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 <><

I Want to be Rich!

6 Fools are put in many high positions,

    while the rich occupy the low ones.

7 I have seen slaves on horseback,

    while princes go on foot like slaves. Ecclesiastes 10

There are a lot of repeated concepts in the Bible.  I remember a pastor from my youth once said that things were repeated for emphasis.  I disagree, I think they're repeated so we have consistency throughout the Bible.  It's yet another proof that everything came from one source, directly from God!

Ecclesiastes 10 is another rehashing of the same thing.  The first shall be last and the last shall become first.  Here it is described with a few different groups of people.  So first we've got the fools and slaves in the high places, and the rich and princes in the low.  Well, aren't we told we don't want to be in either group?  We don't want to be among the rich royalty, we want to humble ourselves before God, right?

The rich and the royalty in the verses above aren't referring to the rich in monetary wealth, or princes in royal bloodlines.  They're referring to those rich in the spirit of God!  By that definition, all those who saved are rich and wealthy.  We have the opportunity to show that monetary wealth is a blessing, but true wealth comes from knowing Christ and sharing that love.  I will gladly be considered rich in that.

No Substitutes

Abraham continues his journey to sacrifice (at God’s command) his long awaited and promised son. 

Genesis 22:5-8 ⁵ He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” ⁶ Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, ⁷ Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” ⁸ Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

I know there are many parallels in this passage to God sacrificing His only Son Jesus, but what stood out to me this time is Isaac’s question. His father had diligently prepared for the journey and brought the needed wood and fire and knife, but why didn’t he bring a lamb? That’s a very a good question, especially since we know Abraham had hundreds or thousands of sheep and cattle (Gen 13:2, 20:14). Why didn’t he bring one along just in case?

I think Abraham intended to do exactly what God commanded, no substitutes. Abraham also knew God’s character well enough to know he could trust God’s command. God had promised his son Isaac and had delivered on that promise along with so many other promises. God would remain faithful some way and somehow. Plus, I love how Abraham answers – “God himself will provide the lamb.” God will always help us accomplish what He asks of us.

Do you and I think some of God’s commands are too difficult to follow? What about loving our neighbor as ourselves or telling others about the truths of God? In our own strength, they are too difficult, but God will help us accomplish what He’s commanded. We can trust Him just like Abraham did.

Enjoy the Journey

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”  After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”  John 20:19-21

I love to take long drives.  With 30 of my favorite CDs in tow, I hit the road.  Most people would not share my passion for driving long distances, but it has always been a dream of mine to drive places far away and see places I had never seen and destinations I had known only on a map.  But the destination, while exciting, was only part of fun.  It was the journey to get there and the various different scenes and memories that fascinated me.

As Christians, we know where our ultimate destination is, but our goal should be to enjoy the journey our faith takes us.  Some get comfortable doing the same things, and others require certainty that God is active in our lives.  However like a long journey should be, it is never quite the same even though it might appear to be the same path, and you do not necessarily need a sign along the way telling you your destination to know where you are going.  Being saved is just the beginning, and if we stop and stay at a point prior to our destination, we will never experience lasting spiritual growth.

Our journey of faith is always changing and evolving.  The disciples in today’s verses thought their journey had ended with Jesus’ death.  In reality, it had only just begun as Jesus said to them, “I am sending you,” to spread the word of the Gospel.  When we feel the road in our journey has come to an end, we should always remember that the end of the road does not mark the end of our journey.  Just a change in direction.  Do you trust God to guide you on your journey?  What indicators can you use to ensure your journey is fruitful?  My prayer is that we take time to reflect and simply enjoy our journey of faith.  Amen.    

Tues Devo: Hold vs. Held

Matthew 11:28-29 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (NASB)

Hello,

There is a definitive difference when I am holding one of my children and they are holding onto me versus when they are just being held. When they are scared or upset you can feel that transition in their arms as they quit holding on and just let themselves be held. As a parent, there are few better feelings than when your kids just rest and let their guards completely down so they can be held. It shows their trust in a real and full way. They stop showing concern about their way, they stop getting worked about things that have or will happen – and just rest.

I do believe that is what God wants from us. Yes, we have to hold onto Him as we go through life – but we need to find the times where we can just be held. We need to illustrate love and trust in Him, where we can quiet our concerns and just enjoy His love, and fully rest in it.

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill

Are You Truly Redeemed? ~ 10 Hallmarks of a True Christian (Part 6 of 6)

Hello Friends!

Welcome back to the final segment of our study from the book of 1 John as we seek to answer the eternally important question: Are You Truly Redeemed?

As we come to our last of the “10 hallmarks” of a true believer in Jesus Christ, we find that when the attributes of sound faith in Jesus Christ, obedience to His commands and love for God & fellow believers operate in concert together, they result in joy, holiness and assurance. These godly attributes indeed constitute the evidence or “the litmus test” of a true Christian…

Are You Truly Redeemed? ~ 10 Hallmarks of a True Christian (Part 6 of 6)

Here we find that John also refutes defectors of the Faith with sound doctrine – exhibiting no tolerance for those who pervert the divine truth of the Scriptures. The Bible is the only authority and source for Truth and Devine doctrine and is our resource for the day and age we live in today – a day of great spiritual decline and rank apostasy.

9. A true convert rejects the false teachings of apostates

They expose heresy and false doctrine whenever necessary:

Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also – 1 John 2:22-23

10. A true convert abides in the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

They persevere in the faith of the Father through Jesus Christ the Son:

Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father – 1 John 2:24

Remember: Our faithfulness to proclaim the Truth of God’s Word as well as defend the Gospel of Jesus Christ may very well assist others in examining their own faith to verify if they are indeed a true convert of Jesus Christ – their very soul may depend upon it!

Closing thoughts:

Here’s a final thought from the Apostle Paul's sojourn in Berea outlined in the book of Acts. He preached there and the Bereans heard the Word and then searched the Scriptures to see if Paul was correct:

These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so – Act 17:11

This too is a great principle – Hear the Word preached/taught and study the Scriptures for yourself to see if the preacher/teacher is Biblically correct. I encourage each of us to apply this same principle to our own Christian studies – let’s be “good Bereans” in our search for The Truth!

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 <><