Podcasts about angelic conflict

Ron Wallace presents a possible scenario for understanding why there is sin and evil in the world, and why Satan and demons wander the earth in opposition to the Godhead and the gospel of salvation.  

0190-264 Suffering and Solutions Prt 54 Job Glorifies God in the Angelic Conflict by Passing Evidence Testing and Undeserved Suffering 04-26-98.mp4GRACE BIBLE CHURCHPASTOR ROBERT R. MCLAUGHLINGBIBLE.ORG IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ADDED TO OUR EMAIL LIST FOR FULL NOTES – PLEASE EMAIL & INDICATE SO @: DLG@GBIBLE.ORGIf any of these links do not work for you please email us at the above email address and we will send you the details and work on fixing the links as we are informed....THE GBIBLE APP IS NOW AVAILABLE!!!Here are some instructions for anyone who may have trouble or don't know how to find our new app:If you're going to look it up on the app store - we are actually "New England Bible Doctrine Church '' that's only if you're going to search that way - btw - way too many Grace Bible Churches - so this is kind of a good thing! Also attached are 2 links - 1 for Apple IOS and the 2 for Android Google Play:Apple IOS:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1623957291ANDROID:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.subsplashconsulting.s_2QTST8&hl=en_US&gl=US*** If you're an apple user as stated it's going to be the first link

0190-259 Suffering and Solutions Prt 49 How to Qualify as a Witness for God in the Angelic Conflict 04-19-98.mp4GRACE BIBLE CHURCHPASTOR ROBERT R. MCLAUGHLINGBIBLE.ORG IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ADDED TO OUR EMAIL LIST FOR FULL NOTES – PLEASE EMAIL & INDICATE SO @: DLG@GBIBLE.ORGIf any of these links do not work for you please email us at the above email address and we will send you the details and work on fixing the links as we are informed....THE GBIBLE APP IS NOW AVAILABLE!!!Here are some instructions for anyone who may have trouble or don't know how to find our new app:If you're going to look it up on the app store - we are actually "New England Bible Doctrine Church '' that's only if you're going to search that way - btw - way too many Grace Bible Churches - so this is kind of a good thing! Also attached are 2 links - 1 for Apple IOS and the 2 for Android Google Play:Apple IOS:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1623957291ANDROID:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.subsplashconsulting.s_2QTST8&hl=en_US&gl=US*** If you're an apple user as stated it's going to be the first link

0190-248 Suffering & Solutions Prt 39 The Angelic Conflict as it Relates to suffering or suffering for Blessing 04-07-98.mp4GRACE BIBLE CHURCHPASTOR ROBERT R. MCLAUGHLINGBIBLE.ORG IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ADDED TO OUR EMAIL LIST FOR FULL NOTES – PLEASE EMAIL & INDICATE SO @: DLG@GBIBLE.ORGIf any of these links do not work for you please email us at the above email address and we will send you the details and work on fixing the links as we are informed....THE GBIBLE APP IS NOW AVAILABLE!!!Here are some instructions for anyone who may have trouble or don't know how to find our new app:If you're going to look it up on the app store - we are actually "New England Bible Doctrine Church '' that's only if you're going to search that way - btw - way too many Grace Bible Churches - so this is kind of a good thing! Also attached are 2 links - 1 for Apple IOS and the 2 for Android Google Play:Apple IOS:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1623957291ANDROID:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.subsplashconsulting.s_2QTST8&hl=en_US&gl=US*** If you're an apple user as stated it's going to be the first link

The Angelic Conflict- The War Behind the War - Daniel 10-10-21

The Angelic Conflict- The War Behind the War - Daniel 10-10-21

A new MP3 sermon from Rock Harbor Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: The Angelic Conflict: The War Behind the War - Daniel 10:10-21 Subtitle: Daniel Speaker: Brandon Holthaus Broadcaster: Rock Harbor Church Event: Sunday Service Date: 12/18/2022 Bible: Daniel 10:10-21 Length: 58 min.

The Anchor Sunday Sermon 12-18-22 The Angelic Conflict  The War Behind the War - Daniel 10 10-21

GRACE BIBLE CHURCHPASTOR ROBERT R. MCLAUGHLINWEDNESDAY 12-14-2022GBIBLE.ORGEPHESIANS - 0290-028DOCTRINE OF GRACE, 43 WITNESSES IN THE ANGELIC CONFLICTPSA 23; LUK 11:1-26.IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ADDED TO OUR EMAIL LIST FOR FULL NOTES – PLEASE EMAIL & INDICATE SO @: DLG@GBIBLE.ORGTHE GBIBLE APP IS NOW AVAILABLE!!!Here are some instructions for anyone who may have trouble or don't know how to find our new app:If you're going to look it up on the app store - we are actually "New England Bible Doctrine Church '' that's only if you're going to search that way - btw - way too many Grace Bible Churches - so this is kind of a good thing!Also attached are 2 links - 1 for Apple IOS and the 2 for Android Google Play:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1623957291https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.subsplashconsulting.s_2QTST8https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.subsplashconsulting.s_2QTST8If you're an apple user as stated it's going to be the first link

Series: The Kingdom of the Heavens Program: BibleStudy.net Aired: June 2003

Series: The Kingdom of the Heavens Program: BibleStudy.net Aired: June 2003

GRACE BIBLE CHURCH GBIBLE.ORG ROBERT MCLAUGHLIN BIBLE MINISTRIES PASTOR ROBERT R. MCLAUGHLIN 05/1/2022 KENOSIS Part 12 We have been noting the evidence testing of our Lord and how: The three parts of His evidence testing challenged His relationship to: 1. The Holy Spirit; (MAT 4:1-4. 2. The Word of God; (MAT 4:5-7). 3. The plan of God; (MAT 4:8-10). He passed the first test which was to use the Word of God as His divine solution to the temptations of Satan. Matthew 4 records the evidence testing of our Lord, which was the first event in His public ministry. This means that: At the outset of His public ministry, He was immediately taken into the desert, alone, to face evidence testing. We have already covered the first three verses and we are now ready to complete our Lord's answer to His first Temptation. For in MAT 4:1 we read Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. MAT 4:2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. MAT 4:3 And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God [and you are], command that these stones become bread." Satan recognizes that Jesus is the Son of God. Satan is the leader of the fallen angels and they have already fought in eternity and lost, so Satan recognizes that Jesus is the Son of God but obviously it does not save him. He is already in his category for eternity where He lost his rebellion against God which was originally why the eternal lake of fire had to: MAT 25:41. Since we are in the Gospel of Matthew, look at MAT 25:41 "Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; He has had his chance and he is out of the picture now, but it should be noticed that the devil and his angels will end up in the eternal lake of fire. Turn to REV 20:7 And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, REV 20:8 and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. REV 20:9 And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. REV 20:10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Satan recognizes that if he can get Jesus to turn stones into bread, even though He is deity [the Son of God], He can act independently of the Holy Spirit. As we have noted, Satan learned the lesson quickly, Jesus cannot be bought for any price. Notice that gall of Satan when he actually commands our Lord to do what he says. So, I will give you eight points on this first temptation: 1. Jesus is hungry and He has the power to turn stones into bread which would be very simple for the Son of God to do. 2. To turn stones into bread would mean depending upon His own volition and upon His own divine power rather than the power of the indwelling Spirit and the volition and plan of the Father. This is a point that you and I can really learn from: Will it be “My will” or “Thy will” be done. 3. The relationship of the humanity of Jesus to the indwelling Holy Spirit is under a test but not a Temptation. The test is our Lord's relationship with the Holy Spirit whereas the temptations are from the devil. 4. Jesus is being tempted to obtain a lawful thing in an unlawful way — apart from the power of the Spirit. The lawful thing is the Word of God that the devil used to tempt our Lord whereas the unlawful thing is to pervert the word, misquote or add to it. 5. Jesus is being tempted as to the sufficiency of the grace of the Father for daily needs. We face the same issue today. The Father's provision is grace. The issue is always grace versus legalism. 6. Would Jesus provide food for Himself by turning stones into bread or can He wait for the Father to provide all His needs. He knows that the Father's purpose for Him is to go to the cross and even though He has gone without food for forty days he knows that He will not die of starvation. The point is does He have the patience to wait for the Father's plan to operate or is He going to jump out ahead and not wait upon the Lord? Our Lord knew such passages as PSA 25:4-5 Make me know Thy ways, O Lord; Teach me Thy paths. Lead me in Thy truth and teach me, For Thou art the God of my salvation; For Thee I wait all the day. He knew passages like: PSA 25:21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for Thee. He knew passages like: PSA 27:14 Wait for the Lord; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord. Or especially: PSA 37:7 Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Issue to us: Do we have the patience to wait for the Father's plan to develop in our lives or do we jump out ahead of it? 7. This introduces the faith-rest issue: Are we going to “trust” the Father or are we going to “do it” ourselves? Simple but profound. And finally, the eighth point: 8. The Father will not permit the humanity of Christ to starve to death because GEN 3:15 and ISA 53 and all of the Levitical offerings tells is how the Savior would die. Now, our Lord Jesus Christ knows the Old Testament. He has been fasting, which means He has been thinking about the Old Testament scriptures, and He knows that there is no scripture that says that Messiah will starve to death; GEN 3:15. Will He believe it or not? Our Lord believed this and that is why He gave the first answer that He did in MAT 4:4. And this has tremendous application to us: All that it requires on our part is the operation of the faith-rest technique and we can have a life of perfect peace and blessing in the midst of the pressures and testing's and trials of life. There is no command for you to fall apart through anxiety. This leads us to our Lord's answer in verse 4 MAT 4:4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'" “He answered” is an aorist active participle, and when you put them together you have an idiom which means He told Satan off. He not only gave him an answer but He gave him a dogmatic answer, an answer which couldn't have had greater power behind it. He simply gave him scripture. For forty days, He had been living on the Word and now He is ready for the devil. Our Lord knew Deuteronomy because He quotes from Deuteronomy and: He gave Satan a dogmatic answer from DEU 6:16: “It is written” = perfect tense, it is written in the past with the result that it goes on forever. 1PE 1:25 But the word of the Lord abides forever. Now,….. Some of you may be wondering how did our Lord know this passage if it hadn't been written yet by Peter? The answer to that is that Peter was actually quoting from the Old Testament in: ISA 40:8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever. The passive voice of the verb “it is written,” means that the Bible receives writing from men as the thought content of the Bible comes from God and to us as the mind of Christ; 1CO 2:16. Prin: Victory always comes through the Word. The Word is the object of the faith-rest technique in our passage. The Word is the basis for true spirituality for the Word teaches us to rebound and to live in the Word of God, which is maximum knowledge of doctrine and occupation with Christ. If you do not know the Word, you do not know Christ. “Man shall not live by bread alone” Remember that: Deuteronomy is the book that describes the walk of the people in the land. “Man shall not live” indicates that it takes more than mere survival to be alive, and to be truly alive is to be alive unto God. Our life relationship with God on this earth is through the indwelling Spirit. When Jesus Christ set up the pattern, He had the indwelling Spirit, the filling of the Spirit, and consequently He indicated that just having food, shelter and clothing and the necessities of life isn't living. Man does not truly live apart from relationship to God, and so, man is not going to live by bread alone. The word “alone” means that real life is more than just eating and drinking in the natural realm because it can lead us to the spiritual food of knowing God. You must have the logistics because you must also eat to survive. However, as we have seen: Relationship with the Lord must come first. Food is necessary to sustain physical life, but the sustaining of physical life is meaningless without spiritual life. Therefore, here are five principles on the differences between physical and spiritual food. 1. Bread or physical food is necessary for physical life but bread is a mere detail in man's dependence upon God. 2. It isn't “the food” but the “promise” which guarantees the food that counts. 3. While bread is necessary to sustain life it is a mere detail of life for survival. 4. What really sustains the believer is the promises of the Word because food and shelter though it can be taken away from us in a moment of time, we always have the promises of God. However, 5. When the time of testing comes it isn't what is in the Bible that counts, it is what you have taken out of the Bible and transferred into your frontal lobe that counts; both in the mind and the heart. And….. This goes with an anagram we use called “Time, Talent and Treasure,” but here it should be called more accurately the anagram of Head, Heart and Hand. I say more accurately because: The Head represents the mind, which is the place where we perceive and understand spiritual truth. The heart is that place where we believe the truth. The hand means you're now ready to serve. And that is what the spiritual life is all about. Learn first, become prepared, and the you're ready to serve. Notice that in the resistance of temptation on the part of our Lord Jesus did not rely upon His deity, He relied upon the Word of God and He resisted this great temptation through the Word of God. This is the principle of divine versus human viewpoint. This leads to the concept that all spiritual victory is directly related to the Word of God. Therefore, notice our Lord's answer. MAT 4:4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'" We have six principles behind the first four verses of MAT 4:1-4. 1. Reliance on the Word of God rather than the word of man is the pattern of this victory. This means once again that: 2. All spiritual victory is related to the Word. 3. Jesus never put His own power or His own works above or on a level with obedience to the Father's plan. To rely on the power of the Spirit was the Father's plan for our Lord, therefore, in obedience to the Father's plan He relied upon the power of the Spirit when He used the Word; HEB 10:5. 4. Jesus found strength, not in performing a miracle, but in the Word of God. 5. Reliance upon God and fulfilling the plan of God depends upon the believer become spiritually self-sustained by feeding on the Word and converting the Word into strength. 6. Just as physical food goes in and is converted into energy so doctrine in the frontal lobe is converted into divine power and orientation to the plan of God. In verses 5-7, we now have the second recorded temptation. First of all, let's read the passage. MAT 4:5 Then the devil *took Him into the holy city; and he had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, MAT 4:6 and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God throw Yourself down; for it is written, #'He will give His angels charge concerning You'; and ' On their hands they will bear You up, Lest You strike Your foot against a stone.” MAT 4:7 Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" Since the power is in the Word and since Jesus Christ in His humanity is relying on the Word, Satan tried to pull the power out from under Him. He tried to undermine Him by destroying the Word as the norm and standard that our Lord was living in. The principles of the second temptation: 1. The second temptation deals with our Lord's relationship with the Word as an example got us to live in. 2. Since Jesus resisted the temptation to act independently of the indwelling Spirit and the power of the Word, Satan attacks the source of resistance which is the Word itself. 3. Satan attacks the Word by quoting the Word, distorting the Word, and using a passage which is not pertinent to the situation; GEN 3:1-7. 4. To distort the Word by removing it from its context and interpretation has led astray many sincere and ignorant believers. Sometimes the more sincere the believer the more stupid the believer! In Verse 5, we have the location of the second temptation. MAT 4:5 Then the devil *took Him into the holy city; and he had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, The first word “Then” is an adverb referring to the next temptation with the devil taking Him into the holy city, Jerusalem. Some system of transportation was employed that we are not told about. The “holy city” always refers to Jerusalem in the Bible; “Then the devil took Him into the holy city; and he had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple. The word “pinnacle” is a porch, and the pinnacle of the temple is a wing of the temple which was constructed by Herod the Great. This particular porch is actually 450 feet over the valley of Kidron so they are standing and looking over a cliff which was 450 feet straight down. In Verse 6, we have the temptation. MAT 4:6 and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God throw Yourself down; for it is written, #'He will give His angels charge concerning You'; and ' On {their} hands they will bear You up, Lest You strike Your foot against a stone." Satan is talking to Jesus Christ and he says now to His deity: “Jump.” But….. Deity can't jump because deity is omnipresent and is everywhere. So, it can be seen how the devil is trying to distort things. The command is an aorist active imperative, which means that the devil has the gall to command God Almighty, our Lord Jesus Christ, not only to change stones into bread, but now to jump. Jesus had just said previously that He would live by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God. He has declared Himself upon the principle that in His humanity, He will rely entirely upon the Word of God. This will be the pattern for His Doctrine of Kenosis. So, the devil says in effect that if He is going to rely upon the Word of God, there is no reason why He can't jump off this cliff….. And….. He now quotes a portion of scripture to prove the fact that He ought to jump just to demonstrate that He would live by the Word. “for it is written” = Satan is now quoting Psalm 91:11-12 and He rationalizes that because the deity of Christ can't jump he will go back to the humanity of Christ. PSA 91:11-12, For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, Lest you strike your foot against a stone. The humanity of Christ is going to rely on the Word of God and the devil quotes scripture to imply that He can jump. Notice Satan's distortions: 1. To jump into the valley would violate the law of gravity and our Lord would be tempted by Satan to prove He is God by performing a miracle from His own deity. 2. In his own subtle way, the devil is trying to trick the humanity of Christ into proving His deity by performing a miracle such as jump and have God catch you. Since you are God, Jesus, then prove it --- jump and catch yourself. 3. God does not protect the operation of negative volition in defiance of divine law by using miracles to solve the problem. God always provides solutions but they are not prayer or miracles but always the Word of God; JOH 4:23-24. 4. If someone pushes the Lord over the cliff then the scripture, which the devil quotes, might apply but there is no one else present to do the pushing including the devil, he can't because of the rules of the Angelic Conflict. Which basically focuses in on “free will” and “being independent” from God. And therefore, #5. 5. There is no protection for the one who acts independently of the Word, even when using the Word in a distorted fashion. Remember GEN 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" GEN 3:2 And the woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; GEN 3:3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you die.' " GEN 3:4 And the serpent said to the woman, "You surely shall not die! GEN 3:5 "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." In all these passages, I want you to note how: Satan knows the Word of God and knowing it, he willingly perverts and distorts it. Notice back in MAT 4:6 and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God throw Yourself down; for it is written, #'He will give His angels charge concerning You'; and ' On {their} hands they will bear You up, Lest You strike Your foot against a stone." 6. There are times that you could be falling and having been pushed, God would protect you but this is a case of where you do it of your own volition and this passage does not cover suicide. God does not protect from death that believer who tries to commit suicide. Suicide is the superimposition of human volition over divine volition. Suicide is promoted by Satan to cause people to think that their life has no meaning, purpose, or definition. Satan added to the word to distort the Word. He could not completely distort this passage without a subtle addition to it. There are times when God's protection is definitely promised so we can all learn to wait upon the timing of God. 7. When the believer uses his own volition to operate independently of God's plan, God's Word, or God's Law's, then he is outside of divine protection. And…… God does not protect that believer who tries to commit suicide from death. Suicide is the arrogant expression of a person who does not care about others and how their suicide affects them. Suicide is going out as a loser believer because of selfishness. I am just dealing with those who are religious in this study. Arrogance, jealousy, emotionalism, and anger, selfishness, and negative decisions tell us that committing suicide is a sin; PSA 31:15 My times are in Thy hand; What Does the Bible Say about Suicide? Christians will not find the word “suicide” in Scripture, but the fact that suicide exists is seen throughout Scripture as an evidence of the struggle some have with the effects of the OSN. The Bible teaches that Satan, the father of lies, comes to steal, kill, and destroy but God emphasizes the sanctity of life by giving it to us more abundantly; JOH 10:10. JOH 10:10 "The thief [Satan] comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have {it} abundantly. What Does the Bible Say about Suicide? Christians will not find the word “suicide” in Scripture, but the fact of suicide is seen throughout Scripture is an evidence of the struggle some have with the effects of mankind's fallen nature. There have been five suicides that we noted in the Old Testament: 1. Abimelech committed suicide; 2. King Saul 3. Saul's armor-bearer; 4. Ahithophel, Absalom's counselor; 5. Zimri. 1KI 16:16-18. There is only one example of suicide. Judas, Jesus' disciple and betrayer, hung himself when he understood he had betrayed “innocent blood” (MAT 27:3-10). MAT 27:3 Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Notice that Judas felt remorse or felt sorry for what he had done but feeling sorry for your sins DOES NOT SAVE you, it is only one way and one way only - faith alone in Christ alone. MAT 27:4 saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." But they [that is what religious does once they use you said, "What is that to us? See {to that} yourself!" MAT 27:5 And he threw the pieces of silver into the sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself. MAT 27:6 And the chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, "It is not lawful to put them into the temple treasury, since it is the price of blood." MAT 27:7 And they counseled together and with the money bought the Potter's Field as a burial place for strangers. This was a burial place for strangers, like our “tomb of the unknown soldier is. MAT 27:8 For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. MAT 27:9 Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one whose price had been set by the sons of Israel; MAT 27:10 and they gave them for the Potter's Field, as the Lord directed me. " All of that and Judas, though he was an unbeliever, felt sorry for his sin but he knows now that feeling sorry for sins does not save you. There are many reasons why people might commit suicide, and some are not addressed directly in Scripture. For example, A chemical imbalance, causing severe depression, or mental illness may drive people to commit suicide. The Bible teaches that Satan, the father of lies, “was a murderer from the beginning” (JOH 8:44). He comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10a). JOH 10:10a "The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; Satan plants destructive thoughts in people, even Christians, and they may choose to act on Satan's lies and kill themselves. On the other hand, Our Lord Jesus Christ gives is life more abundantly which emphasizes the sanctity of life. Jesus came to give us abundant life and freedom (JOH 8:36; 10:10b). JOH 8:36 "If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. JOH 10:10b "I came that they might have life, and might have it more abundantly. The Lord doesn't want us to live in fear, but to discover strength and help in Him. ISA 41:10 'Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.' PSA 34:18-19, The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, And saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous; But the Lord delivers him out of them all. We can cast our cares on the Lord and know He will not condemn us (1PE 5:7; PSA 55:22; ROM 8:1-2). All of us have been made in the image of God and it is extremely important that we understand what that means back in GEN 1:26-27. GEN 1:26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." GEN 1:27 And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Therefore, mankind is not allowed to murder anyone, including themselves says GEN 9:6-7. GEN 9:6 "Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man. And this is why…. Even Cain was not allowed to even kill himself because of how much he messed up the world at that time. Instead GEN 9:7 says "And as for you, be fruitful and multiply; Populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it." Suicide opposes the natural tendency of humans to preserve their own lives. It is contrary to caring for others, cutting off the potential for loving relationships with family and friends, and is contrary to loving and honoring the Creator. God wants his children to choose life, not death; DEU 30:19. DEU 30:19 "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, It is God's sovereign right to give and take away life; JOB 1:21. This is why Job said; JOB 1:21 "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." We are all required to be faithful stewards of the life God gives and the devil is trying to get our Lord to reject that faithfulness from God the Father. Remember that believers are temples of the Holy Spirit and don't belong to themselves. In the New Testament, we learn the Holy Spirit indwells believers and Christians should treat Him with respect; 1CO 6:19. Suicide is not an appropriate response to our problems since suicide dishonors our body and the Lord who created us; 1CO 10:31. Suicide is a rejection of 1CO 10:31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Suicide is a rejection of Col 3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. God wants us to care for our bodies in the same way Christ cares for the church; EPH 5:29. EPH 5:29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, Many New Testament saints and Jesus Himself were tortured and put to death, but they did not commit suicide. Instead, like Paul, they “fought the good fight” of faith until their death (2TI 4:6-8). Nothing can separate true believers from God's love in Christ (ROM 8:38-39; JOH 10:27-30). For the Christian, all sins—past, present, and future—are forgiven through faith in the atoning work of Jesus. Therefore; For Jesus to jump into the valley of Kidron would have meant certain death for His humanity. Now, all of the information from Satan's distortion of the word where we noted the seventh principle that brought us to the subject of Satan's distortions of the Word. The seventh point again was: 7. When the believer uses his own volition to operate independently of God's plan, God's Word, or God's Law's, then he is outside of divine protection. However, I am not going to leave you with that but with something I read from my book on Ecclesiastes. Kenosis is based on the fact that the union of the deity of Christ to unglorified but true humanity is a necessary factor for a winner believer to know and understand. That explains how a believer can be happy in the midst of wild and crazy circumstances. If you love your life, you will have doors open to you that have never opened before. People will observe your happiness and your life and they will be wondering what it is that makes you so happy in an evil world! People will ask you why are you so happy? Why do you seem to be enjoying life so much? I will tell you why which I read from my book on Ecclesiastes that was taken from a song that was both written and sung by Andraé Crouch called “Through it all.” Here is a positive way to end the message and get ready for the Lord's supper. Here's the lyrics I've had many tears and sorrow, I've had questions for tomorrow, There've been times I didn't know right from wrong. But in every situation, God gave blessed consolation, That my trials come to only make me strong. I've been to lots of places I've seen lots of faces There's been times I felt so all alone But in my lonely hours, Yes those precious lonely Hours, The Lord let me know that I was His own. So, I thank God for the mountains, And I thank Him for the valleys, And I thank Him for the storms, He's brought me through, For if I'd never had a problem, I wouldn't know that he could solve them, I'd never know what faith in God could do! Because through it all, through it all I've learned to trust in the Lord. Through it all, through it all, I've learned to depend upon His word. That my friends is the way to live!

