Welcome to The Feast!
Day 2 Lessons on Faith Gal. 5:22-26
Guest_Adriel : Hello Everyone and welcome to day 2 of the Feast of Tabernacles. Bro. David would you please give the opening prayer.
Zahakiel : All right, let us pray. Heavenly Father, We come before you for this second day of the Feast of Tabernacles filled with thanksgiving. We rejoice in the simple pleasure of seeing one another, something that Christians in ages past had naturally... but which has been rendered a "new thing" due to the distances between us. And yet despite these distances, we are bound together in unity, because we share your Holy Spirit, and for this also, we are thankful. We ask for your blessing upon each one that has been gathered here in your name, and that your wisdom will fall upon us like the rain, to bring us closer to you in character, and more securely settled into your Sabbath rest. May you guide all that is said and done among us, that we may be perfectly equipped to do your work upon the earth. Bless us to this end, we ask in the name of your Son, Yahshua. Amen.
Guest_Pastor_Chick : Amen.
Lucan : Amen
Guest_Barb : Amen
Guest_Naraiel : Amen, Amen, Amen
Guest_Adriel : Amen. I’m glad that Yah inspired Pastor to suggest going through various chapters of Lessons on Faith. It is one of my favorite books so clearly and this chapter on Gal. 5 is one of the most sublime, and as David said when we went through most of the chapters of the book last year…
“Zahakiel : Hopefully, in addition to being encouraged by the substance of Jones’ writings, you have also been noticing something very important; and, in case you have not, I will point it out here. We have had to change absolutely nothing from this pioneer’s writings in order to receive Yah’s full blessing from these “old time” sermons. We have not had to cross out any words (as we have done with some hymns inherited from mainstream Adventism). We have not had to explain away any of the author’s use of the verses. We have not had to say, “What he MEANS is…” We have not once had to say, “This was acceptable for a time, but Yahweh has since revealed that…” The reason for this is very simple. Creation Seventh Day Adventists are Adventists of the truest form. We are they who have taken the message delivered unto the saints of generations past, and are taking this message, one last time, to the world that is dead in its trespasses and sins.”
I say Amen to that.
Even though I have read through this book twice and partially when we studied it, my heart thrills anew each time! These truths are so precious and so powerful! And while it was suggested that we did not simply read through the chapter again…I really cannot say what has been said any better
So with that, I won’t include the whole chapter, but will post those parts that are most meaningful to me which is a large portion of it. So, let us begin as did A.T. Jones by reading Gal. 5:22-26
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the passions and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vainglory, provoking one another, envying one another."
He goes on to say that we have seen somewhat of the works of the flesh (from the previous chapter) and then makes this statement.
“The Spirit of God, which, in His fullness, is freely given to every believer, lusteth against the flesh, so that in Him who is led by the Spirit of God the flesh cannot do the things that it would. In such the Spirit of God rules, and causes to appear in the life "the fruit of the Spirit," instead of "the works of the flesh."”
What a blessing we have been given in this gift. Continuing.
“In Christ the battle has been fought on every point, and the victory has been made complete. He was made flesh itself--the same flesh and blood as those whom He came to redeem. He was made in all points like these; He was "in all points tempted like as we are." If in any "point" he had not been "like as we are," then, on that point he could not possibly have been tempted "like as we are."”
He goes on to say that because Christ was tempted in all points like as we are that He was touched with the feeling of our infirmities. Yahshua understands and felt what we go through. And He was victorious over it ALL. So He is able to give us that victory. Continuing
“And thus, by the divine power that he received through faith in God, He, in our flesh, utterly quenched every inclination of that flesh and effectually killed at its root every desire of the flesh and so "condemned sin in the flesh." And in so doing He brought complete victory and divine power to maintain it to every soul in the world. All this He did "that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit."
