2013-05-17
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week, we examined two examples of covenant relationships that involved the taking on of one’s covenant partner’s enemies. These were the covenants between David and Saul’s son, Jonathan [1 SAM 18: 1-3] and the conversion of Saul of Tarsus by Christ on the road to Damascus [AC 9: 1-6]. We know that prior to Saul of Tarsus’ conversion, he was indeed Christ’s enemy. His job was to persecute Jewish Christians for the Jewish Ruling Council, the Sanhedrin. We get a bird’s eye view of Christ’s use of His righteous power when Saul of Tarsus is stopped suddenly on the road, asked, “Why do you persecute Me?” by the Lord Jesus, and his eyesight is temporarily taken away. It must be understood that when Saul went against believers in Christ, he was going against Christ Himself, because these people were Christ’s covenant partners. At the point where Saul comes to faith in the Lord, his eyesight is restored, and he has also entered into the Covenant of Grace as Christ’s covenant-partner. In other words, Paul belongs to Christ, as do all who believe in Him. This enormous change in His life includes a change in his name from Saul to Paul, and the beginning of his career as the greatest apostle of the early church. He testifies in AC 26: 10-18 of his experience later before king Herod Agrippa.
Let’s look at 1 JN 2: 20, 27, “But you have anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth…As for you, the anointed, what you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in Him.” We come upon another example of how important it is to not only study the didactics of the Bible, but also place a verse or passage in the context of the history of when it was written. John is not trying to say that we don’t need teaching here, but instead he is placing upon us the responsibility of getting the teaching we have through the Holy Spirit from the Bible. At the time John wrote this, the Gnostics were trying to convince people that they needed further teaching of their “higher knowledge” –secret teachings that often disagreed with Biblical truth-- to fully understand the latter. John was warning against this apostasy. The term “anointing” is used here to mean teaching directly from Christ through the Holy Spirit. John’s main point: that we must trust that teaching from the Holy Spirit remains with anyone who actively studies the Bible, has a prayer life, and who is living a life “in Christ”-meaning led by the Holy Spirit. It is by the blood of the new covenant that we belong to Christ and are anointed by Him. It is by the Holy Spirit that we know what is true and what is a lie. 1 COR 2: 14, “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
Because we belong to Christ in this covenant relationship, we not only share the same enemies, but internal dissention is not to be a part of it. We must also expect opposition from outside the relationship. EPH 2: 19-22, “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the Cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.” Internal dissention is surely caused by spiritual masochism, a condition where one’s gratification comes from the suffering of another. We already know that this happens within some families or within a particular relationship with another genetically unrelated covenant brother or sister. I must repeat, it is not to be part of a covenant relationship! Once we are party to the Covenant of Grace with Christ, we must allow the Holy Spirit to change our way of thinking--our attitude toward our covenant partners. Christ teaches us honesty and forgiveness, and they are to be practiced. Remember RO 12: 2, “Do not conform any longer in the pattern of this world, but be transformed inwardly by the renewal of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing, and perfect will.” Christ speaks of the two house builders, one who builds his house on sand, the other who builds it on solid rock. When the bad weather comes, the latter house only stands through the storm, but the former house doesn’t [MT 7: 24-27]. As for opposition from outside the covenant relationship, this too can be approached from an entirely different point of view than would naturally occur to a non-believer. 1 PET 4: 14, 17, “If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you…However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed but praise God that you bear that name.” If spiritual warfare is forced on us, we can turn to Christ and use the power He has given us to do it successfully in His name [EPH 1: 18-20]. While none of this will be easy, anything is possible with God as our Covenant Partner. PHIL 4 :13, “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.”
PRAYER: O Lord, we come before Your mighty throne with heads bowed. We praise and thank You from our hearts for Who You are and what You do. It is difficult, often painful to admit that there is often dissention between two or more humans, who are giving in to their fleshly, sinful selves. We are imperfect and in need of Your direction and guidance. PS 73: 23-24, “Yet I am always with You; You hold me by the right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory.” We open our hearts to Your Spirit, and we acknowledge Your righteousness, wisdom, and power. As your covenant partners, we beseech You to make Your will known to us. We ask You to help us find ways we can cause the disappearance of internal dissention in Your household or prevent it. Our desire is to focus on You, and we understand our need to let You “transform us by the renewal of our mind” [RO 12: 2]. We know and understand Your teaching through the Holy Spirit’s presence and direction, as we study Your word and engage in an active, dynamic prayer life. We do not accept human-crafted ethics which change to fit the situation in which we find ourselves. We understand that HE 13: 8 is true. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” We praise You, Lord, for enabling us to discern between what comes from the Holy Spirit and what comes from other humans. When there is doubt, we know we can call upon the Holy Spirit to help us. PS 50: 15, “Pray to Me in time of trouble. I will rescue you, and you will honor Me.” We pray these things with humility before You, knowing that it is only in the collaboration between You and us that we can be victorious against evil in our lives. We are on You team, Lord, and revel in Your leadership. You are our Savior, King,StrongTower, Messiah, and our beloved Covenant Partner. We offer You our lives and our relationships with our fellow covenant partners in Christ’s holy/mighty name. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: In the third installment of this segment, I have been directed to write more about belonging to Jesus Christ and what that means. We’ll look more closely at the covenant relationships we have with Him and with each other. None of us wants to sin against the Lord, but the battle between our flesh and the Spirit rages within us. This comes out in internal dissention in the form of power-broking, showing off, letting nasty, hurtful comments escape our mouths, being passively aggressive, and a host of other fleshly interactions between people. However, the Lord has given us a way to prevent such sinful behavior. It is: 1) to pray first including for the other person [people] with whom communication is difficult. 2) Listen before we speak. 3) Ask for elaboration when we don’t understand. 4) Always show godliness in our lives. In my own experience, I have had difficult interchanges with three others in church. I took my own advice here, and in each case after some time to allow emotions to die down, the other person has apologized. I didn’t have to feel guilty about things I said to them. However, you all know I have a very difficult relationship with a family member who is not a believer. In that case, all I can do is pray for the salvation of his soul and try to do whatever I can to avoid a contretemps with him. I must let the Holy Spirit take care of the rest. It’s all anyone can do in such a situation. Relying on God gives us the confidence to carry on, and that is the advice we must take. Our God loves each and every one of us with all His heart. It is only fitting and proper that I should end this devotion with thanks and praise to our Lord!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2013. All Rights Reserved.
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