Difference between revisions of "God's Purpose in Man 3"

Revision as of 01:23, 25 May 2018

==God's Purpose in Man 3== And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (II Corinthians 12:9)

God answered Paul's three petitions: "All you need is My grace. The chariot will keep going. Ride with me. Do not trust your own strength and wisdom."

Easier said than done. Do we dare to let go and trust God for everything?

"My strength is made perfect in weakness. How can I be strong when you are strong? Your next move will be to travel around the cities and towns telling them how you were caught up to Heaven. You will make a big mess because you do not know what you are doing. So just sit back in the chariot and enjoy the ride. Then My strength will take over. Okay?"

Paul's response: "Okay with me. If I have to be afflicted in order to see your power at work, then I'm going to find the softest pillow in this chariot and trust you to make my affliction bearable. I'm not going to fret about my helplessness and make matters worse than they are. It's Your Kingdom and I know by this time that You are more interested in the people than I ever could be."

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. (II Corinthians 12:10)

To take pleasure in trouble, weakness, and pain because our weakness bring's Christ's strength is a mark of maturity. Eventually we may find pleasure in being made weak because our weakness forces us to look continually and only to God for success in what we are endeavoring to do. We no longer are able to work for God. We have to wait until God works so we can work along with Him.

The true man or woman of God becomes content to work with the Lord instead of for the Lord. There is rest in this.

Why does God labor so diligently with us until we are compelled to rest in His wisdom and strength? It is because God is preparing eternal chariots—personalities through which He can work His works for eternity.

The Chariots of God

The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands; the Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary. (Psalms 68:17—NIV)

Here is a marvelous passage of the Scriptures. We employed the New International Version for verse 17 because the term angels, as found in the King James Version, does not appear in the Hebrew text. The chariots of God are not angels but people.

"The Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary." The passage is referring to the Temple of God, the chariot of God, the human personality. This is God's rest forever.

Have you ever noticed the last verse in the Book of Ezekiel?

It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, the Lord is there. (Ezekiel 48:35)

"The Lord is there"! Where each "man" is, the Lord is there..

To be continued.God's Purpose in Man 4

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-==Faith and Works Go Together, #3 ==
+==God's Purpose in Man 3==<em></em>
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+And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (II Corinthians 12:9) <br><br>
-Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. (Romans 8:12) <br><br>
+God answered Paul's three petitions: "All you need is My grace. The chariot will keep going. Ride with me. Do not trust your own strength and wisdom." <br><br>
-The person who is zealous of pleasing God in action, in speech, and in motive and imagination will discover there is a law of sin dwelling in his flesh that deceives him into behaving in a manner contrary to the standards of behavior required by the Law—particularly by the Ten Commandments. <br><br>
+Easier said than done. Do we dare to let go and trust God for everything? <br><br>
-It is one matter to recognize that the human personality contains indwelling sin and only the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is effective in delivering us from that sin. <br><br>
+"My strength is made perfect in weakness. How can I be strong when you are strong? Your next move will be to travel around the cities and towns telling them how you were caught up to Heaven. You will make a big mess because you do not know what you are doing. So just sit back in the chariot and enjoy the ride. Then My strength will take over. Okay?" <br><br>
-It is quite another matter to interpret Paul's teaching in Romans, Chapter Seven to mean the believer is to forget about his conduct on earth because it is impossible for him to please God by his behavior. He is only to trust in the forgiveness of God through Christ. The human being is a debtor to the flesh as long as he lives. We are obliged to continue in our sins but we are saved by grace (defined as unconditional forgiveness). <br><br>
+Paul's response: "Okay with me. If I have to be afflicted in order to see your power at work, then I'm going to find the softest pillow in this chariot and trust you to make my affliction bearable. I'm not going to fret about my helplessness and make matters worse than they are. It's Your Kingdom and I know by this time that You are more interested in the people than I ever could be." <br><br>
-If such is true, let us throw out the Books of First John, First and Second Peter, Hebrews, James, Revelation, and most of the writings of Paul. These books do not emphasize salvation through Christ's forgiveness, although Christ's forgiveness undergirds all writings of the new covenant. The books we have mentioned emphasize repentance and righteous conduct. <br><br>
+Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. (II Corinthians 12:10) <br><br>
-John goes so far as to warn us that if we are not keeping God's commandments we have no part in the new covenant. <br><br>
+To take pleasure in trouble, weakness, and pain because our weakness bring's Christ's strength is a mark of maturity. Eventually we may find pleasure in being made weak because our weakness forces us to look continually and only to God for success in what we are endeavoring to do. We no longer are able to work for God. We have to wait until God works so we can work along with Him. <br><br>
-He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him (I John 2:4). <br><br>
+The true man or woman of God becomes content to work with the Lord instead of for the Lord. There is rest in this. <br><br>
-Was righteousness expected under the old covenant, or were the Israelites to continue in their sins, hoping they would be saved by grace when Christ came? <br><br>
+Why does God labor so diligently with us until we are compelled to rest in His wisdom and strength? It is because God is preparing eternal chariots—personalities through which He can work His works for eternity. <br><br>
-If you were an Israelite under the old covenant, how would you respond to the Word of God? <br><br>
+The Chariots of God <br><br>
-Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways (Psalms 119:2,3). <br><br>
+The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands; the Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary. (Psalms 68:17—NIV) <br><br>
-Did many Israelites serve God by doing His commandments and seeking His Presence? <br><br>
+Here is a marvelous passage of the Scriptures. We employed the New International Version for verse 17 because the term angels, as found in the King James Version, does not appear in the Hebrew text. The chariots of God are not angels but people. <br><br>
-Of course they did. Did they "seek him with the whole heart"? <br><br>
+"The Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary." The passage is referring to the Temple of God, the chariot of God, the human personality. This is God's rest forever. <br><br>
-Yes, they did. Many of them did. Did they practice righteousness and walk in his ways? <br><br>
+Have you ever noticed the last verse in the Book of Ezekiel? <br><br>
-Yes they did—by the thousands! <br><br>
+It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, the Lord is there. (Ezekiel 48:35) <br><br>
-Did such righteous Israelites ever sin? <br><br>
+"The Lord is there"! Where each "man" is, the Lord is there..<br><br>
-Of course they did, and God made provision for them in the sin and trespass offerings. <br><br>
-Notice the testimony of Zacharias and Elizabeth: <br><br>
+''To be continued.''[[God's Purpose in Man  4]]<br>
-And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless (Luke 1:6). <br><br>
-Did Zacharias and Elisabeth attain righteousness? <br><br>
-Yes, they did. How did they attain righteousness? <br><br>
-By walking blamelessly in all the commandments and ordinances of the Law of Moses. <br><br>
-What does Luke 1:6 above do to the teachings of grace that hold that no person was advised under the old covenant or is advised under the new covenant to attempt to behave righteously because this is an insult to the grace of God? <br><br>
-Luke 1:6 reveals the error of such teaching. It is not scriptural and it never entered the mind of Paul. It is the product of later teachers who misunderstood Paul. <br><br>
-''To be continued.''[[Faith and Works Go Together 4]]<br>