GRACE BIBLE CHURCH
PASTOR ROBERT R. MCLAUGHLIN
WEDNESDAY 11-09-2022
GBIBLE.ORG
EPHESIANS - 0290-021
DIVINE DECREES, PART 18.
GREEK DRAMA, PART 9.
CHORUS BLESSING RESULTS.
2PE 2:1:11; JAM 4:13-15; 1KI 11:1-6; MAT 7:24-28
Title: The Doctrine of Divine Decrees;
The many more blessings that come from the Greek chorus.
2PE 2:1:11; Jam 4:13-15; 1KI 11:1-6; Mat 7:24-28
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The Doctrine of the Divine Decrees.
Let’s review our corrected translation as we get ready to for the next verse, 2PE 1:8.
2PE 1:5 Now for this very reason also, making every effort, by means of your doctrine supply virtue, and in or with your virtue supply biblical academic information.
2PE 1:6 and in your knowledge, biblical academic information supply self-control, and in your self-control, supply perseverance.
2PE 1:7 and in living the spiritual life supply brotherly love, and in your brotherly love supply impersonal unconditional love.
2PE 1:8 For if these qualities [the dramatic seven] are yours and are keep on increasing, they prevent you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2PE 1:9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short‑sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.
It is that last phrase that is illustrated by Solomon that I would like to begin with this evening.
So, the first question is in
ECC 6:12 For who knows what is good for a man during {his} lifetime, {during} the few years of his futile life? He will spend them like a shadow.
The second question:
For who can tell a man what will be after him under the sun?
Or Who knows what the future holds?
Who knows where you're going to be ten years from now?
Who knows what you're going to be doing?
Who knows who you're going to with?
Who knows what you're going to have?
Who knows when death may hit and to Whom!
Only God does!
James says in JAM 4:13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit."
JAM 4:14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.
JAM 4:15 Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that."
Only God knows your future.
And He knows if your life is going to be futile.
He knows if your future is going to be fearful, and what the future holds.
So, If you're in fellowship with Him, He will prepare you for the future as a loving father tries to prepare his children.
The point is that;
No one is able to discern what is coming after the situation in which he or she finds themselves in.
What the next turn of the road will bring is completely hidden from us.
And so Why should a person make extensive preparations along one line, like acquiring wealth and riches, if he has absolutely no knowledge of what the future holds?
In the future, he may require patience, but he was too busy acquiring the things of this world.
He may require strength of character, but all he has is a strong fortune.
He may need the certainty of divine hope and confidence but his hope is NOT built on the uncertainty of riches.
We do not know what we're going to need in the future, but God does.
Now, the fact of the matter is that:
There will never be a change until you work closely with God and His plan for your life.
And you know, it isn't just a matter of hearing the right thing.
I was thinking that;
If a teacher of the word of God wanted to become a better teacher and learn the best way to teach, the one person he should observe is the greatest teacher of all TLJC.`
And in The sermon on the mount when the Lord was wrapping things up, did He even say those favorite words for many – “in closing”
However, when our Lord was closing His famous message on the sermon on the mount, all of His listeners heard the same thing.
They did not hear our Lord say….”in closing.”
Nor did He say, I taught you all these things in my Name, Amen,
Nor did He say “Amen, the message is done, so be it.”
He didn’t say Hallelujah or praise the Lord, let’s dismiss.
And there was a large congregation listening to the teaching and the lessons......
And as He draws the message to the end, He makes an interesting observation.
He said in MAT 7:24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock.
MAT 7:25 "And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and {yet} it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock.
MAT 7:26 "And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand.
MAT 7:27 "And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall."
MAT 7:28 The result was that when Jesus had finished these words, the multitudes were amazed at His teaching;
Notice that:
The difference between those who can stand the rain, the floods, the winds and those who can't, is because one group applied what they heard the other group, did not.
They both heard the same message but one group applied, the other did not.
What was the difference?
The difference was not in the hearing but in the acting.
At some point in our lives, we all have contact with a prodigal son or what we could call a rebel, as Deacon John taught on Sunday.
One who defiantly goes his or her way even if it contradicts the plan of God as well as reason and experience.
The rebel we know may be a son, a daughter, an employer, a parent, a friend, a spouse or perhaps even ourselves.
But whoever it is, we can be confident that:
The one who rebels against God is turning away from the “Giver” of wisdom who provides solid advice for handling life.
Most of us learn this truth the hard way.
Solomon learned this lesson the hard way:
Rather than listen to God's command not to associate with foreign women;
Solomon disobeyed by marrying many non-Israelites who eventually turned his devotion away from the Lord, 1Ki 11:1-6.
1KI 11:1 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women,
1KI 11:2 from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the sons of Israel, "You shall not associate with them, neither shall they associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods." Solomon held fast to these in love.
He did not listen, however, because he had over 700 wives and 300 concubines and he had even more than that which is not mentioned in the Word of God.
