Grace Fellowship Church

Pastor/Teacher - Jim Rickard Thursday, December 9, 2010 Grace Fellowship Church www.GraceDoctrine.org

DoxologyPraise God, from whom all blessings flow;Praise Him, all creatures here below;Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.—Amen.

Memory Verse2 Tim 2:4,“No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.”

John 15:18-21Obstructions to Divine Good Production:Reason #1: Satan’s Cosmic System hates the believer!Reason #2: We are not of this world-Election out from the World!Reason #3:“The servant is not greater than his Lord,” therefore we too will have persecutions!Reason #4: “The Cosmos does not know God and is ignorant to His Plan.”

John 15:22-25Obstructions to Divine Good Production:Reason #5, Vs 22 - Their Old Sin Nature is exposed.Reason #6, Vs 23-24 - The world hates God the Father and it hates God the Son.Reason #7, Vs 25 - The fulfilment of Old Testament prophesy.

Reason #5: Their Old Sin Nature is exposed. Those of the world want to be held righteous by their own acts and deeds.

Principles:

1. Revelation brings responsibility. Judaism taught that greater knowledge brought greater responsibility. Jesus taught that revelation increases moral responsibility, Luke 12:41-46.

2. His works and His words revealed the will of God the Father, that He was the Messiah as prophesied, and the sinfulness of men.

3. Therefore, mankind has no excuse. Jews and Gentiles alike, joined together in hating and crucifying Christ, is proof that all people are sinners and guilty before God.

4. The proof of Christ as Messiah has been so clear that they cannot plead ignorance.

Likewise, the gospel has been so often presented that they cannot allege that they had no opportunity of knowing it. John 9:35-10:18 with Acts 26:18

5. The world lives in darkness and commits the works of darkness, John 3:18-19.

From the beginning of the world’s creation men have covered themselves with fig leaves of excuses, Gen 3:7-13.

6. No matter what form the excuses take, they give evidence of the Truth of the gospel message, (that the light has been shining).

7. There is no reason or even excuse for sin. It is impossible to hide sin behind transparent aprons of excuse after excuse.

8. For the unbeliever, no matter what the excuse, rejection of Jesus Christ means eternal condemnation, Heb 10:29.

9. As for the believer:Gal 5:24,“Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

a. The natural life itself is not sinful. But we must abandon sin, having nothing to do with it in any way whatsoever.

b. Sin belongs to hell and to the devil. As a child of God, you belong to heaven and to God.

c. It is not a question of giving up sin, but of giving up your right to yourself, your natural independence, and self-will.

d. Natural moral excellence, (human good), opposes or counteracts surrender to God.

e. It is the good that opposes the best. The higher up the scale of moral excellence, (human good), a person goes, the more intense the opposition to Jesus Christ.

f. The cost to your natural life is not just one or two things, but everything.

Mat 16:24, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself …”

Beware of refusing to go to the funeral of your own independence.

g. If we do not purposely sacrifice the natural,(self will), the supernatural can never become natural to us.

h. There is no high or easy road. You have the means to accomplish it through doctrine and the Spirit.

It is not a question of praying, but of sacrificing, and thereby performing His will.

Grace Fellowship ChurchThursday, December 9, 2010Tape # 10-136Obstructions to Divine Good Production, Part 30No ExcusesUpper Room Discourse, Part 449John 15:22; Luke 12:41-46; Gal 5:24; Gen 3:7-13James H. Rickard Bible Ministries 2010

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