The Sinful Nature Study - Edition #1: Watching and Waiting

June 5th, 2006

Since May was the worst month that I have had since June of last year (missing 3 QT’s), I decided that I needed a slightly different approach, a tweak a little hear and there. For the most part, each day (for right now) is going to be a different study that has been itching on my heart to study out, but I haven’t had the time to devote to the study. This way, I have at least one day of the week where I can devote the time to that study.

The Sinful Nature Study – Edition #1: Watching and Waiting

Romans 7:1-25
Do you not know, brothers - for I am speaking to men who know the law - that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives? For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. So then, if she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress, even though she marries another man.

So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “Do not covet.” But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death.

For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

So, what is the sinful nature? Well, it is sin living in me. That’s what the bible says…

Romans 7:25 sinful nature:
sarx
Flesh (as stripped of the skin), that is, (strictly) the meat of an animal (as food), or (by extension) the body (as opposed to the soul (or spirit), or as the symbol of what is external, or as the means of kindred, or (by implication) human nature (with its frailties (physically or morally) and passions), or (specifically) a human being (as such): - carnal (-ly, + -ly minded), flesh ([-ly]).

Sinful nature is human nature. It’s what “I” want to do and not God wants to do. Pure and simple, it’s not what I want to hear. I can’t think the Romans were all that excited to hear back in the day, either. With so much vocabulary these days, we can through a lot words around and make things sound SSSOOO much nicer and SSSOOO much less convicting than the punch that the scripture really needs. I mean, when I stumbled onto something the other day that I storing up for Thursday, I mean, that just POPPED my eyes right out of my head. I was like, the GREEK says that? I’m just blown away and fired up at the same time. Now, back to the topic: I just want to look at this sentence: “We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.”

So, we know the law is from God, right? And that’s good. But then we keep turning around messing up. We speed on the highway with our little fishes on the trunks of our cars letting everyone know we are hypocrites. It happens, we just repent later (I don’t have a fish and I don’t speed, by the way, but I see many, many cars with fish signs who pass me, but I used to speed and justified my thoughts for doing so.). We say cuss words and then say we are sorry, or we preface them with “pardon my French.” How high do I think I am? With my sinful nature, I am “meat.” And since I am unspiritual… well, what does that mean in Greek? There you go, I am an animal. If I am weak spiritually, if I play around with and do the things I want to do, being the animal that I am, what will happen?

Romans 7:25 unspiritual:
sar-kee-kos'
Pertaining to flesh, that is, (by extension) bodily, temporal, or (by implication) animal, unregenerate: - carnal, fleshly.

Peter 5:8-9
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

Lions look animals to devour. They look for animals that are playing around and aren’t paying attention. They like the ones who are weak and can’t put up much of a fight. I am meat. I am an animal. Am I strong? Am I playing around? The devil is watching me and he is waiting. Johnny Out.

Fruit Study - Edition #1: Good Fruit - BOOM

June 4th, 2006

Fruit Study – Edition #1: Good Fruit - BOOM

James 3:13-18
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

You know, I dig James. The guy just throws it out there, BOOM, there it is, and says, don’t look at what the new nifty Nintendo Ten Thousand 64 that your neighbor has with the quadruple handlebar joystick fighter-pilot gizmos that go with it, not to mention the glow-in-the-dark games that make your pupils dilate and pop you shoot some monster. Or ladies, the sparkly, razzle-dazzle dress ensemble made by some wondrous French fashion designer your boss walks in with, she looks sharp, she got on sale, she looks great, at least you think she looks better than you… BOOM. You know… I feel like John Madden doing a Tinactin commercial (BOOM this and BOOM that, you know). When focus is lost on others, at least in serving them, and is twisted onto me and what I don’t have, then it is easy to see that I don’t have the newest gaming system, the best this or that, or whatever… It really is easy to see what I “DON’T” have.

James 3:14 harbor:
echō
ekh'-o
To hold (used in very various applications, literally or figuratively, direct or remote; such as possession, ability, contiguity, relation or condition): - be (able, X hold, possessed with), accompany, + begin to amend, can (+ -not), X conceive, count, diseased, do, + eat, + enjoy, + fear, following, have, hold, keep, + lack, + go to law, lie, + must needs, + of necessity, + need, next, + recover, + reign, + rest, return, X sick, take for, + tremble, + uncircumcised, use.

James 3:16 selfish ambition:
eritheia
er-ith-i'-ah
Properly intrigue, that is, (by implication) faction: - contention (-ious), strife.

Faction (noun):

• A clique (often secret) that seeks power usually through intrigue.
• A dissenting clique.

Strife (noun):

• Heated, often violent dissension; bitter conflict.
• A struggle, fight, or quarrel.
• Lack of agreement or harmony.
• Bitter conflict; heated often violent dissension.

