Spirit Of Life

Transcript

Alright, thank you very much. And hello again, radio friends. How in the world are you? Are you doing alright today? [chuckle] I trust so. Bless your heart. This is your friend, Bob Cook, and we’re back together, looking at the Word of God. We’re walking through first Timothy and have come now to chapter six, verse 13. Paul has just been saying, “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, where unto thou art also called, where unto thou art called and has professed a good profession before many witnesses.” “Lay hold on eternal life-” we were talking about that the last time we got together. It starts with believing. If you believe on the Lord Jesus, that means commit yourself to Him, as Lord and Savior, then eternal life has begun in your own heart.

“Things eternal have to do with reaping precious souls,” John chapter four. It has to do with commitment and sacrifice, eternal matters, not something in this world. It has to do with communion with God. “This is life eternal, that they may know Thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou hast sent.” To know God is part of the concept of eternal life.

And then it grows out of the idea of focusing on the Spirit. “He that soweth to the Spirit shall reap life everlasting.” Now, he said, “You professed a good profession before many witnesses. Just remember that others are involved in the thrust of your life.” The controlling thrust or force of your life, the focus… I’ll change the figure of speech a little… The focus of your life, whether it is on things temporal or on things eternal, the emphasis, the controlling emphasis of your life. You follow what I’m talking about? This affects other people.

You may say, “Well, it’s nobody’s business, but my own.” And in a way, that’s true, but in another sense, you are part of a world spectacle. Paul says, “We’re made a spectacle unto angels, demons, and men.” The word ‘spectacle’ is the idea of being in a stadium, in a colosseum, and the crowd is looking on.

You, my friend, are always on stage, always. Your life has an effect on others. Remember that. And the focus of your life, if it is on things eternal, is going to turn people toward eternal matters. But if the emphasis of your life and the focus of it is on things temporal, then those who observe you will be moved away from God and eternal matters, into something other than that. You follow that? Yeah, well, it’s a serious concept and it may well give us pause. Well, I can’t, nor can you… I cannot afford to be careless in this matter of the impact of my life.

Well, he says, “I give thee charge in the sight of God,” this is verse 13 now, first Timothy, chapter six. “I give thee charge in the sight of God, Who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, Who before Pontius Pilate, witnessed a good confession, that thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

I take it that the words ‘this commandment,’ go back to verse 12, “Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on eternal life.” Now, there are two issues here that he raises. One, the issue of quickening, “God, who quickeneth all things,” (‘gives life’ in other words.) Our Lord Jesus said, as recorded in John 6:63… That’s one of the 50 verses that I learned as a little boy, before I was seven… “It is the Spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit and they are life.”

God quickens and He gives life through His Word. The one issue then, that is raised, is this matter of something’s dead and it needs life. You and I, in our natural fallen sinful state, are dead to God. We don’t respond to Him, and nothing that we can say, or do, can measure up to His holiness. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And so we need God’s life, quickening. Quickening. And so Paul says, “If the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus dwell in you, the Spirit of Him that raised up Christ from the dead, shall also quicken your mortal bodies.”

So this whole matter of life giving, by the grace of God, because Jesus died and rose again, and you’re trusting Him as your Lord and Savior, is something that you and I need to get hold of by faith. Oh, let me ask you this question and you need not answer me, it’s not my business. It’s just yours and God’s. But may I ask it anyway, please? How alive are you? How much divine life is there in you?

“Well,” you say, “Brother Cook, I’m doing the best I can. I know I’m busy, and I do go to church, and I read my Bible, and pray, and I’m trying to live the Christian life, and why pick on me?” No, no, I’m not picking on you. I’m just asking, “How alive are you?” Is there evidence everyday that God Almighty is walking in your shoes? That’s what He said He would do, “I will dwell in them and walk in them.” So that when you walk into a room, people feel the Presence of God. Is that true? It ought to be. The norm, not the unusual, but the norm for Christian living is, “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” says Paul in Colossians one. How alive are you?

The issue that Paul is raising, is the issue of quickening, life-giving. Now, where do you start with all that? You can’t pump it up. You can’t imitate it, you can’t fake it. Where do you start? You start with the Word of God. “The entrance of Thy words giveth light, giveth understanding to the simple. Thy words were found, and I did eat them, and Thy Word was unto me, the joy and rejoicing of my heart.” “The words that I speak unto you,” Jesus said, “They are Spirit and they are life.” Do you wanna be spiritually alive? Start with the Word of God.

