peel off and begin to miss vital doctrines, and then you’ve had it. All you do is cut yourself off from being able to withdraw from your escrow account in heavenly places.

So why are you here? Only the believer who stays with doctrine can really answer that question! You are here to glorify God!

Rev 4:11, “Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created.”

Isa 43:21, “The people whom I formed for Myself, Will declare My glory.”

The next question you should have is “How can I glorify God?”

Glorifying God demands understanding. And you will be kept alive by God long enough to have the opportunity to understand. You will be kept alive by God to fulfill His plan. Unless you’re a cosmic believer and you reach the point of divine discipline and become a loser. So, God’s will for your life as a member of the royal family of God is to bless you. It is to give you prosperity in the midst of all adverse situations. Therefore, in eternity past, God provided a fantastic plan which included His highest and best just for you. And you glorify Him when you live in that plan and receive all the blessings he has designed for you!

Eph 1:3-6, Worthy of praise and glorification be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He (God the Father) elected us in Him before the foundation of the world, In love, He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, resulting in the praise the glory of His grace.”

Notice once again, everything is for His glory! God had a reason for all He has done for you and this reason gives purpose to your life. Remember that anything God does results in His glorification. God does not depend on us for His pleasure or His glory. He enjoyed these things in eternity past when no one else existed. God doesn’t depend on us for His pleasure and glory but instead He expresses His pleasure and glory toward us. Therefore, because God is to be glorified you and I are the beneficiaries of His blessings and divine provisions. God is not glorified by our system of human works but is glorified by meeting our every need. Isa 26:15, Thou hast increased the nation, O Lord, Thou hast increased the nation, Thou art glorified;

Psa 50:15, And call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will glorify Me.”

God is glorified when He rescues us! Moses found out what God’s glory was all about in Exo 33:18-19, Then Moses said, “I pray Thee, show me Thy glory!” And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.”

God’s pleasure is to bless His creatures. God’s pleasure is to give to His creatures! And this is why Elihu said in Job 36:11 that if we obey God and serve Him, we will spend our days in prosperity and our years in pleasures.

Job 36:11, “If they hear and serve Him, They shall end their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures.

In Rom 5:15 we left off with verse 15 with the importance of understanding the a fortiori doctrinal conclusion which says If God provided the greater in justification it follows a fortiori that He will provide the less in temporal blessing from the justice of God.

Now, A fortiori is a system of logic using comparison and Paul is using it here when he says…. in Rom 5:15, For if by the transgression of the one [Adam] the many died [the human race] much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.

And so it is the provision of temporal blessing that glorifies God in time and therefore for any believer to have any of the blessings of life in the devil’s world that is glorifying to God. A fortiori says “Much more” if the blessings from God glorify God in time when it was difficult for mankind to be blessed because he possessed an OSN [old sin nature], then think of how easy it will be for God to bless in eternity when he is minus an OSN. If God did the most for us when we were spiritually dead in Adam He can only do much more than the most for us now that we possess divine righteousness and resultant justification. That is because when the most was done for us we were related to the wrong man—the first Adam. But now we are related to the right man—the Last Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Translation: Rom 5:15 “But not as that transgression [Adam’s original sin], so also is that gracious gift [the work of Christ]. For if by the transgression of one [Adam] the many [human race] died [spiritual death and eventual physical death], much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, by the one man, Jesus Christ, who has provided superabundance for the many [who believe].”

1. The believer in Christ through salvation adjustment to the justice of God has been placed in a greater position than that which was lost by Adam in the garden.

2. God provides more in grace adjustment to the justice of God than man ever possessed originally in the garden. The gift of grace, Jesus Christ, provides the a fortiori link.

3. The justice of God did the most in judging our sins when Christ was carrying them on the Cross.

4. If the justice of God did the greater at the cross it follows a fortiori that the justice of God can do the less—temporal and eternal blessing for the mature believer.

5. The sin of the first Adam results in the condemnation of the human race but now the grace gift of God provides more for the many than the first Adam lost originally.

6. Hence, the believer is not restored to the status of Adam before the fall, he is restored to something far greater than Adam ever had.

Think of it, by indwelling the serpent, deceiving the woman and therefore putting Adam into a position of having to choose between God and the woman, Satan thought he had defeated both of God’s creations, Ish and Ishshah, man and woman, and by sight he was right. And yet, as usual, Satan under-estimated the wisdom of God and lost. Because God not only saved the man and the woman but even seemed to reward them for their humility to recognize a principle that the Lord Jesus Christ would teach over 4,000 years later which is the fact that the Lord is the vine;

Therefore in John 15:5, He would say “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

Acts 4:12, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.”

7. Therefore, what Satan thought was actually a great victory was one of his greatest, if not, the greatest of his defeats.

8. This constitutes a double a fortiori. If God can do the greater at eternal salvation He can do the less after salvation. If God can do less after eternal salvation He can do greater than less again and again and again for all of eternity.

In other words, the principle is that God always saves the best for last, and therefore 1Co 2:9 even becomes more meaningful. For all of eternity, the blessings of God that are from God will keep on getting better as life goes on – and they will never stop because there is no stopping because there is no end, there is just the great “I AM.”

Our next verse in this chapter is: Rom 5:16, And the gift [eternal salvation] is not like that which came through the one who sinned [our Lord’s gift is different than what Adam gave us]; How? for on the one hand the judgment [of Adam’s original sin] from one transgression [Adams partaking of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil] resulting in condemnation [that is condemnation of the entire human race], but on the other hand the free gift [eternal salvation] arose from many transgressions [Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world] resulting in justification [anyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ receives +R [i.e., the righteousness of God] and is justified before God].

The word for gift is the Greek noun dorema and it refers to the Lord Jesus Christ as the last Adam. The gift is the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, the last Adam [Jesus Christ] is not like the first Adam but there are similarities which fall under the principles of biblical typology. Adam is also dissimilar in many respects. Let me give you some examples, in Luke 3:38 Adam is called the “son of God.” Jesus is, or course, also called the “Son of God” and of course that is one of the titles of our Lord Jesus Christ. Adam’s sonship is physical. He was created by God out of the dust of the earth. Therefore, in the physical sense, God is Adam’s father. Jesus’ sonship, on the other hand, is spiritual. He is God’s “only begotten son.”

1Co 15:45-49, So also it is written, “the first man, Adam, became a living soul.” the last Adam [His humanity] became a life giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural [Adam came before the Lord Jesus Christ]; then the spiritual. The first man [Adam] is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. As is the earthy [Adam was dead in sin], so also are those who are earthy [those in Adam die], and as is the heavenly [Christ is alive], so also are those who are heavenly [those in Christ will be made alive] and just as we have borne the image of the earthy [the nature of Adam or the O.S.N.], we shall also bear the image of the heavenly [the new nature given to those who are born again].

Adam was a created being, the Lord Jesus Christ is not a created being; “For by Him all things were created (Col 1:15). He was not subordinate but took on the role of a son. Although both were “sons of God” the Sonship of Christ is far superior. Adam was miraculously born (Gen 2:7). This is true also of Christ (Matt 1:18-25). Adam was formed out of the dust of the earth. God created him full grown. The Lord Jesus Christ, on the other hand, was born of a virgin. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit. Adam’s birth was a shadow of Christ’s birth.

Adam loved his bride, the woman later on called Eve. He cared for her and was concerned (Gen 2:23-25). Just as Adam loved his bride Jesus loves His bride, the church. Paul writes in Eph 5:25, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.” We again see the superiority of the antitype. Adam loved his wife because she was given to him by God. Christ loves His church because she was given to Him by God. Remember what our Lord said in John 6:37-39, “All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.”

John 10:28-29, and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

Through Adam’s disobedience, sin entered the world. But through Christ, salvation from sin has entered the world. Because of Adam, his sin brought spiritual death into the world. When Christ came into the world he brought spiritual life into the world.

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.