by John Carpenter | Jul 6, 2011 | Devotional
“Hereby know we that we dwell in Him — and He in us — because He hath given us of His Spirit.” 1Jn.4:13
This verse communicates unto us both — assurance of our position in Christ — and the cause of that assurance, viz., God the Holy Spirit. It is the person and work of the Holy Spirit that leads us in the blessed learning process whereby we come to experientially know that we commune — dwell — abide — with the person and work of God the Son — and God the Father.
John writes these words even as he had been taught the meaning of them by the Savior, Himself. From Jn.14:16-17 Jesus said, “And I will pray the Father — and He shall give you another Comforter — that He may abide [dwell] with you forever. (17) Even the Spirit of truth — whom the world cannot receive because it seeth Him not — neither knoweth Him. But, ye know Him — for He dwelleth [abides] with you — and shall be in you.” And then in vs.23 Jesus goes on to say, “If a man love me — he will keep my words — and my Father will love him — and we will come unto him and make our abode with him.
Hence, we come to know that we, in fact, do dwell in Him — and He in us — because He hath given us of the Holy Spirit! We cannot know that we are in Him — without His first being in us. And, it is the Holy Spirit that reveals this unto us.
It was not revealed unto David — he did not realize — his place and stature as being chosen by God to be the next king of Israel — until after the prophet Samuel had come and anointed him with oil. The oil of anointing was an Old Testament type of the Holy Spirit — and this particular order of doing things — as instructed by God — is itself a type of the same where we in our regeneration — our becoming new creations in Christ — are concerned. 1Jn.2:20 says: “But ye have an unction [an anointing] from the Holy One — and ye know all things.”
Back again to Jn.14:26 — we see that Jesus also taught: “But the Comforter — which is the Holy Spirit — whom the Father will send in my name — He shall teach you all things — and bring all things to your remembrance — whatsoever I have said unto you.” All three persons of the Godhead work in concert for our salvation!
So we see — that a right knowledge — and living experience — of the great things of God the Father and God the Son in the eternal salvation of our souls — is so dependent upon the eternal abiding presence within us of God the Holy Spirit. We are so deeply depraved and fallen that we need this Holy guide to indeed be Holy God — in order for us to truly experience the revelation of the glorious things of Christ our eternal Savior. Praise His Name!
– For Christ’s Glory Only!
John Carpenter
by John Carpenter | Jun 2, 2011 | Devotional
“But my God shall supply all your need — according to His riches in glory — by Christ Jesus. Now unto God and our Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.” Phil.4:19-20
The Philippians were especially near and dear to the apostle Paul’s heart and life in this world. As a particular group of believers they were used of God more than any other in ministering to his earthly necessities. Time and time again throughout the course of his travels — someone from their group was always showing up with supplies — of whatever he happen to be needing at the time — just in time!
He recognized this to be an actual answer to his prayers — and those praying for him. Therefore, he saw the meeting of his different needs — so that he could survive in this world — as coming directly from God! Of course the means that the Lord used were the Philippians — and their wonderful way of willingly and faithfully providing for him — but in the big picture of things, they were the secondary source of the supply of Paul’s needs. God was always the primary source!
What Paul is saying in this text is that there is at work here a divine principle. The resources of wealth and supply that they came to have and to own — from which resource there flowed forth God’s supply of Paul’s needs — that resource of theirs would, in turn, also be supplied accordingly! Peter explains this divine principle in this way: “According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life — and Godliness…”! Our faithfulness is made possible — is divinely worked out — by His faithfulness.
Hence, it literally — descriptively declares: “God shall fully supply all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” And, that this supply goes way beyond the temporal necessities of this world is made obvious from Eph.1:3-14. Where four times it is alluded to: The praise and the glory of the riches of His grace! In which riches there is included: Our adoption into His family — and our being accepted in Him (which is our justification by His grace) — and our redemption through His blood — and His having worked out all things in this life, or the next, for us — according to His purpose and grace — and glory!
Paul is led of the Holy Spirit to stress this fact — because he writes to us: “Now unto God and our Father — be glory forever and ever — Amen!” It is, indeed, grand — that he is led to articulate that God is our Father. He is our heavenly Father, through Christ alone — and we know He is our Father, by the Holy Spirit alone. “Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.” Praise His Name!
In the riches of His grace — through which He has supplied all the spiritual blessings for our eternal salvation — all our need is supplied in Christ — who is our all in all!
