Pastor-teacher Don Hargrove

Faith Bible Church

Wednesday, August 5, 2009  

http://fbcweb.org/Audio.html   

 

Gal 2:16

 

GOD’S PROBLEM SOLVING DEVICE #10:

OCCUPATION WITH JESUS CHRIST

Part 59:  DYNAMICS OF OWC & MORE ON THE 5 PROFILES IN SUFFERING

 (Messiah & A.C. #241)

 

A.    The dynamics of OWC.

 

            1.   OWC is commanded for every believer, Heb 12:2; 1 Pt 3:15.        

            2.    God provides the PT so every believer can move into OWC, Eph 4:12-16.

            3.    OWC is very mature personal love for Jesus Christ that is built upon a deep understanding and appreciation of His Person and Work as revealed in God’s infallible Word through the ministry of the HS, Jn 14:15-26; 1 Pet 1:8.

            4.   OWC is the final stage of spiritual maturity - (Eph 3:16-19; 1 Cor 2:9; Jn 15:11).  

            5.   OWC is the ultimate PSD, Jn 15:11; Rev 2-3; Philip 4:13; Eph 4:12-16.  

            6.   In OWC the believer enjoys inexpressible inner happiness in trials, 1 Pet 1:8.

            7.  In OWC the believer lives gloriously & magnificently in the trials, 1 Pt 1:8.

            8.  In OWC the believer gains the same thinking as JC, 1 Cor 2:16; Philip 2:5. 

            9.  In OWC the LJC becomes the believer’s motivation in life,  2 Cor 5:14-17;

            10.  In OWC the LJC becomes the believer’s Role Model, 1 Pt 2:21; 1 Thess 1:6.

            11.  In OWC the LJC becomes the believer’s Best Friend, Jn 15:15; 1 Cor 1:9.      

            12.  In OWC the believer lives the CCL, Col 3:18-4:1; 2 Cor 5:14-15; Philip 1:21.

            13.  In OWC the believer gains enormous self-esteem, 2 Cor 12:7-10; Philip 4:13.

            14.  In OWC the LJC takes first place in the life, Eph 4:12-16; Col 1:18; Rev 2:4.

            15.  In OWC the believer avoids problems with focus on self, Philip 2:3-5; Rom 12:3. 

            16.   In OWC the believer avoids problems associated with focus on people.   

            17.   In OWC the believer  avoids problems with focus on things, Philip 4:11-13  

            18.   In OWC  the focus is on Christ and the grand doctrinal realities, 2 Cor 10:3-5..

            19.   In OWC the believer moves into a life of great wisdom, Col 2:3-9.

            20.   In OWC all things work out for the good in the believer’s life, Rom 8:28.

            21.   In OWC Christ is formed in the believer, Gal 4:19; Eph 3:17; Phil 1:20

            22.   In OWC the believer gains the ultimate perspective of CWL, Philip 3:8-10. 

            23.   The believer who rejects OWC is a loser believer who lives under divine discipline, and will experience great shame at the JSJC, Psa 2:11-12; 1 Cor 16:22; 1 Jn 2:28; Rev 3:19.   

 

B.    The 5 causes of all suffering:   

            #1 VR - Gal 6:7; Hosea 8:7;

            #2 DD – to get the believer back to the SL/BD;

            #3  IM –  Move believer from immaturity into maturity with all of its temporal and eternal blessings, Js 1:2-4; 1 Pt 1:6-7; Heb 5:8; 

            #4  DM – To fully develop the believer in maturity for greater blessedness in a profound relationship with JC;

            #5  MGG - Maximum glorification of God

 

C.  #1  Suffering due to Volitional Responsibility: 

            1.  VR refers to the suffering that is but the natural consequences of sin, evil, human viewpoint, and human good, Gal 6:7; Hosea 8:7; Pro 22:8. 

            2.   In VR the believer causes his own misery and suffering.  

            3.  The cycle of suffering under VR is never broken until the believer takes responsibility.             4.   Ignorance is no excuse under VR. 

