1 Timothy 1:12-14
“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.”
God seeks for a man in every generation. In the Old Testament, He raised David for his generation (Acts 13:36). The Lord raised the Tabernacle of David so that the remnant of men would seek Him. God also raised Moses as a man in his generation; although some men tried to resist him, and were swallowed up alive (Numbers 16:31). It is important that we discern men whom God has raised for our generation; they are meant for our blessing.
It is necessary that God’s servants remain consistent in declaring things that pertain to Christ, so that we can abound in it. Towards the end of last year, the Lord said, “2021 will be a year of abiding and abounding”-- abiding in the doctrine of Christ, and abounding unto the next phase.
The emphasis in 1 Timothy 1:12-14 is something that indwelt Christ; which is faith unto love (charity). This faith was based on the activity of grace, which is revelation knowledge (2 Peter 1:2). Grace is the communication of understanding of epistles to bring about an exceeding abundance (1 Timothy 1:14). Jesus attained some materials in Himself before the next phase of His life was opened to Him. Similarly, abounding in the things spoken of in 2 Peter 1:1-7, is the key to the everlasting doors being opened to us.
One cannot access the everlasting door until you are brought into the gates (Psalm 24:7). There are different gates/courts in the temple of Solomon; each court had a gate (outward court, inner court, innermost court). When a man gets into the gates, he must undergo a preparation before admittance to doors is granted. There are gates before the everlasting doors; there is a prescribed arrangement of a man that these gates open unto. Admittance is granted to a man that is abounding in faith, hope and charity (1 Corinthians 13:13); such a soul must have become a King of righteousness and a King of peace (Hebrews 7:2). These come by the exceeding abundance of the grace of Christ.
Priests put on a particular garment when they go into the court, and another when they come out to minister to the people (Ezekiel 44:17-19). Likewise, there is a kind of preparation that one must undertake before the everlasting door will be opened into another realm.
Psalm 100:4
“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”
Psalm 118:24
“This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
“The day” here, signifies the receiving of the glad tidings of good things- the day of our God (Romans 10:15). Therefore there is a need for us to be exceeding abundant with faith and love - to be purified. Faith and hope is responsible for purification (1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 3:3), then we progress to be purified by love (charity/unfeigned love of the brethren). This leads us to the place of peace. But this is not sufficient, they must abound/come into abundant grace.
There are gates, which have head-powers that keep the door of everlasting life (Psalm 24:9). “Heads” are principals and captains. A “gate” is an entrance, one cannot access it without going through the heads. For example, how God stationed Cherubs to guard the tree of life (Genesis 3:24). These heads do not open the gates to just any man, but only to such who are constituted and have abounded in faith, hope and love. To abound in love is to have fervent love; fervent love is what makes one come into abundance.
James instructed his audience not to have the faith of Christ with respect of persons (James 2:1). God respects a man who has arrived at abundance. A precious faith is a faith that has been tried; your faith has to be tried. Faith is tried by various means, one of which is persecution (1 Peter 3:14). There is a peculiar kind of persecution we undergo in these last days; different from the kind the early saints went through e.g unbelief in this present truth (the word of righteousness or everlasting light).
Persecution entails suffering reproach by men for the manner of life you profess, that is, the standard of life of Christ that you live by, and are despised for. Another means by which faith is purified is by patience. When a soul is in the position of waiting for God to approve of him and receive him, that is a kind of trial for his faith - it is suffering. The essence of all these is to cause us to abound in faith and love.
The vision of salvation begins by the receiving of grace to abound in faith and love through the materials/substances of knowledge. The essence of faith (the curriculum of Christ) is to save sinners; this means, to deliver the soul from ungodliness (1 Timothy 1:15). There are things in the soul that are not like God; only the new man is like God. To abound in faith and love is to abound in a state of holiness. Holiness comes in different strata. When a man has used faith, hope and charity to purify his soul, he becomes a servant of righteousness (1 Peter 1:22). When such one goes further to abound in that estate, he becomes holy.
The first curriculum of faith and hope deals with worldly lusts (flesh) that war against the soul (1 Peter 2:11; Romans 11:26). A man may be purged from worldly lusts but may not have become holy yet. Jesus prayed, asking the Father to give Him His own self (John 17:5). Therefore, the aim of fervent charity is to deal with self - self teaches us to hold back from God; and until self is dealt with, fervent charity or holiness cannot be said to be done.
One cannot have fear until he has been made holy (1 Peter 1:17). Holiness must also be perfected by abounding in it (2 Corinthians 7:1). We must add all that is required to our faith in order to perfect holiness (2 Peter 1:5-7). There is a kind of holiness the Father approves of. This holiness qualifies a soul to obtain the grace unto everlasting life, which brings salvation (1 Timothy 1:15). Peter admonished the saints to seek for the everlasting door, and not count the longsuffering of the Lord for slackness, but for salvation (2 Peter 3:9). There is a grace which one must abound in, in order to be granted entrance into life everlasting (1 Timothy 1:16). The aim of this teaching is to bring us to the place of abounding in our walk of charity. The hallmark that will characterize our walk of charity in this season is longsuffering. The Lord demonstrates longsuffering towards men, longing that all will come to salvation, and that none should perish (2 Peter 3:8-10). Therefore, anyone looking for the new heavens and the new earth should possess this character as well (2 Peter 3:11-13).
For the married, it is easier to be patient with others, compared to one’s spouse. The platform of marriage is instrumental in the hand of the Lord to streamline and work into us His nature, one of which is longsuffering. The Head of the Church is in a state of fervent charity, a state that is characterized by longsuffering. Recall what He did for Peter, He prayed for him and encouraged him to strengthen his brethren when he is restored (Luke 22:32); that was an outflow of His nature of longsuffering. The Lord will never quench a smoking flask, nor break a bruised reed (Isaiah 42:3). Likewise, we must have His nature - longsuffering.
In order to come into life everlasting, we must attain the nature of longsuffering. Fervent love means meekness; it also means longsuffering. It is through longsuffering that we believe unto everlasting life. Longsuffering is a demonstration of faith. Thus, to abound in faith is to be able to suffer long with our brethren.
We must find the way into this life everlasting. The Lord will be gracious unto us to show us how to get to everlasting - precept by precept. One way is to have longsuffering towards one another. Sometimes, the Lord purposely leaves some weaknesses in your brother for the purpose of training your soul in longsuffering. When one continues and abounds in charity, at a point, those weaknesses will no longer be visible because change has taken place in both you and your brother. May the Lord cause us to abound in faith, hope and charity.
Pastor Tayo Fasan rounding up
Hebrews 4:2
"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 heard it."
There are things the Lord will have us mix with our faith, in order to profit with it. These ingredients will come to us in this meeting and beyond, so that the stature of Christ will be well formed in us, and make us worthy to receive everlasting life.
Amen.
Message Ends