Weekly Bible Study – October 12, 2020 Positional Truth and union with Christ.

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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 known unconfessed 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

Doctrinal Statement

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

Alphabetical Listing of Terms & Abbreviations used:

STUDY TITLE:

Positional Truth and union with Christ.

This morning, we begin with the fact that our LORD was emphasizing to His disciples two NEW doctrines, Positional Truth and union with Christ. These two doctrines became the foundation for the early church as well as the motivation to fulfill the plan of GOD and the believer’s very own personal sense of destiny. Remember, that you cannot do the work that GOD has appointed you to do without the proper equipment to do so. And you and I, have been given all the equipment that we would ever need, especially the “Weapons of our warfare”. 2Co 10:3, For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, The world or the Cosmos, which refers to the Cosmic System, is basically run by unprincipled creatures, both angelic and human. However, do not get shocked by the things that you hear or the things that you see in the Cosmic system, especially the evil and wickedness that exists in the world today. If you are searching for the truth, you need to be careful what you allow to influence you soul. And, if you are like millions and millions of people, then you have been deceived and you will continue to be deceived whenever you look to the world for happiness, peace, tranquility, love, joy, or peace, etc. And the main doctrinal conclusion that we should come to is the fact that the GOD of this world, who is called Satan, is responsible for the conditions of the world as they presently exist. Not GOD! But Satan! And this leads us to a sad but real conclusion which is the fact that the GOD of this world, the one presently in charge is a murderer, a deceiver, a phony and a traitor who is judgmental and criticizes those who are trying to live the spiritual life. He does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. This is why Satan’s policy is to deceive, ever since the garden of Eden; for in Gen 3:1, Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD GOD had made. The craftiness of the serpent was the fact that it was one of three different manifestations that Satan used and possessed according to the Word of GOD. 1. We have the serpent that Satan used to deceive the woman and take over the rulership of the world; Gen 3:1-6. 2. Next, we have the leader or the king of Tyre, who was possessed by Satan and dealt with harshly by our LORD when His prophecies against Satan will come through; Eze 28:11-19. 3. Then finally, there is the sad commentary about Judas Iscariot who had the face-to-face opportunity of hearing and seeing our LORD’s ministry for three years and yet he still chose Satan over our LORD. How did he do that? He just opened up his heart which was being filled with more and more arrogance that he got from his father, the devil; John 13:1-2. John 13:1-2, Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He should depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. And during supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, {the son} of Simon, to betray Him, Now, there are some who try to justify the decisions that Judas made saying such things like, “Judas didn’t know what he was doing!” However, knowingly or ignorantly, Judas wanted to do it and he did it. Therefore, the physical body of Judas Iscariot was being used by Satan to betray our LORD. Gen 3:1, Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD GOD had made. The craftiness of the serpent was the fact that it was one of three different manifestations that Satan used and possessed to deceive mankind according to the Word of GOD. And, even the woman, after she was deceived, recognized the deception found in the serpent. Which is why in Gen3:13, we read, Then the LORD GOD said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said,” The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” She blames the serpent, which of course, is a manifestation of her arrogance and unwillingness to take responsibility for her decisions. It’s the blame game! Deception has always been one of the most powerful weapons that Satan and the kingdom of darkness possesses and uses. The GOD of this world also uses Deception to turn believers away from the truth. Look at Isa 44:20, He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver himself, nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” Notice the target of deception which is the heart of the believer or the unbeliever to cause rejection of Christ. Because remember, Satan’s main goal is to trick and deceive others into worshipping him and not our LORD; 2Co 4:3-12, And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the GOD of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of GOD. For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as LORD, and ourselves as your bond servants for Jesus’ sake. For GOD, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of GOD in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of GOD and not from ourselves; {we are} afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you. In Jer 49:16, we are told that arrogance is what deceives the unbeliever who has a little knowledge and thinks that they have a lot; “As for the terror of you, The arrogance of your heart has deceived you, Satan also uses deception to mark the simplicity of the Gospel and Bible doctrine. 