The Patience of the Practice

(1Cor.15:58)  “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

(2Ti 4:6-7)  “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.  (7)  I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:”

The primary focus of this devotion is first to briefly re-examine what is presented in the previous four devotions to serve as a platform for the believer to take the next step in Accepting the Sovereignty of God. The next step for the believer is to actually Perform the works of faith; to not be a hearer only; but to be a “doer” of the Word of God; and to Maintain in that performance unto the end.

In the first devotion of this series, titled “The Introduction,” the definition was given of the word “Sovereign”; wherein the author submitted to the believer that the Old Testament and the New Testament present God (Jehovah; Christ) in His Sovereignty as “Lord,” or the Absolute Supreme Ruler of the creation, because He is the Creator, Controller and Consummator of all creation. As such He has all authority and power over His creation to do as He has pleased because He is the Creator; and therefore, all things are of Him, for Him, and through Him. It is not man’s will; but, it is God’s will; God is the Cause and man is the effect; and until God gives the sinner regeneration, the sinner is dead in trespasses and sin and is totally walking in his own lust of the eye, lust of the flesh and pride of life. However, when the sinner is regenerated by the Holy Spirit of God; he is granted experiential knowledge of his humanity and of God’s Deity and of God’s Rank of Priority because He is the Creator, Controller and Consummator over His creation.

The second devotion is titled, “Surrendering to the Sovereignty of God” with the sub-title, “The Perception of the Position.” In regeneration by the Holy Spirit of God; the sinner is given experiential knowledge of his Position in Christ. The new convert (or believer) learns that being “in Christ” then now knows that: (a) It was God that created him and gave him life and breath. (b) That Salvation is by grace and grace alone; this means that his reconciliation, redemption, sanctification, justification was all performed by Christ on the basis of the Eternal Covenant, established before the foundation of the world; and this covenant was ratified by Christ’s work on the Cross in the Atonement for his sin debt. (c) That he is a temple of God in his spirit. Therefore, God owns him in his body, soul and spirit. In regeneration the sinner is revealed that God lives in him; God is the Head of his life; God owns his body, soul and spirit; and God has planned and purposed his life according to God’s Purpose. Therefore, the believer “surrenders” (or gives up to, bows to; or gives mental assent) to the absolute control of God in his life.

The third devotion is titled, “Submitting to the Sovereignty of God” with the sub-title, “The Perception of the Practice.” The new convert comes to know the Will of God through the study of the Written Word of God being taught by God the Spirit, The Teacher. Through Christ, as the believer’s example, he comes to the knowledge that Christ had: (a) a specific Purpose to complete (and that was to do the work that the Father had given Christ to finish); (b) and the Practice of Christ performing His Purpose was in total submission to the Father. When the believer is taught by the Holy Spirit of his purpose to be a Witness of the Grace of God to others; and when the believer is taught the how he is to be a witness for Christ; then comes either a mental rejection to this knowledge or a mental submitting to God that this is truth. Before the believer can perform the Will of God; he must be taught the Will of God. Before the believer can obey the Will of God as to his Purpose and as to the manner or the practice; the believer must submit that this is truth. Therefore, the believer must submit to the perception of the God-ordered purpose and the practice for His children to walk therein. When this perception or knowledge is mentally submitted to as truth; then the next step is “obedience” to the Word of God. The purpose God has for the believer is to be a Witness. The practice God has instructed the believer to do; is to obey His commandments in total submission.

The fourth devotion is titled, “Obeying the Word of God”; sub-titled “The Practice (or Performance) of the Perception.” This means that the believer must perform what he knows to be Truth; that is to live by Faith, or by Christ, Who is The Faith (Gal. 2:20); that is, he must not only be a hearer of God’s Word; but he must a “doer” of the Word of God (Jas. 1:22). His faith must have “works” (Jas. 2:14-26); his feet must be “led” of the Spirit; his mind must “live” in the Spirit; and he must “walk” in the power of Christ (Gal. 5:16, 18, 26). The text verse (Jn. 14:15) reveals the secret; for “if you love Me, keep My commandments.” The primary focus of the fourth devotion is the identifying what are the commandments of Christ that the believer is to “keep;” and the why the believer is to keep the commandments of Christ; and the how or in what manner, the believer is to keep Christ’s commandments.

This fifth and final devotion in this series is titled, “Enduring in the Sovereign Word of God”; subtitled “Patience in the Practice.” This means that the believer must “endure” in keeping the commandments of Jesus Christ unto the “end” of the believer’s course. In all of the Word of God, is it ever taught that God placed a time period in the believer’s life of when he is excused of “keeping” (or preserving, and doing) the commandments of Christ? The answer is No – but rather the opposite, for the believer is to “endure” unto the end. The believer is never relieved of his responsibility to be a Witness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, even unto death.