“This victory in its fullness is free to every soul in Christ Jesus. It is received by faith in Jesus. It is accomplished and maintained by "the faith of Jesus," which He has wrought out in perfection and has given to every believer in Him. For "this is the victory which overcometh the world, even our faith."”
Amen! We’ve been given complete victory AND the power to maintain it. We receive it by faith in Yahshua and it is maintained by the faith of Yahshua. HIS faith that he gives to us!
Jones goes on to say how Christ abolished in His flesh (which is our flesh) the enmity or separation from Yah then makes this statement.
“Thus Jesus took upon Him the curse in all its fullness, precisely as that curse is upon mankind. This He did by "being made a curse for us." but "the curse causeless shall not come" and never came. The cause of the curse is sin. He was made a curse for us, because of our sins. And to meet the curse as it is upon us, He must meet sin as it is in us. Accordingly, God "hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin." and this "that we might be made the righteousness of God IN HIM." 2 Cor. 5:21.”
He then goes on to say again how Christ was made like us, tempted in the same ways, and yet not even in thought did he give in to the flesh, so that every inclination of the flesh was killed at the root, and then quotes Heb. 2:14-18, the last verse of which I’ll post here.
“For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.” That word succor means to aid or help and has the idea of running to the aid of. I'm so thankful that we have a Saviour who understands our needs and runs to our aid to help in time of need.
He continues with this next section which I just couldn’t leave out It is a little long, so let me know when you are finished.
“And this victory which Christ wrought out in human flesh is brought by the Holy Spirit to the rescue of everyone in human flesh who today believes in Jesus. For by the Holy Spirit the very presence of Christ Himself comes to the believer, for it is His constant desire to "grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the
breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God." Eph. 3:16-19.”
“Thus the deliverance from the guilt of sin and from the power of sin which holds the believer in triumph over all the desires, the tendencies and inclinations of his sinful flesh, through the power of the Spirit of God--this is wrought today by the personal presence of Christ Jesus in human flesh in the believer, precisely as it was wrought by the personal presence of Christ in human flesh eighteen hundred and seventy years ago.”
“Christ is ever the same--"the same yesterday and today and forever." The gospel of Christ is ever the same--the same yesterday and today and forever. The gospel of Christ today is the same that it was eighteen hundred and seventy years ago. Then it was "God manifest in the flesh," and today it is the same--"God manifest in the" same flesh, the flesh of sinful men, human flesh, just as human nature is.”
“That gospel is "Christ in you, the hope of glory,"--Christ in you just as you are, sins, sinfulness, and all; for He gave Himself for our sins and for our sinfulness. And you, just as you are, Christ has bought and God "hath made accepted" in Him. He has received you just as you are and the gospel, "Christ in you, the hope of glory," brings you under the reign of the grace of God and through the Spirit of God makes you so subject to the power of Christ and of God that "the fruit of the Spirit" appears in you instead of "the works of the flesh.”
Then he lists the fruit of the Spirit. At this point I’d like to list each of the parts of the fruit of the Spirit and have any who want help us define them.
Love. Would anyone like to help define love? This would be Agape Love, the love of our Father shed abroad in our hearts.
Zahakiel : A.
Guest_Adriel : go ahead
Zahakiel : Well, we have an entire Biblical chapter, 1 Cor. 13, that gives us all the characteristics of what love is. That is, it tells us what "love" looks like when humans act upon it. Such as being patient, and kind, and seeking not its own best good. The Bible also tells us that Yahweh IS love, and therefore all that love is, Yah is also. So love is being like Yahweh. The world defines love as a feeling, but for the Christian, it is something deeper than that. It is a commitment to be like our Father in Heaven, toward Him, toward ourselves, and toward others, and the chapter (1Cor 13) explains to us how this appears. End.
Guest_Adriel : Amen, thank-you for that.
