Filled With All Joy and Peace

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver

"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost" (Romans 15:13)

Joy and Peace. What sober thinking person does not desire these two things? Men spend most of their lives in pursuit of them. This is what man-made religion is STRIVES for and what "pure and undefiled religion" POSSESSES. Being in a right standing with God, one in which you are welcome and blessed in His presence, will bring you joy and peace. Sure, "joy" and "peace" can be found in some measure in other areas of life but they will always be found wanting. The joy and peace we are speaking of here are the results of salvation from impending and present doom as well as the possession of eternal life. We are talking about a peace which surpasses all understanding and can guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Php 4:7). We are talking about joy unspeakable, inexpressible and full of glory (1 Pet 1:8). These things are only the product of faith.

In Believing. Joy and peace are like fuel gauges for faith. If your joy and peace are fleeting it is because you may be shrinking back in unbelief. The answer is not just: "Be joyful!" or "Be at peace!" The answer is: "Believe the gospel!" God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world but that the world might be saved by Him (Jn 3:17). Do you believe this? Christ Jesus bore our sins in His own body on the tree that we being dead to sins should live unto righteousness (1 Pet 2:24). Believe thou this? God made Him, Who knew no sin, to be sin for us that we might be the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor 3:21). Jesus perfectly accomplished the will of God and in so doing we are sanctified by the offering of His body once for all (Heb 10:10). Do you believe? He made an end of sin and finished the transgression (Dan 9:24). He made a new and living way to the Father (Heb 10:20). Our sins, which were many, have been forgiven us (Lk 7:47). There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1). Believe that! You've been seated with Christ in heavenly places. Your life is hid with Christ in God. All things are yours. You've come to Mount Zion. You have peace with God. Your name is written in heaven. Your inheritance is in heaven. Nothing can separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. You have passed out of death into life. You have been delivered from this present evil world by the will of God. An abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom will be ministered to you and you shall always be with the Lord. Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing.

Filled Up. Not just some. Not just a measure. God is able to FILL you up with ALL joy and peace. This is how the Lord is: abundant in blessing. There is nothing meager about God. God's provision is never described as "almost" or "nearly" or "a lot." The work of Jesus and the ministry of the Holy Spirit brings forth a filling of joy and peace. ALL joy and peace. When the windows of heaven are opened and joy and peace are poured out they become the most prominent and dominant of experiences. They are able, praise God, to flood the soul. They are like springs to dry ground. All doubt is pushed aside and the weary pilgrim is made to stand when joy and peace given by God.

Productive. All holy activity springs forth from having peace with God and joy as a result. Joy and peace are then the energizers behind good works. This arrangement is at work when we see the kingdom of God flourishing. For the kingdom of God is "righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Rom 14:17). Without joy and peace we will find ourselves shackled by the fear of being condemned and the guilt ridden, downcast disposition that results from it.

[This is experience of any religion that tries to approach God on the basis of merit and good works. Legalistic religion will always be void of joy and peace...unless, of course, it is also a delusional religion. The lack of joy and peace will prevent the people from moving. They are so afraid that at any moment God will smite them that they cannot freely give themselves to the work of the Lord. It is safer for them to do nothing than to abound in good works that may not be expressly authorized by the apostles. Only the full assurance of faith will be able to deliver them from such vain philosophy.] 

The joy of the Lord is the strength of a believer (Neh 8:10). Joy is spiritually invigorating. It causes those who have been saved by God to run and jump like calves out of the stall. It gives us feet like hinds' feet and sets us on high places. The Lord blesses His people this way. We are able then, like Paul, to finish our course and our ministry of testifying of the grace of God with great joy (Acts 20:24)! Think of it, your life's work can be a joyful work. I suggest that we all strive to enter into THIS work.

And what of the productivity of peace? The purged conscience (peace) liberates the soul to serve God acceptably. The full assurance of faith knows that God has accepted us in His Son and therefore we can press on to participate in the ministry of reconciliation. Joy and peace assure our acceptance with God and enable us to do whatever we can to labor in His field. Against such things there is no law. There is no limit to the progress that can be made or the labor that we can engage in. Fueled with joy and peace in believing, God enables us to run and not grow weary as we wait on Him.

Have faith brethren. Your warfare is accomplished! 