Series: The Kingdom of the Heavens Program: BibleStudy.net Aired: June 2003

GRACE BIBLE CHURCH GBIBLE.ORG ROBERT MCLAUGHLIN BIBLE MINISTRIES PASTOR ROBERT R. MCLAUGHLIN 04/27/2022 TITLE: DOCTRINE OF KENOSIS; PART 11. THE THREE PARTS OF OUR LORD'S EVIDENCE TESTING. We have been noting the evidence testing of our Lord and how: The three parts of His evidence testing challenged His relationship to: 1. The Holy Spirit; (MAT 4:1-4. 2. The Word of God; (MAT 4:5-7). 3. The plan of God; (MAT 4:8-10). He passed the first test which was to use the Word of God as His divine solution to the temptations of Satan. Matthew 4 records the evidence testing of our Lord, which was the first event in His public ministry. At the outset of His public ministry, He was immediately taken into the desert, alone, to face evidence testing. For in MAT 4:1 we read Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Three persons were involved in the testing of Christ: the humanity of Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the devil. MAT 4:2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. MAT 4:3 And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God [and you are], command that these stones become bread." Our Lord's temptations to His humanity not only came from outside, but He was tempted by Satan personally as He tried to get our Lord to use His divine nature, MAT 4. Let's take the divine nature. 2PE 1:4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature. The divine nature of Christ was not able to be tempted because God is immutable and immutability demands that God does not change. God cannot change. Even if we are faithless, He does not change; 2TI 2:13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself. In Titus 1:2, we have the confidence of eternal life, from a God, who cannot lie. And here is the motivation that comes from having the God that we do. HEB 6:18 in order that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have strong encouragement, we who have fled for refuge in laying hold of the hope set before us. Also, our Lord as God is sovereign. Sovereignty can do whatever it chooses and would never condone sin. He cannot do anything that would violate His nature. The sovereignty of God cannot change His mind about sin. The perfect righteousness of God cannot be corrupted by sin. The justice of God is cannot be unfair. This is how the temptations of Christ and who He is, is brought out in MAT 4 and also applies to our Doctrine of Kenosis. There are so many principles that theologians have missed concerning kenosis. Why? Because it means such things as: He had human volition but used His volition within the love complex, an absolute place of virtue. JOH 15:10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love. Again before, we see how the Lord handled Satan's temptation in MAT 4:4, remember what Satan said in: MAT 4:3 And the tempter came and said to Him, "Since You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." Satan, of course, recognizes that Jesus is the Son of God. Satan is a fallen angel, all fallen angels are in eternity. As far as they are concerned the angelic creation is divided and we have the two categories: the elect angels and the fallen angels. Satan is the leader of the fallen angels and they have already fought in eternity and lost, so Satan recognizes that Jesus is the Son of God but obviously it does not save him. He is already in his category for eternity, which is the eternal lake of fire: MAT 25:41. Since we are in the Gospel pf Matthew, look at MAT 25:41 "Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; He has had his chance and he is out of the picture now, but it should be noticed that the devil and his angels will end up in the eternal lake of fire. REV 20:10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Satan recognizes that if he can get Jesus to turn stones into bread, even though He is deity [the Son of God], He can act independently of the Holy Spirit. As we have noted, Satan learned the lesson quickly, Jesus cannot be bought for any price. Notice that gall of Satan when he says to our Lord “command” the stones to become bread. Eight points on this first temptation: 1. Jesus is hungry and He has the power to turn stones into bread which would be very simple for the Son of God to do. 2. To turn stones into bread would mean depending upon His own volition and upon His own divine power rather than the power of the indwelling Spirit and the volition and plan of the Father. 3. The relationship of the humanity of Jesus to the indwelling Holy Spirit is under test. 4. Jesus is being tempted to obtain a lawful thing in an unlawful way — apart from the power of the Spirit. 5. Jesus is being tempted as to the sufficiency of the grace of the Father for daily needs. We face the same issue today. The Father's provision is grace. The issue is grace versus legalism. 6. Would Jesus provide food for Himself by turning stones into bread or can He wait for the Father to provide all His needs. He knows that the Father's purpose for Him is to go to the cross and even though He has gone without food for forty days he knows that He will not die until He goes to the cross; that is the Father's plan. The point is: Does He have the patience to wait for the Father's plan to operate or is He going to jump out ahead and not wait upon the Lord? Our Lord knew; ISA 40:31 Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up {with} wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary. Issue to us: Do we have the patience to wait for the Father's plan to develop in our lives or do we jump out ahead of it? 7. This introduces the faith-rest issue: Are we going to trust the Father or are we going to do it ourselves? 8. The Father will not permit the humanity of Christ to starve to death because GEN 3:15 and ISA 53 and all of the Levitical offerings tells is how the Savior would die. Now, our Lord Jesus Christ knows the Old Testament. He has been fasting, which means He has been thinking about the Old Testament scriptures, and He knows that there is no scripture that says that Messiah will starve to death; GEN 3:15. Will He believe it or not? Our Lord believed this and that is why He gave the answer that He did in MAT 4. And this has tremendous application to us: Can we depend upon the plan of the Father for our lives or do we have to jump out ahead with human viewpoint? There is just one hitch. If we do not know doctrine you have nothing to believe and you do not have enough faith to operate in the faith-rest technique. This temptation, of course, brings out a tremendous factor: If God doesn't open the door for you tomorrow so that you can see daylight, are you going to fall apart? I told you there are a lot of principles in this doctrine. If you do not see the end from the beginning all you need is to know what the Word has to say and God will provide your daily needs; MAT 6:33-34. Just as He provided the biggest need you ever had, which is salvation, He also will provide the lesser which is logistical grace support; ROM 5:8. Look at ROM 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ROM 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath {of God} through Him. ROM 5:10 For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved or delivered by His life. All that it requires on your part is the operation of the faith-rest technique and you can have a life of perfect peace and blessing in the midst of the pressures and testing's and trials of life. There is no command for you to fall apart through anxiety. This leads us to our Lord's answer in verse 4 MAT 4:4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'" “He answered” is an aorist active participle, and when you put them together you have an idiom which means He told Satan off. He not only gave him an answer but He gave him a dogmatic answer, an answer which couldn't have had greater power behind it. He simply gave him scripture. For forty days, He had been living on the Word and now He is ready for the devil. Our Lord knew Deuteronomy because He quotes from Deuteronomy and: He gave Satan a dogmatic answer: “It is written” = perfect tense, it is written in the past with the result that it goes on forever. 1PE 1:25 But the word of the Lord abides forever. Now,….. Some of you may be wondering how did our Lord know this passage if it hadn't been written yet by Peter? The answer to that is found in: ISA 40:8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever. The passive voice of the verb “it is written,” means that the Bible receives writing from men as the thought content of the Bible comes from God and to us as the mind of Christ; 1CO 2:16. Prin: Victory always comes through the Word. The Word is the object of the faith-rest technique in our passage. The Word is the basis for true spirituality for the Word teaches us to rebound and to live in the Word of God, which is maximum knowledge of doctrine and occupation with Christ. If you do not know the Word, you do not know Christ. “Man shall not live by bread alone” Remember that: Deuteronomy is the book that describes the walk of the people in the land. “Man shall not live” indicates that it takes more than mere survival to be alive, and to be truly alive is to be alive unto God. Our life relationship with God on this earth is through the indwelling Spirit. When Jesus Christ set up the pattern, He had the indwelling Spirit, the filling of the Spirit, and consequently He indicated that just having food, shelter and clothing and the necessities of life isn't living. Man does not truly live apart from relationship to God, and so, man is not going to live by bread alone. The word “alone” means that real life is more than just eating and drinking in the natural realm because it can lead us to the spiritual food of knowing God. You must have the logistics because you must also eat to survive. However: Relationship with the Lord must come first. Food is necessary to sustain physical life, but the sustaining of physical life is meaningless without spiritual life. Five principles on physical and spiritual food. 1. Bread or physical food is necessary for physical life but bread is a mere detail in man's dependence upon God. 2. It isn't the food but the promise which guarantees the food that counts. 3. While bread is necessary to sustain life it is a mere detail in survival. 4. What really sustains the believer is the promises of the Word because food and shelter can be taken away from us in a moment of time but we keep on having the promises of God. However, 5. When the time of testing comes it isn't what is in the Bible that counts, it is what you have taken out of the Bible and transferred into your frontal lobe that counts; both in the mind and the heart. Notice that in the resistance of temptation on the part of our Lord Jesus did not rely upon His deity, He relied upon the Word of God and He resisted this great temptation through the Word of God. This is the principle of divine versus human viewpoint. This leads to the concept that all spiritual victory is directly related to the Word of God, and your ability to have spiritual victory is based upon your understanding of the Word. Therefore, notice our Lord's answer. MAT 4:4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'" A few principles for this first test. 1. Reliance on the Word of God rather than the word of man is the pattern of this victory. 2. All spiritual victory is related to the Word. 3. Jesus never put His own power or His own works above or on a level with obedience to the Father's plan. To rely on the power of the Spirit was the Father's plan for the incarnate Christ, therefore in obedience to the Father's plan He relied upon the power of the Spirit when he used the Word. 4. Jesus found strength, not in performing a miracle, but in the Word of God. 5. Reliance upon God and fulfilling the plan of God depends upon the believer become spiritually self-sustained by feeding on the Word and converting the Word into strength. Just as physical food goes in and is converted into energy so doctrine in the frontal lobe is converted into divine power, orientation to the plan of God. In verses 5-7, we have the second recorded temptation. MAT 4:5 Then the devil *took Him into the holy city; and he had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, MAT 4:6 and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God throw Yourself down; for it is written, #'He will give His angels charge concerning You'; and ' On their hands they will bear You up, Lest You strike Your foot against a stone.” MAT 4:7 Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" Since the power is in the Word and since Jesus Christ in His humanity is relying on the Word, Satan tried to pull the power out from under Him. He tried to undermine Him by destroying the Word as the norm. The principles of the second temptation: 1. The second temptation deals with the believer's relationship with the Word. 2. Since Jesus resisted the temptation to act independently of the indwelling Spirit and the power of the Word, Satan attacks the source of resistance which is the Word itself. 3. Satan attacks the Word by quoting the Word, distorting the Word, and using a passage which is not pertinent to the situation. 4. To distort the Word by removing it from its context and interpretation has led astray many sincere and ignorant believers. Sometimes the more sincere the believer the more stupid the believer! In Verse 5, we have the location of the second temptation. MAT 4:5 Then the devil *took Him into the holy city; and he had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, The first word “Then” is an adverb referring to the next temptation with the devil taking Him into the holy city, Jerusalem. Some system of transportation was employed that we are not told about. The “holy city” always refers to Jerusalem in the Bible; “Then the devil took Him into the holy city; and he had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple. The word “pinnacle” is a porch, and the pinnacle of the temple is a wing of the temple which was constructed by Herod the Great. This particular porch is actually 450 feet over the valley of Kidron so they are standing and looking over a cliff which was 450 feet straight down. In Verse 6, we have the temptation. MAT 4:6 and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God throw Yourself down; for it is written, #'He will give His angels charge concerning You'; and ' On {their} hands they will bear You up, Lest You strike Your foot against a stone." Satan is talking to Jesus Christ and he says now to His deity: “Jump.” But….. Deity can't jump because deity is omnipresent and is everywhere. So, it can be seen how the devil is trying to distort things. The command is an aorist active imperative, which means that the devil has the gall to command God Almighty, our Lord Jesus Christ, not only to change stones into bread, but now to jump. Jesus had just said previously that He would live by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God. He has declared Himself upon the principle that in His humanity He will rely entirely upon the Word of God. This will be the pattern for His Doctrine of Kenosis. So, the devil says in effect that if He is going to rely upon the Word of God, there is no reason why He can't jump off this cliff….. And….. He now quotes a portion of scripture to prove the fact that He ought to jump just to demonstrate that He would live by the Word. “for it is written” = Satan is now quoting Psalm 91:11-12 and He rationalizes that because the deity of Christ can't jump he will go back to the humanity of Christ. The humanity of Christ is going to rely on the Word of God and Satan quotes scripture to imply that He can jump. Notice Satan's distortions: 1. To jump into the valley would violate the law of gravity and our Lord would be tempted by Satan to prove He is God by performing a miracle from His own deity. 2. In his own subtle way, the devil is trying to trick the humanity of Christ into proving His deity by performing a miracle such as jump and have God catch you. Since you are God, Jesus, then prove it --- jump and catch yourself. 3. God does not protect the operation of negative volition in defiance of divine law by using miracles to solve. 4. If someone pushes the Lord over the cliff then the scripture, which the devil quotes, might apply but there is no one else present to do the pushing including the devil, he can't because of the rules of the Angelic Conflict. 5. There is no protection for the one who acts independently of the Word, even when using the Word in a distorted fashion. Remember GEN 3 and the first mention principle. GEN 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" GEN 3:2 And the woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; GEN 3:3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you die.' " GEN 3:4 And the serpent said to the woman, "You surely shall not die! GEN 3:5 "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Notice in MAT 4:6 and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God throw Yourself down; for it is written, #'He will give His angels charge concerning You'; and ' On {their} hands they will bear You up, Lest You strike Your foot against a stone." 6. There are times that you could be falling and having been pushed, God would protect you but this is a case of where you do it of your own volition and this passage does not cover suicide. God does not protect from death that believer who tries to commit suicide. Suicide is the superimposition of human volition over divine volition. Suicide the words were added by Satan. Satan added to distort. He could not completely distort this passage without a subtle addition to it. There are times when God's protection are definitely promised. 7. When the believer uses his own volition to operate independently of God's plan, God's Word, or God's law then he is outside of divine protection. God does not protect that believer who tries to commit suicide from death. Suicide is the superimposition of human volition over divine volition. Suicide is the arrogant expression of a person who does not care about others and how their suicide affects them. Suicide is going out as a loser because of selfishness. Arrogance, jealousy, emotionalism, anger, selfishness, and negative decisions tells us that committing suicide is a sin; PSA 31:15 My times are in Thy hand; What Does the Bible Say about Suicide? Christians will not find the word “suicide” in Scripture, but the fact of suicide is seen throughout Scripture is an evidence of the struggle some have with the effects of mankind's fallen nature. The Bible teaches that Satan, the father of lies, comes to steal, kill, and destroy God, on the other hand, God emphasizes the sanctity of life. What Does the Bible Say about Suicide? Christians will not find the word “suicide” in Scripture, but the fact of suicide is seen throughout Scripture is an evidence of the struggle some have with the effects of mankind's fallen nature. Suicide in the Old Testament: 1. Abimelech committed suicide; 2. King Saul; 3. Saul's armor-bearer; 4. Ahithophel, Absalom's counselor; 5. Zimri set himself afire in the king's house; 1KI 16:16-18. There is only one example of suicide. Judas, Jesus' disciple and betrayer, hung himself when he understood he had betrayed “innocent blood” (MAT 27:3-10). There are many reasons why people might commit suicide, and some are not addressed directly in Scripture. For example, A chemical imbalance, causing severe depression, or mental illness may drive people to commit suicide. The Bible teaches that Satan, the father of lies, “was a murderer from the beginning” (JOH 8:44). He comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10a). Satan plants destructive thoughts in people, even Christians, and they may choose to act on Satan's lies and kill themselves. On the other hand, Jesus Christ Gives Life which emphasizes the sanctity of life. Jesus came to give us abundant life and freedom (JOH 10:10b). The Lord doesn't want us to live in fear, but to discover strength and help in Him. ISA 41:10 'Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.' PSA 34:18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, And saves those who are crushed in spirit. PSA 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous; But the Lord delivers him out of them all. We can cast our cares on the Lord and know He will not condemn us (PSA 55:22; ROM 8:1-2). PSA 55:22 Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. ROM 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ROM 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. All of us have been made in the image of God and it is extremely important that we understand what that means; GEN 1:26-27. GEN 1:26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." GEN 1:27 And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Therefore, mankind is not allowed to murder anyone, including ourselves (GEN 9:6-7). GEN 9:6 "Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man. GEN 9:7 "And as for you, be fruitful and multiply; Populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it." Suicide opposes the natural tendency of humans to preserve their own lives. It is contrary to caring for others, cutting off the potential for loving relationships with family and friends, and is contrary to loving and honoring the Creator. God wants his children to choose life, not death; DEU 30:19 "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, It is our sovereign God's right to give and take away life; JOB 1:21. JOB 1:21 "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." Humans are required to be faithful stewards of the life God gives and the devil is trying to get our Lord to reject that faithfulness from God the Father. Believers are temples of the Holy Spirit and don't belong to themselves. In the New Testament, we learn the Holy Spirit indwells believers and Christians should treat Him with respect; 1CO 6:19. Suicide is not an appropriate response to our problems since suicide dishonors our body and the Lord who created us; 1CO 10:31. Suicide is a rejection of 1CO 10:31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Suicide is a rejection of Col 3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. God wants us to care for our bodies in the same way Christ cares for the church; EPH 5:29. EPH 5:29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, Many New Testament saints and Jesus Himself were tortured and put to death, but they did not commit suicide. Instead, like Paul, they “fought the good fight” of faith until their death (2TI 4:6-8). Nothing can separate true believers from God's love in Christ (ROM 8:38-39; JOH 10:27-30). For the Christian, all sins—past, present, and future—are forgiven through faith in the atoning work of Jesus. For Jesus to jump into the valley of Kidron would have meant certain death for His humanity. 8. It was not the Father's will for Jesus to jump. It was the Father's will for Jesus to die some three years later on the cross. There is a principle behind all this and that is more insidious or subtle than the use of God's Word to get someone to act independently of God. That is the way the woman fell. Back in the garden the woman fell because she added to the Word of God. This goes on all the time and people are constantly misusing the Word of God in order to act independently of the will of God and the plan of God. This is pseudo-spirituality. Satan has used a scripture here that is true but it is not pertinent to the situation. This leads us to the answer of our Lord.

