2014.08.03_Let Us Do According To God’s Will

God Who Wills and Accomplishes

God is the God who determines His will and surely accomplishes it. There are many spirits in Heaven and on earth but they are all creations. Even if they were to set a will, they do not have the power to bring that to absolute fulfilment. God had already determined His will before the creation of Heaven and to accomplish His will He made Heaven, the universe and mankind. And when the time arrived, He sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ among them.

Jesus said, “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matt 20:28). He also said, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38-39). During His life on the earth, Jesus Christ did nothing out of His own will. He was born through the body of a woman as the Father had willed; He worked according to the Father’s will and likewise died on the cross.

Some say, “What is God’s will? I don’t know what to do.” God’s will is Jesus Christ. Man and the earth, the universe, Heaven, and all the angels that fill Heaven, all have their being for Jesus Christ. This is the same as how the cornhusk exists for the corn itself. All creations are being used for the fulfilment of God’s will.

Because Jesus Christ has appeared in this world, we have seen God’s will. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life!” (John 14:6). The word of God the Father is truth (John 17:17). But Jesus said He Himself is the truth. This means that Jesus Christ is the Father’s word. He revealed the Father’s will through His existence and life. Thus, in order to understand God’s will, one must examine the life of Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 53:2-3 says, “For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised, and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.” His life was so harsh and difficult to the point that people were sceptical and questioned, ‘How can that man be the Son of God?’ Yet His life was according to God’s will.

When Peter cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant who came to arrest Jesus, He said, “Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matt 26:53). If Jesus had called for that many angels, more than the number of the Roman soldiers in Jerusalem at that time, He could have easily slipped away from them without even a scratch. But God’s will could not have been fulfilled if that were to happen. The punishment of the cross was something that even Jesus wanted to escape from. That is why He prayed, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me!” Even so, in the end He sought the Father’s will saying, “Nevertheless, not as I will but as You will!” (Matt 26:39-40).

He did not only accomplish the Father’s will, but whatever He said was according to the Father’s will also. He said, “For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak” (John 12:49-50).

While Jesus has gone into Heaven after resurrection, He established the church – His body – on this earth. Then He sent the Holy Spirit to remind and teach people to understand the words of Jesus (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit never speaks on His own authority but only what He hears (John 16:13). Thus, the church led by the Holy Spirit would eagerly seek the will of God. The Holy Spirit dwells only in Jesus. But today, He has come into the church. This confirms that the church is the body of Jesus Christ and the temple that the Holy Spirit indwells. The Holy Spirit has thus come in us so that we God’s will be accomplished through us.

Is God’s Will Being Fulfilled In Me?

How is your relationship with God right now? Originally, we were worthless like dirt, worms, insects and animals before God. He took such worthless beings as us to become the body of Jesus Christ and poured the Holy Spirit into us. But is God’s will truly being fulfilled in us? Are you receiving God’s love? Whoever has not experienced God’s love, does not believe nor obey, will later be separated as chaff from the grain. If anyone is content at simply taking part in a formality, he is just a religious person who trusts in his own conviction and conscience. God did not make religious people out of us but the body of Jesus. Are you truly being loved as the child of God? Are you receiving the help of the angels that God sends to the redeemed ones?

Jesus said, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:8). Angels are the spiritual nature behind power. Many churches today deny the existence of angels and treat their faith as something conceptual. However if anyone is a Christian, he can experience the operation of the angels. In the same way that the angels came and helped Jesus when He was earnestly praying, it is natural for the church as the body of Christ to receive the help of the angels. There is not a place in the Bible that does not record the activity of angels from Genesis to Revelation. The only reason that the Gospels have written less about them compared to the rest of the Bible is because the main focus is the works of Jesus, the Son of God. But as we know from the incident when an angel came and freed Peter from prison, the operation of angels is once again prominent after the ascension of Jesus.

