Classic Christianity – Bob George – New Years P2 (01-01-19)
Thank you so much for tuning into Classic Christianity radio with Bob George, who has been on the air for over 30 years, teaching people from God’s word. Our prayer for you is that you grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us now join Bob as he presents practical biblical insights to help people experience faith, hope and love in Jesus Christ.
Bob shares about the nature of man, the lost and the saved, outward actions and inward thoughts, the conflict between the flesh and the Spirit within every believer, and how to walk in the spirit so as not to carry out the desires of the flesh. Bob elaborates on the difference between belief and faith, highlighting a common misunderstanding concerning the forgiveness of sins. All the sins of the world have already been taken away at the cross, so a believer is a forgiven person and does not need to ask God for forgiveness nor should he without denigrating the finished work of the cross. Why ask for something you already have? Bob then goes into an explanation of your identity in Christ. You have Christ’s holiness and righteousness imputed to you. You are a child of God and you are not identified by the religions denomination you attend or are a member. Indeed, you are a member of the body of Christ so there really is no need to become a member of a church for you already a member of the body of Christ when you came to faith. Church membership into a local organizational structure is a man-made invention. When you are born again, you have everything you need in Christ Jesus to live godly. Bob further explains what holiness and righteousness really is.
2 Peter 1:3
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue
Most of this was shared in yesterday’s broadcast. So continuing at 14:43 minutes into this broadcast, Bob elaborates more on spiritual birth and what is the new creation God has given to those who have believed the message concerning Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
Bob continues from the book of Ephesians, providing clarification of truth from other scriptures.
Ephesians 4:24
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Spiritual birth comes from God, and is called a new creation. We have not been born but created brand new to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. You are created to be like God. How can you be like God since God is a Spirit. We are created to be like God in true righteousness. Do we have any righteousness of our own? No! If I am going to have true righteousness where is that righteousness going to come from? from Him.
1 Corinthians 1:30
It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
Because of Him, we are in Christ Jesus who has become for us our righteousness. So I have been recreated by God to live in His righteousness and in his holiness. How many are righteous in the Spirit of God? How many of you are holy in the sight of God?
Why are you righteous in the sight of God? It is because he gave you His righteousness that you have any righteousness. Without Christ, you had no righteousness.
Hebrews 10:14
For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy
How many of you are holy in the sight of God? Believe it by faith!
Is holiness predicated on how you act or how you look? No. How many of you have tried to make themselves holy by looking strange? Like a holiness church that forbids cutting hair. Make them so ugly to go to the beach that the tide won’t even come in. We have to realize that is not what holiness is. You and I are set apart because of the change in attitudes in our minds. Should that thinking result in different behavior? Yes, of course! Does that take time to work itself out? Yes! We are in the process of continually being renewed in the newness of attitude of mind. We will be in that process until the day we are absent from the body and present with the Lord. Does God want you to know all ramifications of your inheritance? In other words, you have an inheritance from God. What is the inheritance? He made you holy, He already set you apart. If he set you apart can you make yourself more apart? No! Can you make yourself less righteous? No! Why? Because it was never ours to begin with. If he gave you life can you get more life or less life? No! You are raised from the dead securely in him and when you die you are absent from the body and present with the Lord.
2 Corinthians 4:13-15
13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.”[a] Since we have that same spirit of[b] faith, we also believe and therefore speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself.
2 Corinthians 5:8
8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
Three leaders met and the topic of death was discussed. Hugh Downs was among them and he was petrified of death, for he did not know where he was going when he died. Even though he heard the message concerning Jesus Christ, he still did not believe. Larry King live of The Larry King Live show had many spiritual leaders as guests on his show. He admires them but he is lost. He would rather put faith in how knowledgeable he is. No matter how knowledgeable you are, can you answer the question: “Do you know where you would go when you die?” If you are afraid of dying, then you are afraid of living. Not until you settle that issue, that you are in Christ not because of what I do or think but because of what Jesus Christ did, and received His offer of salvation. You came to Christ admitting you are a mess and let Jesus clean you up. God i telling you, if you are a lost person, that you have hearts of stone and that He will give you a heart of flesh. The motive is God’s love. We are to respond to that love. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I will be in the presence of the Lord, seeing Him as He really is. Do not like the process of death, but for the born again, there is no fear of death. Death is just simply going to a better place to live and to live with Him forever. While there I am just waiting for others among my family and friends to be with Him. Since you are prepared to die, then you are prepared to live, just because of being saved in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 4:25
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
So we are to put off the old self, no need to think like a lost person, and put on the new self, created to be like God in all righteousness and holiness.
We are all members of one body. We are part of the body of Christ. That is what happened in the spiritual birth, the true body of Christ. The church is not on the corner of walk and don’t walk. True church is the Ecclesiastical, called out ones, and is only composed of born again believers. Only true ecclesiastic joined with Jesus at head and joined down here with the body. Only church He is dealing with. Church is not called Baptist or Presbyterian or Plymouth Brethren. Church is in relationship with Jesus Christ. There are born again believers all over world that are saved just like you, with the same experience of coming to the Lord, with no fear of death. Regardless of nationality, color or creed, we ere one in Christ. No believers gather together locally, as in the church at Ephesus or the church at Phillipi. Not a bunch of churches all over Phillipi but where the local believers met together. Just one group of born again believers. Not just nice people, with activities for children, or something to do, but have Christ living in and through them.
We learn something of the life of the first church after Christ rose from the death from the book of Acts.
Acts 2:42
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
The believers met daily for the Apostle’s teaching, for fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. Unless you are in a local community with other like-minded believers, not something easy to do. These things are done in a local community. Not huge communities, not huge in nature. That is what church was like. The church was not an activity center or denomination or place to go get entertained. No, church was a place to learn, to get your mind renewed, to be about learning more about God and the new life He has given you.
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