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COMPETING LIFESTYLES –
CONFLICTING LOYALTIES
By Farrell Fisher
…………………………………………2012
MACEDONIAN MINISTRIES
POST OFFICE BOX: 210304
BEDFORD, TEXAS, USA, 76095
THE HOLY WORD Says: “CHOOSE YOU THIS DAY WHOM YOU.WILL.SERVE!”
OUTLINE………………………………………………………
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER ONE: The Testimony of “My God”
CHAPTER TWO: The Self-Styled Humanist Versus Sovereign God
CHAPTER THREE: Marvelous Mercy And Matchless Grace
CHAPTER FOUR: No Jesus OR Jesus and Me?
CHAPTER FIVE: Triumphant Truths In The Times of Testing
CHAPTER SIX: Competing Lifestyles? Christ’s Coming and The Catastrophe of Abandonment
CHAPTER SEVEN: Dying Grass! Demanding Gospel! Divine Grace!
CHAPTER EIGHT: LOWER-LEVEL LIVING OR UPPER-ROOM LIVING?
CHAPTER NINE: “THEY DIDN’T KNOW HIM…THEY KNEW HIM”
CHAPTER TEN: COSTLY EXCHANGES FOR A CHRISTLESS SOUL
CHAPTER ELEVEN: FRUITLESS TREES – FULL TRUST
CHAPTER TWELVE: UNCHANGING OPPOSITION – UNLIMITED OMNIPOTENCE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: CONFLICTING LOYALTIES? SELF-WILL OR DIVINE WILL?
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: DISCERNING THE WILL OF GOD
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: SINGLED OUT – SURMOUNTING OVERCOMERS
CHAPTER SIXTEEN: SWIMMING AXEHEADS – SOARING SAINTS
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: THE POWER OF THE PULL TO STRAY OR THE POWER OF THE PULL TO STAY?
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: FLESHLY INTIMIDATIONS – DIVINE INSPIRATION!!
CHAPTER NINETEEN: HEAVY HEARTS – REAL REJOICING
CHAPTER TWENTY: THE WEAKNESS OF RESOLVE OR THE WITNESS OF A ROYAL RELEASE
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: BATTLE-FIELD RELATIONSHIPS – KNOW YOUR ENEMY
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: BITTER WATERS – BLESSED WONDER
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: PASSIONATE PRAYING – POWERFUL PRESENCE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: IS THE FIRE OF THIS THE FIRE OF THAT?
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: LIKE PASSIONS – LIMITLESS POWER
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: FLESHLY BLUNDERS OR MARITAL BLISS
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: BLINDED EYES OR BLESSED EYES?
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: COMPETING LIFESTYLES OR CONSECRATION TO CHRIST?
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: CONFLICTING LOYALTIES OR ALL-CONSUMING LOVE?
CHAPTER THIRTY: VICTIMS OR VICTORS?
………………………………………………INTRODUCTION
………………………………………….. by FARRELL FISHER
It is not unusual, strange, or out-of-the-ordinary for men without faith or men ‘in the Faith’ to know the strong pull to or away from life choices that bless or curse one’s life and journey! You do remember the Israelites on their journey out of Egypt experiencing the powerful pull to go back to Egypt!
Following God or the leeks and onions of Egypt? And don’t tell me, as a believer, pastor, missionary, or sincere seeker, that you’ve lived completely and totally without temptation or a strong urge or a powerful pull back to the old way of life or even casual contemplation about an“about-face,” a retreat, an abandonment of what you know to be TRUTH!! I’m nearing 76 years of age June 12, having been born in 1936 – and have I ever faced “competing lifestyles”? You can bet your last rupee on it that I’ve had temptations, struggles, open doors to the way of death etc.
I can remember about thirty-five years ago receiving news of a friend, former missionary, pastor of one of Florida’s largest churches, leaving his wife and children and ministry to live with one of his deacons’ wife. It literally grieved my heart to the breaking point! A strong voice in the pulpit silenced!
Hear me: I KNOW THERE ARE PROFESSORS WHO’VE NEVER POSSESSED CHRIST OR BEEN CAPTURED BY HIS SAVING GRACE, HEAD KNOWLEDGE APART FROM HEART CHANGE, IDENTITY WITH THE SPIRITUAL CROWD WHILE HOLDING ON TO ONLY THEIR “FLESH”, OLD SIN NATURE, AND WORLDLY AMBITIONS AND ALL THAT ENTAILS!!
But at one point, even King David, a man known as a man after God’s heart, ignored the ‘duty’ call, lounged around carelessly, and got caught up in “sin”, paying a heavy price for sin’s consequences, even though reconciled to Holy God!! [Psalm 51].
I think of the people over the ages gifted to honor Christ with a God-given music voice but trade it to sing fleshly, foul, futile music, pumping fallen sin-natures, walking in the dark places, entertaining the demons unaware, but “thanking God” for His gift of a profitable voice now silent for only the honor of Christ! For me, that’s a real ‘heart-breaker’!
How many do you know who look upon the Ten Commandments God engraved on stone tablets and see nothing but ‘ten suggestions” or life options?
Don’t you find it amazing that when Jesus began His public ministry He’s confronted with competing lifestyles? We know the Holy Word of God tells us we’re going to be confronted! That’s why He gave us I John 2:16-17, “For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the [boastful] pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
In Matthew 4:1 we read: “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil…” [Are we, you, ever tempted?] Listen carefully to verses 8-11: “Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Jesus, ‘All these things I will give you if You will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.”
But you don’t believe you’ll be confronted by any devil or any powers of darkness to destroy your life, your faith, your family, your purpose, your ministry, your witness, ordained by God?
You know Paul had a deep, deep love for his spiritual son, Timothy. In 1 Timothy 6:9-12 Paul wrote: “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
I pray you read carefully “Competing Lifestyles – Conflicting Loyalties”
CHAPTER ONE
THE TESTIMONY OF “MY GOD”
In my lifetime, not very long or old [!!], I’ve witnessed the supposed “God Is Dead” movement, but the truth is as someone else said, “God has outlived His pallbearers!” I’ve seen and heard the agnostic’s cry: “If there is a God, and there may be, He doesn’t care about me.” The atheists are loud and vocal but limp in their assertions and void of truth. Then there’s the “practical atheist” who professes there is a God but it has no influence, impact, or inspiration on his/her daily life – by his/her walk and by his/her works, he/she denies Him.
It is suicide personally, politically, socially, professionally, or historically to exclude God from your life, your family, your business, your government, or your nation. Stalin, Russia’s greatest murderer as a tyrant-national leader, had rejected God. When he was dying, on his bed, he raised up one last time, and with clenched fist thrust it toward God; so cold, so callous, so corrupt.
Dostoevski once wrote, that if God is dead everything and anything is justifiable. And without a doubt that’s why many not only reject God but live as if He is not, so they may do as they please.
Ravi Zacharis, in his book “Can Man Live Without God?’ [Word Publishing, Dallas, 1994, p.40] speaks of Malcomb Muggeridge, British journalist who traveled all over the world for sixty years, saying, “that if God is dead somebody else is going to take His place.” It will either be megalomania or erotomania, the drive for power or the drive for pleasure, the clenched fist or the phallus, Hitler or Hugh Heffner…To that I might add – either economic or sexual exploitation. Muggeridge went on to add that we have lost our moral point of reference because we have forgotten that most empirically verifiable [though most denied] part of human experience – the depravity of man. And Muggeridge was right.”
So now, our nation has decided that if we can remove God from education, if we teach our children prayer is a non-essential to success in the classroom, remove “In God We Trust” from our coinage, that we’re going to be richer and far better off than ever before. Zacharias then said: But “I’m convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that it’s not less knowledge that births ignorance about the things of God, but it is the suppression of both divine truth AND the neglect of life-giving testimony of God’s activity in one’s life.”
You may be familiar with Forbes Magazine & I’m sure you know Steve Forbes who not long ago ran for president of the United States, but is owner of Forbes Magazine. On their 75th anniversary as a magazine they commissioned a number of national and international historians, scholars etc., to address the question, ‘Why are we so unhappy?’ And all agreed on one explanation that America is a troubled nation because it has lost its moral and spiritual compass – even God.
The psalmist cried out, Psalm 9:17, “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” God spoke to us through Jeremiah, chapter 2, verse 32, “Can a virgin forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet My people have FORGOTTEN ME days without number!” Oh, we may forget God or try to ignore Him, but He doesn’t forget us!! In Isaiah 49:15 we read, “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, YET I WILL NOT FORGET YOU. Verse 16, See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands…”
In 2 Peter 1, God has so laid out there the avenues of abundant entrance into the fullness of God’s everlasting kingdom through Christ Jesus. But some are void of that abundance, and in verse 9, the anointed Word says: “For he who lacks these things is short-sighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.” THAT’S A SAD STATE!!
Then there’s Paul in Athens, Greece. [Read carefully Acts 17:16-33 before continuing!!] Does it say that Paul considered their objects of worship and that he even found one inscribed on an altar, “To the Unknown God”? He said later, in Acts 26:18, that he was sent by Christ “to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they might receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in God.”
AND HOW DO WE OPEN EYES AND TURN PEOPLE FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT? I believe one of those powerful influences is the INFLUENCE OF PERSONAL TESTIMONY. 2 Thessalonians 1:10, Paul is speaking on the day the Lord comes, [LISTEN!!], “To be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, BECAUSE OUR TESTIMONY AMONG YOU WAS BELIEVED.”
Testimony? Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines it: “A solemn declaration or affirmation made for the purpose of establishing or proving some fact…OPEN ATTESTATION…WITNESS…TO WITNESS..[then Webster quotes Milton: “Thou for the TESTIMONY of truth hast borne universal reproach.”] Surprise! Surprise!
In I Corinthians 2:1 Paul said: “And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom DECLARING TO YOU THE TESTIMONY OF GOD.” He says he was with them in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling but that He trusted the Holy Spirit to faithfully bear witness through him.
Do you remember the woman at the well going back to her own community after encountering Christ? John 4:39 says, “And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman WHO TESTIFIED.” One of God’s grandest designs on your redeemed life is that the wonderful grace of Jesus flows out of you so personally and powerfully that your walk, your ways, and your words are like iron shavings drawn to a massive magnet drawing people to Christ through your witness!
Ralph Waldo Emerson was reflecting on ‘success’ [quoted in Freedom for Ministry by Richard John Neuhaus, San Francisco: Harper @ Row, 1956, p.90], and he wrote in a poem:
“How do you measure success? To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a redeemed social condition, or a job well done; to know even one other life has breathed because you lived – this is to have succeeded.” Success? How about adding knowing one other life has breathed in Christ because of your witness, that is to have succeeded!
I want to begin this new book sharing a message of Illumination, Realization, Transformation, Affirmation, and Celebration. It comes from just two of the most powerful words that I’ve ever heard: “MY GOD”!! You may ask, “Papa Fisher, what are you talking about?”
FIRST, THE TESTIMONY OF “MY GOD” OF OPEN DECLARATION OF SPIRITUAL CHANGE! Come to Ruth 1:14-17, “Then they [Orpah and Ruth] lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but RUTH CLUNG TO HER…And Naomi said, ‘Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; return after your sister-in-law’…But Ruth said, ‘Entreat me not to leave you, or turn back from following you; For wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God…Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.” Do you think Ruth had received life-giving testimony from Naomi?
There is about five important truths about a genuine declaration of spiritual change: 1) It was a declaration of deliverance – Orpah went back to her gods, but RUTH wanted free from the bondage of Idolatry. Orpah went back to her convenient cultural life, but RUTH was gripped by greater CONVICTIONS of eternal spiritual life and health. Orpah went back to her natural people even with its false religion, but RUTH wanted to be a part of a supernatural people with their true faith in the One True and Living, Loving God….2) It was a declaration of trust: “Your God, My God.” I Peter 3:5 mentions the holy women of former times WHO TRUSTED IN GOD. That’s a statement about Ruth also. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding…In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Ruth said to Naomi, “Where you go, I go,” because Ruth had seen in Naomi a trust in the God who’d provide Bread for life and was ordering her steps!! SHE SUBMITTED HERSELF “UNDER HIS WINGS,” Psalm 91:4, “He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge.” 3) It was a declaration of open avowal: “You are my God and I am Your servant!” Matthew 10:32 says, “Therefore whoever CONFESSES ME before men, him I will also CONFESS BEFORE MY FATHER who is in heaven.” TELL THE WORLD!! That’s the spirit of true conversion! C.S. Lewis, in his book, “The Four Loves,” [New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1960, p.169] wrote: “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round your hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket – safe, dark, motionless, airless – it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable…The only place outside heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all dangers…of love is Hell.” Oh, but can you say, “I LOVE YOU, God, and I’M WILLING TO FOLLOW YOU TO A PLACE AND A WAY I’VE NEVER KNOWN BEFORE!” 4) It was a declaration of commitment to community: “Where you dwell, I will dwell; Your people shall be my people…” There is a giving of ourselves to the Body of Christ! Acts 2:47 says, “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” [Please examine carefully I Corinthians 12:18-27 before continuing!!]. Oh, even look at Moses from the Old Testament! But Hebrews 11:24-25 tells us, “By faith Moses, when he became of age [or grown up], refused to be called the son of Pharoah’s daughter…choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin…” 5) It was a declaration of dependence upon God – “My God” – not a taking of the name of God “in vain” but the taking of God’s name “IN VICTORY!!” Spurgeon, [Memorial Library, Spurgeon’s Sermons, Vol. 10, p.343], wrote: “Have you taken God to be your God? Not to be a mere name to you, nor as a sacred word to sing about and to pray about – but as truly GOD to you. Is God in very word and deed your God? For if He be HE WILL RULE YOUR SOUL, HE WILL DOMINATE YOUR WHOLE SPIRIT, AND SWAY HIS SCEPTRE OVER YOUR WHOLE HEART.” Our God what? OUR GOD REIGNS!!
SECOND, THE TESTIMONY OF THE “MY GOD” OF SPIRITUAL AVOWAL OF SACRED BELIEF. In John 20:24-28 we read of Thomas, a man who wanted “evidences” to lead him along. And gracious God leads him by the Spirit and allows him to put his fingers into Jesus’ side and to feel the nail prints in His hands.
And in that powerful moment of Holy Spirit indulgence, Thomas determined from those sacred wounds the clear, determining, convicting testimony of the nature and character of Christ Jesus. Then Thomas said, “My Lord and my God!”
Harry Dent was legal counsel for six years for former President, Richard Nixon. Dent, at that time, was not a Christian, but had a daughter who came to Christ. He always sluffed off her advances to share her Faith, but one day she came to him with a new Bible and said to her father, “Dad, you’ve always been an intellectually honest man. I’m asking you to set aside everything, come to the Bible, and ask God, ‘if You’re real, show me.’ God did! I believe it was Columbia Bible College in South Carolina that he decided to attend – even for a time Southern Seminary in Louisville. Mr. Dent for years led Billy Graham’s lay institute in North Carolina and became an outstanding author! He saw, he encountered Living Truth, and Harry Dent said, “My Lord and my God!’
I tell you, to look at Jesus and say ‘My Lord and my God’ is to make the uncommon confession of every believer as to the identity of Jesus of Nazareth! The One who shed His blood at Calvary is just as much Man as if He were not God, and just as much God as if He were not man. Jesus, Son of God, Worthy Lamb, Savior of the world, our Redeemer, Immanuel – God in the flesh who suffered, bled, and died on the Cross, and on the third day was Resurrected! King of kings and Lord of lords! I Timothy 1:17, “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, God alone who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty, to whom be Honor and Glory forever and ever. Amen”
There is no common ground among believers that Jesus was just a man or a good man. It is the uncommon ground of rock solid belief in Christ’s divinity! “THE ONE WHO DOES NOT OWN TO CHRIST’S DIVINITY DISOWNS HIM ALTOGETHER!” He is who He says He is or as Josh MacDowell said ‘liar or lunatic’ – No! Josh knew Him As Lord! On the Mount of Transfiguration what did God say? “This IS MY BELOVED SON in whom I am well-pleased. Hear Him!”
THIRD, THE TESTIMONY OF THE “MY GOD” OF STEADFAST DEFENSE IN THE MIDST OF WATERED-DOWN OR WHARPED OPINIONS THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE WORD OF TRUTH ABOUT OUR GOD. Come to I Kings 22:2-24, 26-28, 37-38! [Please, please, pause from reading further except in your Bible these previous verses!]
What a story about the prophet Micaiah and his undaunted commitment to stand on what God says even if kings and rulers oppose you! Look at verse 14 again! And Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, whatever the Lord says to me, that I will speak,” Boldly he declares in Verse 28, “If you ever return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Take heed, all you people!”
In Jeremiah 5:30-31 God says, “An astonishing and horrible thing has been committed in the land…The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own power; and My people love to have it so. BUT WHAT WILL YOU DO IN THE END?”…..The message of God intensifies about “competing lifestyles”! Look at Jeremiah 6:13-15! “Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely. They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ WHEN THERE IS NO PEACE!’ Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not ashamed; nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time I punish them, they shall be cast down,’ says the Lord.” AND YOU WANT TO REFUTE OR DENY GOD’S WORD?….God said in Jeremiah 9:3, “They are not valiant for the truth on earth.”
We’re going to stay with our Lord’s prophetic Word because in our modern day it is desperate need as much or more than in Jeremiah’s day!….Jeremiah 14:13-14 says, Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, the prophets say to them, ‘You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.’” And the Lord said to me, “The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart.’……….
Don’t miss Jeremiah 23:16-18! Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; they speak a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of the Lord. They continually say to those who despise Me, ‘The Lord has said, YOU SHALL HAVE PEACE: and to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say, NO EVIL SHALL COME UPON YOU.’ For who has stood in the counsel of the Lord, and has perceived and heard His word? Who has marked His word and heard it?”
Does our Lord’s prophetic word get more intense? Jeremiah 26:1-2 says, In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the Lord, saying, Thus says the Lord: “Stand in the court of the Lord’s house [that’s dead-center of every church auditorium!!] and speak to all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the Lord’s house, all the words THAT I COMMAND YOU TO SPEAK TO THEM. DO NOT DIMINISH A WORD.”
Are we sensing boldness in the hearts of God’s anointed, appointed preachers? Jeremiah 37:15-17 says: Therefore the princes were angry with Jeremiah, and they struck him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe. For they had made that the prison. When Jeremiah entered the dungeon and the cells, and Jeremiah had remained there many days, then Zedekiah the king sent and took him out. The king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the Lord?” And Jeremiah said, “There is.” Then he said, “You shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon!”….What happened as a result of this? Jeremiah 38:6 says, So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the king’s son, which was in the court of the prison, and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire. So Jeremiah sank in the mire.”
Have you ever witnessed ‘mud-slinging’ by “church-folk” who have no intent in bowing before God’s “competing lifestyle”? So Almighty God is saying to us in this similar hour that we need “Dungeon Prophets” and “Dungeon Disciples”, not diplomatic detractors from the truth of God! God is saying that we need royal reformers not restless reflectors of deceit, compromise, and a peace at any price with the world around us! …Do you remember Peter and John called before the council of men? Acts 4:18-20, “And they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus…But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than God, you judge…For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”…Was that “righteous acts” or should God’s people just be silent?
In Revelation 19:7-8 we read, “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” Have you made yourself ready as a testimony of the steadfast defense of His TRUTH?
FOURTH, THE TESTIMONY OF THE “MY GOD” OF FRESH RENEWAL OF OUR HOLY VOWS. We must see Genesis 28:10-22! Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed, and behold a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!” Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel [House of God!]]; but the name of that city had been Luz previously. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be MY GOD. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”
Without a doubt, Jacob was a man setting his heart on the faithfulness of God! Psalm 91:14-16 says, God speaking, “Because he has set his love on Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name…He should call upon Me, and I WILL ANSWER HIM; I will be known to him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him…With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.”
AND BECAUSE IT IS SO, HE IS MY GOD! With every deliverance I renew my vow: HE IS MY GOD! With every healing, HE IS MY GOD! With every blessing, HE IS MY GOD! With every OPEN Door, HE IS MY GOD! With every victory, HE IS MY GOD!
“He brought me to the banqueting house, and His banner over me was love.” [Song of Solomon 2:4]. “My Beloved is Mine, and I AM HIS.” [Song of Solomon 2:16] HE IS MY GOD!…”Scarcely had I passed by them, when I found the One I love. I held Him and would not let Him go.” [Song of Solomon 3:4]. HE IS MY GOD!
“I am my Beloved’s, and His desire is toward me.” [Song of Solomon 7:10] HE IS MY GOD! “I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” HE IS MY GOD!…”Blessed me with every spiritual blessing.” [Ephesians 1:3]. HE IS MY GOD!…”In Him we have redemption through His Blood.” [Ephesians 1:7] HE IS MY GOD!
“We have obtained an inheritance.” [Ephesians 1:11]. HE IS MY GOD!…”Sealed me with the Holy Spirit of Promise.” [Ephesians 1:13]. HE IS MY GOD!… Over and over, because of WHO HE IS and WHAT HE DOES, with Jacob we hand over afresh and anew the deed of the purchase of our hearts and souls! We acknowledge God’s ownership of our lives!! HE IS OUR GOD!!
FIFTH, THE TESTIMONY OF THE “MY GOD” OF TOTAL ABANDONMENT AND TRUST EVEN IN THE MIDST OF TROUBLE AND TESTING…..Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, faced the darkest hour in all of human history when the appointed waves of divine judgment flooded His life. Look at Matthew 27:45-50! Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offering it to Him to drink. The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.” And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.”
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice?…It wasn’t a cry of desperation – it was a cry of dependence!….It wasn’t a sad cry of alienation – it was the cry of the anchoring of His soul!….It wasn’t a cry of separation – it was a cry of appropriation! MY GOD! MY GOD! MY GOD!….What’s your cry with a loud voice?
“It’s dark – BUT I COME TO THE LIGHT!….It’s my extremity – BUT IT’S SETTLED – MY EXTREMITY IS MY GOD’S OPPORTUNITY!………Spurgeon says, “It’s a love note in times of peace, and a war cry for the hours of battle; it is mighty in times of joy, but it is still more potent in nights of sorrow. The man who can say “MY GOD” is a match for death and hell…”
Do you remember Peter beginning to sink after he started to walk toward Jesus on the water? [Matthew 14], “LORD, SAVE ME.” And His God LIFTED HIM UP!…Do you remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo? [Daniel 3].King Nebuchadnezzar had threatened them: “But if you do not worship [that’s worshipping him, the fleshly king!], you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hand?” They responded, “O king, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image you have set up.”….”OUR GOD REIGNS OVER US!”
SIXTH, THE TESTIMONY OF THE “MY GOD” OF WORSHIP AND PRAISE IN TIMES OF GREAT VICTORY! Please come to Exodus 15! In verses 20-21 we read: “Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them” ‘Sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!”…Why did Miriam sing like that? Look at verse 2, “The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; He is “MY GOD”, and I will praise Him; MY FATHER’S GOD, and I will exalt Him.”….You cannot omit verses 11-13! “Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? You stretched out Your right hand; the earth swallowed them. You in Your mercy have led forth the people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them in Your strength to Your holy habitation.”..Go to verses 16-17! “Fear and dread will fall on them; by the greatness of Your arm they will be as still as a stone, till Your people pass over, O Lord, till the people pass over whom You have purchased.”
Do you remember Daniel saying to the king, “My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths..?” And I know this is why Paul, in Romans 3:4, asked: “Do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” In Romans 8:37 Paul wrote: “…in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us…” ARE YOU READY TO WORSHIP AND PRAISE HIS HOLY NAME?………
My God heard my cry. He brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a Rock, and established my steps…He’s put a new song in my heart, in my mouth, even praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord.
My God is my refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble, therefore we will not fear. My God is in my midst, I shall not be moved. My God shall help me just at the break of dawn. Through my God I will do valiantly, for it is He who shall tread down my enemies.
My God’s lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise Him. Thus I will bless My God while I live; I will lift up my hands in His Name. I went through fire and through water; but our God brought us out to rich fulfillment.
My God made haste and delivered me. My God made haste and helped me. Let all those who love Your salvation, Lord, say continually: LET GOD BE MAGNIFIED. My mouth shall tell of my God’s righteousness and my God’s salvation all the days, for I do not know their limits.
I have none in heaven but my God, and there is none upon the earth that I desire besides my God. My God has fed me with the finest of wheat, and with honey from the Rock my God has satisfied. From everlasting to everlasting My God is God!
My God has exalted me like a wild ox and anointed me with His fresh oil. I have been planted in the House of my God, I flourish in the courts of my God, my God bears fruit through me even in old age, my God maintains freshness and a flourishing Spirit in my life.
I face floods and deep waters but my God on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, than the mighty waves of the sea. My God reigns. My God forgives all my iniquities…Heals all my diseases…My God redeems my life from destruction.
My God crowns me with lovingkindness, my God satisfies my mouth with good things so that my youth is renewed like the eagles. My God gives me the oil of the Holy Spirit to make my face shine and with Living Bread my God strengthens my heart.
My God increases me greatly and makes me stronger than my enemies. My God is in heaven, on His throne, and my God does whatever my God pleases. My God is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me that God cannot overrule. My help comes from God who made heaven and earth.
My God is my Keeper; my God is my shade at my right hand; my God is building my house and I don’t labor in vain. My God has commanded my blessing – resurrection life forevermore. My God will perfect that which concerns me. My God’s thoughts are precious toward me and how great is the sum of them.
My God who is King I extol and I will bless the name of my God forever and ever. Every day I will bless my God and praise His name forever.
Oh, hear me! The testimony of “My God” is the personal testimony and personal owning of God to be God in my life, in my family, in my business, in my ministry, in my church, and yes, in my nation! “Choose you this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord!” The testimony of “My God” is the testimony of an all-inclusive faith, because My God says He will supply every need I have according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus
What did Paul say in I Thessalonians 5:23? “Now may the God of peace Himself [“My God”] sanctify you completely: and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
In Jude 24 and 25 what masterful words! “Now to “My God” who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy…to God our Savior, who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. AMEN!”….”MY GOD” to you I bow and humble myself!
CHAPTER TWO
THE SELF-STYLED HUMANIST VERSUS SOVEREIGN GOD
Regardless of the intellectual pride of a self-styled humanist, the words of Sovereign God still ring with eternal truth: Genesis 6:5-6, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually…and the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.” And there was the judgment of the Flood that history has verified!
And it wasn’t long after that that “the whole earth used the same language and the same words.” I don’t believe that that alone means dialectally they spoke simply the same language, but that they all were speaking the same thoughts, ideas, intents – “We’ll be God unto ourselves, so, Come, ‘Let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven and let us make a name for ourselves lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”
They had the same goal: “Let us make a name for ourselves!” When I use the term “self-styled humanist,” I’m not talking about the classic humanist who was a student of human affairs, but one who places no value in the Word of God, the Gospel of Christ, or the mission of the church and is satisfied deceitfully with his human potential.
He even has a peace about him – certainly a false peace and not the peace that passes all understanding – but because he has measured himself by himself and is satisfied with what he sees, has no need of God and promotes that false doctrine.
Jopseph Alleine wrote in “An Alarm to Unconverted Sinners,” [p.64], “Cursed is the peace which is maintained in a way of sin. Two sorts of peace are more to be dreaded than all the troubles in the world; peace with sin, peace in sin.”
In his book, “My Utmost For His Highest,” [Westwood: Dodd Mead & Company Inc., 1963, p.355], Oswald Chambers basically said that humankind want religion to be amiable. In other words, most people don’t want a message that makes them feel uncomfortable with their sin. He wrote: “…very few of us have any understanding of the reason why Jesus Christ died. If sympathy is all that human beings need, then the cross of Christ is a farce, there was no need for it. What the world needs is not ‘a little bit of love’, but a surgical operation.” THAT’S A SPIRITUAL HEART TRANSPLANT!!
And the sad thing is the church-at-large in America has bought into a comfortable, convenient, non-condemning ‘gospel’ that does not produce “LIFE”!! It was J.I. Packer who wrote in “Decadence a la Mode,” [Christianity Today, Oct. 2, 1987, p.13], “Though we negate secular humanism doctrine, we live by its value system and suffer its symptoms.” And he was speaking of Christians and churches!
Prior to his death, Francis Schaeffer made this observation: “To accommodate to the world spirit about us in our age is the most gross form of worldliness in the proper definition of the word. And unhappily today we must say that in general the evangelical establishment has been accommodating to the form of the world spirit as it finds expression in our day…in the most basic sense, the evangelical establishment has become deeply worldly.” [The Great Evangelical Disaster, Westchester: Crossway Books, 1984, p.142]. Let me ask some questions, probe your minds, consciences, feelings, or convictions:
Is it that man is simply a victim or is the problem that he is a sinner? Is it a pat on the back man needs or Holy Conviction? Is humanism an acceptable way to god-like human potential or is the Second Birth an absolute necessity?
If man tries to live like God whether he believes or not, is that acceptable? Is it that man needs acceptance and approval or that he needs to be convicted, converted, regenerated, and transformed – a new creation?
Is it self-worth and self-esteem that is the great need of men or is it Christ Jesus? I want to remind you of John 14:6 when Jesus said: “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.”
This is why in John 3:7 Jesus said: “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You MUST BE BORN AGAIN…” And to stir up the waters of examination and testing, what does Acts 4:12 say? “And there is salvation in no one else: for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which WE MUST BE SAVED.”
Jesus professed, announced, proclaimed, in John 11:25, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. Verse 26, And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” Verse 27, She [Martha] said to Him, “Yes, Lord. I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is come into the world.”
As I read John 3:14-17, I realize how passionate God was to make the difference in the lives of the “self-styled humanists” and the sorry sinners like us disciples of Christ who knew we needed a miracle of grace, love, and mercy out of the very heart of God!…”And as Moses lifted up the servant in the wilderness [Numbers 21], even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” There is a CROSSROAD! There is a CHOICE!
The humanist says, ‘Release your human potential’ – God says, “Receive Resurrection Power.”
The humanist says, ‘Build your self-esteem and personal value and worth’ – God says, “I crucified your old life with Christ – live by the Life of Another!”
The humanist says, ‘Increase’ – God says, “Decrease!”
The humanist says, ‘Live by the power of positive thinking, personal motivation, and pride in yourself’ – God says, “Live by the power of Sovereign Truth, Divine Strength, and confidence in the promises of God.”
The humanist says, ‘Be strong – live by the grit of self-determination.’ – God says, “Be weak – live by the greatness of Sovereign leadership, guidance, and all-sufficient grace.”
The humanist says, ‘Live by the awareness of self-understanding and the strength of your own personal worth’ – God says, “Live by the awareness and access to Calvary’s love and victory through Christ’s priceless sacrifice.”
The humanist says, ‘Live by the blood and guts of focus, dreams, visualization, to fulfill your desires.’ – God says, “Live through the grace of the blood of the Lamb of God that focuses on divine will, reconciliation, and heavenly pleasure.”
The humanist says, ‘Live in liberty and freedom of doing whatever comes naturally.’ – God says, “Flee youthful lusts and discover true freedom of imputed righteousness, a living faith, holy love, and abiding peace.”
The humanist says, ‘Be at peace with yourself – accept the good and the bad, the light and the dark, the acceptable and the evil.’ – God says, “Be at peace with Me, accept what I have done to complete you in Christ.”
The humanist says, ‘Live recklessly in this world savoring every moment of temporal, fleshly indulgence.’ – God says, “Live redemptively and responsibly in this world saving the time for the eternal, spiritual benefit, and Sovereign blessings beyond measure.”
The humanist says, ‘Exalt yourself, you are number one.’ – God says, “I called you through My grace and mercy and was pleased to reveal My Son in you.”
The humanist says, ‘Deliver yourself over to ‘life’ and all it has to offer.’ – God says, “I deliver you over to death for Jesus’ sake that the Life of Jesus may be manifested in your mortal flesh.”
The humanist says, ‘Live unrestrained in this present evil age.’ – God says, “Follow peace with all men and the sanctification without which no man will see Me.”
The humanist says, ‘The notion of a God is a study of what is absent, unimportant, or nothing at all.’ – God says, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ I AM and forever will be. Look unto Me and be saved all the ends of the earth.”
The humanist says, ‘Jesus Christ was only a historical figure who was a good man and died a tragic death.’ – God says, “In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God and the Word was God – Immanuel – Lamb of God, Savior of the world, One Way to God who was ‘revealed in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, beheld by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.’”
The humanist says, ‘Sit on the throne of your own mind, will, and pleasure, ruling and reigning over yourself for your own pleasure.’ – God says, “Be seated with Christ in heavenly places at the right hand throne of God seeking, as He did, not His own mind, will, or pleasure, but that of one’s Father.”
The humanist says, ‘Man’s word is sufficient enough for a profitable existence as one looks to himself.’ – God says, “Man is sanctified only by means of My Word and prayer to God who hears and answers.”
The humanist says, ‘Religious faith is a numbing drug, the opiate of the people, that leaves men senseless.’ – God says, “By grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.”
The humanist says, ‘Make a name for yourself.’ – God says, “The people whom I formed for Myself will declare My praise.”
The humanist says, ‘Be proud of self-rule in the kingdom of me, my, mine. I’m number one.’ – But God says, “Be broken, and no longer a stranger and alien to Me, but fellow citizens with the saints and of My household and My Kingdom rule that is forever. And, by the way, Christ Jesus, My Son, is to have preeminence in everything.”
The humanist says, ‘Be friends of this world.’ – But God says, “Friends of this world become My enemies.”
The humanist says, ‘Man, in himself, is all one needs.’ – But God says, “Man in himself, walks in the futility of his own mind, is darkened in his understanding, and is excluded from the life of God.”
The humanist says, ‘Neat self’ – But God says, “There is the need of a New Self, being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him.”
The humanist says, ‘Establish your ground, your place, your importance. You are what life is all about.’ – But God says, “Establish your hearts unblameable in holiness – a poured out drink offering for others – a servant like My Son Jesus.”
The humanist says, ‘Man is the victim not the sinner.’ – But God says, “Man is the sinner victimized by Satan and the powers of darkness and by the destructiveness of his own sin nature and indulgent desires for passions unrestrained.”
The humanist says, ‘Behavioral science is the key in overcoming one’s limitations, tendencies, and struggles.’ – But God says, “It’s the Gospel of My Son that overcomes sin – not some science of the mind.”
The humanist says, “It’s only personality disorders.’ – But God says, “It’s a matter of nature. Man is fallen, depraved, alienated, separated from Christ, having no hope, without God in this world. And there’s only one answer, one hope – Christ Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.” ….John Bunyan wrote: [Upon a Penny Loaf, Roger C. Palms, Minneapolis, Bethany Fellowship, Inc. 1978, p.16], “Christ and Christ only can make us capable of enjoying God, with life and joy for all eternity”
The humanist says, “Temptations to evil passions is normal and natural, enjoy it.” – But God says, “Temptation to evil is destructive and there is a way of escape.”
The humanist says, “Sincerity, sophistication, soul-sacredness is the key to understanding mankind – not sin.’ – But God says, “Guilty, vile, and helpless thee, Spotless Lamb of God was He, Full atonement, can it be? Hallelujah, what a Savior!”
The humanist says, ‘The birth of mankind is a picture of innocence, health, and a perfect heart.’ – But God says, “Man’s heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.” Jeremiah 17:9 says, “Behold, he was brought forth in iniquity and in sin did his mother conceive him.”
The humanist says, ‘Man’s nature is INNOCUOUS or not harmful or injurious.’ – But God says, “Man’s nature is iniquitous.”
The humanist says, ‘Hurting humans are healed when they get a proper view of their own worth and value. – But God says, “By the stripes of Jesus they are healed.”
The humanist says, ‘Man is the master of his own fate and the captain of his own soul.’ – But God says, “There is only one Master – His Name is Jesus – and He alone is the captain of the ship of man’s salvation.”
The humanist says, ‘Man is of great value, wealth, and worth.’ – But God says, “Man, in himself, is worthless, unworthy, and useless – but redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, he becomes one of great value and worth – he’s now a SON OF GOD.”
The humanist says, ‘Affirm, esteem, lift up, promote yourself as one of costly importance.’ – But God says, “Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus.” George Mueller once said, [Roger Steer, “Seeking First the Kingdom,” Discipleship Journal, Issue 35, 1985, p. 24], “There was a day when I died, utterly died; died to George Mueller, his opinions, preferences, taste and will – died to the world, its approval or censure – died to the approval or blame even of my brethren and friends – since then I have studied only to show myself approved unto God.”
The humanist says, ‘The human spirit is a treasure to behold and hold onto. It glorifies man.’ – But God says, “I will give you another Helper that He may be with you forever…that is the Holy Spirit of Truth and you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you…He will glorify Christ!”
There are numerous verses of the Holy Word I want you to be illumined by: 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, “For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died…and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.”
2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away: behold, new things have come.”
2 Corinthians 5:21, “God made Him [Christ Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Ephesians 1:7, “In Christ we have redemption through His blood [shed at Calvary’s Cross!], the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of God’s grace.”
Philippians 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
Philippians 3:7-10, “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”
Colossians 1:27-28, “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is CHRIST IN YOU, THE HOPE OF GLORY. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”
There’s an old hymn that I grew up on entitled “Beneath The Cross of Jesus” written by Elizabeth Clephane and Frederick Maker. It says: “Beneath the cross of Jesus I fain would take my stand, The shadow of a mighty Rock Within a weary land, A home within the wilderness, A rest upon the way, From the burning of the noontide heat, And the burden of the day. Verse 2, Upon that cross of Jesus Mine eye at times can see The very dying form of One who suffered there for me; And from my smitten heart with tears, Two wonders I confess – The wonders of His glorious love And my own worthlessness. Verse 3, I take, O cross, thy shadow For my abiding place; I ask no other sunshine than The sunshine of His face; Content to let the world go by, To know no gain nor loss, My sinful self my only shame, My glory all the cross!”
You may or may not know the name, Mickey Mantle. He was the famous ‘slugger’ in baseball for the New York Yankees, one of the best ever on the field. But in life he had missed ‘eternal purpose’, God’s priceless intent, and the Savior’s loving sacrifice. I have an old, faded newspaper article that I don’t know who wrote it or what paper it came from – but you need to grasp the challenge of “competing lifestyles”! The article says:
“Mantle came to know himself before he died, and the knowledge brought sorrow. Entertainer-singer Roy Clark fulfilled a promise to Mantle to sing “Yesterday, When I Was Young,” at the service…The lyrics speak of regret. These are the words of the third verse. They contain the last, melancholy message from the revered athlete who was considered a hero by all except himself: “Yesterday the moon was blue and every crazy day Brought something new to do…I used my magic age as if it were a wand And never saw the waste and emptiness beyond. The game of love I played with arrogance and pride And every flame I lit too quickly died…The friends I made all seemed somehow to drift away And only I am left on stage to end the play…There are so many songs in me that won’t be sung, I feel the bitter taste of tears upon my tongue…The time has come for me to pay for yesterday When I was young.”
“COMPETING LIFESTYLES”?
CHAPTER THREE
MARVELOUS MERCY AND MATCHLESS GRACE
Please pause and reflect on Micah 7:18-20 before reading chapter three – it’s so vital to your journey, your discovery, your rest in the marvelous mercy and matchless grace of God! I don’t know where your faith rests, But I want to let you know my faith is not in my natural abilities, my fleshly instincts, my educational degrees, my personal disciplines or lack of them; it’s not in my personal goals, visions or dreams; it’s not in self, dogged determinism, my best efforts, my untiring discipline – although that IS a “Competing Lifestyle” for far too many folk!
Here’s Micah 7:18-20! “Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will give truth to Jacob and mercy to Abraham, which You have sworn to our fathers from days of old.”
Here’s how Paul put it in I Corinthians 15:10, “and His grace toward me was not in vain.” And the one thing I want you to discern as you read or hear is that His marvelous mercy and matchless grace will never fall short of your point of need!
Do you remember Jesus speaking in Luke 11:11-12? “If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer a scorpion?” YOU KNOW THE ANSWER!
God sits on the throne of mercy. He governs by the spirit of grace. He’s the Father looking down the road for the prodigal’s return – and He awaits, not with scolding and condemnation, but a celebration spirit that it’s Heaven’s “party-time”!
Have you ever felt hopeless in your spiritual pilgrimage – and then you hear there is a haven of rest? Have you ever sensed a lack of confidence on your spiritual journey – and then you become aware of “holy presence” revealing the Way?
Have you ever found yourself on the canvas of life, on your back, trying to comprehend the knock-out blow to your chin, ever so helpless – then Jesus says to you, “Get up – this bout is not over, it’s just begun?” Have you ever been in the throes of spiritual darkness, not discerning the next step in what direction – but you hear a voice: “This is the Way, walk you in it?”
Have you ever been “down” – “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” But then Jesus says TO YOU, “Rise and Walk!” – and you arise and you walk! It’s been a self-indulgent, spiraling downward, careless, corrupt life-style – and you wonder, “Is there any hope?” “Is there a recovery possibility?” “Am I too far gone?”
That’s what the powers of darkness would like you to think. That’s what the faithless want you to believe. That’s what the hopeless hope you hold to so there’ll be miserable feelings in you as well as them, the misery loves company crowd!
A cloud of confusion colors the true picture of the nature and character of God – “I’ve fallen beyond the reach of God and, really He could care less about me.” Is that true? “I’m too far gone – and His reach is shortened by my degree and depth of sinfulness.” Is that true? Can’t you hear it? “I’ve gone too far, I’ve fallen too hard, I’m too deep in bondage for even God Himself to step in and help me.” Is that true?
Fallen sin-nature theories, immature conceptions and ideas, even vain imaginations control even the minds of saints at times who have fallen when they ignore biblical revelation and, yes, ignore the very heart of God!
I want to smash the mental entrenchments that ignore revealed truth. I want to smother out the poisonous gases of fleshly determinations about the heart of God. I want to suffocate the breaths of spiritual ignorance that paint a false picture of God’s activity in behalf of fallen humanity and reveal the true knowledge of God that brings salvation, healing, deliverance, restoration, and renewal.
