Grace Bible Church
The Tree of Life
A Weekly Review
Week ending 120510
No one can become a vessel of honor an invisible hero apart from PMA of Bible doctrine.
We have once again been looking at one of our main passages in Rom 9, where the apostle Paul anticipates a question from the Jews in Rome before they ask. In ROM 9:18 Paul says, So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. He knows what the typical reaction will be from those involved in religion and therefore he cuts them off at the pass when he says in ROM 9:19, You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?”
Then the apostle Paul gives them the answer before they had the opportunity to ask in
ROM 9:20, On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it?
This is probably a little strong for your average sweet and so-called lovable Christian who behind that facade of love is a vicious two-face, double-crossing, lying hypocrite. I have no authorization from the word of God or from God Himself to kind of “smooth over” some of Paul’s so-called rough points.
Paul was a very controversial and feisty individual known to have an outgoing and aggressive personality, and therefore, anyone who was mentored by him and who mentioned his doctrinal teaching also became subject to the controversy and jealousy of those who claim to know TLJC. They would say such things as 2CO 10:10, of course not face-to-face but behind his back, just as cowards do today, with their sweet and lovable veneer of love as the two-face, double-crossing, lying hypocrites that they are.
For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive, and his speech contemptible.” (2CO 10:10)
Paul was repeatedly called to answer accusations brought against him by the Jewish leaders, but they actually wouldn’t even give him a hearing. They wouldn’t even let him face his accusers which was a total rejection of the Old Testament by these religious Jews, who also failed to put into practice that which they claimed to believe, and therefore, antinomianism in action.
NUM 35:30, a part of the Torah the Old Testament for the Jews says, If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death at the evidence of witnesses, but no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness.
DEU 17:6, On the evidence of two witnesses or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death; he shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness.
DEU 19:15, another verse from the Torah, the Old Testament, A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed.
After all, if these self-righteous moral or immoral degenerates treated our Lord the same way, and they did says; MAT 18:16b,by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed.
and they [chief priests] did not find any [that is even false witnesses] against Jesus, in order that they might put Him to death; and they did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on two came forward, (MAT 26:59-60)
The false witnesses that did come forward apparently were so bad, that even these knuckle-head devious religious leaders had a difficult time believing them. The point is that the apostle Paul was accused just like his Lord. And why not? Didn’t our Lord say in JOH 15:20, “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”
“But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.” (JOH 15:21)
“But {they have done this} in order that the word may be fulfilled that is written in their Law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’ When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, {that is} the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness of Me, and you {will} bear witness also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.” (JOH 15:25-27)
“These things I have spoken to you, that you may be kept from stumbling. They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. And these things they will do, because they have not known the Father, or Me.” (JOH 16:1-3)
So notice what the apostle went through! Again he was repeatedly called to answer accusations brought against him by the Jewish leaders but they wouldn’t even give him a chance to face his accusers. He was also accused of sedition which refers to stirring up trouble against Rome. He was accused of being a hypocrite and an apostate believer. He was accused of blasphemy, as they said he was blaspheming God by selling things and desecrating the Temple. But he didn’t do any of those things. He was totally exonerated on all counts by all courts because there was no evidence or eyewitnesses.
It’s only a matter of time and we all must learn that the only time that matters is the timing of God. Although Paul was innocent, he remained a prisoner. The reason being is that Paul refused to quit. Paul has tremendous passion for the Lord Jesus Christ and glorifying God in the angelic conflict and with this extraordinary passion came his divine motivation.
For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; (2CO 5:14)
The one great passion of Paul was preaching the gospel and the communication of the mystery doctrine of the Church-age. His own security didn’t matter to him. It didn’t matter to him if he was embarrassed or if people thought he was strange. It didn’t matter if they thought he was crazy, which they did. It didn’t matter to him what people thought about him because like his prototype, TLJC, he would not even and did not entrust himself to people for He knew all men.
Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, beholding His signs which He was doing. But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, (JOH 2:23-24)
Having heard under academic discipline and understood by means of the teaching ministry of his mentor, God the Holy Spirit, Paul put into action that which he claimed to believe. He even taught this to the Philippian Church when he said in; PHI 4:9,These things [doctrinal principles] also you have learned [manthano – learned from a teacher under strict academic discipline] and received [or accepted through metabolization of doctrine] and having heard [under discipline] and have understood by means of me [Paul’s teaching ministry]. Be putting these into action and the God of peace and prosperity shall be with you, all of you [grace-oriented believers].
So again Paul’s one great passion was preaching the gospel and teaching and the communicating the mystery doctrine of the Church-age. He followed in the steps of our Lord and Savior as the apostle Peter wrote in 1PE 2:21. In fact, there is an interesting analogy, For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,
Think of that verse with me for a moment, it has a dual connotation: On the one hand, our Lord had death work in Him so that we could have His life work in us, so that on the other hand, death can work in us so that we can have life work in others. This principle of our Lord having death work in Him so that we could have His life work in us, was so that, His life working in us leads us to situations of death, a death that gives us the power and ability to experience death in us so that we can have His life work in others. Sound familiar?
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves; (2CO 4:7)
What is this treasure?
For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond‑servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves;
(2CO 4:5-7)
This is the great power of the hypostatic union extended into the Church-age to make us invisible heroes. How? 2CO 4:8 says,we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed;
The word for afflicted is the pres-pass-part of the verb thlibo which means to be pressed as grapes bring forth wine, to press hard upon to trouble, to afflict, to distress, to suffer tribulation, trouble. 2CO 4:8, we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing;
Perplexed is another pres-pass-part, aporeo means to be without resources at times, to be in straits, to be embarrassed, to be in doubt, not to know which way to turn, not to know how to decide or what to do. But we’re not in despair!
2CO 4:9, persecuted, but not forsaken;
Persecuted is another pres-pass-part dioko meaning to persecute, to follow after, to be given over to undeserved suffering, to pursue in a hostile manner, to harass, to be mistreated, to suffer persecution on account of something.
2CO 4:9, persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;
Struck down is another pres-pass-part, kataballo means to cast down, to throw to the ground, Or as Joseph Thayer says to be put into a lower place.
2CO 4:9, persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;
Here’s how and why winner believers and invisible heroes are formed. Here’s how they let their light shine. Let me once again remind you of our passage. ROM 9:19, You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” Then the apostle Paul gives them the answer before they had the opportunity to ask in ROM 9:20, On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it?
How does the potter produce vessels of honor or vessels of dishonor? How are invisible heroes formed? How and why does the potter to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use, and another for common use?
2CO 4:10, always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
What is the dying of Jesus? It is the fact that as an innocent individual, He went through undeserved suffering and He didn’t complain, He didn’t quit, He went forward in the plan of God for His life.
always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. (2CO 4:10)
The word life is the noun zoe which means the state of one who is possessed of vitality, it is used of the absolute fullness of life which belongs to God.
For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you. (2CO 4:11-12)
This is the attitude of the adult believer and the one on the road to becoming a full-time, full pledged, vessel of honor. The vessel of honor advances to spiritual maturity. The vessel of honor executes the PPOG. The vessel of honor spends enough time inside the PPOG and under the ministry of whomever is his right pastor to learn the principles of the mystery doctrine of the Church-age.
Here’s the principle: The vessel of honor learns the divine equation of Invisible God plus invisible assets plus invisible power equals the invisible hero.
Second principle: No one can become a vessel of honor an invisible hero apart from perception, metabolization and application of Bible doctrine.
Third principle: The vessel of honor emphasizes consistent exposure to and cognition of the mystery doctrine of the Church-age, through which the believer attains spiritual maturity and provides invisible impact.
The great power experiment of the Church-age is designed to manufacture vessels of honor through perception, metabolization, and application of Bible doctrine.