Law of the Spirit and Life in Christ

Proverbs 9:9 tells us how to grow in grace and knowledge. People who never read the Old Testament, because they think it's all done away—which is a lie…

• Who's the father of lies? Satan the devil!

IF you operate by lies:

• Who are you serving, even though you claim you're following the Bible.
• How can you have a false prophet who is able to deceive unless he also has a good amount of Truth in what he says before he brings in the false doctrine?

Prov. 9:9 applies to us! You can say this verse is the same as in the New Testament:

2-Peter 3:18: "Rather, be growing in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…."

Proverbs 9:9: "Give instruction to a wise one…" Who is wise? Those who:

• believe God
• obey God
• love God

That's the shortest formula! There are a couple of others.

• obey My voice

God made it convenient; He has it recorded and it's printed and you have it with you!

So anyone anywhere who has a Bible has the knowledge that they need to have that God has given through His Word.

Proverbs 9:9: "Give instruction to a wise one, and he will be still wiser… [grow in grace and knowledge] …teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning."

Now then read the next verse because this is it. The fear of God is a good thing to have, not in trepidation that He's going to exterminate you, but the fear of God that you would go against His laws and against His teachings. Because everything that God has given in His Word is for all of us so:

• we can grow in grace and knowledge.
• we can learn about God.
• we can understand what He's doing
• we can understand what we need to do

Verse 10: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom…"

You go along in life and all of a sudden, DING!, like a light goes on. What happened? You discovered something that was true and you understood it!

"…and the knowledge of the Holy is understanding" (v 10).

Now let's come to Psa. 119, the longest Psalm in the Psalms. It'll take you a little while to read it, because it's broken down into 22, 8 verse sections. But it has so much to do with

• the love of God
• the love of His Commandments
• the love of the Truth
• how to overcome sin

That it is one of the very, very best to understand why God has given His Laws. Remember:

IF you're under grace, you're within Law! To be under Law means you're not following God, and human nature and sin rules in your life when you're under Law; because the Laws of God that you are breaking work automatically! All of us live under Law!

Everything you do has to be done according to rules, laws and regulations. Think about that of everything that you have. Take a look around your house and look at all that you have, it was made!  The house was constructed. All the possessions that you have were created and worked according to law by men to make things which God gave! Here's the beauty of the Bible:

Psalm 119:17: "Deal bountifully with Your servant…"

That's what God does in giving us His Holy Spirit; He's dealing bountifully with us above and beyond measure!

"…that I may live and keep Your Word" (v 17). That means every Word of God! Even though it's expressed singularly, every Word of God is contained in that.

Notice what the Law and teachings of God is to do:

Verse 18: "Open my eyes so that I may behold wondrous things out of Your Law." Wonderful things!

What we're going to do is take a look at a couple of Laws that are not the Ten Commandments. This is a very interesting thing when you look at it, because there's always the argument of Law against Grace, etc.

So you spring this on some of your Protestant friends:

Romans 3:27: "Therefore, where is boasting?.…"

That is because you know about the Laws and Commandments of God, or that you're such a great person or whatever.

"…It is excluded. Through what law? The law of works?" (v 27).

That's the whole problem with the New Testament, the works of Judaism vs the faith of Christ!

"…By no means! Rather, it is through a law of faith" (v 27).

Now then, how does Protestants explain this IF Law is against faith? It's accomplished through a Law of Faith!Even faith works in the way that it's supposed to according to the way God designed it. So, faith becomes a Law of belief!

Hope you grasp that! Through a law of faith! On the surface, this seems to be a contradiction, because in a book of James we find: someone will say, 'I have faith and you have works. So, it's the faith of works, law or sin!

So, here is the operation of having our sins forgiven. Bringing us, as Lyall brought out, through the power of God unto the Kingdom of God. {message: Being Transferred Unto the Kingdom by Lyall Johnston} Not in it ,yet; but to get in it!