Series: The Kingdom of the Heavens Program: BibleStudy.net Aired: June 2003

GRACE BIBLE CHURCH GBIBLE.ORG ROBERT MCLAUGHLIN BIBLE MINISTRIES PASTOR ROBERT R. MCLAUGHLIN 04/20/2022 Point 4. The Manifestation of Kenosis in our Lord's Evidence Testing. There are three Greek words for life: bios, psuche, and zoe. These words have different meanings, .. Bios refers to the existence of life Psuche refers to thinking of life as a normal function Zoe refers to the Zoe, the supernatural way of life. God has provided for the mature believer a zoe-life, which is beyond out imagination, and beyond our greatest thoughts and dreams; EPH 3:20. EPH 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, There is nothing like the Zoe-life or the supergrace life from God. Therefore, we closed the last time with ten principles on the “zoe life. And since we had a few interruptions like the loss of electricity and our resurrection specials, I thought we would begin where we left off with those ten principles on the “zoe life.” First of all, 1. This life is only found in Christ and gives us guidance and direction; JOH 1:4. JOH 1:4 In Him was life, and this zoe-life was the light of men. Notice: Light gives you guidance, direction and clarity; PSA 27:1. PSA 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread? There is no confusion or chaos or boredom with the zoe-life. 2. This “zoe life” is made available to anyone who believes in TLJC, JOH 3:15. JOH 3:15 That whoever believes may in Him have eternal life [that is the “zoe life”. The “zoe life” is a life more abundantly; JOH 10:10 " I came that they might have “zoe life,” and might have it more abundantly. 3. This “zoe life” fulfills the desires which are found in every one of us, JOH 4:14. There is a deep desire placed within man by God that only God can fulfill. All believers have been given this desire so that they will have an emptiness in their heart that only God can fulfill. The principle is simple: Just as the physical body craves for food and entertainment and the soul desires stimulation; The human spirit, which is created by God at the moment of salvation, (Titus 3:5), also hungers to be filled. This desire has been placed within the believer by God. ECC 3:11 "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart (the desire for eternal things), It is a very delicate and sensitive desire that can be hindered by arrogance or emotionalism and it can be extinguished by hardness of the heart, scar tissue of the soul or occupation with the details of life. This desire is in every believer, however, every believer does not have this desire fulfilled. The more it is fed, the stronger it becomes and it can even carry the believer through the most difficult situations in life. What is this desire and how can the believer meet the demands that it makes upon life? Nothing can put this fire or this desire out. In fact,……. Extreme pressure only intensifies the desire even more. It is a need that must be fulfilled. This driving desire or craving for the Word of God also protects the believer in the time of pressure and adversity. And only the “zoe life” can meet the challenge. The “zoe life” causes the believer to stay occupied with the Word of God in time of disaster. It gives him “spiritual energy” in time of pressure. Many times the different trials and tests become a source of frustration for the believer and he just wants to run for cover. Yet the believer with positive volition toward living in the “zoe life” can take comfort in doctrine. Jeremiah sheds light on this burning desire. JER 20:9 “But if I say, I will not mention Him or speak anymore in His name, His word is in my heart like a burning fire, shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.” The “zoe life” is manifested by a burning fire within that cannot be quenched. PSA 42:1 “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for Thee, O God.” Why does this desire reside in some but not in others? Well, the believer at the beginning of his spiritual life is in a state of ignorance regarding the thoughts of God. As the Christian life progresses, ignorance may continue because of negative volition or indifference toward doctrine or distraction. However……, If the believer has had a taste of Bible doctrine and the grace and truth of our Lord Jesus Christ, it is very difficult to quench that thirst. David records for us this driving desire in PSA 63:1. PSA 63:1 “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” Earnestly means in an enthusiastic, devoted diligent, serious and intense way. The soul yearning speaks of positive volition toward living in the “zoe life.” The dry and weary land where there is no water speaks of the spiritual droughts that we all have at one time or another. Positive volition toward the doctrine pf the “zoe life” is the driving desire which motivates believers to overcome all obstacles and center their life around doctrine. JOH 4:14 But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." 4. This life is made available to us in time, not beginning with eternity, JOH 5:24. JOH 5:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, "has" eternal life zoe life or the life which comes from God , and does not come into judgment, but "has passed" out of death into life. Too many of God's people are waiting to die and then they think they will have the time to live for God. 5. This “zoe life” is given to us through the intake of doctrine, JOH 6:27. JOH 6:27 "Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life [zoe-life], which the Son of man shall give to you, for on him the Father, even God, has set his seal." 6. This “zoe life” is given without measure depending upon the believer's desire for it; JOH 3:34. JOH 3:34 "For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure. Always remember no matter whatever you face that: 1CO 6:19 your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 1CO 6:20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. 7. This life can never be taken away, Joh 10:28-30. JOH 10:28 And I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. JOH 10:29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. JOH 10:30 "I and the Father are one." 8. This "zoe life” is described in Joh 17:3 as "knowing" God and TLJC. JOH 17:3 "And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. 9. It is through the written communication of Bible doctrine that this life is offered to every member of the human race, Joh 20:31. JOH 20:31 But these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God; and that believing you may have zoe life in His name. 10. In PHI 4:11-12, we have the correct interpretation of the “zoe life” is for the believer who sticks with doctrine and lives in the way and the truth manifested by the Kenosis life. PHI 4:11 Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. PHI 4:12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. This is what it means to be on the right side of history or to accept your calling and place in life. This, of course, refers to the lifestyle and thinking of the mature believer.......contentment no matter what. This is the result of perception, metabolization of and application of Bible doctrine. This is living in "the zoe-life." For the true purpose of receiving doctrine is to recognize what TLJC means when He said in JOH 14:6: JOH 14:6 "I am the way [entrance], and the truth [doctrine], and the life [zoe]; no one comes to the Father, but through Me. The reason why truth is so important is because of what it produces as mentioned in our passage when the apostle Paul said: PHI 4:11 Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. The Truth leads to the Christian life, or the zoe-life. Zoe means the function of life. In the spiritual life, zoe refers to the super-grace life which is the objective of Bible doctrine resident in the soul. This zoe-life refers to an extraordinary peace that God desires for us to experience even in time. The “zoe life.” This sense of inner peace and contentment may decrease or increase because this new life, the zoe life, a life of complete contentment is given little by little. In the eternal state, this zoe-life will fill you entirely. However, the point is that: As God has a plan for our lives which enables us to recognize death to old sin nature with its selfish desires, as a part of that plan, He also gives us the experience of zoe-life in time. Now, we have been noting the evidence testing of our Lord and how He passed the first test which was to use the Word of God as His divine solution to the temptation of Satan. The humanity of Jesus Christ underwent evidence testing at the beginning of His three-year earthly ministry. The three parts of His evidence testing challenged His relationship to: 1. The Holy Spirit; (MAT 4:1-4. 2. The Word of God; (MAT 4:5-7). 3. The plan of God; (MAT 4:8-10). So, to stay in context, let's review the evidence testing of the humanity of Christ at spiritual maturity. Inside the PPOG, the humanity of Christ advanced through all stages of spiritual growth, reaching maturity at an early age. In LUK 2:40 And the Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. His attainment of SSE, characterized by love for God, and His attainment of spiritual autonomy, characterized by impersonal love for all mankind, are described in LUK 2:52. LUK 2:52 And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom [momentum in the PPOGl and stature, and in favor with God [personal love for God] and men [impersonal love for all mankind]. The background for the evidence testing of Christ's humanity is the declaration of His spiritual maturity. Matthew 4 records the evidence testing of our Lord, which was the first event in His public ministry. He had spent thirty years in preparation for a three-year ministry, and now….. He was at the threshold of executing the plan of the Father which would climax in His death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and session. The context in Matthew describes the shift of Christ's ministry from private to public. The humanity of Christ signified His positive volition to the Father's plan by submitting to baptism by John, the herald of the King, MAT 3:13-15. Although John baptized many people, the baptism of Christ was unique. Immersion in the water symbolized our Lord's obedience to the plan of the Father for His first advent, a plan that no one but the impeccable Lord Jesus Christ could execute. Christ's declaration of His submission to God's will evoked the strongest possible confirmation of our Lord's spiritual maturity. It all began with His water baptism. For in MAT 3:13 we read Then Jesus *arrived from Galilee at the Jordan {coming} to John, to be baptized by him. MAT 3:14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?" MAT 3:15 But Jesus answering said to him, "Permit {it} at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he permitted Him. MAT 3:16 And after being baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, {and} coming upon Him, MAT 3:17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." As true humanity, Christ had utilized the prototype PPOG for His life and fulfilled the pattern of spiritual growth. Now: At the outset of His public ministry, He was immediately taken into the desert, alone, to face evidence testing. MAT 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. A lesson for the believer can be found in the first word of MAT 4:1. "Then" indicates that evidence testing was the first item on the agenda for Christ's public ministry. No believer is qualified for maximum Christian service until he has advanced to spiritual maturity and passed evidence testing. By the way, I did not say that no believer is qualified for Christian service until he has advanced to spiritual maturity and passed evidence testing. I said No believer is qualified for maximum Christian service until he has advanced to spiritual maturity and passed evidence testing. Service for God increases in quality as the believer grows spiritually. Zeal to serve the Lord does not automatically qualify the Christian for service; ROM 10:2. ROM 10:2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. Enthusiasm can exist in the immature as well as in the mature, and in fact religious zeal can characterize even morally degenerate unbelievers. My point being is that another lesson our Lord taught us which is not to be emotional or zealous when being tested. Look at Paul's advice: 1CO 15:34 Become sober minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. Look at Peter's advice 1PE 5:8 Be of sober {spirit,} be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1PE 5:9 But resist him, firm in {your} faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. So,…… This is not to discourage Christian service by any believer at any level of spiritual growth but to anticipate maximum service as a result of maximum preparation. Evidence testing is the final category of suffering for blessing. The Christian life begins with growth, not with service. And……. The quality of Christian service improves as the believer accelerates his spiritual growth through each increment of suffering for blessing. Three persons were involved in the testing of Christ: the humanity of Christ, the Holy Spirit, and Satan. The humanity of Christ was residing inside the PPOG. He was therefore filled with the Holy Spirit, as He had been since His virgin birth. Notice in MAT 4:1, that Jesus was led by the same enabling power of the Spirit that leads the mature believer in the PPOG. MAT 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. By the way……., Why in the world would God turn His only Son over to Satan to be tested if there was no Angelic Conflict? You see, whenever someone studies intently and comes up with principles of doctrine that the average loser pastor doesn't understand, instead of searching it out they have a need to attack! They don't want members of their congregation thinking that someone else knows more than them! So they attack! They discredit! They reject and undermine things they don't understand! Now: The third-party present in this temptation was the defense attorney of the appeal trial, Satan himself. Although the humanity of Christ was led into the desert by the Holy Spirit, the devil would administer the testing. Intense physical duress was part of the circumstances for Christ's evidence testing. In the desert He went without food for forty days. Therefore, we are now ready for MAT 4:2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. The humanity of Christ was hungry every day for all forty days He spent alone in the desert. He was famished and already was suffering sharp, constant physical pain when evidence testing began. The first part of our Lord's evidence testing attacked His relationship with God the Holy Spirit. MAT 4:3 And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." Now, Satan knows the Bible! Satan knows theology. Although he lives to exalt himself and oppose God, Satan knows from observation a great deal of true doctrine. Disarmingly, he approached Jesus with a true point of doctrine only to suggest a false conclusion. Christ is the Son of God. That is accurate information. "Son of God" is our Lord's first royal title as divine royalty; His first royal family is the Trinity. At the time Satan was speaking, Christ held two royal titles. His first royal title, “Son of God” is eternal in nature; He has always been God. His second title, "Son of David," was acquired at the moment of His virgin birth, His entrance into the human dynasty of King David. Now, At thirty years of age, He was embarking on the earthly ministry that would culminate or reach its' climax with the strategic victory over Satan at the cross; COL 2:13-15. COL 2:13 And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, COL 2:14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us {and} which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. COL 2:15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. And…… Three years from the time of His evidence testing, Christ would win His third royal title, which would be awarded to Him upon His ascension and session at the right hand of the Father in heaven. So, Satan took his usual arrogant approach. He is such a brazen liar that he used the true doctrine of Christ's royalty as a weapon against our Lord. This was the very doctrine that most threatened Satan's arrogant plans. In fact, Satan would be strategically and tactically defeated as part of the doctrine of Christ's royalty. So, …….. In a subtle attempt to trip our Lord into defeat, Satan virtually granted Christ the victory in advance. Evidence testing is Satan's cross examination of every witness presented by God in the historical trial of all fallen angels. Inside the PPOG for his life, the humanity of Christ advanced through all stages of spiritual growth, reaching spiritual maturity at an early age. 1. In LUK 2:40, TLJC had reached SSE. 2. In LUK 2:52, TLJC had reached SA. 3. In JOH 1:14, TLJC reached SM. 4. Therefore, in Mathew, He was presented by God in the historical trial of Satan known as the Angelic Conflict. I told you there are a lot of subjects and doctrinal principles that we can find in MAT 4 and our Lord's temptations. And therefore, He was immediately taken into the desert, alone, to face evidence testing. The issue is this: If the humanity of Christ even sins once during this test then He cannot go to the cross and die for the sins of the whole world. Therefore, He will not only be tempted like we are but He will be tempted far beyond anyone of us! Note that it was God the Holy Spirit who is the One who led our Lord to this test! In evidence testing and the angelic conflict, God the Holy Spirit is not the one who puts us to the test, He is the one who leads us to the test, The Holy Spirit will lead us to the test but He will not tempt us. That's why JAM 1:13 says "Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone." The humanity of Christ was hungry every day for all forty days He spent alone in the desert. Now, the first part of our Lord's evidence testing attacked His relationship with God the Holy Spirit. MAT 4:3 And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God [and I know you are], command that these stones become bread." Satan knows the Bible! Satan knows theology. Christ is the Son of God. That is accurate information. So, Satan took his usual arrogant approach. He is such a pompous liar that he used the true doctrine of Christ's royalty as a weapon against our Lord. This was the very doctrine that threatened Satan's arrogant plans. The basis for Satan's first attack was his knowledge that in hypostatic union, the deity of Christ, has the power to accomplish any miracle. Satan knew that the deity of Christ was faithfully sustaining the universe at that very moment, COL 1:17; HEB 1:3. COL 1:17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. HEB 1:3 “He upholds all things by the word of His power.” The act of turning stones into bread would have been a small matter for divine omnipotence. So, This first part of our Lord's evidence testing was an attempt by Satan to persuade Jesus Christ as the God-man to exercise His deity contrary to the Father's plan. Satan tempted the Lord to operate independently of the Holy Spirit, who was the Father's provision in the PPOG for sustaining Christ's humanity during His first advent. To fulfill the mission that He voluntarily accepted from God the Father in eternity past, Christ had to rely on the system of provisions that the Father provided for Him. This means that He did not use His own divine attributes independently to benefit, sustain, or glorify Himself. This is the true Doctrine of Kenosis. All Satan wanted Jesus Christ to do was to use His deity independently of the Father's plan to show that in His humanity our Lord could not depend on the Father's provision. Furthermore, Our Lord was preparing the way for the PPOG and the Church-age believer's dependence on the power of God. Turn stones into bread? Omnipotence could have turned the whole mountain into bread. However, this would have compromised the function of His humanity under the sustaining ministry of the Holy Spirit.

TITLE: The Doctrine of Kenosis; Part 5 The Doctrine of Kenosis. Point 1. The introduction The introduction of the Doctrine is derived from the Greek word kenoo which means to deprive oneself of a proper function, Phi 2:7a. PHI 2:7a "but He deprived Himself of the proper function of deity Point 2. Definition = Kenosis is based on the fact that the union of the deity of Christ to unglorified humanity is a necessary factor in His humiliation. Point 3 is where we let off on Sunday morning. Point 3. The True Humiliation of the Incarnation. This is one of the most powerful points in the doctrine. During the dispensation of the hypostatic union: Jesus Christ did not use the attributes of His divine nature to glorify Himself or to act independently of the plan of God for the entire human race. One compromise of the human nature of Jesus Christ to the spiritual life and there would not be any spiritual life in the Church-age. The objectives of this doctrine union were ALL related to the human nature of Jesus Christ. To resist this temptation, the human nature of Jesus Christ must not call on the divine nature for help. He had to use the three spiritual skills and the four mechanics of the spiritual life to maintain His human perfection and to be qualified to go to the Cross and be judged for the sins of the world. The three spiritual skills all rely on the power of the Word and the power of the Spirit; JOH 4:23-24. This was not only what our Lord used and then gave them to us, but He also became our example to follow by becoming a prototype or a model to follow. Let's look at a passage that illustrates this example that He laid out for us to follow. 1PE 2:13 Submit [honor the authority] yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, 1PE 2:14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. 1PE 2:15 For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. 1PE 2:16 {Act} as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but {use it} as bondslaves of God. GAL 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only {do} not {turn} your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 1PE 2:17 Honor all men; love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. 1PE 2:18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. 1PE 2:19 For this {finds} favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a man bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. 1PE 2:20 For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this {finds} favor with God. And then here's the main verse I told you about; 1PE 2:21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, So, our Lord used these three spiritual skills: 1. The filling of the Holy Spirit and the use of divine power; EPH 5:18. 2. The understanding of Bible doctrine and the use of divine power; EPH 4:23. 3. The execution of the PPOG and therefore, the use of divine power; JOH 4:24. Our Lord used these three spiritual skills during the dispensation when the Doctrine of Kenosis was revealed. He would not use His own power but rather chose rather to live among men with their own limitations but with the availability of divine power to do so. By doing so, He established in His humanity a spiritual life which is precedent for the Church-age. Christ voluntarily restricted the independent use of His divine attributes, but certain functions of deity continued to function, such as holding the universe together. Jesus Christ gave up the independent exercise of His divine attributes only during the dispensation of the Hypostatic Union. He did not give up His divine attributes--that is a heresy. Under kenosis, our Lord veiled the preincarnate glory of His deity by giving up the outward appearance of God and voluntarily taking on Himself the form of man; PHI 2:6-8. PHI 2:6 who, although He existed in the exact form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, PHI 2:7 But instead, He denied Himself of the proper function of His deity by taking the form of a bond servant, {and} being made in the likeness of men. PHI 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. This means that the glory of Christ was veiled, but never surrendered. In fact: This glory was temporarily revealed on the Mount of Transfiguration, and at Gethsemane there was just a flash of that glory. MAT 17:1 And six days later Jesus *took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and *brought them up to a high mountain by themselves. MAT 17:2 And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. MAT 17:3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. MAT 17:4 And Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah." MAT 17:5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him!" Even though the humanity of Christ in the hypostatic union was perfect and impeccable, nevertheless, the deity of Christ was united with unglorified humanity. Our Lord Jesus Christ chose not to surrender any of His attributes of His deity - called “The Doctrine of the Humility of Christ.” The union of Christ to unglorified humanity is a necessary factor of humiliation. While the deity of Christ was united to a perfect true humanity, He was still subject to temptation, distress, weakness, pain, sorrow, limitation, and to more temptations than we will ever face, Heb 4:15. HEB 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as {we are, yet} without sin. And therein lies the truth of the humiliation of the First Advent. He solved these problems from the spiritual life of His humanity by the use of the problem-solving devices. The glorification of the humanity of Christ was not completed until He was resurrected, ascended, and was seated at the right hand of the Father. In the hypostatic union, the divine and human natures are united without transfer of attributes. No divine attributes were transferred to His humanity and no attributes of humanity were transferred to His deity. The attributes of deity cannot bleed over into humanity and the attributes of humanity cannot bleed over into deity. To rob God of a single attribute of His deity would pervert His divine nature. Moses perverted the divine nature when he struck the rock twice when God just said to speak it once; NUM 20:11-13. NUM 20:11 Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank. NUM 20:12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them." NUM 20:13 Those were the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with the Lord, and He proved Himself holy among them. Moses was usurping God's place. He said to the people, "Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?" Why was God so upset with Moses for striking the rock? What happened when Moses smote the rock twice? At once, water gushed from the rock, and the people and their livestock had water to drink. Moses lifted up his hand, and smote the rock with his rod twice: and water came forth abundantly and provided the congregation and their cattle all the water they needed. Why did God gush out the water for the people when Moses disobeyed Him and struck the rock twice? I personally believe that He did that openly so that the people would recognize that: Moses was their leader so God honored His Word in front of the people, but He will deal with him privately, behind closed doors, as it were, because it is a family affair. And if you are involved in legalism, you may not like this but learn the lesson now which is: Do not touch God's anointed. As David said in 1SA 26:9 "Do not destroy him, for who can stretch out his hand against the Lord's anointed and be without guilt?" What does the Bible say about Touch Not my anointed ones? PSA 105:15 "Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm." The point is: To rob the humanity of Christ of a single attribute of humanity would destroy His humanity in the hypostatic union. Point 4. The Manifestation of Kenosis in our Lord's Evidence Testing. The true doctrine of Kenosis is illustrated by the humanity of Christ in facing evidence testing. Evidence testing is the highest form of suffering that a believer could ever go through as the final stage of Christian suffering for blessing. The mature believer's utilization of divine assets to pass evidence testing totally demolishes the devil's case. Satan's first argument: a. Satan argues that men, just like angels, will not be able to handle suffering, especially if they consider the suffering is unjust. Satan's second argument is that: b. The only reason anyone remains faithful to God is because God blesses him not because He loves God. Satan's third argument: c. No one will remain faithful to God if offered sufficient or enough wealth and power. In other words, everyone has his price. This is the evidence test Satan leveled against the humanity of Christ during the Incarnation, MAT 4:1-11. And these are the two different types of evidence testing that the believer may face. The type depends upon what Satan chooses to bring upon For Satan is the cross examiner of the Angelic Conflict and as such has the right to interrogate the witness. The courtroom is planet Earth. God entered His evidence by creating man just as the angels were created: perfect with the potential to love and worship God through right decisions. By creating man basically, we are talking about the two Adam's. 1CO 15:21 For since by a man {came} death, by a man also {came} the resurrection of the dead. 1CO 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. Look at 1CO 15:45 So also it is written, "The first man, Adam [in the garden], became a living soul." The last Adam {became} a life giving spirit. 1CO 15:46 However, the spiritual [TLJC] is not first, but the natural [Adam]; then the spiritual [TLJC]. 1CO 15:47 The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. 1CO 15:48 As is the earthy [Adam], so also are those who are earthy [us]; and as is the heavenly [TLJC], so also are those who are heavenly. 1CO 15:49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Human history provides the same circumstances and options which belonged to angelic history before man's creation. Satan had been created with a perfect nature, our Lord was born without sin—virgin birth. The angels have free will; our Lord and man has free will. Adam freely and deliberately chose to follow the pattern of arrogance which characterized Satan's original revolution. The fall of Adam duplicates the fall of Satan. The rebellion of Satan in the Garden of God resulted in the fall of angelic creatures, Rev 12:4a And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven, and threw them to the earth. The dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth so that when she gave birth, he might devour her child. The disobedience of Adam in the Garden of Eden resulted in the fall of mankind, Rom 5:12a. In fact, this passage tells us what happened because our Lord was willing to live under the Doctrine of Kenosis and deny Himself of the proper function of His deity. Look at ROM 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ROM 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath {of God} through Him. ROM 5:10 For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. In ROM 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned ROM 5:13 for until the Law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law. In other words, Before the Lord gave the Mosaic Law, even though there were no commandments from God to man, man still died in sin without the Law prohibiting us from doing so. ROM 5:14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. Skip down to ROM 5:17 For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. ROM 5:18 So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. ROM 5:19 For as through the one man's disobedience the many [hoi polloi – the entire human race] were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One [TLJC] the many will be made righteous. Let's look at the passage again that reveals all of this by example and experience. MAT 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. MAT 4:2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. MAT 4:3 And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." MAT 4:4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'" MAT 4:5 Then the devil *took Him into the holy city; and he had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, MAT 4:6 and *said to Him, "If You are the Son of God throw Yourself down; for it is written, #'He will give His angels charge concerning You'; and ' On {their} hands they will bear You up, Lest You strike Your foot against a stone.'" MAT 4:7 Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" MAT 4:8 Again, the devil *took Him to a very high mountain, and *showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory; MAT 4:9 and he said to Him, "All these things will I give You, if You fall down and worship me." MAT 4:10 Then Jesus *said to him, "Begone, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.'" MAT 4:11 Then the devil *left Him; and behold, angels came and {began} to minister to Him. In all three tests, He utilized the power of the Word provided by the omnipotence of the Father and the power of the Spirit provided in the PPOG for His life. Matthew chapter four is probably one of the most important passages in the Word of God from the standpoint of Christology. The first ten verses are crucial to understanding not only the gospel but the ministry of Jesus Christ in the first advent. We noted last time the baptism of Jesus and the fact that Christ dedicated Himself through the baptism to go to the cross; MAT 3:13-17. MAT 3:13 Then Jesus *arrived from Galilee at the Jordan {coming} to John, to be baptized by him. MAT 3:14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?" MAT 3:15 But Jesus answering said to him, "Permit {it} at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he permitted Him. MAT 3:16 And after being baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, {and} coming upon Him, MAT 3:17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." This led to the account which we have in chapter four. Whenever you make any kind of a decision which is going to glorify God or is honoring to God, immediately that decision is tested; JAM 1:13. Jesus Christ expressed His positive volition to fulfill the Father's plan through submission to baptism, the water represented the plan of God for His life, and would go to the cross. In saying that, immediately this fact was challenged by Satan himself. Jesus Christ is willing to do the Father's will and Satan is now going to seek to hinder the Father's will, namely the cross. Jesus Christ did not have an old sin nature and in this way, He was exactly like the first Adam; 1CO 15:45-49. The first Adam came into the world without an old sin nature; Jesus Christ came into the world without an old sin nature through the virgin birth. It was the virgin birth that separated Jesus Christ from all members of the human race, before or since. Therefore, all of these principles mean that: In the history of the human race only one person is virgin-born and only one person therefore is without an old sin nature, without the imputation of Adam's sin. So, Jesus Christ, the last Adam, and the first Adam started out in exactly the same way and were tempted under the same concept. They were truly tempted, the temptation was bona fide, but it did not come from the old sin nature. Both the first and the last Adam's were tempted by Satan himself, using every wile and everything in his great genius to cause them to act independently of God. With the first Adam Satan was successful, with the last Adam Satan was totally unsuccessful — one sinned, one did not; ROM 5:12. Christ was temptable, and therefore, it was possible for His humanity to be tempted, but at no point did He personally succumb to any temptation. This was posse non peccare = posse (able) non (not) peccare (to sin). (HEB 4:15). HEB 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as {we are, yet} without sin. non posse peccare = non (not) posse (able) peccare (to sin) = because He is God and His ways are perfect and just; DEU 32:4. According to HEB 4:15, it should also be remembered that Jesus Christ was not only tempted but in His humanity He was tempted far beyond anything that anyone in the human race has ever known. The temptations of Christ were very real and much more difficult than anything we have faced. In fact, some temptations were put in His way which we will never face. From that particular point we not only have a unique person but we have a person who faced some temptations that are unique. And The three temptations of Matthew four are temptations which no one else in the human race has faced in the same manner that Jesus Christ did. Now, let's look at the passage in a very detailed serious way because of its importance so I want to look at every verse no matter how long it takes, For I thought that I had the Doctrine of Kenosis finished by Friday, but our Lord interrupted what I had prepared and said; “Not yet Bob”! It reminds me of a passage that I believe Paul wrote and closed the book of Romans until God said in effect; “Not yet Paul, there's more to come.” You know the passage I'm talking about because we have noted it many times before. ROM 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! ROM 11:34 For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? ROM 11:35 Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? ROM 11:36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him {be} the glory forever. Amen. What a perfect place to close the book of Romans, but there were 5 more chapters to come. ROM 12 = Body of Christ ROM 13 = Law of Establishment. ROM 14 = Royal Family Honor Code ROM 15 = RFHC commands to all believers ROM 16 = Salutation and warnings. So, in back in MAT 4:1. MAT 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. “To be tempted” is an aorist passive participle, the aorist tense refers to every point of time when Jesus was tempted during the forty days. The tests will last for forty days and during that time Jesus was constantly tempted by the devil. Only three of the temptations are going to be extracted and recorded because they are unique. The person is unique and the temptations are unique. Comparing scripture with scripture which is what a pastor is commanded to do, MAR 1:13 adds some more information about this temptation by the devil; MAR 1:13 And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him. This is something Matthew did not say. In Fact, Luke 4:2 tell us that He was tempted many many times apart from the three we will study. LUK 4:2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those (40) days; and when they had ended, He became hungry. For forty days He fasted and did not eat. He chose to do that! The passive voice of the verb to tempt means that the humanity of Christ received the pressure and it came directly from Satan and was quite concentrated. The infinitive indicates that it was Satan's purpose to hinder Jesus Christ from going to the cross. The principle of verse one: After victory (Jesus grew up in wisdom and reached spiritual maturity) Jesus comes to the place of testing and by application the believer is always tested after a great victory, after any kind of a great decision. The believer is always most vulnerable to a defeat immediately after a great victory. Verse 2 — the background of the temptation: MAT 4:2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. Now, things are not always what they appear to be and the fact that Jesus Christ is exceedingly hungry is not simply dieting. Dieting is not fasting. Fasting means to spend the time that ordinarily would be used for normal functions in life in contemplating doctrine and prayer. In other words, the Bible study and prayer is the true concept of fasting. So, The humanity of Christ spent this time ordinarily devoted to eating and normal surviving living in prayer and meditating on the Word. This is an aorist participle and the action of the aorist participle precedes the action of the main verb — “he was hungry” First of all, he had periods of prayer and Bible study, minus food — with three factors found in fasting.

