The New Birth and Creation

Posted on Mar 10, 2016 in Devotions | Tags: , , , , , ,

 
new-creation-waterfall-550x320
 
The New Birth and Creation
 
Ezekiel 36:25-27,28b,29a
25 “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. 28b So you will be My people, and I will be your God. 29a Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness.”

 

What a clear picture in the Old Testament of the New Birth and Creation in Christ!!

The Hebrew and Greek words for the English work “New”, used in all the above passages (Isaiah 43:18 & 19; 2 Corinthians 5:17; and Ezekiel 36), are a tremendously important when understanding the New Birth, and New Creation!! The Hebrew word Chadash is used and the Greek word Kainos is used. I’m going to unwrap these a bit; but here’s the basic breakdown:

Chadash – a new fresh thing, or a new thing entirely. In Jeremiah 31:31, it’s the New Covenant, in which after given to Israel, we, the Gentiles were grafted into (Romans 9-11). In Lamentations 3:23 it’s New Compassions/Mercies, that are New every morning (from Yahweh), and now for the Body of Christ, (Hebrews 9:14 & 22) from Jesus His Son!!

Kainos – new in kind, and new in quality!! As in innovation: [transformation, metamorphosis, revolution]. fresh in development or opportunity – because “not found exactly like this before.” (Strong’s Greek) Also, recently made, fresh, recent, unused, unworn, in respect to quality. And, of a new kind; unprecedented, novel, uncommon, unheard of, with respect to substance, type or kind.

Wow!! That’s why we can “Forget the former things, and we don’t have to dwell on the past” Isaiah 43:19 And, know no man after the flesh (2 Corinthians 5:16)
even our-own-selves!! Why, because the New Creation is not about who I was, or what I have done in my past; but it’s now about who and what Christ has made me to be as New Creation in Christ Jesus!! (Of course, because of Who He is & what He has done).

So, as the New Year approaches, I learn to fellowship with this New Identity, in Christ!! How? By meditating, rehearsing, (Psalm 15:2; Proverbs 23:7) fellowshipping on, and around the truths that promote this New Self Image!! I have a New Self Worth, because His blood sacrifice on the Cross (which was worth everything!!) justifies me (in my human spirit) by Grace through Faith (Romans 5:1,10,; Ephesians 2:8 & 9!!), and it makes me worthy, and accepted to stand in His Presence complete, forgiven, sanctified, and holy (in my Standing or Position, Ephesians 1:6, Romans 5:2, and Hebrews 10:10,12, &14). Then, we live the Like Christ-life, as we become more and more like Him (Galatians 4:19) in our State (in our Soul and Body), or Experience, through progressive sanctification; by the power, and filling of the indwelling Holy Spirit. This is the Grace Message (Romans Chapter 8, & Ephesians 5:18, Acts 1:8)!!

With these truths, being the ultimate reality of the Christian life and growth; through which every manifestation of fruit, and good works, that are genuine, (in regards to receiving rewards and positional promotions in Heaven at the Bema-seat judgement of the Christian) must flow from!! Otherwise, we could endure the loss of true rewards…; we end with,

“How shall we escape if we ignore or neglect so great a Salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.”
Hebrews 2:3

But, I trust we won’t neglect these truths; and I am confident in each and everyone of you, that this GREAT NEWS will be the catalyst to propel you and I forward into having the Greatest, and Happiest New Year, Pleasing to God, full of Divine Joy, and Eternal Blessings!!!

Happy New Year Everyone!!

And, have a safe, restful, peaceful holiday with family, and friends!!

In Jesus Name,

Pastor Wayne


God’s Wisdom is Better Than Man’s

Posted on Mar 10, 2016 in Devotions | Tags: , , , , ,

God's Wisdom
 
God’s Wisdom Is Better Than Man’s

 

God and His infinite wisdom narrows our way so that it comes down to one thing: trusting Him!!! That is why in Prov. 3:5-7 it so beautifully says: “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not to your own understanding, in all of your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.”

The scariest but most freeing realization in a person’s life is when they truly come to the knowledge that they are not in control of their life’s moments. When we can lay it all down and trust that God’s will for our lives is ruled by His loving sovereignty, then we experience a defining movement of freedom in our lives that before had been alien to us.

O how deep are God’s riches, and wisdom, and knowledge! How unfathomable are his decisions and unexplainable are his ways! Romans 11:33

The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9

In this devotional today we are coming to the conclusion that we are not in control, and that “Our times are in God’s hands”, in Psalm 31:15. Think about how the Bible teaches the profound truth that God doesn’t want to merely come to our aid when things get out of control, but that He wants to be God in everything; and that we are incapable of ever truly being in control. This is why II Corinthians 3:5 teaches that “We are not sufficient in ourselves”; and, “Apart from God, we (truly) can do nothing” (John15:5).

