Week 10 - The Spirit of Life

Transcription

1 Monday Scripture Reading: Rom. 7:15-24; Col. 2:14; Heb. 4:15; 1 John 1:7; Rev. 22:14 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death? (Romans 7:24) Man s Inability to Fulfill the Law of God The book of Romans covers the gospel of God in two aspects: the first is related to Jesus Christ as the Son of Man, who came out of the seed of David, and the second to the Son of God brought forth through resurrection (Rom. 1:3-4; Acts 13:33). As a man, Jesus Christ came from a noble line and lived a perfect human life without sin. Hallelujah! (Matt. 1:1, 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15; 1 John 1:7). When we received the gospel of grace, we experienced the eternal efficacy of this blood and became righteous in God s eyes. The debt we had toward the Father was taken away and we were justified (Rom. 3:24-25; Col. 2:14). Moreover, the Lord transferred us from a common position to a holy position in Christ (1 Cor. 1:2). Once we were justified and sanctified, we were reconciled to God (Rom. 5:10; 2 Cor. 5:19). This reconciliation produces a mutual enjoyment. We delight in God s presence and He in ours. Through Jesus death and the shedding of His blood, the demands of the divine righteousness, holiness and glory were satisfied. We could then eat from the tree of life, which had become inaccessible after the fall of Adam (Gen. 3:24; Rev. 22:14). By faith we freely received all that was done by the Lord Jesus to accomplish redemption. This constitutes the gospel of grace. Now we need to take another step. The Lord Jesus as the Son of Man accomplished redemption for us, and everyone who believes into Him receives Him as a divine seed (John 3:16; 1 Pet. 1:23). In the same way that a seed grows until it becomes a mature tree to produce its fruits in time, the Lord supplies us day by day so that the divine life that is in us may gradually develop. In resurrection He was designated the Son of God and became the lifegiving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b). However, in order for God s life to grow in us, we need to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow the Lord. Only thus will there be room in our heart for the divine life to fill us. This is related to the gospel of the kingdom, which we may also call the gospel of life. We can live and practice this gospel in the normal church life, where we are helped to deny ourselves and exercise godliness by practicing the word. Denying oneself is the responsibility of each one of us (Matt. 16:24). In this way we are perfected and God s life grows in us. Praise the Lord! The Jews who were living in Rome still very much valued the law of Moses and kept the practices of the Jewish religion. For this reason, when Paul described his experience, he referred to the law in Romans 7:22: For I delight in the law of God according to the inner man. In other words, as a Jew he observed the law that God gave to His people, but he found out that sin was dwelling in his members, that is, in his body (v. 17). He did not mention sins, that is, sinful deeds, but something that dwelled in him and led him to sin. Even though his soul might have taken pleasure in the law of God, he was not able to fulfill it fully because sin hindered him (vv ). Paul delighted in the law of God according to the inner man, but he realized that there was an insurmountable obstacle in his members, so he became a captive to the law of sin (v. 23). Paul had this conflict within himself, which is also the inward battle of all men. Confronting this internal fight, he exclaimed, Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death? (v. 24). Trying to fulfill the law by himself leads man to feel wretched. Your Why is only taking pleasure in the law of God not sufficient for man to fulfill it? SEPARATED UNTO THE GOSPEL OF GOD - Newness of Life 1