God does not hesitate or delay. He uses all of time to accomplish His will. Man’s history is progressing also toward the fulfilment of that will. Some say, “if I believe in God, He exists; otherwise He doesn’t.” However, our faith is not just a concept. The Son of God was in the body of a woman for ten months after which He was born in Bethlehem and grew up in Nazareth. Christians are not followers of a prescribed notion or philosophy; they believe in Jesus Christ who has come in the history of mankind.

Jesus came to the earth and shed His blood and died. He did not die of some accident without anyone’s notice; He was publicly executed after being sentenced by the Roman court, the highest legal system at the time. The shedding of Jesus’ blood is not a fictional story but a historical fact. The people of that time who killed Him even pierced His side with a spear to confirm His death. And when they saw the blood coming out of His body, some even sympathized with Him. However, His blood is the blood of God. We have drunk His blood; we believe in His blood. Without it, we could not have repented nor become a Christian.

To those who believe in the blood of Jesus and received forgiveness, God has poured His Holy Spirit so that they may be born again and call Him, “Father.” Romans 8:15-16 says, “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” There are some people who say “Father” to God in their prayers despite not having received the Holy Spirit. But anyone that follows a doctrine like a religious person could deny that God is his Father or coldly end his relationship with Him when he falls into temptation.

If anyone has received the Holy Spirit, he himself knows it for certain. Speaking in tongues by the Holy Spirit is also proof that one has received the Holy Spirit. First Corinthians 14:2 says, “For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.” Speaking tongues is communion with God. No such thing ever existed in this world before Christ resurrected and ascended. The Holy Spirit came in to the believers because Jesus has been glorified, and people came to speak in tongues because the Holy Spirit has come (John 7:38-39).

Being born again of the Holy Spirit is not only our own experience. The demons also recognize that the Holy Spirit dwells in us. That is why they reveal their identity and depart from us. When Sceva, a chief priest, and his sons tried to cast out a demon, the demon said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” Likewise, the demons certainly know that the Holy Spirit dwells within us. James 2:19 says, “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!”

We need to be true believers so that we are not put to shame when we stand before the Lord. The lifespan of the flesh is very short. We have come to know through Jesus Christ that we are eternal beings. Unbelievers do not consider themselves to be eternal beings and say that everything comes to an end when their body dies. However, we know that our flesh is mere expendable and our spirit within the flesh is our true self. People dote on their flesh in an effort to preserve their life. But the body will die when the spirit departs regardless of how well and healthy it might be. On the contrary, even though the body is badly injured it will not die if the spirit still remains. That very entity within the body is the ‘myself.’

Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. When Jesus returns, our spirit will transform in a flash into an imperishable body. In that body, we would be able to meet people, give each other hugs, and even enjoy food. This is the same as how Jesus appeared to His disciples, taught them, and ate food after He had resurrected. The body we will have at the resurrection is not like the flesh we now have that would eventually return to dust; it is an everlasting body that could inherit the kingdom of God has prepared for His Son. God sends the Holy Spirit and seals the faith of those who believe this (2 Cor 1:22). And through the Holy Spirit, we are able to call God, “Father”, speak in tongues and cast out demons. Our faith is thus a reality.

Receive Grace, O My Soul!

The Holy Spirit reveals the reality. Thus, we must depend on Him in order to know the reality of God’s work. Jesus said, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:7-8). The Israelites already learned about sin, righteousness, and judgment through Moses. However, what they had understood through the Law, which was only a regulation of the flesh, was not the true reality. Hence, Jesus has made known of the true reality of sin, righteousness, and judgment by sending the Holy Spirit to the believers.

The Law is the faith-conscience given to Israel. The Law is mostly made up of negative (“do not”) commandments. And disobeying such commandments is considered to be sin according to the Law. Among the people under the Law, there were some, namely the Pharisees, who believed they could be made righteous by observing the words spoken through Moses and the prophets. But Jesus warned them saying, “Woe to you.” He told them that He came not to abolish the Law but fulfil it. He reinforced the Law and said, “Anyone who hates his brother is guilty of murder; if anyone has lustful thoughts, he is an adulterer; he who covets is a thief.”