The God of Hope

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver

"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost" (Romans 15:13)

Men have need of a better day. Furthermore, they have need of the knowledge of a better day. It is not enough for there to be light at the end of the tunnel. In order for men to enter the tunnel and endure its darkness they must know that darkness is not the end of the matter. There must be light and they must know about it. This is what hope is about. Those who have hope know that the happenings of today must be endured because the benefits of tomorrow are too good to be neglected.

Hope. Without hope men are left with despair and in the very best circumstance: ignorance. We simply do not know what tomorrow will bring. In fact, Jesus exhorted us to take "no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself" and again, "sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof" (Mt 6:34). There is not benefit in worrying about what is unknown. There is great blessing, however, in trusting in the One who does know what tomorrow holds. There is everlasting comfort and incomprehensible peace in trusting in the God of hope.

Hope is the earnest expectation of good things to come. It is not tangible but it is powerful. You cannot hold it but it can take hold of you. It can dominate your thoughts, comfort you heart, and drive your actions. For "hope that is seen is not hope: for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance" (Rom 8:24-25). This perseverance and patience is characteristic of all those who are abounding in hope. They will not forfeit the unseen blessings of heaven for the temporary pleasure of what they can see. Instead they consider themselves to be strangers and pilgrims in this world all the while looking eagerly and longingly toward that world which is to come. AND... they will do anything to obtain a good inheritance in that world. Though laboring by the sweat of their brow they recognize that they are plowing in hope and threshing in hope knowing that without a doubt they shall be partakers of their hope (1 Cor 9:10).

The God of Hope. All hope is based upon the promise true substance not just wishful thinking. "Hope," after all, "maketh not ashamed." We are not simply trusting in the existence of an inheritance ready to be revealed but rather trusting in a God who is always faithful to provide abundantly more than His people can ask or imagine. In view of this our hope is associated with "full assurance" (Heb 6:11) and is able to sustain us until the end. For our hope is not in a someTHING but a someONE. The someTHINGS come to us because the someONE is a provider. God has gone on record describing Himself as "The God of Hope."

Wherever there is God there is hope. We can hope in whatever God promises. It is a sure thing. If we can get to God we can obtain whatever it is that He has promised. Whatever peril, affliction, sorrow or temptation paves the road we must traverse on our way to the Father, we can be sure that our Shepherd is able to bring us safely there and grace that will be revealed worth every drop of sweat, every shed tear and every anxious thought. The God of Hope will dispel all these things with the glory of His presence. With God there is hope and our hope is in God.

Some Thoughts on the Grace of God

A word fitly spoken is like apples of God in settings of silver

"From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had completed." (Acts 14:26, NKJV)

All work in the kingdom of God is fueled by the grace of God. Knowing this, men can and must live by faith in God's ability to supply them with all the necessary resources to accomplished His objectives for them. In the above text the writer refers to a journey the apostle Paul and his friends had just completed and in few brief words reveals the source of power in their ministry - the grace of God.

Salvation by Grace. Anything that God calls men to do, any ministry or task, any Divine objective given to men will not only require God's grace it will come with God's grace. In other words, if God calls you to it, He will also give you what you need to accomplish it. The fault of the flesh is that it always leans on it's own understanding and works according to it's own power. And this is why justification is not by works of the law or man's ability to carry out God's commands. The law is "weak through the flesh" (Rom 8:3). So, "finding fault with them" (men in their weakness) "He saith, 'Behold the day cometh,' saith the Lord, 'when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah'" (Heb 8:8). This new covenant is not like the old one. The old covenant was based upon God's commands and man's ability to comply. The new covenant is based upon God's requirements and the Son of God's ability to fulfill them. Those who are in the Son are in the covenant. Salvation, then, is "by grace" - God's provision and "through faith" - man's trust in that provision (Eph 2:8).

The Empowerment of Grace. Grace is very practical. It is not just an idea or philosophy. It is a provision that has utility. Men can actually "frustrate the grace of God" but rejecting it's utility and trying to justify themselves through law keeping (Gal 2:21). But the apostle Paul was no such person. He was commended to the grace of God and lived and ministered out of the abundance of it's provision. Someone has once used grace as an acrostic defining it as "God's Riches At Christ's Expense." I like thinking about grace in this way. As a result of Christ's work men have been blessed with "all spiritual blessings in heavenly places" (Eph 1:3) and the promise to believers is that God "shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Php 4:19). Salvation itself is impossible with men but not with God (Mt 19:26) and so is valid ministry. The work of God is of such great import and objective that men alone cannot obtain it for themselves or help anyone else obtain it. Only God can bring men into His work and He can only do it through the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

The magnitude of Paul's ministry cannot be quantified. He was commissioned as the "apostle to the gentiles" - the entire non Jewish world! And he was given an abundance of revelations and ministered day and night even providing for his own needs by maintaining a vocation of tent making. How could a man do such a great work?...the grace of God. He confesses, "by the grace of God I am what I am; and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all [the other apostles], YET NOT I BUT THE GRACE OF GOD WHICH WAS WITH ME" (1 Cor 15:10).