These definitions and such show me what happens when I focus on what I “DON’T” have. But what happens when I focus on the things that I do have? And not just the material possessions, even the things that I can’t touch… like the breath in my lungs, the smile on my beautiful wife’s face, the stars in the evening sky… those things are sometimes the most glorious, most precious things. The laughter of my son is so priceless, it gives me so much joy, but when he is sleeping, a sleeping child, I don’t know what is more precious, I guess it depends on the moment. These things, they can’t be taken away from me. They are my memories. With age, some may fade, slip away with time, but I will never forget that I should pray aloud when I am praying in a group, and that if I am not baptized and someone were to come in with a shotgun and shoot me dead, that I would indeed to go hell. If the shooter gets baptizes or repents, well… I don’t know… I’m not the judge and I’d already be dead. I just need to focus on the good things in life, the things that push me forward. If I have wisdom from God, then I would be calm, patient, considerate, compliant, full of compassionate treatment and beneficial fruit (freshly picked), undistinguished and sincere. Now, I’m not a wise guy, unless maybe one of the three stooges types… but please don’t try to poke fingers in my eyes. My son did that a couple of days ago and that really did hurt. The qualities of wisdom, just from this passage:

• Pure
• Peace-loving
• Considerate
• Submissive
• Full of Mercy
• Good Fruit
• Impartial
• Sincere

Impartial… wow-e-wow Batman, I don’t about any of you, but that is probably the toughest thing since 20 year old beef jerky to hit my plate. It makes sense, though. To be Christ like, you can’t go around about carrying attitudes. That whole first part was all about harboring things… here I am on this second, did I look in the mirror and already forget or what? It’s a great scripture, wanted to park in it today. Johnny Out.

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A Study on Talents

June 3rd, 2006

A Study on Talents

Ephesians 4:1-16
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called - one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.” (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Now, this is weird, I intended Friday’s QT to tie into hope, but today, I didn’t, but alas, here it is, in this scripture, HOPE. Actually, I wanted to prepare my heart… just preparation and such. I don’t know why, I just feel the need. And when I did the search, it pulled 94 scriptures and this one really pulled at me, so here we are, I liked the surrounding verses, and thought I would use the whole section to save context. Today is spiritual birthday… going to do a lot of digging into the Greek here.

When I came across the scripture, this is what first intrigued me: “…to prepare God's people for works of service…” so, when I saw this, I thought, hey, this is the scripture that I would like to study today.

Ephesians 4:12 prepare:
katartismos
kat-ar-tis-mos'
Complete furnishing (objectively): - perfecting.

More interesting is those who do the preparation, “apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.” If the preparation is done correctly, “we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

Evangelist (noun):

1. A preacher of the Christian gospel.


2. One who practices evangelism.

Ephesians 4:11 evangelist:
euaggelistēs
yoo-ang-ghel-is-tace'
A preacher of the gospel: - evangelist.

Pastor (noun):

1. A Christian minister or priest having spiritual charge over a congregation or other group.


2. A layperson having spiritual charge over a person or group.


3. A shepherd.

Ephesians 4:11 pastor:
poimēn
poy-mane'
Of uncertain affinity; a shepherd (literally or figuratively): - shepherd, pastor.

These things, I think were my original intent for this study was to simply look at this scripture, prepare my heart, see what my talent is, and am I helping others becoming mature by using my talent? It doesn’t say that I have to have a paycheck from a church to be a pastor. It doesn’t say to be one who practices evangelism you have to be in the full time ministry and preach from the pulpit. The bible (in a number of other scriptures) says that we (myself included) are given talents. Everyone has a talent. It would make sense that the talent is to advance God’s kingdom in someway or another, I mean why would God give me a tool to do him harm or the kingdom harm. It is written God would not give me a snake instead of bread, or something to that nature. God wants me to get better, he wants me to help others get better, and that is what the talent (or talents) that he has given is for.

There is SO much more with this scripture… in fact, so much that I with have to continue on in another day. THIS is exciting. SO-SO-SO exciting. I can’t say that I haven’t been excited by a scripture this much in quite a while, and it was really stumbling through the E-Sword that I got curious… anyway, so much to study, not nearly enough time. Laterz. Johnny Out.

Friendship - Edition #13: 91.4% Friend

June 2nd, 2006

Happy Friend’s Day!!!
Friendship – Edition #13: 91.4% Friend

2nd Kings 4:8-37
One day Elisha went to Shunem. And a well-to-do woman was there, who urged him to stay for a meal. So whenever he came by, he stopped there to eat. She said to her husband, “I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God. Let’s make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay there whenever he comes to us.”

One day when Elisha came, he went up to his room and lay down there. He said to his servant Gehazi, “Call the Shunammite.” So he called her, and she stood before him. Elisha said to him, “Tell her, ‘You have gone to all this trouble for us. Now what can be done for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or the commander of the army?’”

She replied, “I have a home among my own people.”

