Ecclesiastes 3 and verse 3. A time to kill and a time to
heal, a time to break down and a time to build up. God Almighty, the one whom has
chosen his people in Jesus Christ because of the favor of the Son
with the Father, He shows us favor in His Son. We looked at
this last week, the favor or that is grace of God. All things
that happen to His people is because of the favor bestowed
on us and that because of His Son. He has complete favor of
God, the one in whom the Father says, I am well pleased. We as fallen natural men have
not earned this. What we have earned is death.
The wages of sin is death, and that we have certainly earned.
That is what we have earned by nature, and that is what we have
received. We have not merited this. All
that we do comes from what we are, which is death, so that
all we do is filthy rags in God's sight. That is even all our righteousnesses
if you put them all together. All of them are filthy rags in
God's sight. We know from scripture as the
children of God that we receive the abundance of grace from that
gift of righteousness, which is the righteousness of Jesus
Christ. This is life by Jesus Christ. This is done by God in the life
of a believer in time by two things as we've seen last week,
2 Thessalonians 2 and verse 13. But we are bound to give thanks
always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because
God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification
of the spirit and belief of the truth. That salvation comes through
sanctification of the Spirit, that is His Holy Spirit cleansing
us. Remember Cornelius? We are set
apart that is cleansed, that is purified by His Spirit. Salvation
also comes by belief of the truth. God in sanctification of the
Spirit gives us the ability to believe, and then belief of the
truth comes from hearing the gospel. God sends someone to
you with his gospel, and having been cleansed by his Spirit in
giving a new heart, we hear of that faith of Jesus Christ, and
that being mixed with faith in us, we believe to the saving
of the soul. I said the faith of Jesus Christ
proclaimed, that is how faith cometh by hearing. He sends someone
to you preaching the faith of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ in
him crucified. But we read in Hebrews 4 too
it says, for unto us was the gospel preached as well as unto
them. But the word preached did not
profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that hurt. So that faith that comes from
hearing must be mixed with faith in you. If God has given you
life, he has given you the gift of faith by his Holy Spirit.
You having these by the grace of God, then you believe to the
saving of the soul. That is the grace of God. But
I want to continue with grace of God and it deals with these
two things. We read here that there is a
time to kill and a time to heal. God certainly has absolute control
over all things, and he does tell us that he kills and he
makes alive. It is he that knows and controls
these times, but this is not just a general statement in his
word. This is also here to remind us,
that is believers, that God always has his time and it is the right
time for these things. But this concerns the life of
a believer. I did say that right. The life
of a believer involves a time that the believer will be killed
by God. This is what I want to talk about
today. God and what He does in the believer's life. That time
when we are killed, that time when we are healed. Galatians
3, 22 through 24, we read, But the scripture hath concluded
all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might
be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were
kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards
be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster
unto Christ to bring us out of there. It's unto Christ that
we might be justified by faith. This time we can see in scripture
is that time God puts his people under that schoolmaster. This
schoolmaster has one thing it will teach us. It will teach
us we are dead. We cannot keep his law. We must
have life before we can even know we are dead. Because the
natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God,
for they are foolishness to him. Neither can he know them. for
they are spiritually discerned. How is it that God does this?
What does he tell us in his word? We already mentioned it. He uses
the law as his schoolmaster in grace. It is not a law work,
but a grace work. Romans 5.20 says, moreover, the
law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded,
grace did much more abound. This world knows nothing of sin,
though they are steeped with it. Being dead in trespasses
and in sin, God must shed his grace on us. When this happens,
that is in grace, God sending his law to you as your schoolmaster,
you will be like Paul the apostle. He says in Romans 7, 7 through
9, he says, what shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin but
by the law. For I had not known lust except
the law had said, thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion
by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law, sin was
dead. For I was alive without the law once. But when the commandment
came, sin revived and I died. Before we were alive, that is
God in grace giving us life, but before this happened, the
law did not cause me to see sin. I could not see it, being dead.
I thought myself to be alive and doing my best to serve God
by the deeds of my flesh. But when he gave me life, he
put his law in front of me and then I saw what his law was saying
to me and it slew me. I died knowing that I would not
do what the law was telling me to do. Romans 8.15 says, for
ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear. That's the first part of it.
So this is telling me, although it says it in the negative, you
have not received, but it also uses the word again. So this
lets me know that at one time I did receive the spirit. This
is in fact that time of the spirit of bondage to fear. God sending
his law before us in grace to show us what we are by nature. Forcing us to the precipice,
you might say. We see in the law way far above
us and behind us about to push us over the edge where we would
fall to our death forever. We have no way of escape. We
cannot keep this law. We have earned the wages for
which we now know to possess and that is death. We are forced
into a place of need. We need someone to help us. We
need someone who can take our place. We need someone who can
redeem us to God. But there is a time and a place
for everything. There also comes a time to heal. We need healing, we need reviving,
so then comes that healing. That time when God sends the
spirit of adoption. Again, Romans 8, 15, the last
part of that verse. But ye have received the spirit
of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. So this healing
begins when he sends his gospel to us. In hearing that gospel,
we receive the spirit of adoption. The law was no longer in the
picture, so to speak. Finishing up that passage in
Galatians, it says in Galatians 3.25, but after that faith is
come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. This is that
time when the born from above sinner who was at that place
where he has nowhere to turn, God sends someone to him with
the gospel. them preaching the faith of Jesus
Christ, so then faith coming to them this way and being mixed
with faith in them that hear it, they come forth in belief
of the truth. They are born of the gospel.
