2013-06-21
Good Morning Dear Ones,
As with last week, the Holy Spirit directs me to continue writing on the dichotomy between the ethics of the Spirit and those of the world. The same pattern of sharing the same enemies applies to our Lord, as applies to us and our human covenant partners. The main difference is that we are looking at this from the point of view of our Covenant Partner, the Lord Jesus Himself. There is real unity here if we keep up our part in the covenant relationship between us and any Covenant of Grace partner, whether he be divine or human. Last week, we were reminded of this in citing Christ’s words in JN 16: 33, “I have told you these things , so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” This end result of this message is mirrored in 1 PET 1: 4, 6, “God has reserved a priceless inheritance for His children. It is kept in heaven, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay…So, be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even through it is necessary for you to endure many trials for awhile.”
To there is an antithesis relationship between the flesh and the Holy Spirit; they are direct opposites, as we learn in GA 5: 16-17. The same opposition exists between the ethics of the Holy Spirit and the world. To say this more clearly, the world is the enemy of the Holy Spirit. He abhors the act of being led by human desire, giving in to temptation, addictions, and the whole weakness of having one’s thoughts and actions dictated by the evil one. It is the evil one, who is at the bottom of such a predicament. Does this mean that God will give up on a person in this predicament? I think not, unless the person serially rejects the Lord. These opposites are reflected in the philosophies to which one subscribes and the standards he keeps. JN 15: 18-21, 26 [Christ speaking], “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed My teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of My name, for they do not know the One Who sent Me…When the Counselor comes, Whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth Who goes out from the Father will testify about Me.”
If there is any question remaining about the world’s hatred of the Spirit, then we must understand the main reason for why this is so. It is that any excuse for sinning is removed by the Holy Spirit. Rationalizing sinful behavior is a favorite philosophy of the evil one. I keep thinking about the use of harmful drugs by some of Hollywood’s favored sons and daughters, their propensity for jumping from one marriage to another due to committing adultery, the spiritual damage the club scene does, and the thirst for adulation from their fans. These worldly types “push the envelope” with their fashions, their speech, and their behaviors. The same can be said for some politicians-- puffed up with their own self-importance, thirsty for power, and willing to push others aside in their greed for more. But sin is not only in Hollywood or with politicians, it is also anywhere humans allow the devil into our lives. Yes, we actually have the choice to allow his evil or to expel it from our lives. That is because of Christ’s gift to us of the power to chase the adversary away, the same power the Father used to raise Him from death to eternal life [EPH 1: 18-20].
Our Lord Jesus is hated for His righteousness. HE 4: 15, “For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have One Who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.” We are given easy access to God’s throne, through study of His word and prayer. HE 4: 16, “Let us then, approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Moreover, this very warm invitation is in force any time we need it, which, if my own experience is any teacher, is often. EPH 3: 12, “In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” As we consider this great blessing of God’s availability to us, we must remember Christ’s words in JN 10: 29-30, “My Father, Who has given them [My sheep] to Me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and the Father are One.” As a Jewish person, the Holy Spirit causes me to recall the words of the “Shema,” from DT 6: 4-5, “Here, O Israel, the Lord our God. The Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” This foundational directive applies to Jews and Gentiles alike, because believing Gentiles [wild olive branches] have been grafted in to the “cultured olive tree” [believing Jews-RO 11: 17]. James approaches this commonality of enemies another way in JAS 4: 4, “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” We must, with the help of the Holy Spirit, discern when something we want or person we are considering bringing into our lives is of the world or of the Spirit. So, pray for this today!
PRAYER: O Lord, the conflict between our bodies and the Holy Spirit rages on in our lives. We recognize there is help for this in our Lord Jesus Christ. The question arises, which way shall we go? We acknowledge Your superior wisdom, Your help offered, and Your availability to us. And, we thank and praise You for these things and so much more. Today, we confess the weakness of our past responses to temptation, our desire to change that, and the blessings of Your help available. PS 107: 43, “Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.” With You in our lives, Dearest Abba, we can and will overcome the temptations of the devil, which come to us in so many forms. We recognize the principle stated in 1 PET 5: 8, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” The adversary is wily and smart enough to know where we leave ourselves vulnerable. And yet, we too often don’t recognize this lion until he is ready to pounce. Thankfully, we can turn to You knowing that the Spirit in us is stronger and more capable than that in the world [1 JN 4: 4]. This means that You have given us the strength to overcome, if we take the time to recognize where our vulnerability exists and are willing to follow Your guidance. PS 31: 3-5, “You are my Refuge and Defense; guide me and lead me as You have promised. Keep me safe from the snare that has been set for me; shelter me from all danger. I place myself in Your care, You will save me, Lord; You are a faithful God.” Once again, we thank and praise You for always being here for us, for the compassion and wisdom You give us, and for being the loving God that You are. In Christ’s holy/mighty name, we pray. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: When we choose to commit to our Covenant Partner, we also choose our enemies. That is because God’s enemies become our own. Next week, we will begin a new segment of these “Our Covenant” messages called “Christ’s Enemies.” This will allow us to learn more about how Satan operates and who he really is. Many of the citations above give us a sense of the power Christ shares with us to fend off evildoing and the very adversary himself. This is the same power He used in MT 4: 1-11 when Christ Himself was sorely tempted in the wilderness for 40 days. The Father allowed this test, knowing that it would only strengthen His Son. This enabled His Son to share His wisdom and experience with us. It’s hard for someone being led by the flesh to understand the things of the Holy Spirit. 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.” How can we know that we have the Spirit? We must examine the status of our faith walk with the Lord. If we are committed to Him and faithfully obeying Him, then we have nothing about which to worry. If not, then there is no time like the present to come into alignment with Him. Anyone who has genuinely repented of His sins and professes true faith in Him, is saved. Take comfort in knowing RO 8: 38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.” There is OT foundation for this comforting statement in IS 59: 21, “’As for Me, this is my covenant with them,’ says the Lord. ‘My Spirit Who is on you and My words that I have pout in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever.’ says the Lord.” What a great God we have! Praise and thanks to Him forever!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2013. All Rights Reserved.
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