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| Photo by B Smith from the Patio |
455-1 ENEMIES OF GOOD MENTAL HEALTH
November 19, 1978
Pastor Henry F. Kulp
Romans 8: 28 – 35 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
We have been talking about the believer and suffering and the two attitudes the believe can have in suffering. First of all, suffering is part of the Christian life, and the believer has in the midst of suffering the tools to be able to be victorious even though he is suffering.
1/ The two mental attitudes are given to us. One in the 18th verse, For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. And one in the 28th verse, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
2/ But there are enemies that are overcome when we have the right mental attitude, but these enemies also can be destructive if we do not have these two mental attitudes.
3/ Let us look at the first enemy or the first opposition. Verse 31 What shall we say? This, of course, refers back to the principle of Romans 8: 28. If God takes all the suffering of the believer and mixes them with the plan of God, what can we say? First of all, if God be for us, who can be against us? We see that opposition is taken for granted. Much suffering in the believer’s life comes from opposition to him as a child of God. The next thing to see is, if God is for us. The right mental attitude—the mixing of suffering with the plan of God, we should understand that God is for us, and if He is for us, no matter who is against us, we will be victorious, for no one can stand and be victorious over the plan of God, the program of God. We get up tight about opposition, we get up tight about people who are against us and we shouldn’t.
4/ It would seem almost that Paul had been reading Isaiah when he penned these words of our text. There is a Scripture verse that has stood out in my mind for a long time, and this verse tells us that God is for us, and the next one just as surely cries out that no one can be against us.
Isaiah 41: 11- 13 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish. Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought. For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
5/ Isaiah 41: 14 Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
But then there follows something that is very interesting. It reveals the nothingness of man and the wonderful power of God on behalf of His people, for Isaiah says, Fear not thou worm Jacob, I will help thee. What a partnership that is. God and the worm. How much we lose because we do not recognize what we really are. In this partnership that we form with God He demands that we do it on His terms. We put up weakness, and He puts up His strength. We put up sin and He furnishes the justification by grace. Think of it—God and the worm—and let me tell you, let no one dare attack that partnership, but this partnership depends upon our bankruptcy and God’s great and wonderful power.
6/ Of course, all of this is to Israel, and what we have is even better than what God promised to Israel. But there is another verse I’d like you to see that God gave to Israel, and it can cause you to rejoice and understand
Romans 8: 31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
7/ I Chronicles 17: 22 - 24 For thy people Israel didst thou make thine own people for ever; and thou, Lord, becamest their God. Therefore now, Lord, let the thing that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and concerning his house be established for ever, and do as thou hast said. Let it even be established, that thy name may be magnified for ever, saying, The Lord of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel: and let the house of David thy servant be established before thee.
It starts out, For Thy people Israel didst Thou make Thine own people forever, and Thou Lord becamest their God. Then let it be established that Thy Name may be magnified forever saying, The Lord of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel.
If you will look at that, you may miss the main point—The God of Israel is a God to Israel. Just what does that mean? What is the difference? If we use the Holy Spirit, we can readily understand the difference in the prepositions by an analogy.
A man gets married and in due course of time his wife bears him a son and that man is a father of that son, but there have been many men who have been fathers of their sons who have never been a father to their sons. But one man who gets married and his wife bears him a son, he is not only the father of that son, but he lives for that son and trains that son and that son is really his child. He enters into the studies of that boy, he trains the boy, he helps to educate him, he provides him with all that he needs, and that boy can come to him at any time. He is really a father to the boy.
8/ I believe Romans 8: 31 tells us that God wants us to know He is a God to us. He is for us.
9/ The second enemy—not believing God’s provision, or God’s Promise.
Romans 8: 32 He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
So, now the enemy is, Can God keep His promise? Can God keep His Word? Of course, He can, and when He says, He will take all the suffering and mix it with the program, the plan of God, and it will come out good, that is good enough for me.
10/ Now we come to the third opposition, Criticism.
It is in Romans 8: 33 Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect.
The answer comes back and assures us that God has declared us justified, vindicated. In the Greek, it has the thought of A COURT OF LAW and the word is really ACCUSED, call into question. So here is the thought of being criticized, and so no one has any right to criticize the believer because it is God Who justifies, who vindicates.
