We sang “No Turning Back.”  That is how we win; amen?  Just finish the race.  No turning back.  There will be times of adversity and trials.  There will be times of doubt and fear.   We are all flesh.  We all experience those same events in our lives.  The key is to press on toward that mark, the prize, the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.  Just keep pressing on.  As we were sharing, we must have love for one another where we keep provoking one another to love and to good works.  We cannot give up on each other.  We continue to press on.  We continue to admonish those walking in the way to come to the place of understanding that there is a rest in God we can enter into.  The rest comes from finally ceasing our labors and realizing we can’t do it.  We have been at it for many years.

We have a great hope in the soon coming of our Lord Jesus.  We have this great hope whether or not we enter the grave.  The dead in Christ rise first; amen?  Those of us who remain shall be changed in a moment at that last trumpet.  In the twinkling of an eye, we are going to see Him, and we are going to be like Him.  “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1 John 3:3).  There is no turning back.  Hallelujah!

We see that in the process.  As we talk about the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians, these things should be working in all of us that are truly regenerated.  These characteristics come and evidence themselves in that new man Colossians spoke about.  They are not something that we have to work out.  These are things that manifest themselves, as we continue to abide in Christ.  We saw that abiding in Christ, referring to 2 Timothy, means abiding in the Scriptures.  We saw that the Scriptures are the key to us manifesting this character.  It is evidenced in each of us who allow that full work.  Look at Chapter 3.  “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:15-17).

We were talking about the goodness of God being manifested to us and through us.  Thank God for the goodness of God being manifested to us; amen?  But it is not a sign of maturity to be excited about His goodness manifested to us.  Maturity is being excited about it manifesting through us.  We are thinking about others.  We are not just drawing on the grace and mercy of God, we are representing the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.  “When they have seen you, they have seen Me.”  Hallelujah!  That is what we are striving for.  The fruit of the Spirit is manifested in us as we live and saturate ourselves in the Word of God.  It is not the knowledge of the Word.  It is obedience to the Word.  It becomes who we are.  It is no longer something we are trying to do.  It is who we are.  We do not want it only to be about good works.  We want a good heart; amen?  I can fake goodness.  I can pretend goodness, but I want it to be what becomes my character.  I want it to become natural to me.  That new man…  “That is who I am now.  I am not that old man.”