And so in view of these considerations and without reservation I would like to recommend you to the grace of God which is able to save you and empower you for the ministry you have received from the Father.

Grace and Peace

The Gospel is of God's Working

The gospel is an announcement of what God has done, is doing and will do in Jesus. It does not accomplish the work of salvation, rather it brings the work of salvation within the reach of man. Through it The Lord brings "life and immortality to light" - that is, real life, abundant life, everlasting life, eternal life is made manifest to be both accessible and obtainable through the Son of God. This is good news to the one who is convicted of his sin and fully aware of his waywardness and falling short of the glory of the incorruptible God.

Specifically, the gospel announces that all that is accomplished and performed in salvation is according to a Divine edict, not reaction. None of God's working out of His eternal purpose is dependent on man or a reaction to man. It is all driven by His determinate counsel and foreknowledge.

When all of creation is gathered before the Father and before the Lamb in the world to come; when they observe the greatness, the vastness and the detail of redemption; if ever the question is raised "Why are we here?" or "How did we get here?" or "Who is responsible for our everlasting life?" The answer will be a resounding and unified response: "Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb" (Rev 7:10). They will say "This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes" (Ps 118:23).

Men of faith have always had this perspective but it will be most notable then. Even in consideration of The Lord of Glory being slain by the hands of godless men we can see that it was not their work primarily but that "The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against The Lord and against His Christ...for to do whatsoever [God's] hand and [God's] counsel determined before to be done" (Acts 4:26,28).

The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and the salvation of men as a result of this work is proclaimed through the gospel to be the working of God our Savior according to His determinate counsel, His predetermined plan, His eternal purpose.

He is Brought as a Lamb to the Slaughter

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver

He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth. (Isaiah 53:7)

Jesus has always been the Lamb of God. He has always been the appointed sacrifice for the sin of the world. He came into the world as being brought to the slaughter house. He was given to us and for us, in order to take away sin. 

His appearing on the earth came with a sign in the sky, a star and even an angelic chorus that announced, 

"Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." (Luke 2:10-14)

Now this grand event, this first announcement of the birth of the man child and Christ child was to "shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night" (v 8). While they were among sheep, some of which were also to be brought to be slaughtered, the very Lamb of God was announced to them, the final, last and only acceptable Lamb to be slain for the sin of the world. 

All references to the coming of the Messiah are in association with His work of putting away sin and dying for our transgressions. Everything He did was in order to appease God, satisfy God, obey the commandment of eternal life, set those enslaved by sin free, and proclaim the year of the Lord's favor upon men. Had it not been for the sin of man and the righteousness of God there would be no need for Jesus' death. He would have died in vain. But alas, we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and the wages of such sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Our remembrance of Him is a pleasant one for He has done and is doing all that His Father has asked of Him and He shall be compensated. Furthermore, we have been delivered from sin. We have been freed from its alluring power and condemning nature. We have been completely exonerated of all charges and transgressions that we have committed because Jesus was brought to the slaughter in our stead. The wages of sin, its debt has been paid; our debt has been forgiven. Believe that and rejoice in it. He is worthy of our remembrance. and praise.

Some Thoughts about the Kingdom of God

THE KINGDOM OF GOD

The Kingdom of Kingdoms. The kingdom of God is the authority over all other kingdoms. All other kingdoms are a part of and governed by the kingdom of God. Speaking of God’s kingdom Daniel said, “all dominions shall serve and obey Him” (Dan 7:27). Likewise, David declared, “For the kingdom is the Lord’s and He is governor among the nations” (Ps 22:28).