2Co 11:3, But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. Self-deception is caused by self-righteousness as in Gal 6:3, For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. The warning against deception is found in Gal 6:7, Do not be deceived, GOD is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. In fact, when it comes to deception, a mature believer will know what it is and how to deal with it before it spreads. Look what the Apostle Paul writes in 2Ti 3:8-12, And just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these {men} also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected as regards the faith. But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all, as also that of those {two} came to be. But you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, {and} sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium {and} at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the LORD delivered me! And indeed, all who desire to live GODly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. Now, notice the description of deception in 2Ti 3:13, But evil men and impostors will proceed {from bad} to worse, deceiving and being deceived. This will be the second time that Satan is sent to theses jails of darkness. He knows that even he, cannot function or live without light. He knows the inability of all the angelic creatures who have rejected whatever it was that GOD had offered them for their salvation, both angelic and human. What we do know about a lot of these doctrinal principles is that Satan, as the GOD of this world, desires for the human race to help him prove his equality with GOD by improving their environment and cleaning up the devil’s mess or the devil’s world. Now, before our LORD gives a detailed study of why the disciples, the future apostles, need to be strong in Positional Truth and Union with Christ and why it is one of the main areas that Satan attacks by causing us to think that we have failed the LORD. Therefore, a few more principles that we need to believe and apply, and that is the need to “know our enemy” He is the serpent, the Great Dragon, Beelzebul, the ruler of this world, the prince of the power of the air, the evil one, and the adversary. He is Satan. And—if you are a follower of Jesus Christ—he hates you with a passion. Like a roaring lion he is prowling about seeking to destroy or deceive and then use whoever he can. 1Pe 5:5-10, You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of GOD, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober {spirit,} be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in {your} faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. And after you have suffered for a little while, the GOD of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen {and} establish you. Now, a question that emerges is how can you stand firm and resist the devil so that he will flee from you? First, do not be naive; you must consider his ways. And what are his ways? 1. He may slander GOD to you in order to cast doubt on GOD’s word and the goodness of GOD that sets us free; (Gen 3:4-5). 2. He may tempt you to deceive others in order to make you look better than others; Acts 5:3. Acts 5:3, But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back {some} of the price of the land? Sapphire thought that she was being more spiritual by lying about what she and her husband gave to the church. 3. He may corrupt your mind and steer you away from the simplicity of Christ and His gospel and doctrine; 2Co 11:3. 4. He may try to get you fighting against your progress in Christ as he attacks you with his demonic officers; Eph 6:12. 5. He may tempt you to commit sexual immorality against your spouse as a result of neglecting the intimacy of the marriage bed; 1Co 7:5. 6. He may harass you with some form of fleshly affliction if GOD permits; 2Co 12:7. 7. He may blind the spiritual eyes of your unsaved family, friends, and neighbors so that they may not see the glory of Jesus in the gospel; 2Co 4:4. 8. He may try and keep your family, friends and unsaved acquaintances in bondage to sins that hinder them from coming to GOD; Gal 4:8. That’s why I said “know your enemy.” Gal 4:8, However at that time, when you did not know GOD, you were slaves to those which by nature are no GODs. Notice that not knowing GOD you became a slave to Satan, as the GOD of this world. 9. If the LORD desires us to go through certain forms of sickness or disease, Satan may smite you with physical disease; Luk 13:16; Job 2:7. Luk 13:16, “And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?” Now, in Job 2, notice the passage that is set before us because if you know exactly what this passage is all about, then you have found the answer, the mystery or the secret of why you and I had to be created and why the LORD Jesus Christ had to die for the sins of the entire world. If you can answer that correctly then there’s good chance that you have been growing spiritually consistently. Job 2:1-7, Again there was a day when the sons of GOD came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD. And the LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “From roaming about on the earth, and walking around on it.” And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing GOD and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to ruin him without cause.” And Satan answered the LORD and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. “However, put forth Thy hand, now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse Thee to Thy face.” So the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 10. He may sow tares [counterfeit Christians, who are really sons of the evil one] within your assembly of believers in order to deceive and create disunity; Matt 13:37-39; 2Co 11:13-15. Matt 13:37-39, And He answered and said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and {as for} the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil {one;} and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. 11. He may lead you toward theological compromise by causing you to be friendly to false doctrine and its teachers; 1Ti 4:1-3. 12. He may persecute you for you living the spiritual life or living in GODliness; Rev 2:10. Rev 2:10, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” 13. He may tempt you to do evil; Matt 4:1; 1Th 3:5. 14. He will keep on slandering you before GOD in heaven just hoping that some day will come when GOD will listen to the accusations — nut…that day will not come; REV:10. 15. He may try to cripple your effectiveness through confusion, discouragement, and despair; 2Co 4:8-9.

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.