This is an operation of a law of faith! What does it mean to believe? That's a law of faith! Belief and faith is like having a coin—the two sides of one coin.

Verse 28: "Consequently, we reckon that a man is justified by faith…":

• through repentance to God
• through this forgiveness of sin
• through the sacrifice of Christ

That's part of the Law of Faith!

• we are justified by faith
• we are put in right standing with God

That's something to understand! When we're in right standing with God, we are in harmony with Him:

• in spirit
• in mind
• in attitude
• in obedience
• everything that we do
• even in the trials that we go through

Some of our trials are hard and heavy and difficult to bear. But through a law of faith:

• believing in Christ
• believing in God
• believing in His mercy
• hoping for His healing or whatever
• living by every Word of God

All of that is a law of faith; or you could say, works of faith!

Now, the traditions of the Jews, as well as the sacrifices at the temple were works of law to justify them to the temple. That did not justify them so they had direct access to God the Father! That could not happen until Christ came, with the exception of those whom God dealt directly with.

"…separate from works of law"—apart from that; works of law are over here.

Now, we have the law of faith to replace the works of law! I know that gets a little complicated; but it's true. So, Paul explains it here. Because what we have is this: Everyone who has been justified—who has repented and been baptized, received the Holy Spirit of God—and made in right standing with God. We believe God, and all of this is an operation of the Law of Faith!

Now, let's look at this again here in Rom. 7, which is a very difficult chapter. I'll have to take the time to go through that again, because it uses the word law in a number of different ways.

Now then, the Law of God is on one hand; but

• the traditions of men and the laws of Judaism are another thing.
• the traditions of Catholicism and their laws are another thing
• the traditions of Protestantism follow along with Catholicism

About the only thing they have different in Protestantism is they don't believe in the pope and they don't do Mary-worship.

Sidebar: Since I have been on Midnight to Caravan to Midnight, I've been trying to keep up on all or as many of the preachers—televangelists—as I can. Knowing what they're saying and how they're doing it and so forth.

There are a couple that do pretty good. Charles Stanley was one, but he died recently. And there is David Jeremiah who does pretty good. I have his book here, The Coming Golden Age! But they all end up at the same place, that one little prayer; if you say that one little prayer, everything is magically taken care of, and you don't have to worry about a thing because 'Jesus has done it all for you'!

Now, in going through that, it's easy to see how they start out with things from the Scriptures that are true and then it ends up with what they want to do!

I saw one preacher and he gave a sermon whole half hour on debt-free. What did he mean by debt-free? Well, he went on to explain, and guess what part of Malachi he used; Mal. 3: 'Is a man going to rob God?'

The finality of it was: 'The way you get debt-free is send your money to me.' Amazing! So, all of those programs end up 'send me the money' rather than:

• God is Ruler
• His Laws are true
• they are faithful
• they are righteous
• they are good

There is a law of faith and there are works of law, and there are laws that we have written in our heart and in our mind!

We saw what the law of faith is. Now, there's one more we're going to look at that is also called the Law, which to some people may seem a little contradictory, but it's not.

Romans 7:12: "Therefore, the Law is indeed Holy…"

IF it's Holy, THEN it's spiritual, and it works automatically, just like the law of gravity.

"…and the commandment Holy and righteous and good" (v 12).

But the Protestants say the Law is a curse! It's because they're so stupid; they don't know how to read. We are saved from the curse of the Law! It doesn't say 'we are saved from the Law, which is a curse.' What is the curse of the Law? The curse of the Law in the letter and in the spirit, the penalty for breaking it:

I recently fell on my knee, full weight on my right knee. It's very sore and it's hard for me to walk. I broke the law by tripping, and the law of gravity automatically pulled me down. I didn't have to say, 'Oh, no law of gravity.' No! it's automatic!

Same thing with all of God's spiritual laws, they are automatic—all of them! That's why it is absolute satanic stupidity to say the Ten Commandments have been done away. You command—if you believe the law of gravity to disappear—but it's not going to oblige you. You can't get rid of the Laws of God.