I believe Paul told the church at Corinth [2 Corinthians 10:5], that we’re to “bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” But how many of us have walked in our faith for a long time on the sea of smooth waters, and then, all of a sudden we find ourselves under dark clouds, stormy waters, horrendous winds of a walk contrary to God’s will? Have you ever been there? How many of us have forgotten where we once were with Christ, and now we’re filled with fear as to whether or not we can recover what we once had and move on into His fullness?
What is this all about? Well, there is the ministry of the interior but I’ve majored on the exterior. There is the ministry of the Spirit but I’ve focused on the flesh [or fallen sin nature]. There is the ministry of the eternal but I’ve settled in on the temporal. And there is no joy, no peace, no contentment, no spiritual satisfaction of blessing in my relationship to Him. IS THERE A WORD OF HOPE?
In Hebrews 13, two phrases in verses 5 & 6 I want you to see: Hebrews 13:5, “For He Himself has said…” Hebrews 13:6, “So we may boldly say…” Can you rest your life on that? Can you settle your hope for eternity on those two phrases? Can you say what God says?
Faithlessness, futility, feebleness, frailty, frustrations are not to be words, spirits, seasons, or points in our walk that describe our eternal relationship with Holy God. “For He Himself has said…,” so now, “we may boldly say!”
I love I Corinthians 10:13! Let me paraphrase: “No test has overcome or overtaken you except as is common to man; but GOD IS FAITHFUL who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the testing will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
There is something that must be indelibly printed on your mind and heart: THE MEASURE OF YOUR FAILURE, YOUR FALL, YOUR PAIN, YOUR DISAPPOINTMEN WITH YOURSELF, IS NOT GREATER THAN GOD’S MARVELOUS MERCY AND HIS MATCHLESS GRACE!
Hebrews 7:25 says, “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost [the furtherest throw away from Him], those who come to God through Christ, since He [Christ Jesus] always lives to make intercession for them.”
Three things of vital importance for you to rest in as you read from Micah 7:18-20…First, “ONCE AGAIN…” Can you rest your faith on those two words? “Once again…!” I don’t believe the spirit of those words is carte blanche for open sin and rebellion. I don’t believe it’s saying, “Do as you please – God doesn’t care as long as you believe.” I don’t believe it’s a call to acceptance of His grace without any accountability. In fact, grace is often interpreted as license to sin, not the biblical definition of grace that “teaches us to live, soberly, righteously, Godly in this present age.” But that’s how some fall into the trap of “God’s obligation to accept me regardless of what I do because I believe.”
“Once again” is the description of the heart of God. “Once again” is the hymn of God’s faithfulness. “Once again” is the clarion call to turn to Him, not the acceptance of our self-indulgence with our hollowness and emptiness.
“Once again” is God’s demonstration of His great love for us “in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” [Romans 5:8]. ‘Demonstrates’ is the “once again” of present tense, continuous action, out of the overflow of God’s heart.
“Once again” is God’s covenant of grace with Himself and us – the rainbow that reminds Him the world will never again be destroyed by a flood of water. “Once again” is God’s cry of victory over the battles you felt you’d horribly lost. “Once again” true sheep have wandered but the True Shepherd seeks them out, even though wandering on the dark side of the mountains of sin, selfishness, and shame.
“Once again” is the unveiling of the authenticity of God’s mercy and grace and the awareness and amplification of our great need of Him. “Once again” is the authority of God over the “god of this age” bringing victory in your life over the powers of darkness even when “the whole world is in the power of the evil one.”
“Once again” is the unconditional love of the Father for His children who fell short of the Family heritage and loyalty. “Once again” is the proof of God’s unfailing love for us when we’ve been seared by the paralyzing torture of falling short and He picks us up when we stumble, dusts us off, and sings over us the hymn of His acceptance because of the shed blood of the Lamb of God.
“Once again” is His knock at our heart’s door when we thought it best to shut Him out – “I’m not worthy of Him!” – communion was absent but the hound of heaven was hot at our heels! “Once again” is the symphony of praise that cannot be drowned out even when you wonder, “How do you sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?”
It was Samuel Rutherford, Scottish minister in the 1600’s imprisoned for his ‘non-conformity’ by Episcopalians who did not welcome his Presbyterian persuasions. He spent two years in prison. In prison he gave us a strong look at the true “once again”, enduring peace, pleasure, and blessing.
[E.M.Bounds wrote about it in “Heaven: A Place, A City, A Home.” Grand Rapids, Baker Book House, 1975, p.13]. “If God had told me some time ago that He was about to make me as happy as I could be in this world, and then told me that He should begin by crippling me in all my limbs, and removing me from all my usual sources of enjoyment, I should have thought it a very strange mode of accomplishing His purpose. And yet, how is His wisdom manifest even in this! For if you should see a man shut up in a close room, idolizing a set of lamps and rejoicing in their light, and you wished to make him truly happy, you would begin by blowing out all his lamps; and then throw open the shutters to let in the light of heaven.”
You have been or now are in darkness – but the light of heaven once again shines upon you! You have sunken to a depraved state – but the light of heaven once again radiates upon you! You were ready to denounce your faith – but the light of glory has broken through! You came to be so disappointed in yourself – but that still, small voice of God in your inner man “once again” says, ‘I love you and you are mine!”
You’ve heard it from the atheists and agnostics, and the liberal, socialists, faithless professors: “Born again” is not possible! – but “once again” there is a new creation. “Born again” is a figment of one’s imagination – but “once again” imagination is replaced by redemptive reality. “Born again” is natural man’s ascendency to human potential – but “once again” God signs His name in the blood of Christ on the heart of that man saying, “He’s Mine!” What do they say?
“Born again” is religious foolishness that blinds the uneducated, an ‘opiate’ of the people, dulling their senses – but “once again” we fled for refuge, found strong encouragement, and laid hold of heavenly hope, an anchor of the soul! …..Hear me, church! THE THEREFORE OF GOD’S WHEREFORE OF OUR “ONCE AGAIN” VIBRANT FAITH WITH A VIEW OF ETERNAL REALITY WILL CAPTURE US AGAIN AND WE’LL SAY: GOD LOVES US AND HAS “ONCE AGAIN” MADE A WAY FOR US!
SECOND, “ONCE AGAIN – GOD WILL!” How powerful is that!?! Is it “you will” or “God will”? – and every man has that choice in himself as to what foundation he rests his life upon.
It’s God’s will that birthed salvation by grace through faith. It’s God’s will that this is accomplished through the shed blood of the Lamb of God alone. It’s God’s will that fallen man experiences that salvation through repentance toward God and faith in the finished work of Christ at Calvary’s Cross. It’s God’s will that that salvation process is perseverance unto perfection, “conformed to the image of Christ.”
Listen to John 6:39-40! “This is THE WILL OF THE FATHER who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is THE WILL OF HIM WHO SENT ME, that everyone who sees the Son, and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I WILL RAISE HIM UP at the last day.”
Oh, hear Jesus and rest in His words! Matthew 4:19, “and I WILL make you fishers of men.” In Matthew 11:28 Jesus says, “and I WILL give you rest.” Matthew 16:19, WOW! “I WILL give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” How assuring do you find the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:35? “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words WILL BY NO MEANS pass away.”
In Romans 5:17 Paul wrote: “…much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness WILL REIGN IN LIFE THROUGH THE ONE, JESUS CHRIST.”
Do you remember Paul saying that we should “understand what the will of the Lord is?” [Ephesians 5:17] What did we read in Micah 7:18-20? “Who is a God like You?” What a profound, penetrating, perfecting statement in the heart of a man who wants to know God! What did Micah say? “He will again have compassion on us…He will subdue our iniquities…He will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea…He will give truth to Jacob, mercy to Abraham…”
There is something marvelous that is about to happen if you haven’t sensed it as yet, In Acts 9:16 God promises His “return” – and when He does, He says: I WILL rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I WILL rebuild its ruins, and I WILL set it up, Verse 17, So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord…” [Are you His building, His tabernacle?]
2 Peter 3:9 says, “God is NOT WILLING that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” Jesus says, “I’M WILLING – be cleansed!” What did we see in John 6:40? “And this IS THE WILL OF HIM WHO SENT ME, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I WILL raise him up at the last day.”
What’s the old saying? “None are so blind as those who will not see!” Did you hear it? “This is the will of Him who sent Me, Jesus!” God’s heart, God’s design, God’s desire, God’s pleasure, God’s passion, God’s intent, God’s blueprint, God’s strategy, God’s Way, Truth, and Life – “that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him [trusts in, relies upon, adheres to] may have everlasting life; and [Jesus] will raise him up at the last day.”
THIRD TRUTH: “ONCE AGAIN – GOD WILL – REMIND US OF EVERLASTING COVENANTS.” Look at Micah 7:20, “You will give truth to Jacob and mercy to Abraham, which You have sworn to our fathers from days of old.” Is that written into the fabric of your faith? “You have sworn, You swore to our fathers, and You swore from days of old until now, and You’ll still be swearing in the days to come!”
Are you familiar with Isaiah 55:11? HEAR IT!! [God speaking], “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me VOID [or empty without fruit], but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
You heard earlier Jesus speaking in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” Aren’t you thankful that His words for you will not pass away?
“Lord, I was so foolish in that fall; but I remind You, You’ve said: ‘You’ll have compassion on me, You’ll subdue my iniquities, You’ll cast all my sins into the sea of Your forgetfulness, and You’ll give me truth to stand on, because You swore to my spiritual fathers, even from the foundation of the earth until now.”
“Lord, I was so stupid to give a ‘toe-hold’ to the devil; I opened the door of temptation; I let sin reign in that moment rather than righteousness. I was so wrong – but You say there’s a throne of mercy and the gift of grace. I need it today – right now.”
“Lord, we both were so selfishly insane in our marriage, choosing self-will over divine will, flesh over Spirit, my way or the highway. But You say, “Marred marriages are My specialty. Right now take the sentence of death unto yourselves and the resurrected Life of Jesus will be manifested.”
Come to Psalm 121 and follow and see from where your true Help comes: “I lift up my eyes to the hills – from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul…The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.”
Daniel B. Towner understood this when he wrote this hymn: “Years I spent in vanity and pride, Caring not my Lord was crucified, Knowing not it was for me He died on Calvary….By God’s Word at last my sin I learned; Then I trembled at the law I’d spurned, Till my guilty soul imploring turned To Calvary…Now I’ve given to Jesus everything, Now I gladly own Him as my King, Now my raptured soul can only sing of Calvary…O the love that drew salvation’s plan! O the grace that brought it down to man! O the mighty gulf that God did span At Calvary!…Mercy there was great, and grace was free; Pardon there was multiplied to me; There my burdened soul found liberty…At Calvary!”
In “My Utmost For His Highest,” [p.266], Oswald Chambers has a powerful word for us about Galatians 6:14 which says, “But God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Hear Chambers: “The Gospel of Jesus Christ always forces an issue of will. Do I accept God’s verdict on sin in the cross of Christ? Have I the slightest interest in the death of Jesus? Do I want to be identified with His death, to be killed right out to all interest in sin, in worldliness, in self – to be so identified with Jesus that I am spoilt for everything else but Him? The great privilege of discipleship is that I can sign on under His cross, and that means death.”
And from Micah 7:18-20 you’re reminded: IT’S HIS DEATH THAT LIBERATES ME! IT’S HIS SACRIFICE THAT SETS ME FREE! Hear me wanderer; no, hear me wandering child of faith – God has a word for you: Isaiah 54:4-8! “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth. For the Lord has called you like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a youthful wife when you were refused, says your God. For a mere moment I have forsaken you, but with great mercies I will gather you. With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; but with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you, says the Lord, your Redeemer.” His compassion is real; His strength to subdue our iniquities is real, His grace to cast all our sins into the depths of the sea is real, and His covenant truth reigns forever!
Accept His Marvelous Mercy and His Matchless Grace!
CHAPTER FOUR
NO JESUS OR JESUS AND ME?
Have you ever been around or witnessed on television those agitated, indoctrinated, brain-washed students beguiled and betrayed by arrogant, know-it-all, unbelieving university professors PhD’d in spiritual paralysis, a hatred of God, and dazed by hierarchy hoodlum heresies?
Have you seen with your own eyes human reflections with obvious hollow redemptive help? There are those human goals in some of disavowing God’s saving grace or even the need of it! It’s so evident that there are human goals so earth-bound, so intrigued, so captured by an inward holding onto man’s saving of himself without God’s help, substituting the narrative of self-wisdom, self-fulfillment, self-ability for the true knowledge of God.
“Erode true faith, establish man’s ability to be ‘god’ unto himself, refute the Bible, and raise up man’s brilliance above the Creator and the false ‘savior’!” Can’t you hear them?
It was Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. before his death who wrote: “History is a constant tragedy in which we are all involved, whose key note is frustration and anxiety, not progress and fulfillment.” And could it be because many have said, “No Jesus, no Bible, no need of a church’s salvation message,” because many worship in the sanctuary of ‘self-piety, [or better said: self-pity!], self-promotion, and self-reliance – god unto themselves?
We’re living in a day when “pagan minds” establish their own “pagan gods” with their own “pagan rites and agendas” intent on continuing a “pagan culture” – and they have a big following!
I’m convinced this is why Martin Luther once said: “Let us act with humility, cast ourselves at one another’s feet, join hands with each other, and help one another. For here we battle not against pope or emperor, but against the devil, and do you imagine he is asleep?”
What will shape a “last days” birthing and blessing? NO JESUS OR JESUS AND ME? In James Kennedy’s book entitled “Cross Purposes,” [p.170], he wrote about Cesare Borgia, son of Pope Alexander VI who became “a great prince.” Dr. Kennedy wrote: “In fact, he is immortalized as a royal personification in Machiavelli’s “The Prince.” He was devious and consummately dexterous in dealing with men and affairs. He was prepared for every extremity, for every circumstance of life. However, shortly before his death in a besieged castle in 1507, he is said to have written, ‘I have provided in the course of my life for everything except death. Now, alas, I am to die almost entirely unprepared.”
And the sad truth is far too many have never truly prepared to live as God desires and intends,
but “buy the lie” that you can sin and not die, that you are the god unto yourself, and spend your life as you please, because it’s really churches that are deceived – not the ‘free-swingers’! Let’s look at “No Jesus or Jesus and Me”!
Three scriptures to capture your heart! Philippians 1:20-21, “according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
Colossians 2:6-10, “As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving…For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.”
I John 4:17, “…because as He is, so are we in this world.” No Jesus? A participant in a worldwide assassination attempt of the Truth about God’s Holy Word, the Truth about Jesus and saving grace, and the attempt to silence Christians and churches about the eternal revelation of Who our Lord is and what His crucifixion was all about?
The three passages are amazing revelations about OUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST! But, sadly, many have never come into the fullness of God’s unveiling of who you are in Christ or who you may truly become through Him. Please, don’t misunderstand me; I rejoice that our sins are forgiven and that we’re going to Heaven someday – but what about between now and then? And there’s a marvelous message we all need to hear, to learn, to celebrate…and a destiny and walk we must fulfill!
We all were the ‘old man’…now, in Christ, we’re the new man! We once were lost…but now, we’re found! We were of the old sin nature…but now we partake of the divine nature! We were earthly men…but now we’re heavenly men!
We were fleshly…But now we’re of the Spirit! We were called sinners…but now we’re called saints! We were of the temporal…but now we’re of the eternal! We were aimless…but now we’re purpose-filled! We were sons of the devil…but now we’re sons of God! “No Jesus or Jesus and Me?” What did Paul say? “We are complete in Christ,” lacking nothing!
I pray you grasp FIRST, That Jesus IS Our Life! John 10:10 says, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I, [Jesus], have come that they might have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Rather than death which all men without Him walk in, [spiritual death and separation from God], Jesus gives me LIFE – that which is of the Spirit, is abundant, and is eternal!
Rather than rejection, He gives me acceptance! Rather than separation, He gives me Oneness! Rather than the bitter, He gives me the sweet taste of union with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit!
Rather than spiritual poverty, He gives me riches in His grace! Rather than meaninglessness, He gives me the life of eternal purpose! Rather than my weakness, He gives me His strength! Rather than my doubts, He gives me His gift of faith!
Rather than my downfalls [which were so many], He gives me His uplifting! Rather than my lost-ness, He gives me His found-ness! Rather than my fears, He gives me His confidence! Rather than my loss, He gives me His gain!
Rather than my trash, He gives me His treasures! Rather than my sinful state, He gives me His God-likeness! Rather than my cross to bear, He gives me His crown to wear! Rather than my fleshliness, He gives me His spiritual nature!
Rather than my guilt, He gives me an eternal pardon! Rather than my curse, He gives me His eternal blessing! Rather than my nothingness, He gives me His inheritance! Rather than my futility, He gives me His guarantee!
Rather than my brokenness, He gives me His seal of covenant promises! Rather than my death in trespasses and sins, He gives me His aliveness together in the Godhead! Rather than my aloneness, He gives me togetherness in the unity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit!
Rather than my hopelessness, He gives me an Eternal Hope! Rather than my disappointment in who I am, He gives me satisfaction in who He is and who I am in Him! Rather than my troubles, He gives me His peace that passes all understanding! Rather than my decaying building, He makes me the Holy Temple of His Presence!
Rather than my oldness like a discarded garment, He gives me the confidence of my completion in Him! Rather than the rotting fruit of my sinfulness, He gives me the fruit of His righteousness! Rather than my orphan state in the spiritual realm, He makes me an adopted son of God!
Rather than the low road of human possibility, He gives me the “high road” of eternal expectation! Rather than the loneliness of being an alien in my own world, He makes me a worthy and blessed citizen of His Kingdom! Rather than my discontentment with my life as it is, He gives me a divine contentment of His life as it is! “As He is…So am I!”
Rather than the disjointedness of my earthly existence, He gives me the “glue” of His eternal sovereignty and holds me together with Himself!
Rather than my tree void of fruit, He takes me and produces in me the fruit of His Holy Spirit! Rather than my lack of true identity, He calls me “the chosen and elect of God”!! Rather than lost on my own, He tells me I am “hidden with Christ in God”! Rather than doubtful about my identity, He tells me I am “approved by God and worthy to be entrusted with the Gospel!”
Rather than my life being a sad refrain of disappointment, He tells me I am His crown of rejoicing! Rather than my concern about my faithlessness or my faithfulness, He tells me the One who calls me is faithful and will finish what He starts in me!
Rather than my sense of fleshly fear at times, He tells me He’s not given me a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind! Rather than my sense of a falling away at times, He assures me He stands with me and will strengthen me!
Rather than my sense of a surrounding and siege of the enemy, He assures me I am held in His arms of love! Rather than fear because of life’s temptations, He assures me there’s mercy and grace present at His throne!
Look with me at I Corinthians 1:30-31, “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God – and righteousness and sanctification and redemption – that, as it is written, ‘He who glories, let him glory in the Lord!” AND WE WILL BOAST ABOUT “THE LIFE IN CHRIST” HE’S GIVEN US!
In 2 Corinthians 5:15, Paul says, “And He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” In verse 21, he added, “For God made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
How righteous are you? What is the percentage of your righteousness before Holy God? 50%, 65%, 30%, or maybe 75%? Terrible answers! No! 100% righteous because “As Jesus is…SO AM I!” Implanted, imputed, inspirational righteousness in me because of Him – I AM COMPLETE IN CHRIST! His Life is my Life! I lack nothing! On the ledger sheet in the Lamb’s Book of Life it says of me, “perfectly righteous” because of my faith in the sacrificial shed blood of the Lamb at Calvary! Hear me!
**JESUS IS MY LOVE – look with me at I John 4:8-10, & verse 19: “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins…[19], We love Him because He first loved us.”
It’s not that God simply does loving things – He IS love! It’s not that God is described as a loving God – He IS love! Have you ever heard someone describe a friend of yours as “a loving man’? But that doesn’t mean he IS love. A sinner can do loving things but can never be described as the man who IS love.
That’s the definition of God alone! That’s the true interpretation of a Loving Savior! That’s the symphony of praise sung by men and angels: “GOD IS LOVE!!”
Look at Creation – and you see God who IS LOVE! Look at the Cross of Jesus – and you see God who IS LOVE! Look at conversion – and you see God who IS LOVE! “We love God because He first loved us!” Romans 5:8 states that “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Jeremiah 31:3 reveals “The Lord has appeared of old to me saying, ‘Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore WITH LOVINGKINDNESS I HAVE DRAWN YOU.” Do you understand what God is saying to us and about us…and what He wants to say through us? “As He Is, SO AM I!” I’m to be a lover of men’s souls! I’m to be filled with His everlasting love! And because of that awesome love, with lovingkindness, I’m to draw men to Christ!
Look at I John 3:17, “But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?” Powerful question!! But then look at verse 16! “:By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for brothers!”
I John 4:8 says, “He who does not love God does not know God, for God is love!” Remember…: “As He Is, SO AM I!”
** JESUS IS MY LIGHT – John 8:12 says, Jesus speaking, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” When Jesus talks about darkness and light, I don’t believe He’s talking about “daytime” or “nighttime.” It’s as if our world, our lives are like a divided street…right down the middle! Over here is darkness – over there is light!
We were the darkness – He only is the Light! In the midst of all darkness Jesus shines as “The Bright and Morning Star!” Oh, but then listen! “Jesus and me!” Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Then from there come to Philippians 2:12-16: “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life…”
We are called to be illuminating lights in our life in Christ! Where there’s darkness, we must go because light penetrates darkness and dispels it! Do you understand the darkness our Lord talked about?
Darkness is prohibitive of seeing! But when the true light shines people see things they never saw or never knew were there! Darkness breeds a spiritual sickness, but when light comes, there is healing! Darkness breeds fear, but when the light comes, confidence and assurance and courage are birthed! Darkness will get us into ditches we didn’t even know were there, but light reveals the Highway of Holiness! Darkness is for the powers of darkness, but light will chase them away!
** JESUS IS MY LIBERTY – Colossians 1:13 says that, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.” Do you understand what God’s Word is telling us? Get ready for a ride of deliverance through God’s Holy Word!
Ephesians 2:1-4 says, “And you, He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins…in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. BUT GOD….”
Hebrews 2:14-16 says, “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,…and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage…For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.”
Galatians 5:1 tells us, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”
Don’t forget John 8:31-32, “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed in Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” JESUS AND ME!
When I was attending Baylor University in Waco, Texas, fifty years ago or more on athletic scholarship for football, I had a teammate named Bill Green, I believe, from Temple, Texas. He told me once of his pilot-brother who flew cargo planes during the Second World War. On one occasion he had an unusual conversation with his commanding officer. “The circumstances surrounding this proposed mission are so unusual I’m giving you the right to say ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’ Bill’s brother asked, “What is it?”
“Our soldiers in Burma are operating in difficult mountain terrain. We must get supplies to them, but to do so will require flying in 72 mules to carry the supplies. Are you interested?” Of course Bill’s brother was ready to do whatever was necessary to help the troops.
They loaded the huge cargo plane with supplies and then loaded 72 mules. The plane was filled with needed fuel. After taking off and traveling a number of hours toward the Himalayan Mountains Bill’s brother realized two things: he was too over-loaded to get over the high mountain-peaks and not enough gas to get back to his base or fly around the mountains.
He called his commanding officer: “What do I do?” His commanding officer said, “Open up the back door and get rid of 72 mules!” Which he did and then got over the mountains. Listen carefully! Too many of us are over-loaded with the “mulish” things that keep us from soaring with Christ in the heavenlies! It’s time we receive our orders from the Commander-in Chief, open the exit doors in our lives, and kick out those mules!! If you don’t know, they’re called “foul spirits,” even “demons” and you know them by name!
In Luke 4:18 Jesus describes His ministry from Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed…” JESUS AND ME! “As He is, SO AM I!”
I’ve just finished reading a book entitled “Philosophers Who Believe.” And in it, a chapter of Alvin Platinga, there is a sentence that stood out. He is talking about the justification of philosophers – or more importantly the Body of Christ – and he says , “Another part of our justification, however, is just that it is a part of the task of DEVELOPING A COMMUNITY OF PERSONS IN WHICH THE IMAGE OF GOD IS COMMUNALLY DISPLAYED.” How awesome! Do you see it? Jesus and me! Jesus and us! “As He is, SO ARE WE!” THE IMAGE OF GOD COMMUNALLY DISPLAYED!!
In closing this chapter, Andre Crouch wrote a powerful song that so describes our relationship with Christ Jesus!
“How can I say ‘Thanks’ for the things You have done for me? Things so undeserved, Yet You proved, You gave Your Love for me. The voices of a million angels could not express my gratitude – All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe it all to Thee….By Your blood You have saved me, by Your power You have raised me, to God be the glory for the things You have done. Just let me live my life, let it be pleasing, Lord, to Thee, And should I gain any praise, Let it go to Calvary…All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe it all to Thee.”
Competing Lifestyles? There is no comparison!!!***
CHAPTER FIVE
TRIUMPHANT TRUTHS IN THE TIMES OF TESTING
In Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, a test is defined as “To compare with a standard; to try; to prove the truth or genuineness of anything by experiment or by some fixed principle or standard…In “metallurgy,” to refine gold or silver, in a test, by the destruction, vitrification [meaning to convert by fusion or the action of heat], or scorification [the reduction of what needs to be reduced] of all extraneous matter.” GOD IS GOING TO TEST US ALL! And often those tests come from those opposed to Him – not even knowing they are instruments in God’s holy hands!
But God’s testings are not for “failures” but to reveal our facsimile, however near or far, to the standard. God’s testings are not for “embarrassment” but to reveal to us the truth or genuineness of our Oneness with Christ. God’s testings are not to “shame” us but to ‘scorificate’ us – reduce what needs to be reduced of all extraneous matter so the Fullness of Christ will have a full release and shine through! “I must decrease – He must increase!”
Psalm 11:4-5 says, “The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men…The Lord TESTS the RIGHTEOUS, but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.”
The Psalmist in Psalm 26:2 even cries out: “Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my mind and my heart.” In Psalm 139:23-24 he said: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxieties; and see if there’s any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” AND THAT OUGHT TO BE OUR HEART-CRY!
In Proverbs 17:3 the Word says, “The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, BUT THE LORD TESTS THE HEARTS!!” And so we don’t linger in uncertainty, Jeremiah declared, [Jeremiah 17:10], “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings.” In chapter 20, verse 12, Jeremiah said: “O Lord of hosts, You who test the righteous and see the mind and heart…”
Always remember, from God’s point of view, a testing is allowed [even through others], and is for positive results in you, never negative. It’s always to define – never to deflate. It’s always to encourage – not embarrass. It’s always to lift – not to level. It’s always to inform of graduation because of God’s grace – not hold back because of fleshly grit! Let’ look at these testings:
THERE IS THE TEST OF MUTUAL SURRENDER OF ALL THAT WE HOLD DEAR TO THE SOVEREIGN ADMINISTRATION OF HOLY GOD. Come to Genesis 22:1-2, “Now it came to pass after these things that GOD TESTED ABRAHAM [are we Abraham’s seed?], and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
[What are you saying as God calls your name? He has called you! He’s tapped you on the shoulder, tugged at your heart, and He’s called your name!] Is it, “Here I am”, or “Go away,” or just ignore – “I don’t want to hear this!” And God said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you!”
I don’t know of anything a loving parent holds more dear than his or her child. That child is not only the “fruit of the womb” – it’s the treasure of the heart. And God is asking in the test of mutual surrender if we trust Holy God with what we hold most dear.
In Hebrews 11:17-19, God’s Word proclaims, “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,…of whom it was said, ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called,’…accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense…”
What is your treasure? What is it you hold most dear? Can you trust God with it or him or her? DO YOU TRUST GOD? Do you remember what Paul said? It was more than the foundation of trust – it was the super-structure of PASSION! Philippians 3:7-10, “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ…But indeed I also COUNT ALL THINGS LOSS for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered [damage, loss, forfeiture…] the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ…and be found in Him…That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” What is it you need to surrender today for the greater glory of God?
THERE IS THE TEST OF MULTITUDINOUS BLESSINGS TO SEE IF WE WILL WALK IN GOD’S WORD OR NOT. Exodus 16:4 says, Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain BREAD from heaven for you. [“Behold, I will rain BLESSING AFTER BLESSING FOR You.” What did Paul say to the church at Ephesus? Ephesians 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ…”]…And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I MAY TEST THEM, whether they will walk in My WORD OR NOT!”
In Deuteronomy 8:2-3 God speaks not only to physical Israel, but to all spiritual Israel: “And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know WHAT WAS IN YOUR HEART, whether you would keep His commandments or not…So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that HE MIGHT MAKE YOU KNOW THAT MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE; BUT MAN LIVES BY EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS FROM THE MOUTH OF THE LORD.”
Is that written into the fabric of your daily faith? Let me give you two pictures, One, a pathetic people – Jeremiah 6:10, “To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear? Indeed their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot give heed. Behold, the word of the Lord is a reproach to them; they have no delight in it.” Second, the pursuing prophet – Jeremiah 15:16, “Your words [God] were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your Name, O Lord God of hosts.”
What is THIS test? The test of multitudinous blessings by a caring God to see whether or not His Word will be the joy and rejoicing of your heart! WHAT HAS YOUR HEART – there are competing lifestyles!
THERE IS THE TEST OF MOUNTAINOUS STORMS TO SEE IF WE WILL FEAR GOD AND SIN NOT!! Oh, I know there are those in the Christian community who have an adverse reaction for even the thought about fearing God! And certainly that explains the “competing lifestyles” even in the church – but your calling is to line up with Holy, Sovereign God! Would you, could you, will you accept, abide by, align yourself with the words of Jesus? In Matthew 10:28 Jesus said: “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” [“Poor Jesus, He just doesn’t know or understand the true nature of God like I do!!”] In Acts 9:31 the new church so prospered, why? It says, :…And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.”
Come with me to Exodus 20:18-20, “Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain SMOKING: [Have you seen it? Are you sensitive at all to the messages around YOU of smoking mountains?]…and when the people saw it, they trembled, and stood afar off…Then they said to Moses, ‘You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die…And Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear; for God HAS COME TO TEST YOU, and THAT HIS FEAR MAY BE BEFORE YOU, SO THAT YOU MAY NOT SIN.”
Isaiah, the prophet, speaks the same message in a different way, but right on target as to God’s heart in the midst of smoking mountains. Listen to Isaiah 26:8-9, “Yes, in the way of Your judgments, O Lord, we have waited for You; the desire of our soul is for Your name and for the remembrance of You…With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; [Listen!!], For when Your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.” Competing Lifestyle? “Why should I be afraid – there is no God!”
When you see the smoking mountain – fear God and sin not! When you witness the thunderings – fear God and sin not! When you are awed by the lightning flashes – fear God and sin not! When you hear the certain sound of the holy trumpet – fear God and sin not! When you KNOW the reality of earthly judgments all around you – fear God and sin not!
THERE IS THE TEST OF MULTITUDINOUS MERCIES TO SHOW YOU THE HEART OF GOD!! Deuteronomy 8:16 says, “who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that HE MIGHT TEST YOU, TO DO YOU GOOD IN THE END…”
That’s the heart of God in every wilderness wandering – TO DO YOU GOOD IN THE END! That’s the heart of God in every time of Jacob’s trouble – TO DO YOU GOOD IN THE END! That’s the heart of God in every slice of the bread of adversity and every cup of the water of affliction – TO DO YOU GOOD IN THE END! That’s the heart of God in every prison that He dramatically changes into a prison of praise – TO DO YOU GOOD IN THE END! Have you never heard, never had the revelation of Jeremiah 29: 11? “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, TO GIVE YOU A FUTURE AND A HOPE!” That’s God!!
THERE IS THE TEST OF THE MASSIVE NATIONAL AND CULTURAL INFLUENCES TO SHOW WHETHER OR NOT GOD’S CHOSEN PEOPLE WILL HOLD ONTO GOD’S WAYS OR GO THE WAY OF THE “WORLDS” AROUND THEM. Oh my, my!! Come to Judges 2:20-22!
Then the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not heeded My voice, I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, so that through them I may test Israel, whether they will keep the ways of the Lord, to walk in them as their fathers kept them, or not.” [DO YOU NEED TO READ THESE VERSES A SECOND TIME TO AT LEAST TRY AND COMPREHEND FOR YOUR NATION GOD’S TEST?]
I remember David Wilkerson’s powerful message before his death, “The Dethroning Of Christ In America.” He said, “Over these past forty years, I’ve watched with alarm as the church has slowly but surely dethroned Christ and enthroned the wisdom of the world. Jesus is no longer the source and power behind God’s people. Instead, we’ve turned to fleshly things that eventually will fade. And we’ve lost all the power when we trusted in Christ!”
Henry Blackaby, in “The Power of the Call,” [pps. 208-209], stated: “Generally speaking, our nation has followed the leading of the social scientist, who has sought to produce a Godless, valueless, permissive society as the answer to our needs. We have tried it for half a century. Where has the trail led us? We are headed for the rocks, but we are not there yet…The social sciences are changing the way we look at the nature of people. The social sciences are redefining sin. Anything from childish behavior to murder is some kind of syndrome or addiction…Adultery has become sex addiction.”
Social sciences? That’s the nations God left when God’s people looked to the world rather than to the throne of God, the Caananites, Hivites, Malachites otherwise defined as the “Me-vites, My-vites, Sin-vites, Selfish-vites, the “pleasure-now-vites,” “flesh-vites,” “promiscuity-vites,” “godless-vites,” “self-rule vites”! And that’s not where I choose to walk or with whom I want to walk with! In Psalm 119:30 David said, “I HAVE CHOSEN THE WAY OF TRUTH. GOD’S JUDGMENTS I HAVE LAID BEFORE ME.” Verses 101 and 111, “I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep God’s Word!” “Your testimonies, God, I have taken as a heritage forever, for they are the rejoicing of my heart.” What does your hearts or your worldly friends’ hearts sing about? THAT WILL GIVE YOU A REAL CLUE AS TO WHERE YOU AND THEY ARE!!
What was that Phillips’ translation of the verse in Romans? “Don’t let the world squeeze you into its mold.” Paul faced the same test. In Galatians 6:14 He said, “But God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the WORLD HAD BEEN CRUCIFIED TO ME, AND I TO THE WORLD.”
The test of national and cultural influences become a stepping stone to a deeper and greater devotion to and obedience of the Word, Ways, and will of Holy God! I WILL NOT be conformed to this world, but WILL BE BEING TRANSFORMED by the constant renewing of my mind, proving daily, even moment by moment what is the will, spirit, attitude, nature, and aim of the God I love and Who loves me!
THERE IS THE TEST OF MINISTERING “ALONENESS” TO SEE IF GOD ALONE IS ENOUGH FOR US. In 2 Chronicles 32:31 there is the experience of Hezekiah that says so much to all of us when we walk that way of ALONENESS. It says: “However, regarding the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, whom they sent to him to inquire about the wonder that was done in the land, GOD WITHDREW FROM HIM, in order to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart.”
Has that “ALONENESS” time or experience produced a work of awesome grace in you or an angry growl? In I Peter 1:7-9 Peter talks about what he knows and what he learned through that path of ALONENESS: “that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation [unveiling] of Jesus Christ…Whom Having Not Seen YOU LOVE. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory…receiving the end of faith – the salvation of your souls!!”
In Genesis 32:24 “Jacob was LEFT ALONE…” and there he wrestled with God and got his name changed! In Isaiah 63:3 our Messiah “troddened the winepress ALONE…no one was with Him.” And ALONE HE SECURED THE SALVATION OF THE SINFUL! In Jeremiah 15:17, Jeremiah sat alone because of God’s hand, but through it all he discovered the value and blessing of God’s Word. In Daniel 10:7 Daniel ALONE GETS THE VISION! I Timothy 5:5 speaks of the widow, left ALONE, who “trusts in God and continues supplications and prayers night and day.” Do you remember Paul? 2 Timothy 4:16-18, all ALONE – everyone had forsaken him. “But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me.” It is not the ambition of the “competing lifestyle” to walk alone – never!
THERE IS THE TEST OF “MINISTERING FIRES” TO BRING US OUT AS PURE GOLD. In Zechariah 13:9 God speaks: “I will bring the one-third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. Verse 10, They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I WILL SAY, ‘This is My People’; and each one will say, ‘The Lord IS MY GOD.’”
Malachi 3:3 says, “[The Messiah], He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; HE WILL PURIFY the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness.”
George Malone, in his book “The Furnace of Renewal,” [p.41], has written, “God will not tolerate unrighteousness but will obliterate it from His presence. Moreover, He will not tolerate unrighteousness among His own people, for IN HIS FAITHFUL CHARACTER HE HAS SET ABOUT TO CLEANSE THEM.”
And in that coming of Messiah there was not only a release of the Holy Spirit for empowerment but through the Spirit there was also the baptism of fire to purge and refine. The question is, ‘Do we enter God’s fiery furnace or run from it?’ Henry Blackaby, again, in “The Power of the Call,” had a quote of Nathaniel Hawthorne when Hawthorne said, “No man for any considerable period of time can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true.” And Blackaby added: “People are not quite sure who they are if they are wearing several faces!”
Do you remember ‘SCORIFICATION’? “The reduction of what needs to be reduced!” And the “ministering fires” of God reduce what needs to be reduced, the dross of our old natures, and brings forth the pure gold of Christ’s likeness and the fullness of His redeeming love! It ought to be our daily heart-cry: “Burn, Holy Fire, Burn In Me, Until Only The Very Image Of Christ Is Seen!”
THERE IS THE TEST OF MOLDING AFFLICTIONS TO RELEASE THE HONOR AND GLORY OF GOD THROUGH US. Isaiah 48:10-11 says, “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have TESTED YOU IN THE FURNACE OF AFFLICTION…For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it: For how should My name be profaned? And I will not give My glory to another.”
Did you hear it? The test in the furnace of affliction was not punishment…BUT FOR THE GREATER RELEASE OF GOD’S GLORY AND HIS HONOR!
William Barclay, in his I Peter Commentary, [p.209], has written: “The rigors which the athlete has to undergo are not meant to make him collapse; they are meant to make him able to develop more and more strength and staying-power. In this world trial and affliction are not meant to take the strength out of us, but to put the strength [God’s strength] into us.”
J. Allen Blair, in his book “Living Peacefully,” [p.53], told of a collector who found a prize moth, a living chrysalis, which he kept in his conservatory throughout the winter. When spring came, he saw the mammoth struggle of the moth to escape its shell. And so the collector decided to help by making a slight incision in the sheath which covered the moth. And soon it came forth, a beautiful, great emperor moth. He was so excited and sat the valuable specimen on a shelf so he could watch it grow strong for its maiden flight. But it never flew! Blair said: “Denied the struggle to free itself from the cocoon, the muscles of its wings never developed. The intended kindness of the collector had robbed it forever of the power to fly.” AND TOO MANY CHRISTIANS NEVER SOAR WITH CHRIST BECAUSE THEY RUN FROM THE FURNACE OF AFFLICTION. HOW OFTEN HAVE I HEARD IT SAID, “THAT COULDN”T BE GOD!” OH, YES, IT COULD BECAUSE GOD CARES.
Ray Stedman defined a disciple on one occasion as one who is “completely fearless, continually cheerful, and constantly in trouble.” Disciples of Christ Jesus? True followers of the Faith? Men and women ready for the molding afflictions? We’re the witnesses of the winepress! We’re the messengers of the “momentary light afflictions”! We’re the participants of Eternity’s ‘pressure cookers’!
Do you know the name of Horatio Stafford? That man lost his seven (?) children and wife on a sea voyage to Jerusalem. As he returned later the captain of the ship spoke to him of the exact place where his wife and children had gone down. He went to his berth and penned these words: “When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, ‘IT IS WELL, IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL. Oswald Chambers, in “My Utmost For His Highest” [p.101] has written: “Out of the wreck I rise EVERY TIME!” How? Why? Because he knew truth, eternal truth, that “in ALL THESE THINGS, we are MORE THAN CONQUERORS THROUGH CHRIST.”
You take the furnace of affliction and philosophize and you’ll be paralyzed! I choose the furnace of affliction and praise His name and I’m energized!
THERE IS THE TEST OF MISSING ANSWERS AND DELAYED FULFILLMENT OF PROMISES FOR THE APPROPRIATION OF ENDURING STRENGTH AND PERSEVERING POWER. In Hebrews 10:35-36 we read, “Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward…For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.”
This word “endurance” is the Greek word “HUPOMONE” – meaning a remaining, patient, persevering, steadfastness. It literally means ‘remaining under’ or ‘standing firm’ looking earnestly for the promised fulfillment.
Hebrews 12:2 challenges us to “look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, WHO FOR THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM [FUTURE] ENDURED THE CROSS, DESPISING THE SHAME, AND HAS SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND THRONE OF GOD.” We’re not to be those who become weary and lose heart. We know the end from the beginning. We know what has been set before us, and so, “we press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
Annie Johnson Flint wrote a powerful poem of encouragement – receive it!
“Have you come to the Red Sea place in your life, where in spite of all you can do, There is no way out, there is no way back, There is no other way but through?
Then wait on the Lord with a trust serene Till the night of your fear is gone; He will send the wind, He will heap the floods, When He says to your soul ‘GO ON.’
And His hand will lead you through – clear through – ere the watery walls roll down, No foe can reach you, no wave can touch, No mightiest sea can drown. The tossing billows may rear their crests, Their foam at your feet may break, But over their bed you shall walk dryshod In the path that your Lord will make.
In the morning watch, ‘neath the lifted cloud, You shall see but the Lord alone, When He leads you on from the place of the sea To a land that you have not known.
And your fears shall pass as your foes have passed, You shall no more be afraid; You shall sing His praise in a better place, a place that His hand has made.”
In closing this chapter, please read and contemplate Hebrews 12: 22-24, 28! “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.” Verse 28, Therefore since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.” Amen?
