#17 The Renewed Mind

Ephesians 4:20-21
But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
 
Paul's referring to the previous passages of scripture where he described the other Gentiles, those that are unredeemed, the ones he spoke of previously that were in ancient days without the Christ, the covenants, and the promises of God; and specifically, he discusses their "walk," which literally describes a person's manner of life or how they conduct their business. Ultimately, the exhortation is don’t walk in darkness like those without the promises you have:
 

Ephesians 1:18
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know...
 
Paul is addressing the church in Ephesus and saying, "You aren't like the other Gentiles who walk in a darkened state towards the truths of Messiah:
 
But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him...
 
The word learned is specifically instruction. Paul's point is that the church of Ephesus was instructed in the truths of the Christ...if so be that ye have heard Him... One Greek scholar makes the point that this verse could have been translated, "If as is the case you were taught Him."
 
The prepositional phrase that we speak of often is utilized twice in these verses:
 
(1). ...have been taught by him... Is literally en autoi or "In Him.”
 
That's why I repeatedly draw the stick men on the board. I'm trying to ever keep in the forefront of your Christian mind that as a new creation in Christ, you've been translated into a new sphere, a new environment, a new kingdom, from darkness to light, you live in a new place, a new "house," a new "neighborhood," a place called "In Him."
 
In this new sphere in which you abide, there is abounding grace and instruction from the Holy Spirit for you to be taught the things of God. In this place, you learn Jesus. We aren't just talking about the historical figure named Jesus. Jesus' message is who He is.
 
What are you talking about? The other day Robert and I were in El Toro eating after we had been working, and we ran into someone Robert used to go to church with. At one point, he challenged me and said, "I asked my Pastor if he could tell me what the gospel was, and he couldn't," so can you tell me-- what is the gospel?
 
I responded, "Jesus is the gospel!"
 
"No, that’s what my pastor told me too, but the gospel includes things like repentance also," was his retort.
 
I would never want to be demeaning but your brain isn't firing on all cylinders sir. You think you've dug deep, but you're still just scratching the surface, because Jesus is the gospel:
 
He doesn't just preach on Jubilee or the kingdom of God. He is the jubilee and the kingdom
 
He is the Sabbath
 

He is the resurrection and the life.
 
He is repentance, because when one embraces Jesus, that person is turning from the world and turning to Jesus.

He doesn’t just preach deliverance. He is the deliverer.

He is the truth, the way, the life….
 
(2). ...the truth is in Jesus:
 
en Ieosus or "In Jesus."
 
Once again, we are faced with this prepositional phrase, describing a new place in which the believer resides, and in this place, the truth of God is found!
 
Ephesians 4:22
That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
 
The thought of putting off has the essence of a person removing a garment, a garment that is old, worn out, and outdated. The word conversation used here is an outdated old English used in the same fashion as walk, and once again, describes, the manner of lifestyle or one's behavior.
 
When the whole thought is considered together, the idea is that our lifestyle and behavior should no longer reflect the "old man's" lifestyle and behavior; instead, our life should reflect the new man that lives in Christ.

So who is the "old man?"
 
In a generic fashion, the "old man" is who we were born in Adam, when we were physically born under sin’s dominion. The pictograph of the stick man we commonly refer to teaches that in God's mind, the "old man" died in Christ at the cross, was buried with Him in the tomb, and resurrected with Him as a new creation in Christ (Romans 6:3-6; Galatians 2:20; 2 Corinthians 5:17).
 
Specifically, regarding our "old man" today, how can we know when he attempts to come alive
Maybe the safest thing to do is for the preacher to use himself as an example. That way no one gets offended because he’s talking about himself-- not you.
 
So Matt's "old man" had multiple bondages and character flaws:
 
I was consumed with the party and whatever that entailed. I said it last week, but I will say it again, "Whatever made my flesh feel good I wanted a lot of it."
 
But anything that wasn't fun I ran from. Things like responsibility or work.
 
For instance, all I was concerned about was smoking pot and drinking, which killed my desire for work. Even after I was a Christian, my mindset was bent to the way it was before. I was the first to volunteer to go home early even though I now had a wife and kids. I thank God that over time, He has changed that about me drastically.
 
Another aspect about me was that I always had to have my way in relationships. It didn't matter at all what the other person wanted. I was going to get what I wanted no matter what or I wasn't going to play anymore. Over time, God began to convict me. I have a long way to go, but I constantly think about the other person's position and opinion. It doesn't mean that I always agree but I'm mindful of others.
 
When it came to spending money, if I wanted it, I went and got it. It didn't matter whether I had the money to pay for it. Purchase today pay tomorrow. I should be clear when I say this. People can do what they want with their own money they work for, but if we live outside of our means, then we have a root that needs to be dealt with. For me the root was that if I want it, I'm going to get it whether you like it or not. This went on until I got to the point where I didn't like it anymore, because it doesn't matter how much money you make, you can still live above your means.
 
I used to feel like I had to win every argument. God's still working on me, but when I realize that I'm acting like the "old man," I can shut up, and I can say I'm sorry when I'm wrong.
 
There are many other things that people continue in attempting to fix their problems. They continue to allow their "old man's" logic to fix their problems:
 
Men and women both still seek companionship in an attempt to fill a void in their lives that only Jesus can fill. They attempt through material possessions to fill voids, through drugs or alcohol, through a better job, through....
 
Men try to prove their manhood by dominating relationships and attempting to rule their spouse in fear, and some women allow themselves to be used as a vessel, like Eve did, for the serpent to once again usurp the position of the man’s spiritual leadership in the home, which throws everything in the house into chaos and disarray, and just as the fall left God’s children in a place of heartache and pain, the children of the family are left in disarray. And then she wonders why he won’t step up and lead? Oh please you wouldn’t let that man lead if he wanted to.

People attempt to fix their financial burdens by more financial burdens but they never let God deal with the over spending issues in their lives.
 
These are some specific issues that affect people's daily lives, but the commonality is that they represent "old man" behavior that was supposed to have died in Christ at the cross. However, if we don't understand how the Holy Spirit works in our lives through the finished work of Christ, then we continue to struggle.
 
So how does it work? God operates in sovereignty within our free will. If there is an area, He wants gone, but we want to cling to, He allows the wilderness wandering to ensue. He allows certain things to take place in our lives to bring us to the end of self in that area He wants to deal with. I can assure you that God has more patience than we do, and if we refuse to submit in a certain area, then He just waits and lets us have our way until finally one day we say, "No mas. No more God. I quit. I give up and defer to your will."
 
Lastly, about this verse is the phrase...according to the deceitful lusts...literally means a delusional craving for something that is forbidden. When my flesh desires something contrary to the will of God, and I'm moved in that direction instead of towards the Father's will, I'm being deceived by sin and operating according to the mindset of the "old man."
 
