The Life of God

Psalm 34:1-8 / Ephesians 4:17-32

Background

Eph 2

v1 Once we followed the course of this world

v12 We were alienated from Christ

v4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us… rescued us from this alienation and from this destructive course

The Course of this world

Entropy - The general trend of the universe toward death and disorder

v17-19

Giving into sensuality, they practice greed and impurity

This leads to a calloused & hardened heart

This causes a willing ignorance

(v18 - the ignorance in them due to their hard hearts)

2 Peter 3:5 “For they deliberately overlook this fact [or ar willfully ignorant], that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God,”

This alienates them from the life of God

This results in a darkened understanding

Romans 1:24 “Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,”

This course, this desperate cycle is what believers must avoid

This course belongs to the “Old Man” and not the new

To Claim Christ Genuinely is to embrace the new way; not merely to escape Hell.

Ephesians 4:24 “and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

The re-created new self is in the unmarred, Righteous and Holy image of God

Like good earthly fathers, God loves us where we are (in our brokenness) but loves us enough to not want us to remain so.

Our Course

The unbeliever often asks, “Why look in the Scriptures when I know it condemns me?”

John 3:19 “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.”

The believer too often asks: “Why look in the Scriptures when I know it condemns my choices? I feel perfectly justified already.”

What’s the difference?

For the unbeliever, the outside may appear godly and good, but digging down through the layers we find at their core a soul that is nothing but rot and hatred. They are on the world’s course to destruction and damnation.

For the believer, the soul is made new; pure. But from the outside may appear as corrupt as unbelievers because their flesh is insufficiently sanctified. They may be heading to rough correction, but are on the course that leads to help in this life (as much as they will allow) and eternal life and blessing; THIS IS THE LIFE OF GOD

2 Chronicles 29:16 “The priests went into the inner part of the house of the Lord to cleanse it, and they brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the Lord into the court of the house of the Lord. And the Levites took it and carried it out to the brook Kidron.”

Luke 6:45 “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the [overflow or} abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

What course are you on?

If you are unsaved, you first need to be saved; to have your soul cleansed, your heart made new, your mind opened to the truth of God’s Word, especially of the Gospel of Jesus. The Law of God indeed condemns you (as it does the whole human race), but if you will by grace allow it, the Gospel of Jesus will justify you, and be your guide for the rest of your life!

If you are saved, we need a constant refreshing of our minds!

v22-24 put off old / put on new by being: “renewed in the spirit of [our] minds.”

Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Both are accomplished by Holy Spirit Anointing & blessing exposure to the Word of God in preaching, teaching, study, and discussion.

The Life and Understanding our Father intends (The Life of God): v25-32

v25 - Truth, not falsehood because we are one

v26-27 - Sinful anger gives opportunity for the devil.

v28 - Work honestly that you may be generous

v29 - Corrupting talk prevents showing and giving grace to others

v30-32 - Bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, & malice prevent you from being kind, tender-hearted, & forgiving to people in your life.

These are the very ways God loved you in sending Jesus to save you.

These are the very ways God is still loving you; working in your life to help you and sustain you in life’s struggles.

What a Good Father we have, to love us in these ways; to send us the rescue we need, to give us His Word to instruct us, to send His Spirit to guide us to it, and a Church Family to help us every step of the way as we grow in it. THIS is life with God. THIS is what Paul termed The Life Of God.