When God regenerated the sinner and made him a believer in Christ, God came and indwelt the regenerated sinner. God is the Origin, Giver, and Sustainer of the believer’s salvation. In the process of regeneration, the believer became a temple of God on earth; for God came to dwell in the believer now, and as long as the believer lives on the earth. There would never be a time that God would ever leave the sinner (Heb. 13:5c; Rom. 8:29-39).Therefore, as long as the believer has breath in his body, he is to be a Witness of the saving and sustaining Grace of God. God never goes back on His Promises or the securing of the believer in His Promises. Once the sinner is regenerated and made a new creation; he is always a new creation in Christ. Salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9); as revealed in Eternal Justification (Eph. 1:4-6); Judicial Justification (Eph. 1:7-11; Rom. 3:24-25; 8:29-34); and Experiential Justification (Jn. 3:3-8; Rom. 8:14-16; Gal. 4:4-6). Therefore, the believer’s salvation is secure in the Author and Finisher of his faith (Heb. 12:2a); wherefore, the sinner did not plan his own salvation, had nothing to do with Christ’s Atonement on the Cross to pay for the sinner’s sin debt, and had nothing to do with his regeneration – for it was done completely and Sovereignly by the Holy Spirit (Jn. 3:8). Therefore, Christ is here to stay in the regenerated. This being a fact then, the believer is responsible to be a Witness of the Saving Grace of Christ, and to be a witness in the power of the Indwelling Christ to perform the commandments of Christ – now, and as long as he lives.

Notice in the text verses the following words describe the mind set the believer must possess to be a good witness of Jesus Christ:

(1Cor.15:58) “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

The words “stedfast,” “unmoveable,” and “always,” have reference to the resolve of the believer to be constant, determined, and a forever super-abundant in the believer’s spirit concerning his enduring unto the end keeping the commandments of Christ. The word “Endurance” is a synonym for these words. The Apostle Paul, in this verse, exhorts the believers in the Corinthian Church to keep on keeping on, or to endure in “the work of the Lord.”

(2Ti 4:6-7) “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. (7) I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:”

Notice the words “fought,” “finished,” and “kept.” The synonym for these words is “Endured” (past tense). The Apostle Paul uses his own endurance unto the end of his life as a Witness of The Gospel of Jesus Christ to encourage young Timothy, and all believers of all ages, to not give up; but to endure unto the end as a Witness of the Saving Grace of Jesus Christ.

However, the sad commentary on many believers is that they start running “the race that is set before” them with (Heb. 12:1) “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us”, with great zeal and tremendous energy, and with the determination to endure unto the end. But, as time progresses in their Christian journey, the affairs of this life enter into their circle, and begin to erode the foundation of determination to finish strong in their calling. They are deceived into following the flesh again, instead of the “Good Shepherd.” This deception causes the believer to go after family, fame, and fortune; and when this happens, the believer pulls off on a spur line, and leaves walking by faith, and starts walking by sight.

It is not the American Dream that the believer is called to; but he has been called to win the Prize of the High Calling of Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:14). The Prize is to be One with Christ (Jn. 17:21-24). To be counted in the winner’s circle, the believer must, “…press toward the mark for the prize…” That is, the believer must “press”; which means the believer is to: (a) fight a good fight; (b) finish his course; and (c) he must be able to say at the time of his departure, “I have kept the faith”; which means, while the believer is traveling on his life’s journey, he must be: stedfast, immoveable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord. (d) He is not to ever give up or turn back; for he is to “endure unto the end.” (e) He must at all times remember who he is in Christ (His child); (f) that he can do all things through Christ (Phil. 4:13, 19); which  is his Strength, his Anchor, and the Forerunner Who is already within the vail for him (Heb. 6:17-20); and (g) he has been given “exceeding and precious promises” (2 Peter 1:3-4), “…that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” And (h) the obtaining the Prize itself, which is:

The reward of walking by faith; in the faith; and for the faith is:

1. (1 Cor. 15:58c) “Forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
2. (2Ti 4:8) “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”
3. (Mat 25:23) “His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”
4. (2Pe 1:10-11) “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.”
5. (Heb. 4:9-11) “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. (10)  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. (11) Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” The believer does not labor to get “that rest”; but faith without works is a dead faith; those that will receive the Prize; are those that “labour,” or have determination, and are diligent in seeking God and:
6. (Heb 11:6) “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Remember reader, there is no “Rest” in Christ on the Wilderness side of the River Jordan. To experience success in this Christian journey; the believer must “walk by faith”; that is, to live in the power of the resurrected Christ; and that is to have the freedom experienced by Surrendering to the Sovereignty of God; Submitting to the Will of God; and Obeying the Word of God; and Enduring in the Word of God. There will be no growth in the knowledge of Christ; there will be no fruit that remains; there will be no rest in Christ and no taste of the sweetness of the Victory of Christ – unless the believer walks by faith.

Make no mistake, the cost is great to the flesh, when the believer “Surrenders to the Sovereignty of God”; “Submits to the Will of God”; and “Obeys the Word of God.” The reason the cost is so great to the flesh is because the flesh hates to be subjugated into an inferior position to the rule of the Spirit; the changes in the believer’s thoughts, words and actions are so contrary to the ‘world’s philosophy,’ that it sets the believer apart from the majority, and makes the believer so different, as the light is to darkness. It causes the believer to march to a different drummer; for the love of God, and to God, has replaced his loyalty to family, friends, fame and fortune, and has made him a “disciple of Christ,” even a slave of Righteousness.

Reader, it is sad that so many of God’s children have set themselves against the Sovereignty of God in their attitude and action. This has robbed the child of God of: (a) intimate fellowship with God; (b) power to overcome sin daily; c) sweet Peace that passes all understanding; d) experiencing the Sufficiency of God’s Grace as he depends on his own talents, etc. And finally, this brings on chastisement that may leave the believer with a “limp.”

The Success and the Victory lie in the Victory of Christ, Who is the Faith (1 Jn. 5:4; Gal. 2:20). Believer, why be robbed of anything, when you can have the finest of the wheat and honey out of the Rock, as you Surrender to the Sovereignty of God; Submit to the Will of God; Obey the Word of God; and Endure in the same?