Ephesians 4:23-24
And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
 
The terminology here: "renewed in the spirit of your mind" is reminiscent of the terminology used in chapter one "...that the eyes of your understanding would be enlightened."
 
Does the mind have a spirit? Does the understanding have eyes? The thought is that when the spiritual aspect of man is born again, that man's spirit is quickened or given life towards the things of God (Ezekiel 36:25-27) and a renewal of the mind ensues. In other words, the Spirit of God through the word of God begins to transform and renew the thought processes, better yet, the viewpoint in which this vapor called life is seen is transformed i.e. renewed by the Holy Spirit.
 
This process requires various factors to be in place. For example, the Holy Spirit must be living in the heart of the person, so they must be born again. Secondly, the word of God must be preached, taught or understood in such a way that the believer is made aware of how the renewed mind takes place.
 
The reason I emphasize this so much is because for so long I was taught that all I had to do was read the Bible and my mind was being renewed. While it is true that reading the word introduces me to the truths of God, if I don't spiritually understand the underlying meaning of the text, my mind will be tricked, with the help of unknowing preachers into believing that it's the simple act of reading pages in the Bible that's renewing my mind when the reality is that-- it's a spiritual understanding of God's word that changes the context of my worldview.
 
Titus 3:5-6
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
 
This scripture does a good job of explaining somewhat the process I'm speaking of. It's not through the works that we do that the renewed mind is received. Man cannot, through his feeble attempts at reading more Bible, praying more, or fasting more save himself. Man cannot do a regeneration miracle in his own heart through his own works of righteousness; rather, a regeneration miracle takes place in the heart of  a man when he is born again  as taught in Romans 6:3-5, Ezekiel 36:25-27 and Jeremiah 31:31. Human words can't properly describe what happens in the spiritual realm, but let it be known that when a person is born again and sealed with the Holy Spirit, they will never be the same.
 
The word regeneration describes the initial conversion. One Greek scholar likened it to a building permit, which allows the continued work to ensue. The renewed mind is a renovation project. When a person is born again, the Holy Spirit comes to live in them and they now have a receiver.
 
Ezekiel 36:26-27
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
 
That which was previously born of Adam and dead to God has been born again and made alive to God. This event allows the renewing to ensue.
 
The word "renewing" in Titus and "renewed" in our Ephesians text come from the same root and mean exactly that: a process of renewal. So the renewed mind is transformed because the Holy Spirit, through salvation has awakened our spirit from the death of sin, and the process continues as the believer learns and submits to the Holy Spirit's renewal of the mind through the word.
 
One of the big problems we have is that much of our mindsets have been developed from the world; furthermore, we now live in the midst of a timeframe where the church has embraced much of the methodologies of the world, which further obscures the line between godliness and holiness; therefore, it becomes more difficult a process for the mind to be renewed. This same thing happened to Israel.
 
Hebrews 3:7-4:11
 
The revelation God gave me about this passage that connects to the renewed mind concept is the fact that God said, "They always erred because they didn't know His ways." paraphrase
 
As I began to ponder this concept, I asked the Lord, "But why Lord? Why didn't they know your ways? They were Israel, the nation you had created through the promises given to the one man named Abraham. You had delivered them from Egyptian bondage. They previously had known of your covenant through the sign of circumcision you had given Abraham-- why God?"
 
I firmly believe God's answer for me was the same problem that God's people deal with today. His answer was that they had been Egyptian slaves for 400 years, and even though they had been given the circumcision and the promises, as they lived in Egypt, a type of the world, they forgot the ways of God and became indoctrinated with the ways of the world.

Paul has a similar warning for the church.
 
Romans 12:1-2
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed [to be molded from an outer source] to this world: but be ye transformed [metamorphosis the inside {Jesus from the new birth} comes out] by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
 
Essentially, these two scriptures explain the same concept as the one we just covered in Hebrews. Just as Egypt (world) had influenced the mindset of Israel's thinking, the world today wants to influence the thinking of God's people—the church. God doesn't want His people to err repeatedly because they don't understand His ways.
 
In this Romans passage, the exhortation reaches backwards to all the previous teaching that had come forth:
 
Ch 1-3: all men, both Jew and Gentile are guilty according to God's standard of righteousness which was the Law.
 
Ch 3:21-4 & 5: the righteousness of God apart from the Law has been revealed and His name is Jesus. Man is justified and the curse reversed through faith in the sacrifice of the righteous one.
 
Ch 6: upon faith in Jesus and His sacrifice, the old man dies and a new man is resurrected anew.
 
Ch 7: when the believer attempts to live daily for God through faith in works and Law, grace is frustrated and failure rather than victory is the result.
 
Ch 8: there are spiritual laws that are in effect. The only way to victory over sin is through the fact that the law of the Spirit of life in Christ has set me free from the law of sin and death.
 
Ch 9-11: Israel is an example to the church. They attempted to establish their own righteousness and forsook the righteousness of God which was Jesus.
 
12: the believer is exhorted to live a life of sacrifice, where he becomes a walking worship service for God. Remember, the reader of this letter would have already read Romans chapter 6, where he would have been taught that the “old man’ was dead, and a “new man’ was resurrected; Therefore, when they read the words… be a living sacrifice…this was the exhortation.
 
The person who understands that the old is dead and the new is resurrected gains revelation that he is crucified to the world, he will not be conformed to their ways, and instead his mind is transformed as the new man begins to gain revelation about the wonderful plan of God, which created new creations in Christ. Ultimately, this is the renewed mind—a revelation that the believer is a new creation in Christ.

#6 When God Transplants the Heart, Reviving and Remolding Will Start

As I was thinking about this title, which I felt like communicated the essence of this passage; I was reminded of an occurrence that happened when I was working in ICU. I worked on a unit where we took care of open heart surgery patients.
 
Now, these patients weren't transplants, but they needed bypass grafts to restore blood flow (life) to their heart; without that change to their hearts, they couldn't live.
 
There was one occurrence when I was working a night shift and a man who had had surgery that day went into V-fib, it's a heart rhythm that's not compatible to life because the heart isn't beating; instead, it's in a state of a weak quiver, and there is no real movement of blood, no real life circulating; sadly, this is where many Christians live, in a state of spiritual V- fib.
 
Anyway, we were frantically doing CPR, getting ready to shock the patient when the surgeon walked in to the room and said get the thoracotomy tray because we're going to have to open him up.
 
I can still remember her telling me, “Take those hemostats and rip those staples out!” And like unzipping a zipper, I ripped those hemostats through the staples, as they flew in all directions in the air, the skin covering his sternum opened, revealing the wires holding together.
 
"Come on Matt! Get the wire cutters and cut those wires! Hurry," so I did.
 
"Come on Matt! Get those retractors and open that chest up." I can still remember opening his chest and seeing that big quivering heart he had, it was barely hanging on for life.
 