TITLE: The Celebrityship of the Lord Jesus Christ and The Doctrine of Kenosis; Part 4. One of the most important passages on the Doctrine of Kenosis is found in MAT 4, so let's read the passage first. MAT 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. MAT 4:2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. MAT 4:3 And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." MAT 4:4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'" MAT 4:5 Then the devil *took Him into the holy city; and he had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, MAT 4:6 and *said to Him, "If You are the Son of God throw Yourself down; for it is written, #'He will give His angels charge concerning You'; and ' On {their} hands they will bear You up, Lest You strike Your foot against a stone.'" MAT 4:7 Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" MAT 4:8 Again, the devil *took Him to a very high mountain, and *showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory; MAT 4:9 and he said to Him, "All these things will I give You, if You fall down and worship me." MAT 4:10 Then Jesus *said to him, "Begone, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.'" MAT 4:11 Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and {began} to minister to Him. We have been noting how our Lord did not think that His deity was a treasure or a prize to be retained. The treasure is Christ's deity which reveals His equality with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. There is nothing greater or more valuable than the essence of deity. Yet He did not consider His deity more important than our souls. I want to review those seven principles that Sam (male or female name) gave you concerning this subject last Sunday morning. So, we begin this morning with those seven principles. 1. Being God and living in Heaven, Christ did not have the arrogant attitude of Satan. Our Lord was willing to move out of heaven and become true humanity. 2CO 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. This all began at His birth when He came into the world as a child and He had nowhere to stay; LUK 2:7. LUK 2:7 And she gave birth to her first born son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. We are also told what He appeared like in ISA 53:2. ISA 53:2 He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. Matthew tells us where our Lord lived. Look at MAT 8:20 Jesus said, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." So again: 1. Being God and living in Heaven, Christ did not have the arrogant attitude of Satan. He was willing to move out of heaven and became true humanity. This means that: 2. His deity was not a gain to be seized and held in such a way as to hinder the plan of God the Father. There is no plan of grace without the incarnation. There is no salvation without the incarnation. There is no eternal life for us, no hope, without the incarnation. And…. The plan of God for the incarnation was that Jesus Christ did not think that He had to hang on to His deity and ever say “no” to the plan of God the Father back in eternity past. He said “yes” to becoming true humanity in eternity past even before the creation of the angels. For in JOB 38:4 notice what our Lord said to Job, "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding, JOB 38:5 Who set its measurements, since you know? Or who stretched the line on it? JOB 38:6 "On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone, Then notice who was there then and what they saw JOB 38:7 When the morning stars [another reference to angels] sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? This is why Jesus Christ is called the lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world, REV 13:8. REV 13:8 And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. In fact, it was God who planned for our Lord to suffer on the cross. How do we know that? ACT 2:22 "Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know ACT 2:23 this {Man}, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put {Him} to death. Go forward to ACT 4. ACT 4:27 "For truly in this city there were gathered together against Thy holy servant Jesus, whom Thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, ACT 4:28 to do whatever Thy hand and Thy purpose predestined to occur. All these passages illustrate why our Lord did not use His deity as a gain to be seized and held in such a way as to hinder the plan of God the Father. Therefore, the third principle: 3. Our Lord chose to become true humanity when the Word became flesh. JOH 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. JOH 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. 4. Our Lord Jesus Christ was positive toward the plan of God the Father even though it involved the humiliation of being made lower than angels. For deity to become an angel is a step down from the reality of who our Lord is. HEB 2:7 "Thou hast made him for a little while lower than the angels; Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor, And hast appointed him over the works of Thy hands; 5. Even though it involved the humiliation of death on the cross, the mental attitude of Christ in submission to the Father's plan must become the mental attitude of the mature believer. Let this mind me in you which was also in Christ Jesus. For in……1CO 2:16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ. This is the importance of what the believer does in his mind or mental attitude. For in MAT 16:23, Satan is rebuked because he does not set his mind on God's interests, but man's." In MAT 22:37, the mind is the first place where we love our Lord. In LUK 24:45, the mind is the first place the believer hears the word of God. In ROM 1:28, the mind is the first place where depravity enters into. The mind is the first place where you are transformed; ROM 12:2. ROM 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, The mind is the place where the believer gets hardened; 2CO 3:14. 2CO 3:14 But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. The mind is the place of unbelief; 2CO 4:3-4. 2CO 4:3-4 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, It is also the place where Satan deceives the believer and the unbeliever. The mind is the place where vanity of life begins; EPH 4:17 This I say therefore, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility [vainity] of their mind, The mind is the first place where vanity develops. The mind is the first place where the believer is also renewed; EPH 4:23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, The mind is the place of unity; PHI 2:2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, Ultimately: COL 3:2 is a command when it says: COL 3:2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. The reason why it says to set your “mind” on things above and not your heart is that God cannot violate our free will and commands us to believe what is being said. 6. The mature believer must not regard rest and relaxation as a gain to be seized and held on to, but he must be willing to go back to the fight he has been called to. Then we will be able to say with the apostle Paul: 2TI 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; Again, you have heard this principle over and over again throughout our studies. Jesus Christ was so occupied with us in eternity past that He did not consider His equality with the other members of the Trinity a treasure to be retained. Your soul was so valuable that He did not consider His deity a treasure to be retained. And….. He can't change His deity, so something had to be added to it which was humiliation known to our Lord as becoming true humanity. Jesus Christ was so occupied with you that He didn't think His equality with the Father and the Spirit more important than your soul. And If you are going to have the same mental attitude that Christ had you must come to a point where you're occupied with Him. Billions of years ago He was occupied with you. Now it's your turn to be occupied with Him. Over and over again, throughout our study on the Celebrityship of our Lord Jesus Christ we need to note the fact that: He refused to function in His deity and chose to rely on His true humanity so He could die as a substitute in place of us. 1PE 3:18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, {the} just for {the} unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; All of these principles now will lead us back to our study on the Doctrine of Kenosis. And the main reason why I decided to go back to PHI 2:3-11, was simply to increase out love for our Lord Jesus Christ. This should make our study on the Doctrine of Kenosis a lot more meaningful. So, back to our doctrine and I have switched some things around for those of you who may notice. Turn to 1JO 3. The Doctrine of Kenosis. Point 1. The introduction The introduction of the Doctrine is derived from the Greek word kenoo which means to deprive oneself of a proper function, Phi 2:7a. PHI 2:7a "but He deprived Himself of the proper function of deity Point 2. Definition = Kenosis is based on the fact that the union of the deity of Christ to unglorified humanity is a necessary factor in His humiliation. This is why He taught us that in: JOH 15:20 "A slave is not greater than his master." Or in….. JOH 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." He says this should be the attitude we all should have as the apostle John says in 1JO 3:11-20. 1JO 3:11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; 1JO 3:12 not as Cain, {who} was of the evil one, and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother's were righteous. 1JO 3:13 Do not marvel, brethren, if the world hates you. 1JO 3:14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. 1JO 3:15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 1JO 3:16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 1JO 3:17 But whoever has the world's goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? 1JO 3:18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. 1JO 3:19 We shall know by this that we are of the truth, and shall assure our heart before Him, 1JO 3:20 in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 1JO 3:21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 1JO 3:22 and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. 1JO 3:23 And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. So, still under Point 2, our definition: The plan for the incarnation not only called for the judgment of our sins, but simultaneously it also called for the strategic victory of the angelic conflict. The Lord Jesus Christ voluntarily took on Himself true humanity in order to redeem mankind from sin, in order to propitiate God, the Father and to reconcile mankind to God. Propitiate means to satisfy, and our Lord satisfied the demands of God the Father for the judgment of the sins of the whole world. Therefore, during the incarnation, Jesus Christ did not even once exercise the independent use of His own divine attributes to provide for Himself or to glorify Himself. Point 3. The True Humiliation of the Incarnation. This is one of the most powerful points in the doctrine. During the dispensation of the hypostatic union: Our Lord Jesus Christ voluntarily restricted the independent use of His divine attributes in compliance with the Father's plan for the incarnation, the birth of Christ. This means that: Jesus Christ did not use the attributes of His divine nature to glorify Himself or to act independently of the plan of God for the entire human race. All have been selected but not all have been elected. One compromise of the human nature of Jesus Christ to the spiritual life and there would not be any spiritual life in the Church-age. The objectives of the dispensation of the hypostatic union were related to the human nature of Jesus Christ. To resist this temptation, the human nature of Jesus Christ must not call on the divine nature for help. He had to use the three spiritual skills and the four mechanics of the spiritual life to maintain His human perfection and to be qualified to go to the Cross and be judged for the sins of the world. The three spiritual skills are: 1. The filling of the Holy Spirit and the use of divine power. 2. The understanding of Bible doctrine and the use of divine power. 3. The execution of the PPOG and therefore, the use of divine power. Our Lord used these three spiritual skills during the dispensation of the hypostatic union, Our Lord Jesus Christ voluntarily restricted the independent use of His divine attributes and chose rather to live among men with their limitations. By so doing, He established in His humanity a spiritual life which is precedent for the Church-age. Christ voluntarily restricted the independent use of His divine attributes, but certain functions of deity continued to function, such as holding the universe together. Jesus Christ gave up the independent exercise of His divine attributes only during the dispensation of the hypostatic union. He did not give up His divine attributes--that is a heresy. During the dispensation of the hypostatic union: Our Lord veiled the preincarnate glory of His deity by giving up the outward appearance of God and voluntarily taking on Himself the form of man. This means that the glory of Christ was veiled, but never surrendered. In fact: This glory was temporarily revealed on the Mount of Transfiguration, and at Gethsemane there was just a flash of that glory. MAT 17:1 And six days later Jesus *took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and *brought them up to a high mountain by themselves. MAT 17:2 And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. MAT 17:3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. MAT 17:4 And Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah." MAT 17:5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him!" Even though the humanity of Christ in the hypostatic union was perfect and impeccable, nevertheless, the deity of Christ was united with unglorified humanity. Our Lord Jesus Christ chose not to surrender any of His attributes of His deity - called The doctrine of the Humility of Christ. The union of Christ to unglorified humanity is a necessary factor of humiliation. While the deity of Christ was united to a perfect true humanity, He was still subject to temptation, distress, weakness, pain, sorrow, limitation, and to more temptations than we will ever face, Heb 4:15. HEB 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as {we are, yet} without sin. And therein lies the truth of the humiliation of the First Advent. He solved these problems from the spiritual life of His humanity by the use of the problem-solving devices. The glorification of the humanity of Christ was not completed until He was resurrected, ascended, and was seated at the right hand of the Father. In the hypostatic union, the divine and human natures are united without transfer of attributes. No divine attributes were transferred to His humanity and no attributes of humanity were transferred to His deity. The attributes of deity cannot bleed over into humanity and the attributes of humanity cannot bleed over into deity. To rob God of a single attribute of His deity would pervert His divine nature. Moses perverted the divine nature when he struck the rock twice when God just said to speak it once; NUM 20:11-13. NUM 20:11 Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank. NUM 20:12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them." NUM 20:13 Those were the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with the Lord, and He proved Himself holy among them. Moses was usurping God's place. He said to the people, "Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?" Why was God so upset with Moses for striking the rock? What happened when Moses smote the rock twice? At once, water gushed from the rock, and the people and their livestock had water to drink. Moses lifted up his hand, and smote the rock with his rod twice: and water came forth abundantly and provided the congregation and their cattle all the water they needed. Why did God gush out the water for the people when Moses disobeyed Him and struck the rock twice? I personally believe that He did that openly so that the people would recognize that: Moses was their leader so God honored His Word in front of the people, but He will deal with him privately, behind closed doors, as it were, because it is a family affair. And if you are involved in legalism, you may not like this but learn the lesson now which is: Do not touch God's anointed. As David said in 1SA 26:9 "Do not destroy him, for who can stretch out his hand against the Lord's anointed and be without guilt?" What does the Bible say about Touch Not my anointed ones? PSA 105:15 "Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm." The point is: To rob the humanity of Christ of a single attribute of humanity would destroy His humanity in the hypostatic union. Point 4. The Manifestation of Kenosis in our Lord's Evidence Testing. The true doctrine of Kenosis is illustrated by the humanity of Christ in facing evidence testing. Evidence testing is the highest form of suffering that a believer could ever go through as the final stage of Christian suffering for blessing. The mature believer's utilization of divine assets to pass evidence testing totally demolishes the devil's case. First:, a. Satan argues that men, just like angels, will not be able to handle suffering, especially if they consider the suffering is unjust. Satan's second argument is that: b. The only reason anyone remains faithful to God is because God blesses him not because He loves God. This was the argument in the book of Job. c. Satan's second principal argument is that no one will remain faithful to God if offered sufficient or enough wealth and power. In other words, everyone has his price. This is the evidence test Satan leveled against the humanity of Christ during the Incarnation, Mat 4:1-11. And these are the two different types of evidence testing that the believer may face. The type depends upon what Satan chooses to bring upon a believer. For Satan is the cross examiner of the Angelic Conflict and as such has the right to interrogate the witness. The courtroom is planet Earth. God entered His evidence by creating man just as the angels were created: perfect with the potential to love and worship God through right decisions. By creating man basically, we are talking about the two Adam's. 1CO 15:21 For since by a man {came} death, by a man also {came} the resurrection of the dead. 1CO 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. Look at 1CO 15:45 So also it is written, "The first man, Adam [in the garden], became a living soul." The last Adam {became} a life giving spirit. 1CO 15:46 However, the spiritual [TLJC] is not first, but the natural [Adam]; then the spiritual [TLJC]. 1CO 15:47 The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. 1CO 15:48 As is the earthy [Adam], so also are those who are earthy [us]; and as is the heavenly [TLJC], so also are those who are heavenly. 1CO 15:49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Human history provides the same circumstances and options which belonged to angelic history before man's creation. Satan had been created with a perfect nature, our Lord was born without sin—virgin birth. The angels have free will; our Lord and man has free will. Adam freely and deliberately chose to follow the pattern of arrogance which characterized Satan's original revolution. The fall of Adam duplicates the fall of Satan. The rebellion of Satan in the Garden of God resulted in the fall of angelic creatures, Rev 12:4a And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven, and threw them to the earth. The dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth so that when she gave birth, he might devour her child. The disobedience of Adam in the Garden of Eden resulted in the fall of mankind, Rom 5:12a. In fact, this passage tells us what happened because our Lord was willing to live under the Doctrine of Kenosis and deny Himself of the proper function of His deity. Look at ROM 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ROM 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath {of God} through Him. ROM 5:10 For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. In ROM 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned ROM 5:13 for until the Law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law. In other words, before the Lord gave the Mosaic Law, even though there were no commandments from God to man, man still died in sin without the Law prohibiting us from doing so. ROM 5:14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. Skip down to ROM 5:17 For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. ROM 5:18 So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. ROM 5:19 For as through the one man's disobedience the many [hoi polloi – the entire human race] were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One [TLJC] the many will be made righteous. Let's begin with the passage again. MAT 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. MAT 4:2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. MAT 4:3 And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." MAT 4:4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'" MAT 4:5 Then the devil *took Him into the holy city; and he had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, MAT 4:6 and *said to Him, "If You are the Son of God throw Yourself down; for it is written, #'He will give His angels charge concerning You'; and ' On {their} hands they will bear You up, Lest You strike Your foot against a stone.'" MAT 4:7 Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" MAT 4:8 Again, the devil *took Him to a very high mountain, and *showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory; MAT 4:9 and he said to Him, "All these things will I give You, if You fall down and worship me." MAT 4:10 Then Jesus *said to him, "Begone, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.'" MAT 4:11 Then the devil *left Him; and behold, angels came and {began} to minister to Him. In all three tests, He utilized the power of the Word provided by the omnipotence of the Father and the power of the Spirit provided in the PPOG for His life. The first test illustrates the principle. In the first test, MAT 4:3-4, Jesus had gone forty days without food and was extremely hungry. MAT 4:3 And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." MAT 4:4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'" The humanity of Christ was tempted in relationship to the delegated power of omnipotence of the Holy Spirit. Our Lord used doctrine learned in the PPOG to solve the problems that He had. He did not use His omnipotence to turn the stones into bread. In His state of extreme hunger, Satan said to Him, MAT 4:3 "If you are the Son of God [and you are], command these stones to be turned into bread." Jesus Christ as God is infinite, eternal, immutable omnipotence and the Creator of the universe, which Satan recognized. And when Satan said “Since you are the Son of God, turn these stones into bread,” Satan should be more careful because our Lord had the power to turn the entire universe into bread. In fact, our Lord could turn Satan into a “Pillsbury doughboy.” Or into a “devil dog.” ButUnder the doctrine of kenosis, He did not use His omnipotence independently of the Father's will. He refused to function independently of the Father's plan. He refused to rely upon His own omnipotence at any time during the incarnation. The false doctrine says He surrendered His omnipotence; Not at all. He had it all the time; He simply did not use it. He used only the omnipotence of the Father and the Holy Spirit. Our Lord continued to be hungry, and met Satan's temptation with the quotation from DEU 8:3 "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." By this, our Lord established the fact that Bible doctrine had #1 priority in His life, and He used the power of Bible doctrine. The temptation of Satan was designed to lure the humanity of Christ away from reliance upon the OP of the Father for His logistical grace, and upon the OP of the Holy Spirit inside the PPOG. Under the doctrine of Kenosis: Had our Lord used His own omnipotence to turn the stones into food, He would have operated independently of the Father's plan. His humanity would have received food, but He would never go to the cross. Instead, our Lord used Bible doctrine to meet the test, the doctrine He had learned inside the PPOG. For according to LUK 2:40 And the Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. LUK 2:52, our Lord grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man." That is a reference to His humanity inside the PPOG for His life. Notice: He had to grow in wisdom even though He has omniscience and all-knowledge. Why? Because our Lord's humanity depended upon two categories of divine omnipotence, which had never before been available on such a grand scale: The omnipotence of the Father in logistical grace support, and the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit only inside the PPOG. This is why our Lord did not use His own omnipotence to turn stones into bread, but instead used Bible doctrine metabolized under the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The doctrine of Kenosis it is important to note that the two natures of Christ maintain their complete identity through being joined in personal union forever. The characteristics of His human nature belong to the human part of Him, the characteristics of His divine nature belong to the God-part of Him. Each nature has its own attributes that adhere to that nature. In other words, there is no mixture of the two natures. He is never half-God and half-man or half man and half-God. Sometimes He operates from His human nature only. Sometimes He operates from His divine nature only. And sometimes He operates from both natures together but not mixed. For example, in His humanity He became hungry, Mat 4:2, but in His deity He satisfies the hunger of man, Joh 6:35. In His humanity, He became thirsty, JOH 19:28, but in His deity He is the water of life, Rev 22:17. In His humanity, He would say such things as JOH 14:28 "For the Father is greater than I." And then in His deity He would say JOH 10:30 "I and the Father are one." JOH 5:22 "For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, JOH 5:23 in order that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. JOH 5:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. Then…… Sometimes He operates from both natures together but not mixed when He says such things like JOH 14:6 "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me." This is reason why there are so many cults out who deny the deity of Christ because they don't understand this doctrine, or the doctrine of the hypostatic Union, Trinity, and the deity of TLJC. The point is that the human nature in Christ always remains the human nature and the divine nature always remains the divine nature. This is why we can refer to Him as the God-man. In His deity He has omniscience, Joh 2:25, but His limitation of knowledge is concluded from the fact that Christ could be amazed, Mat 8:10. In His deity He could not be tempted, Jam 1:13, in His humanity He could be really tempted, Heb 4:15. In His deity He is the giver of faith, In His humanity He possessed faith, Heb 12:2. He has all knowledge yet He is said to have learned in Luk 2:52; Heb 5:8. In Mar 13:32 with Mat 24:36, Christ states categorically that He is ignorant of the exact time of the Second Coming but as God He knows. Point 5. The False Doctrine of Kenosis. The traditional view says that the relative divine attributes of Christ were surrendered or emptied during the First Advent. The gnostic view denies that Christ had a real body or that His body was made of some heavenly substance instead of human flesh. The Lutheran view denies that the incarnation involved any humiliation. All of them are absolutely unequivocally wrong! When it comes to the doctrine of Kenosis, there are many well-known theologians who do not rightly divide the Word of God. There are many pastors that don't even know the doctrine but refuse what they do not know or what they do not understand. Point 6. Objections to the False Doctrines of Kenosis.

