CONSIDER THIS THOUGHT APRIL 2002

#1 · May 5, 2002, 9:20 am

Quote from Forum Archives on May 5, 2002, 9:20 am
Posted by: griffingene <griffingene@...>

CONSIDER THIS THOUGHT is a Bible study publication designed for pastors,
missionaries, and other Christian workers. We trust it will be a blessing
to you.

CONSIDER THIS THOUGHT....
P. O. BOX 1492, EASLEY, SC 29641

EMAIL: griffingene@hotmail.com

GENE GRIFFIN, EDITOR

A Bible study publication desiring to glorify God and
be a blessing to His servants.

APRIL IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 2002

A CONFLICT OF IDEAS

2 Cor. 12:7-9

"And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the
revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of
Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I
besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me,
My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in
weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that
the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Paul speaks here of the abundance of revelations that he had received from
the Lord. During that period of time there was given him a thorn in the
flesh. He calls it the messenger of Satan. This thorn was used to buffet
him. The word "buffet" translates, "kolaphizo," and means, "to strike with
the fist, give one a blow with the fist, to maltreat, treat with violence."

Here is a man who had the gift of healing. He could speak the word in the
name of Jesus and the malady would suddenly disappear. However, Paul speaks
here of what he calls a "thorn in the flesh." He tells us that he prayed
three times for its removal without success. However, the Lord did tell him,
"My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in
weakness."
The Lord didnt say, "No I am not going to remove the thorn. You will have
to put up with it." The Lord just said, "My grace is sufficient for thee. My
grace will meet your needs as you deal with the thorn. And Paul, I must tell
you something else, My strength is made perfect in weakness."

Paul had never thought of it that way nor have many of us. When we are
afflicted with some malady and we are weakened by it, our thinking is that
we cant serve the Lord until our health is restored. So we seek Him as Paul
did and the silence is deafening and unwelcome.

Is God's strength still made perfect in weakness? If it is, are we willing
to tolerate a debilitating sickness or weakness that God's strength might be
manifest through us? I think most of the time we will theoretically agree,
but when the rubber meets the road and we begin to have pain, we are ready
to crawl off the altar and say, "Lord, please take this affliction away.
I'll agree to a little less power.

The world and the flesh think in terms of power without having to go through
weakness to get it. It is their idea to have the power Peter had where
Ananias and Sapphira dropped dead on the spot when they lied to the Holy
Ghost. I think if some preachers had that power they wouldn't have enough
members to have church next Sunday.

If God's power is made perfect in weakness, then we should with Paul glory
in our weaknesses. If we are strong, then God's power does not operate as it
does when we are weak. This is not the way the world looks at it. And let's
be honest, this is one area that we agree with the world. The church has
seminars all the time and they are conducted with only slight changes from
the worlds seminars. They are psychological approaches to church growth.
They believe that numbers is what God wants and they implement the means to
get the job done. It is just taken for granted that God will go along with
it if it produces results. It is wood, hay, and stubble that will be burned
at the judgment seat of Christ. This kind of success may look good down
here, but there will be a sad awakening at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
Dr. Earl
White

MORE AND MORE

So far as is known, no bird ever tried to build more nests than its
neighbor. No fox ever fretted because it had only one hole in the earth in
which to live and hide. Not squirrel ever died of anxiety lest it should
not lay aside enough nuts for two winters instead of one. And no dog ever
lost sleep over the fact that it did not have enough bones buried in the
yard for its declining years. So many people put the emphasis on the wrong
things. The Bible teaches us to lay up our treasures in heaven, not here on
earth (Matthew 6:19-34), and remember this God has promised to meet all
our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19).

Exposition of 1 John

Chapter 5:4-5

As we continue our series on 1 John we are consumed with the doctrinal as
well as the practical emphasis he places on the Christian life. In this we
are seeing the emphasis the Word of our God places on the same. It is a
marvel that God not only tells us how to be saved but also how to live. He
doesnt just leave us to ourselves once we believe.

The victory of faith is the theme of our study this time. One of the great
enemies of Gods people is the world system. Actually, there are three
enemies that the Christian faces daily: the world, the flesh, and the Devil.
When we speak of the flesh, we are talking about the Adamic nature, the
old sin nature. It is forever asserting itself.

In this section, John gives us the secret of overcoming the world. When
John speaks of the world, he is not referring to humanity as such but that
system of evil energized by sin and Satan.
Now, the Christian lives in the world, but he is not to be of it. In order
to not be ensnared by the world system, the Christian must overcome it.
John give the secret of doing such in verses 4 and 5 of this chapter.