"Grab it!" She said. "Grab it and start squeezing," so I squeezed, and then we shocked with internal paddles, and I squeezed and then we shocked...on and on, we feverishly worked to bring life back to this Man's quivering heart.
 
Unfortunately, he didn't make it through that trial in his life, and I don't know where he was spiritually at that moment, but I wanted to use that as an illustration to speak about the spiritual heart of man.
 
In his fallen state, man's heart (his spirit/ the part that connects to the life of God) is quivering at best, there is no life flowing through it. But God's plan has always been to offer hope through a heart transplant.
 
In the Old Testament, promised that there would be a day when He would do something different than ever before. He was talking about the New Covenant, a new agreement, where He would meet man according to His plan.
 
In this New Covenant, God said:
 
Ezekiel 36:25-27
Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
 
In this New Covenant, the promise was a heart change. God's plan would no longer work according to external religion; instead, He was saying that there would come a day when He would do an inner work, changing the very interior of man, that part of him which was driving his outward actions.
 
When God changes the heart, the reviving and remolding will start!
 
He also spoke through the prophet Jeremiah saying:
 
Jeremiah 31:31-33
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord,that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt;which my covenant they brake,although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel;After those days, saith the Lord,I will put my law in their inward parts,and write it in their hearts;and will be their God,and they shall be my people.
 
In this New Covenant, the internal miracle would result in God's Law being placed within the heart of the person. When the heart is "transplanted" by God, His Law or character (His Word/ who He is) is planted within the interior of man.
 
How does this happen? Because when a man or woman is born again, the Holy Spirit of God, the very life of God, and the author of the Law of God, now lives in the heart of man. So long before the sin is committed, the Holy Spirit is convicting, instructing, pleading with the believer not to transgress God's word.
 
Lastly, before we start, it's important that we understand the role of the Word and the Spirit in all this. God's word is His communication to this lost and dying world. Fallen humanity's thoughts are far removed from God; therefore, God sent His language to earth in the form of His word.
 
As the believer, begins to place God's word in him, the Holy Spirit that now lives in the transplanted heart begins to transform the whole view of reality. In this scenario, the transplant has been effective, blood flow has been restored, and the life of God is transforming the mind and conforming, even molding the believer into the image of Christ.

 
 When God Transplants the Heart, the Reviving and Remolding will Start

Ephesians 2:3
Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
 

…by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
 
The word children here is specifically related to the process of birth, or the production of offspring, and these children are described as those that by reason of their inherent nature were children facing wrath. Furthermore, earlier in the verse, Paul explains to the Ephesians that they also used to be among these ranks.

Sinful Nature

When God created Adam, He created him in His image and likeness Genesis 1:26,and Eve was brought forth from the side of that image, but since the occurrence of the fall, the procreation of man has followed a replication pattern of Adam's fallen image instead of the original state where Adam was created in the image of God, the image given him when he was formed of the dust and God's life was breathed within His lungs. Genesis 5:3.
 
Romans 5:12 teaches that the effects of Adam's sin has spread through the entirety of the human race.
 
Interestingly, along the "sinful nature" thought line, in the book of Romans starting at the end of chapter 5 through all of Romans 6, the word sin is used 19 times, but only once in all those places is the word used as a verb. Every other time, it's being used as a noun, which describes a person, place or thing, and in this case the noun is describing the nature of sin we received from our father Adam in our first birth.
 
Another way to describe this thought is that the sin nature (noun) is the root of sin and the (verbs/ actions) of sin are simply the fruit of the root. In essence, we need a miracle from God at the root system, because this alone will change the fruit that's manifested in the life, at least for the believer who is willing to allow the Holy Spirit to have His way.

I put this thought in the notes a couple weeks ago, and while I don’t intend to be redundant, as I was originally writing this idea, I believe God was giving me a revelation that I had previously not had. Just as Eve, Adam’s bride, was brought forth in a pristine state without spot or wrinkle from Adam’s sinless side, the bride of Christ has been grafted and is being re-created in Him, progressively being conformed into the image of our Lord until that glorious day when we will see Him (1 John 3:2), and then we will be as He is; we will have a sinless glorified body, and we will be restored to a state that truly reflects the image of God.
 

Ephesians 2:4, 5
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
 
We were dead in sins, which ultimately refers to being dead to the life of God, a separation from His presence. Sin in Adam and Eve's life resulted in expulsion from the garden, separating them from the presence and life of God (Genesis 3:24). This is why Paul describes the fact that we used to be one with them (unbelievers); we were previously amongst the unredeemed, separated from the presence and life of God; therefore, "children of wrath," because those found outside of Christ, will face the judgment of sin.
 
In this state man is dead to the light of God, no access to His presence, no access to His life. How lonely this feels as I type these words. My heart becomes heavy when I think about the countless souls who slip into eternity every day. I know that I don't do enough! Please help me God to do all I'm supposed to do!
 
Adam's banishment from the garden was a result of his disobedience and new gained knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17; 3:4, 5, 22), a knowledge only rightfully belonging to God, because He alone can hold the universe in His hand.
 
This knowledge moves man away from his focus on God alone; for now, he will spend his time and efforts playing the part of God. He will attempt to rectify the problems of sin by taking his own fallen ingenuity and logic and build a society that's more conducive to his perception of his own needs, a society that helps his physical discomforts resulting from the fall, but a society that disregards the knowledge of God.
 
The banishment from the garden results in separation from both God's presence but also God's life. There is no re-entrance, the flaming swords of the angels stand at the gate refusing entree' into this place where the presence and life of God exist. How they must have longed to partake of that tree again, to eat of its life giving fruit.
 
It must be understood that this tree can be partaken of again today, even right now; for that tree is Christ. He is the tree of life, and the cross as payment for our sin opened a new door to let man in. I wrote it a couple weeks back, but let's say it again, His side was riven (to make an opening), so we could be planted into the vine and be infused by the tree of life John 15.
 
Man is faced with a decision: which way will he turn, from which tree will he choose to eat? I want to love Jesus more than I love sin. I need a revelation from you God of this great love where with you loved, a love that reached even when I was dead and against you, even when I was born in Adam as a child of disobedience, you loved. You loved with your life.
 
Being restored into the presence of God changes everything about a person. I was able to spend some time with my brother in law this past weekend: what a blessing that was. But the most touching thing for me was when he started, through tear filled eyes, to talk about the pride of life. He said something like this, "Even my perception of appearances and clothing has changed. Why? Why clothes? Why are we so worried about trivial perceptions? Souls are hanging in the balance!"
 
You have to understand that I understand his thoughts. His "old man" and mine are much the same in this spot. The spot I speak of is the perception of appearance. With one quick glance, the mind has determined the value of another based upon their appearance. The question asked in the heart and mind is, "Can I be seen with you in public?  Let me assess this situation and scan your appearance. Let me take note of your looks and your style. Yes, you're an acceptable one, but I'm sorry, you over there go to the discard pile. You've failed inspection."
 