2 Tuesday Scripture Reading: Acts. 22:3, 16; Rom. 8:2; 7:20, 24-25; Gal. 1:14 Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh, the law of sin (Romans 7:25) Man s Ability to Fulfill the Law of God in the Spirit Yesterday we saw that facing this great inward struggle the apostle Paul apparently found himself with no way out. Inwardly he delighted in the law of God, but he found another law in his members warring against the law of his mind and making him a captive to the law of sin. Thus he did not understand his own behavior, because he was not doing what he willed but what he hated (Rom. 7:15, 22-23). Due to this enormous inner conflict, he exclaimed, Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death? (v. 24). Immediately afterward, however, he exulted to know that there is a solution to this inward battle, and he said, Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord! (v. 25). Right at the beginning of Romans 8 Paul continues to show how to be freed from this conflict, saying that there is now then no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, for the law of the Spirit of life has freed them from the law of sin and of death (vv. 1-2). Praise the Lord! Before receiving the gospel of God, we were doomed to live with this inward struggle. Now in Christ we have been freed from the law of sin and of death. Nonetheless, we still need to go on in our spiritual life. Because Paul was a spiritual man and established in his experience, he was able to help others take the way of living in the spirit. In his Epistle to the Galatians, he showed the way to advance in order to gain a victorious living: walk by the Spirit (Gal. 5:16, 25). The more we walk by the Spirit, the more the divine life will grow in us and the stronger we will be in our inner man to subdue our old man. From the beginning of his conversion Paul was helped to call on the name of the Lord in order to come out of the earthly realm and live a spiritual life (Acts 22:16). Through this help he received, wherever he went he always preached the gospel by teaching people to call on the name of the Lord Jesus (1 Cor. 1:2). Before Paul was converted he was called Saul, and he advanced beyond many of his contemporaries, being extremely zealous for the Jewish traditions of his fathers (Gal. 1:14; Acts 22:3-4). He and the Jewish chief priests very much persecuted the Christians when the church was raised up (9:13-14). In that era calling on the name of the Lord audibly was a common practice of the primitive church. This facilitated Saul s work in identifying the Christians in Jerusalem and causing them great evils (26:10). Due to this persecution, one part of them was thrown into prison and the rest migrated to other regions where there was more freedom to call on the name of the Lord. In this way many churches were raised up in different cities (8:4-5). Saul, however, with the support of the chief priests, left Jerusalem with letters of authorization to arrest all those who called on the name of the Lord (9:2, 21). As he drew near to Damascus, still breathing threatening and murder against the disciples, he had an encounter with the Lord Jesus, who appeared to him as a great light, saying, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? (v. 4b). Beginning from this experience he had a radical change that was carried out in his whole life: he went from being a persecutor of those who called on the name of the Lord Jesus to someone who was teaching others to call on this name. Praise the Lord! Calling on the name of the Lord is the key to awaken the law of the Spirit who gives life. Your What do you declare more during the day: Wretched man that I am, or Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord? Why? SEPARATED UNTO THE GOSPEL OF GOD - Newness of Life 2

3 Wednesday Scripture Reading: Acts 9:1-5; 26:17b-18; 1 Cor. 12:3 Who are You, Lord? And He said, I am Jesus, whom you persecute (Acts 9:5) The Experience that Changed the Course of the Apostle Paul s Life The experience the apostle Paul had on the road to Damascus definitively changed the course of his life. He had received letters from the chief priests authorizing him to arrest all those who called on the name of Jesus. As he was going to Damascus for the purpose of arresting the Christians in that city, Paul had a personal encounter with the Lord. Suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him, and he heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? (Acts 9:4b). This left him very confused because he had no idea who was speaking to him. So he asked, Who are You, Lord? And the answer was, I am Jesus, whom you persecute (v. 5). These words indicated to him that the Lord disapproved of him every time he persecuted His disciples unto death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women (22:4). One of them was Stephen, a deacon of the church in Jerusalem, who was led before the Sanhedrin under false accusation. After Stephen spoke in his own defense, the listeners became furious, gnashed their teeth and hurled themselves at him. After they threw him outside the city, they stoned him in the sight of the young Saul, who witnessed him calling on the name of the Lord Jesus (7:54-59; 8:1). No doubt, when Jesus said, I am Jesus, whom you persecute, Saul was enlightened and understood that when he was persecuting those who called on the name of the Lord Jesus, he was persecuting the very Son of God. After Saul rose up from the ground he could see nothing and was led by traveling companions to Damascus, where he was three days without seeing, during which he neither ate nor drank (9:8-9). A disciple named Ananias, led by the Lord Himself, went to Saul and laid his hands on him so he could receive his sight. The Lord had told him that Paul would be a chosen vessel to bear His name before the Gentiles and kings as well as before the sons of Israel, and that He would show him how much he must suffer on behalf of His name (vv ). Then Paul was baptized, calling on the name of Jesus. Based on Paul s own experience, whenever he established churches and shepherded the saints, he led them to call on the name of the Lord, thus leading them to the realm of the Spirit (1 Cor. 1:2; 12:3). Persecuting the church is the same as persecuting the Lord Jesus. Your What was the experience Paul had that changed the course of his life? SEPARATED UNTO THE GOSPEL OF GOD - Newness of Life 3