Jesus wanted people to properly understand the function of the Law. Every man is a sinner from birth. This was due to the sin that Adam – the first living soul – committed in the Garden of Eden. Because of that original sin, man’s heart is constantly filled with the thoughts/desire to sin. That is why God said to Cain, “Sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it” (Gen 4:7). Such sinful nature is also called intrinsic sin. And when that desire to sin is put into action, it is called personal sin. The role of the law is to uncover sin and condemn the sinner. Though the Law can detect one’s personal sins, it cannot do the same with intrinsic sins because it is unseen. Thus, Jesus reinforced the Law. Even though Apostle Paul was bold before the Law, he acknowledged that he could do so before the Law of Jesus Christ. He realized that though he had strictly adhered to the Law, there was still envy, jealousy, and hatred lurking in his heart.

If Israel were condemned by the law, then what about the Gentiles who are far greater in number than them? Romans 2:14-15 says, “For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them.” The Gentiles are condemned by their conscience.

Our faith is not a religion that practices morals according to our conscience. A person who lives according to his conscience will eventually be condemned. Christians are the ones who have been freed from condemnation through God’s grace. For the Gentiles, their conscience became like the Law, whereas the Law given on Mount Sinai became the faith-conscience for Israel. Whether it is the Law or conscience, it demands the same thing from man, a true confession crying out, “I am a sinner!”

The preaching of the Gospel of Jesus begins with the call for repentance. Nobody can become a Christian without repentance. We need to repent and receive grace. There is no one who can enter Heaven by relying on the Law or one’s conscience. Salvation refers to the liberation from the Law or from one’s conscience. Salvation is not a permission for dissipation; it means to lean on God’s grace and be freed from condemnation. Jesus carried our sins, punishment, and died. Therefore anyone that relies on His works can receive grace.

Christians must boast of the grace they have experienced. We should not deny or hide the grace we have received just because something is troubling our conscience. Colossians 2:18 says, “Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels.” Having received grace already, we must not pretend to be humble and say, “I’m a sinner” in front of the angels who brought the Law. Now we ought to boldly declare, “I have received grace!” That is the way to fulfil God’s will.

O My Soul, Be Joyful Through the Holy Spirit!

Anyone who has received grace is able to call God, “Father,” by the Holy Spirit. A father graciously blesses his child. Though he might have to suffer hardship, the father wants to provide his child with the best. This disposition is not formed through learning or training. Every father has the nature to sacrifice his life for his children. However, no father is able to deliver his child from hell. The only Father who can save us from the punishment of hell is God alone. For this reason Jesus said, “Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven” (Matt 23:9).

The Devil and his cohorts operate in the world (Eph 2:1-2). Although we cannot actually see electromagnetic waves, they surround the space we live in like a cobweb. That is how we can use our cell phones wherever we are. The activity of the spiritual beings around us is much the same. God sent us the Holy Spirit to protect us from such chaotic spiritual environment. So how can anyone that ignores the Holy Spirit receive His help? Could he really be confident that he is a child of God when he is not receiving the Holy Spirit’s help? Can such a person enter the Kingdom of God?

We have to rely on the Holy Spirit at all times. Even our prayers need to be by the Holy Spirit. Some people beg as beggars in prayer. However, children of God do not beg in prayer but rather ask the Father with their rightful privilege. Of course, our prayers may not be answered immediately, for God determines when the answer should be given. If a ten-year old child asks for a car, even a very rich person would answer, “I can’t buy you a car now but I will when you grow up and get a licence.”

The one who has received grace must now live by the Holy Spirit. We must not ignore Him but rely on His power. Jesus promised that power would come upon those who receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). This is God’s promise to send the angels to the saints. It is God’s will that those who have received grace now live by the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers? Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother” (Matt 12:48-50). Jesus declared that even his family and relatives would have nothing to do with him unless they do all according to God’s will. We have been saved by the grace of God. We must now live according to His will. We must be truly happy in the Spirit.