God help me because this is who I was, and I never want to be that person again. This is an eternal soul created by God, and God wants me to emulate my Jesus and my Jesus is love beyond comprehension. I know because He loved a prideful and arrogant person like me.
 
 
We have been given new life in Christ. Through salvation, we died to the old ways and have been born again to the new.

In verses five and six, the word together is used 3 times:

...quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

…raised us up together

… made us sit together

I just want to make one point about the Greek language here, all three of these words translated as together have in the Greek the prefix: syn or sum, and this is where we get our word sum from; the thought in the original language is an adding to, a connecting, an English word describing this thought is conjoint.

Conjointly- joined together; united; combined; associated.
pertaining to or formed by two or more in combination; joint_ American Dictionary

Faith is the connecting place. The object of faith is Jesus and His cross that instrument of death wherewith He paid our debt and purchased our soul. It requires humility to truly be saved. One must be willing to realize he’s not right and God is.
 

…quickened us together: alive together: by spiritual power to arise and invigorate: metaphorically used to describe seeds turning into life: germinating, springing up, growing_ Strong's.
 
While it cannot be understood by the natural mind, salvation has resulted in the sinner born of Adam sharing with Jesus. His cross is our cross, His death is our death, and His burial is our burial.
 
This speaks of what scholars call our vital union with Him: connected to the vine John 15
 
Ephesians 2:6
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

…raised us up together: to rouse from death: revivify

We were dead in sin, but in Christ, we’re revived to a new life.
 
…made us sit together: to cause to sit down together: to have seat in company with

This is a very difficult concept for the Christian who doesn't understand that he's truly forgiven, but seated is a posture of rest. Jesus did His work. His work is a finished work, so He sits. His work was completed for you, so you are seated in Him.

The thought of rest

Hebrews 10:11-12
And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
 
Certainly there is work for the kingdom that remains; however, the Christian operating with his spiritual eyes having been opened, understands that he works from a position of rest. In other words seated in Christ, in heavenly places, the Christian receives strength from another source; truthfully, he becomes the vessel of God, through which Jesus lives His life: Galatians 2:20
 
Matthew 11:29-30
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

When two beasts of burden (work) are yoked together for the purpose of hauling or plowing, there is always a mature animal, who knows what he’s doing, yoked with a younger animal. As I have studied this thought in the past, I learned that when this process is started, the younger, weaker animal isn’t even pulling the load; instead, he’s just following the lead of the elder. In a similar fashion, it’s imperative that the Christian gain this insight: Jesus is the load bearer; He is the “workhorse” in this team; and we must learn to let Him carry the burden in order for the kingdom’s work to really be accomplished.
 
And when the believer begins to operate in this place, where he remains connected to the vine, seated in Christ, trusting in the finished work of Christ, realizing that all this is a gift from God, and that it's not of His own doing, God will use him greatly.
 
Ephesians 2:7
That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
 
The thought of God showing the exceeding riches of His grace towards the saints is that the redeemed ones will be put on display for all creation to see the riches of God's mercy. In some way you become a trophy, you're part of the memory of the victory as the ages roll along; of course, we cannot forget those nail scarred hands. The book of Revelation refers to Jesus five times as the Lamb of God in the last two chapters of the Bible, even after the new heavens and the new earth, even after Satan is completely destroyed, the cross is remembered. And we are the trophy won through the war. What a glorious day that will be in those ages to come:
 
Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come;
'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promised good to me.
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.
Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.
 
Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall profess, within the vail,
A life of joy and peace.
 
The following stanza was written by an an anonymous author, often replacing the sixth stanza, or inserted as the fourth.
 
When we've been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we've first begun.
 
Chorus:
 
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
 
Your soul represents a trophy in the display case of God! How many more are there? How many at work? How many next door?
 
Ephesians 2:8
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
 
We've discussed this before, but salvation is a gift, and the specific gift of salvation is righteousness, Romans 5:17
 
The gift of righteousness is granted by God through grace to the "faithing" woman or man. God's part was the giving of His righteous Son as payment for the penalty of our sin. Our part is to receive by faith the gift of righteousness, resulting in salvation. What a blessing to have that burdened rolled away that previously plagued our person. Did you feel that Christian? When you made that step towards God and bowed your knee to Him, asking forgiveness of your sins, did you feel that release? How do you explain that to someone? Help me tell them Lord what you've done in my life!
 
Ephesians 2:9
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
 
Sadly, many in the church today have attempted to live their righteousness through works, thinking that their daily righteousness was different than their original gift of righteousness. No you're in the gift. You're supposed stay in Him. Don't leave this place right here Christian. This is the safe place to abide-- "In Christ."
 
When you begin to think it’s what you do that makes you righteous you enter a place called relative righteousness or self- righteousnes. This place isn't in Christ. Relative righteousness is self righteousness determined in the heart of the religious by comparing or relating their righteousness to some other standard other than Jesus. This is the religion of the Pharisee when compared to the tax collector in Luke 18:10-14
 
Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship (a thing that is made), created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
  
We are being created in Him. There is a process of molding taking place. Since the fall of man, there is an ongoing conforming of humanity into a child of God or a child of disobedience. Just as Adam was formed into the image of God, man is being conformed into an image today.
 
And once again, this conforming is a molding after a pattern. We are either being molded after Christ, or we're being molded after the world.
 
Romans 8:28-29
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
 
While the ultimate result of the conforming process will be the glorification of the believer after his resurrection, this passage describes the fact that not only was salvation, which is also known as justification, because if you will remember, we learned in the past that justification is God’s declaration that a sinner is righteous after  they placed faith in the plan of God: Jesus Christ and Him crucified  predestined "In Christ," but also sanctification, and lastly glorification are also predestined in this place or plan called "In Christ."
 

Conformed (Symmorphus)- sym or sum- to be added or joined. Morphus- shaped.
 
Symmorphus...formed; fashioned like unto.
 
(Ephesians…we are his workmanship)… (conformed to the image of his Son …Romans)

In this thought the believer, through his connection with Christ, is being molded by the hand of God through the sanctification process. Just as a reminder, the word sanctified is the same word in the Greek where the word holy comes from. It's imperative that Christians understand that sanctification, or the process where one is conformed, being molded by the hand of God to look more like Jesus is both positional and progressive. It's both a state of being and a state of changing.
 
In other words, through salvation, we were miraculously placed into the person of Christ, where the verdict over our lives was changed from guilty to innocent, which gives us access back into the life changing power of God, where we are, once again, being conformed or molded into the image of our glorious savior. We spoke about it a couple of weeks ago that our purpose was to bring God glory. The only way we can bring God glory on this earth is if our lives reflect the love of our Savior, and the only way that can happen is if we understand how sanctification or the making of one holy takes place.
 
