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Matt 10:28 The doctrine of "no fear" cont... God's Solution is the Faith Rest Drill

We are continuing in our study of the Doctrine of "No fear" per the mandate for the believer not to fear that is found in Matt 10:28,31; Rev 2:10; Isa 41:10; LXX.
The word translated "fear" in these passages is the Greek word "phobeo" in the imperative mood.
In the Matthew passage, Matthew records that TLJC presents fear in two ways, in a positive way as in fear, respect, awe, or reverence toward God and in a negative way as the emotional sin of fear that is a mental attitude sin.
Both are commands to the believer since they are both in the imperative mood of command in the original language. We started to look at the Lord's command not to fear first.
The emotional sin of fear is characterized by panic when one is in a dangerous situation or under sudden pressure. When someone is intimidated they are usually under pressure to compromise their norms and standards.
In such a state, the application of the principles of Bible Doctrine may become less important to the believer than the desire for security or self preservation.
We concluded last time with the idea that fear and the divinely provided spiritual mechanics of the PPOG cannot coexist in the believer's soul.
Believers must defeat fear by living in the divine power system before fear defeats them in the satan's kosmic system.
The believer is to be "in the world but not of it" John 17:14-21;
Nine principles that describe the chain reaction that devastates the soul of the believer who submits to fear are described on page 66 of Freedom through Military Victory 3d edition. by RB Thieme Jr. published by R. B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries,Houston,TX in 1996.
The more you surrender to fear, the more you perpetuate fear.
The more you perpetuate fear, the greater your capacity for fear.
The greater your capacity for fear, the more you increase the power of fear in your life.
The more you increase the power of fear in your life, the more you live by fear and the greater becomes your failure to learn and apply doctrine.
The more you live by fear the more you are intimidated by life.
Fear focuses on the problem but Bible doctrine focuses on the divine solution. The divine solution is the only solution; human solutions are no solutions.
Fear is a sin that generates emotionalism, a major distraction to the spiritual life.
Fear breeds arrogance, but Bible doctrine nurtures humility and the spiritual life.
Fear of death cannot prevent death but fear can prevent living the spiritual life designed by God for every believer.
Fear epitomizes human viewpoint and obstructs problem solving. Since fear is a component of the emotional complex of sins, it negates thinking, applying doctrine, and destroys any ability to function in a crisis.
We have seen that at least five categories of emotional sins including worry, hatred, reaction, guilt, and self-pity, stem from the root of fear-
The believer must confess, isolate, forget, and move on from these sins in order to restore courage and rational thought.
This brings us to a discussion of the Doctrine of the Faith Rest Drill that is the divinely provide problem solving device created for this purpose.
Faith Rest is the system whereby the Believer demonstrates their "fear" or respect for the Lord per the mandate in Matt 10:28;
Faith Rest is the believer regarding Bible Doctrine or the thinking of TLJC as the most important thing in life as described by Job in Job 23:12; and Jeremiah in Jer 15:16;
The Faith-Rest Drill was the major problem-solving device for believers in the Old Testament and was the key component of the spiritual life of old testament dispensations.
In the Church Age, the faith-rest drill is one of the three basic problem-solving devices in the PPOG for the church age believer.
These three are the acknowledgement of known sin, the filling of the Holy Spirit and the faith rest drill.
There are ten problem-solving devices available to the Church Age believer but the latter seven cannot function and are neutralized without the consistent utilization of the first three.
Following "rebound" or the acknowledgement of known sin and the subsequent filling of the Holy Spirit, faith-rest is a system of problem solving that enables the believer to gain control of any situation through their application of Bible Doctrine to their situation.
Faith-rest as a problem-solving device is broken down into four stages:
(1) Claiming promises,
(2) concentration on doctrinal rationales,
(3) arriving at doctrinal conclusions of how the seven remaining problem-solving devices should be applied to the situation, and
(4) the committing of injustices to the supreme court of heaven under the Royal Family Honor Code.
In stage one, Faith reaches out and claims promises. This presumes that the believer knows some promises through their Perception of Bible Doctrine in Bible class.
The believer recites them in their mind, while concentrating on what they mean.
Remember that the English noun "faith" and verb "to believe" come from the same word in the Greek.
The Greek noun is pistis and is translated "faith," while the Greek verb is /pisteuo / and is translated "believe."
When the believer places their faith in the promise and believes that God's integrity backs up what it says, the believer will experience a tranquility of soul in the face of any adversity.
With the believer's soul is made free from fear they are then able to concentrate on the principles of the Word of God that have been stored in their soul through their positive volition to receive the communication of Bible Doctrine under the mentor ministry of God the Holy Spirit.
Under the ministry of the Holy Spirit, Bible Doctrine that has been learned is recalled into the conscious mind for evaluation and provided to the believer's volition to be considered for application.
The only source of true confidence in life is found in one's knowledge of God's Word.
Tranquility, resulting from having faith in the promises, is what allows the believer to evaluate doctrine with clarity of thought.
The believer’s faith and trust is placed in doctrines that are backed by the integrity and essence of God.
Since true confidence is found in one's knowledge of doctrine then in stage two the believer’s confidence is restored as they are reminded of His ability and his desire to solve the problems in his way and his time.
The three major areas of concentration in stage two are The Essence of God Rationale, The Plan of God Rationale, and The Logistical Grace Rationale.
After the claiming of God's promises stabilizes the believer's soul and the concentration on doctrine reveals God's solution to the problem, then the believer makes Doctrinal Conclusions in Stage three of the Faith Rest Drill.
With confidence restored at stage two, the believer in stage three is now able to deal with the problem from a position of courage.
The application of the doctrine to reality provides the believer with objectivity and a mental attitude of spiritual unconcern and ambivalence.
This attitude was demonstrated by Paul in Phil 1:21-23;
Although the problem is still unresolved, the believer knows that the Lord has provided the perfect solution and he will deploy it in his perfect timing.