(3/20/22) Reproof: Exposure of sin for comparison. Holy Spirit exposes sin. John 16:8-11 Satan is already been judged, Satan appeals the verdict and we show up. (continuing Angelic Conflict). The Lord Himself will expose us to ourselves. Hebrews 12:5 (Bronze Laver in the Tabernacle) with reference to washing hands if necessary. (confession of sin) The Lord exposes error because of His Love. Revelation 3:19 The Gospel is to be exposed. Titus 2:11-15

The Angelic Conflict - Part 49 - Point 14. - The Angelic Conflict In Human History Answers Basic Questions About Life - Why the creation of man? Mankind was created to resolve the prehistoric angelic conflict. “to pay much closer attention” = pres-act-inf - prosechein = to apply the mind to something, to concentrate on the doctrine being taught. Grace always precedes judgment! “lest we drift away” = aor-act-subj - pararrhuomen = to let the doctrine drift past you or flow by you. a. Refusing to hear the teaching of the Word of God on a consistent basis. b. Hearing the teaching of Bible doctrine but refusing to metabolize it; the failure to convert gnosis into epignosis. c. Metabolizing doctrine so it exists in the soul but not applying what you've learned = doctrine becomes unusable or forgotten. Angels were used by God to bring doctrine to men, Act 7:38,53. Man is now being used by God to bring doctrine to men and angels! Eph 3:10 in order that the multi-faceted wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. “every transgression” = parabasis = every form of stepping over the line, violating God's perfect laws. “disobedience” = parakoe = disobedience that results from neglecting to hear doctrine and letting these fantastic things drift by, Heb 2:1. Isa 28:12 He who said to them, “Here is rest, give rest to the weary,” And, “Here is repose,” but they would not listen. Isa 30:9 For this is a rebellious people, false sons, Sons who refuse to listen To the instruction of the Lord; “The nature of the sin of Adam was a careless indifferent attitude towards the commands of God.” - Kenneth Wuest Rom 5:19 “For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one the many will be made righteous.” Parakoe = literally “to hear alongside,” failing to concentrate when hearing or hearing amiss! Amo 8:11 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord God, “when I will send a famine on the land, not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, but rather for hearing the words of the Lord.” Amo 8:12 “And people will stagger from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east; they will go to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.” The just recompense is for the angels, Mat 25:41. neglect = aor-act-part - amelesantes = to be careless toward something or to make light of, to disregard. Robert R. McLaughlin Bible Ministries All Rights Reserved Robert R. McLaughlin 2001

