Luke 15:11-31
We live in an evil and wicked time. A time that the LORD is being rejected as to His presence and His Word. Because mankind does not see evil punished, they think it shall never be. But God says, different, Ecc 8:11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Ecc 8:12 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him:
Ecc 8:13 But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.
People do not want to retain God in their knowledge, Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Rom 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
Rom 1:30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Rom 1:31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Rom 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Stacy Abrams running for the Governorship of Georgia denies that life begins at conception. Here is what she said, "There is no such thing as a heartbeat at six weeks. It is a manufactured sound designed to convince people that men have the right to take control of a woman's body." REMINDER: Abrams supports NO LIMITS on abortion.” Even science agrees that life begins at conception. But the Word of God says. Life begins at conception, Psalms 139:13-18.
There are those who have Rapture anxiety and they blame us who talk about it. Let me say we who believe in the Rapture did not invent the Rapture, it is a Bible Doctrine, a God ordained event, 1 Thess. 4:13-17. Praise the Lord for those who talk about the Rapture and if you have anxiety about the Rapture seek the LORD through the Gospel, He is coming to catch away those who have believed in Him. Don’t miss the rapture! If you are prepared for the rapture, you are prepared for eternity.
The tribulation is seven years long but most prophecy is about the last forty- two months. There is no way to describe the suffering in the tribulation, Rev. 14:9-11, 16:8-11; 20-21;
Will there be people saved during the tribulation? Yes, there will be tribulation saints, Rev. 20:4. And most will die for their faith, And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. And there is the judgment of nations, Matthew 25:31-46. This Judgment takes place during the 75 days after the 1260 days have ended. Not a general judgment no resurrection mention here. 25:32-40, The sheep are the Gentiles who aid the Jews during the tribulation and are allowed to enter the kingdom alive. They made it to the 1335 day as given in Daniel 12;11-12, - And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
Dan 12:12 Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. Matthew 25:41-45 are the goats = those who aided the antichrist are sent to hell. 25:46= only a believer would aid the Jews during this time.
And I said Wednesday that I would start today where I ended. We were looking at the differences in the word for a believer one Teknon and the other Hwee-os. Romans 8:16-17, The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, Children = teknon. There is a distinction showing two groups, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. A joint heir with Christ is conditional on suffering with Christ. There is a distinction made between all sons who are heirs of God and the sons who have gone on to maturity, Romans 8:14. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. That does not refer to being saved but to be growing up to maturity. The word “sons “is the word “hwee-os”.
I want to study this word “hwee-os” to understand it and to understand how it effects our life. It is good to know about salvation, maturity, sanctification, glorification but if you do not know how to obtain them, the benefits of them and the cost of being without them, then that is a costly tragedy, and may I say in some instance an eternal tragedy. If you die unprepared is a costly tragedy. But as of today, the Rapture has not happened and you are in the land of the living with an opportunity to respond to the LORD.
The word hwee-os carries the meaning of salvation, ownership, security, forgiveness, restoration and a place of rewards in the Body of Christ. And I think the word maturity best describes the word hwee-os.
1] Being saved is once for all, forever. You are not saved because you believe in eternal security. You are saved because you believe in Jesus Christ for the gift of eternal life He secured on the Cross, Romans 6:23, John 3:14-18. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
The only life He promised is everlasting life, John 6:47. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. And it is yours by believing on Him as He promised.
You come to maturity in faith when you believe you are saved by His Grace and not by anything from you. The Gift of Eternal life is by the Grace of God, Titus,3:4-7, But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
You come to maturity in Faith when you are willing to take God at His Word. I like to say, when you believe God is telling you the truth in His word, Hebrews 6: 17-20, Heb 6:17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: Heb 6:18 That by two immutable things, [What are the two immutable things? His Promise, His Word, and His Oath both are unchangeable] in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, = [A strong reason by these two immutable things] who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope [Hope as used in the Bible is always truth or certainty, concrete] set before us:
Heb 6:19 Which we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Heb 6:20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
You come to maturity in Faith, when you believe the word of truth, Eph. 1:11-14. In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. [
Those who first believed the promise of the coming Messiah, e.g. Simeon and Anna and Martha reference that fact, who said, “Yea LORD: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world] In whom ye also after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
2] Maturity is experience when you as a believer will return to the LORD, and confess your sin and restored, 1 John 1:5-9. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. [The younger son came home – the older brother was home but his heart was far away] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
3] Maturity is found when you can live for the eternal and not the things you can see, 2Co 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 2Co 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
The Bible doctrine of the First Born and Adoption:
For example the Spirit of Adoption is to the one who is growing in maturity, hwee-os, Romans 8:15 but V15 follows V14 and so let us read for context, Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God [only the saved can be led by the Spirit of God and not all saved allow the Spirit to lead them] they are the sons of God. Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, [And here is the place of separation] and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
As we look back at the parable of the younger son, we find that favor is not found in the dead works of self- righteousness, for the sins of the self- righteous are as bad as the sins in the pig pen. See Luke 15:28-31.
In this lesson, First Born status is found by pleasing the father, which the older brother did not. In the story of Jacob and Joseph the first - born status is passed to Joseph and not Ruben, who was the first- born son, but Ruben disqualified himself by sin. [You know the story I am sure].
Conclusion: You earn firstborn status and it is your birthright by the New Birth. Remember Esau despised his and his right of first born just as Ruben did..
Adoption is the placing of a son in the Kingdom – not gaining entrance but your place in the Kingdom. In the Jewish heritage when a son became of age, mature, [he is already in the family] he was given a place in the family business. That is an illustration of adoption: based on the age of his maturity he was placed in the family business.
Conclusion: The Spirit of adoption is based on pleasing the LORD by our life in being led by the Spirit unto maturity in Christ.
And in the end what matters is your conclusion!
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