The alternate molding is where one allows themselves to be molded from an outside source. In this scenario, they are willingly partaking in the process and molding themselves according to the standard of the world:
 
Romans 12:1-2
​ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
 
A living sacrifice is one who's "old man," born of Adam has died and his "new man," born of Christ is living. Paul exhorts those born again from the dead not to mold themselves according to the pattern of the world; instead, let the new life of God permeate your mind, allow the work of the Word and the Spirit to transform you towards the things of God.
 
The word for transform here in the Greek is where we get our word metamorphosis. Just as a caterpillar has butterfly DNA in its pre- butterfly state and must be transformed to become what it was created to be, the believer has become a partaker of the divine nature, and must allow the word of God and the Spirit of God to begin the process of transforming his heart and his perception of the world around him.
 
The alternative is that the person allows the world to conform or mold them according to their image.

#5 Broken Teeth and Lame Feet Cripple a Body!

Broken Teeth and Lame Feet Cripple a Body!

When Jesus was on earth in bodily form, He was somewhat restrained geographically. In other words, while he was in Nazareth, He couldn’t touch someone in Jerusalem. Of course the kingdom’s power transcended time and space with some of His miracles. He spoke and the centurion’s servant was healed long distance. He spoke and a four day dead man walked out of the tomb. But for the most part, if He wasn’t there, it didn’t get done.

Looking back, we can see God’s plans and purposes for this time-frame known as the church age; His intent was that the church would function as His body. Once people are born again, the Holy Spirit of God comes to live within them, and collectively, that group of people known as the church becomes the body of Christ.

Jesus said that It was expedient (a good thing) that He go back to the Father; for if He didn’t go, then the comforter couldn’t come. The comforter is the Holy Spirit of God, and if you are a born again believer, He lives in your heart, which makes you a part of the body of Christ.

So the church is His body, it isn’t a building or a denomination, it’s an organism. It’s a global organism made up of people from every nation. This intricately arrayed organism accomplishes His will, through His Spirit, all over the world—there is no geographic restraint in the church age, because God’s Spirit is strategically located globally. God’s just looking for His people to be available and function according to His purposes and plans.

As I was writing, I thought about the Sermon on the Mount. I thought about the crowds thronging this new Rabbi who was previously unknown named Jesus. I thought about how bright His light must have shined in the midst of their darkness, how His light was such a new hope that contrasted the extorting and blinding religion of the Pharisees, which had kept the people from the truth. What clothes did this crowd wear? How did their countenance appear? Was He viewing saddened faces of despair that were spiritually hungry? Is that what ignited the words of His teaching…the poor in spirit…those that mourn…the meek…were they hungry and thirsty for His righteousness and desperate to know God?

Then the light of the world given by God to darkened man tells them that they are salt and light. Already, in His first message, He is preparing those that will follow Him to be His body once He’s gone, because His light in them will bring continued light into this darkened place and their saltiness will preserve this fallen world and make others thirsty for righteousness.

When the people of God begin to reflect His hope and glory in the midst of this pain riddled world, it makes the people around them thirsty for the things of God. When the body of Christ allows the light of Jesus to shine out of them, it begins to illuminate a path of righteousness for others to see. But if the salt loses its savor, it loses its function, and its purpose becomes useless. Unsavory salt will make no one thirsty, it’s lost its function, it’s useless, throw it out and let it be trampled under the foot of men.

In a similar fashion, the light of the body of Christ is like a lighted city on a hill. In ancient times weary travelers had to hike the dangerous rocky crags of the Jordan rift system, and from afar, a glimmer of hope lied ahead, elevated illuminated cities showed the way. Surely, as long as they saw the light, there was hope in their hearts. But if that light be hidden under a basket, it’s lost its purpose. It no longer functions and the travelers are lost.

Likewise, the functioning of this organism known as the body of Christ requires that its body parts operate according to their proper function. The body of Christ must emulate the person of Christ, and when the church acts like the world instead of Jesus, it becomes a crippled body, with broken teeth and lame feet. In other words, instead of bringing healing, like a broken tooth, it brings pain; and instead of carrying the gospel to the lost, like a lame foot, it loses its function.

Ephesians 1:19-21
And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us- ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
 
Last week the emphasis on the passage revolved around the people of God being able to see spiritually. There were three things the Holy Spirit wanted God's people to see, but the last one we covered was the awesome power that God gives to those believers who are in Christ.
 
The power spoken of is directly related to the resurrection. It should be understood that the cross and the resurrection represent one event where the forces of evil were overcome. Jesus' offering of Himself as the spotless Lamb of God, paid humanity's sin debt in full; therefore, death had no right to hold Jesus in the grave.
 
The resurrection proves that Jesus has conquered death, hell, and the grave. It's true to the naked eye that it appears this victory was not secured because we see death and dying all around. We are currently in a time-frame that scholars call the "already- not yet." In other words, Satan's kingdom was defeated at Calvary, the resurrection proves it, but the physical fulfillment of the kingdom of the Christ lies somewhere near on the horizon. A similar concept is that David was anointed king as a teenage boy; however, the manifestation of his kingdom didn't occur until approximately 20 years later. Some may say, “I need further proof. I don’t see any of God’s power working; instead, all I see is chaos and confusion.” For this person, my response is that God’s presence is resident and active in the lives of His true believers, and through them, according to the working of His mighty power, He is progressively moving forward with His plan.
 
Hebrews 2:8-9
hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
 
The purpose of this time-frame is for believer's, empowered by the resurrection dunamis of the slain Lamb, to do the work of the kingdom. It is beholden on the regenerate man (born again believer) to be about his Father's business. But there is a day upon the horizon where this present age will be physically brought to an end, and the Lamb of God will rule upon this earth in physical form (Revelation 20:4, 6).
 
So as we transition into verse 22, we must be reminded of God's power given to us "In Christ." This power is necessary as the church functions within this "already- not yet" time-frame; for the forces we will face in this battle are powerful.
 
The text says: Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion...
 
The power that is resident in the resurrected one, which same power resides in us through the moving and operation of the Holy Spirit, is far above principalities and powers, might and dominions. Who is Paul referring to with these words?
 
We will cover some of these concepts in detail when we get to chapter 6, but briefly, the word principality is arche in Greek, which means chief or first in order; just a couple verses down, the word prince is used to describe Satan. Jesus used this same word three times in the gospel of John to refer to Satan, as the prince/ archon. Obviously this word is a variant of arche, which is where we build the word archangel. What this means is that Satan is the chief ruler of this current evil age; more specifically, the realm that he rules is within the sphere of unredeemed man.
 
Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion...
Anyway, the idea is that Satan, his power ([exousia]- the word power here is used in chapter 6 and refers to demon spirits), his might (dunamis), and his dominion (kingdoms) he has ruled, have been defeated through Calvary, and are awaiting their judgment. The point for the believer is that he understand at least three things: (1) "In Christ," we have victory over the archon {the prince} and exousia {demons} (2) "In Christ," we are the vessels God chooses to inhabit in order to accomplish His will upon this fallen earth (3) "In Christ,” we have been given the power we need to overcome the evil one.
 