Guest_Barb : A
Guest_Adriel : Go ahead
Guest_Barb : The best example of agape love is the gift that our Father in Heaven gave - His only Son and the gift that Yahshua gave us - His life. Since they dwell in us by their Spirit, we have that same love for others and are willing to sacrifice like they did for the good of others. End
Guest_Adriel : Amen
Ok, next is Joy. Joy is defined as an ardent happiness arising from present and expected good. Then there's peace. We have the peace of Yah that passes all understanding.
Guest_Barb : Amen
Guest_Adriel : Then there's Longsuffering, gentleness, and goodness. We will be patient under trial, we will be gentle even when treated harshly and we will seek those things which are good. Then there's faith. We have the faith of Yahshua. Then there's meekness and temperance. Meekness is a lot like gentleness I think. Temperance is self-control. We keep our bodies under control by the Spirit of Yah who dwells in us.
Then he finishes with this
"Against such there is no law." The law of God is against nothing but sin. In human lives the law of God is against everything that is not the fruit of the Spirit of God. Therefore it is certain that everything in human life that is not the fruit of the Spirit of God is sin. And this is but stating, in another way, the eternal truth that "whatsoever is not of faith is sin."
Therefore "if we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." And because we do live in the Spirit and walk in the Spirit, "let us not"--yea, we shall not; yea, we cannot "be desirous of vainglory, provoking one another, envying one another."
So let us continue to walk in the victory we have been given, and maintain it by the divine power that has been given us. Let us share this Gospel, this good news of Christ in us the hope of glory.
Are there any questions or comments on tonight’s study?Zahakiel : C
Guest_Adriel : Go ahead
Zahakiel : I have two
Guest_Adriel :
Zahakiel : The first is something that came to mind when you said “ We’ve been given complete victory AND the power to maintain it. We receive it by faith in Yahshua and it is maintained by the faith of Yahshua." One of the very first things I learned as a CSDA that was different from mainstream Adventism, was this idea of what the "faith of Yahshua," that expression, means. To most Christians, most groups, the faith of Yahshua is believing that Jesus/Yahshua is the Son of God, that He came to earth and died for us, and was resurrected to lead the way for us to do the same. And while all that is true... that is just faith in things "about" Yahshua. The faith OF Yahshua is the faith that Yahshua has. It means believing the things that He believes, and knowing the things that He knows. So, that was one of the first, but still one of the most powerful, things I learned... and while not every translation of the Bible uses this wording, there are verses in the KJV that read... "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." (John 6:35) The idea of believing "on" Him, and not just "in" Him gives me the impression of leaning on Him, depending on Him, and it has a very meaningful connotation to me. The second comment...
Guest_Adriel : (Amen)
Zahakiel : comes in from the second half of the study, which is where Jones was talking about Christ overcoming sin "in the flesh." Christ IN the flesh overcomes the sins of the flesh. While we've said that before, and I've probably read it many times, in the context of this study, it rang a bell. Christ always overcomes sin in the flesh. 2000 years ago (perhaps the ONE thing we would have to change about the pioneer studies is their references to how long ago this took place
) Yahshua overcame sin in His own flesh. Today, He overcomes it in ours. What flesh it is does not matter, but the Spirit that drives and motivates it is the important thing. In this we are one, because we are of one spirit,Guest_Pastor_Chick : Amen.
Zahakiel : so that though we may be different in personalities and preferences, the overcoming in me is the same as the overcoming in my brother or sister, because it is Christ in both that overcomes. End.
Guest_Barb : Amen
Guest_Adriel : Amen
Guest_Barb : C
Guest_Adriel : Any others? Sorry, go ahead.
Guest_Barb : I want to mention what stood out to me in this chapter. It is deliverance from the guilt and power of sin that holds the believer in triumph through the power of the Holy Spirit, which is the very presence of Christ Himself in the believer. I really like the way that is stated. That is why 'Christ in us' is the hope of glory! ...
Guest_Adriel : Amen!