His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. God has always ruled over the kingdoms of the earth, though those earthly kingdoms failed to recognize and acknowledge it. Nevertheless, the Lord used kingdoms such as Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Persia, Rome, and Assyria. Those kingdoms were under the rule of His kingdom. So it is with all powers and authorities. The Divine word to them is this: “Thou couldest have no power at all against Me, except it were given thee from above” (Jn 19:11). “For there is no power but of God; the powers that be are ordained of God” (Rom 13:1)

Christ's Temptation. Jesus was able to overcome the temptation of the devil because He could not be deceived by the deceitfulness of sin. He was not allured by the devil when he took “Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and [showed] Him all the kingdoms of the world” (Mt 4:8-9). The devil told Jesus He could have all of those kingdoms if He would bow down and worship him. But Jesus knew the truth, that upon being exalted by His Father all of those kingdoms would be His in righteousness. Equality with God is not a thing to be grasped. Jesus willingly forsook many Divine qualities and glory but those things would be returned to Him when He would accomplish the work He was given to do. The Lord’s Christ would be exalted by His Father and the kingdoms of this world, along with all other enemies would become subject to Him.

The King of Kings. Jesus is the King over all kings. He is, upon sitting down at the right hand of the majesty in the heavens, exalted to the highest place. When He sat down in heaven, He sat down on a throne. He is not waiting to be crowned King - He has been. God the Father has made Jesus both Lord and Christ. The Kingdom of God has been put in the charge of the Son of God. And He is now reigning until “He hath put all enemies under His feet” and “the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (1 Cor 15:25-26). 

The Kingdom of God was given over to Jesus when He ascended to heaven and sat down on His throne. When the end comes and the dead are raised and all are judged and the earth is destroyed with intense heat, then, “He shall deliver up the kingdom TO God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power” (1 Cor 15:24). The kingdoms of the world are part of the rule and authority and power that are to be put down. Though, they are opposed to Him now, they shall be made to bow to Him then. 

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)

Ruling Now, Revealed Then. There is a large group of believers that claim that Jesus is not yet reigning and has not yet been given the kingdom of God. They say this because “if doth not yet appear” to the natural eye. But by faith we can see that He is reigning. The revelation of His reign will come at the last trump. It is then that Jesus shall be revealed (1 Pet 1:13) as the Christ of God; the One of Whom the prophets did speak; the King of kings and Lord of lords. For when He entered into heaven He entered as "the King of glory, the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle" (Ps 24). And when He returns He will return not as a babe in a manger but as the great King who overcame the world and is set to judge it in righteousness.

The Redemption of the Purchased Possession - Part 4

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver

MUTUAL BENEFIT: CHRIST’S INHERITANCE AND OURS
The ordained end of salvation, when the tabernacle of God is with men, will be a blessed condition for all involved. Not only will we receive God as our exceeding great reward; not only will receive bodies fit for our heavenly habitation; not only will we partake of the fullness of joy, but we ourselves will be a blessing to Deity. Christ will receive us as His bride on that day. In accord with the Father's promise to His Son the faithful God will give Jesus the heathen for His inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for His possession” (Ps 2:8). For not only will Jesus have raised up the tribes of Jacob there will be an innumerable company of men from every tribe and tongue and kindred and people present on account of this Light that shined in their hearts. And God will not be left without an inheritance either: for we shall be His people and He shall be all in all.

God, Our God and We, His People. “And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be My people” (Lev 26:12). “And I will give them an heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God; for they shall return unto Me with their whole heart” (Jer 24:7). “And ye shall be My people, and I will be your God” (Jer 30:22). “That the house of Israel may go no more astray from Me, neither be polluted any more with all their transgressions; but they may be My people, and I may be their God,” saith the Lord God (Ezek 14:11). “Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols,, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will save them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them; so shall they be My people, and I will be their God” (Ezek 37:23). “My tabernacle also shall be with them; yea, I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (Ezek 37:27). “Yet the number of children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, ‘Ye are not My people,’ there is shall be said unto them, ‘Ye are the sons of the living God’” (Hos 1:10). Redemption and salvation are mutually beneficial. We receive a God and God receives a people, in righteousness and truth.

CONCLUSION

This truth revealed by God is very encouraging and provoking to life Godward. It is good and right for us to think of ourselves in terms of "the redeemed" of the Lord. We belong to God. This will help us in our fight of faith. It will help us reason appropriately concerning our present experience. “For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor 6:20). “Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men” (1 Cor 7:23). We look forward to the redemption of our body (Rom 8:23) and until then, though groaning within ourselves, we are kept by the power of God and sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.

We have been purchased by God and yet while in this flesh we find ourselves enslaved, to some degree, to another. We are bound by this vile body. We are currently absent from the Lord. Until what has been purposed for us is completely ours we are found wanting. But be of good cheer, brethren, our final redemption is coming! "Look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Lk 21:28).