Ephesians 1:22-23
And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
 
In these two verses, the emphasis surrounds the relationship of Jesus' power to His church, through HIS victory, all things, all powers have been placed under His feet, which signifies supremacy and ultimate authority. Personally, I can visualize Jesus' foot on the throat of the dragon right here; nevertheless, another thought of supremacy is that Jesus is the head; furthermore, He is the head of a body, and the body is the church.
 
Now, we have discussed this multiple times, but the word church is ekklesia, meaning called out ones. It must be understood that the church isn't a building or an organization; rather, it's an organism. The church (ekklesia- called out ones) is a functioning organism making up Christ's body upon the earth through the energy or power of the Holy Spirit, which is made available to the believer because of his righteous position given "In Christ."
 
Jesus is the head of this body. He supplies the power and the plans for its purposes and function upon the earth. Through the written word and the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus completes His work upon this earth during this "already- not yet" time frame.
 
This thought will be expanded upon in a couple of chapters, but let the title of tonight's message ring loud in the ears of the hearers: Broken Teeth and Lame Feet Cripple a Body!
 
Proverbs 25:19
Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble
is like a broken tooth (painful), and a foot out of joint (can’t function properly).

In other words, when the body of Christ doesn’t function like it’s supposed to, the work of God is hindered in some way. It’s not operating at capacity. No one wants to be responsible for their own actions; rather, they would prefer to live their lives the way they want, pretending that their daily decisions don’t have consequences for the kingdom of God. I’m sorry that is a lie. Every time we, who call ourselves “Christian,” make a decision contrary to God’s will, there is a result.

Many times our decisions are made based upon selfish motives, but the results don’t just affect us, they affect countless others. For instance, let’s pretend for a moment that we are having a hard time getting our flesh under control. We’re irritated with others and just don’t have any patience with anyone at work. Many times this will result in the believer thinking his problem is the work place, resulting in the frustrated believer wanting to run in another direction to solve the problem, but the problem isn’t the environment; instead, the problem is the believer’s perception of his situation. This person is viewing their circumstances from their own eyes instead of God’s, from their own desires instead of God’s.

By the way this can also be true for relationships, whether they are marital or companionship in nature, and once the decision is made to move on, countless people are affected, the witness left the building. I understand that God moves witnesses and brings new ones, but we are supposed to be making sure that the decisions we make, as His body, are lining up with His will. Other scenarios can be attitudinal. When we behave or respond a certain way to people, we either bless them, giving them a positive perception about the kingdom of God, or we offend them and give them a negative perception about the kingdom of God. The salt just lost its flavor, the light was dimmed, the tooth was broken, and the foot’s out of joint.
 

Just as humans require body parts that are wholly functional in order to operate at capacity and accomplish work in the physical realm, the organism known as the church operates at capacity when its individual parts work in unison as it carries out the orders from the head, which is Christ.
 
There is so much that could be said here; yet, there is so little time to say it. But let's try an abbreviated version.
 
First, without a proper understanding of God's word, the body is void of knowledge regarding proper function to begin with. This problem can have multiple reasons for its existence-- a couple are: (1) the believer refuses to study to show themselves approved (2) the preacher doesn't properly teach the scriptures from God's perspective; instead, he teaches them from a mindset that wants to meet the people where they are instead of the mindset of bringing the people where God is.
 
But one other main thought that comes to mind is this question: what is unity? Is unity of the body where we all gather around the campfire, sing songs, and tell each other what a wonderful job we're doing for God's kingdom? True unity surrounds our holding to the gospel of faith?
 
Ephesians 4:13
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
 
1 Corinthians 1:10
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
 
When a person is born again from the dead and begins to gain a revelation that daily faith in the finished work of Christ provides a standing of righteousness before God, allowing the believer access into the presence of God, allowing the believer fellowship with the presence of God, a deep work is begun in the heart of that man.
 
This New Testament believer is being properly positioned within the body and is now receiving its signals from the head. The thought here is similar to the anatomy and physiology of the human body. There are sensory and motor pathways that send and receive signals from the brain to the body parts resulting in action. But if there is a body part severed from the whole, that body part can't receive its proper signal; therefore, it can't operate as it’s supposed to.
 
It would be like a severed hand lying on the ground trying to hand a Christian tract to an individual two blocks away, it has no feet to get there, and it has no mouth to speak with. While there is the chance that a passerby may happen upon this isolated hand and receive the tract, the separated hand is not as effective because it's in disunion, it's in disunity from the body. Also, worth mentioning, it becomes obvious at some point that something isn't right. My point is that a hand is supposed to be a part of a larger whole in the same way that a Christian is supposed to be a part of the body of Christ. And when there is a person in isolation unable to coincide with anyone, there is a problem. All these scenarios are just a couple everyday examples of broken teeth and disjointed feet affecting the proper operation of the body of Christ upon this earth.
 
…Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
 
He wants to fill His body (the church) with Himself, so He can operate through them.
 
 

Ephesians 2:1-3 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
 
These three verses are rich with details, but the main thought shouldn't be missed: there is a juxtaposing of two thoughts here when these verses are viewed in light of what we've been studying. In other words, a comparison and contrast is taking place between the redeemed (believers) and the unredeemed (unbelievers).
 
What's being compared and contrasted is God's plan for humanity compared to the current fallen order of things. In the first part of Ephesians, we learned that we were adopted of God. Once again, God is in the process of creating an eternal family. Entrance into this family comes by way of birth. While it’s true the terminology adoption was used, and in that sense likely refers to the differences in God's plan regarding Old and New covenants and Jew versus Gentile believers; nevertheless, entrance into the kingdom or family of God, comes through a new birth in Christ.
 
Upon faith in the plan of God, the believer is born again and sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. The Holy Spirit makes your heart His home, and you become the temple of God, the dwelling place where the God of the universe performs His day to day operations, even the body of Christ.
 
So the born again believer is being led by the Holy Spirit as he travels his pilgrimage, and this thought is being contrasted to our new thought: …the spirit of the air that is working in the children of disobedience.
 
 

Ephesians 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
 
Those that are born again are born out of the world system, and while they were previously dead in sin because they were separated from the life of God, now they've been quickened or given life through their connection to Jesus.
 
The words trespasses and sins have specific meanings.
 
Trespasses- describe a wandering from the right path. This is descriptive of a lifestyle walking in opposition to God's will.
 
The context of this verse related this thought to unbelievers, but how often are churches filled with people whose journey is heading in the opposite direction from God's will?
 
Sins- this word means to miss the mark. The idea is a spear-man missing the bull’s eye. The thought for everyday life is that there is right and wrong, and wrong choices miss the mark of God.

While the first describes chronic behavior, the second describes acute failures along the way, and the person walking the path of the first word, will repeatedly perform the works of the second.
 
