Classic Christianity Radio – Heirs of the Promise Part 3 (2-20-19)
Bob shares that the New Covenant is for us today from Hebrews 10. Now that Jesus shed his blood on the cross, taking all the sins of the world away, the Jews take off the old clothes of the Law and put on the new clothes of Christ’s righteousness. The Gentiles, who never had the Law, just put on the new clothes of Christ’s righteousness. For Christ has been raised to new life, and in Him is forgiveness, redemption, holiness, and righteousness. So those who put their trust in Christ’s finished work, they have been made complete in Christ, with His laws written in their hearts by the Holy Spirit. So under the New Covenant of God’s amazing grace, we live in the higher laws to love God and to love our neighbor by the power of the Holy Spirit within us.
In about 14 minutes into the audio, Bob asks some questions. “What is the Christian life? “Can we live the Christian life?” Not in the energy of the flesh! “What then is needed?” Bob shares from God’s word to answer these questions. The Christian life is Christ. Enjoying him, getting to know Him, about His love, provision, kindness, goodness, mercy. Christ did not come to start a religion. We made a religion out of it.
Ephesians 3:1-6
1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—
2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you,
3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.
4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,
5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.
6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
The Gentile was included in the New Covenant. You and I are under the New Covenant of grace through the gospel. A brand new covenant with both the Jew and the Gentile, where both are saved by faith.
Ephesians 3:7-9
7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power.
8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ,
9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.
Grace was given to Paul so Paul became a servant of this gospel by the working of His power. This grace was given as a gift to Paul to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. He preached Christ and not a bunch of religious stuff. Paul said, “I am going to give my life to teach you what this means”, to administrate this mystery that has been hidden for ages.
What is the church? The church is people who are born again and not a building made of bricks and mortar. Ecclesia, the called out ones, is the church. Jesus’ church is only born again believers. Today’s church has become a mix of people who are attracted with activities. So now you end up with happy people who do not know Lord. That is not the church! These lost people do not want to hear the bible so we quit teaching from the bible for we do not want to offend anyone.
Ephesians 3:10-11
10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,
11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Through people who are truly in Christ, I will make this wisdom known. Through him and faith in him we approach God with freedom and confidence.
Ephesians 3:12-13
12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
13 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
So let us approach God with freedom and confidence. That is good news. There is no need to go through a formula. So you are taught A.C.T.S. as an acronym for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication, as a formula to living. So your teenage son says to you, “I adore you dad. I have confessed my sins today. I thank God for the keys to the car. So, dad, can you give me the keys to the car?” What kind of God do you think you have? We would never be able to approach Him with freedom and confidence if we were depending on ourselves. The only way we can approach God in freedom and confidence is because He has made me holy. I did not make myself holy for there was nothing holy about me. I had no righteousness of my own. He imputed His righteousness to me. There is not one thing I have done to earn salvation.
Ephesians 3:14-16
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father,
15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
So Paul prays that out of God’s riches, for he has none of his own, that God may strengthen you with power. Where does this power come from?
This power comes through the Spirit that has been deposited in you when you believed the gospel.
How come?
Ephesians 3:17
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
So the Spirit lives in you to will and to act according to His good purposes (Philippians 2:13). The Spirit produces the fruit, that which is described in Galatians 2:22-23.
Philippians 2:13
for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose
Galatians 2:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Such a fruit of the Spirit produced by the vine, God, who is the root and source of everything, goes out to the branches, your body in whom the Spirit dwells, so that what is done is done by God and so God is glorified (John 3:21).
John 3:21
But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
John 15:5
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Ephesians 3:17
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
This power is not the power of this world, which is really no power at all, nor is it in line with how men think. This power that we can tell God what to do and he will do it is not the power of the Spirit. That is not the power spoken of in the scriptures. God says he already knows what we need before we even ask. So the natural man thinks he can control God or manipulate God to get his needs met because he has no freedom and confidence that God even loves him. So he thinks, “If I can pass the test, then God will dump a little food on me.” This thinking of the world that says we grunt it out and conjure up faith so then God will do something. That is not even faith, for you are not really trusting in the God who perfectly loves you.
Ephesians 3:18
18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
When you have real power, you grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. He did it all and this power was given to you as a gift and is the same power of the resurrection that raised Christ from the dead, and is now resident in you.
Romans 8:11
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
I had no righteousness of my own but His righteousness was imputed to me (Romans 4:23-25) and while I was yet a sinner he died for me (Romans 3:23) and now he always lives to ever intercede for me (Hebrews 7:25).
Ephesians 3:19
19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
And you cannot even explain this love because it is beyond understanding. God deeply loves us. We do not need a big faith but a big God. God is the initiator and I am the responder. If we put ourselves in position of initiator then we put ourselves in the position of God.
Enter into what God has already done by faith. This power is to grasp something, the love of God. To grasp and know this love that surpasses understanding. Do not try to understand it. How come? That you may be filled to the measure, with all of the measure of God. It is not about us trying to produce the fruit of the Spirit in the energy of the flesh, but God’s power he placed within you. To know this love is so that you are controlled by the love of God, out of a new relationship with Christ.
Ephesians 5:18
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit
So many times denominations take a single verse and instead of understanding its meaning, they make up their own. It does not mean roll around on the floor in holy laughter or to speak in tongues. What does it mean? And do not just place it in a pail of orthodoxy, as if all thinking from various denominations are equally acceptable to believe. This is not a flip of a coin to take your pick is not the understanding here. To be filled with the Spirit is the same meaning as to be filled to the full measure of the fullness of God. People who call themselves, “I am a Spirit-filled Christian”, is not always in accordance with truth. To be controlled by the love of God and by the Spirit of God are one and the same.