‘Knowing’ Knowledge! 2009/23 08/30/09
Confidence, as defined in Webster’s 1828 Dictionary;
A trusting, or reliance; an assurance of mind or firm belief in the integrity, stability or veracity of another, or in the truth and reality of a fact. [a studied faithfulness]
We barely mentioned this several weeks ago, but confidence is an important virtue and undergirds spiritual authority, and is one that we all need to develop in our lives. The major foundation in this virtue is in ‘knowing’ Him in an intimacy. We are going to look at 1 John in a moment, but first lets see what the Holy Spirit has already said about it.
John speaks strongly about living godly lives. He clearly teaches that our knowledge and love of God will be evident by our obedience to His Word and love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are not to simply talk about love, but to love practically by giving and caring for those in need. Simply put, if we know and love Jesus, then we are to live and love as He did.
“Giving and caring” is more than what we normally think, and that is that the caring is more than just an emotional mood. It is a caring for someone else’s time, and being on time in meetings and giving up of your time in order to care for their time, for they may have needs that only time will heal, and many other daily areas of life. This is a great step in growth in that area of life. Listen to 1 John 2:3-8, and mind you this is a tough line;
“Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected* in him. By this we know that we are in Him.
He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment, you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word you heard from the beginning.
Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. This shining Light will dispel all darkness and its root and its power.
*perfected – is Strong’s #5048. To complete, accomplish and carry through to the end. In spiritual sense, the word signifies a bringing to maturity, a perfecting.
So, now we need to jump ahead to 1 John 4:15-19, and see where we are as far as confidence goes;
“Any one who confesses (acknowledges, owns) that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides (lives, makes His home) in him, and he (abides, lives, makes his home) in God.
And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation and by experience), and believe (adhere to, and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us. God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him.
In this [union and communion with Him] love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment—with assurance and boldness to face Him—because as He is, so are we in this world.
There is no fear in love—dread does not exist; but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love—is not yet full grown into love’s complete perfection.
We love Him, because He first loved us.
The bottom line for the moment, is that the one who knows this love has no dread of facing God at the judgment, for even in this world, we are as He (Christ) is – the comparison is that of positions, not character. Jesus is well pleasing to God as His Son, and we are all God’s children, born into His kingdom, and we are already accepted in the Beloved, acceptable to Him. (getting a true, inside knowledge of this, is pure fuel for confidence) 1 John 2:28, and hang on to your shout;
“And now, little children, abide (live, remain permanently) in Him, so that when He is made visible, we may have and enjoy perfectconfidence (boldness, assurance) and not be ashamed and shrink from Him at His coming.”
We are building up to something where confidence is the literal crossroad of our entering into the true relationship of the Lordship of Jesus in the world where we live. We believe this in the Spirit, but we have to live this life in the world and its populace, and this calls for what we may label radical obedience. Obedience, such as this, is the fruit of radical confidence and the extreme of faith, that faith that is beholding only to the Sovereignty of God in our lives. It is a precious display of worship regardless of where it is observed. This worship far exceeds only song and dance, for it is a true heart depth expression of our love for Him.
You all, especially in this class, know how we have long studied all sorts of tests, trials and temptations. As we have learned, all these tests and the rest have strengthened us, and hardened us to difficulties, and the reason that this is a reality in each of our lives is that we have built, or are building a super confidence in the almighty power of God that is already in us [Eph 1:19-20], and whatever happens in our lives we will regard as the sanctification work of the Holy Spirit rather than as a destructive work of the enemy. It is a confidence that declares that in Him all things are working together for good to them that love Him and are called according to His purpose.
Note: Lets just add a most familiar verse from Isaiah to make the above come to life. Isaiah 41:10’ (this is a confidence builder)
“Fear not; [there is nothing to fear] for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you [to difficulties]; yes, I will help you, yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My victorious right hand of righteousness and justice.”
What I want you to grasp at this time is that we are focusing on an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus and I want to share with you that we are speaking, that in no way can religion be equated into this realm. You see religion is related to the law and that will destroy any confidence we are building. A religious spirit is a destructive move against any truly spiritual move of God. Listen to Phil. 3:3;
“For we [Christians] are the true circumcision, who worship God in spirit and by the Spirit of God, and exult and glory and pride ourselves in Jesus Christ, and put no confidence or dependence in the flesh or on outward privileges and physical advantages and external appearances.” [listen to this commentary]
The true sign of right relationship to God is not the observance of an external rite, but a manifestation of the three characteristics mentioned. Worship God in the Spirit not only refers to one’s being alive in the spirit (john 4:24) and thereby qualified for living worship, but also includes the Holy Spirit’s enablement in expanded worship expressions such as, in song (Eph 5:18,19), in prayer and singing (1 cor 14:15), and in communion with God (1 Cor 14:1,2).
I don’t mean to veer off ‘confidence’, and I haven’t, but we must realize that one of the key displays of Godly confidence, or confidence in God is a pure worship, that openly is a witness to His glory in their lives. I think that every test had, at any time in the lives our God’s people, did not take Him by surprise, but He has used each one to bring us to the place where He can direct our lives and our obedience, and we come to the ‘knowing’ that true worship is His due.
Note: I have to put this point in, and that is that the word boldness and confidence are basically from the same greek word and that is ‘parrhesia – It represents a clear display and presentation of the Gospel and it is not born of any human quality, but is the fruit of being filled with the Holy Spirit, a life lived in the Spirit.