CHAPTER SIX: COMPETING LIFESTYLES? CHRIST’S COMING AND THE CATASTROPHE OF ABANDONMENT
If you’ve read thus far, walked with me through these pages, contemplated the eternal differences between “competing lifestyles”, I know you’ve geared in, signed on, and ready to be more encouraged and enlightened by our spiritual journeys with Jesus. Oh, it matters what you believe and especially whether or not you’ve truly settled your life IN CHRIST or you’re traveling your own highway of spiritual significance which comes to ZERO apart from the Lamb of God! There is NO redemptive blessing and reconciliation to Holy God apart from the Messiah!
Have you ever heard, read about, or studied a Roman playwright in the days of Caesar whose name was Horace? He really had a problem with some writers of the Roman era who, if a problem arose, they voiced their trust in one of the Roman gods if they had a problem in their play preparation. Horace rose up on one of those occasions to say, “Do not bring a god onto the stage unless the problem is one that deserves a god to solve it.” [ “Horace’s Satires and Epistles,” trans. Jacob Fuchs, New York: W.W. Norton, 1977, p.89].
Why do you think the majority of Jesus’ earliest disciples were killed? Because of “competing lifestyles” – and some believe your death to be deserved if it’s opposite to their world view or their “religious” convictions! Isn’t that the explanation of September 11, 2001? It’s not my desire to overwhelm you with someone’s religious convictions but to confront us all with revelation Truth!
I love John 1:6-13: “There was a man sent from God whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He [that’s Jesus] was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.[“Competing Lifestyles!”]. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name; who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Do you remember that in John 18 Jesus said in Pilate’s court, “I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Some are not hearing because they’ve been deafened by a competing lifestyle or blinded by the LIE of Satan [‘You can sin and not die!”}, or caught up by the fantasy of religious activity or “doing my own thing” or “I like my involvement with most of the wise [?] world.”
But it’s my prayer as you are going through this book-study, you’ll key into Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”
I love how Josh McDowell put it in one of his books, “All that Jesus said and did pointed to His identity as the Messiah, the Son of God, and to the purpose for which He came to the earth.” We’re going to look at two things in this chapter study: One, Why Christ came, and, Two, The Catastrophe of abandonment or Unbelief.
WHY DID JESUS CHRIST, ETERNAL SON OF GOD, PROMISED MESSIAH, EMMANUEL COME? Jesus came with the eternal purpose of reconciling sinful man to Holy God! In 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 Paul wrote: “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us [all disciples] the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us [all disciples] the word of reconciliation.”
Reconciliation gives us an understanding that there has been a horrible break-up between God and men, a separation, yes, an intentional activity of men possessed and dominated by their old sin natures, not submissive to Holy God! But in Ephesians 1:3-6 we read, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.”
Religions or religious activity are not the grounds of reconciliation before Holy God! “Just try your best” has no ground on which to stand at the Judgment Bar of God. “I was so sincere,” but so sincerely wrong! “I was so devoted to what I believed to be acceptable by God” but Paul clearly said in 1Timothy 2: 3-6, “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”
One Mediator, One Way, One Substitute, One Reconciler, One Lamb of God, One Faith, One Emmanuel, One Lord of lords and One King of kings, One Christ Jesus the Redeemer!
Why Did Jesus Christ, Eternal Son of God, Promised Messiah, Emmanuel Come? Our Lord and Savior came with the heavenly intent to BLESS with peace on earth and good will toward men! In Luke 2:13-14 we read: And suddenly there was with the angels a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!” And this is because of the birth of Jesus Christ to the virgin Mary!
Peace? How many have you heard say, “Peace? The absence of trouble – yet Jesus said, “In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world and its troubles!” “Peace? The absence of enemies – yet to be of saving faith is to welcome the devil, the powers of darkness, and the faithless warriors who’d just as soon see you dead!” “Peace? The absence of Godless governments – yet to be under the sovereign administration of the King of kings and Lord of lords is to understand manmade governments want God obliterated from the face of the earth, understanding no fleshly government or ruler wants God around!
True peace? It’s not only peace with God – it’s the peace of God! In John 14:27 Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Psalm 119:165 says, “Great peace have those who love Your law [Word], and nothing causes them to stumble.”
I know it may not sit well with some because they are so afraid of getting involved in “spooky stuff” when you mention the Holy Spirit, but God’s Holy Word tells us the peace Jesus offered is the “fruit of the Holy Spirit”! [Galatians 5:22]. It’s even the appropriation of divine wisdom! In James 3:17 we read, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits and without hypocrisy.”
But then Jesus said also in Luke: “goodwill toward men”! Contemplate your world around you! Is goodwill toward men the obvious “fruit” of man’s efforts toward men around them? In my neighborhood around our family – “yes” – but then get into the streets, the shopping centers, the schools and universities, the lines are drawn: “Me, my, mine – and get out of my way!” But we remember, “God so loved the world!!!” And because of His great love IN US, we need to impact our world with the message of His goodwill expressed through us!
Why Did Jesus Christ, Eternal Son of God, Promised Messiah, Emmanuel Come? Oh, please, hear me: Our Lord and Savior Came To Offer Forgiveness of Sins! Ephesians 1:7 says, “In Him [in Christ Jesus] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace…”
Isaac Watts was a brilliant hymn-writer anointed by Sovereign God. His hymn says the following: “Alas! And did my Savior bleed? And did my Sovereign die? Would He devote that sacred head for such a worm as I?…Was it for crimes that I have done He groaned upon the tree? Amazing pity! Grace unknown! And love, beyond degree!…Well might the sun in darkness hide, And shut His glories in, When Christ, the mighty Maker died, For man, the creature’s sin….But drops of grief can ne’er repay The debt of love I owe; Here, Lord, I give myself to Thee, – ‘Tis all that I can do.”
Why Did Jesus Christ, Eternal Son of God, Promised Messiah, Emmanuel Come? To Grant Through Redemption And Reconciliation The Gift Of Divine Life. In John 10:10 Jesus said: “The thief [Satan] does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they MAY HAVE LIFE, and that they MAY HAVE IT MORE ABUNDANTLY.”
That ‘life in Christ’ is not existing as best one knows how, but experiencing the fullness of the blessing of the Indwelling Presence of the Indwelling Christ! It’s the Presence of the Glory of the Incorruptible God! And, It’s the Presence of the Holy Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth!
I know this is why Paul overflowed in prayer for the church at Ephesus. In Ephesians 3:17-19 we read: “that Christ may dwell [FF’s interpretation! Dwell? “To feel at home with!”], dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height – to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Why Did Jesus Christ, Eternal Son of God, Promised Messiah, Emmanuel Come? Our Lord and Savior Came To Bestow Overcoming Power! In I Corinthians, verses 23-24, Paul said: “but we preach Christ crucified…[and] to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God…”
And Peter was used of our Lord to amplify for us our Lord’s graciousness! 2 Peter 1:3 says, “as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness…”WOW! Our Lord has empowered us to live the Victorious Christ-Life!
Have you realized, understood, comprehended, that our Lord has given us “the exceeding greatness of God’s power” to sustain us, to strengthen us, and to equip us with heavenly power! God spoke to Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9 when Paul had been buffeted by Satan and the demons – he wanted deliverance, but God said to Paul, and us, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Paul’s response? “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” And I say, “Yes, Lord!”
Why Did Jesus Christ, Eternal Son of God, Promised Messiah, Emmanuel Come? He Came To Brighten a Life With The Fulfillment of Eternal Purpose! I bring you to 2 Corinthians 5: 17-20, where Paul wrote, inspired by the Holy Spirit, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”
Do you remember Paul, in Philippians, sharing: “For to me to live is Christ…”? Eternal Purpose, Partners with God, Team Players in World Redemption, Messengers of the Living Faith, Calling Men to Repentance and Faith – and you have a greater, more meaningful purpose?
“Competing Lifestyles!!” It’s there! Between flesh and Spirit, between old man and the new man, between the temporal significance for some and the Eternal Song of honoring Christ! But there is one more vital truth I must share about Christ’s Coming!
Why Did Jesus Christ, Eternal Son of God, Promised Messiah, Emmanuel Come? To Usher In The Beginning Of The Claim Of His Rightful Inheritance In The Saints Granted By Father-God! Come to Colossians 1:15-23!
“He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things; and in Him all things consist [or are held together!]. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled, in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight – if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.” Thank God for all that we seen so far! But you do understand: As a part of a society of “competing lifestyles”, I pray you are not those who’ve sided with God’s enemies!
But we know there are those fallen ones who have no desire to “get up” into the heavenly realm, there are those so enamored with their fallen state they will not give you or God the time of day, there are those blinded yet think they “see”, deaf but think they “hear,” crippled by the fallen sin nature, can’t get up, don’t want to get up, perfectly at rest to be a part of fallen humanity who has willfully forgotten God and why He made them.
I want you to look with me at “The Catastrophe of Abandonment” or Departing From Christ! You must at least be confronted with Biblical Truth! God’s Word is filled when the whys and wherefores and therefores of “competing lifestyles”!
I am convinced, first, that the danger of departing from Christ or the catastrophe of abandonment of our Lord is because of a heart departure. It always begins here: a heart devoted to the life and message of the Living God or the heart devoted to what they sense from the powers of darkness or Satan himself.
In Jeremiah 17:5 we read: Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh [or his own arm] his strength, WHOSE HEART DEPARTS FROM THE LORD.”
All the way back to Genesis 6:5-6 we read: “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.” Isn’t that absolutely amazing to you as the disciple of Christ? In the beginning men’s hearts turned away from the God who made us. In the beginning there was a mass exodus before the Jews exodus leaving Egypt behind – fallen men shut the door on Holy Presence for themselves – it was a “heart” matter!
The Word speaks of an “evil heart”; a “departing heart”; a “proud heart”; a “deceitful heart”; a “stony heart” hardened by self-will, self-rule, self-pleasure; a Satanically-filled heart”; a “shut-up-heart” to the things of God!
No wonder the wiseman of Proverbs wrote, Proverbs 4:23, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” I love Proverbs 22:11 where the wise man said: “He who loves purity of heart and has grace on his lips, the king will be his friend.” Is it, “I am a friend of God” because my new heart is His or “I am a friend of myself and my divided, separated heart from Holy God”?
Second, it’s not even up for debate! There is a departing from Christ, an abandonment, because of a “MIND DEPARTURE”! It is interesting that when God was ready to make a new covenant with Israel He told them, “I will put My law in their minds” because they would never have cried for grace and mercy if their minds didn’t know the end of law-breaking – no salvation, healing, or deliverance!
In Isaiah 26:3 God’s Word declares, “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed [taken hold of, leaned on]] on you, because he trusts in You.” But listen to Isaiah 17:10-11! “Because you have forgotten the God of your salvation, and have NOT BEEN MINDFUL of the Rock of your stronghold, Therefore you will plant pleasant plants and set out foreign seedlings…; In the day you will make your plant to grow, and in the morning you will make your seed to flourish; But the harvest will be a heap of ruins in the day of grief and desperate sorrow.’’ Forgotten! Forgotten! Forgotten!
God said in Jeremiah 2:32, they “have forgotten Me days without number!” In Deuteronomy 32:18, they had “forgotten the God who formed them.” That wasn’t all – Deuteronomy 50:6 tells us they had “forgotten their resting place…” Hosea 4:6 says they had “forgotten the law of God…”
But there sure couldn’t be anything like that in the New Testament, could there? Hebrews 12:5 says there were those who had “forgotten the exhortation…” which related to divine discipline! I really sense that I need to share with you several verses from 2 Peter 1:5-9! Hear it! “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, [spiritually], AND HAS FORGOTTEN that he was cleansed from his old sins.”
There is also a Departing From Christ, An Abandonment, Because of a Truth Departure. In John 6:53-67 Jesus challenges us and our world out there with TRUTH! Then Jesus said to them, “most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. [Some say, “You Christians are cannabalistic in your beliefs.” No. our Lord spoke symbolically – and demonstrated at the Last Supper the “broken bread and poured out wine!]. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread that came down from heaven – not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread [His indwelling life] will live forever.” Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?” When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”
Do you comprehend what those departing disciples were saying? “There is a LIMIT to the amount of truth that we will accept and walk in!” It’s another hefty, strong, challenging, convicting word from 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12! It says: “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish because THEY DID NOT RECEIVE THE LOVE OF THE TRUTH THAT THEY MIGHT BE SAVED. And for this reason, God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be CONDEMNED WHO DID NOT BELIEVE THE TRUTH but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
Are you more aware of “competing lifestyles”? 2 Timothy 4:2-5 enlightens us more about this departure from TRUTH! Paul wrote: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. FOR THE TIME WILL COME WHEN THEY WILL NOT ENDURE SOUND DOCTRINE, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and THEY WILL TURN THEIR EARS AWAY FROM THE TRUTH, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”
Spurgeon made two powerful statements in a message he entitled “A Mournful Defection.”, [Spurgeon’s Sermons, Memorial Library, Vol. 12, p. 294], First, “He intended to save men, but He never intended to gratify their depraved tastes.” And second, “They kick against any truth which clashes with their prejudices.”
No – we, disciples of Jesus, followers of the Lamb, we’ll be those of the Berean mind!! Acts 17:11, “These were more fair-minded [noble-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.”
There is also a Departing From Christ, An Abandonment, Because of a Responsibility Departure. In Song of Solomon 1:6 the Holy Word says, “Do not look upon me, because I am dark, because the sun has tanned me. My mother’s sons were angry with me: They made me the keeper of the vineyards, BUT MY OWN VINEYARD I HAVE NOT KEPT.” This has meaning for me? I Corinthians 3:9 says, “…you are God’s field [God’s vineyard]!!**”
The wise man of Proverbs was no “dummy”! In Proverbs 6 6-11 he wrote: Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which, having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest. How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep – so shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, and your need like an armed man.” [Check Proverbs 24:30-34!].[Isaiah 5:1-7 is so illuminating here!].
Our Lord and Savior really identified for us “the weed and seed” failure. In Matthew 13, verses 7 & 22 Jesus said: “And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.” His explanation? “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.”
Your responsibility is to “lean on Jesus,” to live a yielded life to the control of the Master, to understand your dependence on Him for the spiritual work ethic – but some ignore that responsibility and end up “fruitless”! [John 15:1-8]. That leads us to:
The Departing From Christ, An Abandonment, Because Of A Submission Departure. There was a confrontation in I Samuel 15 as Samuel confronted King Saul. Verses 22-23 says, So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.” Departing from Christ, hearing His Word and walking away IS a sin and an un-submissive spirit!
In Hebrews 3:7-13 says: Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of the trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works forty years. Therefore I was angry with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their hearts, and they have not known My ways.’ So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’” Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you AN EVIL HEART OF UNBELIEF IN DEPARTING FROM THE LIVING GOD; but exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today,’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”
The Departing From Christ, An Abandonment, Also, Because Of A Holiness Departure. Get ready because you’re going to see why a modern-day promiscuous society resents the Holy Word! You’ll see why belief or the lack of it leads, yes, to resentment and bitterness toward God’s Word! It was astonishing to me to read Josh McDowell’s book “Beyond Belief To Convictions,” and hear him relate, “The majority of today’s youth (70%) say there is no absolute moral truth.” [p.11]. But it gives explanation to “the holiness departure”!
In I Thessalonians 4:1-8 we read: “Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us HOW YOU OUGHT TO WALK AND TO PLEASE GOD; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: [“set apart, made holy”], that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles, who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.”
The Departing From Christ, An Abandonment, Because Of An “Other-World” Departure. Come to 2 Timothy 4:10 where Paul wrote: “for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world…”.
It was so interesting what Jesus said to the unbelieving Jews in John 8:23 – Jesus said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.” It was George Whetstone who said in “The World,” “What is this world? A net to snare the soul.” John was so used by our Lord graciously as He inspired John to write I John 2:15-16, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world.”
And how many do you know who’ve been captured by, or strayed to, that which fades quickly and soon passes away of any fulfillment, joy, or peace? Oh, how bold was James? But there are those times we need the 2by4 right across our noses! James 4:4, Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God?”
The Departing From Christ, An Abandonment, Because Of A Holy Spirit Departure – not the Spirit from some, but some departing from any influence on their lives by the Spirit! Get ready! Gear up! Stand erect! Hear Jesus! Examine yourself!
Matthew 25:1-13 says: “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps [What do lamps hold? Oil – representing the Holy Spirit!] and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.” ENOUGH SAID ON ATTEMPTING TO LIVE OUT YOUR FAITH APART FROM THE OIL OF GOD, THE HOLY SPIRIT!
The Departing From Christ, An Abandonment, Because Of A Faithfulness And Wisdom Departure! Without a doubt the Scriptures I’m going to share with you now are some of the most powerful, convicting, enlightening Scriptures you’ll ever read. Buckle up because YOU are about to be challenged! Luke 12:35-46 is so, so STOUT! “let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them to sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. But KNOW THIS, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Then Peter said to Him, “Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?” And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in pieces [in two] and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.” I DON’T BELIEVE WE SHOULD “FALL AWAY” FROM FAITHFULNESS AND WISDOM!
In closing this chapter, Spurgeon’s message on a “Mournful Defection” highlighted 7 reasons:
- “Others there are who desert the Savior FOR THE SAKE OF GAIN.” 2. “Some leave Christ and go away terrified by persecution.” 3. “There are people who forsake true faith out of LEVITY.” 4. “Others are tempted and led astray by Evil Companions.” 5. “Others, for the sake of Sensual Enjoyments.” 6. Others breed resentment because of “the altering or changing of circumstances.” 7. Others? Sheer Laziness!
Have you departed, are you tempted to stray, are you presently defecting? It’s Wake-Up Time!
CHAPTER SEVEN
DYING GRASS! DEMANDING GOSPEL! DIVINE GRACE!
Two introductory passages of Scripture! First, Isaiah 40:6-8, The voice said, “Cry out!” And he said, “What shall I cry?” “All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, because the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God abides forever.” Second, look at I Peter 1:23-25, “having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because, All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away. But the word of the Lord endures forever.” Now this is the word by which the gospel was preached to you.”
These are two awesome passages of Scripture that we’ve just read – but what are their significance for men then and men now? This is so relevant for the “competing lifestyles”! LOOK AT THE END RESULTS OF YOURSELF IN CHRIST AND YOUR COMPETITORS LOCKED IN TO THEIR GODLESS LIFE CHOICES!
And if you go to verse three you grasp DIVINE INTENT! “A voice is calling, ‘Clear the way of the Lord in the wilderness; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.” Has that changed? As faithfulness to that intent prevails, verse 5 then tells us: “Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” I’m telling you, because of “competitive lifestyles” there must be the unveiling of the futility of flesh, bad or good, bitter, better, or best, if the glory of the Lord is going to be witnessed!
Paul was very clear, anointed by the Spirit, when in Romans 8 he wrote, Verse 6, “the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.” He said in Verse 7, “the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God;” then in Verse8, “and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” THE FLESH NATURE IS THE OLD MAN, FIRST ADAM, LIFE POISONED BY ITS OLD SIN NATURE.
The “best” of men apart from God becomes the “beast” of personal separation and personal destruction before Holy God! So God sends a prophet to prepare the way of Christ Jesus. If divine glory flows and is welcomed, it becomes reality when fallen flesh is exposed as barren, busted, empty, inept, inert, corroded, corrupt, polluted, putrid, spoiled, absent of the heavenly glory God intended men to display.
During the 1600’s in Scotland, there was a mighty move of God in the lives of multitudes of people and pastors. But the leadership of the church, the episcopate, the ruling body, was unmoved. In fact, Archbishop Laud hounded many pure-hearted pastors out of their pulpits. Robert Blair was one of those fire-brand, Spirit-filled, Word-imprisoned pastors who faced the judgment of cold, dead hierarchy.
In 1634 Blair was excommunicated by the Bishop. But then after he was sentenced to excommunication by the Bishop and removed from his church, he arose and with the anointing of the Spirit of God he cited this Bishop to appear before the judgment seat of Christ, the heavenly court, and answer to Jesus for this deed. To this the Bishop responded that in confidence he would be able to appeal to the mercy of God. Blair responded, “Your appeal is likely to be rejected because you acted against the light of your own conscience.”
Not long after this the Bishop became seriously ill. His physician came to ask of him his problem…after much hesitation and with only a few words, he said: “It is my conscience, Doctor.” To which the physician replied: “I have no cure for that.” [OR, I have no cure for a sick, sinful conscience!”] [The Puritan Hope, Iaian H. Murray, p.33]
Do you understand what Isaiah and Peter were anointed of God to write to us? There is not a person anywhere, anytime that is to be exempt from the divine exposure of our fleshliness. There is not a life that appeared so alive that is to be exempt from Holy Spirit conviction that that life is but grass, becoming discolored, dying, being destroyed, even outward beauty becoming a fading flower because ‘flesh’, the absence of the Spirit and nature of Christ, cannot stand on its own!
WE TODAY, IN MODERN-DAY SICK AMERICA, NEED THE PROPHETIC WORD OF GOD TO BRING HEALING GRACE TO OUR SICK NATION AND SICK GOVERNMENT NEAR THE STAGE OF SAYING ‘TERMINAL’ – SO WHAT DOES GOD’S WORD TELL US?
FIRST, DO YOU SEE, DO YOU SENSE – ARE YOU CONVICTED ABOUT ‘YOUR DYING GRASS’? Again, look at Isaiah 40:6, ‘The voice out of heaven said to the prophet, “Cry out!” But the prophet said, “What shall I cry?” “Well, if you don’t know, tell them this: ‘All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. Verse 7, The grass withers, the flower fades, because the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. Verse 8, The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever.”
What is ‘the breath of the Lord’ blowing upon those to whom the prophet speaks? Is it LIFE or is it DEATH? In the economy of God there is no new life apart from the death of flesh! Who welcomes the physician? It’s the SICK! Who welcomes the Savior? The one who knows he’s the sinner! Who welcomes the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit? The one who is convicted that his flesh brought on the death of Christ Jesus on the Cross! Who welcomes “The Evangel”? The one who knows he’s lost and wants to be found, the one who knows his fleshly sin-nature has brought separation and he wants to be made one with God, the one who clearly relates to the smell of his own death and he wants the Offerer of Life that is abundant, spiritual, and eternal, with the sweet aroma of Heaven itself!
What does Romans 3:23 tell us? “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” ALL ‘FLESH’ SINS AND FALLS SHORT OF THE FULLNESS OF THE GLORY OF GOD! DYING GRASS! In Romans 5:12 we read: “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because ALL SINNED-“ DYING GRASS!”
It was written anonymously but is so on target: “Some die without having really lived, while others continue to live, in spite of the fact that they have died.” DYING GRASS! Sometimes “dying grass” is bitter pain – at other times a pill hard to swallow but spiritual death just the same. Sometimes “dying grass” is that exodus of death that has no ending because of stubborn will that refuses to bow before Holy God. Sometimes ‘flesh’ rides the pale horse whose name is Death and truly believes it’s been a pleasurable ride. Sometimes ‘flesh’ is as dying grass because so many join the bivouac of the dead and feel comfortable, right at home with the decaying!
Charles Haddon Spurgeon wrote: [Spurgeon’s Sermons, Memorial Library, Vol.9, p.367] – “It is the work of the Spirit of God to convince men of sin, and until they are convinced of sin, they will never be led to seek the righteousness which is of God by Christ Jesus… The awakened sinner, when he asks that God would have mercy on him, is much astonished to find that, instead of enjoying a speedy peace, his soul is bowed down within him under a sense of divine wrath…Naturally enough he inquires: ‘Is this the answer to my prayer? I prayed the Lord to deliver me from sin and self, and is this the way in which he deals with me? I said, ‘Hear me,’ and behold he wounds me with the wounds of a cruel one. I said, ‘Clothe me,’ and lo! He has torn off from me the few rags which covered me before, and my nakedness stares me in the face. I said, ‘Wash me,’ and behold he has plunged me in the ditch till my own clothes do abhor me. Is this the way of grace?” And Spurgeon said, “Yes – sinner, be not surprised; it is even so.”
SECOND, DO YOU SEE, DO YOU SENSE – ARE YOU CONVICTED ABOUT ‘THE DEMANDING GOSPEL’? In Acts 20:21 Paul wrote to the Ephesian elders about, LISTEN!! “testifying to Jews and also to Greeks [or Gentiles] REPENTANCE TOWARD GOD AND FAITH TOWARD [or in] OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.”
The Bible, nowhere, says: “Any old religion will do.” Nowhere does it say, “Man can invent, create, establish his own way to God.” In Matthew 3 & 4 John had baptized Jesus. Then Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He then began His public ministry – and Matthew 4:17 says, From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ He said in Matthew 9:13, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” I’m sure this is why Augustine wrote: “Before God can deliver us we must undeceive ourselves.”
In Luke 13:3 Jesus said: “I tell you…unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” And I tell you: REPENTANCE IS MORE THAN A ONE-TIME EVENT – IT’S A WAY OF LIFE! Our Lord sure messed up some ‘casual’ preachers and compromising ‘professors’ when in Revelation 2:1-5 He said: “To the angel [or messenger] of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear with those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; REPENT and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place – UNLESS YOU REPENT.” You can stand to defend whatever perceived doctrine you are loyal to, but I don’t believe a removed lampstand is a good thing to me – sounds like darkness is about to rule and not Light!
Peter said in Acts 3:19, “Repent therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” A prayer of true repentance? [Take the time right now to read Psalm 51:1-17!] But Paul also said what after “repentance toward God”? He then said: “and faith toward [or in] our Lord Jesus Christ.”
That’s the Gospel to be preached! That’s the Good News to rest your life upon. That’s the message of mercy for the masses who truly repent. That’s the Song of Redemption for the unredeemed. In John 5:25 Jesus speaks: “Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, WHEN THE DEAD will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.” Who are “the dead”? Ephesians 2:1 clearly says, “And you He [Jesus] made alive, WHO WERE DEAD IN TRESPASSES AND SINS.”
Are you getting the true picture? Compromise with a worldly competing spirit leads to “death”! Those who are so “alive” to themselves cannot, do not, will not hear the voice of the Son of God. But those who know they are “dead” before Holy God and want Life, those can reach out in repentance toward God and faith in the finished work of Christ at Calvary and find everlasting, eternal, never-ending oneness with Him. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
I pray you hear and understand what Jesus tells. In John 17 He prayed to Father-God: Verses 3-5, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”
What did we read in Isaiah 40:5? “Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Lazarus had died. You remember the story: John 11:38-40! “Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, ‘Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.’ Jesus to her, ‘Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the Glory of God?’” What did we read in Isaiah? THEN THE GLORY OF THE LORD WILL BE REVEALED!
The prophet Isaiah also wrote in Isaiah 6:3, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.” In “Imitations of Immortality” William Wordsworth wrote: “Not in utter nakedness, but trailing clouds of glory do we come.”
THIRD, DO YOU SEE, DO YOU SENSE – ARE YOU PREPARED, PERSUADED, CAPTURED BY GOD’S DIVINE GRACE? Come to I Peter 1:22-2:3, “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because ‘All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”
Are you living by your grit or by God’s grace? Come to John 1:14-17!! “And the Word [Jesus] became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
Don’t ever forget Romans 9:6-8! “But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called.’ That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of promise are counted as the seed.”
Forgiveness is the grace of God in action – and what repels God’s forgiveness is not His reluctance but a man’s refusal of acceptance of God’s unconditional love and grace. Let me close out this study with powerful words out of Philip Yancey’s book, “What’s So Amazing About Grace?” In the fifth chapter entitled “The New Math of Grace,” Yancey talked about “the scandalous mathematics of grace.” Then he quoted Frederick Buechner: “People are prepared for everything except for the fact that beyond the darkness of their blindness there is a great light. They are prepared to go on breaking their backs plowing the same old fields until the cows come home without seeing, until they stub their toes on it, that there is a treasure buried in that field rich enough to buy Texas. They are prepared for a God who strikes hard bargains but not for a God who gives as much for an hour’s work as for a day. They are prepared for a mustard-seed kingdom of God no bigger than the eye of a newt but not prepared for the great bunyan it becomes with birds in its branches singing Mozart. They are prepared for the potluck supper at First Presbyterian but not for the marriage supper of the Lamb…!”
It’s my intent we all be CONFRONTED BY GRACE AND TRUTH. It’s my intent that CONVICTION REIGNS in our minds and hearts. It’s my intent that HIS SEED CONVERTS.
It’s my intent that we find our mountain upon which we CONSECRATE OURSELVES to His Glory, Honor, and Praise.
It’s my intent that this word birth’s CHRIST-LIKENESS in us all – not resembling the competing lifestyles that detest God and His Holy Word, His Sacrificial Lamb, and refuse to bow broken before His throne of grace, mercy, and love!
CHAPTER EIGHT
LOWER-LEVEL LIVING OR UPPER-ROOM LIVING
I want you to come with me to Mark 14:12-17! Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?” And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him. Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ “Then he will show you a large UPPER ROOM furnished and prepared; there make ready for us.” So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover. In the evening He came with the twelve.”
I hope you noticed that those young disciples were encouraged by Christ to meet Him in a fore-ordained “Upper Room” where they would share in a Passover meal right before His arrest and crucifixion. God’s holy desire is for those who come to saving faith to know the blessings of Upper Room Living. Since there is His provision of blessing and not a curse, then apart from His saving faith there must be “lower level living.” And it doesn’t take a PhD in human affairs to understand the downside to lower level living and the upside and blessing of Upper Room life for men and women of faith. Notice verse 17 of Mark 14: “He [Jesus] came with them.”
Let’s look at both: Lower Level Or Upper Room? There is the “serpent’s” flood out of his mouth to sweep you away, but Upper Level Living is blessed by the steady flow of the Fountain of living waters! Lower level? Hood-winked by the deceiver or Standing in Truth, being its pillar, ground, and support! You know those clouded constantly by the “fog” of doubts and fears, but in that Upper Room there are the abiding blessings of confidence and assurance.
Lower Level living is dominated by the fleshly preeminence of the First Adam but Upper Room Living is the persecution of the Second Adam [you do pay a price to follow Christ from the fallen, the faithless, and fleshly fearlessness to silence the voices of “The True Faith”!]. The old life is always bombarded by the accusations of the libeler, but in Christ it’s the affirmations of our Lord. Lower level speaks of the natural and the ordinary, but Upper Room fellowship speaks of the dimensions of the supernatural and the extraordinary.
If you haven’t learned yet, lower level livers know the hurting presence of the spirit of darkness, lions, bears, scorpions, and snakes, but “Upper Room” dwellers know the awesome presence of “The Lamb of God”! Lower Level Living comes out of the old man, old sin nature, old flesh-rule, while Upper Level Living comes through “the new creation in Christ Jesus,” new man, the born-again ones!
Lower Level Living is the ‘best’ of fallen flesh,’ but Upper Room Living is because of the blessing of the fulfilling Holy Spirit….It’s either ‘the earthly man’ or it’s “The Heavenly Man.” It’s either majoring on my weaknesses or being Mastered through His strengths. You’re either “dead in trespasses and sins” or “Alive in Christ.” You either walk about with an empty cup or you know: “Filled All-In-All”!
Lower Level Living? It’s dethroned into nothingness or enthroned in ALL HE IS, “seated with Christ in the heavenly places!” Lower Level folk, though they know it or not, are tormented by the powers of darkness – and for peace some declare a truce with them without knowing it, while Upper Room Living is “triumphant in the power of God!”
If you’re “down under,” then you’re controlled by the mystery of iniquity, while “Upper Level” folk celebrate “the mystery of godliness.” LOWER? Sin and its constant reminder of failure, while the “Upper Level” knows sanctification [“set apart”] and its victory. You know them: Their unrighteousness is as filthy rags, while “the blessed” are robed in righteousness as the garment of their salvation.
Unforgiveness is the rotten fruit of the devilish father of darkness while forgiveness is the sweet fruit of our Lord and Savior. To choose “low-living” is to live with the errors of deception, while “Upper Room Living” is to be bathed in the truths of deliverance and healing. Lower? Evidenced by the fruit of pride and arrogance, but the “Upper” is the fruit of humility and brokenness.
Can’t you just picture it all around you? “It’s all about who I am!” NO! “It’s all about WHO HE IS!” You’re aware of the differences: The faithless – The faithful! Folks swept up in the drowning waves of hatred, resentment, and bitterness OR overflowing in love, long-suffering, and lastingly compassionate! The thoughtless or the thankful! A backbiting, contentious spirit OR the soothing tongue of pleasantness, perfecting words, truth spoken in love!
Lower Level Living? Satisfying the old sin-nature in adulterous, immoral, unholy ways! “Upper Room Living? Fulfilling the imputed, implanted divine nature in the choices of Christ-like, Spirit-controlled living. Easy to read: Bad temper, anger, malice, or rage! OR, gentle, peaceful, the In-dwelling personality of Christ ‘in you, the hope of glory.’
You’ve heard them, witnessed it: “I’m fully alive and enjoying my personal deception!” OR, “I’m crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me.” Lower? A self-justifying spirit that leaves one in his chosen deathly state. OR, I rest in Christ’s justifying me, giving me eternal life!
J.B. Phillips translates Roman 3:20 like this: “No man can justify himself before God by a perfect performance of the Law’s demands – indeed it is the straight edge of the Law that shows us how crooked we are.” It’s also why John the Baptist came preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” And in Matthew 3:3 it says of John, that he was, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight.” Lower Level Living? It’s bent, crooked, wild! Upper Level Living? Smooth, straightened, a song that can never die in each heart! Lower level folks abide with ease in the naturalness of their crookedness while Upper Level Redeemed Ones abide in the super-natural-ness of the Gospel that is the Power of God!
I’m going to be majoring in the next few pages on what I sense to be through our Lord’s Holy Word what Upper Level Living is truly all about! I know YOU KNOW how competing lifestyles are the mixture of everyday living in a world our Lord so desperately wants to redeem!
UPPER ROOM LIVING IS LIVING IN THE PASSION OF HIS PRESENCE AND THE POWER OF HIS SACRIFICE. Again, Mark 14: 15-16, “Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us.” So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.”
Have you even contemplated Jesus saying about the “Upper Room” that it was “furnished and prepared”? Revelation 13:8 tells us, “All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” The Upper Room of Faith has been set, provided for, instituted by the love, grace, and mercy of God – ‘slain from the foundation of the world’! Revelation 5:12 tells us, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!” But you choose Lower Level Living?
How’s your ‘passion’ quotient? In John 6:53-58 we read: “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven – not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”
How’s your ‘power’ level? In I Corinthians 1:18 Paul wrote, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
How’s your ‘pressing in’ intent? Philippians 3:7-14 says, “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ, and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the mark [goal] for the prize of the UPWARD CALL OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS.”
How’s your pleasure level? In Psalm 16:11b, David wrote, “In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” In I Chronicles 16:27 David also wrote, “Honor and majesty are before Him; strength and gladness are in His place.”
How’s your purpose goal? In Mark 3: 13-15 we read, And He [Jesus] went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. AND THEY CAME TO HIM. Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him, and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons.”
UPPER ROOM LIVING IS LIVING IN THE PRECIOUSNESS OF HIS RESURRECTION LIFE PRODUCING PEACE AND EMPOWERING US IN THE FULFILLMENT OF OUR CALLING. In John 20:19-22 we read, 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, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Bless the Name of our Lord Jesus for the fruit of His peace and the faithfulness and fullness and fire of His Holy Spirit, anointing us in the guarantee of the fulfillment of our calling! Our Lord said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
When you ENTER that “Upper Room” life and walk you are fully enveloped and clothed by the preciousness of His resurrection life within you. This is why, in Philippians 4:4-8, Paul wrote, sang, preached, testified to: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
But I said: “Peace…”, Then what about the power? I pray you’re not a follower of Christ unaware of John 7:37-39! On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
UPPER ROOM LIVING IS LIVING IN THE HOLY PLACE OF PRAYER, DISCOVERING BY ABIDING IN THAT HOLY PLACE, HIS PROMISES AND HIS PURPOSES FOR OUR LIVES. Let’s look at the early disciples as they went into “the upper room” in Acts 1:13-14. “And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying; Peter, James, John, Barthlomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.”
I think it is vital, so important, to witness, yes, even the proper attitude in a praying community. If you look at Acts 2:1 it says, When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, THEY WERE ALL WITH ONE ACCORD IN ONE PLACE….One-accordance gives opportunity for the blessing of answered prayer! One thing I’m sure of in this upper room of prayer – Acts 2:47 says they were “praising God,” so no wonder they left that upper room to go out and turn a world upside down!
In Acts 3:1 Peter and John had gone to the temple at “the hour of prayer;” and it seems to me faithfulness in commitment to be a praying community opens doors, opportunities, to touch others with His grace! The man lame from his mother’s womb hears Peter: “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” AND HE DID!
Acts 4:31 tells us, And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness….Did you catch it? Assembled together, praying, shaken, filled with the Spirit – but you’ve determined a better agenda?
In Acts 6 those young disciples had assembled and affirmed that, Acts 6:4, “we will give ourselves continually to prayer and the ministry of the word.” But your ‘planned programs’ seem better to you than being MASTERED through prayer?
Do you remember Peter being imprisoned? And the church plans a sneak attack to free him? No! Acts 12:5 says, “Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.” His chains fell off, the prison gate was opened, and even though the gathered church was praying for Peter’s release, they were shocked when he came to the place of prayer!
In Acts 16 Paul goes to the riverside on the Sabbath day, the Bible says, “where prayer was customarily made” – and there he met Lydia, no doubt prayed for her, and “The Lord opened her heart..” Paul and Silas end up being imprisoned also for their witness. They prayed, they sang, they waited on God – there was an earthquake – and the prison doors were opened!
In Acts 28 Paul ministers on Malta, verse 8, Publius’ father was very sick, but Paul prayed for him and he was healed.
Please, please, hear me – “Upper Room Living” is, through prayer, extending the healing ministry of Jesus through you, expressing His power through prayer, and exalting His Name as the One who truly cares for each one and their needs!
UPPER ROOM LIVING IS LIVING IN THE PROMISE OF HIS ABIDING PRESENCE AND HIS PERFECT REST. In Exodus 33:13-15 Moses said to Holy God, “Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people. And God said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.”
I had a dear, dear friend who had come to the Lord about three months before we met personally. He had come out of a godless background – and when he met Christ his local pastor had no time to disciple a ‘cripple’! He came to me one day and said, “Farrell, will you teach me the Word?” I agreed that when I was in the city at 9:00pm every Wednesday night I’d share God’s Word in his home. But that was not enough – my friend would take a pup-tent up to one of those beautiful Tennessee mountains and for days bathe himself in the Word of God. Years later this man, at times, would see 10,000 people or more in conferences he led teaching God’s Word! He learned abiding presence, perfect rest, and a fulfilled life!
Upper Room Living Is Living In The Place Of Powerful Intercession For The Dead. In I Kings 17:17-24, follow carefully! Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. And his sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him. So she said to Elijah, “What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?” And he said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him out of her arms and carried him TO THE UPPER ROOM where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. Then he cried out to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge, by killing her son?” And he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, let this child’s soul come back to him.” Then the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived. And Elijah took the child and brought him down FROM THE UPPER ROOM into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives!” Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is the truth.”
Thank God for physical healings, yes, even of the dead! It hasn’t happened often in my life, but I will never forget being in Haiti and met a man who was in charge of erecting the huge tents for David Wilkerson’s ministry. He and I were walking casually one evening down a street in the Haitian capital – coming out of a home was a pastor, a weeping father and mother, carrying a dead baby wrapped in burial cloth. This Godly man said, “Let’s ask if we can pray for the baby.” They consented, he unwrapped the little baby, we laid hands on the baby and began to pray – shortly, the baby began to cry and cry and cry! And Dad and Mom carried her back in their little shack!
But, Look with me at John 5:25! Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.”
“The dead?” That’s those physically alive but spiritually dead! Why? “For the wages of sin is death!” Not something future but present reality! All around you are those who ignore the message of Jesus because they are so captivated “in death” and don’t know there’s “new life”! What did Paul say in 2 Corinthians 5:17? “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new!”
Are you at all familiar with the “dry bones” passage in Ezekial 37? The heart of the passage is a cry for “the breath” to come from the four winds and breathe on those spiritually slain that they may live! That’s God’s specialty – “raising the dead!”
UPPER ROOM LIVING IS LIVING IN THE PREPARED PLACE OF PRAISE BECAUSE OF THE MULTITUDINOUS BLESSINGS OF GOD UPON OUR LIVES. With all my heart I pray you are truly ready for what you are about to see in John 14:2-3 & verse 23! It says: “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” Verse 23, Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and WE WILL COME TO HIM AND MAKE OUR HOME WITH HIM.”
In I Corinthians 6:19 Paul sends the seeker into the stratosphere of purposeful living when he says to us in this verse: “Or do you not know that YOUR BODY IS THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO IS IN YOU, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” There are four important truths I want you aware of as you see God’s Prepared Place, your very life!
- It’s a prepared place of human awareness of the heavenly blessings of God! Why is that? Because we’ve learned of the bankruptcy of our birth. “Who am I and what is my house?” And God says, “I took you from the sheepfold, from following sheep, to be ruler over my people.” [2 Samuel 7:8] It was Spurgeon, [Memorial Library, Vol.10,p.30] who said: “All down the line there is a taint of high treason against the divine majesty; we come of a race of rebels, and our own personal birth was marred by sin.” You say, “How can that be?” Let His Word speak: Psalm 51:5, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.” Psalm 58:3 says, “The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.” You’ve witnessed it: “Mine! Mine! Mine!” and a war erupts in your own playroom! Isaiah 4:8 speaks of those “called a transgressor from the womb.” Ephesians 2:3 says, “dead in trespasses and sins.” We didn’t come with divine blood flowing in our veins, no hereditary glories, no blessing with glamorous’ godly genes! We were born in this world in ‘the flesh’ spiritually bankrupt, in need of a Savior even then! Thank God for converted, praying parents!