With faith the believer stands on the promises, with confidence depends on the doctrine, and with courage applies the problem-solving devices through the function of the Faith Rest Drill.
The believer is then able to rest in the knowledge that their problem has been cast upon God who promises to resolve it in a manner that is fair and just to all.
Following the acknowledgement of any known sin, the believer resumes their spiritual life.
The Filling of the Holy Spirit plus claiming the promises of God establishes tranquility in the believer's Soul.
Tranquility of Soul plus concentration on the doctrinal rationales establishes confidence.
Confidence plus doctrinal conclusions provides courage toward man and circumstances.
Courage toward man and circumstances plus the application of the problem solving devices is the Faith Rest Life.
The Faith Rest Life functions in three stages:
Stage One: Claiming promises. The Bible contains over 7,000 promises from God.
A promise is a declaration or assurance made to another person regarding the future that states what the one making the promise will do, or refrain from doing, or that they will give or provide something.
In religious use, a promise is one of the Divine assurances of future good or blessing, that is recorded in the infallible word of God and made to certain people on various occasions, or understood to be given to all mankind through the person and work of TLJC.
It is something that provides a strong or reasonable ground for the expectation of some future event, especially of future good; something that leads one to confidently expect good results. \
When God makes a declaration of assurance by stating what he will do or won't do, it is a promise that is backed by the essence of God. (veracity, immutability, sovereignty, omniscience, omnipotence...)
What God states will absolutely and positively occur. Matt 24:35;
A promise is something that leads one confidently to expect good results. Promises claimed through faith, plus doctrine believed under pressure, produce confidence of a future good result.
The Greek word for promise the word "epagello" it is a legal term for a summons. that came to mean that which is proclaimed, announced, or promised.
Every New Testament use of the Greek word "epagello" refers to promises of God except for its usage in Acts 23:21; where the Sicarii promised not to eat or drink until they killed Paul.
We can see that promises are designed to inspire our faith so that we might increase our confidence in order to generate courage toward man and circumstances. Rom 10:17;
There are promises given to specific individuals but which all believers may claim, as is the case with Moses and Joshua.
Deuteronomy 31:6 - "Be confident and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the One Who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you."
Joshua 1:5 - "No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you. I will not fail you or forsake you."
Hebrews 13:5b - He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you."
The promises of God cover all situations in life, There are promises for time and eternity, life and the spiritual life, adversities and blessings.
1 Timothy 4:8b… the spiritual life is profitable for all things since it holds promise for the present life and also the life to come.
2 Peter 1:3 - His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and the spiritual life …
James 1:12 - Blessed is a man who perseveres under testing for the purpose of approval, for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
Although there are over 7,000 promises in Scripture, not all may be claimed by believers in the church age. Some are universal but others by their context are reserved for certain people.
In "rightly dividing the word of truth" per 2Tim 2:15; KJV It is important to understand that the plan of God divides mankind into three categories and addresses specific promises to each category.
1 Cor 10:32 -Give no offense either to Jews or to Gentiles or to the church of God.
There are certain promises in scripture that are specific to each of these three categories.
The promises to Israel include the promises given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their descendents. These promises are mostly fulfilled during the yet future millennial reign of the Messiah, because they have only been partly fulfilled prior to his Second Advent.
Abraham was given the first covenant or promise regarding a future chosen people in Gen 12:2; I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great and so you will be a blessing.
Abraham was later promised a genetic line through Isaac whereby all the earth would be blessed.
Gen 17:19; Sarah your wife shall bear you a son and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.
Israel, through the tribe of Judah, and house of David, was promised the Messiah who would be born in Bethlehem. Micah 5:2b;But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, … from you One will go forth for Me to be Ruler in Israel.
In times of national apostasy, because of divine discipline, Israel would come under the oppression of Gentile nations culminating in the persecutions of the tribulation.
The book of Daniel contains prophecies that provide principles and promises to be extracted and applied by Israel in the future.
The Babylonian captivity occurred following the Lord's administrations of the five cycles of discipline to Judah, the southern kingdom of Israel.
The miracle that occurred in the burning fiery furnace in Daniel chapter 3 serves as a promise to the believers in Israel during the Tribulation.
At the middle of Tribulation, in the next, yet future dispensation, the Israelites who refuse to worship the Beast-Dictator, or Antichrist, will face the death penalty.
They know they will be miraculously protected because of the testimony of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego who refused to comply with Nebuchadnezzar's blasphemous order to bow down and worship the golden image. When cast into the fiery furnace they were delivered by the Lord Himself.
The fiery furnace is prophetic for the last three and one-half years of the Tribulation referred to as the "time of Jacob's trouble" in Jer 30:7.
Nebuchadnezzar is used as a type of the prophetic beast-dictator, or antichrist who will be revealed after the exit resurrection or rapture of the church 2Thes 2:3; who will demand that the Jews worship his image in the Temple at Jerusalem. Rev 13:15;
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego are prophetic of the believing Isralites of the Great Tribulation who refuse to capitulate to the heresy of the antichrist, and in both cases the Lord delivers them.
The deliverance of Daniel's friends becomes both a prophecy and a promise of the Lord's future deliverance of believing Israelites in the Great Tribulation.
All promises concerning the nation of Israel as the chosen people, and TLJC as their reigning Messiah will not be fulfilled until the Second Advent and Millennial reign of Christ.
Ezek 39:28; Then they will know that I am the Lord their God because I made them go into exile among the nations and then gathered them again to their own land, and I will leave none of them there any longer."

 

© Copyright 2007, Michael Lemmon Bible Ministries. World Rights Reserved.  This document was created on 7/9/2008