Spiritual gifts part 13: 'The world' is fallen man trying to cash satan's bad check.
Pastor-Teacher
John Farley
Sunday,
August 15, 2010
Spiritual gifts part 13: 'The world' is fallen man trying to cash satan’s bad check.
The Doctrine of Spiritual Gifts
Point 1: Setting the scene for Paul’s teaching on the Spiritual Gifts.
The Angelic conflict plays out in the conflict between the principles of the world system and the principles of the cross.
Gal 6:14
But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
What in the world is “the world”?
This phrase “the world” is one of the most misunderstood concepts in the Bible.
“The world” means the organization and the mind and the outlook of mankind as it ignores God and does not recognize Him and lives a life independent of Him, a life that is based on this world and this life only.
“The world” means the outlook that has rebelled against the Lord God and turned its back on Him.
The world is a system of thinking that exalts self and opposes the Lord God.
The Lord God provided perfectly for man’s body, soul, and spirit.
Gen 2:9 Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight [true soul stimulation] and good for food [true nourishment for the body]; the tree of life [true food for the human spirit] also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The Garden of Eden was awesome, and the Lord said that Adam and the woman could eat freely! Only don’t abuse the privilege by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Dying spiritually, you will die physically.
The Hebrew word here for crafty is aruwm.
It means subtle, shrewd, crafty, sly.
But aruwm can ALSO mean prudent and sensible!
“The world” is the thinking that opposes the Lord God and exalts self.
But aruwm can ALSO mean prudent and sensible!
“The world” is a point of view that sows seeds of doubt about what the Lord God has to say. It questions the word of God.
One of the devil’s favorite tricks is to introduce a subtle form of doubt concerning a teaching from the Word of God by simply questioning the doctrine.
He does not call the Lord God by His full title of LORD God. He shortens it to God.
“The world” is the system of thinking that opposes God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and exalts self.
Satan now brings on another worldly thought. This time it is a direct contradiction of the word of God.
“The world” is a system of thinking, based on deception, that opposes the Lord God and exalts self.
Finally, we have the vicious attack on the Lord God’s character and nature.
What in the world is “the world”?
1. Question God’s word.
2. Remove respect for the authority of the Lord God.
3. Contradict God’s word.
4. Attack God’s character.
Until now Adam and the woman operated on faith in the word of the Lord God.
Until now, the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was off limits, and that was that. There was nothing more to consider.
The world operates on the power of deception when truth is rejected.
Once you reject the Lord God, now you have to assign to SOMETHING ELSE the power and glory and the authority and the supply ..and your worship...
The woman projected the fulfillment of all her needs onto this object of suicidal rebellion that now - suddenly - is a real possibility within her reach.
There is an exact parallel between what satan said and what the woman saw.
You surely shall not die........... this tree is good for food
Your eyes will be opened.......
this is a delight to the eyes
You will be like God, knowing good and evil.....
this tree is desirable to make me wise
And as is so often the case, she starts to fantasize that the forbidden fruit is so much more wonderful that that the permitted fruit.
Body - good for food
Soul - delight to the eyes
Spirit - desirable to make me wise
It was the tree of the KNOWLEDGE of good and evil. It was a system of thinking.
God’s life is to be preferred over knowledge.
The world will use arguments that sound persuasive in order to try to wrestle your soul away from the simplicity of devotion to Christ.
satan stirred up attraction for the false to lure man away from the true provision from God. But it only ended in death and it never truly satisfies.
Getting to the source is especially important when it comes to the world because the whole problem is deception.
“The world” is a system of thinking, based on deception, that opposes the Lord God and exalts self, yet never truly satisfies, and results in death.
The world system is fallen man seeking to reclaim his lost glory apart from the Lord God and His provision.
“Being with a woman all night never hurt no professional baseball player. It’s staying up all night looking for a woman that does him in.” (Casey Stengel)
“The world” is fallen man seeking to recover his lost glory by trying to cash in on satan’s false promises.
The graveyards, nursing homes, insane asylums, and prisons of the world offer their stark testimony:
satan lied
Try to satisfy the body, the soul, and the spirit through counterfeit means, rather than according to God’s perfect provision and accurate instructions.
Satan thought he had won a great victory on planet earth when he enticed Adam and the woman to rebel against God.
That is why the Church Age, coming fast on the heels of the Resurrection and Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, is the age of the unique spiritual life.
The Church age is the dispensation when God the Holy Spirit is manifesting the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross.