Articles

Chapter 8:9-17

The Family of God

“But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. ¹⁰ And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹ But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. ¹² Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.¹³ For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

“¹⁴ For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ ¹⁶ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”

On Facebook this week, one of my dear friends reminded me that if it’s not done by, for and through the Holy Spirit living in us, then all that we are doing is no good. It certainly looks good but, in truth, it is not. Of course, we can take a look at John’s letter in Revelation to the church at Laodicea. This church was busy, rich and did many things that looked religious. But, in truth, they did them in their own power and for their own glory. Jesus, we are told, was actually on the outside of this local church begging to get into the door, yet they went on without Him day in and day out. They were doing acts of religion, but not the acts of one in a deep and loving relationship with the Saviour.

Let me paint another picture. I am married to this amazing woman; she is of British descent; both of her parents and her were born in England. I, on the other hand, was born in Barbados, a little island on the Caribbean. Our upbringing could not have been more different. Her father is a millwright, a man who can fix anything. My father, though handy, was an accountant, really, and spent most of his adult life building a large furniture company in Barbados. My in-laws attend church, my mother-in-law is saved, and we are not sure about Dad. Both of my parents are open confessors of Jesus; they served in various capacities and ministries in our local church in Barbados. Marny and I met when we were older, I in my mid-40s, and was younger. She had to learn about a man who was more intellectual than one to fix things.

But, over the years, I have learned to fix things and now try to enjoy working with my hands. I love hot foods, Marny not so much, so I don’t cook with a lot of hot spices. As a husband, and like many husbands, I can religiously bring home flowers for my wife; but as one in an intimate relationship, I know she likes a certain type of flower, so I get those. I know she likes tea, but I know how to make her tea the way she likes it. Trust me, each person drinks tea differently. Maybe your wife loves coffee, but because of the relationship, you know how she likes her coffee. These are simple things, but I hope that they illustrate some of the intimacy that one has with a wife. The Bible tells us that the local church is the Bride of Jesus. There is to be an intimacy there that is bigger than religion.

The Holy Spirit Lives in Us, verses 9-11

This may sound like we are going over some old stuff. But it is important to be reminded of things that are important. If you are a child of God, if you are saved and have placed your faith in Jesus as Saviour, the Holy Spirit lives in you. The Apostle Paul puts it this way in 1 Corinthians 6: 19-20,

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies.”

In the OT, the Lord entered the Tabernacle and then the Temple once they were built and cleansed. Once a year, the High Priest would go into the Holiest Place in the Temple to carry the blood offering before the Lord for the sins of the whole nation of Israel. If one were to take a cursive read through the OT, you would see that the people, even men like Abraham and others, did not see God for years; they lived on promises that were made to them from God, but they did not interact with Him often. But in the NT, we have this wonderful blessing that Jesus did for us on the cross. He opened the opportunity for the Holy Spirit to live in us and for us to have a moment-by-moment relationship with God our Father. Between the written Word of God and the indwelling Holy Spirit, we have a level of intimacy that OT saints did not know.

The Holy Spirit in us wants to and tries to help us to live more like Jesus. He constantly reminds of truth and of the way that Jesus wants us to take. He shows us and reveals to us the importance of the intimacy that we have as a child of God. One of the most important things to learn is that each relationship is unique. Yes, there is a ‘baseline’ of things that are expected; we are to love the Lord with all of our heart, mind, body and soul. We are to love our neighbors as ourselves, and we are to live so that we can glorify God. But how that works is as individuals, as we each are. In John 21:20-22, Jesus and Peter have an interaction following Jesus calling Peter back to the ministry. Peter returns, and at the end of the talk, he asks Jesus about John, and Jesus replies this way,

“Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, ‘Lord, who is going to betray you?’) When Peter saw him, he asked, ‘Lord, what about him?’ Jesus answered, ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.'”

Who cares what I do with John? YOU follow me. I will do with John what I please; he is mine. I have heard countless testimonies over the almost 40 years that I have been saved, and none are the same. From how they got saved, to when God called them to the ministry or to the mission field or put a person in their life, each is unique, because we are not in a religion; we are in a relationship with Jesus.

If you had told me that I would marry Marny, I would laugh at you. But I can tell you that God had this amazing woman for me that makes and continues to help me be a better man than I could ever have been without her. By the leadership and the help of the Holy Spirit, we have become one; and by His grace, He has helped me to be a dad, a father, a husband, a better brother, a better pastor and preacher. Our meeting was not a fairytale; it was a moving of the Holy Spirit. We continue to depend on the Holy Spirit to help, heal and hold us. Stop trying to be someone else; God already has them. If He did not want you, He would not have created you.