“What can be done for her?” Elisha asked.

Gehazi said, “Well, she has no son and her husband is old.”

Then Elisha said, “Call her.” So he called her, and she stood in the doorway. “About this time next year,” Elisha said, “you will hold a son in your arms.”

“No, my lord,” she objected. “Don’t mislead your servant, O man of God!”

But the woman became pregnant, and the next year about that same time she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her.

The child grew, and one day he went out to his father, who was with the reapers. “My head! My head!” he said to his father.

His father told a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” After the servant had lifted him up and carried him to his mother, the boy sat on her lap until noon, and then he died. She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, then shut the door and went out.

She called her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and a donkey so I can go to the man of God quickly and return.”

“Why go to him today?” he asked. “It’s not the New Moon or the Sabbath.”

“It's all right,” she said.

She saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Lead on; don't slow down for me unless I tell you.” So she set out and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.

When he saw her in the distance, the man of God said to his servant Gehazi, “Look! There's the Shunammite! Run to meet her and ask her, ‘Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your child all right?’”

“Everything is all right,” she said.

When she reached the man of God at the mountain, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone! She is in bitter distress, but the LORD has hidden it from me and has not told me why.”

“Did I ask you for a son, my lord?” she said. “Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t raise my hopes’?”

Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tuck your cloak into your belt, take my staff in your hand and run. If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer. Lay my staff on the boy’s face.”

But the child’s mother said, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So he got up and followed her.

Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or response. So Gehazi went back to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy has not awakened.”

When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his couch. He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed to the LORD. Then he got on the bed and lay upon the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. As he stretched himself out upon him, the boy's body grew warm. Elisha turned away and walked back and forth in the room and then got on the bed and stretched out upon him once more. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.

Elisha summoned Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunammite.” And he did. When she came, he said, “Take your son.” She came in, fell at his feet and bowed to the ground. Then she took her son and went out.

Now, I don’t need to check Hebrew or anything… the good old English is good enough for tonight. I can camp out on this passage alone. But I am curious to see what Gehazi means, aren’t you? Just a little curious… why not…

2nd Kings 4:31 Gehazi:
gay-khah-zee', gay-khah-zee'
Valley of a visionary; Gechazi, the servant of Elisha: - Gehazi.

I just see what Elisha did for his friend. He blessed her abundantly… and when she was in need, he dropped everything to help when he was made aware of the situation. I don’t know if that is my character 100%. I’m working to fill needs, my health isn’t the best these days, I had to leave school early yesterday due to not taking my medication correctly… it’s a mess. I can that this class that I am taking, it’s great. I took some wonderful notes yesterday on servitude (interestingly enough, the class is about getting a job, so you need to know how to serve in the workplace – good thing). I just see, my days might be numbered a little shorter than expected, so be it, that isn’t my call to make. Before I was born, I didn’t “tell” God that I had to live “X amount” of years… and even if my prideful self did so (and I wouldn’t put it past me to have done it), I know God has a way to put a “spin” on things. He could have simply replied “OK, in dog years then” and shipped on my way. Anyway, I digress. Elisha didn’t give up on her. And she wasn’t even a JEW. He didn’t give up on her, her family, and her son. He gave her hope when she had none. He gave her a family when she was childless. He gave her friendship when she was desperate. He gave her a LORD to trust in. He gave her faith. And that is friendship. That is the type of friend I need to be, I’m not there yet, not 100%, but I want to be. Johnny Out.

Hope Study - Edition #1: Believing in Hope

June 1st, 2006

Hope Study – Edition #1: Believing in Hope

This was just an encouraging day overall.

“If you ever feel neglected, if you ever think all is lost, I’ll be counting up my demons, yeah, hoping everything’s not lost, everything’s not lost. When I’m counting up my demons, there’s always one for everyday, with the good ones on my shoulder, I drive the other ones away. If you ever feel neglected, If you think all is lost, Ill be counting up my demons, yeah, Hoping everything’s not lost. When you thought it was over, you could feel it all around, Everybody’s out to get you, don’t you let it drag you down. Because if you eve feel neglected, If you think that all is lost, Ill be counting all the demons, yeah. Singing out oh yeah Singing out oh yeah Singing out oh yeah Everything’s not lost, Come on yeah, oh yeah, come on yeah, Everything’s not lost, Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah Everything’s not lost, Come on yeah, oh yeah, Come on yeah Oh yeah, come on yeah, Everything’s not lost Sing out yeah Come on yeah Everything’s not lost Come on yeah, oh yeah Sing out yeah Everything’s not lost.”

A little song by Coldplay, just the idea of everything that we work for, the purpose behind it, not being wasted… I don’t know, I’ve been praying diligently for hope lately.

Romans 4:1-25
What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about - but not before God. What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”

Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness. Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.

Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring - not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed - the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead - since he was about a hundred years old - and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness - for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

Against all hope, it is written.