02-26-2008, 04:29 AM
L E S S O N 2
The First Universal Spiritual Principle
Truth is the truth, and truth remains the truth whether anyone knows it,
understands it, or agrees with it! So, when we talk about universal
spiritual principles, the beautiful thing about these principles is they do
not require our cooperation or our permission in order to operate. We can't add to
them, we can't take away from them. Their strength and their power is intrinsic, for
they are established by God Himself.
Even in the natural order of things God has established laws that don't require us to
know anything about them, to understand them, or to agree with them in order to
function. For example, the Law of Gravity brings objects down to the ground.
Now it doesn't matter if you know about gravity, if you understand gravity, or if
you agree with gravity! In fact you can disbelieve gravity and exert all your
willpower against gravity. Nevertheless, we are held firmly in place by this
invisible force.
Now something infinitely more powerful than gravity is at work! When the Bible
says “He must increase, but I must decrease” this is not just an aspiration or a wish
or an hope. It doesn't say “He might increase and I might decrease”! The presence
of the word must gives us certainty and finality. These are spiritual principles,
spiritual laws, spiritual truths that cannot be altered. It must be so – therefore it is
so!
So the first universal spiritual principle we find in John 3:30 is He must increase -
and if Jesus must increase then He will increase and He is increasing.
You don't have to understand it right now – you might not even agree with it. But
the process is at work in every man, every woman, every boy, and every girl. This
process is at work in creation itself. It is a process in which Jesus is increasing. It
must be so and therefore it is so! No one and nothing can change it, interrupt it, or
stop it. It is irresistible.
So the first universal spiritual principle is “He must increase”. But there is another
principle here as well, so in Lesson 3 we will discuss The Second Universal
Spiritual Principle.
QUIZ
Lesson 2 – The First Universal Spiritual Principle
1. A good example of a natural law that God established and functions whether we agree with it,
understand it, or even acknowledge it is
a) Murphy’s Law
b) the Law of Gravity
c) The Law of the Jungle
2. Just like the Law of Gravity, spiritual principles are established by God Himself, and so
a) they must be confessed in order to get them to work
b) we must understand them to get them to work
c) they work with or without our cooperation
3. The First Universal Spiritual Principle is found in the first half of John 3:30, and says that
a) I must increase
b) He (Jesus) must increase
c) He (Jesus) might increase
4. Since the Bible says Jesus MUST increase, we must conclude that
a) Jesus will increase, and He is increasing
b) the Bible is only expressing a hope, not a truth
c) this verse does not apply to us today
5. Since Jesus MUST increase, we can rest assured that
a) Jesus will continue to increase
b) no one and nothing can stop Jesus from increasing
c) this spiritual truth cannot be altered or changed
d) all of the above
The First Universal Spiritual Principle
Truth is the truth, and truth remains the truth whether anyone knows it,
understands it, or agrees with it! So, when we talk about universal
spiritual principles, the beautiful thing about these principles is they do
not require our cooperation or our permission in order to operate. We can't add to
them, we can't take away from them. Their strength and their power is intrinsic, for
they are established by God Himself.
Even in the natural order of things God has established laws that don't require us to
know anything about them, to understand them, or to agree with them in order to
function. For example, the Law of Gravity brings objects down to the ground.
Now it doesn't matter if you know about gravity, if you understand gravity, or if
you agree with gravity! In fact you can disbelieve gravity and exert all your
willpower against gravity. Nevertheless, we are held firmly in place by this
invisible force.
Now something infinitely more powerful than gravity is at work! When the Bible
says “He must increase, but I must decrease” this is not just an aspiration or a wish
or an hope. It doesn't say “He might increase and I might decrease”! The presence
of the word must gives us certainty and finality. These are spiritual principles,
spiritual laws, spiritual truths that cannot be altered. It must be so – therefore it is
so!
So the first universal spiritual principle we find in John 3:30 is He must increase -
and if Jesus must increase then He will increase and He is increasing.
You don't have to understand it right now – you might not even agree with it. But
the process is at work in every man, every woman, every boy, and every girl. This
process is at work in creation itself. It is a process in which Jesus is increasing. It
must be so and therefore it is so! No one and nothing can change it, interrupt it, or
stop it. It is irresistible.
So the first universal spiritual principle is “He must increase”. But there is another
principle here as well, so in Lesson 3 we will discuss The Second Universal
Spiritual Principle.
QUIZ
Lesson 2 – The First Universal Spiritual Principle
1. A good example of a natural law that God established and functions whether we agree with it,
understand it, or even acknowledge it is
a) Murphy’s Law
b) the Law of Gravity
c) The Law of the Jungle
2. Just like the Law of Gravity, spiritual principles are established by God Himself, and so
a) they must be confessed in order to get them to work
b) we must understand them to get them to work
c) they work with or without our cooperation
3. The First Universal Spiritual Principle is found in the first half of John 3:30, and says that
a) I must increase
b) He (Jesus) must increase
c) He (Jesus) might increase
4. Since the Bible says Jesus MUST increase, we must conclude that
a) Jesus will increase, and He is increasing
b) the Bible is only expressing a hope, not a truth
c) this verse does not apply to us today
5. Since Jesus MUST increase, we can rest assured that
a) Jesus will continue to increase
b) no one and nothing can stop Jesus from increasing
c) this spiritual truth cannot be altered or changed
d) all of the above
