T h e T r a n s p l a n t

Transcription

1 L E S S O N T W O (this lesson combines The transplant with d.n.a. from the book) T h e T r a n s p l a n t When God measures a man, he puts a tape around his heart and not his head. Unknown I. bittersweet A. The fall 1. When a person takes a hard fall, the moment of the fall is usually the most insignificant portion of the moment. a) Disobedience is the fall itself. (1) They ate of the tree. b) Sin is when you hit the ground. It s the lingering injury. (1) Their eyes were opened to that which they could see beforehand. c) Guilt is what you feel after you realized you should have listened. (1) They hid themselves. d) Shame is the humiliation of wondering who saw it happen. (Shame is the emotion of sin.) (1) They heard the voice of the Lord. 1 of 13

2 e) Condemnation is the emotion that causes you to blame someone else. (1) Adam blamed Eve and, ultimately God. (2) The woman which THOU GAVEST ME 2. Regarding God s Word, a lack of obedience changes everything. a) Their disobedience literally altered their DNA. b) You become like whom you obey. (1) Serpent (evil) (2) Flesh (corrupt) (3) God (holy) Premeditated Murder (Excerpt from s 47-48) Two animals died that day. The Lord killed both of them Himself. He then took their skins and gave them to Adam and Eve. The sacrifice served two purposes. First, it served as atonement for the sin they had committed. This is the first example we have of bloodshed being used to appease the wrath of God against the sinner. Second, the skin itself was used as a covering for them to conceal their nakedness. Many do not believe that covering our nakedness is necessary. They have written off most of what God expects and have rationalized the Bible to fit their particular fashion agenda. Just know that if the fig leaves had been enough covering, God would have killed the animals for restitution sake and burned the coats of skin. In this case, the blood was spilled for the inner man, the coats were given for the outer man, and the process was in motion. From that day in the garden until this day, God has prepared a masterful plan for us to receive the Spirit of God. In the Book of Exodus, the Bible tells that on the fiftieth day after the children of Israel came out of Egypt, God came down upon the top of Mount 2 of 13

3 Sinai in a cloud. Out of that cloud, the finger of God wrote upon the two tables of stone that God Himself had hewn out of a rock. The day that cloud came down upon Mount Sinai was what would eventually be known as the Day of Pentecost or the Feast of Pentecost. This was a day in which the people of Israel would celebrate annually over hundreds of years until the outpouring of the Holy Ghost fulfilled the meaning of the traditional feast. The two most important elements of that experience were the cloud (the visible manifestation of God) and the Law of God being written on those tables of stone. When Moses came down out of that mount the second time, God s children would begin to execute the plan of God for His Tabernacle. The same skills they had been using for the last one hundred years to build a worldly kingdom in Egypt would now be used to build God a house for His name s sake. Every piece of wood and fabric had its own unique purpose. Everything in that itinerant sanctuary would represent a conglomeration of spiritual truths. Everything had to be built exactly to God s specifications and architectural design. Every piece of furniture, every piece of material, and every morsel of molten metal had been handpicked by God. God began his collaborative effort with Israel as Moses completed his second forty-day fast. Moses helped us to understand that God will only reveal the purest truths to those whose lives have been purged. B. Why did Moses go twice? 1. Moses was angry when he saw their idolatry and broke the tablets. a) This incident was a shadow of God s anger that would be kindled against Israel when they broke His Law. 2. The second time they did not sin and Moses kept the Law in tact. a) The second time was a type of Christ fulfilling the Law. 3 of 13

4 3. (Ezekiel 36:26-27 KJV) A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. 4. (Ezekiel 18:30-32 KJV) Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye. a) The word Transgression means: h6586. פ ש ע p âša ; a primitive root (identical with 6585 through the idea of expansion); to break away (from just authority), i. e. trespass, apostatize, quarrel: offend, rebel, revolt, transgress (- ion,- or). (STRONG) 5. Under the Old Covenant judgment was quick and, in many cases, merciless. a) Under the New Covenant we have a space of repentance called grace. b) BUT delayed judgment is not the same as NO judgement. You will be brought before the Judgment Seat of Christ. 4 of 13

5 c) One major difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament was what God did to man s heart. d) If you don t let God do something with your heart you will never be any better off than OT believers. (2 Corinthians 3:2-6 KJV) Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: 3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. 4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. The word sufficiency means: g2426. ἱκανότης hikanotēs; from 2425; ability: sufficiency. AV (1)- sufficiency 1; sufficient, ability or competency to do a thing. (STRONG) Premeditated murder - continued (excerpt from page 49) Look at the things that His Spirit performs in our lives. It takes away the stony heart and it gives us a heart of flesh with which God can work. It will cause us to walk in His statutes and to keep His judgments. Without His Spirit we can expect none of these things. Considering these facts, there should be no question as to whether we need His Spirit within us. 5 of 13

6 As the priest was commanded to follow every fragment of God s design to the letter in order to have the glory come down upon the mercy seat, so we must follow the commandments of God precisely in order to be filled with His Spirit. The murder of those first two animals that were slaughtered by God s own hand was not involuntary. It was premeditated. He wanted us back. II. Holiness is a Heart Issue - (Proverbs 4:20-23 KJV) My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. 21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. 22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. 23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. A. The heart is recognized figuratively as the place where Jesus lives within us. 1. It is our heart that contains the innate corruption of man s nature. 2. It is the heart that must be tamed and circumcised to establish a covenant of holiness with God that will ultimately bring about our salvation. a) (Psalms 24:3-4 KJV) Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. (1) The true holy place is in Heaven. (a) The word ascend can t be ignored. 6 of 13