As we get older and experience the many things that this life on earth has to throw at us, we learn to cry out to God and give Him our entire heart and life. We say from the depths of our being “I trust You!” We are in the last days! Let’s be a people that rely upon God and not ourselves; and, let us be a people who are looking ahead to what is to come and boldly proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and perishing world.

May God richly bless you, may God keep you as we trust Him moment by moment. Amen.

In Jesus Name,

Pastor Wayne


Our Position in Christ

Posted on Mar 10, 2016 in Devotions | Tags: , , , ,

Your Position In Christ
 

Our Position In Christ – Heavenly Places

Today as we consider the word of God, we read in Isaiah 55:8 & 9,

“‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts nor are your ways My ways’, declares the LORD. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.'”

Not only are God’s thoughts and words at a higher standard than mans, but the Word of God is set forth as, and speaks of, a special goal or aspiration for the believer. But, it’s not just the goal that we seek as it states in Colossians 3:1 & 2:

“Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on the things that are on the earth.”

That is, there are Positional Truths that are being alluded to in these verses. When Paul says, by the Holy Spirit, that there are “Things above where Christ is”, he’s speaking of higher-heavenly realities of truth that He wants the Christian to grasp, believe, fellowship around, and meditate on.He’s speaking of our “New, real-life (that is) hid with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3 Amplified Bible). How can we be on the earth and seated together with Christ in heavenly places??

L.S. Chafer says the words “Heavenly Places” mean this:

“These divine blessings are identified as belonging to the ‘heavenly’.

They are “the deepest reality in the unchanging sphere of identity with Christ.”

“This is the sphere of the believer’s present relation to Christ. This sphere of relationship is far-reaching and all-inclusive. It includes the sharing of the divine nature; the possession of life which is none other than “Christ begotten in you the hope of glory”; the common purpose with Christ in service indicated by the words, “As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world”; the relation between Christ and the believer as forming the New Creation; in suffering, for we suffer together with Him; in inheritance, for it is said that we are “joint-heirs with Christ”; and in a yet future glory, when we shall be “glorified together with Him.” Such a sphere of blessing is not limited to favored places; but is ever and always the deepest reality in the unchanging sphere of identity with Christ, a reality which can shed its radiant glories in the human heart even in the dungeon at midnight as much as in the blazing glory of celestial realms.”

Ephesians 2:6 states that God “raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” The ultimate goal is Christ. And the way to get to the goal of being like and manifesting Christ, is having that life which is “in Him” transmitted to me by the Holy Spirit (Jn.16:13-16 disclose:anaggello-to announce in detail that which is heavenly in character). As I reckon (Greek-logizomai: count, consider, render, credit to my account; e.g. “imputed righteousness”) on what the Word of God says about me positionally, because of Christ’s Finished Work, then the Holy Spirit reveals, transmits, discloses, manifests to and through my soul, the specific truth on which I am reckoning. He makes it experiential as I mix faith with what I hear (Rm. 10:17, Heb. 4:12), and God the Father works His perfect plan (Deut. 32:4, Phil. 2:13) into my life using the Spirit to bring life out of death (Rm. 8:13&14, Col. 3:5, 2 Cor.4:10 & 11), which ultimately glorifies the Father!

As we shared above, the Holy Spirit is the divine Messenger that transmits to my soul through my human spirit daily benefits, that are located in Christ, in the Heavenlies! This is my position* in Christ:

“He daily loads me with benefits” (Psalm 68:19)

*See article by L.S. Chafer: The Riches of Grace in Christ Jesus (33 Divine Accomplishments in and for the Sinner upon Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ) Including 5 Unchanging Principles of Positional Truth –
http://www.wholesomewords.org/etexts/chafer/saved.html

God tells me not to forget those benefits (Ps.103:2).
But, to “think on these things” (Phil.4:8 Whatever is true, right, lovely and excellent), the “all things that are new” the “all things are for your sake” and the “all things” that are “from God” (2Cor.5:17, 2Cor.4:15, 2Cor.5:18).

Finally, this glorious place of position, blessing, and authority, is that “Highway of Holiness”! (Is. 35:8-10) This “High-way” of God produces true trans-formative holiness in our experiential-walk as we continue to have a mind-set on “things of the Spirit” (Romans 8:6).

In Jesus Name,

Pastor Wayne

Holding the Ropes

Posted on Jun 3, 2015 in Devotions | Tags: , , , ,

Holding the Ropes   

The year was 1792. William Carey had challenged his Baptist brethren to obey their responsibility to take the Gospel to unreached lands. Baptists of mid-England formed the Particular Baptist Society for Propagating the Gospel Among the Heathen. They appointed Carey and John Thomas to go to India as missionaries. In 1793 Carey said a tearful farewell to his church in Leicester, England. On a Wednesday the Society came together for a farewell service as Carey and his son prepared to leave. Sometime during that all-day meeting, Carey met with the four leaders of the Society. These men promised Carey “that, as he went forth in the Society’s name and their Master’s, they should never cease till death to stand by him.” Andrew Fuller, one of those men, later described the occasion with an illustration.

