Grace Bible Church
Pastor Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
101620
Throughout the New Testament, we can learn about the many aspects of the Church by the titles that the Church is called and known for.
There are quite a few different descriptions of the New spiritual life that we are all called to learn, live, and enjoy the privileges that our Lord left behind for all of us.
Prin-It is impossible for anyone who has imputed divine righteousness that our Lord taught cannot lack anything because the justice of God sends life support and blessing to all believers, both winners and losers.
The testimony of Paul concerning this principle is found in Phi 4:19 “My God shall supply all your needs [logistical grace support] according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
“Riches” refer to God’s virtue and God’s love.
Divine provisions are provided for every Church-age believer to execute the PPOG and to live the spiritual life that God has provided for all of us to follow.
This is known as the Logistical Grace Rationale which teaches us that is Mat 6:25‑34, the believer is told “not to worry” but to trust in our Lord for both the natural and spiritual provisions that are needed.
The logistical grace Rationale says this: If God can do the greater, then it follows the principle that He can also do the lesser.
We are commanded NOT to worry because God, in logistical grace, will provide for us, regardless of our spiritual status.
Remember that logistical grace is both for winners and losers.
This principle from the grace of God is one of the first commands in verse 25 where God’s grace means that you cannot measure the grace of God working in your life.
And then, the wisdom of John, JOH 3:30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.
Worry, fear, anxiety, apprehension, is rejection or ignorance of God’s logistical grace provision.
And that is because God provides logistical grace support for winners as well as losers.
And, worry is a fear that very few believers ever overcome.
And that is because the more things you surrender to fear and worry, the more worry and fear you will develop.
The more things about us which try to get us to worry, the more we need to apply the problem-solving devices to deal with the worry.
It’s just like fear, the extent to which you surrender to fear, you increase the power of fear in your life.
And to the extent to which you surrender to worry, you increase the power of worry in your life; yet God still keeps you alive.
The more things that acquire the power of fear and worry in your life, the greater your capacity for arrogance and becoming a loser.
And the more you acquire the power of worry in your life, the greater your capacity for worry and becoming a loser; yet God still supports you.
Grace gives you the ability to live one day at a time, not handicapped by the past and not distracted by the future.
- The fifth title is an analogy of the Church is the “Vine and the Branches” ceremony which we already noted in some detail that is very difficult.
It is based upon JOH 15:4-5, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
JOH 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.
- The Cornerstone and the building; EPH 2:14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,
Our Lord recognized the relationship that Paul taught to us, as born- again Jews and born again Gentiles with emphasis on positional truth; Gal 3:26-28; 2Co 5:18.
- The High Priest and the Royal Priesthood; 1Pe 2:5-9.
The title given to us is that the Lord is the “High Priest” and He made us all priests, male or female, Jews or Gentiles, bond or free.
- The Groom and the Bride analogy. We will see the manifestation of our real spiritual marriage that we will be presented as the Bride to our Lord.
- The King of kings and the Royal Family of God; 1Pe 2:5; 2:9; REV 1:6. This title allows us to be Royalty for our Lord forever.
This was all made possible because in REV 1:6 and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father; to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Now, I gave you all a glimpse of what we are called by the Lord so that you can be trained to function as the Bride of Christ in time and in eternity and also see the intimacy that exists between all of us with each other and all of us with the Lord.
This also led us to the principle of the six waterpots or vessels that teaches us that there are some believers who are vessels unto honor and other believers who are vessels unto dishonor.
Some believers are being prepared through progressive sanctification or through the power of Spirit and the word and have a great impact in history.
On the other hand, other believers through negative volition are becoming vessels unto dishonor.
Whether you are a vessel of honor or a vessel of dishonor depends on one thing in your life = Your free will or volition concerning what you choose to follow.
Even in the English translation I have chosen the Greek noun skeuos which means vessel because a vessel is something that is empty and all born again believers are empty, especially when they first become saved and they will need to be filled by the power of the Spirit and the intake of doctrine.
Therefore, if the believer makes decisions under perception, metabolization and application of Bible doctrine, he will add the mind of Christ to his empty vessel.
Ultimately, we are all going to be glorified by God the Father as a part of Him completing the absolute good work that He began in us.