7 (2) Vanity is a matter of the soul. (a) It s an attitude. (b) It s an appetite. (c) It determines our altitude. B. Many want to know how to have a pure heart. 1. Is it simple? 2. Is it difficult? a) Where do I begin? C. It begins with repentance but it is maintained by holiness in an area of our soul that is spoken of many times in connection with the heart. 1. The mind. 2. The heart is connected to the MIND. a) (I Samuel 2:35 KJV) And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever. 3. By nature the heart and mind are fashioned together spiritually even when referring to the attributes of God. a) God said He would do according to what was in His heart and His mind. 4. Look at the commandment given to Solomon. 7 of 13

8 a) (1 Chronicles 28:9 KJV) And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. (1) Notice here that it says that God searches the heart and thereby understands the thoughts. 5. There is another place where God has commanded us to bring these two aspects of our humanity into subjection to Him? a) (Matt 22:37-38 KJV) Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. (1) He told them exactly what to do and what not to do. (a) But what He was really anticipating was the time when men would not just stay within the guidelines of preset commandments, but a time when His identity would be revealed in them because His DNA was within them. (b) Love does not need a commandment but love does not NULIFY the commandments. (c) When love pervades the mind and the heart it brings about God s desired transformation in a person s life. 8 of 13

9 6. He gave man a choice and He waited 4000 years to see this ability to choose exercised to its fullest. You must make a choice. a) He wanted man to live righteous under the influence of love rather than a commandment. b) He said, there are two things that you need to totally surrender to me before this can happen: (1) Your heart and your mind. (2) Your mind contains the knowledge of Him and your heart contains the understanding of Him. (a) The two are inseparable. (b) There cannot be an unconditional love relationship with God until there has been a total sale of both the heart and the mind. III. The Abomination of Noah s Generation A. Genesis 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 1. Notice that this verse states that their thoughts came from their heart. 2. Many people live their lives with very good intentions. a) Intentions come from the heart. b) The heart of man wants to please God, but without the overbearing influence of your mind (which contains the knowledge of God) you will not follow through with your good intentions. 9 of 13

10 (1) For instance, Your heart will try to keep you from sinning but unless your mind gives strength to those good intentions using the knowledge of God you will fall. (Double-minded man is unstable) (2) The mind brings the knowledge of God s Word and says, Sin bringeth forth death. IV. Mental Holiness A. (Hebrews 4:12 KJV) For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. B. What is mental holiness? 1. It is the transition that God made in the New Testament from man s old way of thinking to the new way. a) He did not want them to live by commandments only anymore. (1) He wanted them to be in love with Him so that He may take full possession of their heart. (2) He said, I will know how much you love me by what is in your heart. (3) What are you allowing to remain in your heart the place where Jesus lives? C. (Matthew 5:27-28 KJV) Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you, That 10 of 13

11 whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 1. In other words, when what your thinking about gets to your heart then you ve compromised the relationship anyway. a) It isn t wrong to think. b) Most of the time you can t control what goes into your mind but you can determine how long it stays in there. (1) (Romans 1:28 KJV) And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient. (a) Our mind must be fully engaged with the character of God and the precepts of His Word. (b) When people deliberately deny the things of God and thrust them from their thoughts God turns them over to believe a lie. (c) They believe the lie is the truth. (d) The word reprobate means: g0096. ἀδόκιμος adokimos; from 1 (as a negative particle) and 1384; unapproved, i. e. rejected; by implication, worthless (literally or morally): castaway, rejected, reprobate. AV (8)- reprobate 6, castaway 1, rejected 1; not standing the test, not approved properly used of metals and coins that 11 of 13

12 which does not prove itself such as it ought unfit for, unproved, spurious, reprobate (STRONG) (1 Corinthians 9:27 KJV) But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. The word subjection means: g1396. δουλαγωγέω doulagōgeō; from a presumed compound of 1401 and 71; to be a slave- driver, i. e. to enslave ( figuratively, subdue): bring into subjection. AV ( 1)- bring into subjection 1; to lead away into slavery, claim as one's slave; to make a slave and to treat as a slave. i. e. - with severity, subject to stern and rigid discipline. (STRONG) D. So do we do about this? 1. (Philippians 4:4-9 KJV) Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. 5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication (Remember, holiness begins at an altar - These words mine.) with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are 12 of 13

13 lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. a) We must allow holy things to occupy our thoughts. (1) Many times we will sit and allow our minds to be sidetracked with wicked imaginations. (a) Somebody wrongs you and you spend days / weeks / months trying to figure out what is the most horrible thing that you would like to see happen to them. b) We drive down the road we see signs and advertisements that influence our thinking. (1) These things become embedded in the subconscious mind. (2) If we do not purge these things from our mind with prayer they will consume us and infiltrate our heart. (a) The imagination can be a powerful tool of destruction. E. That s what Paul meant when he said, (1 Corinthians 10:4-5 KJV) (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; No man can enter heaven until he is first convinced he deserves hell. John W. Everette 13 of 13