Beyond the bankruptcy of birth, we became aware quickly of the baseness of our own personhood. “Who am I? There’s nothing in me that you found worthy of kingship, [That’s David!], nothing in my life apart from You that merits such blessing and favor.” Again, it’s not our Genes – it’s God’s grace! Who am I? What have I done? Someone wrote long ago: “Why was I made to hear Your voice, and enter where there’s room, While thousands make a wretched choice, and rather starve than come.”
Beyond the baseness of our own personhood, we become aware of the belittlement of our nothingness against the back-drop of all God is! “Who am I, O Lord God?” That was the shepherd-boy’s question before Holy God. He was only Jesse’s son but he stands before Sovereign God. David was a young, smelly, sheep-tender, but the Mercy of God calls his name! Do you understand all God has done and all that He IS? You and I were weighted down with our load of sin, but He blotted it out through the blood of Christ. We were unrighteous but He counted us righteous. We were unloved but He “Loved us with an everlasting love and with His lovingkindness He drew us to Himself!” We don’t have an inch of room to boast – we can only humbly, broken, BOW before Him and surrender to His grace! Christ’s blessing on Peter caused Peter to cry out: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” It’s why Paul said, “He who glories, let him GLORY IN THE LORD.” I have no problem with the “not many wise…not many mighty…not many noble” being the ones God calls. I have no problem with “the foolish things, the weak things, the base things, the things despised, the things which are nothing” if God calls me to be with him.
- It’s a prepared place of heart-felt praise and wondering gratitude. 2 Samuel 7:18b says, “And what is my house, that You have brought me this far?” And the question of this hour is, for you, “What is your house and where has God brought you this far?” Psalm 40:2-3 says, [And it’s so very true for us all!], “He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps…He has put a new song in my mouth – Praise to our God.”
It was a pit of destruction, the miry clay of sin and shame, the sinking sand of slavery and bondage to the old sin nature, an awful pit of darkness and separation – but He brought us out into the light and into liberty and freedom. We praise Him because He called us with a high and holy calling. We praise Him because He pardoned us from all sin and guilt. We praise Him because He justified us, accepting us as if we’d never sinned. We praise Him because He regenerated us into the new resurrection life of Christ. We praise Him because He’s sanctifying us by the washing of the water of His Holy Word. We praise Him because He’s promised to keep us from stumbling, and to present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy!
- It’s a prepared place of abounding, amazing love. In 2 Samuel 7:20 we read: “What more can David say to You?” Have you been there like David – stopped in his tracks by the very awesomeness of divine love? He stands still, dumb-struck by the electrifying, enveloping, encompassing love of God! Paul had just talked about all things working for good to those who love God. He’d just been awed and dumb-struck himself as he saw God’s purpose for himself and us –“conformed to the image of Christ.” He knew he was predestined, called, justified, and was going to be glorified, and so he wrote: Romans 8:31, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?’ Romans 8:32, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him freely give us all things?” Verse 35, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?…Verse 37, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”
Oh, WHAT THEN SHALL WE SAY TO THESE THINGS? It’s a love that turns our hearts to God. It’s a love that produces and imitates the Servant-Spirit! It’s a love that produces intimacy! But also,
- It’s a prepared place of perfecting praise that points only to God! Isaiah 43:21 says, “This people I have formed for Myself; they shall declare My praise.” It point s to God in His “Amazing Grace”. It points to God in His abiding faithfulness. It points to God in His awesome covenant blessings and their greatness. It points to God in His ascending, unveiling, illuminating ministry of heavenly wisdom and knowledge. It points to God in the Alpha and Omega of His Eternal Presence. “I’ll NEVER leave you nor forsake you!”
As I close this chapter, I want to leave with you an amazing verse that should encourage and enhance your journey in Upper Room Living. Acts 20:8 says, “There were many lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together.” Wrap your heart and mind around that huge Word!
CHAPTER NINE
“THEY DIDN’T KNOW HIM…THEY KNEW HIM!”
Dr. R.E. Davies tells of three university students of Paris walking along the streets of the city on a Good Friday afternoon. One couldn’t help but notice the crowds as they made their way to the service of his parents’ church. He began to joke, make fun of, laugh at the “unenlightened.” To his friends he referred to the faith of his parents and these people as nothing but superstition and stood to cynically prophesy to them the ultimate decay of religion and faith-living.
Then two of them turned to the third, their leader, and said: “Will you go into the church and tell the pastor what we’ve been saying to each other?” “Sure I will,” and he went in. He stood in the back looking strangely at the people with their heads bowed and with prayerful hearts – very evident to him. The pastor noticed him and quietly moved to the back to where the young man stood.
Proudly, sternly, harshly, he said to the pastor: “Sir, I’ve come to tell you that Christianity is a dying institution and that your church stands for nothing but superstition.” The pastor asked, “Why did you come here, son, to tell me this?” He then related the conversation of his friends and their challenge, and the pastor responded, “All right, I want you to do one thing for me before you go. You accepted the challenge to come. Now accept my challenge to walk to the front of this auditorium, bow yourself upon your knees, lift up your hands to the heavens and say: “Jesus, You died for me, and I don’t care.”
He did it, not only once, but twice; he came back still proud. The pastor said: “If it doesn’t mean anything to you and you don’t know him, do it once more.” The young man at first hurried toward the front, then each step became slower, found it difficult to bow down upon his knees, more difficult to lift up his hands to heaven..and then he started to speak, “Jesus, you died for me…Jesus, you died for me…Jesus, you died for me – and I care!” He broke, he wept, he sobbed, over and over: “I care, Jesus; I care, Jesus; I care, Jesus.” When concluding the story, Dr. Davies said: “How do I know this story? I was that young man! I didn’t know Him, but I was confronted by the crucified, risen Savior – and I knew Him!”
Jesus died for you; Jesus died for me; Jesus died on the Cross for the entire world population past, present, and future! IT IS HISTORICAL FACT! IT IS THE GREATEST CERTAINTY THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN! [Check out Josh McDowell’s “Evidence That Demand A Verdict!”] There’s an old hymn that says:
“Crown Him the Lord of Love! Behold His hands and side, Rich wounds, yet visible above, In beauty glorified; No angel in the sky Can fully bear their sight, But downward bends his wondering eye, At mysteries so bright.” “Vain the stone, the watch, the seal, Christ has burst the gates of Hell; Death in vain forbids His rise, Christ has opened Paradise, Hallelujah!” Death could not defeat Him. The grave could not contain Him. Jesus came forth as the conqueror of life, death, and hell.
Our text for this chapter is Luke 24:1-34! But please notice verse 16 particularly for this chapter!” Their eyes were kept from recognizing Him.” Two disciples of Jesus on the Emmaeus Road on their way home, saddened, are confronted with the Risen Lord and they didn’t know Him. The majority of our world today, even some church folk, are traveling their Emmaeus Roads with Jesus at their sides – but they know Him not!
Why is it mankind today does not know Jesus? Why is it the masses cannot share in the glorious afterglow celebration of the resurrection of Jesus? Why is it that the light of our blessed Lord’s resurrection for some is nothing but darkness? Well,
THEY DON’T KNOW HIM BECAUSE THEY CHARACTERIZE THE MESSIAH IN TERMS OF A TEMPORAL KING OF A MINORITY CROWD. The two disciples in Luke 24 left the city gates trudging northward toward home. Their heads were bowed as they walked in utter dejection. They bore upon their faces the marks of crushing disillusionment. They said nothing for a long time, but then….! “He’s dead! Do you understand? They took Jesus, the One we believed to be the Messiah, they took Him, Killed Him..and now He’s dead like any. ‘If he was the Messiah, he would have come down, wouldn’t he?” Fools, fools. I guess we’re just fools! We walked with him. We were ready to make him king – even the crowds bowed before him, spread out branches and their cloaks. They cried out, ‘Blessed be the King that comes in the name of the Lord.’ He had his chance, his moment of opportunity, but he didn’t take it. He’s dead, and what can a dead Messiah do?’”
They didn’t know Him: “Oh, yes, Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews. Oh, yes, that humble poor man who tried to free the Jews from Roman domination. Oh, yes, the one who lived with the philosophy of a non-violent approach to gaining the world. They called him ‘the king of love.’”
“Why, yes, I know Jesus. He lived about 2000years ago. Good man – but he died a shameful death on a Roman cross, And, why, there’s even some today who believe he’s alive!” “Certainly, the world would be a better place if all tried to live like that good man, Jesus.”
“Their eyes were kept from recognizing Him.” Why? Because they looked upon Jesus as Messiah, a temporal king of a minority crowd! But the two men walking on the road to Emmaeus? They were not alone! This day the Risen Christ of the empty tomb walks with them. It was springtime not only in the physical creation, but in the spiritual creation, in the spiritual atmosphere of resurrection life and hope. And today? Whatever road you’re on, He’s there with you offering resurrection life and hope, newness of purpose, dispelling the gloom of the guilty, restoring eternal hope. DO YOU KNOW HIM?
I tell you: Jesus was not the temporal king of a minority crowd! Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords, the Sovereign Creator, Ruler, Owner, Master, Savior! I can only say to you that “at the name of Jesus every knee is to bow and every tongue is to confess that Jesus IS LORD OF ALL! But, “they didn’t know Him…”, but I pray today you will see Him not as some historical figure from the past but A Living Presence, standing at your heart’s door, right now, knocking! I pray you’ll realize He died and lives and cares for you – and has come to you. Maybe you’ll bow down before Him, maybe you’ll say, “Yes, Jesus, I care, I care!”
THEY DON’T KNOW HIM BECAUSE THEY ARE SLOW OF HEART TO BELIEVE. Luke 24:25-27 says, Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” I’m convinced the Savior was upset with these disciples, not for failure in believing the reports of His resurrection, but for a lack of understanding, yes, even prophetic scriptures – they should have known!
I don’t know who said it but it does explain so much: “Obstinate unbelief throttled hope!” This is the attitude of Bertrand Russell who said: “Historically it is doubtful that such a man as Christ ever existed.” Russell gets an ‘F’ on the history exam! Behind the Former Iron Curtain, then and now, many there said and says, “Christ is a myth, the opiate of the people.” Does this describe “slow of heart to believe?”
None of us will ever forget as children the houseguests our parents would sometimes entertain. There was one young boy who lived in Idaho who could never forget a timber buyer by the name of Benham who stopped for a week in the boy’s home. The man was an atheist who persuasively spoke of Robert Ingersoll’s arguments of no God. He told the family he was staying with that he spent his life and money proving that God did not exist. No Christ, no Risen Lord, no afterlife. Twenty years later the young boy is now a successful businessman and was attending a convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he noticed a familiar looking, gray-haired man in the lobby. It was Mr. Benham.
Though two decades had passed, he remembered the boy and his family. They spent lunch together. Immediately the young man sensed that the atheist had lost his poise, as a man awaiting a death sentence. Now at 71 years of age, he told of being an incurable anemic and that he had less than a year to live. He told an unforgettable story of an old lady at death’s door in the hospital where he was being treated. The man was invited by a nurse to be a witness along with several others to a deathbed will which the lady couldn’t sign because of paralysis. As he entered the room, he was struck by the serenity of the bedridden soon to die woman, but so happy and so at peace. After the signatures were signed, she said: “And now I’m ready to leave this pain-wracked body and meet my Master. I’m going to be with Jesus! Just as I was buried with Christ, and just as He was raised, so I shall be raised. Isn’t that wonderful?”
Tears were streaming down the face of the elderly gentleman as he told the story to the young man who was only a little boy when he met him. He said: “Look at me. I’ve lain awake at night since I learned my days are numbered, staring at the ceiling with nothing to look forward to except that my life would end in a handful of ashes. That’s the difference between me, an atheist, and the lady who knows Jesus. Here I am a non-believer, every moment a nightmare, facing nothing but a cold tomb. I’d shove my hands into a bed of red hot coals if by so doing I could believe in God, the Savior, and a life to come. But I can’t.” SLOW OF HEART TO BELIEVE!
THEY DIDN’T KNOW HIM BECAUSE OF THE IMPLICATION OF THE RESURRECTION. Jesus said: “I came to give my life a ransom for many,” so does that mean me? Jesus said, “I came not to be ministered unto, but to minister…”, does that mean me, too?
Jesus said, “It is better to give than to receive,” so does that mean me also? “Do it unto the least of these my brethren,” so does that mean me also? “Deny yourself, take up your cross, follow Me!” That means me also? “Even so send I you…” does that include me?
And because of the implications of resurrection life, many just turn away from Christ and walk away. You’ve even seen it in the local church when “believers” confronted by His demands of discipleship turn and walk away!
THERE ARE THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW HIM BECAUSE THE TEMPORAL AND THE MATERIAL IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE ETERNAL AND THE SPIRITUAL. Come to Mark 10:17-23! Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’” And he answered and said to Jesus, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.” Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!”
Here’s the young aristocrat, the socialite, the upper crust in the standard of the day, a far finer man of position than the disciples with their fish-nets. He was clean, courageous, religious, but empty of redemptive faith. Jesus gave him the invitation, as he does to us all, to know Him, follow Him, Love Him, serve Him, to be His disciple – but NO RESPONSE! “He went away, sad at the saying of Jesus, because he had great possessions! What had his heart was what he possessed!
THERE ARE THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW HIM BECAUSE THEY LOVE DARKNESS RATHER THAN THE LIGHT. We read in John 3:19, “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” In 2 Peter 2 Peter mentioned “natural brute beasts…those who count it pleasure to carouse, spots, blemishes, carousers in their own deceptions, adulterous, unstable souls,….verse 17, These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.”
Those are some of the saddest descriptions of earthly, natural, sinful men, I believe I’ve ever heard! But that which gives me hope for our modern day is when I read in 2 Peter 1:19 that there is “a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts…!!!” Glory!
THERE ARE THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW HIM BECAUSE DEATH SPEAKS LOUDER THAN LIFE. In Luke 24:15 we read, So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near, and went with them.” Isn’t it amazing and startling to you that Jesus came, He drew near, He walked with them, but they didn’t know Him. Jesus IS Life, Eternal Life – He’s present with them, He walks and talks with them, but they do not know Him. Why? Because, for them, in that moment of their pilgrimage, death spoke louder than life!
Please grasp what I’m saying to you: Jesus, the Life, is present with them, but they could only dwell upon the cross and the tomb – the death of Jesus! And because they dwell on “death”, Life cannot get through to them! Do you believe that’s what goes on today in too many people who accept the Cross, but don’t know the importance of Resurrection Life?
I don’t know the dominant demands of your existence; I don’t know the master motives of your life; I don’t know what consumes your devotion; I don’t know your goals, aims, ambitions that you’ve placed before yourself; I don’t know the compelling cross that you bear. But I do want you to know, “In Him [Jesus] is life and the life is the light of ALL MEN; the light shined in the darkness, but the darkness comprehended it not!”
Sue and I and our children spent about five years of ministry time in Arizona. I preached a revival meeting in the Wilcox area, and while there I learned of the inland sea near Wilcox which is desert! In that dry inland sea we were told of the buried shrimp eggs – and when the rains came, life was found and people went out to gather shrimp!
Hear me, so many are buried in the depths of personal death, dwelling upon their own personal existence – it can’t bring life! But the blood of Jesus comes and takes man’s eternal death and potential of God-life – and it blossoms forth into God’s special creation. Are you dwelling on death or life?
They didn’t know Him. Do you know Him? Those who don’t know Him are such because they characterized the Messiah in terms of a temporal king of a minority crowd rather than King of kings and Lord of lords. They didn’t know Him because : they were slow of heart to believe, because of the implications of the resurrection, and death spoke louder than life to them.
What a tragedy if I had to close this teaching here and now! “They didn’t know Him…” Oh, but look at Luke 24:31, “Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him…!!!” How did this happen? Because the scriptures were opened to them! What does John 5:39 tell us? “Search the scriptures…for they are they which testify of ME.” Just as I do not have to stand and defend the resurrection, neither do I have to stand and defend God’s Holy Word. It stands as God’s eternal revelation given that you might believe. To know it is to love it. To love it is to receive and accept it. To accept it and receive it means life eternal.
How did this happen? Because these two men fellowshipped with Jesus. “Breaking Bread with Jesus is awesome! Abiding with Jesus is eternally dramatic! Talking with Jesus is uplifting! “Are you running with me, Jesus, or is it I’m running with You?
How did this happen? Because they had holy heartburn! Luke 24:32 says: “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” Just remember, Luke 24:15, “Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.” He stands at the door of every heart passionately desiring the heart’s door be opened to Him.
It is not the seat of your emotions only boiling over when the name of Jesus is mentioned – The Lord Himself has drawn near to you. It is not the gymnastics of intellectual reasoning troubling you when the name of Jesus is mentioned. The Lord Himself has drawn near. It is not philosophical game-playing that disrupts your mind when the name of Jesus is discussed. The Lord Himself has drawn near to you. “Their eyes were opened! Holy heartburn! It’s Jesus! He’s Alive!”
What a climax to this glorious day if you, right now, would bow yourself down and say, “Jesus died FOR ME, and I care!” “Jesus lives today – and I care!” “Jesus Christ is risen!” Let that truth ring through your ears, settle in your heart through all of eternity whether its in self-centered death or in a Christ-centered life – IT IS SO TRUE!
Do away with stubborn pride. Believe through your unbelief. Let the spiritual scales fall from your blinded eyes – SEE JESUS, walk with Him. Receive Him into your heart, into your life, into your home!
“They Didn’t Know Him – They Knew Him!”
CHAPTER TEN
COSTLY EXCHANGES FOR A CHRISTLESS SOUL
In Mark 8:34-37 there is an awesome challenge to every heart, every life, every man, woman, boy or girl, to hear the words of Jesus because there are deceitful voices to lead one astray, to tempt to a godless witness in one’s life, and to color a picture of a promised ‘fun’ life when the end result is a lost soul, lost blessed relationship with the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and costly exchanges for a Christ-less soul. It says: When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life [that’s for himself!] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? OR WHAT WILL A MAN GIVE IN EXCHANGE FOR HIS SOUL?”
You’ve seen it in your life’s journey, maybe even being one whose choices in life have been what some would call ‘diabolical’! But you KNOW! Remember the one who said to you, “Choose the ‘costly’ way? I choose the ‘cheap’ life! I choose the perils and paralysis of ‘my way’ at whatever the price!”
But clean hands and a pure heart because of the blood shed by the Lamb of God have become my inheritance because I leaned on the grace of God alone! I saw the costly exchanges for a Christ-less soul! Reading Job recently I saw the difficult, yes, dangerous things Job faced because of his faith. He even shared about God Himself delivering him over for testing by the ungodly, but he said, [Job 17:8b], “Yet the righteous will hold to God’s way, and he who has clean hands will be stronger and stronger.” Through all of his trials Job came out, not as a wounded warrior, but a stout servant of God. In Job 19:25-26, he said, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and shall stand at last on the earth; And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God.”
But in the arena of “competing lifestyles” there IS an aversion to the Gospel of Christ and Christ Himself! In Ezekial 33:1-5 there is, I believe, a dynamic warning about what one hears and what he does or doesn’t do about it. It says: Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save [or, deliver his soul] his life.”
“Competing Lifestyles”! That’s our Mark 8 passage, and Jesus Himself delivers the opportunity for redemption and reconciliation to Himself and Holy God OR one discovers “COSTLY EXCHANGES FOR A CHRISTLESS LIFE”!
In reading Spurgeon recently, [Spurgeon’s Sermons, Memorial Library, Vol.4, p. 242], I came across a powerful warning that so opens the door to these “costly exchanges”. Spurgeon preached: “When in time of war an army is attacked in the night, and cut off and destroyed while asleep, if it were impossible for them to be aware of the attack, and if they had made all diligence in placing their sentinels, but nevertheless the foe were so wary as to destroy them, we should weep; we should attach no blame to anyone, but should deeply regret, and should give to that host our fullest pity. But if, on the other hand, they had posted their sentinels, and the sentinels were wide awake, and gave to the sleepy soldiers every warning that could be desired, but nevertheless, the army were cut off, although we might for humanity regret the loss thereof, yet at the same time we should be obliged to say, if they were foolish enough to sleep when the sentinels had warned them: their blood must be upon their own heads. So, it is with you. If men perish under an unfaithful ministry, and have not been sufficiently warned to escape from the wrath to come, the Christian may pity them, and yes, I think, even when they stand before the bar of God, although the fact of their not having been warned will not fully excuse them, yet it will go far to diminish their eternal miseries, which otherwise might have fallen upon their heads; for we know it is more tolerable for unwarned Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment, than it is for any city, or any nation that has had the Gospel proclaimed in its ears. My brothers, if on the other hand, we have been warned, if our ministers have been faithful, if they have aroused our conscience, and have constantly and earnestly called our attention to the fact of the wrath to come, if we have not attended to their message, if we have despised the voice of God, if we have turned a deaf ear to their earnest exhortation, if we perish, we shall die warned – die under the sound of the Gospel, and our damnation must be an unpitied one, for our blood must fall upon our own heads.”
Again, what did Jesus say to you? “Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” AND WE ALL WILL ANSWER HIM!
Here is the Truth: 2 Timothy 3:12-13, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” Has that changed? Isaiah 44:20 speaks of those who “feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside; and he cannot deliver his soul.”
Isn’t it amazing? Things never change with “fallen humanity” living in rebellion to God, even some of God’s own people of ‘faith’! In Hosea 4:12 we read: “My people ask counsel from their wooden idols, and their staff [or diviner’s rod] informs them. For the spirit of harlotry has caused them to stray, and they have played the harlot against their God.”
“Costly Exchanges For A Christless Soul?” Let’s look at it!
THE COSTLY EXCHANGE FOR A CHRISTLESS SOUL IS EVIDENT BY THE EXCHANGE OF THE SOUL FOR WILLFUL SIN PRODUCING SPIRITUAL DEATH. In Romans 1:24-25 we read, “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, WHO EXCHANGED THE TRUTH OF GOD FOR “THE LIE..”, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.” “The Lie?” Fallen man has convinced himself, “YOU CAN SIN AND NOT DIE!” That’s what the devil said in the Garden to Adam and Eve!
Romans 3:23 tells us, even though we already knew from an inward look at our own hearts, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” In fact, just three chapters later, Paul penned these words under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “For the wages of sin is death…!” Has that ever changed?
How did the Holy Spirit inspire the church at Ephesus through Paul? Ephesians 2:1-5, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, AMONG WHOM ALSO WE ALL ONCE CONDUCTED OURSELVES IN THE LUSTS OF OUR FLESH, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and WERE BY NATURE CHILDREN OF WRATH, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when WE WERE DEAD IN TRESPASSES, made us alive together with Christ [by grace you have been saved].” AMEN & AMEN!
THE COSTLY EXCHANGE FOR THE SOUL IS SO VIVID WHEN YOU SEE A LIFE LIVED OUT MINDFUL OF THE THINGS OF MEN, NOT MINDFUL OF THE THINGS OF GOD. When you come to Mark 8, you will see Jesus seeking to equip His disciples for their walk of faith. He began to lay out for them in verse 31 that “the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”
Then the Word tells us He spoke that word openly. It upset Peter, and he took Jesus aside to “rebuke Jesus”; Peter was saying, “This isn’t happening to You, Jesus!” But Jesus rebuked Peter! “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
I don’t know how you feel about Jesus’ rebuke of Peter, but I do know that in Revelation 3:19 our Lord said, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.” Has that changed? In Proverbs 3:11-12 God’s inspired Word says, “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction; For whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights.”
I’m asking you, right now: WHAT ARE YOU MINDFUL OF? Is it the things of men or is it the things of God? One of my favorite writers is Oswald Chambers. I so love to read regularly his book “My Utmost For His Highest.” In it, [pps.63-64], Chambers wrote” Luke 12:40, “Be you therefore ready also.” “The great need for the Christian worker is to be ready to face Christ at any and every turn. This is not easy, no matter what our experience is. The battle is not against sin or difficulties or circumstances, but against being so absorbed in work that we are not ready to face Jesus Christ at every turn…Jesus rarely comes where we expect Him; He appears where we least expect Him, and always in the most illogical connections. The only way a worker can keep true to God is by being ready for the Lord’s surprise visits…avoid the call of the religious age you live in, set your heart on what Jesus wants, thinking on His line – you’ll be one of the few ready to meet Him…”
THE COSTLY EXCHANGE FOR THE SOUL IS SO AMPLIFIED WHEN ONE IS SO ABSORBED IN SELF THAT HE REFUSES TO LAY HIS LIFE DOWN FOR THE HONOR OF CHRIST. In John 12:23-26 Jesus speaks to ALL in our day as He did 2000 years ago! But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. [This is YOUR hour – is He being glorified through you?] Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.”
What do we see here? The call of Jesus Christ on a person’s life is: “I bid you – come and die!” It is His call to lay one’s life DOWN that he may take it up again for the glory and honor of Christ alone! There’s an interesting exposure of the ‘faithless’ in Luke 22:52-53! Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs? When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me. BUT THIS IS YOUR HOUR AND THE POWER OF DARKNESS.”
Question! “Is this YOUR hour, for YOUR sake – or have you chosen death to self that the Resurrection Life of Christ lives in you and through you? Is this Your hour for Satan to express himself through you or have you taken that sentence of death unto yourself so that Christ is fully released through you?
What did Jesus say? John 12:27-29, “..and what shall I say, Father? Save Me from this hour? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.’ Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered.” It doesn’t matter – thunder or not! What mattered was, Jesus chose death! Have you? In Luke 9:23, Then Jesus said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
Are you so absorbed in self that a “daily” chose of death is out of ‘character’ for you? Not Paul! In 2 Corinthians 4:10-11 he wrote: “always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”
THE COSTLY EXCHANGE FOR THE SOUL IS HEIGHTENED WHEN ONE TRULY IS ASHAMED AND/OR OFFENDED BY THE GOSPEL. In Romans 1:16 Paul wrote the church at Rome and us, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes…” But the truth is there are those highly shamed and offended by even the mention of the Gospel of Christ!
In I Corinthians 1:18 Paul wrote: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” And to be unashamed, to be bold for Him, is to open the door, even to ridicule, from those offended by His Gospel. In fact, in I Corinthians 4:13, Paul said: “We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.” And when some “church-folk” hear THAT price of discipleship many just walk away! In fact, in Jesus’ own day, John 6:66, we read: “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.”
Again, read carefully Chambers’ insightful understanding of John 6:66! [p.270-271], “When God gives a vision by His Spirit through His word of what He wants, and your mind and soul thrill to it, if you do not walk in light of that vision, you will sink into servitude to a point of view which our Lord never had. Disobedience in mind to the heavenly vision will make you a slave to points of view that are alien to Jesus Christ. Do not look at someone else and say – Well, if he can have those views and prosper, why can’t I? You have to walk in the light of the vision that has been given to you and not compare yourself with others or judge them, that is between them and God. When you find a point of view in which you have been delighting clashes with the heavenly vision and you debate, certain things will begin to develop in you – a sense of property and a sense of personal right, things of which Jesus Christ made nothing. He was always against these things as being the root of everything alien to Himself. ‘A man’s life consists not in the abundance of the things he possesses.’ If we do not recognize this, it is because we are ignoring the undercurrent of our Lord’s teaching…You can never be the same after the unveiling of a truth. That moment marks you for going on as a more true disciple of Jesus Christ or for going back as a deserter.”
Ashamed? Offended? Resisting revealed Truth? Deciding to follow Christ is more than you thought it was – so YOU walk away? What did Paul say to the “foolish Galatians”? Galatians 3:1, “O foolish Galatians ! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?”
I close this chapter with 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12! “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
THE COSTLY EXCHANGE FOR THE SOUL! THE COSTLY EXCHANGE FOR CHRISTLESS SOULS!
CHAPTER ELEVEN
FRUITLESS TREES – FULL TRUST
Habakkuk 3:17-19 is one powerful word of hope for the troubled. It says, “Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls – yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.”
I don’t have to ask you if ever in the spirit realm you’ve known the fruit trees that failed to blossom and those times when there was no “fruit” on the vine. Those over seventy years of age were either on the edge or in the very middle of the Great Depression of 1929 and the years following.
Older Oklahomans know about the “Dust Bowl” that devastated their farm lands. There are those times in life when the “labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food.” There are those times when “the flock may be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls” – and what do you do? What is your response? Where or in whom do you place your faith and trust?
Habakkuk surveyed “violence” in the land. He saw men being “hooked,” caught up in the nets of deception and disillusionment. He saw a world around him that had lost visions and dreams. He saw men who “enlarged [their] desires as hell” itself, living in a deathly state. He saw those consumed with the false and “cannot be satisfied.” He saw those blinded by “shameful counsel” to their own lands and houses, “cutting off many peoples” and “sinning against their soul.”
One of the saddest things Habakkuk witnessed is in chapter two, verses 18-19, “What profit is the image, that its maker should carve it, that molded image, a teacher of lies, that the maker of its mold should trust in it, to make mute idols? Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’ To silent stone, “Arise! It shall teach!’ Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, yet in it there is no breath at all.”
Do you grasp that meaning in our modern world? Do you see the ‘idolatrous’ teachers in universities who raise up their idols in opposition to God Himself? Oh, it sounds good and looks good to the uninformed – even overlaid with gold and silver, but there’s no breath, no life, and no hope at all in what they profess and teach – “ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth!”
One of the things that literally jumps off the pages of Habakkuk is the danger of a self-consuming life that evolves out of the fallen nature of a self-centered man in a self-centered world that possesses no living faith in Almighty God. Jesus was so clear: “Save your life for yourself and you lose it, but he who loses his life for My sake, he finds it.”
I believe Habakkuk is challenging us about the sphere of life where we’ve placed our hope and where we’ve settled into, comfortable or not. In October of 2008 we witnessed a dramatic fall of the U.S. stock market with between two to three trillion dollars out the door of the market, IRA,s, 401k’s, gone – out the door!
I remember calling a friend in Florida and asked if he was OK – he said, “We’ll make it; my wife lost some in her account, but I had a friend to call me, weeping uncontrollably, [I had a hard time understanding him through his tears!], but I heard him say, ‘Bill, I’ve lost $500,000 of what retirement money I had!” At my car dealer a day later, a salesman-friend said to me, about the financial collapse, “Farrell, if things don’t change dramatically, quickly, you’ll see unparalleled numbers of suicides by Christmas.”
The sphere of life where your hope rests? For far too many their ‘all-sufficient’ sphere is an insufficient supply – barren, broken, hopeless – looks good, ‘shiny gold,’ simmering silver, big bows, bright-colored paper! Then, it’s gone! In a flash!
Listen to Frank Campbell, in “God’s Message In Troubled Times,” [Broadman Press, Nashville, Tn. 1981, p.26], “People today become involved in efforts to increase their finances, their status, or their prestige and their souls shrivel for lack of spiritual food. This is a difficult illustration to understand. What changed Israel? How could they possibly have turned from the true God to an idol? Israel had seen God’s power; they knew what He could do. How could they ever doubt?”
Jeremiah had an explanation that rings so true for an American culture that has sought to divorce itself from God. Jeremiah 2:5 says, “What injustice [or what iniquity] have your fathers found in Me, that they have gone far from Me, have followed idols and have become idolaters, [or have walked after vanity, and are become vain]?”
And we should understand clearly that the faith of our fathers who founded America on the foundation of God Himself, on Christ the Rock, on the Truth of His Word, has been set aside for ‘broken cisterns’ rather than ‘living fountains,’ and man’s speculations for God’s revealed Truth! Substitutions become the idols of worship rather than the substance of vital relationship to Holy God. I know you understand how easy it is for people to become devoted to vainness, emptiness, nothingness, believing they’ve arrived, they’ve found ‘it’, they’ve discerned what gives them pleasure and is so fulfilling – and all of a sudden, they learn it’s counterfeit!
What we find across our world today is not what most people anticipated, even Christians and the Church. And many people are crying out, “Where is God in all this?” And I believe what is happening is a wake-up call, the shocking realization that far too many have placed their faith and trust in the wrong thing, put to sleep by misplaced values, smooth talk, exterior dress rather than internal heart-change, misplaced priorities, lives as dull and unresponsive to God as many Israelites were as they substituted God for wooden idols!
There are those, when the hard times come, who say, “I’d just as soon be dead,” and they do it! Suicide isn’t retreat from life’s problems, it’s running from God – not to Him. Others crawl into a cocoon of bitterness, anger, depression, aloneness, resentment, frustration, emptiness – abandoning faith and being consumed by doubts and fears. And the Devil loves it! He longs for trouble to translate people from truth to falsehood, from hope to hopelessness, from the light-heartedness of true liberty and freedom to the heaviness of loads too heavy to carry on one’s own.
Do we understand desperation? Is that when we abandon God or run to Him? Do we understand human dilemmas and see them as a reason “God doesn’t exist!” or do we receive from Jesus the truth, that in this world you will have tribulation? Is a struggling human being a contradiction to God’s care? Are human predicaments open doors to abandon our Lord and Savior?
Do we, when tragedy crosses our paths, join Job’s wife and “curse God and die?” Are discouraged followers of Jesus to denounce Christ Jesus because of dark clouds, tornado-like winds of oppression that weary us, and floods of failure and, yes, even financial crisis and loss? Is even sickness a reason to run from trust in God?
Have you seen it in your walk as a disciple when some of your nearest and dearest become ‘captive’ to bondage, bad behavior, and they bristle at any word of faith – “If God were real, He wouldn’t allow me to get where I am,” when they got where they were by abandoning Him! There’s a word of hope: Zephaniah 3:14-20! “Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all of your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away your judgments, He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall see disaster no more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: ‘Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak. The Lord your God is in your midst. The Mighty One will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.’ God says, ‘I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly, who are among you, to whom reproach is a burden.. Behold, at that time I will deal with all who afflict you; I will save the lame, and gather those who were driven out; I will appoint them for praise and fame in every land where they were put to shame. At that time I will bring you back, even at the time I will gather you; for I will give you fame and praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I return your captives before your eyes,’ says the Lord.”
And you believe Holy God is a respecter of persons and those verses don’t refer to you? What I want you to see is that there were seasons of captivity for the Chosen People of God! There are times when there are months and years of trouble. Distress is not a word or experience that believers know nothing about. Heavy hearts because of heavy loads and heavy burdens and heavy battles are situations and circumstances at times in all men’s lives whether saved or lost.
Even David found himself in the cave of Adullam which wasn’t the Ritz-Carlton. Moses ended up on the backside of the desert – and it wasn’t Palm Springs. Jeremiah knew dejection when his enemies lowered him into a muddy pit for a prison to hold him.
Aren’t you awed when you read about Paul’s “light afflictions”? 2 Corinthians 11:23-28, “..in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of water, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness – besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.” AND WE THINK WE HAVE TROUBLES?
Have you seen it? People paralyzed, hypnotized, drugged by pain, and suffering, and heartaches, battles they’re losing on all fronts of their lives – physically, emotionally, economically, spiritually. The Goliaths of socialism, communism, liberalism, rise up and seek to bring down nations, peoples, disciples and churches – and you have to ask, “Do they not see what is going on? Do they not care?” Intimidating giants rise up with big swords of words and promises of trouble – but young Davids rise up with the stones of remembrance of God’s Word!
Paul knew what he was talking about when to the Ephesians he wrote: [Ephesians 5:15-16, NIV], “Be very careful, then, how you live –not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” Has the rising sun of faith and hope over your life ever been eclipsed by trouble, pain, suffering, loss, doubts and fears – and you wonder, IS THERE A WORD FOR ME, FOR US? It was Charles Swindoll, in his book, “Come Before Winter,” [Christian Literature Crusade, Manila, Philippines, 1985, p.160], who said: “Extreme difficulties are usually solved by radical adjustments.”
And when you are under the darkest clouds of your life, what I’m about to share are ‘radical adjustments’! Come back to Habakkuk!
WHEN THE FIG TREE DOESN’T BLOSSOM AND THERE’S NO FRUIT ON THE VINE, STAND YOUR WATCH AND SET YOURSELF BEFORE GOD TO HEAR HIM. Habakkuk 2:1, “I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He [God] will say to me…”
When Moses was running he “sat down by a well,” but not before the Well-Spring of Life that flows with living water. When trouble comes, far too many sit down in sour juices and bitter waters and fail to look up to Him who sits on the throne!
In Isaiah 55 the prophet challenges us: Verses 6-11, “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the u8nrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts higher than your thoughts. For as the rain comes down and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, SO SHALL MY WORD BE that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
Where are you sitting in your time of trouble? To whom are you listening as things fall apart around you? In Psalm 42:5 David said: “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted in me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.” When trouble comes are you seated in the presence of holy countenance? David said earlier in Psalm 3:1-3, “Lord, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say to me, ‘There is no help for him in God.’ But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head.”
Don’t you know that God sat enthroned at the Great Flood, and that the Lord sits as King forever? I’m telling you, “weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning – and He will turn your mourning and sorrow into dancing.” He surrounds you with songs of deliverance, with hymns of holy praise, anthems of adoration, because when you choose to sit before God, “a poor man cries out, the Lord will hear him, and save him out of all his troubles.” [Psalm 39:6]
IN TIMES OF TROUBLE, SATURATE YOUR LIFE IN FAITH! Look at Habakkuk 2:4, “Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by faith.” You do understand that most folks “Life-Books” are filled with earthly, fleshly wisdom that gives no remedy when the storm-clouds move in on one’s life. But “the just shall live by faith.” Joseph Parker once said: “There’s a broken heart in every pew. Preach to the sorrowing and you will never lack a congregation.” But what do you preach? “The just shall live by faith.”
Death and sickness and sorrow and loss and failure raises up its regular and irregular head, and it’s trouble either way – but “the just shall live by faith.” A nation loses its divine destiny – but, “the just shall live by faith.” The favorite preacher falls into deep sin – but, “the just shall live by faith.” There are no roses blooming, only lots of thorns protruding out and into your skin and heart and mind – but “the just shall live by faith.” Life’s circumstances breed Shakespeare’s thoughts: “weariness, staleness, flatness, and unprofitability” – but “the just shall live by faith.”
Tensions intensify as world crises increase – but “the just shall live by faith.” Tears flow so easily because of the multiplication of problems and disappointments – but “the just shall live by7 faith.”
It was George Matheson who once wrote: “My God, I have never thanked You for my thorns. I have thanked you a thousand times for my roses, but not once for my thorns. I have been looking forward to a world where I shall get compensation for my cross: but I have never thought of my cross as a present glory. Teach me the glory of my cross: teach me the value of my thorns. Shew me that I have climbed to You by the path of pain. Shew me that my tears have made my rainbow.”
I pray you haven’t forgotten I John 5:4-5! “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes [trusts in, relies upon, adheres to] that Jesus is the Son of God?” The “Defender” magazine years ago had a powerful statement: “Faith is dead to doubt, dumb to discouragement, blind to impossibilities.” WOW! And you’re weary with life’s troubles? Look up the life of George Mueller – great man of faith! He said: “The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.”
Martha Snell Nicholson wrote beautifully “Guests” – Listen! “Pain knocked upon my door and said That she had come to stay, And though I would not welcome her but bade her go away, She entered in…Like my own shade She followed after me, and from her stabbing, stinging sword No moment was I free…And then one day another knocked Most gently at my door. I cried, “No, Pain is living here, There is not room for more.”…And then I heard His tender voice, “It’s I, be not afraid.” And from the day He entered in, The difference it made!”…”The just shall live by faith.”
STAND ON GOD’S PROMISES! Trouble will come. Nations will falter and fail. People will feed on destructive fires and have ashes for dessert. But listen to Habakkuk 2:13-14! “Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts that the peoples labor to feed the fire, and nations weary themselves in vain? For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the seas.”
You have to resolve it in your own heart – and when it is resolved that His promises are ‘Yes’ and ‘Amen’ in Christ Jesus – come “Hell or high water,” I know, you know, His promises are sure! Isaiah 60:1 says, “Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.” HIS PROMISES ARE SURE!…In Revelation 11:15 we read, There were loud voices in heaven, saying: “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” His promises are sure!…But also,
SETTLE INTO A LIFE OF PRAYER REMINDING GOD! Habakkuk 3:1-2, a prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, “O Lord, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; in wrath REMEMBER MERCY.” It may be that now you’re totally consumed by the trouble of a barren life – but the day is fast approaching when you’ll be calling on God to save our nation and have mercy.
In Luke 18:1 Jesus taught the disciples: “Men ought always to pray and not to faint.” In Habakkuk 2:20 the prophet tells us: “But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.” Then Habakkuk prayed!
IN TIMES OF TROUBLE, SING THE HIGH PRAISES! Habakkuk 3:17-19 says, “Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls – Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my. The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high mountains.” Are you singing yet?
Come to Psalm 147:1, 7-11, “Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful….Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praises on the harp of God, Who covered the heavens with clouds, Who prepares rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains. He gives to the beast its food, and to the young ravens that cry. He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy.” Are you singing yet?
Look with me at Psalm 149! “Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praises in the assembly of the saints. Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. Let them praise His name with the dance; let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp. For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation. Let the saints be joyful in glory; Let them sing aloud on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand, To execute vengeance on the nations, and punishments of the peoples; To bind their kings with fetters, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute on them the written judgment – this honor have all His saints. Praise the Lord!” Are you singing yet?
What is the last verse of Psalm 150? “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” Are you singing yet?
There are now, and ahead of us, horrendous times of trouble and tribulation! I believe, you haven’t seen anything yet like what is about to come in our immediate future!
So, the writer of Hebrews challenges us in Hebrews 4:16, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
“Holy God, help us! We do cry out for mercy and grace! Save our nation from downfall, unbelief, rebellion, a disrespect for and denial of Your Holy Word, both written and Living In Christ! Lord, turn trouble into triumph through Your amazing grace and matchless mercy!”