-For Christ’s Glory Only
John Carpenter
by John Carpenter | May 4, 2011 | Devotional
“Wherefore in all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren — that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God — to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.” Heb.2:17
We cannot ever spend too much time meditating on Christ as our Substitute! It is in its truth — the holy glory of the gospel that we love. The debt that we owed — and were unable to pay — required of Him to become like unto us — in all things.
Sin stained everything about us. Nothing was left uncorrupted by it! Because of sin
— we are totally depraved — and in need of total deliverance. He.4:15 says that Jesus “…was in all points tempted like as we are — yet without sin.” His one life of sinless perfection — lived in a worldly environment of Satanic temptation — took the place of all our failures! And, this is precisely what it took for Him to be our Savior.
He had to sustain — no — He had to actually become — the curse of the law on our behalf. Gal.3:13 tells us that “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law — [lit.] having become a curse for us.” Vs.14 goes to reveal that this had to done in order “…that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ — that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” His being our Surety gave us access to the Holy Spirit — of faith to believe. Praise His Name!
He.9:11-12 says, “but Christ being come an High Priest of the good things to come — by a greater and more perfect Tabernacle — not made with hands — that is to say, not of this building [or, not of this creation] — neither by the blood of goats and calves — but by His own blood He entered in — once for all — into the holy place — having obtained eternal redemption for us.”
All these things — and more — He is to us — for us — so that He, Himself, can be qualified to be “…a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God.” Whatever things God has demanded for our eternal deliverance — including death, which is the very wages of sin — Jesus has done it all — Jesus has paid it all! We, who are His people — the sheep of His pasture — according to Eph.1:3 have been “blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places — in Christ”– our heavenly High Priest. And, we hear His voice — and we follow Him — and He gives unto us eternal life — and we shall never, ever perish. Praise His Name! [Jn.10:27-28]
And finally, Jesus is made like unto us His brethren — His family — that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in the things pertaining unto God on our behalf -in order to make reconciliation for our sins. This word is actually — propitiation! He is Himself — before holy God — our approval for God’s acceptance! This means that He — our Substitute/High Priest — is the righteousness of God for us — apart from the law — and because of Him “we need no other argument, we need no other plea.”
For Christ’s Glory Only!
John Carpenter
by John Carpenter | Mar 28, 2011 | Devotional
(10) “Jesus answered and said unto her, ‘If thou knewest the gift of God — and who it is that saith to thee — Give me to drink — thou wouldst have asked of Him — and He would have given thee Living Water’.” (14) “…whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall be in him — shall never thirst! But, the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. (15) The woman saith unto Him, ‘Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not — neither come hither to draw’.”
It is always darkest right before the dawn. This is especially true even where the coming of the Son of God is concerned. Peter alludes to this truth when he says: “…ye do well that ye take heed — as unto a light that shineth in a dark place– until the day dawn — and the Day Star arise in your hearts” (2Pet.2:19).
There was about to happen to this certain young woman of Jn.4 the most important event of her life. Her life of living — only — in darkness and sin was about to experience being flooded with light. The “Day Star” was suddenly about to rise up in her heart! She was about to meet the Son of God — the Christ! She was about be freed from her life of slavery to sin. And, she wasn’teven aware of it. “The wind bloweth where it listeth — and thou hearest the sound thereof — but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth. So is every one that is born of the Spirit” (Jn.3:8).
Jesus had a divine appointment with the woman. She didn’t know of it either. But then, she didn’t have to know of it. “The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which is lost.” He is on a set schedule — and all the forces of nature cannot hinder Him from keeping His appointments. He shows up at precisely the right moment. It maybe when we are right in the middle of performing our everyday mundane duties. He shows up — and it is a revelatory experience from God –that converts and transforms our whole lives and our whole way of thinking.
Suddenly, when Christ in His purity comes — old forms and old ways of giving lip service to God — no longer satisfy. When the purity of Christ truly comes — we realize how very dry and parched our souls indeed are. And, He emboldens us to ask of Him — no — to demand of Him,“…give me this water…”!
And, He hears and responds. He is “able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think — according to the power that worketh in us”! Which is, indeed, “the power of Godliness” — and not just its form. Our souls are suddenly allowed and enabled to drink from the fountain of the living water of His word. We learn from the Holy Spirit — spiritual knowledge of heavenly things — even eternal things. We taste of the sweetness of His grace. We feel the power of it –causing us to pray as we have never prayed — to lean on Him now, and not on our selves — to worship Him in Spirit and in truth, and not in our flesh. We live out our lives in service to Him– ministering from the platform of change He has made in our lives.
For Christ’s glory only,
John Carpenter
