Are You Blessed
Are You Blessed?
Read from the book of Deuteronomy:
Deuteronomy 28:1 And it shall come to
pass, if thou shalt hearken
diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all
his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God
will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
Deuteronomy 28:2 And all these
blessings shall come on thee, and
overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
Deuteronomy 28:3 Blessed shalt thou
be in the city, and blessed shalt
thou be in the field.
Deuteronomy 28:4 Blessed shall be the
fruit of thy body, and the fruit
of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine,
and the flocks of thy sheep.
Deuteronomy 28:5 Blessed shall be thy
basket and thy store.
Deuteronomy 28:6 Blessed shalt thou
be when thou comest in, and blessed
shalt thou be when thou goest out.
Deuteronomy 28:7 The LORD shall cause
thine enemies that rise up
against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against
thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.
Deuteronomy 28:8 The LORD shall
command the blessing upon thee in thy
storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall
bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Deuteronomy 28:9 The LORD shall
establish thee an holy people unto
himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the
commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways.
Deuteronomy 28:10 And all people of
the earth shall see that thou art
called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.
Deuteronomy 28:11 And the LORD shall
make thee plenteous in goods, in
the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit
of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to
give thee.
Deuteronomy 28:12 The LORD shall open
unto thee his good treasure, the
heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all
the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou
shalt not borrow.
Deuteronomy 28:13 And the LORD shall
make thee the head, and not the
tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if
that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I
command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
Deuteronomy 28:14 And thou shalt not
go aside from any of the words
which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go
after other gods to serve them.
There is not ONE SINGLE WORD anywhere
in that passage that any person
on the planet can claim today. Not one. Those promises were to Israel.
They are NOT to the body of Christ. They are physical and earthly, not
spiritual and Heavenly. They promise children, harvest, livestock,
victory over enemies, rain in the land, wealth above all nations,
exalted above all nations. But you were not promised any of those
things.
The book of Ephesians is well worth
your time to study, because in it
is the fullness of God’s revelation. It contains the mystery of God’s
will. If you want to know the will of God for your life, this is where
you will find it. Paul wrote the Ephesian letter from Rome where he
referred to himself as the "prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles."
He wrote the letter to people he didn't know. People he had never met.
He had only heard of their faith, as he says:
Ephesians 1:15 Wherefore I also,
after I heard of your faith in the
Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
Ephesians 1:16 Cease not to give
thanks for you, making mention of you
in my prayers;
Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of
glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the
knowledge of him:
So Paul explains to these believers,
not only their position in Christ,
but also their possession in Him. He knew that they would be like
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," unless they possessed the knowledge of the
truth.
Paul had written to Timothy in
Ephesus, and told him:
1 Timothy 2:4 Who will have all men
to be saved, and to come unto the
knowledge of the truth.
So Paul not only wanted men to be
saved, receiving the gift of eternal
life, but also that they grow up into Christ and become the mature
Saints the Lord intended them to be. If you are ever at a loss as to
what to study, or what to preach, or what to teach, read Ephesians
Chapter one. Study it out. Read it over again, think about it, trace it
out with other references. God wants the same for you and me as He
wanted for those Ephesians.
There is a wealth of doctrinal and
practical information in the book of
Ephesians. If you want to know the will of the Lord in your life, you
don't have to go to some old fashioned alter somewhere and seek God and
pray, "Oh Lord, please show me your will. Please tell me what you want
me to do. Oh, Lord, what is your will for my life." He has told you
what His will for you life is. You don't have to pray about it, seek
for it, seek counseling about it, seek advisors or religious leaders to
tell you about it. It's all right there in chapter four, five and six.
All you have to do is read it....and take it to heart.
Now these Ephesians were not Jews.
They were also not the religious
Gentiles Paul had previously encountered in all those synagogues he had
preached in during the time of the book of Acts. These people were
ALIENS. They had never been associated with Israel, the Law of Moses,
Judaism, baptisms, circumcision or the promises of God. They had not
feared the God of Abraham nor blessed the nation of Israel in time
past. Instead they had had their own god's and goddesses. But someone
had preached to them and they had believed the gospel. They had heard
the "word of truth, the gospel of their salvation,” and hearing, they
had trusted in Christ, and they were "sealed with that Holy Spirit of
promise." In other words they were saved. They were members of the body
of Christ. They are members of the SAME body, by the way, that Paul and
everybody else who had believed the gospel Paul preached, were members
of.