CHAPTER TWELVE
UNCHANGING OPPOSITION – UNLIMITED OMNIPOTENCE
[Before continuing in this chapter, I want you to read Numbers 22 & 23 to familiarize yourself with the Moabites, Balak and Balaam.] Why? In Micah 6:5 we read: “O My people, remember now what Balak king of Moab counseled, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him; from Acacia Grove to Gilgal, THAT YOU MAY KNOW THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE LORD.”
What was Balak’s intent? “Therefore please come at once, curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me.” But in verse 12 God told Balaam, “you shall not curse the people, FOR THEY ARE BLESSED!”
The prophet Amos received such valuable words of importance concerning Moab from the Lord. In Amos 2 there are a number of verses God tells Amos about Moab. Follow carefully: Verse 1, “I will not turn away its punishment…” Verse 2, “I will send a fire upon Moab…Moab shall die with tumult, with shouting and trumpet sound.” Verse 4, “I will not turn away its punishment BECAUSE they have despised the law of the Lord, and have not kept His commandments. Their lies lead them astray, lies after which their fathers walked.” Verse 6, “I will not turn away its punishment, BECAUSE they sell the righteous for silver and the poor for a pair of sandals.” Verse 7, “they pervert the way of the humble.”
Holy God enlightens us even more about the “Moabites” and, yes, their continuing opposition even until today! In Jeremiah 48 we learn more and are able to discern what goes on today in opposition to God’s people but now by other names! Follow carefully: Jeremiah 48:7, “For because you have trusted in your works and your treasures, you shall be taken. And CHEMOSH [false god] shall go forth into captivity, his priests and princes together.” CHEMOSH? Unger says: “…national deity of the Moabites, honored with horribly cruel rites like those of Molech, to whom children were sacrificed in the fire…Moabites were known as “the children of Chemosh.” [Numbers 21:29]…worshippers par excellence of Chemosh.” Follow these verses:
Jeremiah 48:11, “Moab has been at ease from his youth…his scent has not changed.” Jeremiah 48:25, “The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken” says the Lord. Jeremiah 48:26, “Make him drunk, for he magnified himself against the Lord. Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he shall also be a derision.” Jeremiah 48:29, “We have heard the pride of Moab of his loftiness and arrogance and pride, and of the haughtiness of his heart.” Jeremiah 48:33, “Joy and gladness are taken from the plentiful field and from the land of Moab.” Jeremiah 48:38, “I have broken Moab like a vessel in which is no pleasure,” says the Lord.
Jeremiah 48:41-42, “…The mighty men’s hearts in Moab on that day shall be destroyed as a people, BECAUSE he magnified himself against the Lord.” But this is not all!
2 Kings 23:13 speaks of King Josiah defiling and destroying the high places that Solomon had built, and one of them was the high place of CHEMOSH, “the abomination of the Moabites.” Verse 14 says, Josiah “broke in pieces the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images, and filled their places with the bones of men.”
Do you remember Ezra’s broken heart? [Ezra 9:2], Because “the holy seed is intermingled with the peoples of those lands,” including the Moabites!…Let me remind you of “Moab”, Genesis 19:37, Moab, the incestuous son of Lot by one of his daughters! AND THE MOABITES WANT YOU CURSED!
Look at them and listen to them because they are as real today as they were thousands of years ago as God’s people made their way toward “the promised land.” We’re on our way and we’re conquering as we go. And the modern kings are as upset as Balak; the Moabite spirit is as strong today as it was then; Numbers 22:3 says, “Moab was exceedingly afraid of [God’s] people because they were many.”
And the modern Moabites have not changed – they’re afraid and they want you silenced! So Balak sent for Balaam, Numbers 22:6, “Please come at once; Curse this people for me, FOR THEY ARE TOO MIGHTY FOR ME.”
The lords of the earth are still climbing to the high places to look down upon what God is up to with His people. They look down with the evil eye because their intent is to send down curses upon your hearts and your homes. The enemies of God and of His people are like vultures spying out their prey. Their intent is to tear us apart, their intent is to halt us from any “God progress” in our lives, their intent is to destroy us. How the kings of fallen humanity want to crush and silence the true church of the Lord Jesus Christ! Behind the symbolical “closed doors” they lie in wait secretly planning our demise by whatever it takes, On the hilltops of life, they’re coiled like a poisonous COBRA ready to strike.
At this point, Israel probably didn’t know what was taking place in secret on the high hillside. They didn’t know of the schemes of darkness; they didn’t know they were innocent sheep surrounded by growling wolves; they didn’t know the roaring lion was stretched out like a bird-dog on point; they didn’t know that if possible he would deceive, devour, and destroy even the very elect of God; they didn’t know the arch-enemy of truth was out on the mountain tops devising how to blot out truth and the people of truth by his cunning craftiness; they didn’t know that the prince of darkness was out to obliterate the Kingdom of Light; they didn’t know of the coalitions of strange beings and supposed prophets who want to flash down curses upon the crowned ones; they didn’t know of the plots, the plans, the pitfalls the enemy so connivingly was trying to construct in order to swallow them up; they didn’t know that the lowest of hell and earth was intent on binding them with chains of bondage and brokenness to lead them bruised into bastions of evil and oppression and domination.
But in the midst of this miserable drama there’s another player. In the midst of this damning death-intent, the Author of Life overrules the battle strategy. In the midst of this foul conspiracy, stands FAITHFUL GOD. In the midst of this unholy strategy, God’s people are watched over by the Eternal Watchman on the Wall of His walled-in servants: His Word says: Numbers 23:21b, “The Lord his God is with him, and the Shout of the King is among them.” In Psalm 121:4, “Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep; Verse 5, The Lord is your Keeper [Protector], the Lord is your shade at your right hand.” Psalm 89:24 says, “My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him, and in My name His horn shall be exalted.” Psalm 91:3-4, “Surely the Lord shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence…He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His TRUTH shall be your shield and buckler.”…Psalm 66:8-9, 12, “Oh, bless our God, you peoples! And make the voice of His praise to be heard…Who keeps our soul among the living, and does not allow our feet to be moved…We went through fire and water; but you brought us out to RICH FULFILLMENT.”…Jude 24, “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy…”…Matthew 28:20, “…And, Lo, I Am With You Always…!!!”…Isaiah 43:2, “When you pass through the waters, I WILL BE WITH YOU; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.” IS THAT ENCOURAGING?
Because of our FAITH in the Living Lord, we’re not alone; nor are we afraid! Because of our FAITH in the Living Lord, we’ll not be dismayed; we’ll not be disillusioned! Because of our FAITH in the Lord, we’re not defenseless; we’re not subject to defeat at the hands of our enemy! Because of our FAITH in the Living Lord, we don’t face the opposition in the strength of our flesh, but in the power of the Almighty! Because of our FAITH in the Living Lord, we’re not standing on crumbling gravel but upon The Solid ROCK OF AGES! Because of our FAITH in the Living Lord, we’re not built upon a faulty foundation facing the inevitable storms of life, but upon The Sure Foundation, like an anchor to the soul, both steadfast and ever-abiding! THIS LEADS US TO:
THE EXPECTATION OF HIS ABIDING PRESENCE! Paul had to ask the church at Corinth, and I believe us also, I Corinthians 3:16, “Do you not know that you are The Temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” Again, 2 Corinthians 6:16 Paul asks, “And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For YOU ARE THE TEMPLE OF GOD. As God has said, ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” There is such an exciting, uplifting, encouraging verse in Ephesians 2:22 that says those whose lives are built upon the foundation of Christ “ARE BEING BUILT TOGETHER FOR A HABITATION OF GOD IN THE SPIRIT.”
We’ve already seen it’s a “FAITH” journey, but for the record, Ephesians 3:17 says, “That Christ may DWELL in your hearts by faith…” Dwell? That means inhabit, reside, live within! There are several things that I feel must be clarified: 1) I’m not speaking of His omnipresence [that God is everywhere – and that is true!], but I’m speaking specifically of HIS MANIFESTED PRESENCE! In Galatians 2:20 Paul reminds us, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, BUT CHRIST LIVES IN ME, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” In the Old Economy, David cried out: Psalm 139:7-12, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?…If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there…If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea…even there You hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me…If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall fall on me,’ even the night shall be light about me…Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You.”
In John 17 Jesus said: “I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in One…” And because of our Oneness with Christ, we’ve become “new creations.”[2 Corinthians 5:17]. Because of our Oneness with Christ, we’ve been made “complete in Him.” [Colossians 2:10]. Because of our Oneness with Christ, we’re not only with Him, but made like Him. [Romans 8:29]. Because of our Oneness with Christ, we are never alone! [Matthew 28:20].
2) I’m not speaking of His veiled presence, but His unveiled outpouring of all He is in us! He’s with us as our Savior! “Thou shalt call His name Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins.” He’s with us as our Supplier! Philippians 4:19 shows us He meets our needs, He blesses with His gifts of the Spirit, and He gives us ‘vision’! He’s with us as our Stabilizer! Colossians 1:17 says, “He is before all things and in Him all things consists [or HOLD TOGETHER!]. He’s with us as our Sanctifier! I Thessalonians 5:23 says, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ!” He’s with us as our Strength and power! I Corinthians 1:24, “Christ, The Power of God!”
Spurgeon preached: [Memorial Library, Spurgeon’s Sermons, Vol. 14, p.79]], “It was expedient that our Lord and Master should go, that the Spirit might be given. That Spirit once outpoured at Pentecost has never been withdrawn. He is still in the midst of this dispensation, working, guiding, quickening, comforting, exercising all the blessed office of the Paraclete, and being for us and in us God’s advocate, pleading for the truth, and for us. Yes, dear friends, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are in the midst of the true church of God when that church is in a right and healthy state; and if the Triune God be gone away from the church, then her banners must trail in the dust, for her warriors have lost their strength.”
Why, in Psalm 51:11, David cried out: “Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me..”….His UNVEILED PRESENCE? Exodus 3:5, “…Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is Holy Ground.”… His UNVEILED PRESENCE? Psalm 33:8, “…Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.”…His UNVEILED PRESENCE? Psalm 89:7, “God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about Him.”
3) I’m not speaking of His Throned-Presence, but His truthful tabernacling with men! In Genesis 5:24, “And Enoch WALKED WITH GOD; and he was not, for God took him.”…Genesis 6:9, “Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.”” Do you remember the covenant God made with Levi? [Malachi 2:6], “Levi walked with Me in peace and equity and turned many away from iniquity.” …In John 15:5 Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He that abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: FOR WITHOUT ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING.”
Do you remember Jacob’s encounter with God? Genesis 28:16-17, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it…HOW AWESOME IS THIS PLACE! THIS IS NONE OTHER THAN THE HOUSE OF GOD, AND THIS IS THE GATE OF HEAVEN!”…In Revelation 2:1 John wrote: “These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, WHO WALKS IN THE MIDST OF THE SEVEN GOLDEN CANDLESTICKS.”…Again, Spurgeon, [Memorial Library, Spurgeon’s Sermons, Vol. 14, p.80], “We regard the lowliest assemblies of the most illiterate people with solemn reverence if God be there: we regard the largest assemblies of the wealthiest and most renowned with utter indifference if God be not there.”…Revelation 1:17 says, “And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying, to me, ‘Do not be afraid: I am the Alpha and the Omega.” “I’M THE ONE WHO BEGINS IT AND I”LL BE THE ONE WHO ENDS IT, MY WAY!!”
Many have never fallen as dead before the Lord because they haven’t seen Him! Do you realize John wrote 5 books of the Bible after this? When God comes down, Isaiahs come to truth and transformation! Isaiah 6:5-8, Then I said, ‘Woe is me, for I am unclean, undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; FOR MY EYES HAVE SEEN THE KING, THE LORD OF HOSTS…Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hands a live coal which he had taken with tongs from the altar…And he touched my mouth with it, and said: Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged…Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for US?…Then I said, HERE AM I! SEND ME!”
I’m speaking of the only condition that sustains a Christ-honoring fellowship – GOD WITH US!….I’m speaking of the only conviction that grips the heart of an unbelieving world – Numbers 23:25, “The Lord God is with him and the shout of the King is among them.” I’m speaking of the only course or path upon which the church should walk – Numbers 23:19b-20,”Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.” *** THE EXPECTATION OF HIS ABIDING PRESENCE!*** IS THAT EMBEDDED IN YOUR HEART AND MIND?
The Second Truth I want to nail down here is: THE EXTENSIVENESS OF HIS AVAILABLE PROVISIONS! Paul knew what he was talking about when in Ephesians 1:3 he wrote: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” After Balak had asked Balaam to “Curse this people for me,” God told Balaam in Numbers 22:12, “…you shall not curse the people, FOR THEY ARE BLESSED.”
You no doubt remember the Tabernacle – its entrance, its door being Christ! In the outer court was the altar of sacrifice, the laver of reflection. Then there was an inner court and within that was The Holy of Holies. And within the Holy of Holies was the “Ark of Testimony” with its Mercy Seat and cherubim on each side. But there also was “The Table of Shewbread” or what was known as “The Bread of Your Presence.” And God said, [Exodus 25:22], “AND THERE I WILL MEET WITH YOU.”
In 2 Samuel 6, you’ll remember that the “ark of God” had been in the hands of the Philistines and David recaptured it. He was going to have it returned to the new “tabernacle of David”, but they MISHANDLED IT and Uzzah died. David was afraid and so he had it carried to the house of Obed-edom. Look at 2 Samuel 6:11-15! “The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months. And the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his household. Now it was told King David, saying, “The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the City of David with gladness. And so it was, when those bearing the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, that he sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep. Then David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet.” DO YOU KNOW, DO YOU UNDERSTAND, THE BLESSING?
In the Word of God, BOTH OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS, THE WORD “BLESSED,” “BLESSES”, “BLESSING”, BLESSINGS”, APPEARS OVER 400 TIMES! What are those blessings? 1) Look at the Available Provision of CONTINUAL LEADERSHIP! Numbers 23:22, “God brings them out of Egypt!” Notice – it’s not past tense but present tense because it’s not only that we’re out of Egypt BUT GOD IS INTENT ON GETTING EGYPT OUT OF US!
And He’s not only raised us from the dead But He’s also intent on REMOVING OUR GRAVE CLOTHES! He has not only pointed us to Christ but He’s PERFECTING US “IN CHRIST!” He’s not only birthed us as sheep BUT HE’S BLESSING US AS OUR GUARDIAN SHEPHERD! David celebrated in Psalm 23 when he said in the first four verses, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters…He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His Name’s Sake…Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; [LISTEN!!] For You Are With Me; YOUR ROD AND YOUR STAFF THEY COMFORT ME…”
I Thessalonians 5:24 says, “He who calls you is FAITHFUL, who also will bring it to pass.” God brings them out of Egypt!! Can you see it? There’s a cloud by day and a fire by night that we’re called to follow!! He may lead you to your own “Red Sea” but because of the Rod of God that strikes your deep waters, we’ll go through on dry land! He may lead you to a “desert crossing” of a wild wilderness but the quail and the manna will be abundant! You may find yourself surrounded by a dry and thirsty land but He’ll point you to the “Rock” that flows where you can continually quench your thirst!
2) Look at the Available Provision of CONQUERING STRENGTH! Numbers 23:22b says, “He has STRENGTH like a wild ox…” Nowhere in the Word of God do you ever find that divine strength is in numbers though God is in the MULTIPLICATION MINISTRY. And, nowhere in the Word of God do you ever find that divine strength is in how big the bank accounts are of the church members. Plus, nowhere in the Word of God do you ever find that divine strength is in the size, the cost, or the beauty of a church building. I’ve been in churches that cost millions and millions of dollars and it wasn’t to hold a Revival but to try and RESURRECT THE DEAD!
But listen to Philippians 4:13, “I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHS ME!” Isaiah 41:9-10 says, “…You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away; Fear not, FOR I AM WITH YOU, I WILL Uphold You With My Righteous Right Hand.”
3) Look at the Available Provision of COMPASSIONATE SAFETY! Numbers 23:23a, “For there is no sorcery [or enchantment or curse] against Jacob, nor is there ANY DIVINATION AGAINST ISRAEL…” Do you understand what a hungry roaring lion would do to a defenseless, weak, little baby of faith if we didn’t have God as our Father and Defender? Do you understand what the “strong man” would do to the “newly born” if the STRONGER didn’t have His eye and His hand upon us?
If we had eyes of faith like Elisha, even though we saw the surrounding armies of the powers of darkness, we would not fear, because we know the greater army of God has conquered and the battle has been won! No sorcery, no curse, no enchantment, for the people of God! “The Lord his God is with him, and the shout of the King is among them!” “Boo, Satan!” And he runs! “It’s the blood of Jesus, Devil,” and he scampers away!
4)Look at the Available Provision of the Constancy of His Supernatural, Extraordinary, Life-Altering Work Among us! Numbers 23:23b, “Oh, what God Has Done!” EXCLAMATION POINT!!** In Psalm 19:1 His Word tells us: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.” Psalm 26:7 moves us one step higher! “That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all Your WONDROUS WORKS.” In Psalm 40:5 David said: “Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works which You have done; and Your thoughts which are toward us cannot be recounted in order; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.”
We’re raised to shouting grounds as we read Psalm 111:1-9! Praise the Lord! I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation. The works of the Lord are great, studied by all who have pleasure in them. His work is honorable and glorious, and His righteousness endures forever. He has made His wonderful works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and full of compassion. He has given food to those who fear Him; He will ever be mindful of His covenant. He has declared to His people the power of His works, in giving them the heritage of the nations. The works of His hands are verity [truth] and justice; all His precepts are sure. They stand fast forever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness. He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever; holy and awesome is His name.”
5)Look at the Available Provision of the Constructiveness of His Awesome Power! Numbers 23:24, “Look, a people rises like a lioness, and lifts itself up like a lion; it shall not lie down until it devours the prey and drinks the blood of the slain.”…In I John 4:4 John writes, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is GREATER THAN he who is in the world.” This, no doubt, is why Paul penned these encouraging words in Romans 8:37, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”…It’s constructive to be destructive, not against men and women, but against the societal, suicidal systems of evil and iniquity. It’s constructive to be destructive, not against truth, but to tear apart the prey of the dangerous doctrines of demons. It’s constructive to be destructive, not against the Holy Spirit of God, but against spiritual wickedness in high places.
A healthy church is an aroused church. A healthy church is an awakened church. A healthy church is an alarming church – it scares Hell into the dry places!
6)Look at the Available Provision o0f the Crowning of a Life in the Beauty of His blessings! Numbers 24:5-6, “How lovely are your tents, O Jacob! Your dwellings, O Israel!…Like valleys that stretch out [fertile!!], like gardens by the riverside [fruitful], like aloes planted by the Lord [faithful in a healing presence], like cedars beside the waters [fresh with a continual scent of divine presence].”
7) Look at the Available Provision of the Consummation of Faith in Our Reigning Lord! Numbers 24:17, 19 – “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a Star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter shall arise out of Israel, and BATTER the brow of Moab, and destroy all the sons of Moab…Out of Jacob One shall have DOMINION…” And that One having Dominion? Isaiah 9:6-7 says, “For unto us a CHILD is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government WILL BE UPON HIS SHOULDERS…And His Name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace…Of the increase of His government and peace THERE WILL BE NO END, upon the throne of David and over His Kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. THE ZEAL OF THE LORD OF HOSTS WILL PERFORM THIS.”
Don’t ever forget Numbers 23:21b!! “…THE SHOUT OF A KING IS AMONG THEM!!” And there’s a Third Truth You Must Nail Down In Your Minds and Hearts! WHAT IS IT?
THE EXPLOSION OF HIS ACTIVE PRESERVATION! Balak and Moab wanted destruction for Israel, but Jesus says: Matthew 16:18, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this ROCK [the Rock of Faith in Christ, the Son of the Living God] I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH, AND THE GATES OF HADES SHALL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST IT!!!” HIDE GOD’S WORD IN YOUR HEARTS!!
In Deuteronomy 28:7, “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and FLEE BEFORE YOU SEVEN WAYS.” If that doesn’t encourage you, what about Psalm 125:2? “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, SO the Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever.” Thank You, Lord; keep lifting us up!
2 Chronicles 32:8 says, “With the king of Assyria is an arm of flesh: but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles. And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.” Daniel 3:25 ought to knock your socks off! “Look!” he answered, “I see four men, loose, walking in the midst of the fire: and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” In Daniel 6:22 Daniel said to the king, “MY GOD SENT HIS ANGEL AND SHUT THE LIONS” MOUTH, SO THAT THEY HAVE NOT HURT ME…”
God told Zechariah,[ 2:5], “For I,” says the Lord, “will be a wall of fire all around her, and I WILL BE THE GLORY IN HER MIDST.” In Revelation 6:2 the Lamb had just opened one of the seals and John said, “And I looked, and behold, a white horse. And he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.” It gets even better! In Revelation 15:2 we read, “And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.”
His Active Preservation is because our lives, our homes, our fellowships are built upon the foundation of Christ alone: “Christ in us, the hope of glory.” His Active Preservation is because of the overflowing of the fullness of His resurrection life: John 11:25 Jesus said to Martha, “I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE. He who believes [trusts in, relies upon, adheres to, rests in] in Me, though he may die, he shall live..Verse 26, And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. DO YOU BELIEVE THIS?”
His Active Preservation is because of our abounding in the faithfulness and fullness of a fiery faith. I John 5:4, “…And this is the VICTORY that has overcome the world – OUR FAITH!!” His Active Preservation is because we’re ever-maturing in the dynamite weapon of persevering prayer. In Luke 18:1 “Then Jesus spoke a parable to them THAT MEN ALWAYS OUGHT TO PRAY AND NOT LOSE HEART [or faint on the way].”
His Active Preservation is because of our saturation of passion for the holiness of life in honor unto God. To timothy, young in the faith, wet behind the ears in missionary service, Paul said: 2 Timothy 2:22, “Flee youthful lusts; PURSUE righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
His Active Preservation explodes within us because we’re sold out to the sovereignty of God and the reign of Christ in the practical walk of everyday life. 2 Timothy 2:19 says, “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal, ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
His Active Preservation is because we’re drawn nearer and clearer to the fullness of His Presence on the road of repentance because of the constancy of His Goodness. Romans 2:4 tells us, “…do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness [or kindness] of God leads you to repentance?” His Active Preservation is because we’re learning to STAND ON HIS PROMISES! 2 Timothy 4:18, “And the Lord WILL DELIVER ME from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom.. To Him be Glory forever and ever. Amen!”
Martin Luther knew and experienced what we’ve been talking about in this chapter. He wrote this great hymn out of the blue-flame of personal experience: “A mighty fortress is our God, A bulwark never failing; Our Helper He amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing…For still our ancient foe Does seek to work us woe – His craft and power are great, And, armed with cruel hate, On earth is not his equal….Did we in our own strength confide, Our striving would be losing, Were not the right man on our side, The man of God’s own choosing. Do you ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He – Lord Sabaoth His Name, From age to age the same, And He must win the battle…. And tho’ this world, with devils filled, Should threaten to undo us, We will not fear, for God has willed His truth to triumph through us. The prince of darkness grim, We tremble not for him – His rage we can endure, For lo, his doom is sure; One little word shall fell him….That word above all earthly powers, No thanks to them, abides; The Spirit and the gifts are ours Through Him who with us sides. Let goods and kindreds go, This mortal life also – the body they may kill; God’s truth abides still; HIS KINGDOM IS FOREVER.”
“FORGET IT, BALAK – WE’RE THE BLESSED!” “FORGET IT, MOAB – WE’RE OWNED BY OUR MASTER!” “FORGET IT, EVIL WORLD – WE’RE OF THE EVERLASTING KINGDOM!” “FORGET IT, SATAN – WE’RE OF THE SAVIOR, KING OF kings and LORD of lords!”
“The Lord his God is with him and the shout of a King is among them!”
Can you hear it? It’s the rustling of God in the top of that mulberry tree!
Can you hear it? It’s the song of the angels, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
Can you hear it? It’s that song of Moses: “I will sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider are thrown into the sea.”
Can you hear it? It’s Jehoshaphat’s jumping for joy! 2 Chronicles 20:19-22! Then the Levites of t6he children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with voices loud and high. So they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehosaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: “Praise the Lord, For His mercy endures forever.” Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.”
DON’T FEAR! GOD IS ON THE THRONE! HIS ENEMIES, YOUR ENEMIES, WILL BE DESTROYED!
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CONFLICTING LOYALTIES? SELF-WILL OR DIVINE WILL?
Come to Deuteronomy 1:28-43! ‘Where can we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim [giants] there.” ‘Then I said to you, ‘Do not be afraid of them. The Lord your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ Yet, for all that, you did not believe the Lord your God, who went in the way before you to search out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in the fire by night and the cloud by day. And the Lord heard the sound of your words, and was angry, and took an oath, saying, ‘Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and his children I am giving the land on which he walked, because he wholly followed the Lord.’ The Lord was also angry with me for your sakes, saying, ‘Even you shall not go in there. Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. Moreover your little ones and your children, who you say will be victims, who today have no knowledge of good and evil, they shall go in there; to them I will give it, and they shall possess it. But as for you, turn and take your journey into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea.’ Then you answered and said to Me, ‘We have sinned against the Lord; we will go up and fight, just as the Lord our God commanded us.’ And when everyone of you had girded on his weapons of war, you were ready to go up into the mountain. And the Lord said to me, ‘Tell them, “Do not go up nor fight, for I am not among you; lest you be defeated before your enemies.”’ So I spoke to you; yet you would not listen, but rebelled against the command of the Lord, and presumptuously [“SELF-WILLED”!] went up into the mountain.”
What mountain are you willfully climbing today getting your rear-end kicked and chased away by the ‘spiritually colonized’ “killer bees”? You know it happens – just like Israel in the wilderness we often decide, “we’ll do it our way”, and we suffer the consequences of our choices. How many times has God clearly spoken about HIS WILL, but too many turn a deaf ear and follow “self-will”?
In Isaiah 28:12 God spoke: “This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest, and this is THE REFRESHING; yet they would not hear.” Peter said it this way under the anointing, [2Peter 2:10], “and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are PRESUMPTUOUS, SELF-WILLED.” What a sad testimony! But the truth is an unrepentant, strong, self-will leads to an even greater bondage. In 2 Timothy 2, Paul, talking about those who are in opposition to divine truth and its author, said in verse 26, “And that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, HAVING BEEN TAKEN CAPTIVE BY HIM TO DO HIS WILL.” That’s captive of the corrupt rebel, Satan!!
Tommy Tenney, in his book “God’s Dream Team,” [p.28] has written: “Our egos often override our logic. We’d rather lose with an unbroken will than win and be in submission.” Later, [p.33], he said: “Too many of us are more interested in the preservation of our rights than the pursuit of God’s purposes.” Isn’t that true at times?
Oswald Chambers really amplifies what I’ve been sensing in God’s Word. Chambers had quoted Paul in Galatians 5:24, “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh [your old sin nature!] with the affections and lusts.” Then he wrote: “The natural life is not sinful; we must be apostatized from sin, have nothing to do with sin in any shape or form. Sin belongs to hell and the devil. I, as a child of God, belong to heaven and God. It is not a question of giving up sin [FF; Jesus nailed sin to the Cross!], but of giving up my right to myself, my natural independence and self-assertiveness, and this is where the battle has to be fought…Beware of refusing to go to the funeral of your own independence.”
Sir Francis Bacon had it right when in the “New Atlantis” he wrote: “The reverence of a man’s self is, next to religion, the chiefest BRIDLE OF ALL VICES.” In Queen Mab Percy Shelley calls “selfishness” the “twin sister of religion.” And you know where ‘religion’ comes from!!
In Genesis 3, in rebellion to God, Adam and Eve had fallen, fallen away. And listen to Genesis 3:7, “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.” THE FIG-LEAF RELIGION THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH RECONCILIATION TO HOLY GOD OR REGENERATION INTO THE LIFE OF GOD’S SPIRIT THROUGH CHRIST’S FINISHED WORK AT THE CROSS!
Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: “We sell the thrones of angels for a short and turbulent pleasure.” There is no greater curse upon humanity than the curse of a man’s selfishness that is such a contagious deadly disease. “My way or the highway” and they give God the road number:”Inner-Heart 666!!!”
The central shadow of self is projected all around but the shadows speak of darkness not light, shadows speak of cloudiness blocking out the Sun, shadows speak of reflections not realities. And sadly, most men live in the shadows of SELF-WILL. An anonymous writer put it powerfully: “Self-preservation is the first law of nature, but self-sacrifice is the highest rule of grace.”
Listen carefully! For you, is it “Self-Will or Divine Will”? Is the testimony of your life “the highest rule of grace,” yielded to God’s will, or self-preservation absolutely determined to rule your own heart your own way? Two things we’ll be looking at in this chapter: 1. The Depravity of the Self-Will, 2. The Delight of the Divine Will.
THE DEPRAVITY OF THE SELF-WILL
Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines depravity as “the crooked, the perverse, the wicked…To make bad or worse; to impair good qualities; to taint; to defame…” There are seven things about the depravity of the ‘self-will’ that you must see:
1)The depravity of the self-will of stubborn indifference to God! You’ll never forget Jeremiah 18 after you’ve once read it, but there we see God as the Potter with marred clay in His hands so desirous of remaking it into a vessel of honor. In verse 5 God said, “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” Verse 12, And they said, “That is hopeless! So we will walk according to our own plans, and we will everyone obey the dictates [or stubbornness] of our evil heart.” Stubborn indifference to God’s will and desire – for your life?
You’ll remember Peter saying in 2 Peter 2:10 that there are those who “despise authority” or governmental rule of God over their lives, “presumptuous, self-willed.” Presumptuous? Again, Webster: “arrogant, insolent, irreverent with regard to sacred things, in bold defiance of conscience or violation of known duty.”
It’s that PHAROAH ATTITUDE of mind and heart in Exodus 5:2, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go!” WHO IS THE LORD THAT I SHOULD OBEY HIS VOICE? STUBBORN INDIFFERENCE TO HOLY GOD!
2) The depravity of the Self-Will of Self-Determination in the Paths We Choose To Walk On for Our Lives! And I want you to see that this can happen even to God’s anointed! Come to I Samuel 10. Follow carefully and prayerfully!
I Samuel 10:1, 6-7, Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his [Saul’s] head, and kissed him and said: “Is it not because the Lord has anointed you commander over His inheritance.” Verses 6-7, “Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for God is with you.” Come to I Samuel 13:1,11-14, Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel…Verses 11-14, And Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.” And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
Come now to I Samuel 15:2-3, verses 9,13,19-23 – “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.”…Verse 9, But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed….Verse 13, Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the Lord! I have performed the commandment of the Lord.”…Verses 19-23, “Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the Lord?” And Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.”
That is one awesome and convicting and challenging passage of Scripture! James 4:13-17 ties it together for all believers to seriously contemplate the depravity of self-will or self-determination concerning the paths we choose to walk on! James wrote: Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”
Do you understand how clear it is that the worship of self-will rules in the heart of mankind, that hollow humanity remains hollow because the VOID of DIVINE WILL is so HUGE, that the promotion of the private, personal aims and agendas permeate the minds and hearts of the masses? Do you realize how many, whether they say it out loud or not, show by their walks, “I’M NOT WALKING WHERE, WHEN, OR HOW GOD WANTS ME TO WALK!”
3)Notice, The Depravity of the Self-Will of Making What We Have our Life and our ‘god’ That We Worship! In Luke 12:15-21 Jesus speaks: And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” Then He spoke a parable to them, saying, “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I Will Do This: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Colossians 3:1-5 really challenges us about our ‘life choices’! “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died [crucified WITH Christ!!], and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth; fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” How clear is that?
Jesus came to seek and to save that which is lost – sidetracked, enveloped in a cloud of self-worship, blinded in the mind by $$ signs, covetousness of the illicit and the temporal! Jesus came to build and establish in men’s minds and hearts the desire for the everlasting – not the fleshly, vain, earthly kingdoms of a self-willed heart and life!
4)There’s The Depravity of the Self-Will of Making a Name For Ourselves! In Genesis 11:4, early yet continuous activity of fallen men: “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves…” In John 5:44 Jesus asked a penetrating, powerful, personal, convicting question: “How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?”
It was in I Kings 1:5 where Adonijah says, Then Adonijah the son of Haggith EXALTED HIMSELF, saying, ‘I WILL BE KING…!” PRIDE ALWAYS GOES BEFORE THE FALL!!
5)The Depravity of the Self-Will of Yielding Ourselves as ‘Instruments of Unrighteousness Unto Sin’ Because Death Reigns Rather Than the Life of Christ! In Romans 6:13-14 we read: “And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God AS BEING ALIVE FROM THE DEAD, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin SHALL NOT have dominion over you, for you are not under law [the law of sin and death] but under grace.”
I had a friend, Jerry Spencer, who called me years ago about a book he was reading at the time. He said, “It sounds just like what you’ve taught and written about all these years.” The book was James Montgomery Boice’s “Whatever Happened To The Gospel of Grace?” And the whole essence is, “The Gospel is not Grease – it’s Grace, which takes us out of death into LIFE, out of the old man into the new man, out of the domination of sin to victory over sin!”
Do you remember Hannah’s hymn of praise in I Samuel 2:8? “He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the beggar from the ash heap, to set them among princes and make them inherit the throne of glory.” BUT…the depravity of the self-will reigns because men have yielded themselves as “instruments of unrighteousness unto sin” because DEATH REIGNS!
And I told Jerry what Spurgeon said in his book, “The Soul Winner,” [p.31], “Idle are the boasts of a man who harbors within himself the love of any transgression. He may feel what he likes and believe what he likes, but he is still in the gall of bitterness and the bonds of iniquity while a single sin rules his heart and life. True regeneration IMPLANTS A HATRED OF ALL EVIL. Where one sin is delighted in, the evidence is fatal to a sound hope. A man need not take a dozen poisons to destroy his life; one is quite sufficient.”
Later, [p.241], Spurgeon said: “…a man is not saved while he lives in sin. Let a man say what he will, he cannot be saved from sin while he is a slave of it.” I Thessalonians 4:3, “For this is the will of God, YOUR SANCTIFICATION!” Jude 17-19 should stop you in your tracks!! “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.”
6)The Depravity of the Self-Will of a Fleshly Rule Rather Than The Holy Government of God. Come to I Samuel 8:4-7,19-22! Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.” But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.”…Verses 19-22, Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of the Lord. So the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed their voice, and make them a king.” And Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Every man go to his city.” [Also, please read 2 Kings 17:9-18!!].
It was Paul who said, “But God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” [Galatians 6:14]
The man who reigns over himself, self-government is his god, is not a king – he’s a KOOK! He’s not a ruler – he’s a ruthless, ruined renegade and rebel! He doesn’t like not being the Creator – as the created, he likes the ‘creation’ of his own havoc, he likes the creation of his own broken, marred vessels and messes, he likes the creation of his own foolishness, folly, and failure!
Mark Hopkins wrote: “The very act of faith by which we receive Christ is an act of utter renunciation of self and all its work, as a ground of salvation.” It was Alexander Maclaren who said: “All along the Christian course, there must be set up altars to God, on which you sacrifice yourself [and I add, the right to govern yourself, make your own decisions, choose your own paths] OR YOU WILL NEVER ADVANCE A STEP.”
What did Jesus say in Matthew 16:24? “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”
7) The Depravity of the Self-Will of Stiff-Neck-ness and the Uncircumcision of the Heart. In Acts 7:51 we read, “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.”
One of the saddest verses you’ll find in God’s Word is I Samuel 16:14. “But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing [or evil] spirit from the Lord troubled him.” You can only pray that when God releases a devilish spirit upon someone that they WILL turn to the loving, merciful, gracious Savior and Lord, and be freed, saved, renewed in Him!
NOW, let’s transition to “THE DELIGHT OF THE DIVINE WILL”
If you don’t remember much else of what you’ve read so far or about to read, please remember Jeremiah 10:23! “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks TO DIRECT HIS STEPS.” The Delight of the Divine Will?
1)Delighting in “Divine Will” Is The First Evidence of Our Salvation! In Acts 9 Saul of Tarsus encountered the Resurrected King of kings and Lord of lords. Acts 9:6 says, “So he, trembling and astonished said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?…” All of a sudden, it’s no longer “my kingdom” but “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth [in MY life] as it is in heaven!” It’s the song of a renewed, transformed heart: “Have Your own way, Lord! Have Your own way! Hold o’er my being absolute sway! Fill with Your Spirit till all shall see Christ only, always, Living in me!”
2) We Delight in “Divine Will” Because of Its Limitlessness! If you haven’t learned it yet: “With God all things are possible!” In Luke 1:38 it was Mary who said, “BEHOLD, the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to Your Word.”
In my New King James Bible, Psalm 36 is entitled “Man’s Wickedness and God’s Perfections.” In verses 1-4 it describes the wicked! But then receive verses 7-9! “How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house. And You give them to drink from the river of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.”
But you do understood – there are those content with their impotence and refuse the very limitlessness God graciously grants to repentant hearts and minds!
3) We Delight in The Divine Will Because of What Is Set Before Us! In Matthew 26:39 Jesus “went a little further and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as YOU WILL!” And Jesus “rested” in the will of the Father because of what was eternally intended for man out of the overflow of God’s heart – even Calvary’s Cross!
In Hebrews 10:5-10 there is an awesome unveiling of, not only the heart of God, but also the very heart of Jesus. It says, Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come – in the volume of the book it is written of Me – To do Your will, O God.” Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” [which are offered according to the law], then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. BY THAT WILL WE HAVE BEEN SANCTIFIED through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
AND WHAT DO WE DO? Hebrews 12:2 says, “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand throne of God.”
And us delighting in what is set before us? Ephesians 2:6 says, “and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus!” And you possess no delight in your mind and heart?
They came to arrest Jesus, and Peter was going to defend Him, but in John 18:11 Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into your sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?”
5)We Delight in “Divine Will” Because in That Continuous Act of Surrender We Know God Is At Work In Us. There is such an encouraging Word for all of Faith who delight to do God’s will in Hebrews 13:20-21. Don’t miss it! Stand in it! Rejoice in it! “Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
I know, I know, I KNOW, that this is why Peter penned I Peter 4:1-2 and verse 19! Peter says: “Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.” Verse 19, “Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.”
In I Thessalonians 5:24 Paul wrote: “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” DO WHAT? Look at verse 23! “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” And we know: “GOD IS ABLE!!!”
6)We Delight In “Divine Will” Because God IS OUR GOD! In Psalm 143:10 we read, “Teach me to do Your will, for YOU are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.” If God is not our God, we want to be led in the land of ‘down-wrongness’? But not so for the people of Faith! “YOU ARE OUR GOD!!” Who is your God?
7) We Delight in “Divine Will” Because There’s A Hunger And A Longing For Eternal Blessing! Of course, those who do not live by Faith await their ‘eternal curse’ to be unleashed! In I John 2:17 we read, “And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; BUT HE WHO DOES THE WILL OF GOD ABIDES FOREVER.”
It’s “not with eyeservice as men-pleasers, but bond-servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.” [Ephesians 6:6]. WE’RE GOD’S FAMILY!! In Matthew 12:50 Jesus said: “For whoever DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER in heaven is My brother and My sister.”
ETERNAL BLESSING? A LONGING IN ONE’S HEART TO HONOR GOD!!
In Exodus 32:29 we read: Then Moses said, “Consecrate yourselves today to the Lord, that He may bestow on you a BLESSING this day.” Consecrate? One set aside “TO DO GOD’S WILL!!”
In Judges 5:2 is the song of Deborah: “When leaders lead in Israel, When the people WILLINGLY OFFER THEMSELVES, BLESS THE LORD!!” The Will of God? DELIGHT, BLESSING, FULFILLMENT!
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
DISCERNING THE WILL OF GOD
In every one of Paul’s epistles or letters, like I Corinthians 1:1, he introduced himself as “Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ THROUGH THE WILL OF GOD…” What an awesome declaration – Paul knew what God wanted him to be and he discerned what God wanted him to do! When Paul was giving his defense after being arrested, in Acts 22:14 he told of Ananias’ declaration: Then he said, “The God of our fathers has chosen you that YOU SHOULD KNOW HIS WILL, and SEE THE JUST ONE, and HEAR THE VOICE OF HIS MOUTH.”
In Acts 21:10-15 we read, And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own feet and hands, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, “The will of the Lord be done.”
To the church at Ephesus, Ephesians 1:5, Paul told us that not only were we “chosen in Him…but that we were predestined to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, ACCORDING TO THE GOOD PLEASURE OF HIS WILL.” God’s Will Is Pleasurable – It’s Good! In Ephesians 1:11 we read, “…being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.”
It sounds like WE need to know “the counsel of His will” because Holy God only operates, works, completes things on the basis of His will alone! Daniel 11:32 says, “…the people who know their God [and know the will of God] shall be strong and carry out great exploits.”
The “Overcomer” is a man who lives by the will of God. The “resister” of strong temptations is a man who lives by the will of God. The “holy man” is a man who has lived in the blue flame of the will of God. The “Such-A-Time-As-This” woman is a woman who’s discerned the will of God. The “Marys of the Miraculous” women choose to live “according to His Word.”
The weak, the base, the foolish, the zeroes, who are nobodies become “Somebody” sons and daughters of God, servants of Christ, led by the Holy Spirit, because they choose to “Live” in the will of God! Sinners become saints by the will of God. The naked are clothed in righteousness and put on the garments of salvation by the will of God. The wounded and the weary are healed and made strong by the will of God. The “lost” are found by the will of God. The spiritually destitute are royally received by the will of God. The empty are filled by the will of God. The enslaved are freed by the will of God.
The misdirected and the pathless find the “ancient paths” by the will of God. The hopeless find hope by the will of God like an anchor to the soul-steadfast and sure. The storm-tossed hear “Peace Be Still” by the will of God. The troubled find a haven of rest by the will of God. Misspent youth find eternal purpose and high and holy callings by the will of God. Lost faith, vision, fire, and ministry are rekindled by the will of God. Empty marriages overflow anew in the blessings of the will of God.
But how do we know the will of God? How do we discern what God would have us do? We’re at the crossroads – and which road do we take?