4 Thursday Scripture Reading: Joel 2:32; 1 Cor. 15:45b; Rom. 8:13; Gal. 5:16-18 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all and rich to all who call upon Him; for whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:12-13) Restoring the Practice of Calling on the Name of the Lord Paul lived in the spirit and walked under the control of the Holy Spirit, who was mingled with his regenerated spirit. In his Epistle to the Galatians, he says, But I say, Walk by the Spirit and you shall by no means fulfill the lust of the flesh (Gal. 5:16). Since the flesh is our fallen man, our old man, Paul concludes in verse 18, If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. In Romans 7 Paul says that we died to the law of the old man, our old husband, in order to belong to a new husband, Christ, who became the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45). Therefore, when we walk in the Spirit, we receive life and do not fulfill the lust of the flesh. In Romans chapter 8, Paul says that we were freed from the law of sin and of death by the law of the Spirit of life (v. 2). We should never fight against the lust of the flesh by ourselves; but if by the Spirit we put to death the practices of the body, we will surely be freed from sinning (v. 13). Paul experienced this liberation, and thus whenever he preached the gospel he led people to the spirit by teaching them to call on the name of the Lord Jesus (1 Cor. 12:3). The apostle Peter as well was not ignorant of this important matter. When he preached to thousands of people on the day of Pentecost, he said, And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Acts 2:21), using the same words that had been spoken by the prophet Joel hundreds of years earlier (Joel 2:32). In the church life we very much treasure calling on the name of the Lord, and we preach the gospel, teaching others to call on this precious name. Paul wrote that the Lord is rich to all who call on Him (Rom. 10:12) and also recommended to his young fellow-worker, Timothy, Flee youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with all those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart (2 Tim. 2:22). It is important to remember that when we call on the name of the Lord, not only is our spirit saved which takes place once for all but, above all, our soul is also reached by the Spirit. This is crucial in our Christian experience, for it promotes the growth in life. Treasure calling on the name of the Lord and teach others to call on Him. Your What benefits do we receive by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus? SEPARATED UNTO THE GOSPEL OF GOD - Newness of Life 4

5 Friday Scripture Reading: Gal. 5:16, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such things there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23) The Fruit of Living in the Spirit When we call on the name of the Lord we get into the spirit, and the law of the Spirit who gives life affords us a victorious living over the lust of the flesh (1 Cor. 12:3; Rom. 8:2, 13). Calling on the name of the Lord also supplies our soul with the divine life, and thus we grow and mature spiritually. In Galatians 5 Paul indicates to us some works of the flesh and warns us to avoid them, saying that those who practice fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, etc, will not inherit the kingdom of God (vv ). Jealousy and envyings, for example, are also two works of the flesh on this list mentioned by Paul. Each one of us must live and walk in the Spirit in order to not have this kind of feeling. Finally he tells us, Let us not become vainglorious, provoking one another, envying one another (v. 26). We should not undervalue this warning, for it shows God s love toward His children who are still slaves to these practices. He wants all of us to advance to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9). All the evil things were crucified with Christ objectively, but they can still appear in our experience. In order for us to be victorious over them, we have only one way to take: walk by the spirit; for this is only way we will not satisfy the lusts of the flesh. Still in Galatians we read, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such things there is no law. But they who are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and its lusts (vv ). Thank the Lord that there is no law against the fruit of the Spirit! By calling on the name of the Lord Jesus we are no longer bound to the things of the flesh. Calling is a practical and effective way to be freed from the lust of the flesh by the law of the Spirit who gives life. Praise the Lord! In this portion of Galatians 5, according to the original Greek we can see two kinds of walk by the Spirit. The walk by the Spirit in verse 16 is the peripateo walk, which corresponds to the daily, common walk, that is, a walk according to the inner anointing. This is the characteristic walk of a Christian s normal living. In verse 25 we have the stoicheo walk, which is carried out in an orderly way with a definite goal, like a military march. The stoicheo walk implies walking in a definite direction, not without a course but with a goal. It is like walking on train tracks, which only let one advance in one direction. In general, as Christians we already have the peripateo walk, but we need to advance toward a stoicheo walk, that is, a collective walk restricted by the Spirit in order to reach a goal: fulfilling God s will. In the church life we need to experience the Spirit until we are freed from everything that oppresses us. When there is the freedom of the Spirit in the meetings we are very happy. It is normal and desirable for this happiness to translate into full praise; so it is no wonder that some brothers and sisters jump, lift their hands and arms, smile and proclaim hymns aloud. When we enjoy the Lord s glorious presence within us we release our spirit and express ourselves in this way. Generally when the children of God meet in a holy realm, separated from the world and full of the divine fellowship and light, they richly experience the liberation the Spirit brings. However, we must pay attention to the fact that we must be under the restriction of the Spirit. In other words, we must have a stoicheo walk. We were called to freedom, but we must not use the freedom of the Spirit to give opportunity to the flesh (v. 13). Rather, we must call on the name of the Lord daily in order to be in the spirit and collectively be regulated by the Lord under the flow of the Spirit in order to fulfill God s eternal will. The fruit of the Spirit is the best evaluator of our living and work. Your What is the difference between the peripateo walk and the stoicheo walk? SEPARATED UNTO THE GOSPEL OF GOD - Newness of Life 5