Verse 4.

1. For whatsoever is born of God - whatsoever is neuter in gender referring
to the all-inclusive, comprehensive principle of overcoming and refers to
those born of God. Thus, the simple believer is an overcomer.

2. Overcometh the world - nikeo - to be victorious. The though implies
battle. The forces of evil - the world system of evil, the evil Adamic
nature, and the Devil all join together in luring the Christian away from
God. The overcometh is in the present tense and conveys the thought of
habitually conquering in a continuous victory, by faith. The world seeks to
drag us away from God, and cause us to focus our attention on things
temporary and sensual. Sad to say, many Christians have become the victims
of things that are passing away.

3. And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. The
Christian overcomes because by faith, he is able to rise above the things of
the world - the passing things of the world and see them in the light of
eternal values. As an overcomer, the believer recognizes that the things of
the world are temporary and passing away, and that the things that are
eternal are the only things that really matter. Our faith conquers the
world by clinging to eternal realities.

Verse 5 -

1. This victorious faith is centered in the person of Jesus Christ. Our
faith is embraced in the confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of
God. In other words, Christ is our victory. Being victorious over the
world system is made possible, not by striving and struggling in our own
strength, but by resting in the Lord and allowing Him to overcome through
us. We cannot overcome in ourselves, but we can through Him.

2. In John 16:33, it is clear that our Lord overcame the world Himself.
Therefore, we overcome through Him.

These verses introduce us again to the person and work of Christ, and the
verses that follow are consumed with that subject.

SATISFIED?

Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? And your labor for
that which satisfieth not? Isaiah 55:2.

For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with
goodness. Psalm 107:9.

SAVED TO SERVE?

Despite the popular catch-phrase saved to serve, the main purpose of God
is not to make us servants, but to transform our character. In the language
of Romans 8:29, it is to be conformed to the image of His Son. At present
it is a process. What we are, or rather what we are becoming, is more
important to God than what we are seeking to do in His service, although He
values and will reward what is done out of a desire to please Him.
-SELECTED

RECOMMENDED WEBSITES

www.exaltthelamb.com
www.bibledoc.8m.com
www.fbinstitute.org

Thank you for joining us this issue. We trust that it has been a blessing
to you.

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at explorer.msn.com/intl.asp.

Posted by: griffingene <griffingene@...>

CONSIDER THIS THOUGHT is a Bible study publication designed for pastors,
missionaries, and other Christian workers. We trust it will be a blessing
to you.

CONSIDER THIS THOUGHT....
P. O. BOX 1492, EASLEY, SC 29641

EMAIL: griffingene@hotmail.com

GENE GRIFFIN, EDITOR

A Bible study publication desiring to glorify God and
be a blessing to His servants.

APRIL IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 2002

A CONFLICT OF IDEAS

2 Cor. 12:7-9

"And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the
revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of
Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I
besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me,
My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in
weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that
the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Paul speaks here of the abundance of revelations that he had received from
the Lord. During that period of time there was given him a thorn in the
flesh. He calls it the messenger of Satan. This thorn was used to buffet
him. The word "buffet" translates, "kolaphizo," and means, "to strike with
the fist, give one a blow with the fist, to maltreat, treat with violence."

Here is a man who had the gift of healing. He could speak the word in the
name of Jesus and the malady would suddenly disappear. However, Paul speaks
here of what he calls a "thorn in the flesh." He tells us that he prayed
three times for its removal without success. However, the Lord did tell him,
"My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in
weakness."
The Lord didnt say, "No I am not going to remove the thorn. You will have
to put up with it." The Lord just said, "My grace is sufficient for thee. My
grace will meet your needs as you deal with the thorn. And Paul, I must tell
you something else, My strength is made perfect in weakness."

Paul had never thought of it that way nor have many of us. When we are
afflicted with some malady and we are weakened by it, our thinking is that
we cant serve the Lord until our health is restored. So we seek Him as Paul
did and the silence is deafening and unwelcome.

Is God's strength still made perfect in weakness? If it is, are we willing
to tolerate a debilitating sickness or weakness that God's strength might be
manifest through us? I think most of the time we will theoretically agree,
but when the rubber meets the road and we begin to have pain, we are ready
to crawl off the altar and say, "Lord, please take this affliction away.
I'll agree to a little less power.

The world and the flesh think in terms of power without having to go through
weakness to get it. It is their idea to have the power Peter had where
Ananias and Sapphira dropped dead on the spot when they lied to the Holy
Ghost. I think if some preachers had that power they wouldn't have enough
members to have church next Sunday.