WE DISCERN THE WILL OF GOD BY RESOLUTION IN OUR HEARTS WITH OUR SAVIOR THAT ALL THAT MATTERS IS THE WILL OF GOD BEING DONE THROUGH US. Come to Matthew 26:36-44. Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” He went a little farther and fell of His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What? Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time…”
Is there any doubt in your mind that Jesus had a different agenda for His life other than the Father’s will for Him? I don’t think so! But do you understand that most in the world see their lives as a matter of “private agenda,” and for them God can’t impose His will over theirs!
What would you say about yourself and “the will of God”, as you’re reading this book? Are you CEO of your own plans and schemes? Are you the primary decision-maker of who you are and what you do? Is the “game-plan” of your life drawn up by the pen of your own hand and heart? Are you descriptive of the Frank Sinatra song, “I did it MY WAY”? Jesus said ‘what’ to Father God? “Your will be done!”
WE DISCERN THE WILL OF GOD BY THE RENEWAL OF OUR MINDS FROM THE DARKNESS OF A WORLD CULTURE MIND TO THE LIGHT OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD TRUTH. Romans 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be [being] transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” I love what I read about “spiritual nobility” in Acts 17:11! “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether those things were so.”
Chuck Swindoll, in “The Quest For Character,” [p.192], wrote: “Who can possibly measure the lasting impact of the Word of God? In a world without standards, where everything is relative, where the pace is maddening, and prices are soaring, there is great security in opening God’s timeless Book and hearing His voice. It calms our fears. It clears our heads. It comforts our hearts. It corrects our walk. It confirms our commitment. Let it have its entrance today. Say what young Samuel once said, “Speak, Lord, Your servant is listening.” Are YOU listening?
WE CAN DISCERN THE WILL OF GOD BY THE RESTRAINT OR RELEASE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD WITHIN US. In Acts 16:6-7 we find Paul on his missionary journey: “Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were FORBIDDEN BY THE HOLY SPIRIT to preach the word in Asia…After they had gone to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.” But come back to Acts 13:2 and the church at Antioch: “As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them…’” Verse 4, “So, BEING SENT OUT BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, they went down to Seleucia, and from there sailed to Cyprus.”
I WANT TO SAIL ON THE SEA OF SUBMISSION TO THE LEADERSHIP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT! Romans 8:27 says, “Now He who searches the heart knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He [the Holy Spirit] makes intercession for the saints ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF GOD.”
WE CAN DISCERN THE WILL OF GOD BY THE RESPLENDANT BLESSING OF THE BEAUTY AND BENEFIT OF PRAYER. Romans 15:30-32 says, “Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in your prayers to God for me…that I may be delivered from those in Judea who do not believe, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints…that I may come to you with joy by the will of God and may be refreshed together with you.”
You’ll remember Jesus in Matthew 6 teaching His disciples – and you’ll notice three times in verses 5-7, “when you pray,” “when you pray,” “when you pray.” Then He said in verses 8-10: “Therefore do not be like them [the heathen who use vain repititions!]. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” AMEN?
But just as vital for us is Matthew 7:7-11! “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”
How loving and encouraging was Paul in reminding fellow believers like those at Colossae in the vital beauty and blessing and benefit of faithful prayer! In Colossians 1:9 we read, “For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.”
Look at Colossians 4:12! “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, greets you, ALWAYS LABORING FERVENTLY IN PRAYER FOR YOU, THAT YOU MAY STAND PERFECT AND COMPLETE [FULLY ASSURED] IN ALL THE WILL OF GOD.”
WE CAN DISCERN THE WILL OF GOD BY THE ROYAL REALIZATION THAT THE ACCEPTABLE PLEASURE OF SERVING GOD IS NOT “ROTE” OR MECHANICAL REPITION BUT AN OVERFLOW OF A LOVING HEART. Ephesians 6:6 says, “Not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.”
I truly, truly love Proverbs 22:11 where the wise man wrote: “He who loves purity of heart and has grace on his lips, the king will be his friend.” Are you a friend of Jesus?
WE CAN DISCERN THE WILL OF GOD BY THE PEACEFUL REST OF AWARENESS THAT GOD DOESN’T LEAVE US ALONE BUT IS ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THE FULFILLMENT OF HIS ETERNAL WILL AND PURPOSE THROUGH OUR LIVES. Philippians 2:13 says, “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure!!”
I know that every birthed human has at least a degree of understanding about ‘will.’ And I’m not talking about one’s “last will or testament” – I’m thinking of: ‘I will to do this or I will to do that.’ And, of course, will is so heavily involved in either one’s rebellion to God or one’s submission to Him. ‘Will’ is the foundational element of response to Him or ‘willing’ to go one’s own way apart from God!
Our world is either man-centered, man-willed, man-directed OR “it is God who works in us both to will and to do for His good pleasure!” Are you aware of it? YOU control, concentrate on, choose to be the ‘master’ of your own destiny OR you yield, surrender, give over the control of your life to Holy God! My prayer for you, right now, as you read this book, IS that you’re not one opposed to God’s sovereign control but one who gladly says: “I surrender ALL to His holy control! God IS the source of my will, not the flesh!” There are two verses as a result of the last paragraph that you must “rest” in: I Thessalonians 5:16, 18 says: “Rejoice ALWAYS…[AND] in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Did I say that this point
produces a peaceful rest? YOU KNOW THAT’S TRUE – you’ve witnessed it over and over as you witness that close personal friend who ‘walks in peace’, so reflecting the Indwelling Christ and Living Savior! You discerned through a parent the rich release of confidence, completion, and care that came only from ‘the faithful Creator’! I Peter 4:19 says, “Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.”
WE CAN DISCERN THE WILL OF GOD BY THE RELENTLESS PURSUIT, PRACTICE, AND PLEASURE OF DOING WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW GOD WOULD HAVE US DO AND THEN GO THROUGH THE NEW DOORS AS HE OPENS THEM. In Galatians 6:9 Paul wrote: “And let us NOT GROW WEARY WHILE DOING GOOD, for in due season we shall reap is we do not lose heart.”
In Luke 5 we have an amazing learning experience of new, young, immature disciples – but they WERE learning at the feet of Jesus. Follow:
Luke 5:4-5, When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; NEVERTHELESS at Your word, I will let down the net.” Verses 6-7, And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. Verses 10-11, Jesus said: “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.”
There was an article in the Los Angeles Times, April 14, 1985, by a woman named Ann Wells. It’s printed in Chuck Swindoll’s book “The Quest For Character,” [pps. 211-213]. Hear it with your heart! “My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister’s bureau and lifted out a tissue-wrapped package. “This,” he said, “is not a slip. This is lingerie.” He discarded the tissue and handed me the slip. It was exquisite: silk, handmade and trimmed with a cobweb of lace. The price tag with an astronomical figure on it was still attached.
“Jan bought this the first time we went to New York, at least 8 or 9 years ago. She never wore it. She was saving it for a special occasion. Well, I guess this is the occasion.” He took the slip from me and put it on the bed with the other clothes we were taking to the mortician. His hands lingered on the soft material for a moment, then he slammed the drawer shut and turned to me.
“Don’t ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you’re alive is a special occasion.” I remembered those words through the funeral and the days that followed when I helped him and my niece attend to all the sad chores that follow an unexpected death. I thought about them on the plane returning to California from the Midwestern town where my sister’s family lives. I thought about all the things that she hadn’t seen or heard or done. I thought about the things that she had done without realizing that they were special. I’m still thinking about his words, and they’ve changed my life.
I’m not “saving” anything; we use our good china and crystal for every special event – such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, the first camellia blossom… “Someday” and “one of these days” are losing their grip on my vocabulary. If it’s worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now. I’m trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter and luster to our lives. And every morning when I open my eyes I tell myself that it is special.”
Oh, how special it is to open your eyes to a new day knowing “This is the day the Lord has made! And through me My Lord is fulfilling His good, acceptable, and perfect will!” Glory!
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
…………………………….. SINGLED OUT – SURMOUNTING OVERCOMER
“COMPETING LIFESTYLES – CONFLICTING LOYALTIES” – how could one be in our world and not know the spiritual warfares, conflicts, battles, that go on between individuals of diverse interpretations of life’s purposes or lack of them, OR, yes, between God’s spiritual world and the powers of darkness bossed by Satan himself!
It was Donald Barnhouse, a great Presbyterian preacher maybe 50 years ago or more who wrote a book entitled “The Invisible War.” It is scriptural documentation of the battle of the ages. It’s the war of the Devil against the disciples and, yes, war against those who are not our Lord’s disciples; it’s the war of the Kingdom of God against the kingdom of Satan; the war of Light against darkness; the war of good against evil.
You have an enemy whose ‘lifestyle’ is totally opposite of God’s, an enemy whose loyalties, if it were possible he has any, are conflicting with our Lord and His people. He’s described as ‘the Devil,’ ‘Satan,’ the dragon, the serpent. And he is out for you. He has ‘SINGLED YOU OUT’! Luke 22:31, Jesus speaking, says, “Simon! Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.”
In Job 1, the Scriptures tell us that on a certain day the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, verse 6, “and Satan also came among them.” Then God was bragging on Job saying there’s none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man. Then Satan responded in verses 9-12 ,So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
Thomas Adams once wrote, “The devil is no idle spirit, but a vagrant, runagate walker, that never rests in one place – the motive, cause, and main intention of his walking is to ruin man.”
The devil is a cancerous, malignant, evil, dark being that is out for your demise. He’s real, he’s alive, he’s powerful, he’s destructive. Billy Graham, [“This Week,” March 2, 1958], wrote: “Why do I believe in the Devil? For three reasons: 1) Because the Bible plainly says he exists 2) Because I see his work everywhere 3) Because great scholars have recognized his existence!” But I believe we need to add two more: 4) Because Jesus Himself encountered and exposed him and elevated Himself and us above Satan’s diabolical ways, and 5) Because I’ve personally felt his “hot heat” of fleshly, fiery furnaces trying to consume me! I’ve been broadsided before!
Cotton Mather, in “A Discourse on the Wonders of the Invisible War,” wrote: “That there is a devil is a thing doubted by none but such are under the influences of the Devil. For any to deny the being of a Devil must be from an ignorance or profaneness worse than diabolical.”
I want you to come to Revelation 12! We’ll look at several verses: Revelation 12:12, “…Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea!! For the devil has come down to you, having great wealth, because he knows that he has a short time.” . Revelation 12:13, “Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child….Revelation 12:17, “And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” SINGLED OUT! WHAT DOES SATAN DO?
IN SINGLING YOU OUT, SATAN IS GOING TO ACCUSE YOU! Revelation 12:10, “Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ‘Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of Christ have come, for THE ACCUSER OF OUR BRETHREN, who ACCUSED THEM BEFORE OUR GOD DAY AND NIGHT, has been cast down.”
The chief of the apostate angels flows like a river with accusation after accusation! H.B.Swete says of him, “the CYNICAL LIBELLER of all that God has made.” And God’s greatest creative achievement is “the new creation in Christ”! Satan is the cynical libeler – but in Christ we’re new creations!” Satan is the accuser – but in Christ we’re atoned for! Satan condemns – but in Christ our Savior cancelled our condemnation!
Look at Colossians 2:11-15 and shout! “In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of sins in the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ… buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead…, And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him. Having forgiven you all trespasses… HAVING WIPED OUT THE REQUIREMENTS OF HANDWRITING THAT WAS AGAINST US, WHICH WAS CONTRARY TO US. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross…[Listen!]..Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” HALLELUJAH!!
IN SINGLING YOU OUT, SATAN WILL SEEK TO DECEIVE YOU! Revelation 12:9 says, “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan WHO DECEIVES THE WHOLE WORLD; he was cast to the earth, and his angels [demons] were cast out with him.” When Paul said he feared for the church at Corinth, I don’t think that was an idle feeling that was so off base for that church and us. Listen! 2 Corinthians 11:3-4, 13-15: “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ…For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you may well put up with it…verses 13-15, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ…And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light…Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.”
This is why Paul told Timothy, 2 Timothy 4:2-4, “PREACH THE WORD! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching…For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” What a tragedy!
IN SINGLING YOU OUT, SATAN SEEKS TO BLIND YOU! 2 Corinthians 4:4 says, “whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”
Do you remember what David prayed? Psalm 13:3, “Consider me and hear me, O Lord God, ‘Enlighten my eyes, Lest I sleep the sleep of death…” Paul prayed for the church at Ephesus and us when in chapter one, verses 18-19 he prayed: “[may]…the eyes of your understanding [or heart] being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints…and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe…” HOW ARE YOUR EYES? Are they blinded or blessed?
IN SINGLING YOU OUT, SATAN COMES TO TEMPT! Matthew 4:1 says, “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness TO BE TEMPTED BY THE DEVIL…” True of Jesus but that has nothing to do with you?
Paul wrote in I Thessalonians 3:5, “For this reason when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain.” Sometimes I really wonder where pastors are concerning those they are responsible in nurturing but really have no concern whether they are tempted or not!
To Timothy Paul wrote: [2 Timothy 2:22], “Flee youthful lusts…or you’ll end up a pervert like ‘slick willie’!”
IN SINGLING YOU OUT, SATAN WANTS TO STEAL, KILL, AND DESTROY! IN John 10:10, Jesus speaking, “The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy…” Have you ever seen a prophetic pastor who could preach the stars down, short-circuited, voided, bankrupt of any witness?
Have you ever seen a marriage and family so consecrated, but come to corruption because the battle with the evil one was not their problem or their priority? Have you ever seen a learned, Christ-seeking student, leave home, go to college, and have his/her lights put out by so-called “angels of light”?
IN SINGLING YOU OUT, SATAN WANTS TO INFILTRATE YOUR LIFE! To the church at Ephesus, and us, Paul kept it plain and simple. In Ephesus 4:27 he wrote: “nor give place to the devil..” Not an inch, not a “toe-hold,” not an open door to your ears or eyes or even thought patterns!
I’m not really sure how many new disciples are equipped and trained to recognize when they are being called out, set up, yes, even being programmed by the powers of darkness – and they don’t understand it.
IN SINGLING YOU OUT, SATAN WANTS TO INSTILL PERVERTED PRIDE! Come to Isaiah 14:12-15, “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit.”
In I Timothy 3 Paul had been talking about character and the qualifications of a Bishop. In verse 6 he said, “Not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.”
Oswald Chambers really understood ‘perverted pride.’ In “My Utmost…[p.257], he wrote: “Individuality is the husk of the personal life. Individuality is all elbows, it separates and isolates..individuality debases human nature for itself.” That’s ‘perverted pride!’
IN SINGLING YOU OUT, SATAN SEEKS TO SOW SEEDS IN YOU THAT BECOME TARES THAT SEEK TO CHOKE OUT AND SUFFOCATE ANY VITALITY IN YOU! Matthew 13:38-39 says, “The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one…The enemy who sowed them is the devil…” Your life is like a garden! And Isaiah 58:11 tells us because we’ve chosen the fast of the Lord, “The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”
IN SINGLING YOU OUT, SATAN WANTS TO ‘PUT IN’! John 13:2 says, “And the supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Ischariot, Simon’s son, to betray Jesus.” It’s why the writer of Proverbs so lovingly warns us: Proverbs 4:23, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life.”
Do you remember the Word speaking of Satan leaving Jesus for a season? He wasn’t winning against Jesus at that time so he was looking for a more opportune time to lead our Lord astray, but he lost that battle – Jesus won – and so can you! But…
IN SINGLING YOU OUT, SATAN WANTS TO OPPRESS YOU! Acts 10:38 says, “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were OPPRESSED by the devil, for God was with Him.”
OPPRESSION is the OVERLOADING of a life with the heavy hand of Satan! I’m really amazed, but some Christians believe sadness is the proper countenance of the Redeemed. Far too many have bought into the lie that joy, happiness, celebration, and rejoicing is a way of life for a believer is of the devil – rather than their sadness, sour-puss mentality is of the devil!
Some think “Stiff Pants” Presbyterian is a virtue! Some think modicum music for Methodists is a measure of mercy! Some think Somber Baptists are sacred blessings! Some think lanced Lutherans with lost vocal chords in praise and worship is the arrival of heaven on earth! Some think the quieter you are and the more downcast you are the deeper your spirituality!
Oppression is of the devil! – Celebration is of the Christ! Oppression is of the devil – Holy Hollering is of Christ! Oppression is of the devil! Joy and gladness is of Jesus and Father-God!
IN SINGLING YOU OUT, SATAN IS ONTO SNARING AND TRAPPING YOU! 2 Timothy 2:26 tells us, “and that they may come to their senses and escape ‘the snare of the devil,’ having been taken captive by him to do his will.”
How many do you know who once lived out a vibrant witness but had no understanding that Satan IS a master-trap setter! How many do you know who didn’t see the “blind-siding” coming from the one who so wanted to destroy their witness? Traps are treacherous, traps are so unexpected, traps are extremely hurtful – but it doesn’t matter to the one who wants to ensnare you, taking full control of your destruction!
IN SINGLING YOU OUT, SATAN WANTS TO PUT DOUBT IN YOUR MIND ABOUT GOD’S WORD! You’re familiar with his attack on Eve and Adam in Genesis 3 – “Has God indeed said…?” “You surely shall not die.” BUT THEY DID!
In Revelation 12:15 we read, “So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.” A flood of doubt about the Truth of God’s Word? A flood of doubt about what Jesus said about Himself? A flood of doubt about your alienation, separation from God because of your sin? A flood of doubt about the need to “be born again”? The devil is a master of deception!
IN SINGLING YOU OUT, SATAN WANTS YOU TO BUY HIS LIES! In John 8:44 Jesus said: “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a LIAR and the father of lies.”
DO YOU KNOW WHO ARE OUTSIDE THE GATES OF CHRIST’S ETERNAL CITY? Revelation 22:15 says, “But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and WHOEVER LOVES AND PRACTICES A LIE!”
SINGLED OUT! But is that the end? HOW ABOUT “SURMOUNTING OVERCOMERS!!”
In I John 3:10 John says, “In this the children of God and the children of the devil are MANIFEST: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.”
Spurgeon in his “Spurgeon’s Sermons, [Memorial Library, Vol. 11, page 189], wrote: “The gates of hell cannot prevail against the church; but, what is more, Christ has prevailed against the gates of hell. As for Satan the posts, and bar, and all have been plucked up from his citadel in this sense – that Satan has now no reigning power over believers. He may bark at us like a dog, and he may go around like a roaring lion, but to rend and to devour are not in his power. There is a chain about the devil’s neck, and God lets him go as far as he likes, but no further. He could not tempt Job without first asking leave, and he cannot tempt you without first getting permission. There is a permit needed before the devil dares so much as look on a believer, and God gives His permission; and so, being under divine authority and permission, he will not be allowed to tempt us above what we are able. Moreover, the exceeding terror of Satan is also taken away. A man has met Apollyon foot to foot, and overcome him. That man in death triumphed over Satan. So may you and I. The prestige of the old enemy is gone. The dragon’s head has been broken…” [I would only add, whatever influence Satan may have over you, you willingly gave him permission!]
WE’RE THE SURMOUNTING OVERCOMERS BECAUSE WE STAND ON AND IN THE VICTORY CHRIST WON AT THE CROSS OVER SATAN AND ALL THE POWERS OF DARKNESS! Oh, listen, receive, walk in Hebrews 2:14-16! “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil. And release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.”
I John 3:8b is so very, very clear: “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” ARE YOU “IN” ON WHAT CHRIST WAS UP TO?
WE”RE THE SURMOUNTING OVERCOMERS BECAUSE WE UPHOLD AND DO HOLD ONTO THE LIVING FAITH! I John 5:4 says, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.” And it’s not ‘faith’ in what, but FAITH in WHO: The Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who tells us we are more than conquerors through Him!
WE’RE SURMOUNTING OVERCOMERS BECAUSE WE RECOGNIZE AND REST IN THE GREATER PRESENCE OF CHRIST IN US THAN THE LESSER PRESENCE OF THE DEVIL AROUND US AND AGAINST US! I John 4:4 says, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
WE’RE SURMOUNTING OVERCOMERS BECAUSE WE MAINTAIN AN ATTITUDE OF SOBERNESS, VIGILANCE, AND DISCIPLINE! I Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
WE’RE SURMOUNTING OVERCOMERS BECAUSE RESISTANCE AND NOT ENTERTAINMENT IS OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD SATAN! I Peter 5:9 says, “Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”
WE’RE SURMOUNTING OVERCOMERS BECAUSE WE BOW BEFORE AND PLEAD ONLY THE BLOOD OF JESUS AS OUR HOPE AGAINST THE ENEMY! Revelation 12:11 says, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their own testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”
WE’RE SURMOUNTING OVERCOMERS BECAUSE WE KNOW OUR SAVIOR PRAYS FOR US! Luke 22:32, Jesus speaking, “Simon, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat…BUT I HAVE PRAYED FOR YOU, THAT YOUR FAITH FAIL NOT; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”
WE’RE SURMOUNTING OVERCOMERS BECAUSE WE DRESS OUR SELVES IN THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD! Here it is: Ephesians 6:10-18! “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. [Whose might do we appropriate?] Put on the whole armor of God, [not piecemeal!] that you may be able to stand against the wiles [schemes] of the devil.[Stand or wilt at his wiles?] For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist WITH TRUTH, having put on the BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod your feet WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; above all, taking the SHIELD OF FAITH, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the HELMET OF SALVATION, and the SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, which is the word of God; PRAYING ALWAYS, with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints –“ HOW PLAIN IS THAT? THE MANUAL OF MEANINGFUL SPIRITUAL WARFARE IS YOURS! TAKE THEM ALL!
Fosdick wrote the hymn, “God of Grace and God of Glory.” Verse 2 says: “Lo! The hosts of evil round us Scorn your Christ, assail His ways! From the fears that long have bound us, Free our hearts to faith and praise. Grant us wisdom, Grant us courage, For the living of these days, For the living of these days.”
There is nothing “selective” about putting on the whole armor of God! We all are involved in the huge spiritual battle of the ages against Satan and the powers of darkness, but we MUST KNOW that “we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus!” That’s why we are instructed to “Fight the good fight of Faith!”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
SWIMMING AXEHEADS – SOARING SAINTS
Come, first, to 2 Kings 6:1-7. And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See now, the place where we dwell with you is too small for us. Please, let us go to the Jordan, and let every man take a beam from there, and let us make there a place where we may dwell.” So he answered, “Go.” Then one said, “Please consent to go with your servants.” And he answered, “I will go.” So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, “Alas, master! For it was borrowed.” So the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float. Therefore he said, “Pick it up for yourself.” So he reached out his hand and took it.”
The sons of the prophets have caught the Vision. “The place where we dwell is too small for us…Let’s go to the Jordan…Let’s go where the water of Life flows deeply… let’s make a place there where we may dwell…where we may feel at home.” Have you ever found yourself at that place spiritually where you know there has got to be a breakout or a breakthrough? Where you’ve been has become too small, too limited, too restricted.
YOU KNOW there is the “MUCH MORE” that Paul spoke of, but you’ve never been there. You’ve been to the important station in life called the city of “acknowledgement”, but now, before you, is the state of “appropriation.”
In Isaiah 54:2-3 God says to us: “…Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your habitations; Do not spare; lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes…For you shall expand to the right hand and to the left, and your descendants will inherit the nations, and make the desolate cities inhabited.”
THIS IS THE HOUR of “Stretching Out;” this is the time of lengthening and strengthening; this is the moment of spiritual expansion and the claiming of our spiritual inheritance. We’re not spiritual paupers, but stout princes of God. We’re not the “fizzlers”, but the flaming messengers of God. We’re not busted beggars, but soaring saints who’ve been raised up and seated with Christ in heavenly places. We’re not defenseless, inept, conquered people who have lost the spiritual war; we’re the divine sons and daughters of the Most High God who are more than conquerors because: Romans 5:17, “we have received an abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness and we will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ” – our eternal supply of ever-increasing victory and conquest!
So, the sons of the prophets get to the Jordan…begin the work…fell the trees, but then one who was cutting down a tree, loses the axe-head…it fell into the water!…God’s Word is such a powerful, spiritual picture-book. And this is no different! Do you see it? The axe-head is lost! What is it? Oh, he wanted to go on to bigger and better things. He made the commitment. He’s on the journey. He’s waged the battle for a time. But now, progress is stopped. He’s lost the axe-head! What is it? IT’S THE CUTTING EDGE – the cutting edge of spiritual growth and development, the cutting edge of felling the strongholds and oppositional forces, the cutting edge of eternal expansion through the ‘sharpness’ of Holy Spirit anointing and power, “enduement of power from on high.”
It’s the cutting edge of advancement to higher plains and deeper depths. It’s the cutting edge of the dynamic of discipline, devotion, and dedication. It’s the cutting edge of living in the ‘blessing,’ every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. It’s the cutting edge of the vicarious victory that overcomes the world. It’s the cutting edge of confidence because of the “Greater” One in you than the one who has deceived the world. It’s the cutting edge of the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe – the cutting edge of full awareness and assurance that God “has saved us and called us with a holy calling according to His own purpose and grace.”
It’s the cutting edge of perpetual, persistent, persuasive truths because we know whom we have believed and we’re fully persuaded that He is able to keep what we’ve committed unto Him until that day!
But here’s a worker who lost the axe-head – it’s stalemate, it’s the dusty and dry days of spiritual depression and oppression – it’s the dry well, or the ‘creek’ that’s run dry, an anointed pail of power that’s become empty. And those of ‘competing lifestyles and conflicting loyalties’ so easily shut down any spiritual advancement because “it was an illusion, so phony, so untrue. It is now for us over, finished, and we were foolish!” Is it over?
This story is a symbol of a believer with a bountiful bucket of salvation’s joy but now reveals the barrenness of faith and devotion as the joy was lost through –‘maybe’ – the sins of self-indulgence or the sidetrack of spiritual indifference and compromise? Vance Havner, in “The Secret of Christian Joy,” says: “The lost axe-head of the Spirit’s unction has fallen into the waters of worldliness, ponds of indifference, swamps of sluggishness…They have ability, training, sincerity, earnestness, but THEY ARE CHOPPING WITH THE HANDLE! They stand before a demonized world powerless, and it must be said of them, as it was said of the disciples before the demon-possessed boy, ‘And they could not…’Mark 9:18!!
HE LOST THE AXE-HEAD! That’s the one made spiritually rich through faith in Christ alone who now is a beggar on the dunghill of personal hopelessness. It’s the man made rich through grace and mercy but now is bankrupt because he spent the blessing of God through the “fools’ gold” of fleshliness and foolishness. It’s the man who had credited to his account the righteousness of Christ, but began to clothe himself daily in the filthy rags of self-righteousness. It’s the man indwelt and in-filled with the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit but chooses to appropriate and live by the best of one’s natural talents and abilities. Do you see it?
It is ‘activity’ without the awesome availability of all God is! Do you see it? It’s motion without the might of the Master! Do you see it? It’s self-induced energy with the absence of eternity’s explosion of effectual change! Do you see it? It’s business as usual without the blessing of the unusual, supernatural power of God!
I’ve cut down many a tree in my day but never by the futility of attempting to fell the tree with an axe-handle only! Do you know what you get with an axe-handle only? Scarred trees, wounded egos, sore, sick bodies, scratched, swollen hands! What happened?
2 Kings 6:6 says, “And the man of God said, ‘Where did it fall?’ And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron [axe-head] float!” What did the man of God do when the axe-head was lost? He threw in the Cross in the midst of the son of the prophets’ place of desperation!
Do you remember Israel’s three days of journey into the wilderness where they found no water? That’s Exodus 15:22-25! They came to Marah – couldn’t drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter! The Scriptures tell us the people murmured against Moses, ‘What shall we drink?’ Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree; and when he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet!
IT IS CHRIST, IT IS THE CROSS OF CHRIST that is always the answer when we dwell where the waters are bitter and felling trees with axe-handles that bring on futility and despair. Major Ian Thomas wrote a book entitled “The Saving Life of Christ” – and it is so true! If you’ve lost the axe-head, TAKE UP THE CROSS OF CHRIST! I Corinthians 1:18 says, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us WHO ARE BEING SAVED IT IS THE POWER OF GOD!” Do you understand, comprehend, and receive that eternal truth to walk in daily?
Let me paraphrase 2 Corinthians 4:10! You “carry in your body of despair [over a lost axe-head] the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the sweet life of Jesus may be manifested in our body!” If the axe-head is going to swim and I’m going to be a soaring saint, what do I do?
RENEWED, SOARING SAINTS ARE THOSE WHO’VE ACKNOWLEDGED THE LOSTNESS OF “THE CUTTING EDGE”. Listen carefully to the Word, 2 Kings 6:5, when the “iron axe-head fell into the water, [the worker] CRIED OUT…!!” Have you ever heard it? “None are so blind as those who will not see!” Do you realize how many people week after week “profess to know God, but in works they deny Him?” [Titus 1:16]. Do you realize how many people week after week walk “having a form of godliness, but deny its power?” [2 Timothy 3:5]. Do you know what it was that aided and assisted in the broken heart of the weeping prophet? Jeremiah 2:35 says, “Yet you say, ‘Because I am innocent, surely God’s anger shall turn from me’; Behold, I will plead My case against you, says God, because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’”
Henry Blackaby in “The Power of the Call,” [p.57] says, “No life or ministry can know victory, success, and joy that ignores the reality of sin and God’s solution and provision for sin.” AND I SAY TO YOU, “To live every day trying to fell trees with an axe-handle only is to live in the sin of personal pride and self-sufficiency and will leave you worn out! But Romans 5:20 PROCLAIMS, “Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more!”
When David said, “I have sinned,” he found the multitudinous mercies of the Master! When the prodigal son said, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before You,” he saw the Father with the best robe, the sealing ring of Holy Ghost authority, the shodding of his feet with the gospel of peace, and he ate at the banqueting table with the choicest of the fatted calves! When Peter said, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man,” he heard grace pouring out from the lips of Jesus, “Fear not; from henceforth you’ll catch men!”
And when the axe-head is lost, when the “cutting edge” is gone, Jesus is there with the message of the Victory of the Cross! A shiny, stained, shellacked handle is impotent against a deep-rooted, stout tree of earthly or demonic opposition. And a seminar on the refining or improvement of your swing is a useless endeavor if there is no axe-head! You can listen for blow after blow with the best of the axe-handle-swingers, but it’s empty if there is no cry, “Timber!”, and the tree is felled!
But there is the cry, “Lord, I’ve lost the axe-head, I’ve lost the cutting edge, I‘ve laid aside the discipline, the devotion of discovery of my eternal purpose…Lord, I’m empty, I’m impotent, I’m powerless…God, be merciful to me, the sinner…!!” And All Heaven Comes To Your Aid!! After Jesus stood against the temptations of the devil, standing on the authority of the Word of God, Matthew 4:11 says, that when the devil left Him, “behold, angels came and ministered to Him.”
And when you acknowledge lost-ness of the “cutting edge” and want restoration and renewal, going to find the Resurrected King of kings and Lord of lords at your side, You find the Mighty Holy Spirit to lift you up and empower you, you find the same angels coming and ministering to you, and you find the fallen who’ve been raised up to come stand with you until the axe-head swims!!
THE RENEWED, SOARING SAINTS ARE THOSE WHO’VE ACKNOWLEDGED IT WAS NOT THEIR OWN – NOT ‘IN ME’!: 2 Kings 6:5 says, “Alas, Master! For it was borrowed.” Do you know what the Word is saying to you? We don’t OWN the sharp edge of the Spirit’s anointing – the Holy Spirit owns us. We don’t fulfill our high and holy calling through the merit of our own self-goodness – we fulfill our callings through the graciousness of our God who has provided everything “that pertains to life and godliness.” Paul was right when he wrote to the church at Corinth [2 Corinthians 4:6-7], “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God IN THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST…But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us!!”
Do we need “a messenger of Satan to buffet us, lest we should be exalted above measure?” That’s 2 Corinthians 12:7. In I Corinthians 1:27-29 Paul also wrote: “God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty…and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are…that no flesh should glory in His presence.”
The saint soars as he says believing,” The axe-head belongs to you, Lord. The cutting edge is the sword of Your Spirit, Lord. The victories testify of You, Lord. Our witnessing works are the wonder of Your presence and power, Lord. Not my educational degrees – it’s Your enlightening anointing, not my possessions, Lord; they’re Your trust in me; not my grit, Lord, but Your grace. Not by might, nor by my power, but by Your Spirit, Lord!”
“ALAS, MASTER! FOR IT IS BORROWED!”
THE RENEWED, SOARING SAINT IS ONE WHO HAS EXPERIENCED THE BREAKTHROUGH TO BROKENNESS AND HUMILITY – WILLING TO GO BACK AND FACE THE VERY PLACE, THE VERY REASON, THE VERY EXPLANATIONJ OF WHY HE LOST THE ANOINTING. 2 Kings 6:6 says, “And the man of God said, ‘Where did it fall?’ And he showed him the place!” What a courageous admission!
Jack Taylor wrote the book, “Much More.” In it, [p.23], Jack said: “I wonder if it is not true that most folks could find they lost the axe-head somewhere close around the throne where the self-life reigns supreme?” And that may be the foundational answer of all lost axe-heads! Several things I feel impressed to highlight here: 1) Axe-heads are lost often in the place of broken covenant! In Judges 16:17, 20 we read: “…Samson told Delilah all his heart and said to her, ‘No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazarite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like other men…..SHAVEN!!…And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” So he awoke from his sleep, and said, ‘I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.” But this is NOT THE END! Verse 28, Then Samson called to the Lord, saying, ‘O Lord God, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance of the Philistines for my two eyes.” GOD HEARD HIS CRY!! 2) Axe-heads are lost often in the place of rebellion to the will of God making self-will prominent and preeminent: Do you remember Samuel’s statements to King Saul? I Samuel 15:22-23,
“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams…For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.” Then in I Samuel 16:14 the Holy Word says, “But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him.”
3) Axe-heads are lost often in the place of unforgiveness: Matthew 18:33-34, “Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?…And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due him.”
4) Axe-heads are lost often in the place of unbelief: Mark 9:17-19 says, “Then one from the multitude answered and said, ‘Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit…And whenever he seizes him, he throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast him out, but they could not.’…Jesus answered and said, ‘O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.” And verse 24 then says: “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
5) Axe-heads are lost often in the place of self-indulgence, at the enslaving altar of sexual immorality: In Psalm 51:10-12 David cried out: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me…Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me…Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with Your generous Spirit.”
I pray you never forget Paul’s practical instruction to the Thessalonians when in I Thessalonians 4:3-4, 7-8 he wrote: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that you should abstain from sexual immorality, that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor…For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness…Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.”
To Timothy, Paul said, “Flee youthful lusts,” [2 Timothy 2:22]; then in I Timothy 4:12 he wrote: “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”
6)Axe-heads are lost often in the place of idolatry: Ezekial 14:2-3, 5-6, we read: “And the word of the Lord came to me saying…Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them?…they are all estranged from Me by their idols. Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations.” Are you really clear about ‘idols’? In Colossians 3:5 we read: “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, WHICH IS IDOLATRY.”
THE RENEWED, SOARING SAINT IS THE ONE WILLING TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE NEED OF THE MIRACULOUS IN RESTORATION, RECOVERY, and RENEWAL: 2Kings 6:6, “…Where did it fall?” And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made THE IRON FLOAT!” One of the saddest verses in all of Scripture is found in Matthew 13:58 when Christ came to His own hometown. The Word says: “And He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.” Even Jesus’ own disciples when told of the Resurrection responded ignorantly and immaturely when in Luke 24:11 they responded, “And their words seemed to them [Jesus’ own disciples] like idle tales, and they did not believe them.”
Isaiah 53 begins in verse 1 saying, “Who has believed our repost? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” The arm of the Lord has been revealed TO THOSE WHO GIVE PLACE TO THE MIRACULOUS!! Look with me at Hebrews 2:1-4! Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also BEARING WITNESS, BOTH WITH SIGNS AND WONDERS, with various MIRACLES, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?”
How can the Body of Christ function effectively, redemptively, and powerfully through the exercising of the gifts of the Spirit if we don’t give place to the miraculous? [Examine I Corinthians 12:7-11!] Don’t ever forget or neglect Acts 10:38! “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” IF GOD IS IN YOU, IS HE WITH YOU TO DO HIS MARVELOUS, MIRACULOUS WORKS?
THE RENEWED, SOARING SAINT IS THE ONE LAYING HOLD ONTO WHAT GOD IS UP TO: 2 Kings 6:7 says, Therefore he said, “Pick it up for yourself.” So he reached out his hand and took it. Almighty God who created this world and its universes is ready for the “Iron To Swim!” That’s IN OUR MIDST! “PICK IT UP FOR YOURSELF!” Sovereign, Holy God is ready and able to lift the sinking iron of your devotion and float it on the Sea of His All-Sufficiency. “Pick it up for yourself!”
The Christ of the empty tomb is the Lord of the answered question, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” [Genesis 18:14] What is a lost axe-head to the God who raises the dead? “Pick it up for yourself!”
David rejoiced over the faithfulness, the consecration, the abundant gifts of God’s people to provide for the building of the Temple. They overflowed in a hymn of thanksgiving and praise to God: I Chronicles 29:11-12, “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all…Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.” “Pick it up for yourself!”
According to Daniel 3:17, GOD IS ABLE TO DELIVER: “Pick it up for yourself!” According to Luke 3:8, GOD IS ABLE TO RAISE UP CHILDREN FROM STONES: “Pick it up for yourself!” According to Romans 4:21, GOD IS ABLE TO FULFILL EVERY PROMISE: “Pick it up for yourself!” According to 2 Corinthians 9:8, GOD IS ABLE TO MAKE ALL GRACE ABOUND. “Pick it up for yourself!” According to Ephesians 3:20, GOD IS ABLE TO DO EXCEEDINGLY ABUNDANTLY ABOVE ALL WE ASK OR THINK: “Pick it up for yourself!” According to Philippians 3:21, GOD IS ABLE TO SUBDUE ALL THINGS UNTO HIMSELF! “Pick it up for yourself!” According to 2 Timothy 1:12, GOD IS ABLE TO GUARD THE SOUL’S TREASURE! “Pick it up for yourself!” According to Hebrews 7:25, GOD IS ABLE TO SAVE TO THE UTTERMOST! “Pick it up for yourself!” According to Jude 24, GOD IS ABLE TO KEEP YOU FROM FALLING, AND TO PRESENT YOU FAULTLESS BEFORE THE PRESENCE OF HIS GLORY WITH EXCEEDING JOY! “Pick it up for yourself!”
In the late 1960’s I had the precious privilege of spending several days in an Arizona pastors’ conference in northern Arizona at Wrangler’s Roost with Miss Bertha Smith, former missionary to China during the time of the Shantung revival and before and during the Communist takeover of that country. She spoke also in one of the churches I pastored. She used to relate the story of a Miss Mitchell of Los Angeles, California, who also had been appointed as a missionary but to the nation of India. How excited this young lady was that God had appointed her to serve the Lord Jesus in India!
When she arrived, her initial appointment was in the home of two older missionaries who were so wrapped up in their own work that they had little time for the new appointee. The home was crude and insufficiently furnished. The food was prepared by native servants. It was so different in every way to the structured, well-provided- for lifestyle of Miss Mitchell.
Troubling things began to surface. The language was so hard to master. Feelings of homesickness began to mount up. And all of a sudden she began to despise the India people she’d been sent to witness to. She was uncomfortable with the older missionaries. She longed for her own home, a husband and children. And then she was physically overcome with amoebic dysentery. The doctor told her she had no alternative but to return to America or she’d die.
Terribly troubled, she began to prepare to leave India. She was scheduled for departure at 9a.m. the next morning. As she arose that disappointing day, she went before the Lord in prayer and in the Word. In the Old Testament she came to Joshua 10 and read about five kings who ran from Joshua and hid in a cave at Makkedah. The story relates that Joshua ordered stones to be rolled in front of the mouth of the cave where these tyrannical kings were hiding. A guard also was set.
When Joshua ordered the stones away and the kings brought before him, he also gave instructions to his captains to put their feet on the necks of these godless, defiant five kings. Listen!! Joshua 10:25, “Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom you fought.” Then Joshua slew the five kings and they were strung up on five trees for all to see. And all of a sudden God illumined the heart and mind of this young missionary lady: ”I HAVE FIVE ENEMIES: OPPRESSIVE, DESTRUCTIVE, HURTFUL, and they were winning! They had their feet on her neck when it was supposed to be her feet on their necks! Her five enemies? 1. Dysentery 2. Loss of love for the Indians 3. Her consuming passion for her own home 4. Language problems 5. Her debilitating homesickness. The axe-head had sunk!
And she began to question as her mind was lit up by the revelation of Holy Scripture: “Why should I have to go home as a missionary failure? Isn’t my God the same yesterday, today, and forever? Do I not serve the Resurrected King of kings who has all things under His feet? Have I not been given “ALL HEAVENLY AUTHORITY?” Did I not go out in the name of Jesus as His ambassador?
Confidently she took five pieces of paper and scribbled on each of them the name of a ‘king-enemy’ that had defied her. She threw them on the floor and enthusiastically began to stomp on each piece of paper, relating in faith: “In the Name above all names, in the authority of my Savior and Lord, I take authority over you and you are now my defeated enemies!”
Immediately she unpacked, she enlisted a tutor to help her with the language, she began to offer praise and thanksgiving to her faithful God. And in response to her faith, God began to work. Soon after she received a proposal for marriage from an American working in the area that she had met; she experienced a miraculous healing. She mastered the language quickly; her home became the place where God had sent her; she loved the Indian people in a way she never knew possible. THE IRON SWAM! THE SAINT SOARED!
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
THE POWER OF THE PULL TO STRAY OR THE POWER OF THE PULL TO STAY?