Ephesians 2:2
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
 
As human beings we all have one thing in common: we've all walked "according to the course of this world." The hope is that we no longer are. While we will certainly miss the mark because of our frail humanity, we shouldn’t be constantly failing in the same area time and again.
 
From being born in Adam until being born again in Christ, we walked the course of the world. We were enslaved to the prince of the power of the air. As mentioned earlier, Jesus called Satan the prince of this world. Satan is the chief ruler of this fallen age of sin, but he is not sovereign-- God is in control. Furthermore, notice the words...the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
 
The people that are bound by the kingdom of Satan are those who are unredeemed. The born again Christian is no longer under the power of Satan's kingdom. Unfortunately, if the preacher doesn’t preach the gospel for the way God wrote it, believers will not be equipped to travel the freedom path; sadly, they won’t even know it’s there even though it’s in the very book they’re reading. The same thing happened to the Pharisees, who were reading and searching but never seeing (John 5:39, 40).
 
The spirit that works disobedience is synonymous with the spirit of antichrist spoken of in:
 
1 John 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God:and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
 
It should be understood that the spirit of antichrist is the spiritual power that Satan exerts over God's creation humanity, which was made possible through Adam's fall. From the beginning of his associations with the human race, he has been a seductress.
 
I use the feminine form of the word because the book of Revelation calls his lying false system of religion a harlot that causes humanity to live in a state of intoxication and fornication (Revelation 17:1-6). Proverbs seven gives a good rendering of how this seductive spirit operates within the hearts and minds of God’s people. This spirit uses beauty and sensuality, religion and carnality, in order to entice and seduce the people of God into bed with it, and the whole time it’s a trap, a snare to entrap, a leading to the slaughter house to destroy.
 
This spirit has been seducing and usurping from the garden, through Babel's corporate rebellion, and will not stop until Jesus destroys him with the sword of His mouth. We should be reminded that a couple weeks back we discussed the fact that the family of God isn't only Father and children, but it's also Bridegroom and bride, and there is nothing that will ruin a marriage faster than the presence of a harlot in the house.
 
…worketh in the children of disobedience:
 
Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
 
The word "worketh" is energeo in the Greek. Just as the spirit of antichrist is influencing the unredeemed to do the works of his kingdom, God, through the Holy Spirit, gives us the desire to accomplish His work.
 
We will complete this thought next week, but the ability of Satan to operate in humanity is related to the inherent sinful nature man receives from Adam; whereas, the redeemed have been spiritually transformed, becoming partakers of a new nature, and receiving new desires from God (Ezekiel 36: 25-27; 2 Peter 1:4).

Lessons from Jonah (Pt. 3): Get Over Yourself!

Jonah part 3: Get over Yourself

Jonah 3:1, 2
And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach (to summon or call with a loud voice) unto it the preaching (the proclamation) that I bid thee.
 
God never changed His mind. We might change our minds, but His plan never changes, "Summon the lost to come and repent! Proclaim the truth of My word!"
 
God told Jonah to arise. There are countless believers seated; they are MIA. We have no way of knowing how long Jonah was lying/ sitting around after he was spit upon the shore before God came unto him a second time. The word just says that God came unto him a second time and said, "Arise!" Arise child of God from your seated position and return to the place of obedience; once again, God's mind hasn't changed. He wants sinners saved.
 
Jonah 3:5-7
So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing:let them not feed, nor drink water:
 
There is a lot to be said regarding this passage of scripture. The first thing that stood out to me is that the people received the word of God first, and their response resulted in a change to the king’s heart. This may be a little off the beaten path, but churches are filled with leaders that aren't living or preaching right; therefore, it makes sense that the pews would be filled with people who don't properly understand the gospel, and therefore, are incapable of walking right with God. Sadly, most people will never rise above the teaching they receive from the teacher they sit under. Furthermore, there is a mindset in the church where we are supposed to teach the Bible at an elementary level-- well you do the math. The truth is that people just hate to be challenged in anything. We like the status quo. I don't know much, but I do know this-- Jesus and His disciples were the antonym of the "status quo," and the point that I’m trying to make is that just as in the Jonah story, it doesn’t matter what the leaders are doing, God wants the people that are called by His name to humble themselves and pray and to turn from their wicked ways.
 
Besides the fact that the regular people responded to God and ultimately affected leadership, I also wanted to point out the way people in the Old Testament repented.
 
It is well known through the scriptures that Israel would repent in sackcloth and ashes when they were sorrowful for their sin. While I can't prove it, I feel certain this was a big part of Jonah's message. We know he was crying in the streets that judgment was coming, and we are told that their response was that they repented in sackcloth and ashes.
 
It should be noticed that sackcloth laid upon the body is extremely uncomfortable. Furthermore, ashes spread upon the head and body in a humid climate would be an absolute irritation. In 2 Samuel 12:20, David repented over his sin with Bathsheba and the illness of their offspring. Once the child died and he felt like it was time for his repentance to be over, he rose, washed, and anointed himself with oil. I point this out because he was making himself more comfortable. The anointing of oil was the opposite of the remorse and discomfort associated with sackcloth and ashes.
 
I fear that churches are filled with unsaved people today because the message has been purposefully softened and diluted to prevent offense. Through this, people are allowed to exist in a lifestyle of sin because they have been told a lie about what grace really means.
 
True repentance will have associated with it discomfort related to one's sin. There will be a discomfort in the fact that God was offended!
 
Jonah 4:4-5
Then said the Lord, Doest thou well to be angry? So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.
 
Jonah is displeased with God's plan and the way things are going. He's responded superficially to the request of God, but internally, he is in opposition to God's way.
 
Isaiah 29:13
Wherefore the Lord said,
Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth,
and with their lips do honour me,
but have removed their heart far from me,
and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
 
I can tell you that this isn't going to work with God. There are people who walk around with an outward appearance pretending they are serving God, but inwardly, their hearts are far from Him. He loves you Christian! He loves you, and He won't let you stay comfortable in the spot you've prepared for yourself.
 
That's exactly what Jonah has done-- right? He has gone off on his own and prepared his own shelter, for his own comfort hoping to see what he wants to see. With the works and manipulation of his own hands, he prepares a place for himself, but even all his work and attempts leave him open to the elements.
 
This is a perfect picture of the flesh attempting to cover self. While this is a somewhat difficult thing to explain, and a little out of context, Christians love to prepare coverings for themselves in an attempt to prevent themselves from falling. There was a movement sometime back where everyone was going to get themselves an accountability partner and confess all their faults to them as though that was going to set them free or keep them from sinning. While on the surface it seems spiritual and even biblical, to be truthful, when someone places their faith in this instead of the finished work of Christ for victory, it's just another attempt through feeble flesh to gain victory over sin; therefore, it's just another way to say in the heart that what Jesus did wasn't enough.
 
