Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries |
Religion, rituals, program spirituality, or statistical obsession blind the believer from the spiritual life. Part 1.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
ROM 9:6 However, this rejection is not to imply as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel [True or spiritual Israel] who are descended from Israel [racial Israel];
If you have the genes of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the twelve Patriarchs; you are a Jew or a part of Israel as far as your physical birth and descent is concerned.
To be “true Israel” you must have the genes of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but also be born again to become the spiritual seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who are true Israel.
MAT 7:16,20 “You will know them by their fruits.”
The spiritual life was first destroyed by eating the “forbidden fruit,” GEN 3:6, it is restored forever by the production of “spiritual fruit,” REV 22:2.
LUK 8:14-15 - being entangled with the details of life hinder our fruit bearing.- only those believers who endure and persevere will bear fruit.
Fruit is used for fellowship or communion with God in this life in LUK 22:18.
Only those believers who have fellowship with the Lord can bear fruit -
JOH 15:4 “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.”
Bearing fruit is a divine command or request from God,
JOH 15:16 “You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give to you.”
The promises were given to the spiritual seed of Abraham not to the natural seed.
Many Christians think that all they have to do is believe in Christ and they will receive all the promises and blessing of God given to them in Christ.
This is a danger because this is when they get involved in rituals or program spirituality, statistical obsession but have no real personal daily relationship with God.
Not to those, like the Jews, who go through some religious system or formula and do not have a personal relationship with the Lord which is revealed by a spiritual relationship with His people.
Just like many Christians and those who claim to be Christians today follow a set of man-made rules or man-made formulas, thinking they are pleasing God.
MAT 6:23b...If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
ROM 10:2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.
We are not to get so technical or adamant about the written word or the principles of doctrine that you become inflexible and forget about the importance of the living word, TLJC.
Religion, rituals, program spirituality, statistical obsession, and man-made rules are all a part of this attack.
Religion is seeking to gain the approbation of God by human works or by following some system or procedure that is man-made.
Line upon line, and precept upon precept and doctrinal principles are vitally important.
However, they are designed to teach us to take care of our own vineyard and increase our spiritual life.
Keep defrauding - pres-act-imp - katabrabeuo =
Kata = “against,”
Brabeuo = “to act as a judge or an umpire, to declare an athlete eligible or ineligible.”
Negative compound adjective medeis = not even one person, male or female.
It is command not to let anyone, male or female to act as a judge or an umpire, or to declare eligible or ineligible.
2TI 3:5 holding to a form of godliness [or spirituality], although they have denied its power;
[EPH 5:18, HEB 4:12] and avoid such men as these.
PHI 2:12... work out your salvation with fear and trembling;
PHI 1:15-18 “Certain ones, on the one hand, are proclaiming the Christ even from jealousy and strife or discord, but certain ones on the other hand because of good motivation.” the latter category out of the motivation of love, fully convinced that I am appointed for the defense of the good news; the former category from the motivation of divisive self-promotion proclaim Christ, not from pure motives, since they presume to arouse mental distress with regard to my imprisonment. What is my conclusion? Only that in every way, whether in false motivation or in true, Christ is being proclaimed; and in this I am happy, not only at this time, but I will continue being happy.
I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God,
I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north.
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.
I will quit focusing on self-preservation and be willing to take risks.
I will quit trying to be who I’m not and start being myself.
I will quit holding out or holding back.
I will quit being immature and running away.
I will not let what’s wrong with me keep me from worshipping what’s right with God.
I will go after the dreams He’s given me, that are completely impossible without Him; instead of saying “that’s impossible,”
I will focus on the fact that with God ALL things are possible.
I will stop complaining and find creative ways to become part of the solution instead of the problem.
I will step out of my comfort zone and value every experience - even the difficult ones.
I will not worry about what people think, but about what God thinks.
I will follow Him wherever He leads me.