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Recap – Coach Lombardi – [^] Coach Belichick Prodigal Son verbal summary So as far as we have gone in this parable you now have a good background as to the plan English and the isagogics. Let's look at the spiritual meaning of this part of the Prodigal son. [^] Luke 15:11 ¶ And He [Jesus] said, "A certain man [God the Father] had two sons [both believers]; I want to skip some detailed background as to the circumstances of where and why Jesus told this parable. My goal is to keep this relatively simple for now (even if it is not short). Just know there is allot of background as to why Jesus told this parable. But for now, it is not important. What I do want to mention, something that many in ‘Christianity' do not understand and what I want to make clear is that we are all undeserving of receiving anything from God. You are a well taught congregation, but it is worth repeating. God can't have anything to do with sin or sinner (you know this as what the bible calls unrighteousness). Therefore God can't have a relationship with sinful mankind. But He wants to (ponder than – He wants to …) and so His Love Motivated Him to find a solution (Think and Act) and that solution was Salvation followed by the sp life – the CWLiving. We are learning God's solutions that enable us to live in this world and have a relationship with God, and in using His solutions and following His instructions, we can navigate this corrupt world we live in and first demonstrate to ourselves how we can be happy, content and relaxed (by using God's solutions) and then by living the CWLiving we show others (a witness). God found a way to provide for us and all we have to do is Learn, Think, Motive and Act – or in short obey, but obey because we want to, not because we have to (that is part of motivation). Along with being unworthy, because we are sinners and will sin in the future, this means our human nature is evil. We are not basically good; we are evil and strive to be good. That is hard to swallow and most human thinking says we are basically good but do bad things. No. God says we do not have a righteousness equal to His and therefore are unrighteous. Again this is a hard to accept since we are brought up to think of ourselves as basically good (Satan's lie). But the fact is when we compare ourselves to God, we are totally unrighteous and evil. Now be careful, do not take this to the extreme. God created us and we are valuable to Him, we just have a nature that is unrighteous compared to His. And as I said He cannot have anything to do with unrighteousness or sin. So He had to do something about it. And did. There are many people who have good traits and follow morale principles (which are given by God for all people - DE) but the bible is clear we are basically bad people and we have to strive to be good. Which is just the opposite of what humanity (i.e. Satan) says and peddles, which is false and anti-God. If God says we are naturally evil and humanists say we are basically good, then they are saying God is wrong, God is a lair and are against God. Therefore they are on the wrong side and they are siding with Satan. That might be rough to hear but it is factual and God says this directly. [^] Psalm 14:1 (For the choir director. A Psalm of David.) The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good. Psalm 14:2 The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, To see if there are any who understand, Who seek after God. Psalm 14:3 They have all turned aside; together they have become [morally] corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one. [^] Rom 3:10 As it is written [in Ecclesiastes 7:20], "There is none righteous, not even one; Rom 3:11 There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; [God sought us] Rom 3:12 All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one." So where am I going with this? Simply, we are all unworthy, and so for the prodigal son to say he is unworthy to be a son, he is wrong on two counts. First, he was always unworthy, not just this one little time when he demanded from his father the inheritance and then sold it and left for a distant country. He was always from his birth unworthy. Second, he says he was unworthy to be his son, again once a son always a son. So he was wrong with his logic twice. Thus he still has allot to learn and growing up to do. God's salvation gift is provided to all, there are not levels of deserving individuals or levels of undeserving individuals. As human beings we all sin, some more, some less but there are not degrees of sin making one better than another. (There are different ramifications for sins – e.g. murder vs speeding ticket). What the bible makes clear is that we all, everyone, is undeserving. So know the bible is absolutely clear that we all are undeserving, yet God Loves us and gives us grace (un-merited blessing). John 3:16. This parable portrays the attitude of God the Father toward the lost. Seeking the lost to come to Him in contrast to an excluding attitude. Since we are all undeserving and lost (without God), God takes the initiative and seeks you. He does this consistent with His Righteousness and Justice, motivated by His Love. I want to read another quote from Col Thieme - . The unfailing love of God for His own, that is believers, is the security that He provides for those who are His [believers], no matter where we are, no matter which direction we go, no matter how far we stray, no matter how lost we are. He never gives up, never. He is going to pursue you and try to persuade you to have a relationship with Him, a most beneficial relationship that has benefits in time, this life, and for all eternity. That's our God. [^] Luke 15:11 And He [Jesus] said, A certain man [God the Father] had two sons [both believers]; Luke 15:12 and the younger of them said to his father,' Father, [CMD] give me the share of the estate that falls to me.' And he divided his wealth between them. The dividing of the estate represents God providing everything you need in life to Learn, Think, Motive and Act with emphasis of what is called logical grace (food, shelter clothing, etc to live life in earth). Once you are a believer, God is obligated and has provided everything you need to live in this world. Both physical and spiritual. So your obligation is to grow up spiritually, to live the CWLiving. 2 Peter 3:18 says “Grow in the grace and knowledge of God”. To do that you must Learn, Think, Motive, Act. God provides both the materially and the spiritual information you need to do that. The younger brother represents most believers that receive the blessings of God the Father while turning our back on God. Also notice the Father made no attempt to stop him. God is a perfect gentleman and He does not violate your free will nor does He force you to remain in fellowship with Him. We are not robots, automatons, we are thinking, breathing, beings who God gave free will to follow God or not. So it is our decision. At this point when you look at this, it is a picture of the Plan of God and us using our freewill. God has a plan for every one of us, and we have free will, a choice to Learn, Think, Motive, Act about God's Plan or to reject or be ignorant of God's plan (apathy). The believer must accept the Plan of God which includes living the spiritual life [CWLiving]. The only alternative is for the believer to go his own way, to stay outside the Plan of God, to reject the Plan of God. To live our lives and its consequences without God. The My Way HighWay Just think about this for a second. Go back to the driving in weather example. Do you want to drive in bad weather on your own or do you want the protection and help of God? A God that is all powerful (Omnipotent)! Seems like an easy decision, huh! So if you want to get back into the protection and help of God ... there is always a way of recovery. To return or start living in the Plan of God. [^] How? Rebound when necessary and then diligently using the Faith Rest procedure. For unbelievers, Faith Alone in Christ Alone – Salvation, [^] Then start with my first lesson and Learn Rebound and the Faith Rest procedure; Think about when you need to Rebound and then call upon the promises of God so that you can be relaxed; next be Motivated to make good decisions based upon what you know from God via His word, the bible; and Act, have the courage to make those good decisions, including calling upon God via the Faith Rest Procedure to help you out in your times of need. And as you practice these ‘skills', learn about this God (Divine Essence) and then more about what the bible says, you are growing spiritually, you are executing the CWLiving and you are in the Plan of God for your life. But first it starts with Rebound when necessary, Diligently use the F/R Drill. The believer always has the ability to Learn, Think, Motive, Act in accordance with God and His plan. And that is another point that will be clearly made in this parable. That's the desire of God the Father, a recovery of right thinking and right living for all of His children (sons and daughters). He wants us to be in His Plan (PoG), sometimes we decide we are not going to be in His Plan. But it is our choice. And God lets us do that and then we suffer the consequences of our Thinking & Actions. [^] Luke 15:13 "And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country [outside God's Plan], and there he squandered his estate with loose living. Two things to notice here: First, the younger son just left God the Father's protection [^] bird pic … the younger son just left God the Father's protection and did not call upon God for anything that he was planning to do. He did not ask for guidance, did not ask for help when things started to go bad, he just did his own thing. And that unfortunately is what we all do (some more, some less). We forget about God or we don't even have a relationship with God to know we can rely upon Him for help and advice. We just go on our merry way without a care with respect to God, and then panic when we get into trouble. [^] Blank Second: I mentioned this earlier, “loose living” – Notice God covers your sin(s) and therefore does not tell us what this loose living is. He respects what the younger son did and does not tell us what it was. That is part of God's graciousness. What the young son did is not the issue, the issue is being outside of God and His plan. The only thing that matters is to return. Period. That is how God thinks. The bible says sin is sin, there are not degrees of sin (though there might be degrees of consequences). The sin is not important; it is that we are outside the thinking of God, outside the Plan of God, and a lifestyle of living without God. Also God does not keep track of our sins, that is only something we as human beings do, which is antithetical to how God thinks and wants us to think. When we commit sin were are to Rebound, name and cite that sin to God and move on – 1 John 1:9. A corollary to this is, we are to keep our noses out of other people's business and if by chance we know of someone's sins, we are to never mention them and even forget them if we can, but never mention them or think about them. We follow God's example on this. [^] Luke 15:14 "Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be in need. First, God loves you so much, He does all he can to wake you up to the fact that you are outside His plan for an extended time, this is part of what is called Divine Discipline. You are living outside the protection and provisions of God, so God provides disciple to wake you up to the fact that you need to recover and be restored to fellowship [via Rebound]. So what does God do in this case? He allows a severe famine to occur so that this young man would begin to be in need. This is the Sovereignty of God, the Omniscience of God or maybe the Omnipotence of God acting. God either knew that a severe famine would happen and he allowed this young man to go into that country. Or God made the severe famine occur via His Omnipotence. We are not told, but we can clearly see and use the Divine Essence of God and apply it here to understand God's ‘hand' in this situation. Again, so important from time to time to relate what is going on, or not, to God's Divine Essence. It helps us understand God and appreciate His power and wisdom. Because His Divine Essence is in action for your benefit. Principle: again without going into detail at this time, we are ‘whole in our life' [relaxed, happy, content, having purpose or ‘filled up' as it were] when we Learn, Think, Motive, Act using what God has provided and learn God's thinking. When we think like God thinks. There is a famine in every person that rejects the nourishment God provides by Learn, Think, Motive and Act using the word of God. Notice he began to be in need. He could not find a job. He never knew what hunger was all about because He was always provided for by living (fellowship) with his Father. And now he is outside the protection and help of His Father. Just like we are when we are out of fellowship and need to Rebound and even if we are in fellowship but do not use the Faith Rest procedure when needed (and it is always needed). [^] Luke 15:15 "And he went and attached himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. There is allot to this sentence that we will learn in the future. Since we are talking about the spiritual interpretation here and its application, just know that ‘attaching himself' means that this young man has rejected God the Father's thinking and way for his life and has adopted a different way of thinking and a different life. And as a result, he is now the feeder of the disgusting, muddy, stinky swine. See here God is a gentleman, you reject God, His plan and His instruction and procedures and you then reap what you sow. You make bad decisions and you reap the consequences of those bad decisions. (as you know all not lost, you can still recover, it is only a hard road because you think it is a hard road, but don't forget: God will help you, he is rooting for you and He will do all in His power to help you. And you know what? You will be better for going through the process! Guaranteed.) Something also to bring out wrt going our on way. Where did we get this idea of going our own way, it is not just volition, we learned it. We adopt some other philosophy than Gods. ... where did humanity or the ‘world' get its philosophy? In short it gets it by not following God's thinking and making up its own ‘rules' of life. This congregations knows where ‘world' gets its thinking apart from God's thinking? It got it from God's adversary, Satan. We know it as cosmic thinking. It is derived from the Greek word used in the New Testament for ‘world', ‘cosmos' - where we get the word cosmic and the bible says that Satan is the ruler of the cosmos – the ruler of the world. Of course this is a reference to the Angelic Conflict. So not thinking the way God wants us to think then is ‘cosmic' thinking or cosmic system thinking. Because Satan has developed a whole ‘system' to trap people into not thinking the way God thinks. So let me contrast God's thinking with the thinking that is in Satan's cosmic system. By use of an illustration from today… Communism and its little brother Socialism are anti-God and are the way that humanists think. The precepts of these human ideologies sound good but are built on faulty premises and are anti-God. God is for freedom, these groups are for right thinking and if you do not think right you are condemned (‘cancelled') or worse (you are imprisoned or killed); God is for marriage, one man and one woman; these groups are for anything goes – same sex marriage, polygamy. God is for family, what we have called in the past a nuclear family, a mother and a father raising children, these groups are for ‘It takes a Village to raise a Child”, completely opposed to God's way of thinking. God is for nationalism, they are for internationalism. Everywhere ‘their way' has been tried, you have the rich politicians and peasants who are struggling to survive. Look at Venezuela today and the French Revolution or the Bolshevik Revolution (Russia) or Communist China started under Mao. Socialism, the progressive movement, BLM, ANTIFA, Communism are all anti-God and part of Satan's cosmic system. And those people who think like that and those who sympathize with them are part of the cosmic system. > You can spot these groups and what they stand for by their use of the word ‘change'. ‘Change' in the name of some vague improvement, for the common good. The collective good vs individual rights. ‘Change' glorifies man, look what man can do. Versus looking to God and His system as outlined in the bible. God provides a system for all mankind to function, which is called Divine Establishment – 4 Divine Institutions I just mentioned The US Constitution and the Bill of Rights (first 10 amendments to the US Constitution) embodies God's Divine Establishment. In the USA it is what defines how citizens can live together in peace and harmony. Let me challenge you – Do you know what is in the Us Constitution as basic rights? I am sure you know free speech. What are the 4 things mentioned in The 1st Amendment of the US constitution? Besides free speech? - First Amendment (5 things) Congress shall make no law [1] respecting an establishment of religion, or [2] prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of [3] the press, or [5] the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and [5] to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Second Amendment … the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. Fourth Amendment The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, Fifth Amendment No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury For believers and unbelievers alike, God's Divine Establishment is made up of Freedom, Marriage, Family and Nationalism plus the Rule of Law (embodied in the US Constitution). And in God's system is how mankind can live and prosper. It is also what glorifies God. Why? How? Again, the ‘recipe' is the same, using God's solutions vs man's made-up solutions or ‘change'. God honors His solutions and He eventually punishes man's solutions (as being anti-God and therefore anti-freedom). Mankind is the most prosperous under freedom vs tyranny. Tyranny is anytime you remove free choice - Freedom. What happens to these people who are anti-God and anti-USA and want to bring this country down and remake into a Socialist Communist country? These people who mock God and His system will suffer Divine Judgment. Psalm 33:10. [^] Psalm 33:10 [Promise] The Lord nullifies [note ] the counsel [thwarts the plans] of the nations [globalism, anti-Nationalism, UN]; He frustrates [to bring to nothing ] the plans [intensions] of the peoples. [who are attacking the client nation & DE people] [note ] It might happen with the next election, it might happen years down the road, it might happen after our deaths, but God will judge these people for the evil that they Think, their Motives and Acts. God will not be mocked Galatians 6:7 - [^] Galatians 6:7 [CMD] Do not be deceived [Stop doing what you are doing], God cannot be mocked; for whatever a man is sowing, this he will also reap. This simply says that if you mock God, if you follow a course of anti-God, your actions have consequences and those consequences will be you reaping what you sow. If you sow God's thinking, then you reap the benefit of God's thinking. If you reject God and go down your own path or someone else's ideals that are anti-God then you will reap the consequences of anti-God thinking and be outside of Gods protection. So cosmic system thinking is anti-God and therefore evil. Those who think this way, those who act this way, those who are sympathetic to these groups and this thinking are anti-God, which is evil. So we need to Think God's way and not think or be anti-God. And again how? Become a believer in Jesus Christ [^] slide Rebound … then use Rebound when necessary and diligently use the Faith Rest Procedure, and Learn about God, how he thinks and adopt His thinking and His ways vs Satan's comic thinking. I can go on but I will stop here. > Those who