If God's power is made perfect in weakness, then we should with Paul glory
in our weaknesses. If we are strong, then God's power does not operate as it
does when we are weak. This is not the way the world looks at it. And let's
be honest, this is one area that we agree with the world. The church has
seminars all the time and they are conducted with only slight changes from
the worlds seminars. They are psychological approaches to church growth.
They believe that numbers is what God wants and they implement the means to
get the job done. It is just taken for granted that God will go along with
it if it produces results. It is wood, hay, and stubble that will be burned
at the judgment seat of Christ. This kind of success may look good down
here, but there will be a sad awakening at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
Dr. Earl
White

MORE AND MORE

So far as is known, no bird ever tried to build more nests than its
neighbor. No fox ever fretted because it had only one hole in the earth in
which to live and hide. Not squirrel ever died of anxiety lest it should
not lay aside enough nuts for two winters instead of one. And no dog ever
lost sleep over the fact that it did not have enough bones buried in the
yard for its declining years. So many people put the emphasis on the wrong
things. The Bible teaches us to lay up our treasures in heaven, not here on
earth (Matthew 6:19-34), and remember this God has promised to meet all
our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19).

Exposition of 1 John

Chapter 5:4-5

As we continue our series on 1 John we are consumed with the doctrinal as
well as the practical emphasis he places on the Christian life. In this we
are seeing the emphasis the Word of our God places on the same. It is a
marvel that God not only tells us how to be saved but also how to live. He
doesnt just leave us to ourselves once we believe.

The victory of faith is the theme of our study this time. One of the great
enemies of Gods people is the world system. Actually, there are three
enemies that the Christian faces daily: the world, the flesh, and the Devil.
When we speak of the flesh, we are talking about the Adamic nature, the
old sin nature. It is forever asserting itself.

In this section, John gives us the secret of overcoming the world. When
John speaks of the world, he is not referring to humanity as such but that
system of evil energized by sin and Satan.
Now, the Christian lives in the world, but he is not to be of it. In order
to not be ensnared by the world system, the Christian must overcome it.
John give the secret of doing such in verses 4 and 5 of this chapter.

Verse 4.

1. For whatsoever is born of God - whatsoever is neuter in gender referring
to the all-inclusive, comprehensive principle of overcoming and refers to
those born of God. Thus, the simple believer is an overcomer.

2. Overcometh the world - nikeo - to be victorious. The though implies
battle. The forces of evil - the world system of evil, the evil Adamic
nature, and the Devil all join together in luring the Christian away from
God. The overcometh is in the present tense and conveys the thought of
habitually conquering in a continuous victory, by faith. The world seeks to
drag us away from God, and cause us to focus our attention on things
temporary and sensual. Sad to say, many Christians have become the victims
of things that are passing away.

3. And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. The
Christian overcomes because by faith, he is able to rise above the things of
the world - the passing things of the world and see them in the light of
eternal values. As an overcomer, the believer recognizes that the things of
the world are temporary and passing away, and that the things that are
eternal are the only things that really matter. Our faith conquers the
world by clinging to eternal realities.

Verse 5 -

1. This victorious faith is centered in the person of Jesus Christ. Our
faith is embraced in the confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of
God. In other words, Christ is our victory. Being victorious over the
world system is made possible, not by striving and struggling in our own
strength, but by resting in the Lord and allowing Him to overcome through
us. We cannot overcome in ourselves, but we can through Him.

2. In John 16:33, it is clear that our Lord overcame the world Himself.
Therefore, we overcome through Him.

These verses introduce us again to the person and work of Christ, and the
verses that follow are consumed with that subject.

SATISFIED?

Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? And your labor for
that which satisfieth not? Isaiah 55:2.

For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with
goodness. Psalm 107:9.

SAVED TO SERVE?

Despite the popular catch-phrase saved to serve, the main purpose of God
is not to make us servants, but to transform our character. In the language
of Romans 8:29, it is to be conformed to the image of His Son. At present
it is a process. What we are, or rather what we are becoming, is more
important to God than what we are seeking to do in His service, although He
values and will reward what is done out of a desire to please Him.
-SELECTED

RECOMMENDED WEBSITES

http://www.exaltthelamb.com
http://www.bibledoc.8m.com
http://www.fbinstitute.org

Thank you for joining us this issue. We trust that it has been a blessing
to you.

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at explorer.msn.com/intl.asp.