Guest_Barb : And we bear His fruit, the fruit of the Spirit, because He, by His Spirit dwells in us. Amen <end>
Guest_Adriel : Amen
Zahakiel : Amen
Guest_Adriel : Any others?
Lucan : C
Guest_Adriel : Go ahead
Lucan : I have two separate thoughts as well.
Guest_Adriel :
Lucan : My first is something of a memory brought about by David's last comment, that the overcoming of Christ is the same in each of us. I recall when I was in the Adventist church; there was a definite sense of hierarchy, so to speak, between not just members and laity but membership as well. There were always members who were seen as "more" or "less" Christian, or saved, or holy, etc. than others. I think that occurs in every other church, actually; I don't know that you can have fallen men leading fallen men without a sense of pride and rank coming into it. If Christ is keeping one in a less sinful but still sinning life, it's not Christ doing it, it's that person - so some people seemed "better" than others for appearing less sinful. When it hit me that everyone in the Church was living without known sin, the sense of equality really hit me. It was Christ doing the work in everyone, so every member is truly equal before Heaven. Some have more experience, and thus can share more. But that wasn't a matter of "value" more than simply service.
My second thought, I suppose semi-related, is about meekness. It's my understanding that meekness is a distinct thing from gentleness; it means reliance and dependence on Yahweh, being teachable and able to be lead. In the world's language, "meekness" usually is depicted as something like the opposite of confidence; a cowering kind of thing, unwilling to stand up or step forward. In reality, meekness is the opposite of pride, not confidence. I can think of people in our past and present who would qualify for "meekness" in the false sense, but thoroughly fail the test for it in the true. So, that is an important distinction to keep clear. <End.>
Guest_Pastor_Chick : C
Guest_Adriel : Ok thank-you for that
Guest_Adriel : David can you transcribe this?
Zahakiel : (Well, I would need to remember the wording from when he began....)
Zahakiel : Summary... Pastor says that when someone becomes defensive if someone is attempting to share a blessing by pointing out a defect that is actually the "real" defect. Trying to avoid or deflect the assistance of the other person reveals a (lack of meekness, don't remember the exact wording of this part).
Another comment prompted by Luke's statements about meekness, which is a requisite to salvation. We believe the things about Yahshua, the faith of Yahshua, and therefore we will not be living with known sin. We would all agree with that part. But we may also be living in sin that is not known. So the question I have is, how will we know what that is, if that is true. If we are not around people who love us, and are around us, and serve us...how are we going to find out about these things, is (not a comment, but) my question.
Guest_Barb : A
Guest_Adriel : Sorry go ahead
Guest_Barb : Well, praying and studying is a start, but also, since we are not physically around each other, this is where communication comes in (which we have been talking so much about). As we communicate with each other, we may see ways to be able to help each other see that. <End>
Guest_Adriel : Yes, I agree.
Lucan : C
Guest_Adriel : Pastor, did you see Sis Barbs answer to your question?
Guest_Adriel : Go ahead
Lucan : I'd like to make use of the voice chat as well, so I'm waiting to see if Pastor reconnects first.
Guest_Pastor_Chick : She gave it to me in Skype SMS.
Guest_Adriel : ok
Guest_Adriel : ok (Luke)
Guest_Adriel : Ok, Bro. Luke could you close our meeting with a prayer?
Lucan : Dear heavenly Father. We thank for the blessing of this time to assemble as best we can. While we know that nothing can take the place of true, face to face fellowship, we are thankful for what methods to communicate we do have. We know that ultimately you are the author and finisher of our faith, and that you will provide all circumstances necessary to our sanctification. We thank you for the opportunity to examine ourselves in your light, as it increases more and more to the perfect day. In the name of Yahshua we pray, amen.
Zahakiel : Amen.
Guest_Barb : Amen
Guest_Pastor_Chick : Amen.
Guest_Adriel : Amen
Guest_Naraiel : Amen
Guest_Naraiel : Amen, Amen