Picking up where we cut it off yesterday.
Whenever a kid jumps the traces, and goes against what we hope his good parents have taught him, what does he do? Here it is in this chapter. This is the life style of a person who has thrown restraint to the wind. Let's start with verse 19, and it's not a pretty picture. Every now and then a pastor will begin his sermon on Sunday morning by saying, "Now folks I'm going to warn you before I ever start, I've got a negative sermon this morning, and you're not going to like it, but hopefully I can turn it around and something positive will come of it." But there is a lot of negatives in Scripture, and here's a bunch of them, it's not pretty, but it's true.
Galatians 5:19-21
"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; (looks like our every day newspaper, TV or radio news program doesn't it?) Adultery, fornication, (gross immorality) uncleanness, (moral uncleanness) lasciviousness, (making light of these things) Idolatry, (something to worship other than the Creator God) witchcraft, hatred, variance, (constant arguing) emulations, wrath, (have you ever wondered why the world just constantly erupts in demonstrations of one sort or another? And they get so angry, well here it is) strife, seditions, heresies. Envyings, murder, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."
Why? Because these are the results of living for the flesh. Now we can't make it any plainer than that. That's what the Book says! We didn't make it up, that's what God's Word says. This is the life style of the natural man, bestial man and unless he's inhibited, these things are going to run rampant, and of course we see it everyday. Our newscasts, our news programs are full of it, because restraint is being taken away, and consequently we're seeing the results. Jesus said that in the last days the world would have the nature as in the days of Noe or Noah (Matthew 24:37-38; Luke 3:36, 17:26-27) and such are we now seeing.
My wife tries to get me from time to time to watch a program on Hording which shows self-centered on restrained people filling their world with stuff, to the point that even their family members will have nothing to do with them. In many cases they've had pets and especially cats who were allowed to just run wild within the home and thusly created a death trap of diseases of all kinds. Your heart just breaks for them all and especially when the family members and social workers try to first give them help cleaning the mess up. And then get them guidance and in many cases sociological help as well.
Then there's the crowds in Europe that run wild and many of them are led by Islamic or Communist agitators who provoke them to a wild frenzy where some are killed, stores are looted, cars and trucks burned and all other kinds of mayhem erupts. Such is a society out of control because man have allowed his flesh and ignorance to rule him.
With this all said allow me to intercede with this thought. For all that was said is purely of the nature or physical sense realm and God does not require us to stay within its teachings. For this was the same action which got the Pharisee' scribes and Sadducee's in hot water as idolators. In fact the book of Ecclesiastes in chapter 12 and verses 12-13 states this: "And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." And when we look closely at what is later said about studying we will learn an amazing thing, it is not as we suppose it to be as this passages points out.
As we've pointed out or toward what can be called the darkness of night in faiths receptivity of His divine activity all that has gone before also has a spiritual reality of greater value than the purely carnal and nature understanding. Which mans intellect produces for it knows not the things or teachings of God in God's design or fashion. As we've pointed out or toward, what can be called the darkness of night, in faiths receptivity of His divine activity, all that has gone before also has a spiritual reality of greater value than the purely carnal and natural understanding.
Now let's come back to Ephesians chapter 2, and we're going to turn from the negative to the positive. And again it's going to hinge on our favorite little three letter word, and what is it? "But." Now let's finish the last part of verse 3 so that but really comes out.
Ephesians 2:3b-4
"...and were by nature the children of wrath, (headed for eternal doom, and the second death, and separation from God forever) even as others. But (not I, not you, not some denomination, not some church, but who?) God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us."
When did He show His love? At the cross. Love put Him on the cross, not the Romans and not the Hebrews. So let's see what the last part of that verse says.
Ephesians 2:4b
"...rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us."
Oh goodness, in the next verse, here comes the repetition we warned you about in the first section. He's going to say the same thing he said in verse 1. Well what happened? Well the Holy Spirit didn't loose His mind. The Holy Spirit is emphasizing, this! Do you see that?
God knows that simple, natural man doesn't understand, His ways, because of the vile veil which covers mans soul causing spiritual deadness and blindness of Him. Most of our churches remain in the natural darkness of mans ignorance to the things of God because its heart has never received spirit awakening or newness of life. For if the head or leadership is dead (spiritually separated from God) so goes those who follow. They remain under the deception of the evil one and his working in and among them as a spirit of light or a messenger of darkness by way of miss direction. He falsifies the very Holy Spirit of God by this means along with those signs, miracles and wonders which were a proof of Jesus' divinity, as the second Adam. In the same fashion as the Pharaoh's priest's and magicians did.
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