• they're automatic
• they are spiritual
• they are Holy
• they are righteous

IF everyone on earth kept the Ten Commandments, we wouldn't need a single army.

Look at what we have. The Ten Commandments are a law of love! Love, first of all, to God with the first four. And then the last six having to do with our relationship concerning our parents and other people.

One commandment of God that's not written down as a commandment, but IF God commands something, what is it? A commandment!

IF  God commands it, it is a commandment! It doesn't have to be written down as a commandment like the Ten Commandments, but this is found in Gen. 2, which is the key to solve every sex problem in the world, in all nations between men and women everywhere in the world! 'A man shall leave his father and mother and shall cleave unto his wife'—a command!

There are other commands, but think what would happen if everyone kept the Laws of God. The Law is called by David perfect!

It has the capacity to point out to you, with God's Spirit internally what are your secret sins. And we all have them. Isn't that true? God knows them! God can know everything!

Now the Bible talks about the reins that we have that God creates in us. That's whatever part of the brain is there that God can know:

• what we're thinking
• what we're saying
• what we're doing

Now let's put all of this together over in Rom. 8; Paul talks about the law of sin that's dwelling within us, the law of sin and death! That's the sin within!

The whole purpose of conversion is to overcome the sin within by having the commandments of God written in our heart and mind by the Spirit of God. That's the greatest thing that anyone can do with the Spirit of God, with:

• prayer, with study
• coming to God
• to be able to have the mind of Christ

That's something!

• How did Christ think?
• How does He think?
• What does God want us to do?
• How does God want us to think?
• How is that expressed to us?

Well, it's in His Word here! Now let's look at another Law.

Romans 8:1: "Consequently… [we're working against sin to overcome it and He's forgiving us] …there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who are not walking according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." God's Spirit within you:

• leading you
• directing you
• helping you

That's why we need to:

• study every day
• pray every day

Read and study the Bible over and over and over again your whole life, because there are things in here that you continually learn and you add increased knowledge to it every time you do. There's no other book like it in the world. All the philosophers out there can't even come close to what God has, Yet, the whole world would rather have the philosophies of Satan the devil than of God. Those who are not walking according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Verse 2—here's another Law: "Because the Law of the Spirit of Life…"

Now what is that? That is the operation of the Spirit of God in our mind!

"…the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has delivered me from the law of sin and death" (v 2).

Meaning with the Spirit of God you have the power to overcome sin upon repentance and yielding to God because:

• you believe in Him
• you obey Him
• you love Him

So, that's a living law! Anyone who says that the Law has been done away, how are you going to get rid of these Laws that we just covered today?

• the Law of faith
• the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus

How are you going to get rid of that:

• IF the Law is eternal? Which it is!
• IF God is the Law-giver? Which He is!

Think on that!

"…has delivered me from the law of sin and death" (v 2).

This is what people in the world can't understand to try and figure out. How do we make people good so we don't have trouble? That's what it's all about! But they won't go to God! Oh, some of them come part way to God.

• What does God want?
• Does He want you half way?

If you're going to come to God, you have to come to God completely! He's not going to convert half of you!

Verse 3: "For what was impossible for the Law to do, in that it was weak through the flesh…"

The Law can only state what is right and what is wrong. But you need the Spirit of God to make it work. That's the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ! It works for everyone the same way. That's an amazing thing!

Verse 3: "For what was impossible for the Law to do, in that it was weak through the flesh… [were incomplete without the Spirit of God] … God having sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh…"

All these Catholic philosophers, pagan philosophers and Protestant philosophers try and say that Jesus didn't have the law of sin and death in Him.

What does it say here? He "…sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh…" He had to receive the law of sin and death within him that he got from his mother Mary. That's called human nature, the law that works in everyone. That's the law—if it's not overcome by the Spirit of God within—of sin and death!