reject God and pursue humanism, socialism will be judged harshly by God – remember – Don't mess with God and don't mess with God's people, whether it be the Jews at the Red Sea or God's RF, His Church Age bels & Client Nations or His principles of DE. God wins Satan and His cosmic system and peoples loses We win because we are Gods. [^] Chart 23 Luke 15:15 "And he went and attached himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. So ‘attaching himself' means that the young man is part of Satan's cosmic system and not in God's plan for his life [CWLiving]. Not thinking with God's thinking. He rejected God the Father's thinking and lifestyle. Not ‘attaching himself” to God's plan. The second thing is this ‘citizen of that country' sent him out to the fields to feed swine. He is now effectively a slave to this ‘citizen'. What friend or associate would send someone out to this work? This is an analogy to the cosmic system making slaves out of people who follow its tenants. Following the ‘rules' of the cosmic system will only lead to heartache and disappointment because only God's ways are the way to peace [RMA], comfort and genuine happiness in life. How could it not if God is the one protecting and providing for you? [^] Luke 15:16 And he was longing to fill his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. God provides for believers, he provides for your daily needs, logistical grace. So the food you eat, the clothes you wear, your transportation, everything you need to sustain yourself God provides. When you are in the cosmic system, you are rejecting God's plan and provisions for you. You are now relying upon Satan and his cosmic system for your needs. I know this is a hard concept to understand because what you see around you does not conform to this view. But it is nevertheless true. In short, the world or cosmic view is you work hard, then you can provide for yourself and your family. There is nothing wrong with working hard. But it is a matter of your focus. Are you working hard to get ahead, to make money? Or, are you working hard leading a balanced life, knowing God provides what you need (called logistical grace) and knowing that everything you have is from God and not from your own labors. I know this is subtle, but working hard and gaining ‘stuff' vs being diligent in spiritual life (CWLiving) is a big difference. I changed the word ‘hard' to ‘diligently'. A subtle but important change, in your thinking. You choose to live under God's thinking and work diligently at your jobs (notice plural) and let God be the one who provides for you. Jobs: You have time for God, you have time for family & your spouse, you have time for work, you have time for friends and hobbies, you have time to enjoy the fruits of knowing God and in your work (Sabbath Rest). One works for money and status in life and the other a balanced life that is relaxed and comforted in the knowledge of God and how God thinks and how God provides for you. The subtly here is work hard for stuff and all the anxieties that come along with that. Or your focus is on God, learning and applying what He says, diligently living the CWLiving and part of that is doing your job at your work, then reaping the benefit of God's provisions for you. A balanced life or a hectic life. Your choice. Satan's cosmic system way or God's way. Subtle but important. So attaching yourself is important [and has ramification for your entire lifetime]. This young man was attaching himself to the cosmic system rather than God. [^] Luke 15:17 "But when he came to his senses [notice thinking before changing your mind], he thought to himself, 'How many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! He never was hungry before this, he never did not have the right clothes, he never did not have a soft bed to sleep in, they were all provided for by his father. God the Father provides for everything in a believer's life. Some may have more, some may have less but always what you need. So the analogy here is ‘why would you leave the protection and provision of your Father'? And we know the answer, we are arrogant and we want to do things our way. When our way conflicts with God's way then the inevitable results occur. Likewise when we trust God, learn His thinking and His ways, use His solutions (procedures and techniques then we are living under the full protection and care (Love) of God. Which of the two ways is best? (rhetorical question) The point is rational thinking is what is needed to evaluation your circumstances. In this young man's case, he said to himself: “why did I leave?” He knows why but now with his ‘experiences' he sees the error of his ways. [^] Luke 15:18 'I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven [rebound], and in your sight; So what is the spiritual solution when you are outside of Gods plan? Rebound. Name or cite your sins to God the Father and be restored to fellowship. This young man Thought, and was Motivated to change his Thinking and decided to Act. [note – I am using this Learn, Think, Motive, Act process allot because it is important that we all understand how we come to make a decision. It is not emotional. It is rationale. It's a process. This process is important and it is found throughout the bible. It needs to be the model for your process to come to a decision] [^] Luke 15:19 [he should have stopped but continued on emotionally] I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men. "' Again worthy. None of us are worthy for God to take interest in us. We have nothing commendable to God. What we are is His creation and because we are His creation He takes an interest in us and wants us to succeed. He Loves us with His perfect Divine Essence of Love. But as we have covered before, He can't Love us and provide all that He wants for us unless His perfect Divine Righteousness (+R) and Justice are satisfied. Again how are they satisfied? By using His solutions and procedures. In these lessons it is Rebound when necessary and learn the promises of God and diligently using the Faith Rest Procedure. As we are seen via this parable, it is God's way or it is Satan's cosmic system way. Those are our only two choices in life. Again we need to note God's procedure. Name or cite our sins to God the Father in prayer. We are not to feel sorry for them. God does not ask that of us. Just name or cite them to Him and only Him. God does not ask us to plead with him, to tell Him (what He already knows) that we are unworthy. But since we believed in Faith Alone in Christ Alone we became part of God's family, so worthy or unworthy is not an issue. We are His. We were born unworthy but God, at our Salvation, made us part of His family and now therefore worthiness is not an issue. It is not part of the equation. Worthiness does not matter to God and should not matter to us. (adopt God's thinking) We are sons and daughters and nothing is going to change that after salvation. We are not worthy to be His family, yet He made us sons and daughters nonetheless. God's Sovereignty made us sons and daughters because His Love wanted to and when we believed in Christ with Faith Alone in Christ Alone then God's Justice was satisfied and His Righteousness told His Omnipotence to make us sons and daughters. Again everything God does is related back to His Divine Essence. Study God's Divine Essence, it is important. So after we Rebound, there is nothing left to do. No feeling sorry, No nothing, just go forward (make better decisions). So this young man should stop in his thinking after ‘rebound'. He does not have to grovel or insult his father by saying treat me, your son, like a servant. Just Rebound. Father I have sinned against you. [^] Luke 15:20 "And he got up and came to his father. Again, Thinking about his situation led him to be Motivated to change his situation (Action). [^] Luke 15:20 "And he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father [did 5 things] [1] saw him, His father every day was looking for his son to return. The same with God the Father. Every day He is waiting for you to return to His plan using His solutions and procedures. He waits patiently. There is a verse in the bible that describes this: [^] Revelation 3:20 Behold [Take Notice! - believers], I [God] stand at the door [of your soul] and keep on knocking; if you hear My voice [how? By Learning or recalling what the bible says] and opens the door [you walk away from the cosmic system and Rebound, restart the CWLiving], I will come in to him, and will dine [fellowship] with him, and he with Me. God takes the initiate and is always waiting for a believer to be Motivated to Act based upon recalling or Learning what the bible says (Bible Doctrine) and when you use God's solution (Rebound) then you are back into fellowship with Him restarting the CWLiving. God is waiting... and therefore looking for His sons and daughters to return. That is how God thinks. Period. Just return via Rebound and move forward in the CWLiving (in your case diligently using the F/R procedure). [^] Luke 15:20 ... But while he was still a long way off, his father [did 5 things] [1] saw him, and [2] felt compassion for him, and [3] ran and [4] embraced him, and [5] kissed him. This is God's attitude for every believer who returns to the CWLiving. We have a Loving, compassionate, forgiving and wonderful God. Our job is to Learn, Think, Motive and Act using God's provisions, procedures and what He tells us in the bible (Bible Doctrine) to live our lives under His protection. I think it is important to notice that God did 5 things. He could have just done one, but His heartbeat is to have a relationship with you, an individual relationship, so God is ‘excited' and overjoyed at seeing a believer who is returning to Him. God is always [1] looking for a believer to return, [2] He is compassionate and knows that the believer had a rough time and wants to do everything to ease their pain; He [3] runs toward you when you have a change of thinking and [4] embraces you and hugs you and [5] gives you maximum comfort. This is the God of the universe, this is the God who Loves us and waits patiently to do all that He can for you. [^] Luke 15:21 "And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' Luke 15:22 "But the Father [cut him off] As we have seen, Rebound is all that we have to do. And as we see here, the father cuts him off. He has Rebounded, so that is all that is required to be done. You changed your mind to God's thinking – repentance. A word that has been badly re-defined from what its original meaning. We change our minds about using Satan's comic system thinking for God's thinking (Bible Doctrine) and we start using God's provisions and do what the bible says. [^] Luke 15:22 "But the father [cut him off] said to his slaves, 'Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand [signature ring] and sandals on his feet; Luke 15:23 and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and be merry [celebrate]; [^] Luke 15:24 for this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again [he simply returned home]; he was lost, and has been found.' And they began to be merry [celebrate]. You can see and feel the excitement that God has when just one son or daughter returns to God and His ways. This is who and what this God of ours is. He is overjoyed at someone's return. This is the Love and excitement and care that God has for us. And ‘what is it that we have to do'? [^] Rebound when necessary. Learn God's Promises and diligently use the Faith Rest Procedure. Learn about God and His character (Divine Essence), ‘see' (experience) how God thinks and use or adopt His thinking as our own. When we fail Rebound. And keep moving forward I am choosing to not cover the rest of the parable which involves the older brother. I wanted to hammer home God's love and How He feels and thinks about you. What he has provided for you. And what our obligation is to God. extemporaneous – Heb 10:25 and why COVID…. To close out this parable I want to mention one thing. What the Father wants here is the prodigal's restoration to the father in his house (fellowship with God and fellowship within the RF – Heb 10:25) What is exemplified here is the necessary attitude of love by believers for one another. This is a part of restoration, and this is a part of your attitude in grace orientation. It should be either personal love or impersonal love as the situation dictates. You have to be very careful that your strong sense of justice doesn't become self-righteousness. We do note hate the rioters, we despise the riots. Now the Rule of Law must be enforced – yet we despise the riots. We do not hate the Gay, Lesbian, Queer, Transvestite, Bi-sexual, binary or undecideds – we despise their actions. We do not despise the socialist, Marxist politicians who want to destroy our country and who spew anti-God rhetoric – we despise, reject and stand against what they say. We reject their actions but not the person. We want the Rule of Law enforced but we do not support or participate in vigilante justice. As Col Thieme stated … [^] Nothing wrong with a sense of justice, temper justice with grace orientation. Grace was given to you, me and those who are anti-God because we are all unworthy. As we know there is no other way you can receive salvation by other than grace. There is no other way that God can give you everything you need, to fulfill His plan other than grace. There is no other way that you can live in heaven for eternity without the grace of God. We don't deserve any of it, which one of us does? the prodigal? No. But he has it just like us. Grace is always demonstrated to the unworthy, that's what God's grace is, and what it does. [^] Blank So this concludes what I wanted to cover for the CWLiving. I do want to cover the passage in 2 Peter 1. I have memorized v1-11 Because it is the CWLiving in miniature So I want to read this because this congregation has the back ground to understand it and it might give you something to think about as you execute your spiritual life. 2 Peter 1 covers 7 qualities or attributes of the CWLiving. I do not have time to define each one but, again, this congregation has enough background to understand them. 2 Peter 1:1 Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours [bel in JC], by the integrity [+R + J] of our God [deity] and Savior [humanity], Jesus Christ: 2 Peter 1:2 Grace and [mental] prosperity [RMA] be multiplied to you by means of the [epignosis] knowledge of God[/F] and of Jesus our Lord; 2 Peter 1:3 [how? ->] seeing that His divine power [omnipotence] has graciously been given to us everything pertaining to this [natural] life [logistical grace support] and spiritual life [CWLiving], through the epignosis knowledge [metabolized BD applied experientially] of Him [JC] who called [common grace] us by His own glory and virtue. 2 Peter 1:4 For by these [doctrines] God/F has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them [metabolized and applied BD] you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust [OSN lifestyle]. 2 Peter 1:5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence [mental and physical strength], in your faith [by means of doctrine] apply] [1] virtue, and to your virtue, apply [2] [gnosis] knowledge, 2 Peter 1:6 and in your knowledge, apply [3] self-control [control your OSN & your decisions]; and in your self-control, apply [4] perseverance [patience with circumstances], and in your perseverance, [5] live the spiritual life [CWLiving]; 2 Peter 1:7 and in living the spiritual life, [6] apply love to members of the RFG, and in your love for members of the RFG, [7] apply virtue love [to all mankind]. 2 Peter 1:8 For if these seven qualities are yours [i.e. keep on being present] and keep on increasing [we never arrive], they render you neither useless nor unfruitful [no hopeless situations] in the epignosis knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:9 For the Believer who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted [occupied with the cosmic system], having forgotten his purification from his former sins [salvation by grace through faith]. 2 Peter 1:10 [CMD] Therefore, members of RFG, be all the more motivated [make every effort] to make certain [a spiritual reality] about His calling [common grace] and electing [Doc of Election] you; for as long as you practice these things [the virtues of living the spiritual life], you will no not never stumble [in the spiritual life]; 2 Peter 1:11 for in this way [making your calling and election sure, practicing the CWL] the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you [conveyance of Escrow blessings]. --- Fit in Matthew 8:26, Luke 8:24, Mark 4:39 And He said to them, "Why are you timid [cowardly], you men of little faith[s] [note1]?" Then He arose, and rebuked [issues a command to] the winds and to the surging waves and the said to the sea "Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. This is the way to alleviate fear and anxiety every time. F/R. [^] Note1 - little faith[s] (ol-ee'-gos – pistis) oligópistos (from 3641 /olígos, "little in number, low in quantity" and 4102 /pístis, "faith") – properly, few occurrences (applications) of faith. 3640 (oligópistos) occurs five times in the NT, each time with Jesus rebuking the problem of failing to hear His voice (cf. Jn 10:3,4,27). [^] F/R…. =========== ========== ========= What's God's will? [^] 1 Tim 2:4 who [JC] desires [wills] [1] all men to be saved [unbeliever] and [2] to come to the [epignosis] knowledge [through metabolized BD] of the truth [believer]. [^] God's will = 1) salvation; 2) 2 Peter 3:18 IOWs How to grow in the grace and knowledge of TLJC – Master the CWLiving fundamentals ● Rebound when necessary ● Learning God's promises ● Diligently using the F/R procedure ● Understanding God's character (JR SOOO LIVE) especially God's Love and His Righteousness and Justice. ○ And how God's Love is His motivation to do things for you and to help you and ○ how His Righteousness has to be satisfied so His Justice can execute what His Love wants to do. ● Understanding How God thinks Recall Gods Love wants to bless you, encourage you, and prosper (RMA) you. That is His loves motivation. And when His Righteousness is satisfied, His Justice executes what His Love wants to do for you – aka blessing When you do these things then God's +R accepts this and His Justice blesses you. When you don't or are apathetic or disobedient – then the +R of God rejects your behaviour and condemns you – disciplines you (including reaping what you sow). Trusting God [in God we Trust] [^] Proverbs 3:5 [1] [CMD] Trust in the Lord with all your heart [rt lobe – where you think. PSD #3 F/R Drill], And [2] [CMD] do not lean on your own [HVP] understanding [man's opinion vs God's]. Proverbs 3:6 In all your ways [3] [CMD] acknowledge Him, [Promise] And He will make your paths straight. [1, 2, 3 - easy] Straight forward. Trust is a process. IF you use it, the more you use it, the more and more God comes through for you – guiding your life via open and closed doors and protecting you (recall Mother bird protecting her chicks) [^] Confused which way to go? After using the F/R Drill… Then make the best decision you can and if God does not want you to go in that direction, he will close the door. If you are receptive to closed doors, then you see that for what it is and you go in another direction. In all cases you make the decisions in life as to what you think is best. Remember, you will not be in fear or worry because you are using the F/R procedure and as long as you do and are remaining calm about it then any decision will either be guided by God and an open door or the result of the decision will be a closed door. Then you know to go in a different direction. The key is [pause]: are you diligent in using the F/R procedure and are you trusting God such that you are relaxed? If so, then your trust in God is not in vain and He will come through for you (but also remember it will be in His timing). [^] Learn – God's Divine Essence (JR SOOO LIVE) - God's Promises Think – How God thinks … L => R & J Motive - Do follow God's CMDs Act - to use Rebound … & Diligently use F/R Drill Learn – Think – Motive – Act (PMA of BD, Op Z)

