11/26/17 IT IS A LIFETIME ENDEAVOR

11/26/17 IT IS A LIFETIME ENDEAVOR

(This includes being born of the Spirit, obeying the truth, filled with the Holy Spirit, purified, growth in grace and knowledge, death to self, self discipline and diligence in following Christ)

Parents (God, natural parents, spiritual leaders) desire growth, development, maturing, perfecting to take place in their children. In Galatians 4:19, Paul states his repeated and continued desire to see Christ fully formed in his spiritual children. Nine months of parental anticipation is crowned with the birth of the child. The nine months is a time of growth and change for the preborn, culminating in a live birth. The preborn is formed for the crises event of entering and living in the world. But birth into this world is just the beginning of growth and changes that will continue for a lifetime as a healthy and normal person.

Paul points out that he was again travailing in behalf of the Galatian believers who had turned back to legalism and trusting the flesh rather than continuing in the Spirit by faith. Parents also travail throughout the life of a child, hoping to lead that child into becoming the adult that God intended him/her to become.

Remember, we BECAME believers through the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, but we are still BECOMING the children of God, until we WILL HAVE BECOME partakers of the Divine nature.

The redemptive work of God begins before our rebirth, is manifested through the new birth, is established through the fulness of the Holy Spirit by entire sanctification and is perfected through growth in grace and knowledge through discipline and diligent faith until Christ is fully formed within the believer and the believer becomes a partaker of Divine nature.

Loving parents and loving ministers long for the full development of the children, whether natural or spiritual. Sadly, many of those who are born again never enter into perfection of love and perfection of heart. Sadly, many of those who enter the fulness of the Spirit through total surrender and faith in the purifying work of the Holy Spirit do not continue to grow or continue to become conformed to the image of Jesus, because they grow weary in well doing or because their living faith becomes dead legalism or static formalism.

I cannot tell you how disturbing it is to spend your life trying to lead someone into the fulness of the blessing of God, while they are self deceived and fall back into self satisfaction.

Don't come short of the whole counsel and work of God.

(These are passages, which address these points. I hope you come back and meditate on the great truths of these passages.)

PAUL TRAVAILED AGAIN FOR CHRIST TO BE FORMED IN THE GALATIANS
Galatians 4:19
19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,

GALATIAN BELIEVERS HAD TURNED AWAY FROM CHRIST AND TURNED TO THE FLESH, RESULTING IN THEM HAVING FALLEN FROM GRACE
Galatians 1:6-9
6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

Galatians 3:1-3
1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

Galatians 5:1-5
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

Galatians 5:7-9
7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?
8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.
9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

THERE ARE STEPS, PHASES IN BECOMING THE PEOPLE OF GOD
1 Peter 1:3-5
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

1 Peter 1:22-23
22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

2 Peter 1:2-4
2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Romans 8:29
29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Colossians 1:27-29
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:
28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

Matthew 5:6
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

1 John 3:2-3
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.
3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Ephesians 4:11-15
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
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:
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;
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Ephesians 3:14-19
14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

2 Peter 1:5-11
5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.