1KI 11:3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away.
1KI 11:4 For it came about when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been.
1KI 11:5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after Milcom the detestable idol of the Ammonites.
1KI 11:6 And Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not follow the Lord fully, as David his father had done.
It was during this period of defiance that Solomon sought to find satisfaction on a purely human level.
The consequences of this rebellion were serious.
God disciplined him by raising up foreign adversaries who brought much turmoil to his final years as Israel's ruler (1Ki 11).
And, As Solomon has recorded in Ecclesiastes, his search for happiness under the sun uncovered only vanity and despair.
His findings can be summarized in two simple verses!
Chapter 2, verses 17 and 18 of Ecclesiastes.
Listen to the words, ECC 2:17 So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind.
ECC 2:18 Thus I hated all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must leave it to the man who will come after me.
He said "I hated life”......I hated it!"
"I had worked and worked and worked and learned and discovered and invented and built and watched and observed and probed and I hated it when it was all said and done!"
"I got all that “under the sun living” could ask for, nothing of what God can give.......and I hated it all....
It was empty, futile, flat living!
No dimension...,
No purpose....
No meaning.....
"Which is another way of saying....
No wisdom and no personal sense of destiny.
I would like to bring to your attention something very vital which is the fact that life on earth is a trust.
Our time on earth and our energy, intelligence, opportunities, relationships, and resources are all gifts from God that he has entrusted to our care and management.
We are stewards of whatever God gives us.
This concept of stewardship begins with the recognition that God is the owner of everything and everyone on earth.
The Bible says PSA 24:1 The earth is the Lord's, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it.
We never really own anything during our brief stay on earth.
God just loans the earth to us while we're here.
It was God's property before you arrived, and God will loan it to someone else after you die.
Take for example, your house.
Your house is made out of a material and substance that God created.
You just get to enjoy it for a while.
When God created Adam and Eve, he entrusted the care of his creation to them and appointed them trustees of his property.
GEN 1:28 And God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it;
He said in effect I am putting you in charge.
The first job God gave humans was to manage and take care of God's "stuff' on earth.
This role has never been rescinded.
It is a part of our purpose today.
Everything we enjoy is to be treated as a trust that God has placed in our hands.
The Bible says, 1CO 4:7 What do you have that you did not receive? And if all you have is from God, why boast as though you have accomplished something on your own?"
This is why the attitude we all should have been found in;
COL 3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
Or, as our friend Solomon said;
ECC 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, verily, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.
Years ago, a catholic priest let us use his chalet in New Hampshire which was on a beautiful pond.
It was an experience we could not have afforded at the time, and we enjoyed it immensely.
We were told, "Use it just like it's yours," so we did!
We used the access he had to the pond, ate the food in the refrigerator, used the bath towels and dishes, but we knew all along that it wasn't really ours, so we took special care of everything.
We enjoyed the benefits of using the home without owning it.
Our culture says, "If you don't own it, you won't take care of it."
But Christians live by a higher standard:
"Because God owns it, I must take the best care of it that I can."
The Word of God says, "Those who are trusted with something valuable must show they are worthy of that trust; 1CO 4:2.
1CO 4:2 In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.
TLJC often referred to life as a trust and told many stories to illustrate this responsibility toward God.
In the story of the talents, Mat 25:14-29, a businessman entrusts his wealth to the care of his servants while he's away. When he returns, he evaluates each servant's responsibility and rewards them accordingly.
MAT 25:14 "For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves, and entrusted his possessions to them.
MAT 25:15 "And to one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey.
MAT 25:16 "Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents.
MAT 25:17 "In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more.
MAT 25:18 "But he who received the one talent went away and dug in the ground, and hid his master's money.
MAT 25:19 "Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.
MAT 25:20 "And the one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, 'Master, you entrusted five talents to me; see, I have gained five more talents.'
MAT 25:21 "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master.'
MAT 25:22 "The one also who had received the two talents came up and said, 'Master, you entrusted to me two talents; see, I have gained two more talents.'
MAT 25:23 "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'
MAT 25:24 "And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed.
MAT 25:25 'And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground; see, you have what is yours.'
MAT 25:26 "But his master answered and said to him, 'You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I scattered no seed.
MAT 25:27 'Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest.
MAT 25:28 'Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.'
MAT 25:29 "For to everyone who has shall more be given, and he shall have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.
To those who used their wealth properly, the owner said;
MAT 25:21 "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness.
At the end of your life on earth you will be evaluated and rewarded according to how well you handled what God entrusted to you.
That means everything you do, even simple daily chores, has eternal implications.
If you treat everything as a trust, God promises many rewards in eternity.
- You will be given God's affirmation: He will say, "Good job! Well done!"
- You will receive a promotion and be given greater responsibility in eternity: "I will put you in charge of many things."
The more God gives you, the more responsible He expects you to be.
Then you will be honored with a celebration: "Come and share your Master's happiness."