That's quite an amazing thing! I don't think too many people have gone over what are these two laws. Or even think it's a law, because law and faith and law and Spirit seem to be contradictory, but they're not!

Now here's why: All of you out there who think you're so smart that you can tell God that you're getting rid of His Law or that He got rid of it through Christ.  Did He? No!

• He amplified it
• He made it Holy and glorious

Isaiah 42:24: "Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to robbers? Did not the LORD, against Whom we have sinned? For they would not walk in His ways, nor did they obey His Law."

What did he do in Matt. 5-7? God showed the spiritual application of the Law!

• there's a physical application
• there's a spiritual application

But Law—the Ten Commandments—work automatically.

Now, with the downward pull of human nature, you can resist the pull of human nature to a certain point. But you can't overcome it without the Spirit of God because it says here:

Romans 8:2: "Because the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has delivered me from the law of sin and death."

Verse 5: "For those who walk according to the flesh mind the things of the flesh…"

They don't know anything about God. They try and solve the problems their own way. It'll work for a while, but it will not have any spiritual consequence.

"…but those who walk according to the Spirit…" (v 5).

What does walking mean? That means you are living your life:

•  according to the Spirit of God
• as led by the Spirit of God
• as having the Commandments of God written in your heart and in your mind

Which then is conversion! That's the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus! That's an amazing thing, and it's spiritual!.

That's why you have to answer the call of God! You'll never find it unless you answer the call of God! The call of God goes out to many. Jesus said, 'Many are called, but few are chosen'! Why are few chosen? Because few repent!

Few come to the point that they see that they cannot change their lives, and they are sinners and have sinned against God, and their sins killed Christ!

Verse 5: "For those who walk according to the flesh mind the things of the flesh; but those who walk according to the Spirit mind the things of the Spirit."

• How do you think?
• What is love?
• What is truth?
• What is right?

Isn't that how you think? Yes, indeed!

Verse 6: "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace, because the carnal mind is enmity against God…" (vs 6-7).

I just got a paper from a man who said that Christ has done everything for us and we don't need to do anything or keep any Law!

• Can you get any more carnal minded than that?
• Where does it tell us that in the Bible?
• Where does it tell us that in the New Testament?

"…the carnal mind is enmity against God…" (v 7)—an enemy of God!

• If you're an enemy of God, whose side are you on? You're on Satan's side!
• What is he going to lead you to do? Satan will take you step-by-step down into the very depths of Satan!
• like those that are in prison in New York, Diddy and the other fellow
• those who openly worship Satan,
• those who partake of child sacrifice and drink blood even today

That's the depths of Satan!

Now then, we just finished the wonderful time of Christmas. It's nowhere in the Bible! Everything about it's a lie!

• they try and make it a Truth by saying Christ was born then, but He wasn't
• they try and make it good, because they give gifts to each other

and the family gets together, and we're all so happy,
UNTIL we get our MasterCard in January with 31% interest to pay for all the presents!

Does Satan want you to be happy in sin? Yes! Christmas is the perfect example:

• he takes family, which God wants
• he takes giving something to people, which God wants you to be giving, not taking
• then he perverts it around his favorite tree, The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, called the Christmas Tree!

Jer. 10:2-5 says, 'Don't go out in the forest and cut a tree and hammer it with nails so that it stands.'

But people do it, and they're happy about it. They sing songs about it. You have jingle bells and reindeers, and reindeers don't fly. A fat man can't come down a skinny chimney, even one chimney, let alone for all the little brats around the world.

Romans 8:7: "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the Law of God…" Perfect example!

If you point out to someone that Christmas is wrong, he says, 'I will keep my Christmas.' Enemy of God! But he is convinced he is right!

• Why would you be against family getting together?
• Why would you be against giving gifts?
• Why would you be against having a good time?

A little adultery on the side will just add a little spice to it, you know. Whatever! That's why they have the kissing under the mistletoe and everything, which is a weed, by the way!