Fuller said that the mission to India seemed like a few men who considered going into a deep, unexplored mine. It was as if Carey said, “Well, I will go down, if you will hold the rope.” The meeting, in Fuller’s mind, was as if he and the other brethren gave their word that “whilst we lived, we should never let go the rope.”

The four leaders of the Baptist Society kept their word to Carey. They served the Society, prayed for Carey, and raised needed funds. History records that each man “held the rope” until he died.

More than 200 years have passed since Carey first volunteered to go.  Times have changed, and Carey would not recognize our modern world.  Godly missionaries labor for Christ around the world today. The work on which Carey embarked and the work missionaries do today is the same.

Will you “take hold of the rope” with us and support our General Fund so we can more efficiently and effectively serve these faithful, modern-day servants of Christ?

Missionaries today continue to go “down into the mine” seeking to win lost men to Christ, baptize and disciple them, and plant New Testament churches. Some go to places that are dangerous. Some go into locales where exotic illnesses threaten. Others go to countries where poverty makes life difficult. All of them go to lands where people by the thousands need our Savior. These missionaries, like William Carey, need someone to “hold the rope” as they embark on their Great Commission task.  

Selection taken from BWM website.  http://www.baptistworldmission.org/get-involved/pray/1000-holding-the-ropes.html


The True Spirit and Heart of Jesus for Missions

Posted on Jun 3, 2015 in Devotions | Tags: , , , ,

“12 And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return andthat will be your repayment. 13 the poor, the crippled,the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”  Luke 14:12-14
 

After a discourse of not having special guests to sit in prominent seats, but to love everyone equally and the same; Jesus then paints a more real and deeper heart issue:

He begins to describe that when you have a feast, don’t just invite the wealthy, your friends, your relatives, or those close to you.  But, invite strangers!!  And, invite people who can never pay you back!!

This is a heart of love; and a true missionary heart, and heart for missions: which Jesus mentioned that we all need to have.  (Matthew 28:18-20 & Mark 16:15) We’re to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to everyone!!

“For God so loved the world…..”(John 3:16)

Oh, that our heart would be filled with God’s love for all people groups, all nations; for every precious person on the planet.

We live in a world that is filled with hearts that are self-centered and self-pleasing, proud, and egotistic.  But, when we’re filled with God’s love (Romans 5:5), He places a lost world in the center of our hearts.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21

“We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you.” 2 Corinthians 6:11

Only God can give us a true heart for the world!  

Please, Living Hope Church, pray for your mission teams going out: to summer camp, to Peru, and to Poland and The Ukraine!  Oh, God!!  Put a love in our hearts for all people!!

In Jesus’ Name,

Pastor Wayne

 

 

 


God’s Promises are Bigger than Our Circumstances

Posted on Jun 3, 2015 in Devotions | Tags: , , ,

“For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.” –2 Corinthians 1:20
 

We live in a world where there are many difficulties and changing demographics.  But, God’s promises are greater than any of these! Whatever impossibilities we are facing, God and His Word are greater!!  

“With man this is impossible. With God, all things are possible!”   Matthew 19:26

And, “Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world.”  1 John 4:4

These are powerfully, crystal-clear statements about God’s power, and faithfulness to carry to completion His will and purpose for our lives!!

 

Think of His promises that are so very personal for you today:

1.)  The Bible is Inspired in 2 Timothy 3:16.  It’s not just a ‘Good Book”, nor is it the thoughts of man.  It’s entirely, and eternally inspired by God, Himself!  Actually, the Bible is Yahweh’s or Jehovah’s personal love letter to His child.
2.)  In Isaiah 40:29-31, God promises to give power to the weak; and strength to the powerless. It says that even the youth and young men will get tired and weary.  But, if we wait on Him, and believe His promise, He will bring it to pass.
 

3.)  In Romans 8:37-39, the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul, describes a long list of adversaries that can plague the Christian. The conclusion?  Not only does He give us the Victory over all these things (see list), but, none of those things shall separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus!!

In Closing, 1 Thessalonians 5:24 and Philippians 1:6 kind of give the same principle:

God is faithful to perform and complete, by His power, the work that he started in our lives; and individually fulfill every promise that concerns the building, and forming of Christ’s character within me.  It just means He’s going to do it because He’s a good God, and He loves us for Christ’s sake!  This is how we should view every one of the almost 8000 promises in the Bible!!
In Jesus’ Name,

Pastor Wayne