The Religion of Relationships, verse 12-14

Hey Sean, did you get hit over the head? You just spent an entire section telling us that we are not in a religion but in a relationship with Jesus. Yes, we are. But every relationship has religious actions attached to it. The idea of religion means doing some things repeatedly, religiously. Most people eat breakfast religiously, most people take showers religiously, brush their teeth religiously, and on we can go; you get the picture.

Christianity has its religious activities as well. In Hebrews 10:25, we are told that we should assemble together often; this is a religious activity. We are commanded to give regularly to the work of the ministry; we are to observe the Lord’s Supper religiously; we are to love each other religiously, forgive each other religiously, and on and on. Any relationship will have its religiosity. A good pastor must be a religious student of the scriptures and a religious servant of those entrusted to his care as an under-shepherd. A good husband must religiously put his needs second to those of his wife and be prepared to serve her and his children, religiously. Good friends will talk often, talk religiously. We attend work religiously, grocery shop religiously, and on and on. Life is a series of religious activities. The Christian walk is no different. We pray religiously, worship (not just in church) religiously, confess our sins religiously, and on we can go.

If your relationship does not have a series of religious activities, then you may need to check if you actually have a relationship. For instance, if your girlfriend stops talking to you and no longer takes your calls religiously, you may not have a girlfriend. The same can be said for Christianity; if your Christianity does not have a series of religious actions involved with it, then maybe you should check your Christianity.

The Intimacy of Relationships, verse 15-17

The term ‘Abba Father’ is an intimate term. As I was working on this lesson, I was watching a movie with my little daughter Saturn. She had been asking me to watch it with her, and we came to a compromise; I would watch and work at the same time. She sat next to me, and we enjoyed the time.

In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve became one flesh. They were naked and not ashamed. There was and is a level of intimacy between a man and wife, not the sexual part, but the idea of knowing someone so well that we know the idiosyncrasies of their lives. We, in the same way, have to allow others in and allow our flaws to be seen. God, of course, has no flaws that He would ever have to be ashamed. But in the intimacy that comes as we enter and then grow into the family of God, we allow God into every aspect of our lives, every crevice of our brains. He retools our dreams, refocuses our desires and redirects our lives.

You and I will never be perfect on this side of eternity. But our relationship with the Lord can be perfect in Jesus. Our relationship can be covered in the mercy, grace and love of Jesus, and we can have a level of intimacy with Jesus that lets Him see us as we are. Now, He sees us as we are anyway, but we often pretend he does not. God knows you as you are, and He loves you. He loves me as I am, and he knows me. He knows there are some things that I will struggle with until I get a new body; He knows that I want to serve Him in spite of my failures. I get up every day and give Him the day; I begin every day thankful for Him. I want today to be lived for His glory so that others can get to know my Abba, my Father, my God.

Oh, that all had an Abba like mine, they would have an awesome life! More importantly, they will have a fabulous death. Then they too can be joint heirs with Jesus. What does that mean? We are joint heirs with Jesus. Some may think of riches and power, and truthfully that may happen. But what I hold onto is the promise of John 14: 1-3,

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

Jesus wants to be with me, with us, and we should want to be with Him. This is the promise of being a joint heir; soon I will get to see Him in His glory face to face. I will get to live with Him and serve and please Him forever. Where will you spend your forever, and with whom will you spend your forever?

God bless you,

Dr. Sean Gooding

Pastor of Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church

Mississionarybaptistchurch76@yahoo.ca

1 Peter 2:9 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

In Christ we are special. There is no good thing in and of ourselves. Our only virtue is having Christ in us and in having the Lord Jesus Christ’s Spirit, Mind, and Nature working in and through us. We were created in Christ Jesus for good works, and there is now no more condemnation for those who are in Him. Those of us who receive Jesus and believe in His Name are given the right to become the children of God. Whoever abides in Jesus and He in us, can bear much fruit, for apart from Him we can do nothing.

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Our relationship with Christ is very much like a Marriage Union. It is a merging of two becoming one, a type of intimacy concerning Spiritual Unity, one that causes us to leave the old life to now cleave spiritually to our new life in Him. This is why we are called the Bride of Christ, for He is the Head and we are the Body, we are in submission to Him and His Headship over us, the Church. Jesus makes us New, Beloved, Highly Favored, and Special in the eyes of God the Father. Without Him we are nothing.

