Mastering the Message

Mastering the Message

Oct 25-26

1 Peter 1:15-16;
Romans 12:1-2;
1 Peter 2:9

The message this week spells out the mission of the everyday believer. Live as the Scripture describes! The only hitch is that this mandate is impossible; at least to all who walk after the flesh; whatever that means! Those who do walk in any measure of the goal of Righteousness do so only by miraculously permitting the life of God to walk through their carnal bodies. The thing that the giving of Torah did, was only to prove that no one could really live this way by obeying an external law. The Jewish people tried unsuccessfully for nearly eight hundred years. Torah it self provided a loop hole, by ceremonially removing all guilt for disobedience on the day of "covering" also called the day of Atonement. During this day, participants in the ceremonies experienced At-One-ment. This process removed the sins from the previous year. The blood of the Sacrificial heifer on the mercy seat was accepted as a fair exchange before God for all miss-deeds and the people who participated in the ceremonies experienced a just as if I never did it kind of covering of all sin. It would seem to me that a better way of dealing with the sin problem would be to never do the deed. This could be effected by living according to the Law. Once again seemingly impossible. There was a way… after Jesus came and exchanged his blood for the blood of a heifer. He did live the law for a whole life time by permitting the law to live within his own body. When one permitted the "law"to walk through their own lives, then a person really could keep these impossible 636 commandments. Ezekiel also described exchanging this process. He spoke of exchanging this heart of stone with a heart of Flesh.

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1 Peter 1:15-16

15 But as he which has called you is holy, so be yourselves holy in all manner of lifestyle;

16 Because it is written, Be yourselves holy; for I am holy.

This process of being called describes a person who was walking along their life; possibly minding their own business, and surprise; they hear their name. The voice calling their name is not of this world. One gets the feeling that there is something very eerie a stir! The effect of this call is to forever change nearly everything in their whole life. Before ...Everything looked one way! After… everything looked another way! The difference is this thing called Holiness. An uncomfortable term, Holiness describes the process of setting a special dish aside only for special occasions. The item would signify something different and a part; To be used for a special day, an event, some visitor! Only then would it be HOLY!

The primary emphasis of most North American believers about this topic, is the challenge of walking after the spirit and not after the Flesh. Noah bore three sons. The first, Shem in the original Hebrew implies Spiritual, or spirit. His descendants have given the world most of the major religions. The second, Japheth connotes the mind. Most of the worlds sciences have come form these descendants. The third son, Ham, in the Hebrew refers to the flesh, or the body. From this group athletics is excelled. There is more likely a concern with physical conditioning and this sphere pre-eminent. No one is to be judged based upon the gifts and callings of another. The only responsibility any one has is to fulfill the call of holiness for his own self.

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Romans 12:1-2

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

This verse was the first verse that I learned in the path to let a scripture speak to me. I used the 20-20-20 method. This method of studying scripture reads the scripture over and over for twenty minutes out loud if necessary. The next twenty minutes a person simply thinks over this same scripture. The third twenty are spent writing down the numerous thoughts a person has in the process of thinking of the scripture. Taken in combination the process directs the body and mind to the scripture and the scripture alone for understanding. This sequence is repeated over and over for several days and after the week the seven pages are combined to write a single coherent thought. To me, the result was striking! It revolutionized my understanding of scripture. It also transformed, in a word, my viewpoint of the spiritual life.

Every day present your body a living sacrifice! First present! An action command verb. As in Just Do IT. Living as opposed to dead. Most present something that was obtained in the past. Living would be present!. Living in the Now! How many live in the past or in the hopeful, but not promised future. No - In the Now is all you have! In this time line of life we can only go foreword or back in our mind. One is memory the other is simply a dream. A living sacrifice is required. Living by the mercies of God, certainly not an easy path because it implies living on the strength of another not on our own strength. A competent person would much rather rely on his own strength. He would greatly prefer to contribute something to the operation as opposed to entering as a beggar. This is Really not comfortable! This sacrifice must be Holy. Remembering from the paragraph above Holy means separated to God. Living for God in a World that does not like or respect this God you are revering, also not a pretty picture. The picture is more likely to procure the Scorn of the world about. This is also not Comfortable. As it turns out the only thing that God accepts is something that is wholly his. Acceptance would be the very thing that the world’s scorn denies. Many a heart desires this more than anything. Acceptability implies an end to Rejection, another huge stumbling block for many who would otherwise accept the Gospel story!

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1 Peter 2:9

9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:

Chosen implies a consent. In this process of walking the message God seems to operate in a by invitation only posture. He comes into a life of a person only when there is an invitation. This precludes intervention because of need. The invitation can easily be made on the part of an interested third party, as in the case of the calling of Paul the Apostle. History has however demonstrated that this example is not the norm. more frequently a person tells another about the fact of salvation, and the hearer asks the Lord to come into his heart. Thereby is the invitation made, accepted and the choosing completed.

This royal priesthood is another matter. The process of permitting Jesus to indwell a heart also merits all of the other rights that Jesus earned. These include regality and priesthood. The reality of Jesus becomes so magnified that the person is enabled to do a measure of the works of Jesus. Again this quality is by mutual consent where the person actually believes the process is taking place. Jesus rules and reigns in the heavenly realm. The person is empowered to rule in his realm of influence as well. The person is likewise empowered to offer prayers and sacrifices for his realm of influence. It is said that a boy never leaves the shadow of the prayers of a caring mother! She is exercising the role of priesthood in these situations.

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heart law

Psalms 40:8 I delight to do your will, O my God: yes, your law is within my heart.
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Three Sons

Ge 5:32 And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
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Judged

Lu 12:48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

By this we realize that a person will only be required to answer for those things that were committed to him.

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heart desires

Psalms 37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give you the desires of your heart.
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Flesh

Walk after the spirit and you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh.

Ro 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Ro 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

Ro 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Ro 8:9 But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

because the Flesh and the Spirit war with each other; one will prevail or the other will take precedence. Either way they are mutually exclusive.

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Stony Heart Becomes Heart of Flesh

Ezekiel 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:

Ezekiel 36:26 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.

The prophet of old pictured a very impossible thing. A hard hearted person becoming a tender hearted person. Such a picture! What makes a person become hard hearted, only hard things! Ever hear of the person who needed a yes but everywhere he looked he only got a no! After a succession of these things

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Chosen Generation Matthew 22:14

14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
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Calling of Paul - Acts 9:3

Acts 9:3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:

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Greater Works

John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
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