Many a dear Christian hopes to get to Heaven, but in the process, day by day, is living on a very low level of efficiency, spiritually speaking. The reason being, he or she is not really feeding on the Word of God. My heart aches for some, who are quite sincere in their faith and who pray, and who would classify themselves as consecrated Christians, but whose lives are devoid of the thrilling life power that God can give, when you get into His Word, and His Word gets into you. “Thy Word have I hid in my heart,” said the Psalmist.

Do you wanna give some thought to that in your own life schedule? How much of the Word of God is being put to work in your life day by day? I’ll tell you one of the reasons I’m grateful for this radio ministry, is that it puts Bob Cook into the Word everyday. I like that. And I suppose that human nature, being what it is, I need something that nudges me, and moves me in the right direction, so far as God’s Word is concerned, so I’m grateful for this ministry that I have with you, that involves God’s Word.

But you see, this whole matter of being spiritually alive, is related to whether or not God’s Word is being put to use, put to work in our lives. “Be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only,” said James. “Because if you’re just a hearer and not a doer, you’re kidding yourself, deceiving your own selves,” said he. The implication being, “You’re kidding yourself, but no one else.”

Can you generally tell, as you observe other people, whether or not they’re spiritually real and alive? Yes, you can. And no matter how much they try to put on, you can generally tell, can you not? Whether the Spirit of God is working in their lives. He said, “Be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves, but nobody else.” You’re kidding yourself, beloved. Stop doing it. Start obeying the Word of God. “Whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, this man being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed,” says James.

So you start with the Word. You wanna be alive? Start with the Word of God, then pray the truth that God is giving you, pray it back to God, until your own heart is tender and yielded on that particular point. Our hearts are terribly hard and self-centered. Jeremiah lamented, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?” The problem with all of us, is that we know a great deal more, than we are willing to practice. There’s a good deal more truth available to us, than we’re willing to allow for it’s control over our lives.

And so, if you wanna be spiritually alive, get into the Word of God, let God speak to you, and then pray that truth back to God, until your own heart is tender, and yielded to Him on that truth, until you’ve stopped fighting, and have surrendered on that particular issue. You’ll find that there’s a vitality that comes into your spiritual life, in that way that will come in no other way. Personal meeting with God on the basis of revealed truth. Remember that phrase, “A personal meeting with God on the basis of revealed truth,” where your heart bows before Almighty God and submits your will to His, in that particular element.

God deals with us in specifics. We often pray in generalities. “Lord, bless me, and bless my family, and bless the loved ones, and bless the work, and bless the pastor, and bless the church, and bless the missionaries,” and so on. And that’s a good prayer, I’m not criticizing it, but it’s like going to the supermarket, and saying, “Oh, grocery man, give me groceries.” He’ll say, “Which ones?” God wants you to be specific. “When you pray, say,” Jesus said. Do you ever say anything to God aside from cliches and generalities? Oh, God wants to deal with us on specifics.

And when He does, as He points them out in His Word, and the faithful Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts, and to our consciences, then let us pray on that basis. “Lord, this is what Thou art dealing with me about. This is where I need to yield to Thee.” And pray until your own heart has said, “Yes,” to God on it. You’ll be spiritually alive, beloved. I can guarantee it.

And then, of course, the matter of sharing with others comes in. Just as when you discharge a firearm, it has what we call a ‘kick.’ That is to say, the repercussion of the explosive charge, as it drives the projectile out the muzzle of the gun, also exerts a force in the other direction, which you feel on your shoulder, or in your hand. And so it is with the Word of God, as you share it with other people, the truth is driven deeper into your own heart, and mind, and memory, and conscience. And so when God gives you something precious from His Word, share it with someone else, as soon as you have a chance to do so.

Spiritually alive. The Word in your heart, and mind, and conscience. The Word applied to your will through prayer. The Word shared with others, as you go on through day by day, in a life of obedience to God. Spiritually alive. How alive are we? Good question, wouldn’t you say?

Dear Father, today, may we be spiritually alive, because Thy Word and Thy Spirit are dwelling in us, Amen.

Till I meet you once again by way of radio, walk with the King today and be a blessing!