Verse 7: "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the Law of God; neither indeed can it be." So, you go up to them and you tell them:

• your Christmas is wrong
• your Halloween is wrong
• your Easter is wrong

You  should keep the Sabbath, and the Passover, and the Holy Days of God, and maybe God will hear you! 'You're crazy!'

Yet, what do they have in their possession? A Bible! They condemn themselves because they have it, but they don't read it, and they don't want to understand it, because they would have to change! The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus is:

• the receiving of the Holy Spirit of God
• walking in the Spirit
• having the laws written in our hearts and minds

Verse 8: "But those who are in the flesh cannot please God"

In Greek it means impossible, no power to please God!  Why? Because the carnal mind hasn't come to the very first point of repentance!

Verse 9: "However, you are not in the flesh…"—as God is looking at you, though you're still living in the flesh, as Lyle pointed out in his message: Being Transformed Unto the Kingdom.

"…but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God is indeed dwelling within you. But IF anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him" (v 9).

Now, could the battle lines be drawn any closer? Any clearer? No! There it is!

• IF you're carnal, you're an enemy of God
• IF you're converted with the Spirit of Life in Christ, Jesus says 'you are My friend'

Everyone wants to be a friend of God, but they don't want to believe Him and obey Him!

Never, never happen; it's impossible! That's what we just read.

Verse 10: "But if Christ be within you, the body is indeed dead because of sin…"

• you have buried it
• you're overcoming it
• you're putting down the deeds of the flesh as it comes up

"…however, the Spirit is Life because of righteousness" (v 10).

What is righteousness? All Your commandments are righteousness! (Psa. 119:172[transcriber's correction])

Verse 11: "Now, if the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from the dead is dwelling within you…" You have to do like anything else!

God wants to teach you, to educate you; that's why:

• you pray
• you study
• you think on these things
• your mind, with the Spirit of God, is a spiritual mind
• you think on spiritual things
• you see things in the world from the way that they actually are

Not the way that is perceived by people in the world trying to find out how to solve the problem!

How do you solve the problem of a man coming up and throwing whatever he threw on the woman in the subway and literally killed her by burning her in the subway and no one had the guts to go and try and save her? When they arrested him, they found out that he was a man:

• dedicated to evil
• dedicated to killing
• dedicated to breaking every law under the sun

• What do we do with people like this?
• You know what God says? Have a swift trial, take them out, and hang them!

Now, a little clarification. It's wrong to translate into Ten Commandments, 'You shall not kill.' That's an incorrect translation.

But all the 'do-gooder religions of the world' come and say that you shouldn't execute them because of what they have done, because that's killing. No! The Hebrew and likewise in the Greek and the New Testament: you shall not murder!

God says you shall take those who commit sins unto death, execute them!God says that of sexual perversion. If they won't repent, execute them!

• Why?
• Is that mean?
• Is that evil?

No! That's what God says for a nation.

• Why? Well, if you don't, look what happens!

All you have to do is, as I mentioned before:

• San Francisco
• New York
• Los Angeles

Wherever you want to go!

We have the example in the Bible of Sodom and Gomorrah. And the greatest Sodom and Gomorrah today in the world is the city of Tel Aviv!

Verse 11: "Now, if the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from the dead is dwelling within you…"

The Spirit comes from the Father, sent by Jesus Christ; so you have two aspects of it:

• the Spirit of the Father
• the Spirit of Christ

We'll see about this in developing the mind of Christ here in just a bit.

"…He Who raised Christ from the dead will also quicken your mortal bodies because of His Spirit that dwells within you" (v 11).

You've got to have the Spirit of God to come to the resurrection! There it is!

Verse 12:"So then, brethren, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh."

We don't live like people in the world. We live in the world but not like the world!

Verse 13: "Because if you are living according to the flesh, you shall die…"

Notice, this is the application of v 2: "Because the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus…"

Verse 13: "…but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you shall live."

