and as written, even the very desire to seek Christ, to know and to find God and His Kingdom,
is a GIFT, graciously from God..... not instead of someone's willing obedience (still by grace), not oppressing someone's will, but wonderfully working out their salvation as they are willingly and joyously and wholeheartedly agreeing with God and being a doer of His Word, not just a hearer.
The humble will desire what God has to offer through the Gospel, for God has chosen to save the humble and has designed the Gospel to be desired by the humble.
Lord Jesus was sent by the Father to preach the Gospel to the humble and poor in Spirit to fulfill God's promise to them - and they will listen...
Isaiah 61:1-2 (WEB)
(
Jesus applied this prophecy to himself)
1 The Lord Yahweh’s Spirit is on me; because Yahweh has anointed me to preach good news to the humble. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to those who are bound;
2 to proclaim the year of Yahweh’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn
All through the Scriptures we are taught that God favors the humble, but He resists the proud.
The Gospel was designed to draw only the simple and humble of this world to Christ - for God has mercy on the humble.
Luke 10 (WEB) 21 In that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I thank you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in your sight.”
The proud will have not room in their heart for what God has to offer all people through the Gospel.
God is gracious in providing all that is necessary for our salvation. And God is graciously inviting all people to repent and come to Lord Jesus to be saved through the Gospel message and the convicting/drawing work of the Spirit.
Those who do not resist the Gospel and the Spirit's drawing will be saved, receiving the Spirit of God to give their continued faith victory over sin as they follow Christ Jesus and walk by His Spirit.
Romans 8:12-13 (NIV)
12 Therefore,
brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.
13 For
if you live according to the flesh,
you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body,
you will live.
Galatians 6:7-9 (NIV)
7
Do not be deceived:
God cannot be mocked.
A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever
sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will
reap destruction;
whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest IF we do not give up.
Romans 11:19 You (talking to each individual Christian) will say then, “
Branches (
plural - not nations of Israel but actual people) were broken off
so that I (
talking to individuals) could be grafted in.”
20 Granted. But
they (plural for Jews) were broken off because of
unbelief, and
you (individual Christians) stand by faith. Do not be arrogant,
but be afraid. 21 For if God did not spare the
natural branches (
plural for Jews), he will not spare
you (
the Christian he is talking to) either.
22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God:
sternness to those who fell,
but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise,
you also will be cut off.
- Branches are individuals.
- Gentiles are included by faith.
Romans 11:25... Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the
full number of the Gentiles (
Plural individual believers) has come in.
No Gentile nations here.
And their is only one Israel,
not many Israels.
- Gentiles are grafted in by faith,
- but must remain faithful
- or be cut off for not remaining faithful.
- That is why we must be afraid
Hebrews 10:26-30 (NIV)
26
If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27
but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
29
How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished
- who has trampled the Son of God underfoot,
- who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them,
- and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “
The Lord will judge His people.”
Notice that the object of more severe punishment
were saved because they were "sanctified by the blood of the covenant" and they
insulted the Spirit of grace. And, the
Lord will judge HIS people (vs 30)
YOU are responsible to:
• to put to death the misdeeds of the body to live:
Rom 8:12-13
• offer ourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness, and results in Eternal Life:
Rom 6:18-19
• to live by and walk by the Spirit we receive so we won't fulfill the lusts of the flesh:
Gal 5:16
• to sow to the Spirit to reap eternal life:
Gal 6:8-9
• to live by the Spirit to fulfill the requirements of the whole law:
Rom 8:3-4
• to take off the old self and to put on new self:
Eph 4:24-25; Col 3:9-10
• to abstain from reaping to the flesh so we may enter the Kingdom of God:
1 Cor 6:7-10; Eph 5:1-6
• to live as slaves to God by which we reap holiness leading to eternal life:
Rom 6:22 . .
Hebrews 3:12-13 (NIV)
12 See to it,
brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart
that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,”
so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ,
IF indeed we hold our original conviction
firmly to the very end.
God delights in our
obedient faith and required this faith of you to be saved, We only receive the Holy Spirit, and are saved, by an obedient faith.
The Spirit will not believe for you
The Spirit will not remain faithful for you
The Scripture instruction makes clear that the responsibility is on the born again Christian to live by the Spirit,
not that the Spirit does the work for you:
Your living faith must necessarily lead to obedience if that faith is truly genuine...
Romans 1:5 (NIV)
5 Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the
obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake.
Romans 6:16 (NIV)
16
Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves,
you are slaves of the one you obey — whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death,
or to obedience,
which leads to righteousness?
Romans 16:25-27 (NIV)
25 Now to him who is able to establish you in
accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, 26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that
all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith— 27 to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.
Hebrews 5:8-10 (NIV)
8 Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect,
he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him
Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)
19 Therefore go and
make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
John 14:21 (NIV)
21
Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and
I too will love them and show myself to them.”
John 14:23 (NIV)
23 Jesus replied, “
Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and
we will come to them and make our home with them.
1 John 2:4 (NIV)
4 Whoever says, “
I know him,”
but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the
truth is not in that person.
Romans 6:22
22 But now that you have been
set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the
benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.
The Spirit is only received by obeying Christ Jesus (an obedient faith)...
Acts 5 (WEB) 32 We are His witnesses of these things; and so also is the
Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.
John 14:15-17 (NIV)
15 “
If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17
the Spirit of truth.
After you receive the Spirit by an obedient faith, then You are:
- obligated
- to put to death the misdeeds of the body,
- to live by, walk in,
- to reap to the Holy Spirit to be saved and
- set free from sin...
Romans 8:12-13
12 Therefore, brothers and sisters,
we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but
if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
Up to you to walk by the Spirit you received by faith
Galatians 5:24-25 (WEB)
24 Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts. 25
If we live by the Spirit, let’s also walk by the Spirit.
Up to you to sow to the Spirit you received by faith to reap life
Galatians 6:8 (WEB) 8 For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption.
But he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Up to you to walk in the Spirit you received by faith
Galatians 5:16 (WEB)
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh.
You must live according to the Spirit you received by faith
Romans 8:3-4 (NIV)
3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the
righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us,
who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
James 1:12-15
12
Blessed is the man who endures temptation, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to those who love him.
13 Let no man say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God can’t be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin;
and the sin, when it is full grown, produces death. 16
Don’t be deceived, my beloved brothers.
