Grace and Truth
Bible Ministries

Phil 1:11 Gal 5:22 The Promises of God


We are continuing in the study of the mandate for believer's prayer in the PPOG. . Phil 4:6; 1Thes 5:17;

At the moment we are considering Paul's prayer for the spiritual growth of believers that was recorded in Phil 1:9-11;

In verse 11 Paul is praying for believers to be filled with the "fruit of righteouseness."

This righteousness is produced in the believer by God when the believer is functioning in the spiritual life through the application of Bible Doctrine to experience under the mentorship of God the Holy Spirit.



We have seen that in the Phil 1:11; passage the production is viewed with regard to the quality of it's character as the “fruit of righteousness,” and in Gal 5:22, the same production is viewed with regard to it's source as the “fruit of the Spirit.”where details of it's characteristics are also described.



We are presently studying the seventh characteristic of this righteous production of the Spirit in the believer who has the thinking of TLJC through metabolized Bible Doctrine as described by the Greek noun "pistis", which in this passage refers to the virtue of faithfulness which means to be trustworthy, reliable, and steadfast.



God's faithfulness to the believer is the basis for the production of faithfulness by God the Holy Spirit in the believer.



The believer's faithfulness is established in the faithfulness of God and the believer cannot be faitihful apart from understanding and living in confident expectation from God in God's grace provision.


At this point in our study we are discussing the process whereby the Holy Spirit works in the believer through Bible Doctrine to parlay God's Faithfulness toward them into a characteristic of faithfulness as a facet of the Fruit of Righteousness.

This is possible when the believer learns from their perception of Bible Doctrine under the mentorship of God the Holy Spirit what God's word says regarding he promises that God has made to the believer. Rom 10:17;

The Greek word which is translated as "promise" is ™ἐðáããåëßá epaggelia" It came to mean that which is asserted, proclaimed, announced, declared or formally agreed to. It was also used as a word for a summons or demand of a court.

Except for Acts 23:21, where the Jews were trying to get the Roman Commander to agree to summon Paul back to Jerusalem so they could ambush him on the way and he proceeeded to do just the opposite in order to keep Paul in protective custody.

All other uses of the Greek word "epaggela" in the New Testament refer exclusively to promises made by God which are recorded in his word.

The promises of God are designed to inspire the believer's faith so that their confidence in God and courage towards people and circumstances is established in their thinking.

There are many promises in Scripture, but not all may be claimed by the Church age believer. Some are universal but others because of their context, are reserved for specific people.

It is important to understand that the plan of God divides mankind into three categories as described in 1Cor 10:32; Israel aka the Jews, the Gentiles and the Church and there are promises in God's word which are specific to each of these three categories.

There are Promises given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob which refer to the millennial reign of the Messiah, which are only partially fulfilled for the Isrealites prior to the Second Advent.

Abraham was given the first unconditional covenant or promise regarding a future chosen people. Gen 12:2; Abraham was later promised a genetic line through which all the earth would be blessed. Gen 17:19;

The Israelite people, through the line of Abraham, tribe of Judah, and house of David, were promised a Messiah to be born in Bethlehem. Micah 5:2b;

In the times of national apostasy, the Isrealite nation will come under the oppression of Gentile nations culminating in the persecutions of the Tribulation. The book of Daniel contains prophecy from which certain principles can be extracted and applied as promises to future Israel.

The Babylonian captivity occurred following the administration of the five cycles of discipline to Judah the southern kindom of Israel.

The miracle that occurred in the burning fiery furnace in Daniel chapter 3 serves as a promise to the believing Jews during the Tribulation.

At the middle of that seven-year yet future dispensation, the Jews who refuse to worship the Beast Dictator, or Antichrist, will face the death penalty. They can know through their perception of Bible Doctrine that they will be miraculously protected because of the testimony of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego refused to comply with Nebuchadnezzar's blasphemous order to bow down and worship the golden image. When they were cast into the fiery furnace they were delivered by the Lord Himself. Dan 3:23-25;

The fiery furnace is prophetic for the last three and one-half years of the Tribulation referred to as the "time of Jacob's distress" in Jeremiah 30:7.

Nebuchadnezzar is a prophetic type of the Beast Dictator, or Antichrist, who will demand that the Isrealites worship his image in the Temple at Jerusalem.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego are represent the believing Israelites of the Great Tribulation who in the same manner refuse to capitulate to the heresy and appeal to the Lord and the supreme court of heaven for deliverance.

In both cases the Lord personlly delivers them. The deliverance of the three young men of Daniel 3 becomes both a prophecy and a promise of the Lord's future deliverance of believing Isrealites in the Great Tribulation.

The promises concerning the nation of Israel, the chosen people, and the reigning Messiah will not fulfilled until the Second Advent and Millennial reign of TLJC Ezekiel 39:28 ;

God has also made promises to the Gentiles. A gentile is anyone who cannot trace their linage from first birth to the nation of Israel. Scripture reveals a number of names used by the Isrealites to describe Gentiles: heathen, the nations, peoples, the uncircumcised, strangers, dogs, unclean, and goiim which means heathen nations.

 

 

 

© Copyright 2007, Michael Lemmon Bible Ministries. World Rights Reserved.  This document was created on  8/29/2007