Being made free from the law of sin and death, they are now
seeing that one who is their life, coming to know him. Jesus Christ our Lord who is
above all things favored of God. He pulls us in and tells us,
I will be thou clean. We learn through the gospel and
by his spirit that Jesus Christ is the end of the law for righteousness
to everyone that believeth. He is in fact the very righteousness
of God. Romans 619 we read, I speak after
the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh.
For as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to
iniquity unto iniquity, even so now yield your members servants
to righteousness unto holiness. So we are to be servants of righteousness. What does that mean? Are we now,
once God has shown us by his law that we cannot keep his law,
does he then turn around and tell us we should be servants
unto that law? Which he has told us we are dead
unto that law and that by the deeds of that law, this flesh
cannot produce righteousness before him. No, we know the old
man cannot keep his law. But the new man is not created
to serve God's law. He is created to serve Jesus
Christ. Romans 7, 4 says, wherefore,
my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of
Christ, that ye should be married to another, even to him who is
raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto
God. So us being dead to the law,
meaning in the context here of Romans 7-4, we are married to
another, and that is Jesus Christ our Lord. If we try to go back
to the law, that is committing adultery. Galatians 1-6 says,
I marvel that you're so soon removed from him that called
you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel. There were
some who entered into the midst of the Galatians and were teaching
that men needed to be circumcised. They were spying out the liberty,
or that is freedom, which they had had and have in Jesus Christ. What were they trying to do?
Put men and women back into bondage. Bondage of what? Bondage of the
law. Galatians 2.19 says, for I, through
the law, am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. We
are dead to the law of God so that we might serve the righteousness
of God, who is Jesus Christ the Lord. We are not serving the
law of God. We are not trying to live by
God's law. God does not now tell us that
once we come to Christ, we should then look to His law to teach
us our way of life. We cannot keep His law. The new
man is perfect, but the new man is not keeping God's law, not
because the new man does not love God's law. He does love
His law, but because we are weak through the flesh, we cannot
keep His law. We look to Jesus Christ who kept
God's law fully and completely on our behalf. We are in fact
dead to his law as it says here. Him being the fulfillment of
the law of God. Scripture tells us that Jesus
Christ was made unto us several things. First Corinthians 1,
30 and 31 says, But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God
is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
that according as it is written, he that glorieth let him glory
in the Lord. The word therefore sanctification
means purity. It also means, and we can surely
see it here, a purifier. He is what makes us clean before
God. You hear some men speak of progressive
sanctification. We are not progressively getting
better. We have to improve upon, as if we have to improve upon
that work that Jesus Christ has done. James 1.25 says, but whoso
looketh into the perfect law of liberty and continueth therein,
he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this
man shall be blessed in his deed, The perfect law of liberty, is
that the law of commandments? No, we are free from that law,
but we have been enjoined to that one who has made us free
from that law. We are now free to serve God
in the person of Jesus Christ our Lord. If we are sanctified
by his spirit, and we are if he does it to us, do we think
that we have to improve upon the cleansing that his spirit
has done to us? All we can do is mortify our
members. Colossians 3, 5 says, mortify
therefore your members which are upon the earth, fornication,
uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness,
which is idolatry. Mortify, that is to deaden or
subdue. Is this the new man which we
are deadening or subduing? This is the old man which we
are deadening and subduing because this flesh will continue until
we lay this body down. This flesh will continually try
to raise its ugly head. We will not get rid of this flesh
until God takes us from here or he comes again for us. We
are not trying to make this flesh better, just subduing it until
the day of Jesus Christ. It is a constant battle. Now
if you would, turn with me to 1 John chapter three. 1 John
chapter three. I'm gonna try to read the whole
verse. I know it's lengthy, but I'm gonna read it. 1 John chapter three. Behold,
what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we
should be called the sons of God. Therefore the world knoweth
us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons
of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be. But we know
that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall
see him as he is. And every man that hath this
hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Whosoever
commit of sin transgresses also the law, for sin is the transgression
of the law. And ye know that he was manifested
to take away our sins, and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth
in him sinneth not. Whosoever sinneth hath not seen
him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive
you. He that doeth righteousness is
righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of
the devil, for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this
purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works
of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth
not commit sin, for his seed remaineth in him, and he cannot
sin because he is born of God. In this the children of God are
manifest, and the children of the devil. Whosoever doeth not
righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his
brother. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning,
that we should love one another, not as Cain, who was of that
wicked one, and slew his brother, and wherefore slew him, because
his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. Marvel
not, my brethren, if the world hate you. We know that we have
passed from death unto life because we love the brethren. He that
loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his
brother is a murderer, and ye know that no murderer hath eternal
life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of
God because he laid down his life for us, and we ought to
lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good
and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels, of compassion from him, how dwelleth
