But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and HIS righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Mt. 6:33
As Christians, our entire life is based on trying to find out the will of God for the issue with which we are currently dealing.
What is right in the sight of God? HIS righteousness.
The Comforter, The Spirit of Truth, searches the heart of God to show us the will of God. I Cor. 2
Be not wise in thine own eyes … Proverbs 3:7
All too often, the human forgets to pray … thinking he knows what to do … being “wise in his own eyes.”
It is so dangerous to take matters into your own hand by your own wisdom.
Prov. 3 …Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge HIM, (talk with God about the matter)
and HE shall direct thy paths.
Matt. 18:1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? 2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, 3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
It is a matter of knowing we don’t know what to do and seeking the will of God in all things as we go about this present earth… seeking what is right in the sight of God.
Only by the Spirit of God will we know what is right in the sight of God.
If we seek HIS righteousness, Jesus said all these things will be added unto us.
If we turn to God in prayer asking God what we should do and depending on God, we read the promise that HE will direct our paths.
It always comes back to meditating in the Word of God day and night so we will have the strength to do the Word of God and even that we will remember to pray, turning to God.
Keeping this promise before us day and night for a season should be important in fighting our own pride and in helping us to really know that we do not know what to do.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
When I start to write, I’m saying, “OH God … Please help me.”
Although I am born again … and am called of God to do this work I do … my dependency must be continually upon God.
The apostle Paul said: II Cor. 3
5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
I Cor. 4
7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?
Many of the promises of God are attached to obedience to God on our part such as follows:
Joshua 1:8 … 8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Psalm 1 … 1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in HIS law doth he meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither;
and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
There are certainly times we forget to ask God for wisdom … we forget to pray … and some of these times God gives us HIS wisdom even when we forget to ask.
Jesus told the church to turn that man who was committing fornication, to turn him over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh so his spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord. (I Cor. 5)
Some people are destroyed in their flesh on this present earth.
Some … not all …
Paul had some form of disease in his flesh. He prayed for this to be removed from him … But God said, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” I Cor. 12:9
If the church partakes incorrectly of “The Lord’s supper”, which is the Word of God (not crackers/grape juice as many think), we read:
I Cor. 11 … 29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
HOW DO WE JUDGE OURSELVES?
We judge ourselves and conform our way to the Bible, to the Word of God, to that which God says in the Bible.
There is no place in the NT where fornication is approved.
Therefore we judge our way on this earth, after we are born again, by the Bible.
The apostle Paul says, in the Holy Scriptures, which are inspired by God …
I Cor. 6 … 18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
If you say you are born again, a Christian, and you are committing fornication as the world commits fornication, you bring destruction upon yourself.
You should not be surprised when your body is eaten up by disease. That is exactly what we are told will happen to us when we eat and drink the Word of God incorrectly.
Hebrews 10 … 26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know HIM that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord.
And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
It is very good to have a fear of God and a respectful fear of the Holy Bible … doing that which the Bible says.
For a season you might get by on this earth while deliberating violating the scriptures while saying you are a Christian but the apostle Paul says … Gal. 6 … 7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
It is hard for me to believe any “real” Christian could hate the Word of God enough to go against the Word of God.
Nevertheless, this writing, concerning the promises of God to the church, is for those persons who love the Word of God and really lay down their fleshly lives for the Word of God, trying with all their hearts to do the Holy scriptures presented in the NT to the church.
Make no mistake … the Old Testament is also important to us for Paul explains:
I Cor. 10 .. 6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
In the midst of the temptation, we can call on God and ask for help and ask God to give us HIS wisdom … That is very important.
James 1 … 5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
It is so important to pray for wisdom …
Some people are so proud they think they can do everything by their own wisdom. How foolish.
Jesus said … Mt. 18 … 2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, 3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Therefore, we must start with a desire to conform our ways to the Word of God … and we must conform our ways to God’s word when we see God’s word.
The promises of God presented here are for the church … for those persons having the Spirit of Christ dwelling in them.
We will start with these two promises of Jesus concerning that which the Holy Spirit will do for the believer.
John 14:26 … 26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John 16 … 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
4 things the Holy Spirit does for the believer …
- Teach us all things (spiritual & secular)
- Remind us of all Jesus has said … (scripture & dreams)
- Guide us into all truth
- Show us things to come
We in the NT church have a very powerful gift in the form of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth.
Sometimes those things done by the Holy Spirit are humorous …
My mother and I went out daily to get our lunch. At that time, the “buffet” take out cost $5.30. Daily we would go to the café and I would take out a $5 bill and a quarter and nickel from my purse and leave my purse in the car with my mother.
One day, I was digging in my coin purse for the 30 cents and I couldn’t find a quarter and a nickel.
As I hunted, I heard something from the Holy Spirit … as follows: “Three dimes will work …”
That’s right! … 3 dimes would work … I had plenty of dimes in my purse.
Sometimes we need a little help …
Sometimes we need Comfort even before we realize we need comfort.
Jesus called the Holy Spirit, “The Comforter” … Jn.14:26
I received a Birthday Card from a woman and she put a note in that card telling me all she had been doing and also things she planned to do … It was November. She told me about their Thanksgiving dinner with her daughter. She told me how in October she had gone to her grandson’s wedding… She told me things she had planned with her husband, her adult children, her grandchildren for the coming Christmas.
The Holy Spirit quickly said to me: “You are dead … and your life is hid with Christ.”
I replied, excitedly … “That’s right.”
Had it not been for that reminder of the Holy Spirit I believe I would have been a little depressed by the note in the Birthday Card.
I have no husband. I have no children. I have no grandchildren. I had no people around me Thanksgiving. I had no plans for Christmas. I was alone.
But I do know Colossians 3 …
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with HIM in glory.
5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of HIM that created HIM:
The Holy Spirit, who reminded me of Col. 3 in this case, is not only the Comforter … The Holy Spirit is also “The Spirit of Truth.” (Jn. 16:13) …
The Holy Spirit is given by God to each believer.
The Holy Spirit is the “earnest” for our salvation. Eph. 1
The Holy Spirit dwells inside the believer and shows us the way of God. I Cor. 2
And the apostle Paul says … I Cor. 6 … 19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
Romans 8 … 11 But if the Spirit of HIM that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, HE that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
… 26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
God has equipped HIS Children to overcome on this earth through HIM …
II Peter 1 … 2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
3 According as HIS divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of HIM that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
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