Ephesians 3:6 That the Gentiles
should be fellow heirs, and of the same
body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
Notice that they are fellow heirs,
with Christ, with Paul and with all
the other saints, and that they are partakers of God's promise in
Christ. They are partakers of eternal life, by the gospel. Not by being
religious, not by being associated with Israel. Not by any thing other
than BY THE GOSPEL. And they are sealed unto the day of redemption,
sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. As in:
Ephesians 1:12 That we should be to
the praise of his glory, who first
trusted in Christ.
All the people Paul had preached to.
All the Jews and Greeks in all
those synagogues Paul traveled to and preached in. In other words, Paul
is referring to all the people during the time period of the book of
Acts who had believed Paul's message.
Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also
trusted, after that ye heard the word of
truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye
believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
So these people are trusting the
Lord, they are sealed with the Spirit,
they are saved. Now Paul wants them to "come unto the knowledge of the
truth." And the pivotal point is ALL SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS" Are you
trusting the Lord, and Him alone, for salvation? Do you know that
Christ died for your sins, all of them, and that he was raised again
for your justification? If you have believed the gospel and trusted
Christ like those Ephesians did, then read on, this is ABOUT you!
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in
Christ:
If we will study this out,
prayerfully, this verse will answer a lot of
questions that are crucial to our understanding of God's working in
this dispensation of the grace of God. It will help us to understand,
not only what God is doing, but what he is NOT doing today, it will
help us to grow up, to mature, in grace. The blessings God has given to
the body of Christ today are not physical, they are SPIRITUAL. A
blessing is a benefit. It is a benefit by which the receiver of the
benefit is enlarged and enriched. Spiritual blessings are spiritual
benefits, so to speak. The blessings God has given to the church the
body of Christ are SPIRITUAL and we already now have ALL OF THEM.
Now if you want to Greek it, the word
spiritual comes from the Greek
word PNEUMATIKOS, having to do with air. We have pneumatic tools,
pneumatic tires, a lot of things having to do with air. In other words,
SPIRITUAL is in the SPIRIT REALM. It carries the idea, number one of
INVISIBLE. But it also carries the idea of POWER. A pneumatic cylinder
1 and 1/2 inches in diameter with 100 pounds of air pressure can
throw a 350 pound man backwards across the room. I know, I have seen it
happen.
In all of the bible, the word
SPIRITUAL shows up a total of 27 times.
Guess where in the bible? 25 out of 27 times in the bible, the word
SPIRITUAL is in Paul's epistles. So with 25 times out of 27, Paul's
epistles contain the spiritual things of the Lord. Now Paul also uses
the word SPIRITUAL in contrast that that which is carnal, fleshly and
material. Look at a few examples:
Romans 7:14 For we know that the law
is spiritual: but I am carnal,
sold under sin.
Paul is showing his complete
inability to keep the law. The law is
spiritual but Paul says that he is carnal. It is not possible to keep
the law. The law is the measure of God's righteousness and was given to
show men they need a Saviour since they cannot save themselves by doing
good, or by being good.
In the next verse he is making an
appeal to those "Olive tree" Gentiles
who had been partaking of the root and fatness of the Olive tree. The
Olive tree represents Israel, not the body of Christ. Nobody has ever
been “graffed in” to the body of Christ, and nobody is in danger of
being “broken off.” The whole point of the Roman letter was to
establish those Gentiles in their faith. Paul did that by way of the
doctrine in the Roman letter.
Romans 15:27 It hath pleased them
verily; and their debtors they are.
For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things,
their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things.
(The period of time represented by
the book of Acts is a “time of
promise” and during that period of time, Paul preached in synagogues to
both Jews and (Gentiles) Greeks. The body of Christ was being formed,
not a kingdom of priests. People were being saved, not through the rise
of Israel, as prophesied in Hebrew scriptures, but rather, through
their fall. So during that period a transition is taking place. The
ministry and message of Peter and the 12 is diminishing while the
ministry and message of the Apostle Paul comes to the forefront.)