the love of God in him. My little children, let us not
love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And
hereby we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our
hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us,
God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things. Beloved,
if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward
God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive
of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are
pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment,
that we should believe on the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,
and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth
his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby
we know that he abideth in us by the spirit which he hath given
us. We, by the spirit of God, obey
his commandments. And what does this say his commandments
are? Thou shalt not? No. That we should believe on the
name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another. If you
think we are looking to God's law as a way of life once God
gives us life, then you are looking to be in bondage to the law of
God again. It is adultery against Jesus
Christ. We serve Jesus Christ and we
mortify our members. Acts 15 5 says, but there rose
up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying
that it was needful to circumcise them and to command them to keep
the law of Moses. They were telling them that they
needed to keep the law of commandments. Then Peter tells them in 10 and
11, he says, now therefore, why tempt ye God to put a yoke upon
the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were
able to bear? But we believe that through the
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved, even as they. We are delivered from that law
and we now serve Jesus Christ in love, believing Him and loving
the brethren. We have the fruit of the Spirit
in us and we no longer serve God's law of commandments. Romans
7, 6 says, but now we are delivered from the law, that being dead
wherein we were hailed, that we should serve in newness of
spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. Now Galatians
2 verses 16 through 21. If you want to turn with me there,
I'm going to try to hurry because of time. 16 through 21. Knowing that a man is not justified
by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ,
even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified
by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law. For
by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. But if
while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also
are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God
forbid. For if I build again the things
which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through
the law am dead to the law that I might live unto God. I am crucified
with Christ, nevertheless I live. Yet not I, but Christ liveth
in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by
the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself
for me. I do not frustrate the grace
of God, for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ
is dead in vain. We do not receive again that
spirit of bondage to fear again. But we do have this old nature
still with us, which continually cries out to keep God's law for
righteousness before him. We must by his grace, and it
is always by his grace that we will do anything, that is his
favor towards us who have been placed in his son. We must continue
to mortify our members. It is an ongoing battle, but
a battle that Jesus Christ has already won. Just continue to
do it. There will come a day when we
shall see him as he is. And what a great salvation we
will see then. We do not see it now. We see
by faith, not by sight. But we will one day see him,
that one who died for us, that one who had all the favor or
grace of God on him. He was full of grace and truth.
The new covenant is not dependent on the flesh to fulfill God's
law, but it is based on the work of Christ who died the death
that we should have died. Him being made sin for us and
then dying. The law is no longer that which
I am married to. It is gone. It is taken out of
the way for those whom he died for. He made me free from the
law of sin and death. And I want to read one more passage,
Romans 8. Romans 8. Romans 8 verses 1-6. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit. For the law of the spirit of
life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and
death. For what the law could not do
in that it was weak through the flesh. God sending his own son
in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in
the flesh. That the righteousness of the
law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh
but after the spirit. For they that are after the flesh
do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the spirit,
the things of the spirit. For to be carnally minded is
death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. All things are lawful, but all
things are not expedient. What we do should be to the honor
and glory of Jesus Christ our Lord. If it is not, then we should
not do it. What things dishonor Christ?
For one, trying to keep the law of God dishonors Jesus Christ. Doing this says that what he
did was not good enough. That you now must somehow try
to keep it for yourself. As Mike McKinnis said in one
of his messages, the law says an eye for an eye. Expediency,
or that is profitableness, says love your enemies and pray for
those who mistreat you. The law says tithe. Expediency
says give willingly. The law tells you to do this
or that. Expediency says make sure your actions bring glory
to Christ. The law says thou shalt not steal.
Profitableness says let him that stole steal no more. We are at
liberty, but we should not use our liberty as an occasion to
the flesh. God will allow his people to
fall into those places to remind them of the pit from which they
were did. This is not the spirit of bondage again to fear, but
those trials, Joe, that he puts us through to try our faith.
We have not received that spirit of bondage again. It will remind
us once and again and afresh what Jesus Christ has done for
us. So there continues to be for the believer by God a time
to kill and a time to heal. When I am weak, then I am strong
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, may it be he continues to
take me to that place where my eyes are fixed upon him, the
one who has fulfilled the law, the one who died in my place,
taking my wages for sin so that I never have to know them again.
Oh, what matchless grace. This is favor. He has bestowed
on his people by Jesus Christ. God does all things right and
He knows the time to kill and He knows the time to heal. Look
to Him for all things. You will find rest for your soul.