Just recently we shared on the awakening church, and it will become an excited body, because the awakening will quicken the ‘knowing’ that redemptive revelation brings, and it will move into a new Jesus ordained authority and an expanded confidence that it has never known before, and it will be an excited, expectant church, alive with an awareness of the presence of God within.
This new level of authority will exhibit a genuine confidence, confronting demonic influences, silencing storms, bringing forth the manifestation of healing in Jesus name. The church will be a demonstration of the full redemptive resurrection power that was within them all the time, even in their slumber. These who are raised by God, are backed by God, and His power, and His love, the things of His will, and they will begin to decree things and they will be established (Job 22:28). We will begin to see the Kingdom of God develop like a picture in solution. It has been within them here in the earth.
Just a moment ago we read from Phil 3:3, and the latter part of that verse states that we are to have no confidence in the flesh. When I read that, I was reminded of Proverbs 3:5-6;
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
This defines a true confidence in God’s faithfulness, for it involves a daily offering of all you are; possessions, ideas, talents, thoughts and every decision you will clear with Him before you activate it. It is a constant, deepening intimacy with Him, growing in your knowledge of Him, and being sure in your heart that you are truly known by Him.
Here is one to think on. Jesus’ last commission in Matt. 28:18b-20;
“…All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
God therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit,
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Now there is a confidence call, because making disciples far surpasses making converts. It requires a great deal of time and patience to teach them all that He commanded and to observe the same – or TO DO AS HE DID!!Lets just jump one leap further and read John 10:17, and note a condition given.
“For this the Father loves Me, because I lay down My [own] life to take it back again.”
From the beginning of our salvation we have enjoyed the Father’s unconditional love. As we mature, however, as we have just read, there comes a time when the Father’s love toward us seems conditional. As it was for Christ, so it is for those who follow Him. I have to think; Am I really loving not my life unto death? [Rev 12:11b.]
True spiritual authority involves full surrender to Jesus call, without fear or intimidation by outside sources from anywhere. With Godly confidence, we will make choices on our own initiative, and for the most part we make them for the well being of others. God does not know how to hurt us, and His call will never be one that we can do without Him, and that is what He is going to somehow get across to us. Remember the ultimate confidence that Jesus had in the garden—“Not My will, Thine be done”. Jesus was still a man with all the frailties that we have, but His trust was in The Father alone and completely. That is the confidence that is well pleasing to our Lord and our God.
We are new creations in Christ Jesus, and have been redeemed, and we come in as babes in Christ, but we cannot stay there, we have to grow up in Him. We are to “grow up into Him in all things, who is the head, even Christ”[Eph. 4:15].
We, in Christ are to grow into the nature of the Father and be conformed to the image of the Son. We are in the process of being transformed by the renewing of the mind, that is that our mind is to be moved into agreement with the mind of Christ that we received. By this we will prove what is the acceptable and perfected will of God in our lives. This is the high calling of the cross life that we are to walk in daily.
The cross life is a life of denial of the flesh, putting aside our ‘self’ desires, any confidence in our abilities, and learning obedience just as our Lord Jesus did. He learned obedience through the things that He suffered and we know from many past lessons, these represented the many tests that He encountered in everyday life. What was the bottom line of this obedience that He learned and we too are to learn? “And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” This is the high calling of confidence in the God of our salvation.
A brother wrote, and I have had this in my heart and I cannot say it better than he; “Consider who Christ is coming for when He returns. He is coming for “a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish”. He is coming for a people who have been separated from sin, self, the world, and the domain of Satan. The bride is the one of whom Revelation 19:7 speaks, “…He wife has made herself ready.”
Christ is not coming for the harlot nor for a people with harlot hearts. His is not coming for a rebellious bride. His coming for and will gather up unto Himself those who have eyes only for Him, who are radically intent upon following Him wherever He goes.”
He is coming soon, suddenly and quickly!!!
Listen to these last verses in Hebrews 10:35-39 to back up this time; (this is all part of bridal preparation for His arrival)
“Do not, therefore fling away your fearless confidence, for it carries a great and glorious compensation of reward.
For you have need of steadfast patience and endurance, so that you may perform and fully accomplish the will of God, and thus receive and carry away [and enjoy to the full] what is promised.
For still a little while—a very little while—the Coming One will come and He will not delay.
But the just shall live by faith [that is, My righteous servant shall live by his conviction respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, and holy fervor born of faith and conjoined with it] (confidence); and if he draws back and shrinks in fear, My soul has no delight or pleasure in him. [italics mine]
But our way is not that of those who draw back to eternal misery (perdition) and are utterly destroyed, but we are of those who believe—who cleave to and trust in and rely on God through Jesus Christ, the Messiah—and by faith preserve the soul.”
Note: If we truly grow in our understanding of God’s love, we will also grow in confidence – Why? Because we then are beginning to know that our Father is continually watching over us as His children, and every purpose that He purposed for us are not going to be ruined by the events that confront us daily, and we then truly know that nothing [that is NOTHING] can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:35-39). As we walk in an expanding awareness of God’s presence, and that He is watching over us, all fear is shut out, dispelled by a growing maturity and of course confidence. We, as we mature, the world around us will see us walking completely free of fear, and then there will be a hunger for the Jesus we have been witness unto by our lives. Hold on, we are beginning to look like a body put together and that is His Gold!
Therefore, wherefore, and so be it,,, I think we have covered confidence as well as I personally can for the moment, and it is time to get on with the program, grow up into Him in every way and live His Life of Love here in the earth, and all said; PRAISE THE LORD!!
Class! Be Abundantly Blessed!!
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