That means by using the Spirit of God, you see sin when it comes into your mind, and you repent of it! That's an amazing thing! "…because the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus…"—working within us! It's a Law, a spiritual Law!

Verse 14: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God." That's the whole goal of:

• why we're called
• where we're going
• what we're going to do

That's why when you keep the Holy Days of God, you know God's basic outline of what He's going to do and we'll have a vital part of it.

Verse 15: "Now, you have not received a spirit of bondage again unto fear…"—which comes from Satan, that spirit that is now working in the children of disobedience' (Eph. 2).

"…but you have received the Spirit of sonship…" (v 15).

• What is the ultimate goal? Resurrection and becoming a spirit being!
• What is that going to be like?

John wrote in 1-John 3 that when we're resurrected, we will see Jesus exactly as He is because we will be like Him!

The end result of the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus! That's an amazing thing!

The more I study the Bible, the longer that I live—and I don't know how long I'm going to live—but I will live forever after the resurrection; but in the flesh, I don't know. It gets a little tricky every once in a while. That's the way it happens. Spirit of sonship: Let's see this in action. This is quite a thing.

2-Corinthians 6:14—here it explains the action of it in our lives: "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers…."

They won't understand what you're doing. It doesn't matter if it's a business partnership or whatever.

"…For what do righteousness and lawlessness have in common?…. [Nothing! That's what's wrong with the laws of men!] …And what fellowship does light have with darkness?" (v 14). We have no part with Satan the devil!

Verse 15: "And what union does Christ have with Belial? Or what part does a believer have with an unbeliever? And what agreement is there between a Temple of God and idols? For you… [that's US] …are a Temple of the living God, exactly as God said: 'I will dwell in them and walk in them…" (vs 15-16).

The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus, the Law of God's Holy Spirit comes from the Father and Christ together!

"'…and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Therefore, come out from the midst of them and be separate,' says the Lord, 'and touch not the unclean, and I will receive you; and I shall be a Father to you'…" (vs 16-18).

That's the whole purpose of Rom. 8. We won't have time to go through the whole chapter, but I'll leave that up to you.

Verse 18: "'And I shall be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters,' says the Lord Almighty."

2-Cor. 7:1—tells us how the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ within us is to work as we choose and direct our lives, led by God's Spirit.

2-Corinthians 7:1: "Now then, beloved, since we have these promises, we should purge ourselves from every defilement of the flesh and the spirit, perfecting Holiness in the fear of God."

Isn't that it? That tells us how that works. This is why the Bible is designed:

• some here
• some there
• some someplace else
• some at the end of the Bible
• some at the front of the Bible
• some in the middle of the Bible

But they all come together in one package!

Romans 8:15: "Now, you have not received a spirit of bondage again unto fear, but you have received the Spirit of sonship, whereby we call out, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit itself bears witness conjointly with our own spirit…" (vs 15-16).

So that's why it's called a begettal, because everyone who is born, at the instant of conception, you receive the spirit of man! Doesn't matter who you are, where you are, with the circumstances of conception, God made it that way, and you have the spirit of man! Now think about all the abortions that have taken place. I'll just leave it at that, because that's another whole message. But that is murder, and that is destruction of a creation of God!

If it weren't for God's love that He's going to undo all of that evil, it would be a terrible thing, indeed! Sonship, whereby we cry 'Abba Father'—direct contact to God!

• you don't go to a temple
• you don't go to a priest
• you don't go to a little prayer booth

and the priest opens up a little sliding window there and says, 'are you ready to confess your sins, my son?' He's called a father, but he's a pervert and a homosexual!

Verse 16: "The Spirit itself bears witness conjointly with our own spirit, testifying that we are the children of God."

• that's what God wants
• that's what He's doing

Verse 17: "Now, if we are children, we are also heirs…"

Like Lyall said, we have an inheritance, but until we get the inheritance, we're heirs!

"…truly, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ…" (v 17).

