Sister Teri Sunday School 12/8/13

Sister Teri Sunday School 12/8/13

When I was newly saved, it was so real and so rich what God had done for me: delivered me from the kingdom of darkness and brought me to the kingdom of light.  I knew I was ready that moment to go to heaven. 

There is of course a perfecting that God wants to do in us.  As time went on I measured but I realized that I was just waiting for what was next without the joyful anticipation at death that had been there when I was newly saved. 

There were afflictions on my body that brought fear and a desire for healing.  I wondered why I was struggling so much and why there was uncertainty.  I realized that I had lost some of the vision, that it was not as clear.  Too much of it was focused on this life. 

This is the burden of this lesson: we want to have our hope and affections set on what is before us and then it will not be too much on what is here.  As our vision is focused right, our work will be more clear here and our heart’s desires will be more on the mind of Christ. 

This hope motivates us in a different direction than does the hope for what is in life.

Act 24:14  But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:

Act 24:15  And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.

Act 24:16  And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.

Paul had a vision of the judgment day, the day when we will stand before God and give account of ourselves.  This motivated him to exercise himself to have always a conscience void of offense toward God and toward man.

1Jn 3:1  Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

1Jn 3:2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

1Jn 3:3  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

We know that God has made us His sons.  We don’t know what our future fully holds here or in eternity.  We know that when He shall appear we shall be like Him and see Him as He is.

Right now we see Him through the Word of God and through the Spirit working on our hearts and minds.  We have experienced His love so we know that of Him, but we have not seen Him face to face. 

Our hearts desire is to be like Him and as He works in our lives we yield to Him that we may be more like Him.  As we maintain that heart attitude of yielding to Him with a willing heart, actively seeking to know, then He is able to work His way in us.

I see some good people that have come to the end of their lives and I think, “Did they really seek to do His will?  Did they really let the mirror of the Word of God get before them and they lay themselves out and let the Word of God do as it will to them?”

When the baby is in the womb, there is no control of its development.  It is protected, and if everything is well and right then the baby will grow as God chose for it to develop.  Then it is born into the world and is suddenly presented with choices of its own.  They will influence how he grows spiritually and physically. 

The baby has nine months, we have this lifespan on this earth, there is a protection there but there are other influences trying to get us to go this way and that.  Some is our own body, but we have the choice.

There is going to be something over there that we cannot comprehend.  There will be a freedom and a power bestowed on us in immortality.  We want to be filled with His influence so that we don’t defile heaven with our choices.  We want our heart and life fully exercised to what God has for us.

If we don’t yield our heart to God then how can we be prepared for heaven when we get to the free reign that God gives us?  If there is something in us where we could defile heaven then we are not going to be ready.

When we see Him we shall be like Him, because we have exercised our will in such submission to the will of God here that we see Him so clearly and there will be an automatic submission to His will there.  He is working the work, the only thing we need to do is to get ourselves on that potter’s wheel, get in the furnace of fire, and let it burn all the dross.  We need to stay there until it is burned up.

Every man that has this hope in Him purifies himself even as He is pure.  He is the measure.  We need to be actively measuring.  Not just sitting in the pew and waiting for Brother Gary to preach it.  If we do that then we will be forgetful hearers.

Eph 4:11  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

Eph 4:12  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Eph 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:

Eph 4:14  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

Eph 4:15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

God has ordained that the preachers preach and the teachers teach but if we don’t have the attitude that we get on the wheel and stay until the work is done we will not be complete.

Col 1:3  We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

Col 1:4  Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,

Col 1:5  For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;

Col 1:6  Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:

That hope should be bringing forth a fruit in us.  It should not just be going through our days and ending on the other side.  We need to be filled with the knowledge.

Col 1:9  For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

Col 1:10  That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

Col 1:11  Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

Col 1:12  Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

Col 1:13  Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

Col 1:14  In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

He is talking to people that have already been delivered from darkness.  There is something more for them that they would be filled with knowledge and the fruits that would result from that.

Col 1:21  And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

Col 1:22  In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

Col 1:23  If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

We need to continue to grow, measure, and seek the will of God.

Col 1:26  Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

It is Christ working in us, no longer us working our own will or our own desires.  It is opening ourselves up and letting Christ work through us and our desires.

Col 1:28  Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

Col 1:29  Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

Paul was working the same way.  His success power and all he was able to accomplish was Christ working in Him.  Not for our own glory, but if we will yield ourselves and Let Him work through us.

My Heart’s Desire

1.      Let me walk in the path which my Savior hath trod,
Let me follow so close by His side;
For by trusting in Him I am happy and free,
In the fold of His love let me hide.

• Refrain:
  In His love let me hide,
  In His love let me hide;
  For by trusting in Him, I am happy and free,
  In the fold of His love let me hide.
1. Let my heart e’er be fixed on my treasures above,
   Let the pleasures of earth fade away;
   For there’s nothing so lovely as Jesus to me,
   Let me ne’er from His love go astray.
2. Do you ask why I love Him the dearest of all,
   Why so freely I yield unto Him?
   ’Tis because He has loved me, and died on the cross,
   My poor soul lost in sin to redeem.
3. It is blessed to serve Him and do His good will,
   For so precious to me is His love;
   Let my talents and time all be given to Him,
   Till He calls me to meet Him above.