Faith Baptist Church
4258 Botetourt Road
Fincastle, Virginia 24090
(540) 473-2325
In our last two lessons we have looked at the impact of the mature saint’s life as we looked at the testimony of the prophet, Elijah. God used him to impact the widow woman’s crisis situation at Zarephath. He used him as a righteous man to confront the nation Israel’s wicked leader Ahab. When Ahab told Elijah that his preaching was troubling Israel, Elijah had the courage to tell his national leader no; that it was Ahab’s fault that Israel was troubled due to their forsaking the commandments of God and following the false god, Baal, I Kings 18:17-18.
Only after Baal’s false prophets were slain did God use Elijah’s prayer to bring rain back to Israel. God does indeed bless others by their association to the spiritually mature believer; the believer who has the courage to say what needs to be said regardless of the consequences it may bring upon them.
Shifting Gears
At this time let’s shift gears in our thinking regarding the temporal blessings imputed to the positive maturing believer. Not everything God gives as a blessing in time to the mature believer is associated with pleasant circumstances, Ps.119:67, 71.
Spiritual growth is an on going process just as you would expect with any kind of transformation. When that transformation involves changing from being instinctively earthly minded to Christ likeness the change is astounding. We often only see the outward squirming of the believer as he or she struggles with their faith during sore trials, but God sees their souls being changed in the way they think and in the source of their trust. God systematically removes our inherent earthly crutches via our trials as he challenges our thinking to recall the Bible doctrine which we have learned. In recalling Bible doctrine we realize we do not need the crutches we once leaned upon. God doesn’t replace the crutches, he helps us get rid of them. This may at first be a bit scary, but it is the only way we are going to grow. Teaching Bible doctrine to a local congregation enables the people to grow and rid themselves of those earthly unpredictable security crutches they lean upon. Remember as Ps.44:3 tells us, that the arm of God saves us, not the arm of man.
These crutches include, but are not limited to three basic elements: people, circumstances and things. When your happiness and security are not shackled by people, circumstances and things, then and only then do you understand and experience what it means for the truth to set you free.
If you give up on Bible doctrine for a program or some kind of activity then you have let go of the security which is only found in the word of God. It is then that you will loose your freedom. You will once again become enslaved to the whims of people, circumstances and things. You will once again be like the little dog that constantly worries over his bone rather than trusting his master.
However, if you will let God transform your thought life through the inhale, absorption and exhale of Bible doctrine then the outcome from the eternal point of view is fantastic, but not so from the earthly perspective.
Paul’s statement from Rom.8:14-18 documents for us what true love for God looks like, and it always comes down to some form of undeserved suffering.
For some their suffering may go on intensely for a divinely designated period of time, and for others it may be protracted for a long period of time; perhaps for the rest of their lives. You may say if God truly loves his child he wouldn’t put him through such suffering, but it is only in this struggle that God weans the believer away from the constraints of this world unto the freedom found in wholly trusting and knowing God.
As we will see, it is truly a blessing to not worry over temporal needs. Our greatest security does not lie in the physical world, it lies in the spiritual world where God is both Lord and Savior.
v.14 For as many as are led, [the Greek word here is ago; to pull. It is a present passive indicative verb which means this is certain, and continuous pulling by the Holy Spirit]. The positive believer wants to follow in faith in all things that God calls upon him or her to be or to do. This believer is willing to be pulled along by the Holy Spirit and God knows it. Paul states in this verse that such believers are the sons of God. The word for sons, huios, is in distinction to the common word for the children of God which is teknon. Huios, means adult sons; practicing mature sons. This is the child of God who is capable of taking on adult family responsibilities and the privileges that go along with their maturity.
As noted in Vine’s Expository Dictionary regarding the distinction between teknon, children and huios, sons, he says... “Their conduct gives evidence of the dignity of their relationship and their likeness to His character.” Unfaithful believers show no dignity toward their relationship with God.
vs.15-16 The spiritually mature believer walks in confidence in his relationship with the Father. Faith and trust have replaced fear and temptation as his motivators in life.
v.17-18 Due to the metamorphosis of Christ’s character taking place in the life of the maturing believer, a qualification for undeserved suffering is experienced. If I want to be like Jesus Christ, I cannot run from nor be afraid of undeserved suffering.
The purpose of this undeserved suffering is not brought upon you so that you can primarily help others, though you may; but rather its purpose is to teach you to let God help you. And when you do learn to trust God this much, even while undergoing undeserved suffering, you are glorified together with Christ, and thus Paul states in...
v.18 that “I reckon, I compute, that the undeserved sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
We will spend more time on this topic of undeserved suffering, but for now let me remind you that no amount of undeserved suffering comes to the child of God without the proportionate amount of grace to help you through it. Where greater grace is needed it is supplied.
The unbeliever is saved by the grace of God by receiving Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. No works, or religion, nor having a superior morality saves the sinner. As a believer in Jesus Christ, you are kept by the grace of God. Now, Christian, will you allow the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ to guide you to a closer walk with God?