This is why we read in PHI 1:6 {For I am} confident of this very thing [Paul has confidence] , that He [God the Father] who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
This is one of the many reasons that the apostle Paul said to the Corinthians in 2CO 13:5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you‑‑ unless indeed you fail the test?
- The first test is when our faith is operative or functioning as God desires us to follow His plan, Phi 2:6; Jam 2:14-19.
However, this is talking about the word sozo as it relates to deliverance not salvation according to the principles of ICE.
What use is the Word of God if all you are going to do is learn this principle of doctrine and not apply it.
- A second test that you will see if God the Father has begun a good work in you when your love is laborious, 1Jo 3:14-18.
- A third test you can take is if your hope and confidence in the plan of God remains and you don’t quit, Heb 6:17-19.
There will be many things that will come in to try and shatter your hope and confidence concerning the plan of God for your life.
No matter who it is, do not get shocked at those who are with you and those who are not.
1JO 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us.
Remember a lot of people live with a MAT 13:20-21 attitude where they say that; “Our Lord is the person who hears the word of God and immediately receives it with joy or happiness;
And Yet he has no firm or solid root of doctrine in himself, but is {only} temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.”
You see, as a communicator and student of doctrine, you can be confident that there are certain people who are going to advance with their PVTD whereas there are others who have already .
These are some groups of people who have perseverance and self-determination with regard to their intake of doctrine.
And, no matter how many setbacks, or problems or areas, of carnality or any other factor that might be a hindrance to them for a moment, they are able to overcome if they desire to.
These people inevitably push on through and reach all of the divine objectives designed by God, especially those who have P.V.T.D.
I mean that in PHI 3:1, the apostle Paul says; PHI 3:1 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.
And remember this principle, no matter how many times you have a setback, if you’re still alive, God has one purpose for your life and that’s for you to advance to Rev 4:11.
In JUD 1:24 “He is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,”
He is able to finish what He started within us namely the absolute good work that you and I can produce by following Him and His Word.
He’s the One who said in LUK 14:28 “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?”
LUK 14:29-30 “Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.”
Satan would be able to cast a lot of insults and accusations upon God and His people, if He failed in accomplishing our transformation as a great manifestation of the love of God.
When the believer lives in the new life of the New Covenant, the nine-fold fruit of the Spirit presents a spiritual portrait of Christ.
And this character is possible because of the believer’s union with Christ and it is the fruit of the Spirit in those believers who have learned to rely on the indwelling power of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, (Gal 5:22-23).
In spite of the fact that God begins the work and completes it, we do have a part in the work that He began.
And that is why some believers will be winners and some will be losers.
Some will receive rewards, the majority will lose their rewards.
A miracle is not something in or of itself, a miracle is like a parable, a miracle is to teach us something.
A miracle is God condensing to man and showing Himself to man so He can get man’s attention.
Mankind is so weak and frail, mankind walks by sight, therefore, man constantly needs something to get his attention.
But, when God raises someone from the dead and changes 120 gallons of water into 120 gallons of wine than God can get your attention and that’s just what a miracle is designed for.
A miracle is God using what impresses man to get his attention.
This is why the early apostles performed so miracles, because they want to get the attention of the people in that city, they were in.
After performing a miracle, the people would listen to the ones who performed the miracle message.
Remember it’s never the man or the miracles that is the issue, it is the message.
Most scholars believe that Andrew, Peter, James, John, Philip and Nathaniel were the first disciples of our Lord.
It’s important to note that the six disciples who represented our Lord’s new-born child because there are 6 waterpots that are empty vessels, made of stone, (which speaks about people who have been hard all their life or have lived in the hardness of the heart).
So, Jesus said “fill those vessels of stone with water” and I will turn it into wine (the fruit of the Spirit).
There is a very beautiful illustration of the principle that Jesus could take a stone vessel (a type of a stone hearted person that’s empty and fill it with the water that He will turn into the wine of the Holy Spirit.
“Two-faced ” individuals cannot be trusted at all — they will hurt you and me before we even feel the pain of being portrayed.
My hour has not yet come. Every time Jesus said my hour had not yet come it was a reference to the Cross. Joh 7:30, 8:20, 12:23, 12:27, 16:38, 17:1.