Hosea 11:7 is a sad but realistic WORD intent on pointing out to us all the pitfalls along the way of true discipleship. And those pitfalls are many. “So My people are bent on turning from Me, though they [the prophets] call them to the One on high, None at all exalts Him.” The King James Version is a little more illuminating – it says: “…My people are bent to backsliding from Me…” There IS a proneness to leave! I grew up on a hymn that had a line in it that said: “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it – Prone to leave the God I love…”
In Jeremiah 14 there’s a drought in Judah [the House of praise]. Can I say “a spiritual drought”? Wonder Why!! And in Jeremiah 14:7 he says, “Truly our apostacies [backslidings] have been many, We have sinned against You, God.” Then he calls on “the Hope of Israel, its Savior in a time of distress…” And the Lord speaks: Jeremiah 14:10, “Even so they have loved to wander; they have not kept their feet in check: [WARNING!!], Therefore the Lord does not accept them: now He will remember their iniquity and call their sins to account.” God intends on making an end to them! And Jeremiah responded, Verse 13, “But, “Ah, Lord God!” I said, “Look the prophets [preachers] are telling them, “You will not see the sword nor will you have famine, but I will give you lasting peace in this place.” Then God responded in Verse 14, “The preachers are preaching falsehood in My name. I have neither sent them nor commanded them nor spoken to them: they are preaching to you a false vision, divination, futility and the deception of their own minds…Verse 15, and those preachers shall meet their end!”
But some have a problem with the Old Testament although “ALL SCRIPTURE IS INSPIRED OF GOD,” So, let me read a New Testament verse, [2 Timothy 2:12], “If we endure, we shall also reign with Him; but, If we deny Him, He also will deny us…” Yet, even in our wanderings, strayings, leaving, God is hot on our trail, and He calls to us, [Jeremiah 3:22], “Return, O faithless sons [you backsliding children], and I will heal your faithlessness – backslidings.”
The promise is real, alive, compassionate, faithful! 2 Peter 3:9 says, “God is not willing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” But two chapters later, Jeremiah 5:6, the hedge is down, the lion, the wolf, and the leopard are roaming about their cities and God speaks: “Everyone who goes out of them shall be torn in pieces, because their transgressions are many, their apostacies [backslidings] are numerous.”
I want us to look first at THE PRONENESS TO LEAVE, or, THE POWER OF THE PULL TO STRAY. How does it happen? THE POWER OF THE PULL TO STRAY IS BECAUSE OF THE POWER OF THE PULL OF THE TEMPORARY PLEASURE OF SIN! Hebrews 11:25 speaks of enjoying “the passing pleasures of sin…” That’s a given! Ask anyone in sin if it is pleasurable and they’ll smile, but follow that path of pleasurable sin to its conclusion and see the end of a ‘cursed life.’ SIN IS A CURSE! Proverbs 23:31-32 says, “Do not look on the vine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly…At the last it bites like a serpent, and stings like a viper.” That’s the picture of ‘sin’ with its pleasurable draw, but in the end look at its poisonous result! Romans 1:25 says, “who exchanged the truth of God for the lie…” The LIE? “You can sin and not die!!”
THE POWER OF THE PULL TO STRAY IS BECAUSE OF TIREDNESS OF THE DEMANDS AND DISCIPLINES AND DIRECTIVES OF THE TRUE FAITH. Interesting verses in Deuteronomy 25:17-18. Listen! “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt, how he met you on the way and attacked your rear ranks, all the stragglers at your rear, WHEN YOU WERE TIRED AND WEARY, and he did not fear God.”
In Luke 14 three times our Lord said, “If this does not happen, you cannot be My disciple…” Three times Jesus said it. In John 6:60 we read, “Many therefore of His disciples, when they heard this said, ‘This is a difficult statement: who can listen to it?” And what happened? John 6:66 says, “As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew, and were not walking with Him anymore.
THE POWER OF THE PULL TO STRAY IS BECAUSE OF THE DISTRACTIONS FROM “WHAT I WANT TO BE AND WHAT I WANT TO DO.” In Galatians 5:1, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free…” And there are multitudes that truly believe that as long as I am a believer in Jesus, in liberty and freedom I can do as I please!
What a travesty of truth! In Galatians 5:13 Paul was so correct: “For you were called to freedom, brothers; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh…” Carrying out the desires of the flesh is not walking in the Spirit of Christ! Come to Galatians 5:17, 19-21! “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” Verses 19-21, “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
In Mark 4:7 we read, “And other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.” What does that mean? In verses 18-19 we read, “And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word…and the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word and it becomes unfruitful.”
I want you to come to I Timothy 6:9-10 – so important! “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” I think you know what happens to a fruitless branch!
THE POWER OF THE PULL TO STRAY IS BECAUSE OF THE INFLUENCES OF THE POWERFUL PULL OF THE WORLD. What a sad verse in 2 Timothy 4:10 where Paul said, “Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.” The beloved disciple John laid it on the line for us all to see in I John 2:15-17! Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
Phillips’ translation of the Romans 8 passage says, “Don’t let the world squeeze you into its mold.” Oh, MY! HOW DO YOU HANDLE JAMES 4:4? “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore who wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
THE POWER OF THE PULL TO STRAY IS BECAUSE THE TEMPTRESS COMES AND THE STRONG PULL OF FLESHLY PASSIONS STOKE THE COAL OF SENSUAL SATISFACTIONS AND OF GLANDULAR GLADNESS AND ONE SETTLES FOR TEMPORARY SATISFACTIONS RATHER THAN ETERNAL PLEASURES! Remember, “All Scripture is God-breathed…!!” In Proverbs 2:16-19 we read, “to deliver you from the immoral woman, from the seductress who flatters with her words, who forsakes the companion of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God. For her house leads down to death, and her paths to the dead; none who go to her return, nor do they regain the paths of life.”
[I believe it’s so important for you to take your Bible and follow up with two other Proverbs’ passages: Proverbs 5:7-14, 18-23, and Proverbs 7:1-27.] And can’t you see with your own eyes the end result of Proverbs 3:33? “The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the home of the just.” [And again, if you have a problem reading just Old Testament passages, try I Thessalonians 4:3-8!]
THE POWER OF THE PULL TO STRAY IS ALSO BECAUSE THE ADVERSARY, THE TEMPTER, THE DEVIL HIMSELF, THE POWERS OF DARKNESS SEEK TO SEDUCE, DECEIVE, AND DEVOUR. I Peter 5:8-9 says, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour…but resist him, firm in your faith…”
Paul said similarly in Ephesians 4:27, “…do not give the devil an opportunity…” [Or area of occupation!]. There are three verses in Luke 4 I want you to note: Luke 4:1-2, “And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led about by the Spirit in the wilderness…for forty days, being tempted by the devil…” Verse 13, “And when the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.”
There’s no doubt this is why Hosea recorded the words of Holy God in Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…”
OH, BUT NOW!! WHAT ABOUT THE POWER OF THE PULL TO STAY? In Psalm 119:29-30 David cried out to God because he knows the power of the pull to stray or the power of the proneness to wander, and he says: “Remove the false way from me…I have chosen the faithful way.”
Many times we’re tossed to and fro because the finality of the choice of the faithful way has not been ruling our hearts and we vacillate between the false way and the true way – that’s ‘flesh’ or ‘Spirit’! But David was determined – Psalm 119:32, “You, God, will enlarge my heart!” In Verse 38 he said, “Establish Your word to Your servant as that which produces reverence for You…” Then, in Verse 112, David said, “I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes FOREVER, even to the end!” I’m telling you: David’s heart was stayed on Jesus!!
In Isaiah 26 the prophet reveals the bottom-line of that overcoming power: Verse 3, “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You.” In verses 8-9 Isaiah also said, “We have waited for You eagerly; Your name even Your memory is the desire of our souls…At night my soul longs for You, Indeed my spirit within me seeks You diligently.”
How David fell so deeply in love with our Lord! In Psalm 17:15 David said, “As for me,…I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake…” The Power of the Pull To Stay?
I CHOOSE THE POWER OF THE PULL TO STAY BECAUSE OF THE PRECIOUSNESS OF THE LAMB OF GOD AND THE FULL UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT HIS SACRIFICE MEANS TO ME! In Revelation 5 you see the picture of the elders falling down before the Lamb and out of their hearts, with their lips they are singing a new song: Verse 9, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals: for You were slain, and did purchase for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.”
There’s a chorus we sing: “Worthy is the Lamb Who died in awesome grief, Worthy is the Lamb Who saved a dying thief. Worthy is the Lamb Who made up for my fall, Yes, Worthy is the Lamb, Praise God, HE IS ALL!”
Revelation 5:12 says, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. Verse 13, To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”
If you’ve never heard, here’s what Jesus did for you 2000 years ago “AT CALVARY”! I Peter 2:24, “And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness: for by His wounds you were healed.” Why? I Peter 3:18, “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit.” [Go to Isaiah 52:13-53:12!]
I CHOOSE THE POWER OF THE PULL TO STAY BECAUSE OF THE PLEASURE, SHEER PLEASURE, SATISFYING PLEASURE, FULFILLING PLEASURE, OF THE SIMPLICITY AND PURITY THE DEVOTION TO CHRIST BRINGS. Find me a “sold-out” disciple and I’ll show you a satisfied one! Listen to Paul: Philippians 1:20-21, “according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
You show me a man whose all-consuming passion in life is Christ Jesus, and I’ll show you a completely fulfilled, satisfied, overflowing vessel of consistent, conquering victory!
Moses Paulose of Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, India, has a son, Israel, who a number of years ago was witnessing in a fishing village and was severely beaten. Paulose carried Israel with his broken body home, laid him on his bed, and then Israel looked up in his Dad’s face to say, with a smile on his face, “Daddy, I’m going to be a martyr for Jesus. Isn’t that good?”
Philippians 3:7-14 says, Paul speaking, “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” How is your “pressing in” quotient?
I CHOOSE THE POWER OF THE PULL TO STAY BECAUSE OF THE PRICELESSNESS OF THE COMMUNION OF THE SAINTS OR WHAT THE FELLOWSHIP OF BELIEVERS PRESENTS TO ME. In I Thessalonians 2:19-20 Paul wrote: “For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?…For you are our glory and joy.”
In Mark 10:26-30 Jesus really expresses fully about a believer’s inheritance, including the fellowship of the believers. We read: And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” Then Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.” So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time – houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands – with persecutions – and in the age to come, eternal life.” And you have a better worldly offer?
Paul penned priceless words of thankfulness and prayer for the eternal blessing of the believers’ fellowship! It’s Philippians 1:3-11 – put it on your refrigerator as well as in your head and heart! “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ; just as it is right for me to think this of you all, BECAUSE I HAVE YOU IN MY HEART, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ. And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” Affection of the affiliated ! One in Christ!
To the church at Ephesus Paul reminds us: [Ephesians 2:19-22], “now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built of the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” “Built together” does not sound to me like an independent, “Lone Ranger” style of ministry!
In chapter three of Ephesians Paul describes us as “fellow heirs, fellow members of Christ’s body, fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” Chapter 4 of Ephesians speaks of “one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”
Through that body of believers, I find enrichment in heavenly fellowship and communion. Through that body of believers, I find the blessing of corporate worship. Through that body, I find the necessary body parts to keep me functioning in faith. Through that body, I find the wisdom of the Word both proclaimed and lived out. Through that body, I find encouragement in time of need. Through that body, I find discipline, correction, reproof when needed. Through that body, I find the river of true love of acceptance in the beloved. Like someone has said: “I like God with skin on…!!” Through that body, I find meaning, purpose, and the aim of eternal significance.
The old hymn says it perfectly: “I LOVE YOUR CHURCH, O God!!”
I CHOOSE THE POWER OF THE PULL TO STAY BECAUSE OF THE POSITIVENESS OF A GODLY WITNESS IN AN UNGODLY WORLD AND THE REALIZATION OF THE DEVASTATION ONE FALLEN DISCIPLE REAPS IN THE LIVES OF THOSE WHO LOOK TO HIM/HER AND SEE THE FALL. You do recognize – there is a power of influence either positively or negatively! Remember John 21:3? Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will also come with you.”
“Could ten good men be wrong?” Do you remember that biblical story in Numbers 14:32-29? It’s about the twelve men who went in to investigate the “promised land,” but said they shouldn’t go in! Joshua and Caleb only were on the Lord’s side!
Do you remember Absalom? He was a son of David, but he rebelled against God, rejected his father’s kingly advice and authority, and reached out to capture the hearts of the men of Israel. 2 Samuel 15:6 says, “…so Absalom stole away the hearts of the men of Israel.” 2 Samuel 15:12 even says, “And the conspiracy was strong, for the people increased continually with Absalom.”
You cannot miss this story! 2 Samuel 17:14 says, “For the Lord had ordained to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel, in order that the Lord might bring calamity on Absalom.” And the result? 2 Samuel 18:7 says 20,000 men who followed Absalom died, and Verse 9 tells about Absalom on a mule, but ends up under a tree, hung until dead!
No doubt, this is why Proverbs 28:10 is so stinging with warning: “Whoso causes the righteous to go astray in an evil way, he shall fall himself into his own pit.” Can’t you hear the worldly? “Oh, that sounds so cruel!” Well, I’m coming down on Jesus’ side! In Matthew 18:6 he said, “but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea. Verse 7, Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks!”
Examine 2 Peter 2:15! “They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.”
I CHOOSE THE POWER OF THE PULL TO STAY BECAUSE OF THE PERIL OF APOSTACY. In Proverbs 21:16 the wise man wrote: “The man that wanders out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.” I know, yes, I know this is why fatherly Paul wrote to his spiritual son, Timothy, 2 Timothy 2:12, “If we deny Him, He will also deny us.”
It gets stronger in I Thessalonians 4:6-8 when Paul wrote: “…the Lord is the AVENGER in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you…For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification…Consequently, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.”
In his book, “The Body”, [p.381], Charles Colson quotes Russell Kirk who said, “He who admits no fear of God is really a post-Christian man; for at the heart of Judaism and Christianity lies a holy dread.” Jonathan Edwards preached a classic sermon, “Sinners In The Hands of An Angry God.” I’m waiting on the new classic, “Believing, Professing ‘christian-sinners’ In The Hands of An Angry God!”
In Hosea 9:1, 10-13 is a shocking passage: Follow carefully – “Do not rejoice, O Israel, with joy like other peoples, for you have played the harlot against your God. You have made love for hire on every threshing floor. Verses 10-13, “I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstfruits on the fig tree in its first season. But they went to Baal Peor, and separated themselves to that shame; they became an abomination like the thing they loved. As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird – no birth, no pregnancy, and no conception! Though they bring up their children, yet I will bereave them to the last man. Yes, woe to them when I depart from them! Just as I saw Ephraim like Tyre, planted in a pleasant place, so Ephraim will bring out his children to the murderer.” They did on an altar what America and India do in the womb!
I really don’t know how you will react to words from Jesus Himself. I do know there are those who say: “He didn’t mean what you believe He means.” Oh, really? Contemplate Luke 12:42-46! And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.” [If you’re not sure what the previous verses are about, go to Jeremiah 34:18-20!!]
I CHOOSE THE POWER OF THE PULL TO STAY BECAUSE GOD HAS SUMMED UP ALL THINGS “IN CHRIST”! Ephesians 1:7-10 says, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ – both which are in heaven and which are on earth – in Him.” [Also, please read Colossians 1:9-2:6!!].Dennis Jernigan on his “Break My Heart” album has a song entitled “You Are My All In All.” In it there is a line which says: “Seeking You as a precious jewel, Lord, to give up I’d be a fool. You are my All in All.”
In I Peter 2:25 Peter wrote, “For you were as sheep going astray: but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.” This is why Paul was so humbled by all things summed up in Christ alone – in Galatians 6:14 he wrote, “But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
ALL THINGS SUMMED UP IN CHRIST – not your wealth, not your degrees, not ‘your’ accomplishments, not your athleticism, not your awards, not ‘your’ fame, not your reputation, not your discoveries – ALL THINGS SUMMED UP IN CHRIST!
I want to close this chapter with words of Jesus in Matthew 16:21-26, From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but of the things of men.” Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
“COMPETING LIFESTYLES – CONFLICTING LOYALTIES”?? Examine yourselves as to whether or not you truly are “in the Faith” or not!!
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
FLESHLY INTIMIDATIONS – DIVINE INSPIRATION!!
It was Reinhold Bonnke who said to the people he ministered to: “God means me to be more than I thought I was!” In fact in Jeremiah 29:11 God said: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Yet how often are individuals so downcast because of what they THINK about themselves or what others say about them. In fact, listen to what even King David said in Psalm 27:13-14, “I would have lost heart, UNLESS I had believed THAT I WOULD SEE THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING…Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait I say on the Lord!”
Have you ever lost heart because you measured yourself in your own and others’ estimation without hearing from God? Have you ever lost heart because you measured yourself by the fleshly, earthly criteria of a fallen society without hearing God’s revelation truths? Have you ever lost heart because your eyes WERE BLINDED TO THE GOODNESS OF GOD and you majored on your own self-opinion as worthless or even less than nothing?
God is no respecter of persons. What He said about Israel He has said about you. Listen to Deuteronomy 7:6-8! “For you are a HOLY PEOPLE to the Lord your God: the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, A SPECIAL TREASURE above all the people of the face of the earth…The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people; for you were the least [in number] of all people…but because the Lord loves you…”
Holy People because of God’s Redeeming grace and mercy! Special treasures because of Sovereign Triumphant Truths! Chosen People because of the Loving Heart of God! If “God so loved the world…[and He does!],” does that mean He loves you? If He’s NO respecter of persons and He thinks on David does that mean He thinks on you? Look at Psalm 139:17-18!! “How precious also are your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!…If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand: When I awake, I am still with You!” Look at verse 16! “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, THE DAYS FASHIONED FOR ME, when as yet there were none of them.” How awesome is that!?!
God has a purpose and a plan for my life and yet too often we fall into the ruts and ditches of fleshly opinions about ourselves from fallen humanity or our own faulted opinions or estimations! But listen to Ecclesiastes 6:10 [NLT], “Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be. So there’s no use arguing with God about your destiny!”
Most men have determinations about other men, certainly not themselves, but men see most other men as of “loser” status but God says we’re all men of “destiny”! Have you ever seen in the Song of Solomon Jesus as “The Lover of Your Soul,” and the beautiful daughter of Jerusalem as your own life, WHOM JESUS DESIRES?
Song of Solomon 2:4 says, “He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.” In chapter 4, verse 7, the Lover says to the one loved, “You are all fair, my love, and there is no spot in you.” [Some say, “love is blind;” No, LOVE COVERS, CLEANSES, AND CONVERTS!!] In chapter 7, Verse 10, Listen and receive this: “I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me.” That’s God’s divinely breathed, inspired, anointed Word about His attitude toward you!! But…you know it’s true – there were those who looked at you and they said, “Why would God be interested in you? Why would God waste a minute of His time on someone like you? It’s the height of ‘ego-mania’ to think God has any interest in you!”
And too often people find themselves in bondage, like Israel in Egypt, but the bondage of opinions, fleshly intimidations, thoughtless and heartless expressions of condescending ridicule and judgments. But listen to Exodus 2:23-25, “Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out: and their cry came up to God because of the bondage…SO GOD HEARD THEIR GROANINGS AND GOD REMEMBERED HIS COVENANT with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob…And God looked upon the children of Israel, AND GOD ACKNOWLEDGED THEM.” The NLT says: “felt deep concern for their welfare.” “Acknowledged” – KJV: “had respect for.”
Do you remember Sarah’s handmaiden that she sent into Abraham because Sarah hadn’t been able to conceive and give Abraham a son? Genesis 16:4 says that “when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes,” and then, verse 6 says, “…Sarah dealt harshly with her, [and] she fled from her presence.” THEN!!! In verse 7, “…the Angel of the Lord found her [aren’t you glad God’s Angel has found you?] by a spring in the wilderness…” and told her, [Verse 9], “…return to your mistress and submit yourself under her hand…”
Look at Verse 13!! “Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You-Are–The-God-Who-Sees;” for she said, ‘Have I also seen Him WHO SEES ME?’” BUT… CAN YOU HEAR IT? “Outcast, loose woman, reckless, Hell-Bent-Soul, deserving of isolation, of separation, of a lonely wilderness; NOT EVEN GOD WOULD LOOK UPON YOU!!” ….AND THEN, THERE HE IS!! “THE-GOD-WHO-SEES-ME!”
FLESHLY INTIMIDATIONS – DIVINE INSPIRATION!
Men see an idolatrous pagan – God sees a “Father of Many Nations.”
Men see a little, young, shepherd boy – God sees a “King.”
Men see a young, insignificant maiden – God sees a “Queen” willing to lay her life down for her people “in such a time as this.”
Men see a young, immature, spoiled, angry prince of Egypt – God sees a Deliverer.
Men see an impulsive, fearful teenager – God sees the messenger of the Gospel of Mark.
Men see a homely, hollow, hopeless young girl – God sees the mother of the Messiah.
Men see a smelly, busy fisherman – God sees a fragrant, blessed Fisher of Men filling God’s Kingdom with “Good News” converts.
Men see a poor, shoe-cobbler filling his time repairing shoes – God sees an evangelist shaking continents, renewing hearts.
Men see a busy medical doctor making lots of money caring for sick bodies – God sees a medical missionary honoring God and bringing “Light” to the dark continent of Africa caring for souls.
Men see a poor black alien carry a “guilty” man’s cross on his back – God sees a rich black member of the “Household” of God who bears the Cross of Jesus in his heart.
Men see a wounded, wild, weary woman of the world constantly rejected by men for the poor choices of life she always made – God sees a daughter of the Kingdom loved unconditionally by the Saving Master of her mess made into a Master-piece through His grace, mercy, and love.
Men see a young, careless “Party Boy” intent on being an oil baron – God sees a “New Creation” born again to be governor of Texas and President of the United States.
Men see others like birds so wounded and broken in their wings they could never fly – God sees us as Heaven’s elegant eagles soaring in the stratosphere of redemptive love and grace.
Men see humanity as a disastrous train-wreck – God sees us crafted into His perfect plan.
Men see the bankrupt, the poor – God sees us blessed in the fullness of eternity’s divine worth.
Men see the hypocrites – God sees holy men, holy women passing by.
Men see the “washed out” and the “short-falls” never measuring up – God sees the cleansed, the completed, the whole: body, soul, and spirit.
Men see the “drowning ones” – God sees the Water-Walkers.
Men see the hollow – God sees those filled with all the fullness of God.
Men see the self-centered incapable of anything or anyone outside themselves – God sees the true worshippers who bow in surrender to Almighty God and service to humanity in need, foot-washers, burden-bearers, load-lifters.
Men see mankind as blank pages of total insignificance – God sees lives that are banners raised high to the glory of God.
Men don’t ever see the unknown, the insignificant, the “lesser than us” – But God knows them by name, numbers the hairs on their heads, sees them so significant to Him He’d give His Own Son for their redemption.
Men see the “zeroes,” the nobodies, the shameful – God sees “chosen vessels” to fill with His holy presence, to sanctify, and to fill with His glory.
Men see the “weak” and disavow any importance to their lives – God sees containers to be filled with His salvation, His strength, and to demonstrate His gracious use of their lives.
Men see an “out-of-tune,” “off-key”, discordant farm boy – God sees a psalm writer and composer of great symphonies of Scripture.
Men see a prostitute – God sees a princess who washes Jesus’ feet with her tears and wipes them with her hair.
Men see sinners – God sees saints.
Men see what they are – God sees what we will become.
Men see a drunken woman, incoherent yet loud – God sees a woman intoxicated with the infilling of the Holy Spirit crying out for a child.
Men see selfish, self-centered, introspective navel examiners – God sees lives poured out as drink-offerings in selfless missionary enterprises and Christ-like services and ministries.
Men see the ordinary, natural, every-day guys just like themselves – God sees extraordinary, supernatural, eternally-dimensioned ARK BUILDERS. Men see a spoiled, family pet, indulged, bothersome, a real pest, worthy only of being sold as a slave – God sees a ruler, feeding the nations and feeding his own brothers who profited by his sale into slavery.
Men see failures, losers, drop-outs out of a “normal” society – God sees successes, winners, more-than-conqueror men and women of the new, heavenly family of God.
Men see “mess-makers” of paints and oils scribbled on insignificant canvasses – God sees a Michaelangelo painting in the ceiling of the Sistene Chapel.
Men see moms and dads who look upon their children with an attitude that they’ll never make anything of their lives – God sees children whom He loves unconditionally and births and blesses them as reigning members of the Royal Family of God.
Men see those who have no talent – God sees the same individuals blessed with the holy, heavenly gifts of God.
Men see rebels, defiant on every hand or turn – God sees the submissive, dependent upon gracious God to see them through.
Men see the “forfeited,” the vacant, the empty – God sees the overcoming “Faith-ers”, the victorious, overflowing in heavenly excellence.
Men see the “Bad” all around them – God sees the “God-like.”
Men see accidents of nature, the outcasts of society – God sees those created for His glory, fashioned and formed by God and gathered to His bosom.
Men see paupers, bond-slaves of empty, useless souls – God sees priests and kings to God the Father, His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works.
Men see the weakest and the least – God sees “Mighty Men of Valor”.
Men see “runts,” all of them out of the same litter – God sees spiritual giants.
Men see chunks of worthless debris – God sees crowns of faithful devotions.
Men see rusted trophies on the trash heaps of life – God sees shining trophies in His loving arms of grace and mercy.
Men see filthy failures – God sees clean vessels meet for the Master’s use.
Men see colossal, classic, crumbling misfits – God sees masterful new creations of His tender mercies.
Men see filthy rags of self-centered unrighteousness and un-relatedness to anybody – God sees men dressed in the bridal dresses embroidered in the righteousness, wisdom, sanctification, and redemption of Christ, married to Jesus, God’s Son.
Men see trapped rats cornered in a sewer pipe – God sees triumphant souls created in the sacred image of Holy God.
H.L. Mencken surely had “Fleshly Intimidations” in mind when he wrote: “There’s always an easy solution to every human problem – neat, plausible, and wrong.” How wrong to see yourself as fleshly men do and not as Holy God does! Men’s thoughts of us are devastation – God’s thoughts, restoration! Men’s thoughts of us are burdensome – God’s thoughts relief and refreshment! Men’s thoughts of us are enslaving – God’s thoughts are liberating and bring freedom! Men’s thoughts are condescending – God’s thoughts are uplifting and elevating!
Look at Matthew 11:28 in the Amplified: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are…overburdened, and I will cause you to rest – I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.”
In Joel have you ever seen the “chewing locusts” as man’s fleshly intimidations about you? Can you see the “swarming locust” surrounding and hiding God’s love for you? Have you ever seen the “crawling locust,” “the consuming locust,” as the STRIPPERS OF DIVINE INSPIRATION IN YOUR LIFE? “God So Loved…” but locust say you’re unlovable! “God so loved…” but locust say you’re unwanted! “God so loved…” but locust say you’re beyond salvaging or saving! “God so loved…” but locust say you’re IRREDEEMABLE! And because of the LOCUST, “joy has withered away from the sons of men.” THEN GOD ARISES!!
Come to Joel 2:25-27!! “So, I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust….You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God Who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame…Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel [the Church]: I am the Lord your God and there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame.”
The Goliaths of “fleshly intimidations” always are struck down with their fleshly swords in their hands when the “Davids” of faith rest in “the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, [whom GOLIATHS DEFY]!!”
In the NIV, I Corinthians 14:7-8 reads: “Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the flute or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?” Do you know what tune is being played in your life? Sad Refrain or sure rejoicing? The uncertain sound of a fleshly intimidator or the clear call of the trumpet sound of Holy God? Is it the indistinct sounds of “off-key” notes of the fleshly intimidators or the Heavenly Symphony of God’s divine inspirations?
In Hebrews 10:23, God’s Word, [Do you hear that?], GOD’S WORD says, “…hold fast the confession of YOUR hope without wavering…” Hope isn’t a “wish,” or a “maybe,” or a “possibility,” but the assurance that what God reveals is true, assurance based on the trustworthiness of God, that WHAT GOD SAYS IS SO, IS SO! God’s “IS” IS WHAT IT IS!!! Hope, biblical hope, lights the darkness of our disenchantments about ourselves. Hope fans the flame of Godly discoveries as to our true identities in Christ. Hope illumines our misconceptions and reveals God’s miracles.
The name Howard Carter probably doesn’t mean anything to you. I’d never heard of him until I read his story while in the Philippines years ago. Carter was an archeologist who for years looked for the tombs and treasures of the ancient Pharoahs of Egypt. In fact, there were those who told him nothing else was to be discovered. The year was 1922 and all of a sudden he found it – the first stone step to the burial place of King Tutankhamen, a priceless treasure-trove of ancient history…everywhere he investigated in that tomb was the “glint of gold.” It took ten years to catalog everything Howard Carter found.
And even today there are those who say, “There’s nothing different about man to be found. It’s a waste of time looking for anything worthwhile in man.” But there are some seekers, “spiritual archaeologists,” who dig and dig and dig – not in a tomb but in the mind and heart of God, not in a tomb but in the treasure-trove of God’s Holy Word, The “Glints of Glorious Gold, Glints of the Divine Nature, Glints of Divine Likeness” that comes shining through because the blood of Jesus washes white as snow!!
Nothing can match the joy of discovering what God thinks and what God says about you! In Proverbs 2:4-5, “If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; THEN you will discern the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God.”
HEAR IT!! GOD’S KNOWLEDGE: God’s thoughts are on me! God loves me with an everlasting love, and through His lovingkindness draws me to Himself! God has a plan for my life, not according to my works, but according to His purpose and plan in Christ before time began. God has ordained my steps with a sense of divine destiny, laid out before I was even conceived in my mother’s womb. God proved His love for me, in that while I chose to sin, settling for less than God meant me to be, Christ, God’s Son, My Redeemer, died for me. God sent the Holy Spirit to convict me of sin, righteousness, and judgment to come. God pulled back the curtains and veils of our spiritual blindness and gave us eyes to see, a will to repent, a heart and mind to receive and raised us out of our fleshliness and lifted us up to be seated with Christ in Heavenly places!
When Howard Carter opened King Tut’s tomb, it was: “Wow! Look at that!” “Fantastic!” “Beautiful!” “Elegant!” “Exquisite!” “Magnificent!” “Incredible!”…But God’s Treasure Trove? “Glory!” “Hallelujah!” “Praise Be To God!” “Awesome!” “I Stand In Awe!”
Psalm 103, 1, 4-5 says: “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name…Who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies…Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” No doubt this is why David wrote in Psalm 23:1, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I SHALL NOT WANT!”
And you have a concern about living out this glorious faith? I John 5:4 says, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.”
Here’s how Paul put it in Ephesians 1:4, “…[God] has Blessed Us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ…” Verse 5, “Predestined to adoption.” Verse 6 “Accepted in the Beloved.” Verse 11, “Obtained an inheritance.” Verse 13, “Sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise.” 2:22, “A Habitation of God in the Spirit.” Philippians 2:15, “Illuminating, Shining lives.” Philippians 3:20, “A Citizen of Heaven.” Colossians 1:12, “Qualified [by God my Father] to be partakers of the inheritance of saints in the light.” Colossians 1:13, “Transferred into the Kingdom of God’s Son of Love.” Colossians 1:27, “Christ in me – the hope of glory.” Colossians 3:12, “Elect of God, holy and beloved.” 2 Timothy 1:9, “Saved and called with a holy calling.” Hebrews 2:10, “Sons brought to glory.” Hebrews 6:19, “Hope, the anchor of our souls, sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil.” CAN YOU SAY, “GLORY, Hallelujah!!?”
In Chuck Swindoll’s book “Come Before Winter,” [Christian Literature Crusade, Manila, Philippines, 1985, pps.35-36], there is such a powerful story that says so much to end this message today. He began by saying, “Who Really Cared?”
“Hospital personnel see it everyday, charity case, routine admission, just a bum from the Bowery with his throat slashed. ‘The Bowery…last stop before the morgue. Synonym of filth, loneliness, cheap booze, drugs and disease. Nobody seemed to really know what exactly happened. The nurses for sure. And of course, what difference would it have made if they really knew who he was. Possibly.
The ending in the Bowery, such an antithesis to what had gone on before. Now? A .25cent a night smelly, dirty, stinking room…a place to drink and destroy his life…Health gone, starving, totally disoriented and shattered…a shell of a man who looked twice his age. He got up to wash his face at the basin, staggered, fell on the basin, it shattered. He was found lying in a heap, naked, and bleeding from a deep gash in his throat. His forehead was badly bruised and he was semiconscious.
They did call a doctor and he came. Someone found black thread and the doctor right there sutured the wound as the injured man called out for a drink. A drinking buddy shared the last sips of his almost empty rum bottle. They called for an ambulance and carried him to Bellvue Hospital, New York. He lasted three days, then died.
But someone was looking for him who knew him, probably his only friend and he was directed to the morgue. ‘There, among dozens of other colorless, nameless corpses with tags on their toes, he was identified.’ Final belongings? .38cents in one pocket, and in the other a scrap of paper. Scribbled were just five words on that paper – “Dear friends and gentle hearts,” like the words of a song, but who really cared? He had died at 38 years of age, but before his drunkenness and death he had been a song-writer, and in his prime the whole world sang his songs: “Camptown Races,” “Oh, Susanna,” “Beautiful Dreamer,” “Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair,” “Old Folks At Home,” “My Old Kentucky Home,” more than 200 others, but nobody knew the derelict, Stephen Foster.
And you think to yourself, ‘but what if…?’ What if his songs had been, “Calvary’s Reach,” “Oh, Jesus,” “Beautiful Savior, “ “Jesus With The Loving Eyes,” “Old Folks In Heaven,” or “My Eternal Home”?
But he bought the lie of fleshly intimidations and never looked to the Divine Inspirations! One other thing of utmost importance” What if man’s estimations are all true? What happened when Jesus died? “I AM CRUCIFIED ‘WITH CHRIST,’ NEVERTHELESS I LIVE, YET NOT I BUT CHRIST LIVES WITHIN ME. AND THE LIFE I NOW LIVE IN THE FLESH, I LIVE BY THE FAITH OF THE SON OF GOD WHO LOVED ME AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR ME.”
God sees me “In Christ,” – a completed, perfected, work of grace, revealing through US ALL JESUS IS! Romans 8:29 says, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” BOGGLED MINDS FLOURISHING IN REVEALED TRUTH BRINGS US TO BENDED KNEES!
The author, Annie Dillard, wrote it: “I had been my whole life a bell, and never knew it until at that moment I was Lifted and Struck!”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
HEAVY HEARTS – REAL REJOICING
Have you ever heard it said or said it yourself, “I must not be very spiritual because I have a heavy heart. I must not be very spiritual because I feel very disturbed about what’s going on around me or in me. I must not be very spiritual because I have a weight on me that feels like the submerging, sinking weight of the Titanic. What’s going on?”
I’m so glad the Word of God is real and not fiction. I’m so glad it’s true history and not wishful play-writing. The writer of Proverbs said, Proverbs 14:13, “Even in laughter the heart may be in pain, and the end of joy may be grief.” Jesus’ invitation was not to the ‘well-one’ but the ‘weary one.’ His invitation was not to the “whole and healthy” but to the one who is heavy-ladened.
Matthew 11:28 says, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” He doesn’t even say that coming to Him will change your circumstances, but He does say “I’ll give you rest.”
Peter knew about frustration and failure, disappointment and disgrace, heaviness and heartache, weeping and the tears of tortuous trials but through it all he came to real rejoicing. Heavy heart – Real Rejoicing! I Peter 1:6 says, “In this you greatly rejoice, even though NOW for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials…” [NAS} The KJV translation says: “Wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness through manifold temptations.” The Amplified version says: “You should be exceedingly glad on this account, though now for a little while you may be distressed by trials and suffer temptations.”
The writer of Proverbs again wrote: [Proverbs 27:3], “A stone is heavy and the sand weighty, but the provocation of a fool is heavier than both of them.” But I’m not talking about the provocation of a fool – I’m talking about the perils of the faithful. I’m not talking about the pitfalls of the godless, I’m talking about the distresses of the saints. I’m not talking about the foolishness of the faithless, I’m talking about the heartaches of the holy ones. I do want us to look at the heavy hearts of God’s own people first of all.
THERE IS THE HEAVINESS OF HUMILIATION AND BROKENNESS OVER THE SINS OF GOD’S PEOPLE. Follow carefully Ezra 9:5-8! As you read, consider this, has the “modern” church been lax in ignoring sin in its midst? Are we so “spiritual” that sin is to be overlooked? Is it ‘valor’ to be blinded to sin even though we know the “wages of sin is death” front row, back row, pulpit or pew? What did Ezra say? At the evening sacrifice I arose from my fasting; and having torn my garment and my robe, I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord my God. And I said: “O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens. Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been very guilty, and for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the land, to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to humiliation, as it is this day.” And now for a little while grace has been shown from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes, and give us a measure of revival in our bondage.”
How awesome are those words of Ezra’s insight into God’s peoples’ spiritual condition then – and NOW! And thank God for the prophet Isaiah who revealed God’s “ANSWER” to His children’s dilemma called ‘sin’ as Isaiah prophesied of our coming Lord and Savior: Isaiah 61:1-3, 4 and 7! “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified…..Verse 4, And they shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations….Verse 7, Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, and instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double; everlasting joy shall be theirs.” [Look carefully at 2 Corinthians 2:1-8!].
THERE IS THE HEAVINESS OF BEARING CHRIST’S REPROACH. Come to Psalm 69:9-12, 20. “Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me. When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting, that became my reproach. I also made sackcloth my garment; I became a byword to them. Those who sit in the gate speak against me, and I am the song of the drunkards…Verse 20, Reproach has broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness; I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.”
I have no doubt “last days” disciples of Christ Jesus will undergo ‘heavy reproach.’ I have no doubt more college and university students will find ridicule ‘heavy reproach.’ I have no doubt godless governments will carry a ‘heavy hand’ on the very breath of life of true believers. Isn’t it interesting that you hear about more and more businesses ‘suppressing’ even religious conversations much less one being a “true witness” of the saving grace of Christ!
THERE IS THE HEAVINESS OF HEART BECAUSE OF ANXIETY AND THE CARES OF THIS WORLD. In Proverbs 12:25 we read, “Anxiety in the heart of a man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad.” And I know you are aware that antagonism is often the “kick-start” to anxiety in the hearts of many, if not most, of our Lord’s children of faith!
We know our Lord was very plain, open, and honest, that in this world with its pressing cares, we would face opposition and challenges to our faith and our stand. And we certainly know that “having done all, STAND!”
In Luke 21:34-36 Jesus speaks to each one of us intimately and personally: “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
THERE IS HEAVINESS OF HEART BECAUSE OF UNCEASING GRIEF AND GREAT SORROW OVER THE LOST AND THE UNREDEEMED. I really don’t know if it could be expressed any more challenging than Paul in Romans 9:1-4! “I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises.”
Do you believe heaviness of heart for the lost and unredeemed was a spiritual projectile deep in his heart? He’d at least heard or read the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:27: “What I tell you in darkness, you speak that in the light; and what you hear in the ear, you preach that on the housetops.” This is why Paul spoke to the Roman believers, Romans 14:7, “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.” I don’t know about your walk and witness in and of Christ, but one thing I do know, the life “in Christ” is a life of abandonment of self to the glory, honor, and witness of Him alone. It’s why Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:14, “For the love of Christ compels [or constrains] us…”
But what if you say, “My walk with Christ has not put on me heaviness of heart for the lost and unredeemed. What’s my problem?” You might start to answer that at the foot of the Cross with repentance toward God and faith in the finished work of Christ at Calvary’s Cross! Because…the call of the new spiritual life is: Galatians 1:15-16, “But when it pleased God…to reveal His Son in me..,” was not a call to silent witnesses but shouting it from the housetops! The ‘ordinary’ way of life for a believer is sharing the witness of Christ’s redeeming love through the leadership and anointing of the Holy Spirit.
THERE IS HEAVINESS OF HEART BECAUSE OF DOUBLE-MINDEDNESS. James 4:8-10 so hits the nail right on the head and heart when James was anointed to write: “Draw near to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; AND PURIFY YOUR HEARTS, YOU DOUBLE-MINDED. LAMENT AND MOURN AND WEEP! LET YOUR LAUGHTER BE TURNED TO MOURNING AND YOUR JOY TO GLOOM. HUMBLE YOURSELVES IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD, AND HE WILL LIFT YOU UP.”
Oh, how legitimate is a broken heart over the awareness one has been blinded to his/her own “double-mindedness”! Then His Holy Word penetrates deeply, we’re convicted by the Spirit, we’re broad-sided by that holy word, we repent, and God lifts us up to new spiritual heights in His “glory clouds!” We draw near to God – He draws near to us! Paralysis in the Spirit-realm is one’s own deception and blindness that has produced feebleness not faith, coldness of the spirit not the fiery coals of Spirit-anointing, and, yes, double-mindedness! Repent, or else!
THERE IS HEAVINESS OF HEART BECAUSE OF THE HEAVY WEIGHT OF “TROUBLES OF THE SOUL.” Come to I Peter 1:6-9 – “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation [or unveiling] of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith – the salvation of your souls.”
How aware are you of that Heavy Weight of the “Troubles of the Soul” causing “grieved by various trials”? You are aware that our relationship with our Lord and Savior is A JOURNEY! It all began in our “bondage in Egypt”! But our “Moses” came to lead us out! Nothing easy about “the wilderness”! Nothing easy about being chased by “the powers of darkness”! Nothing easy about troubles and trials of confrontation by God of His Laws! Nothing easy about confrontation with your “old self, sinful nature, self-rule, self-determination” having to be put to death! Nothing easy about “take up YOUR CROSS, and follow our Lord!” If someone told you different, they lied!
Oswald Chambers wrote: “Life without War is impossible either in nature or in grace.” In another place Chambers wrote: “The surf that distresses the ordinary swimmer produces in the surf-rider the super-joy of going clean through it.” So very, very true!