Look at the carnal Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 3:1 And I, brethren,
could not speak unto you as unto
spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.:
1 Corinthians 9:11 If we have sown
unto you spiritual things, is it a
great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?
1 Corinthians 9:12 If others be
partakers of this power over you, are
not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all
things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.
So the gospel of Christ has nothing
to do with CARNAL things does it?
Not health, not wealth, not prosperity, not even emotional feelings.
BUT, don't assume that because something is spiritual that it's any
less real. The book of Hebrews, for instance says that FAITH is a
SPIRITUAL substance:
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen.
Now you can't see your salvation in
Christ. You can't see it, feel it,
or taste it. So what is the EVIDENCE of your salvation? Your faith.
Faith is the very spiritual ground, like the physical ground in your
front yard, the spiritual ground that you stand on. It's the substance
that holds you up. You know what your faith is and that's your
evidence. My evidence concerning your salvation is your testimony. The
words that come out of your mouth concerning what you trust in for
salvation. But be sure you remember WHOSE faith it is that holds you
up. It is the faith OF Christ. Not your faith in Christ. Your faith is
simply IN Christ because you trust God's word, God's testimony. But it
is always the faith OF Christ that endures in your behalf, no matter
how weak or strong your faith is at any particular time.
So faith is real, a real spiritual
substance. Don't think that because
you can't see physical evidence of faith that it is not real OR that it
doesn't affect the material world. The future glorified bodies of all
believers in Christ will be spiritual, as opposed to natural. We know
that our bodies are not going to be spirits or apparitions or ghosts as
some in religion teach. When Christ comes our vile bodies will be
changed:
Philippians 3:20 For our conversation
is in heaven; from whence also we
look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
Philippians 3:21 Who shall change our
vile body, that it may be
fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby
he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
After the resurrection of Christ he
appeared materially numerous times,
they touched him, he ate with them, he talked with them and he told
them "a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have." So our
glorified bodies will be like His glorious body. It will be spiritual,
not carnal but celestial. In other words, our new body will be fitted
for life in heavenly places. It will be spiritual, suited for life in
the spirit realm. In a realm that is there, now. It's real. It exists.
We simply can't see it with our physical eyes.
1 Corinthians 15:40 There are also
celestial bodies, and bodies
terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of
the terrestrial is another.
1 Corinthians 15:44 It is sown a
natural body; it is raised a spiritual
body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
It's noteworthy that when the Lord is
discussing the new birth with
Nicodemus, a master of Israel, in John chapter three he uses the term
"earthly" and "heavenly" rather than "fleshly" and "spiritual." But he
says:
John 3:6 That which is born of the
flesh is flesh; and that which is
born of the Spirit is spirit.
That which is born of the flesh is a
man born of water, a man in his
natural body. That which is born of the Spirit is a man with his vile
body changed, a man in his glorified body, his spiritual body. That's
why the Lord told Nicodemus he must be born again. Unless a MAN is born
of water, that is, natural childbirth, and of the Spirit, he could not
enter the Kingdom of God. So far there is only one man in the bible who
fits that description:
Romans 1:4 And declared to be the Son
of God with power, according to
the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
John 3:13 And no man hath ascended up
to heaven, but he that came down
from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
So Paul says that saved people are
blessed with all spiritual
blessings. What are spiritual blessings? That's the question we want to
address. I think there is a good answer in Ephesians chapter one. Let's
read:
Ephesians 1:4 According as he hath
chosen us in him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame
before him in love:
That's a spiritual blessing. To be
chosen in Christ before the
foundation of the world. God foreknowing that we would hear the gospel
of grace committed to Paul and believe it, he determined that we should
be holy and without blame. Wow, no blame. What a blessing!
Ephesians 1:5 Having predestinated us
unto the adoption of children by
Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
The bible says we were predestined
unto adoption. The adoption here is
not the same as we might think of adoption today. This means being
legally placed as a child of God. It means being an heir of God and
joint heir with Christ. Not only that, but it was God's will and it was
God's good pleasure to do that. It pleases God that you are His child.
Ephesians 1:6 To the praise of the
glory of his grace, wherein he hath
made us accepted in the beloved.
We are accepted in the beloved. The
beloved is Jesus Christ and we are
IN Christ and in Christ we are IN the beloved, part of the body of
Christ....ACCEPTED, not rejected and no doubt about it. And it's all
going to turn out to be praise to the glory of HIS GRACE.
Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have
redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
We are given the riches of God's
grace. God's unmerited favor has
resulted in the forgiveness of ALL OUR SINS. We are forgiven ALL
trespasses. How? We have been redeemed through his blood. Christ died
for sinners, Romans 5:6; Christ died for the ungodly, Romans 5:8;
Christ died for the enemies of God, Romans 5:10. We are redeemed and we
are forgiven. That's riches that money cannot buy.
Ephesians 1:8 Wherein he hath
abounded toward us in all wisdom and
prudence;
The abundance of God's wisdom and
God's understanding is something that
has never before been available to man. Moses said the secret things
belong to the Lord. But now, in Christ, God has given them to us in
abundance. Moses knew nothing at all about a group of people such as
you and I, all being equal and all being partakers of eternal life in
Christ, by the gospel.
Ephesians 1:9 Having made known unto
us the mystery of his will,
according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Only in the dispensation of Grace has
God made known the mystery of His
will, the secret of his plan. Moses didn't know about it, Peter, James
and John were not told. The mystery of God's will, the twofold purpose
of God was only made known through Paul.
Ephesians 1:10 That in the
dispensation of the fulness of times he
might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in
heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
There is a lot of confusion in
religion about what the "all things"
are, and we will save that for another time. But THINGS are thrones,
dominions, principalities and powers. All things are not all people
because not all people are IN Christ. But those of us who are IN Christ
are going to play a big, big part in those "all things" in the fullness
of times.
Ephesians 1:11 In whom also we have
obtained an inheritance, being
predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things
after the counsel of his own will:
So IN Christ, pertaining to those ALL
THINGS we have obtained an
inheritance, and we were predestinated to that according to God's
foreknowledge before the foundation of the world that by our free will
choice we would trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation.
Next you see a group of people who
were already trusting in Christ
before Paul wrote this Ephesian letter. That would be all the people
Paul had preached to, all those Jews and Greeks Paul had encountered
during the time period of the book of Acts.
Ephesians 1:12 That we should be to
the praise of his glory, who first
trusted in Christ.
And then you see the Ephesians to
whom Paul wrote the letter, the
simplicity of their salvation by the gospel, their eternal security in
Christ, and the HOPE of their calling. What is true of these Ephesians
is also true of you and me:
Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also
trusted, after that ye heard the word of
truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye
believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Ephesians 1:14 Which is the earnest
of our inheritance until the
redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Now what we have seen is a pretty
good list of blessings. But that's
not all spiritual blessings. As you study these things out you find
more and more. You CANNOT perceive them by your five senses. You can't
see them. You can't touch them. You can't smell them. You can't hear
them. You cannot apprehend them by natural means. The natural man
receiveth not the things of God. They are spiritually discerned.
The only way you are going to know
about your spiritual blessings, all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, is to READ ABOUT THEM
in the bible. You cannot go to some religious show, and get goose
bumps, and get spiritual blessings. They are spiritual, they are not
natural. They are spiritual, they are not carnal.
That's why you are told to study.
Study to shew thyself approved unto
God. Only by studying, only by comparing spiritual things with
spiritual, can the Holy Spirit, who wrote the book, illuminate the word
of God to the believer who will believe the word, not correct the word,
not question the word, but simply believe it. God is faithful and able
to perform that which he has promised. Only with the eye of FAITH can
we see the spiritual things that are freely given to us by God.
Now there is a difference between
spiritual and physical blessings.
There is a difference between Israel and the body of Christ. Israel is
God's earthly people. The body of Christ is God's heavenly people. The
church is not Israel and Israel is not the church. When people get it
mixed up they mess up. God is not dealing with Israel today. If you are
trying to claim blessings, and covenants and promises God made to
Israel, then you are a crook. You are a thief. You are trying to steal
something that doesn't belong to you. There is a total contrast between
the physical blessings God promised to Israel and the spiritual
blessings God has given to the body of Christ.
It will be good if we are sure what
is for us and what is for Israel.