westbankbiblechurch.com

westbankbiblechurch.com

A new MP3 sermon from Dean Bible Ministries is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: 159 - The Angelic Conflict and Suffering [b] Subtitle: 1 Peter (2015) Speaker: Dr. Robert L. Dean Jr. Broadcaster: Dean Bible Ministries Event: Bible Study Date: 1/31/2019 Bible: 1 Peter 5:8-5:10 Length: 61 min.

Divine wisdom gives you insight and discernment to know how Satan is trying to neutralize you. Satan's objective is to get you to operate under human viewpoint thinking. If you do, you will be neutralized. You will be ineffective in representing Jesus Christ. “Put on the full armor from God for the purpose that you can stand against the devil” (Eph 6:11). Unless you purpose in your heart to make learning and applying God's Word a priority you are never going to fulfill your potential as a divinely-appointed influencer who presents Christ to the lost world. Full Transcript: https://rhem.pub/neutralized-angelic-47aec --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rick-hughes/message

Gen. 2:15 Summary; Adam was manufactured, God "rested" Adam in a place that was initially secure. His role of "rest" involved the service of taking care of the Garden and guarding it from intruders (one of 1st mentions of Angelic Conflict). His second role was to guard it, so that begs the question "from who or what?

In todays show, Bob and Shawn are taking some of our listeners questions about the angelic conflict and mankind’s purpose. The guys will begin by dealing with the topic of the angelic conflict. They will be touching on several passages, including Genesis 3:15, Gen 6, Eph 6 and more. They will also give seven reasons

When you hear a doctrine taught, how well do you check it out? I've heard for years that God's main focus on the earth is to resolve the angelic conflict with Satan. But is that God's primary focus? Here are some thoughts...

When a nation continuously sins against God, His hand must stretch out against it. When a crisis happens, how are you supposed to react? How are you going to cope if you, or your loved one, is taken away like Daniel was from your home, your family, and your country?What happens when the captors begins to brainwash you with their ideals. Do you fold, do you submit, or do you continue to walk in faith with God.These things and more are looked at in this lesson today.

Series: The Kingdom of the Heavens (Angelic Conflict) Program: BibleStudy.net Aired: June 2002

Series: The Kingdom of the Heavens (Angelic Conflict) Program: BibleStudy.net Aired: June 2002

Series: The Kingdom of the Heavens (Angelic Conflict) Program: BibleStudy.net Aired: June 2002

Series: The Kingdom of the Heavens (Angelic Conflict) Program: BibleStudy.net Aired: June 2002

Angelic Conflict, Interpretation How well grounded are you in basic biblical truths? Listen to this lesson to continue to study these bedrock truths. Learn that one of the most intriguing of these is how the highest of all angels rebelled against God in eternity past and a third of the angels followed him. See how this has impacted the human race and what the final punishment for these creatures will be. In order to understand the Bible, learn why a historical, literal, grammatical, and contextual interpretation must be used to learn truth and why allegorical interpretation leads to false teaching. At the beginning of this class Dr. Dean references the Creation Studies series that is now available on the website. You can view it here.

Angelic Conflict, Interpretation How well grounded are you in basic biblical truths? Listen to this lesson to continue to study these bedrock truths. Learn that one of the most intriguing of these is how the highest of all angels rebelled against God in eternity past and a third of the angels followed him. See how this has impacted the human race and what the final punishment for these creatures will be. In order to understand the Bible, learn why a historical, literal, grammatical, and contextual interpretation must be used to learn truth and why allegorical interpretation leads to false teaching. At the beginning of this class Dr. Dean references the Creation Studies series that is now available on the website. You can view it here.

Ephesians 6:10- 18 encourages us to put on the whole armor of God. What does that look like? This study takes a look at our High Priest, Jesus Christ, as our armor of God that we put on.

We are told to put on the whole armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-17. What is that armor? Does it look like the roman soldiers, or does God have something else in mind!

Why was Satan allowed to tempt Eve in the Garden of Eden and why was he permitted to test the Lord Jesus Christ? Listen to this amazing lesson that pulls back the curtain on the unseen spiritual war that rages around us so we get a glimpse of the larger picture behind world history. Hear twenty-two summarizing reasons that show a theme throughout the Bible of a trial that is occurring where Satan is the defendant and humans are the witnesses. Find out that since Satan has already been sentenced by God to the Lake of Fire why the sentence has not yet been carried out. With this knowledge gain an enlarged perspective on the tests and adversities that come into your life and how to handle them. The book by Dr. Bruce Baker entitled For Thou Art With Me. Biblical Help for the Termially Ill and for Those Who Love Them is available from Grace Acres Press as a paperback or ebook.

Ever struggle with temptations? Ever have the battle going on in your head, like the old picture of good angel on one side, the devil on the other? How do I make good decisions? How do I keep from being my own worst enemy? Those are things we cover in this lesson as we try to become transformers in God's kingdom.

There is a Great Angelic Conflict and we are each Warriors. Chapter 2 of the book "Six Battles Every Man Must Win" by Bill Perkins. The panel of "real men" (not pastors) of "Man Up" discuss. Panel consists of: Host Steve Titch, Writer ("The Gambler"), Discussion Leader Kyle Trahan, Insurance ("The Deacon") and Michael Cropper, Attorney ("The Judge"). Recorded at Man Up Adult Bible Fellowship, Sugar Land Baptist Church, Sugar Land, Texas, USA

GGCC Sermon Podcast

GGCC Sermon Podcast

GGCC Sermon Podcast

GGCC Sermon Podcast

What is the angelic conflict doctrine, and is it biblical? Is the angelic conflict doctrine related to the gap theory and/or the concept of Lucifer's Flood?