6 Saturday Scripture Reading: Rom. 8:6; Gal. 5:16, 25; Rev. 19:7-8 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace (Romans 8:6) The Stoicheo Walk and the Meeting Life Yesterday we saw that a Christian needs to have two kinds of walk: walking in the spirit day by day, being led and regulated by the inner anointing, and walking in the spirit collectively in an orderly way with a specific and common goal to fulfill God s will (Gal. 5:16, 25). When we give full freedom to the Spirit, we enjoy righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17). Thus individually we experience release and collectively in the church meetings we may externalize our joy in different ways. Nevertheless, our actions must be directed and controlled by the Spirit, and we must never give opportunity to our flesh. In Roman 8 we read, For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace (v. 6). We need to consider what our mind is set on. If it is set on the flesh, or even in the mere enthusiasm and excitement of our soul, then obviously we will not truly be releasing our spirit or be regulated by the Spirit. This word is applied especially to the young people and to the recently saved. We need to have a balanced spiritual living. We are no longer in the age of the Old Testament, when people were directed by the requirements of the law and its demands. Neither should we control the saints through customs and traditions. On the other hand, if we are in the spirit, we will not behave in an unbecoming way. We must always remain in the realm of the Spirit. The Lord Jesus became the Spirit of life, and we need to be in the Spirit in order to live the church life and thus produce acts of righteousness (Rev. 19:7-8). Let us not use freedom to give opportunity to the flesh or to the soul-life. Your Do you know how to discern between being excited in the soul and being joyful in the Spirit? SEPARATED UNTO THE GOSPEL OF GOD - Newness of Life 6

7 Powered by TCPDF ( Sunday Scripture Reading: Gen. 3:7, 10; John 4:23 Seraphim hovered over Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to the other, saying: Holy, holy, holy, Jehovah of hosts; the whole earth is filled with His glory (Isaiah 6:2-3) The Stoicheo Walk for the Restriction and Adjustment of the Christian Life Today let us look at another application of the stoicheo walk, according to Galatians 5:25. According to the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament, the seraphim angels of high position in the heavenly hierarchy have six wings, but they use two of them to fly and the other four to cover their face and body (6:2). In other words, they are discrete and do not exhibit themselves. I believe that as servants of God this should also be our attitude. Since we live in community, we must consider how to conduct ourselves before others. If we learn to walk in the spirit we will have no difficulty in restricting our conduct. Once I traveled to the archipelagos of the Galapagos on a visit to the church. When we went out to visit the region, we saw many different birds. Some of them had a red crop which they inflated, making it very big. Our guide explained that these were males who wanted to attract the attention of the females by showing the size and color of their crops. There was also another kind of bird that was a black color. Although all the birds had smooth, well-aligned plumage, this bird in particular had feathers on its head that bristled up vertically. Surely this is a natural attitude of the birds, but on seeing it, I related it to people. There are people who wear their clothes and hairstyles simply to get attention from others. This may be very normal in the world, but in the church life our conduct and expression should not be to call others attention. We need to be people who are simple and who express Christ. The more we walk in the Spirit, the more we act in a proper and discreet way, since our desire is to have His expression. Regarding clothing, it is fitting for us to be reminded of Adam and Eve s experience. Before they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they did not realize that they were naked. After eating the fruit God had forbidden them to eat, their inner eyes were opened and they were conscious of their nakedness (Gen. 3:10). Because they felt shameful, they sewed fig leaves and made loincloths to cover their nakedness. When they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, they hid from His presence (vv. 7-8). Similarly, on one hand we want God s presence and He also very much wants ours. On the other hand, we need to be aware that we cannot come to God loosely. It is necessary that we do it through the Spirit (John 4:23), which surely will not lead us to expose our flesh with its vain glory before others. Let us not expect to be controlled by regulations. Both the peripateo and the stoicheo walk in the Spirit are led and regulated by the Spirit. In our daily living we must learn to be led by the Spirit, and with the saints to have a divine expression in order to fulfill God s desire, which is to build His church and bring the kingdom of the heavens to the earth. Always asking the Lord if we can act in this or that way. Your If we are living in the Spirit of life, will we have doubts about how to behave ourselves? Why? Additional Reading Enrich your reading of the Daily Food by simultaneously reading the books suggested below: Life-Study of Romans Message 15 Witness Lee SEPARATED UNTO THE GOSPEL OF GOD - Newness of Life 7