Messenger Marcus teaches on “God’s pathway” for excellence in the kingdom of God. Going for kingdom gold should be the passion of every Christian believer. To reach our full potential and be well pleasing to our loving saviour.
How To Grow Godliness (Part 1)
The message I’m going to bring tonight is a message that to a very great degree I consider to be part of the message that God told me to bring to the Church of God. It is a message of Christian growth and development. How to grow godliness. Periodically.I bring this message from the Lord because God told me these things. Before there was any teaching by many bible students either In book form, in preaching or on the the Internet one did not see an explanation of this passage. God opened it up to me. I called this message. Going for the gold. Going for the glory of the Kingdom of God. It comes from Second Peter chapter 1.
Sins Dangers Are Real
But first of all, before I proceed with the message I’d like to say that if we go to the.Book of First Corinthians chapter ten, we see that the apostle Poul warned the Corinthian Christians of the dangers of falling into sin. Sin’s dangers are real! God had used Moses to deliver the children of Israel from the Egyptians. They had seen God’s marvellous work as they were led by the pillar of fire and the cloud. God miraculously opened up the waters of the red sea for them to pass through safely. They had a tremendous miraculous experience of the living God.
But we read that many of them displeased The lord. The Apostle Paul warned the Corinthians that it is possible for a Christian who has gone through the waters of baptism and been led by the Holy Spirit, to fall into sin. They could fall into sin, just as the children of Israel had done – even though they had passed through the red sea and had been led by fire and a cloud. It is possible for the believers to fall into gross sin. and we know that In these present days how many times even Christian leaders have fallen. Sadly, throughout all the centuries since the church was born, there have been backsliders who have never fulfilled their purpose in God and have experienced deep failure spiritually. However, we read in the Scriptures that God keeps His sons and daughters if they are truly born again. God may punish such believers and even allow them to have premature deaths to bring them to His glorious heavenly Jerusalem.
WORKS JUDGED BY FIRE
Such Christians who have fallen into sin and proved to be unproductive in their spiritual life may constitute those mentioned in the book of First Corinthians chapter three. The motivations and works of these Christians will be works judged by fire! In First Corinthians chapter 3, verse twelve we read…
If anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire
The Christians who have served the Lord faithfully and brought works of gold, silver or precious stones will be welcomed by Him. These will be rewarded bountifully. The gold speaks of God’s work in their lives. Silver In the Bible always speaks of the redemption of Christ and the precious stones correspond to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. Sadly, some Christians will receive no reward. The Lord’ flaming eyes are a fire that flames with righteous judgement. Their motives or the standard of service they’ve carried out for Christ may be inferior; wood, hay and straw speak of inferior qualities. The scripture says they will suffer loss. Whatever that may mean, It must be a terrible experience to stand before the Lord with no reward as one see all around you people being welcomed and given authority and gifts from Jesus. They will hear Christ say, “ well done you good and faithful servant” to others, but no word of commendation for themselves. By God’s mercy these Christians will be saved but they will suffer loss and their works will be burned up by fire.
THE WAY TO GROW IN GRACE
The apostle Peter, from Second Peter chapter 1, brings us the answer to the problem of Christian development. That is making a conscious effort ( relying on the grace of God) to bring about Christian progress. Let’s read together, Second Peter, chapter 1, from verse 3……….
His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control ]perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
But you may say to me, “ How strange. The virtue of love is here at the end of the list. Shouldn’t love be the at the start of the list?” Yes, love is the primary drive and the very motivation for Christlike living. However, we have to be perfected in love.. We have to go through various trials in our life. These are and proving and testing of our faith until we have a love which is pure. A love that has become more like the love of Jesus. This is a love which is totally selfless and divine
We Have All We Need In Christ
We read here first, that God has given us everything that we need for both life and for godliness. Life is within. It is the driving force and power of God. The apostle John wrote in first John chapter 2, verse 15 – “I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.”
Life is in our spirit; It is in our inner man. Godliness is what we live out from our lives In the world. Life is within. Godliness is without. But how does this come about? Verse three tells us that this glorious provision comes from the knowledge of Him. The knowledge of God and of his Son Jesus Christ is itself a source of unspeakable and eternal joy. A song I love has the words…
…. “Knowing you Jesus, Knowing you. There is no greater thing. You’re the best, You are my righteousness, and I love you, Lord”. The Apostle Paul exclaimed with passion in Philippians chapter 3, Verse 7
….. What things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings…..
The power within us comes from knowing God. Not knowing about God, but knowing God personally. The Lord Jesus is now a reality in our lives since we have been born again and received his Holy Spirit..
And so now, as we read the scriptures In his presence, God Illuminates His exceedingly great and precious promises that enter our heart and spirit. And as they do this we are made more and more partakers of God’s own divine nature! We are placed into an atmosphere of heaven. This is one form of knowledge; knowing Christ and His promises. The evil nature within ourselves is subdued and overcome. As we receive more and more of Christ’s own nature, new nature strengthens and our sinful ‘ flesh life’ is overcome. There is a parable of the man who had two dogs. One was black and the other was white. These two dogs were always fighting. Someone asked, “ When these dogs are fighting, which one wins? He smiled as he said, “Whichever dog I feed the most – that dog wins!” As we come to Christ and receive his precious promises, as we believe and receive these promises we build up our divine nature. Our new man in Christ that we received when we were converted is strengthened to overcome the sin and the corruption that is in our flesh. Next we read in verse 5, “Make every effort to add to your faith, Virtue”. We are saved by faith ; we are not by any works. We read in Ephesians chapter 2. verse 8 …
“By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast”. We come to Christ by faith.
God says to the new Christian , “My son or my daughter, you have been saved by faith.Which is my gift. But now I want you to develop your character. I want you to become an excellent person.” The excellence of a horse is to run. The excellence of a knife is to cut. The Excellency of a Christian Is to live a victorious, overcoming, godly, Shining life , filled with the divine life of Jesus for the glory of God.
We need to develop excellence in private prayer. We need to develop excellence in communal prayer. We need to develop excellence in giving to others. We need to develop excellence in church attendance. We need to develop excellence in forgiveness. In many areas of our lives God expects us and desires deeply that we become more and more like Jesus – and so become excellent in our lives.
But as Christians, we have an adversary. Satan is opposed to our spiritual development because it brings down his Kingdom. The evil one endeavours to oppose us, and this seems to be a problem to us. But really, it is to our advantage. It is to our advantage because as we go through trials, God has promised that in the trials he will refine us and perfect us.
PROCEED TO PART 2 OF “GOING FOR THE KINGDOM GOLD” – LADDER TO GOD
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