            5.   A great deal of mental illness is a direct result of VR.  

            6.  The solution to all suffering under VR is the SL, Gal 6:8; 4:19.  

            7.   Suffering due to VR is also at play on a national level, Hos 8:7-8. 

            8.  Suffering under VR can always be traced back to negative volition to BD,  Prov 1:20-33; 13:20; 16:18; 19:16; 29:1

 

D.  #2 – Suffering under divine discipline for carnality, Heb 12:5-11.

 

            1.   DD is the misery that God brings on the believer to get him out of carnality and back into fellowship with Him, Heb 12:5-11.   

 

            2.   DD comes in three stages:  warning discipline, intensive discipline, and sin unto death, 1 Cor 11:3; 1 Jn 5:16; Rev 3:19.  

 

            3.   Profile of Corinthian carnality:   divisions (1 Cor 1:10-11); personality cliques (1:12-13); human viewpoint/wisdom (1:18-2:13); only able to receive spiritual baby food (3:1-3); living like unbeliever (3:3) elevation of human messengers (3:4-9); spiritual pride (4:18); sexual perversion (5:1-7); lawsuits among believers (6:1); marital conflicts (7:5, 10); abuse of liberty (8:1, 9-13); idolatry (10:14); insubordinate women (11:2-16); abuses of the Lord’s Supper (11:17-34); abuses of spiritual gifts (12-13); doctrinal heresy (15).   4.  Profile of carnality in James: weak minded and unstable (1:7-8; ); favoritism (2:2-9); SOT (3:3-10; 4:11); jealousy,  selfish ambition, and lust (3:13-16; 4:2); self-centered prayer life (4:3); spiritual adultery (4:4); no capacity for eternal values (4:14-15); monetary reversionism (5:1-5). 

 

E.   #3,  Suffering designed to advance the believer from immaturity (Js 1:2-4, 5, 6-8) into maturity (Philip 1:19-21; 4:10-13).

 

            1.   First category of suffering for blessing., Js 1:2-4; 1 Pet 1:6-8.

 

            2.   Profile of immature believer who is growing through suffering:  increasing spiritual joy in the midst of suffering (Jn 15:11; 1 Pt 1:6-7; Js 1:2-4); increasing spiritual strength (1:3); increasing spiritual and mental stability; increasing  reflection of Jesus Christ in the life; increasing refinement of faith/doctrine (1 Pt 1:6-7); increasing spiritual production in Christ (Jn 15); increasing command over thought life (decreasing MAS); increasing transformation of the mind (Rom 12:1-2); increasing orientation to the POG (Rom 12:2); increasing genuine humility (Philip 2); increasing OWC; increasing sense of destiny; increasing commitment to eternal values (2 Cor 4:14); increasing transformation into the image of Christ (Eph 4:12-16; 2 Cor 3:18).

 

F.   #4:  DM, Suffering designed to fully develop the believer in maturity – to become an overcomer, 2 Cor 12:7-10; Rev 3:11. 

 

            1.   Suffering designed for the blessing of complete victory over people testing, system testing, and thought testing, 2 Cor 12:10.

 

            2.   Profile of believer in fully developed maturity:  complete command over the thought life through BD/DV as an overcomer, 2 Cor 10:3-5; Rev 2-3.

 

            3.   As an overcomer (developed maturity) the believer not only gains the rewards of gold, silver, and precious stones for all of the divine good accumulated throughout life, he will also receive the highest  decorations from Jesus Christ Himself, i.e. the crown of life (Js 1:12); crown of righteousness (2 Tim 4:6-8); crown of glory (1 Pt 5:2-4); honor of sitting with Christ on His throne (Rev 3:21); uniform of glory (Rev 3:4);  special access to the tree of life (Rev 2:7); a new exalted name (Rev 2:17); eternal written recognition in the Temple of God (3:12), et. al.  

 

G.   #5,  SMGG – Suffering for maximum glorification of God,  cf. Heb 11.