The Lord showed me several years ago that if a person can't be accountable to Him, the one that created and peers into the human heart, then it's preposterous to think that trusting in some earthly relationship will fill that need. Please don't misunderstand what I'm saying, iron sharpens iron. Brothers and sisters in The Lord are an extremely powerful source of strength as we walk together in the faith encouraging and edifying (building up) one another in the things of God.
 
Nevertheless, if a man would learn to walk in Christ through proper faith in His finished work, then that man will learn to be accountable to God as the Holy Spirit empowers towards obedience. Until a man learns to be accountable to God, that man will never, and I repeat, that man will never learn to be accountable to man.
 
While it is true that James said to confess to one another and pray, so that you would be healed, which is referring to healing of the soul, Jesus is the answer and victory for sin. The purpose here is that a stronger brother would lead the other or vice versa back to Jesus and His answer for the problem:
 
1 Peter 2:24
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness:by whose stripes ye were healed.
 
So which would you prefer to trust in completely for your healing?
 
Ultimately, Jonah like so many of us has feebly attempted to meet his needs, and even though he's disobedient, God is going to show him mercy and provide a supernatural covering to provide for Jonah what his hands could not.
 
There is so much to be held onto here. If we could only stop in the midst of the chaos and remind ourselves that He alone can provide what we need and every attempt we make in erecting our own plans only leads to failure and more frustration.
 
 

Jonah 4:6-9
And the Lord God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered. And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live. And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.
 
God prepared a storm for chastisement, a form of discipline to stop his disobedience.
 
God prepared a great fish to rescue him from the turbulent chaos he had brought upon himself and to turn Jonah back to the right direction. God uses chastisement to turn us around.
 
God prepared a gourd as a covering of mercy. Jonah's feeble attempts failed, and his heart was disobedient; nevertheless, God showed mercy and protected Jonah.
 
God prepared a worm to destroy the gourd, which He had provided for Jonah to give him a covering of mercy.
 
The gourd was God's; the worm was God's; the wind, the sun, the fish, the storm, the Ninevites, and Jonah, everything belongs to God and God will do with it what He pleases. How dare you Jonah! How dare you think the Ninevites don't deserve God's mercy!
 
When you feel bitterness in your heart towards someone who has treated you wrong, just remember as fast as God raised up and destroyed Jonah's gourd, He can also remove his mercy from over your life.
 
Needless to say, Jonah is miserable with his life right now. The sun is scorching and a vehement (hot) east wind is blowing; he's miserable with his life to the point that he wants to die.
 
Jonah 4:9
And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.
 
It should be noted that all of Jonah's discomfort is because of his refusal to see what God wants Him to see and respond the way God wants him to respond; essentially, God wants Jonah to be about God's business and see life His way, but Jonah wants things done his way.  Let there be no confusion, Jonah wants what he wants and he is angry because he can't get it!
 
When we demand something from God that is contrary to His will, refusing to see things His way and instead demand that it go our way, we will continue to be miserable.
 
Throughout the life of the Christian, God desires to align our hearts, minds, essentially our inner man with His heart: the way He sees things. This concept encompasses every aspect of our lives. In Jonah's scenario, the context specifically surrounds his obedience to God regarding the ministry God has asked from him. Jonah's response is undoubtedly being influenced by the world around him. What I mean by that is Israel, as a whole, is living in disobedience towards God. Idolatry stands in between them and God; therefore, they cannot properly connect to His presence, and they cannot properly perceive His ways.
 
In a similar fashion, the Christian whose mind isn't stayed upon the Lord isn't able to see God's way. We can get into specifics here. We can talk about relationships. We can talk about demanding a relationship out of wedlock or one that enters wedlock outside of God's will and then sit there under our withered gourd while the east wind scorches our head, and we are frustrated and aggravated because nothing is going our way. It's not the way God wants you to go! He wants you to surrender to His will.
 
We can talk about jobs. I've talked about this hundreds of times over the years of this bible study. People change jobs more rapidly sometimes than they do partners in today's society, thinking they're going to find happiness in the new job because somehow the boss at the new job is going to finally "get it." Don't get me wrong there are better bosses and better jobs, but the job oftentimes isn't the problem. The problem is we're looking for fulfillment elsewhere, and so we sit under the withered gourd having a pity party because nothing goes our way. Stop! Stop and be about the Father's business. Seek His will for your life and surrender to Him.
 
Sometimes, we desire to control a situation so bad that the relationships, job, church, ministry...isn't even the problem. Instead, these are just the symptoms; we have a letting go and letting God problem. We want it our way. We want to see the world our way. I don't like to read, so I don't even know what the preacher is talking about when he mentions Abraham. That works ok when you’re a newborn baby Christian, but if you refuse to change your world view through the word of God, you will remain with your miserable control issues demanding God give you what you want, sitting under your withered gourd blaming God.
 
God didn't create you so He could give you glory; He created you for you to give Him glory!
 
God didn't create you so He could spend all His time ministering to your plans; He created you for His glory, His plans, and His purpose. If you ain't on board with that, you ain't on board with Him!
 
Jonah 4:10-11
Then said the Lord, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore (120,000) thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

As I said earlier, Jonah’s mindset has been tainted and influenced by the current condition of Israel’s spirituality: Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable will of God.

In this passage, Paul explains that we aren’t to be conformed, which means to be molded by an outward source. In this case, the outward source is the world system, in Jonah’s case he’s being molded by the spiritual condition of Israel. Paul exhorts believers to be transformed, which describes an inward change manifest outwardly. Interestingly, the word in the Greek is metamorphoo, where we get our word metamorphosis. The transformation of a caterpillar to a butterfly is a metamorphosis that manifests outwardly what was already inherent in the butterfly’s genes. In addition the word transfigured used of Jesus is also this Greek word. On that day what was really in Jesus, His deity, shown thru. We are exhorted by Paul to have a renewed mind that understands this. All this is connected to verse 1 and all the previous teaching that spoke of the “old man” dying in Christ and the “new man” resurrecting in Him. This is the immediate context of verse 1 to make the point:

I beseech you therefore, brethren by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed

After all the previous teaching that he had offered in Romans 6, Paul is now saying that we are to live our lives as a living sacrifice (the old man dead and the new man alive). The renewed mind understands he is a new creation in Christ and he is about his Father’s business. Ultimately, he has gotten over himself and is moving forward in God.

Jonah has pity for the gourd. In other words, he's sad it withered away because it can no longer serve his (Jonah's) purpose. But here is God's creation about to be destroyed and Jonah wants to see it happen. God is also trying to teach Jonah a lesson on mercy. Mercy is God's to give; it doesn't belong to Jonah. Sadly, many Christians also act like this. How quickly we forget what God has done for us.
 
Be careful Christian, God has been known to pull back His hand of mercy in order to teach His children a lesson. He's doing it right here in this story.