Apply The Gospel To Thyself Part 2
APPLY THE GOSPEL TO THYSELF Part 2
Romans 1:16-17 (NKJV)
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
Seek to grow in godlikeness.
2 Peter 1:3-11 NLT By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. 5 In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. 8 The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins. 10 So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. 11 Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Faith, not works.
Sounds like a gospel of works instead of faith, but it isn't.
Faith and work are not opposed to each other.
God is not against work.
Jesus Himself honored work.
John 5:16 (NLT) So the Jewish leaders began harassing Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules.
The difference between faith and works is the starting point… the initiative, the starting point.
Works:
A gospel of works glorifies man’s effort. Man initiates. Man is sufficient to himself, and God is unnecessary.
“Works”tries to achieve and attain what only God's grace can give.
A less extreme version of works says, “Start it and let God help you finish it.”
Faith:
In the gospel of faith, God has the initiative, He is the starting point. This is how we can differentiate between faith and works… who started it.
Romans 10:17 Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
The speaker always precedes the hearer. God has to speak first, before we can hear. If God has not spoken what have you heard; what do you base your “faith” on?
There is work involved in the walk of faith.
John 9:4 (NKJV) “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; [the] night is coming when no one can work.
The works of faith are the works which God, the Father started.
God, the Great Initiator commences, invites us to partner with Him, and then He finishes it.
He is called Alpha and Omega, Author and Finisher.
Faith’s work is in the middle of what God begins and which He intends to complete.
Philippians 1:6 (NKJV) being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete [it] until the day of Jesus Christ;
Analogy: God is like a business owner who starts a company. He hires us to work with and for Him. He provides on-the-job training for us. He expects us to pull our weight (studying and applying what we learn.) At the end of the day, He completes the cycle by giving us a salary, bonuses, benefits, and the best pension program ever, (eternity with Him.) We don’t start our own business and expect Him to pay us a salary and a pension.
Applying the Gospel to ourselves is taking advantage of all the benefits that partnership with God offers.
2 Peter 1:3-11 NLT By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. (unless God gives, we cannot receive.)4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. 5 In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith (complete trust in God “Abraham believed God..” )with a generous provision of moral excellence, (uprightness, like Daniel, Job) and moral excellence with knowledge, (study, like the Berean Christians) 6 and knowledge with self-control,(being on our guard, not giving in to emotions, “like a sheep before its shearers, He uttered not a word) and self-control with patient endurance, (sticking with it, for better or worse, for however long it takes) and patient endurance with godliness, (WWJD) 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, (warmth, cheerfulness)and brotherly affection with love for everyone. (kindness, goodness, generosity and hospitality, “when I was hungry, you fed me.”) 8 The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins. 10 So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. 11 Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
NUGGETS:
It’s the Sound of Your Walk, not the Sound of Your Talk
Life responds, not to the quantity of my prayer,
but to the quality of my Christian walk.
If I am determined to walk better, I will find that I talk better.
My walk improves my talk and not the other way round.
Grace never made anybody do what they didn't want to do.
Grace simply empowers us to do what we want to do.
We suffer, not from a want of grace but from a lack of want.
