The Seven Dispensations: Man's Failure & God's Grace (Part 2 of 7)‏

Hello Friends!

Welcome back to part two of The Seven Dispensations: Man's Failure & God's Grace.

 

The Holy Scriptures divide time – the entire period from the creation of Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis to the "new heaven and a new earth" promised to all believers in the book of Revelation – into seven unequal periods, usually titled dispensations (see Ephesians 3:2). These periods are also referred to as “ages” (see Ephesians 2:7). They are also referred to as “days” as in "day of the Lord".

 

This week we will investigate the second Dispensation known as CONSCIENCE… 

 

The Seven Dispensations: #2 – Man Under Conscience

CONSCIENCE

By the time of the fall in Eden, Adam and Eve acquired and transmitted to the human race the knowledge of good and evil. This gave conscience a basis for right moral judgment, and hence the human race came under this measure of responsibility – to do good and shun evil. The result of the Dispensation of Conscience, from Eden to the flood – while there was no institution of government and of law – was that "all flesh had corrupted his way on the earth" and that "the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually", and God closed the second testing of the natural man with judgment: The Flood. 

Summary Principle:

Who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them – Romans 2:15 

Opening Event – Abel offers a lamb. Cain murders Abel:

Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother? He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.” And Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.” And the Lord said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him – Genesis 4:2-15 

Man’s Responsibility – Believe & Obey:

Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it” – Genesis 4:4-7 

Man’s Failure – Conscience Defiled:

Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them” – Genesis 6:5-7 

Man’s Tendency – Away from God:

The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth – Genesis 6:11-13 

Closing Event – Judgment ~ The Flood:

In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights. So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive – Genesis 7:11-12 & 23 

Personal Salvation – By Grace through Faith:

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord – Genesis 6:8

By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith – Hebrews 11:4-7 

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him  – 1 Peter 3:18-22

Thank you for reading! Don’t miss next week’s edition as we investigate Dispensation #3 – GOVERNMENT…

May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless you with His perfect love, mercy and grace!

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!

Blessings!

Shane <><

Do Something

9 You who are young, be happy while you are young,

    and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.

Follow the ways of your heart

    and whatever your eyes see,

but know that for all these things

    God will bring you into judgment.

10 So then, banish anxiety from your heart

    and cast off the troubles of your body,

    for youth and vigor are meaningless.  Ecclesiastes 11

I attend a weekly Bible study that's half study, half cardio workout.  It's a lot of fun and I can check one exercising day off my calendar.

So let's make this clear, I'm super uncoordinated.  I never played any sports besides golf, and I even then, I once managed to hit a ball backwards.  Yes, I'm talented.  Group exercise classes that involve fast motions scare me!  I can handle a yoga class, because then I can remain still and I don't have to hop around in sync with an instructor.  When the small group classes at my church were announced, I was pretty hesitant to sign up for this one.  I prayed about it and I knew the group leader, and I followed where God wanted me and signed up for this.

I still flail about in the class and modify a lot of the exercises because I my body doesn't do things as fast as the people on the video can do.  However, I give it everything I've got!  I figure I'm making a fool of myself and I'm around a bunch of women who won't judge me.  If I make a fool of myself, they might feel more comfortable with what their own abilities are.

It's the same thing with God.  He wants us to go out and spread his word with those around us.  He wants us to find ways to show his love to those in our lives.  He wants us to try something!  Jump outside your comfort zone and flail about.  Banish that anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body.  He doesn't need you to become the next televangelist and convert thousands.  He has a plan for you and it may be to help one person grow closer to him.  Those things that are holding you back are meaningless.

Nothing Withheld

Genesis 22:9-12 ⁹ When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. ¹⁰ Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. ¹¹ But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. ¹² “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

I can’t imagine what Abraham (and even Isaac) experienced. Abraham’s obedience revealed he truly did love God with everything, which is God’s #1 command. Matthew 22:37-38 ³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment.”

What you and I withhold from God reveals what we love more than Him. If we truly love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind, then there won’t be anything we withhold!!!

Joe and I were approached recently to support another local missionary in our church. We have several local college campus missionaries in our church and some of them we already contribute to financially. My first thought was “we can’t support everyone!” I was later convicted by my attitude and realized I loved myself more than God. If I loved God first, my first thought would have been “God, what do you want us to do?” Also, if God is asking us to support them, then He will help us to do it. I can go to Him for direction and help. As He helps me love Him more, I will withhold less.

What are you withholding from God? Money, free-time, sexual purity, time serving others, opening your home, a willingness to speak of God, or using your skills and abilities to help others in your church or neighborhood? Do you want to love God with all your heart, soul and mind? If so, how will you ask for His help to love Him this week, withholding nothing?

Alice

Quite Simply Enough

So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 

And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”  Exodus 3:10-12

Sometimes, you do not choose the moment.  Instead, the moment chooses you.  I never thought I would do devotions let alone be saved.  But those two moments came together as I asked the previous leaders of the Devotion team if I could write them.  My faith was not instilled yet, and my biblical understanding was nowhere near where the other writers were.  The only thing I could offer was my story that others could find salvation learning from my failures.  That was when they saw in me what God saw.  God spoke to me the very next day, and I was then saved.  He has been with me ever since.