1 Corinthians 6:17 “But he that is joined unto the LORD is one spirit.”

Those who have been growing in their relationship with Christ, alongside abiding in a God-honoring marriage for any considerable length of time, can begin to understand this concept of being in the Bride of Christ. It is a ‘special union’ beyond any earthly relationship and one that is not ‘fully understood’ until we can see Him face to face. For now, we have His Word to convey this to us through parallels such as the relationship between a husband and a wife or a parent and a child.

Basically, God wants us to be in His Family, so He describes His relationship to us in ‘familial terms.’ The fact that the Creator of the Universe wants to have us in His Family is so ‘special and monumental’ that it is beyond comprehension! Seeing how the family unit is ‘fiercely attacked’ by Satan in these Last Days, and the ensuing reality of the love of many growing cold in countless families everywhere, should alert us to the fact that our time here is running out!

Ephesians 2:19 “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.”

My husband and I started dating in 1991, and we got married a year and a half later. Throughout these past 29 years of being together, we have not been apart for more than a day, up until recent years. Since my husband’s job change in the past 5 years, he has had to travel for work. We have had to learn to be apart for days and sometimes weeks at a time. During our absences from one another, a fondness and an appreciation grows. It is during these times that I ‘reflect and ruminate’ on how ‘really special’ my husband Doug is to me.

Abba Father knew that we needed each other in these Last Days, seeing how our children have largely forsaken us along with most of our family members. So, to have the friendship and companionship that we have now has become very precious to us. Greater still is the spiritual union and companionship we have in Jesus which is ‘beyond priceless,’ especially when one has been forsaken by so many!

Ephesians 5:23 “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body.”

Definition of Special: better, greater, or otherwise different from what is usual; exceptionally good or precious; belonging specifically to a particular person or place.

All people should be special, especially loved ones and family. Spouses should be ‘particularly special,’ but with divorce rates at 2,400 a week in the U.S. and rising each year, apparently these days they are not. Parents should be honored as it says in the Bible, but with rebellion running rampant with young adults ‘going rogue’ in these Last Days, it is not surprising that the ‘norm’ for these apostate individuals is to go ‘no contact’ even for no real reason!

Nothing is ‘Sacred or Special’ anymore; we are in the age of satanic mantras of the ‘Do as thou wilt,’ ‘Do whatever you want,’ ‘Do what is right in your own eyes,’ ‘You are your own god,’ ‘Bad is good and good is bad’ type of generation now. Just look at our culture, flip on the television, listen to the secular news or radio, and it won’t be long before you will see that the sanctity of Marriage, Child-rearing, and Family has been eroded beyond God’s originally ordained biblical recognition!

Isaiah 5:20 “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”

Even with all of the darkness closing in, thankfully those that are in Christ Jesus have a special place in God’s amazing household who are currently awaiting our arrival in Heaven!

Here is a timely quote from the late Pastor Adrian Rogers: “We’re living in strange days, are we not? When I see what’s happening to this world, if I didn’t know the Lord Jesus Christ, I’m not sure what I would do. Yet, knowing the Bible and Bible prophecy, when I see all these things coming to pass, they do not shake me. Sometimes they grieve me, sometimes they sadden me, but they do not shake me. That’s because I know God’s Word. I know they’re a fulfillment of prophecy. I can say with all the saints, ‘Praise God, it’s getting gloriously dark.’”

It is definitely growing Gloriously Dark!

Recently, tears were shed for the loss of another great pastor, Ravi Zacharias, who went home to be with our Lord. He and Adrian Rogers are brothers in Christ that I cannot wait to meet! Not to mention so many of those whom we have read about in the scriptures!

These are our brothers and sisters in Christ who are our ‘Great Cloud of Witnesses’ cheering us on to the finish line, seeing how we are so near the end of our race! I cannot wait to take my ‘special place’ in Abba Father God’s house and to sit at His banquet table! Most of all, I cannot wait to see my Jesus face to face and to hug Him and know that I am finally HOME! Come quickly Lord Jesus!

Hebrews 12:1 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”

Revelation 22:20 “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, LORD Jesus.”

Until next time… Maranatha!

(JESUS = THE WAY, THE TRUTH, & THE LIFE)

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