Class Notes: 4/7/2021

Smyrna, the pivot for SPQR part 28; The faith rest drill

https://youtu.be/Y8Eu41xMrJs

Rom 1:20-24; For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,

Rom 1:28; so since they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper,

2Tim 3 12-13; Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
Because evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

Amos 8:11-12; "Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord God, "When I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, But rather for hearing the words of the Lord.

12 "People will stagger from sea to sea And from the north even to the east; They will go to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, But they will not find it.

Romans 1:18; For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

1Thess 5:3; While they are saying, "Peace and safety!" then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.

Eph 6:10-12; Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His omnipotent power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

James 1:19-20; You know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.

Rom 12:18-21; If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.
19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.

20 "But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

The leftist communists in our country say they want unity but God's word states that there cannot be any unity until everyone agrees with God. Eph 4:13; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ because God makes war against the arrogant. James 4:6;

God's Word tells us that apart from agreeing with God there must be division, factions and war. 1Cor 11:19; For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved among you may become evident.
Matt 24:6; "You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.

In spite of being in this adverse environment Jesus provides us with His peace if we learn and believe His Word of truth. John 14:27; "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

Phil 4:4-7; Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Because 1John 4:4; You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world and 2Cor 13:8-9; We can do nothing against the truth only for the truth and we rejoice when we are weak and you are strong and our prayer is for you to become fully prepared because the Lord Jesus is strong in you when you are weak. 2Cor 12:10;

We are in a study on Smyrna, the base of the pivot power for the first gentile client nation SPQR. We are in Rev 2:10; that starts with the mandate "not to fear what you are about to suffer"

This took us to study that of the faith rest drill where last time we noted that the post-salvation spiritual life the faith-rest drill is an extension of justification by faith. The faith of justification by faith validates eternal life. The faith of justification by working objects validates the function of the spiritual life. There is pronouncement of righteousness because of the execution of the spiritual life.

God called Abraham his friend after he willingly offered Isaac. This was an indication that Abraham had reached spiritual maturity. 2Chr 20:7; "O, our God, did You not drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it to the descendants of Abraham, Your friend forever?" "

Friend of God" is the highest accolade given to an Old Testament believer; because it indicated the fulfillment of the spiritual life of the Old Testament through the maximum function of the working objects of the faith-rest drill.

James 2:26, "For just as the body without breath in dead, even so faith (the faith-rest drill) without works (the working objects for the faith-rest drill) is dead."

The believer living on the earth without a spiritual life is operating in the carnal death aka OSN control of the thinking. Carnal death is compounded by cosmic death.

Carnal death is described in Eph 5:14; and Rom 7:24; This verse does not refer to faith in Christ, it is referring to failure to execute faith rest that is required to deploy the post-salvation spiritual life.

We see from this that fear only sees the problem so it can only focus on the problem; faith sees the problem and God's solution so it focuses on the application of God's problem solving devices to the problem. Faith works to solve the problem with God's resources. That generally only requires confidently waiting on God's timing. Isa 40:31;

Problems cannot be solved with another problem. Believers occupied with their problems inevitably end up trying to solve a problem with other problem. Believers who go to problem solving devices end up actually solving the problem with doctrinal working objects.

Problems can only be really solved with a divine solution because the divine solution is the only solution. Divine solutions are the only solution; human solutions are no solution.

The decisions we make today determine our future options tomorrow. Making decisions in arrogance is reactionary because it attempts to address the consequences of the problem while ignoring the cause.

The root cause of every problem in the human race is one of the categories of death starting with spiritual and cosmic death for the unbeliever and carnal and cosmic death for the believer. Gen 2:17; Rom 8:6-13; Phil 1:29; Heb 9:27;

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