What is for Heaven and what is for Earth. What God is doing today, and
what he is NOT doing today. Today God is not dealing with physical
blessings in an earthly setting. In time past He did. In the future,
after the Rapture of the church, He will. Today that is not what's
happening. In time past it was. Under the Law of Moses, Israel was
promised blessings IF they performed. If they failed they were promised
curses. Moses, moved by the Holy Spirit, listed numerous blessings for
Israel when they entered the promised land under Joshua: For instance,
they were promised a bunch of children, a good harvest, and a lot of
cows and sheep:
Deuteronomy 28:4 Blessed shall be the
fruit of thy body, and the fruit
of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine,
and the flocks of thy sheep.
They were promised victory over their
enemies: Why? Because Israel's
enemies were the enemies of God. Their enemies were idolaters who had
turned away from God:
Deuteronomy 28:7 The LORD shall cause
thine enemies that rise up
against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against
thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.
They were promised rain for their
crops in the land, and they were
promised great wealth:
Deuteronomy 28:12 The LORD shall open
unto thee his good treasure, the
heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all
the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou
shalt not borrow.
They would be the head and not the
tail:
Deuteronomy 28:13 And the LORD shall
make thee the head, and not the
tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if
that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I
command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
Now, honestly, can you look around
you and really say that you can see
those things going on with any particular group of people in any land
today? There is not ONE SINGLE WORD anywhere in that passage that any
person on the planet can claim today. Not one. Those promises were to
Israel. They are NOT to the body of Christ. They are physical and
earthly, not spiritual and Heavenly. They promise children, harvest,
livestock, victory over enemies, rain in the land, wealth above all
nations, exalted above all nations.
Note the physical character of those
blessings. Not only were they
material, experienced by the physical body, but they were conditional.
It all depended on OBEDIANCE. If they PERFORMED they got the blessings,
but if not, they got the CURSES. Please understand that ONLY in the age
of grace is salvation by grace through faith. Theirs was always BY
WORKS through faith and don't let anybody try to convince you
otherwise. They had to DO in order to BE:
Deuteronomy 28:15 But it shall come
to pass, if thou wilt not hearken
unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his
commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all
these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
Deuteronomy 28:16 Cursed shalt thou
be in the city, and cursed shalt
thou be in the field.
Deuteronomy 28:17 Cursed shall be thy
basket and thy store.
Deuteronomy 28:18 Cursed shall be the
fruit of thy body, and the fruit
of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
Deuteronomy 28:19 Cursed shalt thou
be when thou comest in, and cursed
shalt thou be when thou goest out.
And on and on it goes. Blessings and
curses. It was CONDITIONAL. But
not so today. Believers today are members of the church, the body of
Christ. As a member of the body of Christ you are IN Christ. You
shouldn't attempt to claim promises and blessings which belong to
Israel. If you as a believer, happen to have, or perhaps earned, a good
supply of this world's good, or goods, thank God for it. Use it wisely,
for God's glory and other’s good. God has not promised the earth, or
it's wealth, to you. You are not promised physical, but spiritual
blessings, and YOU ALREADY HAVE THEM.
As a believer, God gives us ALL
SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS.. It may be
difficult for some people to understand, but God has not withheld
ANYTHING beneficial for our spiritual life. People who have the means
love to give gifts to their children. God the Father has
bestowed upon us the exceeding riches of His grace.
Spiritual blessings are in HEAVENLY PLACES, not earthly. Paul uses that
term, heavenly places, five times in the book of Ephesians. It explains
the present location of Jesus Christ in His exalted position...far
above all. But it also describes something else: The seats of authority
of evil principalities and powers (as in fallen angels). And God calls
on us to do battle with them, having on the whole armour of God.
By faith, the children of Israel
defeated their enemies, even giants in
the land. So we, the body of Christ should also occupy, by faith, our
inheritance in heavenly places. Remember that the weapons of our
warfare are not carnal, they are spiritual. They are MIGHTY through God
to the pulling down of (spiritual) strongholds. The rulers of darkness
of this world don't like us knowing and understanding this spiritual
warfare. And they want to deceive, distract and discourage believers
from their God given heritage. Now Jesus Christ is the head of all
principality and power, and God has provided us with weapons for our
warfare. That's why we are told to put on the whole armour of God:
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren,
be strong in the Lord, and in the
power of his might.
Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole
armour of God, that ye may be able to
stand against the wiles of the devil.
Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not
against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of
this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Ephesians 6:13 Wherefore take unto
you the whole armour of God, that ye
may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore,
having your loins girt about with
truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Ephesians 6:15 And your feet shod
with the preparation of the gospel of
peace;
Ephesians 6:16 Above all, taking the
shield of faith, wherewith ye
shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of
salvation, and the sword of the
Spirit, which is the word of God:
Ephesians 6:18 Praying always with
all prayer and supplication in the
Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication
for all saints;
Now our position is IN CHRIST, being
made one with Him through the
baptizing work of the Holy Spirit, as in 1 Corinthians 12:13, Ephesians
4:4 and 5, and this position, this standing, is perfect and cannot be
altered. That means that our spiritual blessings also, are positional
and secure. You have them, you cannot lose them, any more than you can
lose your salvation, and God doesn't take them away. God has reckoned
us dead to the world and hid with Christ, in God. Now when God hides
something in Himself, nobody can find it. They can't get to it to steal
it or take it away. He will never be robbed of his inheritance,
purchased with HIS own blood..
We were BLESSED the moment we TRUSTED
IN CHRIST. All of our spiritual
blessings are in Christ. So the question is, when did you get in
Christ? And the answer to that is, the moment you believed the gospel
and trusted in Christ. You are trusting the finished cross work of
Christ alone for salvation, right? Now the verse says that God "hath
blessed us." Therefore, all spiritual blessings is present tense for
the believer. We already have them and we have all of them. The brand
new believer in Christ is just as rich IN HIM as the oldest Saint. You
will never have any more spiritual blessings, now, or in the life to
come, than ALL SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS which we received the moment we
believed.
Now can that really be true? Well go
back to the verse. If we could
acquire by our performance, by our devotion, by our good works, any
more than what the verse says, then the verse wouldn't be true. Let God
be true and every man.......a what? Liar! The hard part, the reason
people have such a hard time accepting this, or going around trying to
feel something, or experience something, is that they don't understand
what is a spiritual blessing and because they are always scrambling
around trying to find some evidence of it. Preachers who depend on
celebrities, or entertainment, or on putting on a show in order to keep
the crowd, obviously have some other motive than teaching sound bible
doctrine.
You cannot take the spiritual
blessings out of our STANDING in Christ
and make them conditional. In other words you haven't lost any of your
spiritual blessings in Christ just because you think your performance
at any given time wasn’t up to par. You also haven’t lost any of your
spiritual blessings because of feelings. There is not a single verse in
the bible which says, “feel on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Too many people
try to walk by feelings rather than by faith. A believers faith should
be in the facts, not in the way he happens to feel about it at any
given time. The words of the Lord are pure words and when you take the
pure words and you put interpretations or meanings on them which the
bible doesn’t say, you are being an interpreter, not a believer. Simply
take the words at face value. If things go good, or if you happen to
feel good on a given day, you didn't receive another spiritual
blessing. ALL means all. It includes everything and it excludes
nothing. On the other hand, if things don’t go good, or if you happen
not to feel good, at any given time, that doesn’t mean you have lost
any blessings.
People spend way to much time trying
to gain, or to attain what they
already have in Christ. What's already freely given to them by grace.
Look at the Charismatic confusion that's all around you. Charismatic,
Pentecostal, or Holiness groups teach "second blessing." In other
words, there is a baptism of the Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, sometimes
"with fire" after salvation and it results in instant spiritual
maturity and in some cases it even eradicates the sin nature. Or so
they claim. If you understand Ephesians 1:3 YOU KNOW that there cannot
be any such thing as “second blessing.” There is only the coming unto
the knowledge of the truth of the BLESSINGS you got the instant you
trusted the Lord. But, that requires STUDY, and who does that?
God commended his love toward us in
that when we were yet without
strength, Christ died for the ungodly. Much more then, being now
justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. So
the kind of blessings God has given to the church, the body of Christ,
is Spiritual blessings. We now have, as a present possession, all of
them. We received them all up front, the moment we trusted in Christ.
Spiritual blessings are located in heavenly places in Christ. God gives
them, and he gives ALL OF THEM to ALL who trust in Christ. They are
permanent, good for all eternity.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye
saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Ephesians 2:9 Not of works, lest any
man should boast.