Most people fail to realize that money is both a test and a trust from God.
God uses finances to teach us to trust Him, and for many people, money is the greatest test of all.
God watches how we use money to test how trustworthy we are.
LUK 16:11 "If you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?"
This is a very important truth.
God says there is a direct relationship between how you use your money and the quality of your spiritual life.
How you manage your money ("worldly wealth") determines how much God can trust me with spiritual blessings ("true riches").
Let me ask you:
Is the way you manage your money preventing God from doing more in your life?
Can you be trusted with spiritual riches?
TLJC said in:
LUK 12:48:b From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded, and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
Life is a test and a trust, and the more God gives you, the more responsible He expects you to be.
Let me remind you once again;
We are now studying the importance of the development of the dramatic seven chorus line and we are almost finished.
The whole point of this passage is to illustrate to Divine Decrees
So far, our corrected translation looks like this.
2PE 1:5 Now for this very reason also, making every effort, by means of your doctrine supply virtue, and in your virtue supply knowledge.
2PE 1:6 and in your knowledge, supply self control, and in your self control, supply perseverance, and in your perseverance, supply godliness or living the spiritual life.
2PE 1:7 and in your godliness, or living the spiritual life, supply brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, supply impersonal-unconditional love for all mankind.
Now, the importance of this chorus line is given in verses 8-11.
2PE 1:8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2PE 1:9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.
2PE 1:10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;
2PE 1:11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
Now, back to where we are in studying in 2Pe 1:9, Peter goes on to say,
2PE 1:9 For he who lacks these qualities [the dramatic seven chorus line] is blind or short sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.
We begin with the verb to lack which is the pres-act ind of the verb pareimi with the negative “me'” meaning if these qualities are not near, or are not present, or have not been stored up or failed to develop.
You store up these qualities through your intake of doctrine.
So, I'm going to translate this verse so far:
2PE 1:9 For he who fails to develop these virtues [the dramatic seven chorus line] is blind.
Blind is the nominative singular adjective tuphlos in the Greek which is blind in the sense of blindness of soul or blackout of the soul.
The "moral cosmic believer" has no understanding of how blind he is spiritually.
He is blinded by either arrogance or animosity toward doctrine.
Or He is blinded by indifference or apathy toward doctrine.
Most believers are blinded in one of two ways.
Satan has two main systems that he uses against believers.
In the first system arrogance blinds him.
In the second system animosity toward truth blinds him.
The target of Satan's first system is the believer’s ego resulting in pre-occupation with self to the exclusion of reality, Isa 14:12-14.
The target of Satan's second system is truth or Bible doctrine resulting in antagonism toward Christ, His body, and doctrine itself.
One system emphasizes self over God.
The other system emphasizes human viewpoint over divine viewpoint.
One system was developed by Satan before the human race which is simply living for "self rather than God."
The other system was developed by Satan at the fall of the human race which is human viewpoint over divine viewpoint.
Both systems are controlled by the philosophy of Satan.
Now, tuphlos translated blind is a reference to mental blindness.
Tuphlos comes from the word tuphoo which means to have a head full of smoke or to be inflated with pride.
It is pride that makes a person mentally blind.
Tuphlos means "stupidly blind," turn Mat 15.
The whole world lies in 1JO 5:19, the power of the evil one, 1JO 5:19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
This is why you shouldn't be shocked with the lies perpetuated even by our own media filled with communists, socialists, liberal type thinkers taking the side of others over their own country.
Where was their indignation, folks?
You know where?
NOWHERE.
Now then TLJC taught that "those who were blind were those who cleaned up the outside but not the "thought pattern" in Mat 15:1-6.
MAT 15:1 Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying,
MAT 15:2 "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."
MAT 15:3 And He answered and said to them, "And why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
MAT 15:4 "For God said, 'Honor your father and mother,' and, 'He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.'
MAT 15:5 "But you say, 'Whoever shall say to his father or mother," Anything of mine you might have been helped by has been given to God, "
MAT 15:6 he is not to honor his father or his mother. 'And thus you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
MAT 15:1 Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying, I can't afford to give you anything because I give to God.
And by now you know this as corbon.
Now, behind this chapter is the principle of religion.
Remember that religion is Satanic in nature, it is the devil’s ace trump trying to gain control of the world which he rules.
When the Lord answered the Pharisees concerning the washing of the hands before they eat…..
The washing of hands before meals is not a commandment in the Old Testament scriptures but became a very strong part of the Mishna.
The term "Mishnah" originally referred to a method of teaching in a systematic order and through rote or memorizing something over and over again by repeating.
And you don’t need this type of nonsense!
Because in JOH 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
This is why they did not use the word “scripture.”
However, back to the tradition of the elders.
It was however an excellent practice for sanitary reasons, but the rabbis and the elders made it a sign of spirituality.
In other words,
They said you were not spiritual unless you washed your hands before meals.
Whatever the benefits of sanitation they do not extend into the spiritual realm.