11/ There is no one in the universe who can bring any criticism, any charge against you, and you say—that is unfair—God as no right to clear the guilty and we all are guilty. The answer is He put our sins on Christ, and has had them paid for there at the cross. He punished Christ so that He might justify you. We remind ourselves once again JUSTIFICATION IS THE ACT OF GOD, WHEREBY HE DECLARES AN UNGODLY MAN TO BE PERFECT WHILE STILL UNGODLY.
Now again you may have trouble with that word, elect. Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect. The word, elect is never used until people are saved, they are the elect.
Let me show you something that can be of great help to you.
John 5: 1, 9 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
There were a great number of sick people there. And there was the Lord in the midst of them. Then look at Verse 5. There was a certain man there that had an infirmity 38 years, and Jesus saw him lie, and He knew he had been there a long time in that case, He saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? Somebody said, Jesus made election. I don’t agree with that, but He made a selection. I believe selected the worse, case of all, a man who had been there 38 years. But notice what He said unto him—Wilt thou be made whole? He left it with the man himself. Election is left with you. Jesus Christ said to the man, Wilt thou be made whole? The man certainly was willing, He said, I haven’t anyone to help me. Jesus said, I will help you, stand up and carry your bed, and he went off healed. We have volition. This man had volition, and he used it.
Isaiah 49: 16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.
I want you to see a verse that God gave to Israel that is very beautiful. He says, Behold I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands, thy walls are continually before me, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.
Some people will say that is a figure of speech, I don’t think so. I believe this is a prophecy. God said to Israel, I have graven Thee upon the palms of My hands. Did God do anything to the palms of the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ? Is there in His palms the Son of God, any mark at all?—Very definitely.
John 20: 19, 20 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.
Notice, this was after His resurrection—His first appearance to His disciples. He showed them His hands and His side. That was the first thing He did. The first thing that Jesus Christ did after He arose from the dead, He met with His disciples, they were Israel, and He showed them His hands, what a wonderful Scripture to think of in conjunction with Romans 8.
12/ Believers think they have a right to judge believers. Satan believes he has the right. The word Satan, means accuser or maligner. Satan, demons, the unsaved world, even saved people have no right to criticize the believer. He falls or stands with His God, and God has justified him.
13/ The Fourth opposition or enemy. SINFULNESS
Romans 8: 3 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:
Who is he that condemneth? This goes back to Romans 8: 1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, and that is because Christ died, He is risen again and He makes intercession for us, so you see Salvation is not just that Christ died for us, that He was buried and that He was resurrected, but now He intercedes for us, He is a mediator for us. This is the finished work of Christ.
Notice, Who also maketh intercession for us. When a person says he has committed a sin great enough to lose his salvation he is criticizing Christ, Who is constantly making intercession for us. Obviously, this is blasphemy, because God’s Work is permanent and perfect. No one can lose his salvation, no one can bring condemnation against Him.
14/ Satan, demons and people try to bring things up about the child of God that God has cleared us of.
15/ Acts 13: 39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Notice, All that believe are justified from how many things? All things. If you are justified from all things, who can find anything with which to condemn you?
16/ The fifth enemy or opposition. SUFFERING
Romans 8: 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Here we read, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? And the answer is: no one, or nothing. His program is perfect, and then Verse 35 goes on to list seven categories of suffering. Are any of them too great for the plan of God? The answer is absolutely not.
17/ Notice, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? The love of Christ—what a theme. What is there in all the world to compare with this love?
TRIBULATION—Our English word has an interesting history. The English word comes from the Latin for “a flail” a piece of wood a little longer than a broomstick, which had attached to it by a leather thong, a shorter piece of wood. The laborer swings the stick and the shorter stick beat upon the wheat separating the grain from the chaff. The Believers were so persecuted they felt like they were being beaten like the wheat. The Greek word pressure—extreme pressure meant to be physical pain.
DISTRESS—Greek word is a combination of two words. The one meaning, narrow. The other meaning, space. Being hemmed in—something that produces worry or anguish.
PERSECUTION—Suffering caused by unbelievers.
FAMINE—Physical privation—causing a believer to have a lack of food.
NAKEDNESS—Physical suffering based on exposure—no home, clothes
Philippians 4: 11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
PERIL—Personal risk (Paul in prison) where death is a possibility
SWORD—suffering from warfare.
Romans 8: 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
We have victory in all those things—suffering
Romans 8: 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Persuaded of confidence
It is His Glory He provides for dying and for living.
AMEN
Ref: 11/19/1978 / 455-1 ENEMIES OF GOOD MENTAL HEALTH / 04/30/2022