When given a challenge, we must rely on God above our own thoughts of inadequacy.  The exchange between God and Moses in today’s verses is such a beautiful example of how we can trust in Him even when we do not feel prepared.  Moses, much like we are when God asks us to do really tough stuff, says the ultimate words of inadequacy.  “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”  Moses saw himself as the exiled prince who was destined to wander in the desert. God saw in Moses a faithful servant whose trials and trails led to this exact moment where He would reveal Himself.  From there, we know the rest of the story.


God is always enough!  We may question whether we are good enough, strong enough, beautiful enough, smart enough, or (fill in the blank) enough.  We should always remember there was a savior who died on the cross, and looked thousands of years ahead to each one of us saying, “Yes, I am sacrifice enough for your sins.”  Love Him!  Love each other as well as yourself!  When we don’t feel ready for the challenges we must face, I pray we remember that God believes in each one of us, and that is quite simply enough.  Amen.

Tues Devo: The Benchmark of Design

Genesis 1:31 “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” (NASB)

Isaiah 25:1 “O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; For You have worked wonders, Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.” (NASB)

Hello,

I have been going through a series at church called “The Truth Project”*, and one of the things discussed often is how people over time have compared their expectations/behaviors not to design, but to pathology. In other words, instead of setting expectation and choosing behaviors based on how things are designed, we tend to do that based on what we have seen go wrong or based on imperfect execution of the perfect design.

God has amazingly designed our world – physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual. I believe that as we read scripture and look at what is commanded of us, we have to remember that it is commanded that way based on His perfect design. All too often we make judgments on what we are asked by God to do based on the fallen things we see around us – and we hesitate or don’t follow through. But this is where we miss out. We must remember to look at the design of God, and follow through on His commandments, remembering He is the designer – and truly knows what is best.

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill

*The Truth Project is a DVD study series produced by Focus on the Family, I do highly recommend it!

The Seven Dispensations: Man's Failure & God's Grace (Part 1 of 7)‏

Hello Friends!

Welcome to a new 7-part Daily Devotions series titled The Seven Dispensations: Man's Failure & God's Grace. This exciting series will investigate the eternal timeline of God’s creation and His perfect plan for salvation. Please join us as we diligently search the Scriptures to rightly divide the Word of Truth: 

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth – 2 Timothy 2:15

The Holy Scriptures divide time – the entire period from the creation of Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis to the "new heaven and a new earth" promised to all believers in the book of Revelation – into seven unequal periods, usually titled dispensations (see Ephesians 3:2). These periods are also referred to as “ages” (see Ephesians 2:7). They are also referred to as “days” as in "day of the Lord".

 

These time periods are “dissected” within the Scriptures by changes in God's method of dealing with mankind – or a portion of mankind – in respect of two aspects of man:

• Man’s Sin
• Man's Responsibility

Each of the dispensations may be regarded as a new test of the natural man – each of which ends in God’s divine judgment – marking man’s utter and complete failure in every dispensation. Five of these dispensations, or periods of time, have been fulfilled; we are living in the sixth – probably toward its close – and have before us the seventh, and last: The Millennial Kingdom. 

The changing order, from one dispensation to the next, demonstrates again and again man's sinful condition and need for salvation. However, contrary to a common misunderstanding, the various dispensations do not represent differing ways of salvation. As the Scriptures clearly reveal, personal salvation has always been by Grace alone, through Faith alone. In Jesus Christ alone. Throughout all ages, the basis of salvation is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The means of access to Salvation is faith. The object of faith is God. The content of faith depends on the revelation given by God for that time. The essential elements, running throughout all ages are:

• The substitutionary blood sacrifice
• The promised Seed – the Savior

Let’s begin our study with the first Dispensation known as INNOCENCE…

The Seven Dispensations: #1 – Man Innocent

INNOCENCE

This dispensation extends from the creation of Adam in Genesis 2:7 to the expulsion from Eden. Adam – created innocent and ignorant of good and evil – was placed in the garden of Eden with his wife, Eve, and put under responsibility to abstain from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The dispensation of innocence resulted in the first failure of man and in its far-reaching effects – eternally disastrous. It closed in God’s divine judgment: "So He drove out the man."

Summary Principle:

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned – Romans 5:12

Opening Event – God creates man:

 

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them – Genesis 1:26-27

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being… And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed – Genesis 2:7 & 25

Man’s Responsibility – Believe & Obey:

 

Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.  And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;  but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” – Genesis 2:15-17

Man’s Failure – Innocence Lost:

 

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings – Genesis 3:6-7

Man’s Tendency – Away from God:

 

Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself” – Genesis 3:9-10

Closing Event – Judgment ~ Expelled from Eden:

 

Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return” – Genesis 3:17-19

Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life – Genesis 3:22-24

Personal Salvation – By Grace through Faith ~ Substitutionary sacrifice:

~ The blood of the Lamb:

Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them – Genesis 3:21

~ The promise of the Seed:

 

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” – Genesis 3:15

And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed” – Genesis 4:25

Thank you for reading! Don’t miss next week’s edition as we investigate Dispensation #2 – CONSCIENCE…

May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless you with His perfect love, mercy and grace!

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!

Blessings!

Shane <><