What does it say in Heb. 1? That He upholds everything in the universe by the word of His power or the power of His Word! How powerful is God when He speaks? There you go!

"…joint heirs with Christ…" (v 17).

• What does it say?
• How joint is that going to be?

Rev. 19 shows the marriage supper of the Lamb and the marriage of the Lamb and the Church! That's what happens when you have a husband and a wife, and your children are heirs.

That is an analogy for what God is doing. Those who are going to be in the first resurrection are going to be the Bride of Christ forever, as kings and priests, as Lyall brought out! Notice that there's a little cost to it:

"…if indeed we suffer together with Him…" (v 17) because there will be times we'll suffer:

• whether physically from whatever
• whether spiritually by difficulties and problems
• whether we're persecuted
• whether we're hauled before magistrates to be tried and killed

"…so that we may also be glorified together with Him" (v 17).

That's why all of the martyrs back in the Middle Ages went back willingly to die, because they knew they would have a glorified body!

This is quite a thing! God is doing the work and He's going to do it.

Now, as we have brought out before, Paul wants us to know that everything that he is writing. He's writing under the inspiration of God the Father and Jesus Christ!

Philippians 1:1: "Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: Grace and peace be to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (vs 1-2). That's our standing before God! Grace is:

• our direct relationship with God
• forgiveness of sin
• receiving of His Holy Spirit
• growing in grace and knowledge

all of those things together!

Verse 2: "Grace and peace…"

• you're not an enemy against God
• you're not fighting against Him
• you have peace
• you love God

God loves you, that's peace.

"…be to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God on every remembrance of you, always making supplication with joy in my every prayer for you all, For your fellowship in the Gospel from the first day until now; being confident of this very thing… [don't be in doubt] …that He Who began a good work in you… [the work of the Spirit of Life, Christ Jesus in us] …will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (vs 2-6). That's an amazing thing!

Phil. 2—let's see what we are to do.

• this is the goal
• this is why we study
• this is why we keep everything we do
• why we love God
• love each other

Philippians 2:1: "Now then, IF there be any encouragement in Christ…" Lift you up from the trial and difficulty you are in!

"…IF any comfort of love…" (v 1). Only the love of God can comfort you and give you peace of mind!

"…IF any fellowship of the Spirit…" (v 1). That's our relationship with God!

"…IF any deep inner affections and compassions, fulfill my joy that you be of the same mind, having the same love, being joined together in soul, minding the one thing" (vs 1-2)—which is the sonship of God and the kingdom of God!

Verse 3: "Let nothing be done through contention or vainglory, but in humility, each esteeming the others above himself. Let each one look not only after his own things, but let each one also consider the things of others" (vs 3-4).

This is why that spirit, that law of the Spirit of life in Christ, right here:

Verse 5: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus."

That's everything about what Christ did. He explains it some more here, but we have run out of time. That doesn't mean we've run out of what we need to cover; we always have more. Isn't it amazing, brethren:

• what God has done?
• how He's done it?
• how He has called whomever he is called?

That's an amazing thing!

Scriptural References:

• 2-Peter 3:18
• Proverbs 9:9-10
• Psalm 119:17-18
• Romans 3:27-28
• Romans 7:12
• Romans 8:1-3
• Isaiah 42:24
• Roman 8:2, 5-13, 2, 12-15
• Isaiah 42:24
• 2-Corinthians 6:14-18
• 2 Corinthians 7:1
• Romans 8:15-17
• Philippians 1:1-6
• Philippians 2:1-5

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Malachi 3
• Genesis 2
• Isaiah 42:24
• Matthew 5-7
• Jeremiah 10:2-5
• Psalm 119:172
• Ephesians 2
• 1-John 3
• Hebrews 1
• Revelation 19

Also referenced:

Message: Being Transferred Unto the Kingdom by Lyall Johnston

Book (secular): The Coming Golden Age by David Jeremiah

FRC:bo/po
Transcribed: 1/2/25

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