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| JAMES LESSON #37 We�re continuing to look at �lies� and �truth� and how they pertain to �me� and God.� The lie we�ve been working on is: You can�t have peace with God. You�ve blown it too badly. You aren�t saved. You�re not forgiven. And even if you are, you�ll never outlive the guilt! Look at your record! The truth: God says 1) The blood of Jesus applies to my record. I�m safe. Everything is paid for in full. 2) My guilt is cleansed from my conscience. 3) The devil can�t separate me from God�s love and care. Read Romans 8:1 Underline, �no condemnation� - Every time the �guilt� tries to reclaim ground in your conscience, this, is the verse you throw into the enemy�s face. Read Romans 8:31-39. Lie: Your behavior tells you what to believe about yourself (especially when you look backwards :or wrestle with a persistent bad habit) Truth: Your belief about yourself Determines your behavior- Huh? So, am I supposed to have �positive thoughts?� Am I supposed to work on a �strong self-image?� Am I suppose to �develop confidence?� Am I supposed to� wrong wrong wrong�You aren�t �supposed to DO anything � you�re supposed to BE. Be what? Connected: Dependent: At rest. For days and days we�ve been talking about the �joint effort opportunity� � it isn�t going to stop. Look at the �truth� again: Your belief about yourself �what exactly DO you believe about yourself? As a quick �spot check� on how your head responds to this question: If I asked you to make a �list� of what you believe about yourself � how much �joint effort� would you see � and how much �you standing on your own� would you see in your description? Get this: ANYTHING YOU BELIEVE ABOUT YOURSELF THAT STANDS ALONE OUTSIDE OF �IN HIM� IS A LIE. If you believe yourself to be �confident� � and that confidence is not found IN HIM � that belief will fail you in crisis. If you believe yourself to be �a helper�- and your ability is not found IN HIM � that belief will fail you in the face of harsh rejection � a time, when perhaps that belief would be needed most. Outside of the �joint effort� ��you� are nothing. A person practices what he believes in times of crisis; not what he professes; what you truly believe will drive you right into the arms of whatever you find security in, when fire surrounds you. Take a look at your �reaction pattern.� That, will help you identify what you truly believe about yourself. Do you stand alone? Look at John 15: I want to take a deeper look at this �joint effort� - This is going to be another one of those �mark the text� moves � so get ready to mark: I (Jesus) am the true vine,(Jesus uses a metaphor of a vine. To the Jew, a spreading and fruitful vine is the emblem of prosperity and great blessings.) and My Father is the vinedresser (Greek: georgos: The farmer who cultivates the vines) Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it: (Greek: kathairo: to cleanse from filth- to purify what is unseen so as to strengthen), that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean (same word as prune) because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide (this is the evidence of salvation: stick close) in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear from what? Of itself � fruit of ANY kind- helping, encouraging, teaching, leading, serving �unless what? Unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. (in terms of salvation, no fruit means no abiding- no abiding means no life- no life means no salvation) I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, (lives in � dwells in- spends time in- entrusts in Me) and I in him, he bears much fruit: (why? Because the two are working together- not separate of the other) �for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide (habitually) in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, (who�s they?) � put your hand where you are and flip over to Matthew 13:37-41 � make a note next to this passage that for the average person �tares and wheat� look exactly the same. The only way you can tell them apart is by comparing the fruit, side by side. The �they� are God�s angels.)-and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and MY WORDS abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you. (why? Because prayer is fruit of an abiding life- prayer that seeks God�s will � not selfish gain. Prayer is evidence of true discipleship) By this is My Father glorified, (by the �joint effort� �abiding life� and the fruits it produces, a correct picture of all that God is, is given) �that you bear MUCH fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has love Me, I have also loved you; abide (dwell, live in) My love. (how?) If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father�s commandments, and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, (why?) that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. This is My commandment, that you �love� � (Greek: agapao: To love, indicating a direction of the will and finding one�s joy in someone. ) one another, just as I have loved you. Greater �love� (Greek: agape: Love, affectionate regard: It is God�s willful direction toward man. It involves God doing what He knows is BEST for man, and not necessarily what man �desires.�) has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. (philos: this is a covenant term: viewing friendship as something you�d offer your life over to protect) You are My �friends� � philos- if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; (a slave does what he does because he has to) but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. YOU DID NOT CHOOSE ME, but what? I chose you, and did what? Appointed (that means to place or put specifically) you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give to you. This I command you, that you love (agapao) one another. IF (this is a 1st class condition which means: AND IT IS TRUE) IF the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. IF (this is a 2nd class condition and it means IT IS NOT TRUE) �IF you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, A slave is not greater than his master. IF (1st class condition � it�s true) they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; IF (1st class condition-it�s true) they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you why? For My name�s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. (God the Father) If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, (He exposed their sin) but now they have no excuse (no cloak or covering) for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin (guilt) �but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. But they have done this in order that the word may be fulfilled that is written in their Law, �They hated Me without a cause.� When the what? HELPER comes- (joint effort partner) whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness of Me, and you will bear witness also, because you have been with Me from the beginning. (He�s referring to the disciples here � Luke 1:2) Ok- so from this text it�s pretty obvious that the �joint effort� needs to be in place if your �behavior� is to bear fruit. And it�s the �joint effort� that defines how you see you. If you look into the mirror and what you see is what defines you � either visually or in your head, you are in trouble. GET THAT. The last thing I want to do before we close is answer the question: Who Am I? I�m going to give you a list that defines �who you are� as Christ gives it and I want you to mark it in two ways in your Bible. In the front or back flap of your Bible mark the first reference and list the heading, such as: WHO AM I? Matthew 5:13. Next to Matthew 5:13, put the next reference � so that with each new reference you have access to the next reference, a chain of verses hooked together in your Bible, with the first link listed in the front or back page of your Bible- WHO AM I? I am the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13) I am the light of the world (Matthew 5:14) I am a child of God (John 1:2) I am a part of the true vine, a channel of Christ�s life and chosen to bear His fruit (John 15:1,5,16) I am Christ�s friend (John 15:15) I am a slave of righteousness (Romans 6:18) God is spiritually my Father (Romans 8:14,15; Galatians 4:6) I am a joint heir with Christ (Romans 8:17) I am the dwelling place of God�s Spirit and Life (I Corinthians 3:16; 6:19) I am a member of Christ�s body (I Corinthians 12:27) I am a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) I am reconciled to God and a minister of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18,19) I am a saint. (Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:2) I am God�s workmanship, created to do His work (Ephesians 2:10) I am a fellow citizen with the rest of God�s family (Ephesians 2:19) I am righteous and holy (Ephesians 4:24) I am seated in heaven right now (Ephesians 2:6) I am chosen of God, holy and dearly loved (Colossians 3:12; I Thessalonians 1:4) I share in the life of Christ (Hebrews 3:14) I am one of God�s living stones, being built in Christ as a spiritual house (I Peter 2:5) I am a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God�s own possession (I Peter 2:9,10) I am an enemy of the devil (I Peter 5:8) I am a child of God and I will resemble Christ when He returns (I John 3:1,2) I am born of God, and the devil cannot touch me. (I John 5:18) Understanding your identity as GOD defines it is absolutely critical to your ability to stand in the battle. Why? Because the battle happens in your head � and, your belief about yourself determines your behavior. We�re going to look at this a little further tomorrow. I�ve given you a lot today � feel free to take two or three days on this lesson. Taking the time to mark these references will leave you with a tool in your hand that�s extremely valuable. Loving you, Robin �copyright 2001 Jim and Robin Hibschman |
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