THERE IS HEAVINESS OF HEART BECAUSE OF THE WEIGHT OF INTERCESSORY PRAYER IN THE MIDST OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE. Exodus 17:8-13 is an awesome study for every believer who has, does, will face the weight of intercessory prayer in the midst of spiritual warfare. Follow carefully, letting our Lord update your own experience as you battle your enemies! “Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
I see a servant of God standing before the Lord in behalf of God’s people facing a warring enemy. I see the raising of hands in intercessory prayer claiming victory for God’s people before the battle takes place! I see a servant who so clearly understood, without God’s help, they’re gone down the fast tubes of defeat. But I see a battle won because Moses built an altar and its name was: “The Lord Is My Banner.” Battles, wars, conflicts, episodes of life when one’s very existence hangs in the balance – and God’s chosen rise up, intercede, fight the good fight of faith, and although one is worn out spiritually, God’s honor is upheld, because men pray!
THERE IS HEAVINESS OF HEART BECAUSE OF THE WEIGHT, AT TIMES, OF EXCESSIVE RESPONSIBILITIES. In Exodus 18:14-22 Moses is challenged by his father-in-law because of the “overload” factor that was evident to him concerning Moses. “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?” Moses responded to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God. When they have a difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the statutes of God and His laws.” So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good. Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself. Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. Moreover you shall select from all the people, able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, and rulers of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you.”
Oh, how wise Moses’ father-in-law was! I pray that all across the Christian community that pastors will learn to trust God’s people and lessen his heavy load of responsibility! In Numbers 11:16-17 Moses cried out to the Lord concerning the awesome responsibility of leading nearly three million people through the wilderness. So the Lord said to Moses: ‘Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand with you there. Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone.”
Sometimes it is “heavy weights” because one is determined to carry it all alone. That’s not God’s plan! Shared ministries, shared responsibilities, shared oversight, builds wise leaders AND wise followers!
THERE IS HEAVINESS ALSO BECAUSE OF THE HEAVY HAND OF GOD UPON A SON THAT HAS WANDERED INTO SIN. Come to Psalm 32:1-5. “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand [God’s hand] WAS HEAVY UPON ME; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.”
You must not skip over the next few verses! You must not seek to explain away your heaviness, especially IF your heaviness is from the hand of God Himself because of your unconfessed sin! It says in Psalm 38:2-8, “For Your arrows pierced me deeply, and Your hand presses me down. There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your anger, nor any health in my bones BECAUSE of my sin. For my iniquities have gone over my head; LIKE A HEAVY BURDEN THEY ARE TOO HEAVY FOR ME. My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness. I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. For my loins are full of inflammation, and there is no soundness in my flesh. I am feeble and severely broken; I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.”
And I pray, because of your heaviness over unconfessed, unforsaken sin, that you look only to Christ Jesus hanging on the Cross of Calvary because THAT was His estimate of your sin and His graciousness to forgive it! I John 1:7b says, “…and the blood of Jesus Christ God’s Son cleanses us from all sin.”
THERE IS THE HEAVINESS OF MAN-MADE RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH REDEMPTIVE TRUTH. In Matthew 23 we have several highly significant verses that ought to capture our minds and our hearts. Matthew 23:4, and verses 23-24: Verse 4, Jesus speaking, “For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.” Jesus was talking about the scribes and Pharisees telling the multitudes and His disciples “do not do according to their works; for they say and do not.”
Then our Lord came down hard and heavy on the ‘hypocrites!’ Verses 23-24, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!”
In Matthew 15:3 Jesus answered the Pharisees and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?” He then, in verse 8-9, quoted Isaiah: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”
THERE IS HEAVINESS BECAUSE OF THE TRUE RESOLVE TO FULFILL THE WILL OF GOD. Please, please, do not miss Matthew 26:36-39! Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
In “My Utmost For His Highest” by Oswald Chambers, we get a glimpse of “Jesus’ Lowest For Our Highest”! Chambers wrote: [p.69], “We can never fathom the agony of Gethsemane, but at least we need not misunderstand it. It is the agony of God and Man in one, face to face with sin. We know nothing about Gethsemane in personal experience. Gethsemane and Calvary stand for something unique; they are the gateway into Life for us.” So true, yet…
We look at David in Psalm 119 as he was fighting the good fight of faith to walk in God’s blessing which every believer must do. Notice, Psalm 119:67, “Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep Your Word.” David said in Verse 71, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes.” He was so open and ready to receive whatever his path of discipleship led him through. In Verse 75 he wrote, “I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are right, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.” I have no doubts that though he had not fully arrived, he saw the end at his beginning and throughout the pilgrimage of his walk with God! David wrote in Verse 92, “Unless Your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction.” But he didn’t perish – he prospered spiritually because he had resolved to fulfill the will of God through his life’s journey. He didn’t die – he was determined, resolved, to fulfill the will of God.
I love what Spurgeon said: [Spurgeon’s Sermons, Memorial Library, Vol.5,p.217], “There are none so tender as those who have been skinned themselves.”
I’m sure you know that the “relinquished life” to the Sovereignty of God and the Lordship of Christ is the life surrendered to whatever path we’re called to walk on, whatever troubled waters our ship of faith is called to sail on, whatever fiery furnaces we find ourselves in – “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us!”
It just may be good for you, right here, right now, resolve some things about “the heaviness because of YOUR resolving to fulfill the will of God!” What did Paul tell the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 1:3-7? “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.”
And this brings us to the second part of this chapter! We’ve just learned about “Heavy Hearts,” but is there “Real Rejoicing?” Let’s go back for a moment to I Peter 1:6! “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials…Verse 7, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ…”
“REAL REJOICING”
“In this you greatly rejoice…” What has preceded? The foundation that was laid by Peter upon which to build your house of faith that will not collapse regardless of what comes your way! It’s the Faith built upon “a living faith” and not “fickle feelings”. It is the revelation that IS a strong encouragement built upon the Truth that it is impossible for God to lie and that we have a refuge – “a very present help in time of trouble” – and that we’ve laid hold of the Hope set before us that is an anchor to our souls both sure and steadfast.
There may be distress because of those various trials, but we depend upon our Lord’s triumphant victory! It may be a “little while” of manifold temptations, but we rest upon the merciful truth that our God has provided a way of escape! It may be heaviness that comes our way, but we lift up our eyes to the mountains from whence our help comes – our help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth, and He will not allow our feet to slip, because, He who keeps us will not slumber nor sleep. He will keep us from evil; He will keep our souls! [Psalm 121].
Psalm 125:1-2 says, “Those who trust in the Lord are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever…As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever.”
“In this you greatly rejoice…” because even though you’ve been in a “pit of destruction,” you’ve faithfully waited upon God WHO BROUGHT YOU OUT, WHO SET YOUR FEET UPON THE SOLID ROCK, AND WHO PUT A NEW SONG IN YOUR MOUTH.
“In this you greatly rejoice…” because even though Sovereign God allowed the bread of privation and the water of oppression, He speaks with a word behind you,’ This is the way, walk in it.’”
“In this you greatly rejoice…” [Zephaniah 3:16-17] because even though you’ve been afraid and your hands fell limp, God says, ‘I am in your midst, a Victorious Warrior. I will exult over you with joy, I will be quiet in My love, and I will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.’”
“In this you greatly rejoiced…” [Habakkuk 3:17-19], because ‘though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail, and the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, YET I WILL EXULT IN THE LORD, I WILL REJOICE IN THE GOD OF MY SALVATION. The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, and makes me walk on high places.”
“In this you greatly rejoice…” because [Joel 2:23], God says, “Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God; for He has given you the former rain faithfully, and He will cause the rain to come down for you – the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.”
“In this you greatly rejoice…” [Hebrews 8:6] because “Jesus Himself has obtained a more excellent ministry because He is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.” Oh, examine, reflect upon, rest in, I Peter 1:3-9!! “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. IN THIS YOU GREATLY REJOICE, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith – the salvation of your souls.” GLORY!!**
“In this you greatly rejoice…” because YOU are the CHOSEN according to the foreknowledge of God the Father…” And we rejoice in spite of heaviness because the mercy of God has been extended to us and we know God’s Hand is on our lives. We rejoice in spite of heaviness because divine assurances tell us in our hearts that God chose us in Christ before the world was. We rejoice in spite of heaviness because the Holy Father calls us His heavenly sons and daughters. We rejoice in spite of heaviness because we know that Almighty God had the names of the sons of Israel engraved on the breastplate of righteousness and when the High Priest went in to the Holy of Holies He bore their names.
Let that heavenly bell of divine election [“In Christ men are saved – apart from Christ men are lost!”] ring in your ears – Chosen of God! Let it increase in its intensity – ELECT ACCORDING TO THE FOREKNOWLEDGE OF GOD ALMIGHTY! Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you…I have appointed you a prophet to the nations!” …”You chosen seed of Israel’s race, The ransomed from the Fall!! Hail Him who saves you by His grace, And Crown Him Lord of All!” “Rejoice!” For God says: Isaiah 49:16, “Behold, I have engraved you on the palm of My hand.”
“In this you greatly rejoice…” because even though you find yourself distressed by various trials and are under the cloud of manifold heaviness, “by the sanctifying work of the Spirit you go on obeying Jesus because you’ve been sprinkled with His blood!”
Paul had a mood-changing challenge in Philippians 4:8 when he said, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repost, or attractive, if there is any excellence, and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.” That’s, no doubt, why Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 26:3, “The steadfast of mind, You will keep in perfect peace, because He trusts in You.”
In my heaviness, I trust in the Holy Spirit whose power brought Jesus out of death and also lifts me up out of my miry situations. In my heaviness, I trust my Lord and Savior, who said to deny myself, take up my cross, and follow Him. Obedience overcomes oppression. Dependence delivers from despair. Faith frees from feelings of futility and failure.
In my heaviness, I trust the sprinkled blood of Jesus that has brought me near to the presence of Holy God and in His presence there is fullness of joy! In my heaviness, thick darkness may be prominent but in my heart Jesus is preeminent and in Him “love never fails.”
“In this you greatly rejoice…” because even though life’s circumstances have been burdening, grace and peace is mine in the fullest measure! Romans 8:35 says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?” Romans 8:38, “…in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.”
“In this you greatly rejoice…” because even though heaviness of heart has been reality for us at times, the greater reality is that by God’s great mercy, He caused us “to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”: His resurrection in me is TO LIFE – NOT DEATH! His resurrection in me is TO POWER – NOT IMPOTENCE! His resurrection in me is TO HOPEFULNESS – NOT HOPELESSNESS! What does Hebrews 6:19-20 tell us? “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us…”
“In this you greatly rejoice…” because even though the “troubles of the soul” are maximized in our walk, our Living Faith transcends earthly discomforts because we have “obtained an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade, reserved in heaven for us…” Our living faith is transforming. It is transcendent. It translates trouble into a triumphant spirit. To the church at Rome, Paul said, Romans 14:8, “For if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.” How?
“We have set our affections on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” Colossians 3:2. “We have already died to ourselves, our circumstances, our troubles, and our lives are HIDDEN WITH CHRIST IN GOD.” Colossians 3:3
I may be sorely distressed, but by my inheritance I’m surely delivered! I may be severely struck down, but by my inheritance I’m not destroyed! My earthly emotions may be at the point of depression and dying, but by my inheritance I live with that and for that which is IMPERISHABLE, UNDEFILED, and WILL NOT FADE AWAY! I may be weighted down in the earthly entrapments, but by my inheritance they’re not strong enough to keep me away from what’s been reserved for me in heaven!
“On Jordan’s stormy banks I stand, and cast a wistful eye, To Canaan’s fair and happy land, where my possessions lie.”
“In this you greatly rejoice…” because even though assailing heartaches, pains, disappointments, troubles come your way, because we are in Christ, we are “protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” In Psalm 25:17 David cried out, “The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses.” KEPT FROM HARM’S WAY BY THE MIGHTY POWER OF GOD!
In 2 Timothy 4:16-17 Paul wrote: “No one supported me, all deserted me:…But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me…I was delivered out of the lion’s mouth.” To the church at Corinth Paul wrote: [2 Corinthians 1:8-10], “For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia; that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us.”
What did Paul say about our Lord’s death? 2 Corinthians 13:4, “For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you.”
I close this chapter with words again from Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:16-17! “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing; yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” So I say, “GLORY!!”
CHAPTER TWENTY
THE WEAKNESS OF RESOLVE OR THE WITNESS OF A ROYAL RELEASE
I wonder if you’ve ever said it or experienced it, “I am going to get this done right this time,” but again you fall flat on your face. You have great confidence in yourself and you try but you’re soon crushed. You’re blessed with lofty ambitions but you live with LIMP ACCOMPLISHMENTS. You dream and drool with the drippings of SELF-DETERMINATION but end up with the nightmare of constant failure.
You know the STANDARD of moral accountability and responsibility but find yourself flawed with the reality of ‘sin’ in the heart. You aim toward “the mark” and you miss it. You race toward the finish line of PERSONAL FAITHFULNESS but you stumble and fall. You reach up for the shining star of light and “Glow-ful-ness” but radiate only the darkness and despair and dismay of wanting to do right but wallowing in the wrong.
And the powerful truth of the revelation of the Word of God is that a self-sufficient, self-motivated man never finds the witness of a royal release while the weakness of self-willed resolve is hidden from his eyes. The great depth of our own weakness is a mystery to a man who is disciplined and determined to make it on his own without any outside help and especially including God.
Do you understand? STRONG CONSTITUTIONS can be our undoing. Brave soldiers are beyond numbering in basic training, but when the real battle commences few heroes are to be found with medals of HONOR.
I’m not sure you’ll be familiar with the story called “STYX” in which Thetis dipped ACHILLES everywhere but the heel by which she held him. He was so strong and so INVULNERABLE wherever the water had touched him, but remember, the heel hadn’t been covered by the water, and all of a sudden PARIS shot the arrow into the heel, and ACHILLES DIED.
Most men think of themselves as completely invulnerable but fail to remember there IS a HELPLESS HEEL!
The one thing I want you to deal with in reading is that without the Spirit of Christ controlling our lives we are all “SHORN SAMSONS.” Dr. Watts had a verse in one of his hymns that said: “Samson, when his hair was lost, Met the Philistines to his cost; Shook his vain limbs with vast surprise, made feeble fight, and lost his eyes.”
Do you understand? YOUR STRENGTH IS YOUR GREATEST WEAKNESS! YOUR PROUD CONSCIOUSNESS IS A STRONG INDICATION OF PERSONAL CORRUPTNESS! YOUR SHIP OF FLAWED CHARACTER HAS HAD A MAJOR LEAK SINCE ITS INCEPTION AND IS ABOUT TO SINK!
Your own flight to the gates of heaven on the wings of self-estimation of acceptable virtues has an unacceptable visa and passport. Why did Christ Jesus die if I could earn my own way to heaven? Why was His blood shed if your best could merit the favor of God? Truth is needed! Listen to Charles Haddon Spurgeon, [Vol. 19, p.373, Memorial Library , Spurgeon’s Sermons]:
“Sinner, if you grow no sweeter flowers than the dunghill of your own nature can nourish, you will die amid poisonous weeds. If you never drink of better water than the filthy well of your own heart will yield, you will perish of thirst, or of a deadly draught.”
The weakness of personal resolve is a field of broken promises. The weakness of personal resolve is a playing field of despised vows. The weakness of personal resolve is a dirty-pig-lot of vain imaginations.
I’m not going to be asking you as you read this chapter to get a better “grip” on yourself; I’m going to ask you to let go of yourself. I’m not going to be asking you to make a better resolution of self-determinism; I’m asking you to be finished with yourself. I’m not going to be asking you to start another chapter called “Better Effort;” I’m going to be asking you to lay hold of the “blessed encounter” with the One who loves you more than you love yourself. I’m not going to be asking you to make a new avowal of attachment to the rod of self-improvement; I’m going to be asking you to surrender to the rod of Spirit-anointing.
Do you know what Romans 7:18-25 says? In Romans 7 there has been a big struggle in Paul’s life because as yet he hadn’t learned of Romans 8. We’re talking about a believer, a follower, a servant of Christ with a major war going on. How do we know? Look at Romans 7:22!! “For I DELIGHT in the Law of God [or the Word of God] ACCORDING TO THE INWARD MAN.” No unbeliever delights in God’s Word. No unbeliever even has an inward man! But Paul does and you do as a disciple of Christ!
And Paul wisely shares his struggles. He wisely shares the maturing process. He wisely shares the absolute spiritual necessity of accepting one’s impotence to fulfill the purposes of God on His own! Do you remember Peter’s vow of determined resolution? Matthew 26:35, “Even if I have to die with you, I WILL NOT DENY YOU!” And so said all the disciples.” And the truth is, the disciples FLED and Peter DENIED the Lord.
William Barclay in his book on Romans said: [p.103], “The human will unstrengthened by Christ is bound to crack.” And it’s not that we’ve cracked – we’ve been shattered into pieces because we majored in our weakness rather than be MASTERED by the witness of God’s Spirit!
Dr. Griffith Thomas, in his devotional commentary on Romans, Romans 7, [pps.192-193], wrote: “The key to the meaning of the entire section is found in the repetition of “I” 30 times in the chapter, without a single mention of the Holy Spirit. It indicates what “I” am struggling to do, and utterly fail to do in my own strength.”
THE WEAKNESS OF RESOLVE OR THE WITNESS OF A ROYAL RELEASE? It’s said of Muhammed Ali while flying to one of his events that his flight got into some turbulence. The seat-belt sign came on and as usual the stewardess checked it out and all had complied but Ali. She asked him to fasten his seat-belt, but the “lip” responded, “Superman don’t need no seatbelt.” And the stewardess replied, “SUPERMAN DON’T NEED NO AIRPLANE EITHER!”
The superman syndrome is strong until the shock of one’s shortcomings speak louder than the “Phantom-ness” of a man’s “super-ness”!
LET”S LOOK, FIRST, AT THE WEAKNESS OF RESOLVE!! LISTEN TO GOD’S WORD:
THE WEAKNESS OF RESOLVE IS BECAUSE OF THE DIVINE RECOGNITION OF FLESH’S IMPOTENCE. In Mark 14:37-38, as Jesus went to Gethsemane to pray and came back to find the disciples’ sleeping, He says, “Could you not watch one hour?…Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, BUT THE FLESH IS WEAK.” Whether you recognize the flesh’s impotence or not, God does! He knows!
THE WEAKNESS OF RESOLVE IS BECAUSE OF DIVINE DETERMINATION AND JUDGMENT UPON ‘FLESH’. Listen to I Corinthians 15:50, “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood CANNOT INHERIT the kingdom of God.” We better learn quickly life’s crossroads – Flesh or Spirit? Old man or new man? Sinner or saint? Sin nature or partaker of the divine nature? Earthly living or heavenly minded?
THE WEAKNESS OF RESOLVE IS BECAUSE OF THE DIVINE DECLARATION OF HOPE ONLY IN CHRIST JESUS. In John 1:12-13 we read, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:…who were born, not of blood, NOR OF THE WILL OF THE FLESH, NOR OF THE WILL OF MAN, BUT OF GOD.”
THE WEAKNESS OF RESOLVE IS BECAUSE OF THE DIVINE INSIGHT THAT PROMOTION OF ‘FLESH’ LEADS TO A GREATER PERVERSION OF THE SAME!! Look at Romans 6:19, “I speak in human terms because of THE WEAKNESS OF YOUR FLESH. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, AND OF LAWLESSNESS LEADING TO MORE LAWLESSNESS…”
Do you understand? When even ‘religious flesh’ gets involved it builds a bigger BARRIER between Holy God and sinful man! When ‘willful flesh’ is released for either good or bad, it leads to a greater divide between presumption and personal salvation.
THE WEAKNESS OF RESOLVE IS BECAUSE OF THE DIVINE EXPLANATION THAT THE “HOW TO” NEVER COMES TO FRUITION WHEN I’M “INTO” WHAT GOD IS “ONTO” IN HOLY JUDGMENT AND CONDEMNATION! What did Paul say in Galatians 2:20? “I am crucified with Christ…” My evil and my good were both nailed to the cross because neither measured up!!
In Romans 7:18-19 Paul was struggling because his ‘religious self’ rather than his ‘redeemed, regenerated self’ has been in control. Listen to those verses: “For I know that in me [that is, in my flesh] NOTHING GOOD DWELLS; FOR TO WILL IS PRESENT WITH ME, but HOW TO PERFORM WHAT IS GOOD I do not find…For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, THAT I PRACTICE.” All because of a young, immature disciple’s lack of understanding of, yes, even as a babe in Christ, we must lean not to our own understanding but in all our ways to GIVE GOD ROOM TO LEAD BY HIS SPIRIT AND BY HIS WORD!
THE WEAKNESS OF RESOLVE IS BECAUSE OF THE DIVINE REVELATION THAT SELF-PROMOTION NEVER PLEASES GOD! In Romans 8:5 we read, “Those who live according to the flesh [if you don’t know ‘flesh’ is your old sin nature, the old man, First Adam!] set their minds on the things of the flesh…” And the result? Romans 8:7-8 says, “the fleshly [carnal] mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be…So then, THOSE WHO ARE IN THE FLESH CANNOT PLEASE GOD.”
THE WEAKNESS OF RESOLVE IS BECAUSE OF THE DIVINE UNVEILING OF FLESH’S ULTIMATE END. Romans 8:6 is so clear! “For to be carnally [or fleshly] minded is death…!!” Verse 13 says, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die…”
Alexander Maclaren put it like this so plainly and powerfully: “That which of all things unfits man for the reception of Christ as Savior, is not gross profligacy and outward, vehement transgression, but it is self-complacency, fatal self-righteousness and self-sufficiency.”
Jean Nicolas Grou in the “Alliance Weekly” wrote: “Do not shelter the MIRROR which reflects your soul’s lack of beauty; rather welcome the truth, and believe that next to the knowledge of God nothing is so precious as the knowledge of self.”
Listen to James Milner!! “While a man rests on his own merits for acceptance with God, it is of little consequence whether he be a pagan idolater, or a proud, ignorant Pharisee – I know not which of the two is most distant from the kingdom of God.”
NOW, moving beyond The Weakness of Resolve, let’s look to THE WITNESS OF A ROYAL RELEASE!
Please come to Romans 8:1-2!! “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, WHO DO NOT WALK ACCORDING TO THE FLESH [Old Sin Nature!], but WALK ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT…For the law of the SPIRIT OF LIFE in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”
Notice, in fact, in verse 4, that EVEN “the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled IN US who do not walk according to the flesh, BUT ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT…” In John 16:7 prior to His departure, Jesus said to the disciples, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage [necessary] that I go away; for if I do not go away, the HELPER will not come to you: but if I depart, I WILL SEND HIM TO YOU.” What is this “WITNESS OF A ROYAL RELEASE”?
THE WITNESS OF A ROYAL RELEASE BECOMES REALITY BECAUSE OF OUR ‘BIRTHING’ IN THE SPIRIT! In John3 Jesus said to Nicodemus in verse 3, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is BORN AGAIN, he cannot SEE the kingdom of God.” Then in verse 5 Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of the water [of the Word] and the Spirit, he cannot ENTER the kingdom of God.”
Then Jesus explained in verse 6, “That which is born of the flesh IS FLESH, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” In the natural we’re all born physically alive but spiritually dead to God. Paul explains in Romans 3:10-18, “As it is written, ‘There is none righteous, no, not one…There is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God…They have all gone out of the way; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one…Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit…the poison of asps is under their lips…whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness…Their feet are swift to shed blood…Destruction and misery are in their ways…And the way of peace they have not known…There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Oh, BUT WE’VE COME TO CHRIST! How? John 6:44 says, Jesus speaking, “No one can come to ME unless the Father who sent Me draws him;” WHAT A REVELATION!! And LISTEN! Because of true “repentance toward God” and faith in the finished work of Christ alone at Calvary, we’ve come out of DEATH into LIFE by the same Spirit who raised Christ from death in Joseph’s borrowed tomb.
Romans 8:11 says, “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, HE WHO RAISED CHRIST FROM THE DEAD WILL ALSO GIVE LIFE TO YOUR MORTAL BODIES THROUGH HIS SPIRIT WHO DWELLS IN YOU.” In fact, Romans 8:9 clearly says, “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. NOW IF ANYONE DOES NOT HAVE THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST, HE IS NOT HIS.” Birthed and indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
THE WITNESS OF A ROYAL RELEASE BECOMES REALITY BECAUSE OF THAT ADDED BLESSING AND BENEFIT OF OUR ‘BAPTISM’ IN THE SPIRIT. Right before His ascension, after the resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples. Look at John 20:19-22, “Peace be with you…” [What is that? It’s a “FRUIT” of the Spirit!!]; He said again, “Peace be to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” Now listen carefully to verse 22, And when Jesus had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’!” IMPARTATION!
But then you come to Acts 1:4-8, 2:1-4! And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which” He said, “you have heard from Me; for truly John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom of Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Now, Acts 2:1-4! When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
There is an indwelling – but also an overflowing. There is a residence – but also a release. There is an enveloping – but also a powerful anointing. The Holy Spirit is the mighty breath imparting divine life, but He’s also the mighty wind releasing God’s directional force, and also the mighty river sweeping us up in a delightful flow of heavenly blessings.
Don’t ever forget Acts 19:1-6! And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said to them, Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.” Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.
John the Baptist went out into the wilderness of Judea preaching and multitudes came to him. In Matthew 3:11 he said, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He that comes after me is MIGHTIER THAN I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: HE SHALL BAPTIZE YOU WITH THE HOLY GHOST AND WITH FIRE.” Is there that spiritual fire in your bones?
HOLY SPIRIT BAPTISM IS FOUR ILLUMINATING REALITIES: 1) A CERTAIN EXPERIENCE! They tarried, they anticipated, they obeyed, and a transformation occurred. Listen to Arthur Wallis! [“In The Day Of Thy Power,” pps. 69-70], “These who but a few days before had slunk into the upper room and bolted the door for fear of the men who had murdered their Master, are now standing in the open and alleging that this Jesus is alive, and accusing their hearers of murder. Peter, who a month and a half before had denied his Lord at the jibe of a servant-girl, now stands before the multitudes in the very city where He was crucified, and asserts that God had made this Jesus ‘both Lord and Christ.’ Certainly something very definite has happened to these believers…IT IS THE BIRTHRIGHT OF EVERY CHILD OF GOD TO RECEIVE THAT ANOINTING, AND TO KNOW THAT HE OR SHE HAS RECEIVED IT.”
2) A CLARIFYING EXPERIENCE! “It’s so evident – he’s not “fleshly”, he walks “In The Spirit.” “It’s not the natural for her – she walks in the supernatural!” “There’s nothing ordinary about them – they walk in the dimension of the extraordinary!” [Before continuing, please read Acts 2:5-18]
3) A COMPULSIVE EXPERIENCE! Compulsive? “The application of a force that is irresistible.” In Luke 24:49 we read: “clothed with power from on high.” Acts 10:38 speaks of “anointed…with the Holy Spirit and with power.” To the church at Corinth, I Corinthians 2:4-5, Paul said: “And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in DEMONSTRATION OF THE SPIRIT AND OF POWER…that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
E. Paul Hovey wrote: “The word ‘COMFORTER’ as applied to the Holy Spirit needs to be translated by some vigorous term. Literally, it means ‘with strength.’ Jesus promised His followers that “The Strengthener” would be with them forever. This promise is no lullaby for the faint-hearted. It is a blood transfusion for courageous living.”
4) A COVETED EXPERIENCE! In Matthew 5:6 Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, FOR THEY SHALL BE FILLED.” Are you hungry for “Spirit-Anointing”? I am sure you understand “All Scripture is God-breathed..” and with that reality firmly planted in your mind and heart, settle in to Isaiah 44:1-3!! “Yet hear now, O Jacob My servant, and Israel whom I have chosen. Thus says the Lord who made you and formed you from the womb, who will help you; Fear not, O Jacob My servant; And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring.” Do you understand how ready God is to pour out His power and anointing on a thirsty, hungry soul? But there’s more about this witness of a Royal Release!
THE WITNESS OF A ROYAL RELEASE BECOMES REALITY AS WE BEGIN TO RECOGNIZE OURSELVES THE BLESSINGS OF SPIRIT-ANOINTED LIVING!
ARE YO AWARE OF THE BLESSING OF CONFIDENCE AND ASSURANCE? Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children.” Let that word well up within you: I KNOW, I REALLY KNOW, I’m a CHOSEN GENERATION, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, GOD’S OWN SPECIAL PERSON, I’M NOW A PART OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD! How do I know? Because the Holy Spirit of God has written divine ownership on my heart!
ARE YOU A POSSESSOR OF THE BLESSING OF UNSHAKABLE AWARENESS? I John 3:24 tells us, “…And hereby we know that Jesus abides in us, by the Spirit which He has given us.” Know! We know! Hereby we know because of the Spirit Jesus has given us!
WHAT ABOUT THE BLESSING OF AN OPENED DOOR OR A CLOSED DOOR? Acts 13:2 says, “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.” OPEN DOOR!
In Acts 16:6 we read, “Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were FORBIDDEN of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia.” CLOSED DOOR!
Jonathan Edwards, one of God’s appointed-anointed leaders of the Great Awakening wrote: “God has had it much on His heart, from all eternity, to glorify His dear and only begotten Son; and there are some special seasons that He appoints to that end, wherein He comes forth with omnipotent power to fulfill His promise and oath to Him; and these times are times of remarkable pouring out of His Spirit, to advance His kingdom; such a day is a day of His power.”
And here we are! WHAT ABOUT US? Will it be, “The Weakness of Resolve or The Witness of a Royal Release?” Will it be our testimony, our epistle, read of all men, Flesh or Spirit? Will it be Self-determination or Spirit dependence?
Will it be active, animal-like acceleration or Mighty Anointing of the Holy Spirit? Will it be a shallow stream of self-effort or an Ocean of Omnipotent Occupation? Will it be fleshly energized excitement or a Spirit-Quickening of the saints in the fires, rivers, and baptisms of the Holy Ghost?
Will it be man at his best that falls so short or God unveiling Himself in irresistible power and anointing? Will it be man taking the field to play his understanding of the religious game or God’s Spirit at bat in excellence of His extraordinary enduements on the evangels of the Faith? Will it be us in our masterful, fleshly manipulations or the manifestation of God’s Fire out of heaven?
God gives us a promise in Ezekial 34:26. It says, “I will make them and the places around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their seasons; there shall be showers of blessing.”
And I believe our nations and our churches have not been in seasons and showers of blessing, but in spiritual drought and dryness because we’ve tried hard and at the same time resisted the outpouring of the Holy Spirit! And God is saying, “There’s going to be a change. Get ready. The fire is going to fall!!”
Listen to Spurgeon’s powerful prayer and let’s make it our own!! “O God, send us the Holy Ghost! Give us both the breath of spiritual life and the fire of unconquerable zeal. O You are our God, answer us by fire, we pray! Answer us both by WIND and FIRE, and then we shall see You to be God indeed. The kingdom comes not, and the work is flagging. Oh, that You would send the wind and the fire! You WILL do this when we are all of one accord, all believing, all expecting, all prepared by prayer….
Lord, bring us to this waiting state! God, send us a season of glorious disorder. Oh, for a sweep of the wind that will set the seas in motion, and make our ironclad brethren, now lying so quietly at anchor, to roll from stem to stern!
Oh, for the fire to fall again – fire which shall affect the most stolid! Oh, that such a fire might first sit upon the disciples, and then fall all around! O God, You are ready to work with us today even as You did then. Stay not, we beseech You, but work at once.
Break down every barrier that hinders the incoming of Your might! Give us now both hearts of flame and tongues of fire to preach Your reconciling word, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
BATTLE-FIELD RELATIONSHIPS – KNOW YOUR ENEMY
Most men are truly aware of visible wars. Yet the “invisible wars” are usually denied, ignored, made light of, or excused as normal or natural, no big deal. But they never consider the “body count,” homes and marriages disrupted, friendships shattered, the moral fiber of nations blackened, diluted, or destroyed, even church fellowships darkened by the deceitfulness of spiritual battles and the ignorance of the devil’s tactics.
Holy God gives us a promise in Isaiah 2:4b-5! “…And they will hammer their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war! What a promise! Don’t you long for that day? NOW, the battle-fields are clearly drawn – but most ignore the lines of destructive spiritual warfare and casualty after casualty occurs, usually a thousand at your left or ten thousand at your right!
If you haven’t read Hebrews 11 lately, you ought to do so, and especially look at verses 32-40: “And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release in order that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonments. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy) wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they should not be made perfect.”
And YOU KNOW you’ve been reading about :”God’s Hall of Fame,” His great cloud of witnesses, His battle-field “Medal of Honor” winners! And you have to ask yourself, “Have modern-day disciples reported for front-line duty? Are modern-day disciples putting on the whole armor of God, and, are they “fighting the good fight of faith?”
In my son, Scott’s, church two precious people became a dear part four or five years ago, Tim and Mary Ann Cole. Mary Ann was in education, a math teacher, and my daughter, Susan, was her principal in a high school for several years. Tim is Colonel James Tim Cole, Senior Marine Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer for the United States Marine Corp. Great couple!
I asked Tim for advice about “Battle-Field Relationships – Know Your Enemy.” He, at that time, had a three-week commitment in Washington, DC, as the colonels were evaluating future Marines for the new rank of Colonel. He had access to the military libraries, but I doubt he had to access a single book to help me understand “knowing your enemy.”
Colonel Cole E-mailed me valuable information about this critical subject. And, of course, his beginning statement about “knowing your enemy” falls under INTELLIGENCE. So, I would ask you as a disciple, “What is the source of your ‘intelligence’ about knowing your enemy?” And it is Almighty God and His Holy Word, unless you deny Him and the authority of His Word.
Tim added, “Once a unit is assigned an actual combat operation, the unit is assigned a ‘Five Paragraph Order’ – (which can be thick book volumes at the highest level of command, or a simple pencil-scribbled notes at the lowest level for the squad or fire team leader.) An acronym which describes the five paragraphs is SMEAC: Situation, Mission, Execution, Administration & Logistics, Command & Signal.”
Tim told me that ‘knowing your enemy’ is centered in the word ‘SITUATION’ or size, activity, location, unit, time, and equipment. It was interesting as Tim talked about our present warfare strategies with ‘non-traditional’ forces like the Jihadists with ‘regrettably too little real intelligence,’ but learning day by day their ‘TTP’ – tactics, techniques, and procedures. And, he said, this comes through “sacrifice, and then developing a ‘reactive’ solution.” Colonel Cole signed off: “Very Respectfully and Always Faithful [Semper Fidelis]!!”
Question! Do YOU know your enemies? Do you know their ‘tactics, techniques, and procedures’? Who is it, what is it, you’re fighting against in the spiritual arena of your faith walk? Do you have an enemy, a spiritual enemy, that is out for your downfall, defeat, or destruction?
It is so interesting that we of saving faith have become “one with Christ” and they crucified Him! He was ‘holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens,” [Hebrews 7:26], and because we’ve been united with Him through His shed blood and our repentance and faith, we don’t think a ‘War’ awaits us?
Discipleship, following Christ, walking the walk, means rejection, difficulty, resentment, alienation, consternation because of your devotion, reactionary attacks from “the powers that be,” even lines clearly drawn in the sand against you, encircled by your enemies, blind-sided, frontal attacks, accusations, yes, and lies, full armor assaults by the spiritual reactionary forces, all-out-attempts at your demise, tarnished reputations, wolves that come in sheep’s clothing to lead you away from Him, temptations to torment, severed or compromised allegiance, doubts, fears, unbelief, torrid and horrific tribulation, a many-sided assault, ganged – up- on, imaginations and high things exalting itself against the knowledge of God, satisfactions with the trivial and temporary, a turning away of one from the vital and eternal, a discouragement of devotion and faithfulness, “you can sin and not die,” accusations and undermining of faith and faithfulness, disillusioned with devotion, aiming at your failures, faults, and futile efforts of holiness, promoting your self-awareness, your self-realization, and your satisfaction with a sinful self: “everybody does it!,” condoning your sin, promoting your rebellion, awarding your spiritual defeat, amplifying anger as OK, “fearing God is so archaic,” suggesting sex is for marriage alone is a brain-dead concept, “fear God?” – who does that? AND THE WEAPONS OF THEIR WARFARE NEVER CEASE! Who are they – and what do we do about them?
There are three major battle fronts every disciple faces. First, LOOK AT THE WORLD AND ITS SPIRIT AGAINST GOD. “The Message” translation of Proverbs 11:28 says it so realistically: “A life devoted to things is a dead life, a stump; a God-shaped life is a flourishing tree.” And the one thing the “world spirit” wants of you is the testimony of a “dead stump!” James, the brother of Jesus, was so wise, so informed, so understanding of the “dead stump” philosophy and religion. In James 4:4 [NAS], he writes: “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God. Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
That’s a world philosophy, world religions, world goals and aims independent of God, world attitudes, worldly ambitions, worldly desires – and all of it is ANTI-GOD! There are several things you need to be aware of concerning the world spirit:
1) The world spirit is CAPTIVATING. In Philipps’ translation of Romans 12:2, he writes: “Don’t let the world squeeze you into its mold.” That’s the one thing about the world that you must be so alerted to: IT WANTS TO ‘SQUEEZE’ YOU, to conform you to its image, to press you into the shape of fallen humanity, not the image and likeness of God!
This is why Paul had to write of Demas to Timothy: [2 Timothy 4:10], “for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me, and gone to Thessalonica…” Are you aware of that captivating spirit of the world that wants you “squeezed into its mold?” Are you aware of the truth that men can fall away from the grace way of living because their hearts are captured by a world spirit?
2) The world spirit is CONTROLLING. In Jude 19 the disciple writes: “These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit.” What a sad statement and picture – men, women, so worldly-minded that the outcome of the walk and relationships are divisions, devoid of the Spirit, nature, character of Christ, though professing allegiance to Him!
Paul gave a powerful word to Titus in Titus 2:12, “instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age.” But do you sense the powerful pull of the controlling influence of ‘worldly desires’?
3) The world spirit is Corruptive. In I John 5:19 the beloved man of God wisely tells us. “We know that we are of God, and the whole world LIES IN THE POWER OF THE EVIL ONE.” The Bible speaks of “the world forces of darkness.” 2 Peter 1:4 speaks of “having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” I John 4:3 speaks of “the antichrist” and then in verse 5 says, “They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.”
That’s ears filled with the fallen concepts of corruption. That’s lives overflowing with “the defilements of the world.” That’s the world spirit of iniquity – without shame! That’s the “world forces of darkness.” Paul said to the Corinthians, [2 Corinthians 7:10], “but the sorrow of the world produces death.” You know what he was talking about – you don’t have to be around the fallen very long to catch that awful stench of death.
It’s why Paul said in I Corinthians 3:19, “For the wisdom of the world is foolishness before God.”
4) The world spirit is Calculating. The one desire of the world spirit is to lead you away from God and under the control, the clutches, the crippling paralysis of unbelief and the strong self-will of personal control – void of God!
In I Corinthians 2:12 Paul speaks of the reality of “the spirit of the world.” And he had said earlier in I Corinthians 1:21 that “since in the wisdom of God THE WORLD THROUGH ITS WISDOM DID NOT COME TO KNOW GOD, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.”
Have you grasped it? The spirit of the world is calculating in the sense of its desire to lead you away from God! This is why John wrote in I John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever.”
It’s also why Paul boldly declared to the church at Galatia, [Galatians 6:14], “But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, THROUGH WHICH THE WORLD HAS BEEN CRUCIFIED TO ME, and I to the world.”
How dear are the words of Jesus to you? Do you determine, rest in, apply His words in your walk? Come to John 14:16-17, “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, WHOM THE WORLD CANNOT RECEIVE, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you.”
The ‘world spirit’ cannot, does not, will not receive the counsel, leadership, and anointing of the Holy Spirit because the ‘world spirit’ is lord unto itself!
A.W. Tozer, in his book “The Divine Conquest,” [pps.114-115], writes: “The world’s spirit is strong, and it clings to us as close as the smell of smoke to our garments. It can change its face to suit any circumstance and so deceive many a simple Christian whose senses are not exercised to discern good and evil. It can play at religion with every appearance of sincerity. It can have fits of conscience (particularly during Lent) and even confess its evil ways in the public press. It will praise and fawn on the Church for its ends. It will contribute to charitable causes and promote campaigns to furnish clothing for the poor. ONLY LET CHRIST KEEP HIS DISTANCE AND NEVER ASSERT HIS LORDSHIP OVER IT. This it will positively not endure. And toward the Spirit of Christ it will show only antagonism. The world’s press (which is always its real mouthpiece) will seldom give a child of God a fair deal. If the facts compel a favorable report, the tone is apt to be condescending and ironic. The note of contempt sounds throughout.”
When God calls us to “Come out, and be separate,” that’s not a call to compromise, flirt with, or try to sugar-coat what He calls evil – it means “Come out – be separate!” World religious activity should sound an alarm in your inner-most being – religious fraud is as real today in the world as the Tower of Babel experience begins again to “make a name for ourselves,” not glorify our Lord! DO YOU KNOW YOUR ENEMY? There is a war going on within you concerning the world spirit! There’s more:
SECOND, NOTICE THE BATTLE-FRONT OF YOUR FLESH – and I’m not talking about your physical body, but your old nature, your old man, your sinful self and its bent to satisfy the lower, depraved, and deprived self, devoted only to the god of self-consciousness and allegiance to “me, my, and mine” alone!
“FLESH” dominates, dictates, controls, directs, leads fallen humanity to please its self – not God. That’s all of humanity who “set their minds on the things of the flesh.” [Romans 8:5]. In Galatians 5:19-21 Paul, anointed by the Holy Spirit, enlightens us as to the dark, fallen nature, of flesh:
“Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
You need to understand that all men are “led”. You’re either led by fleshly indulgence or Spirit ideals; you’re either led by selfish designs and dreams of earthly kingdoms or led by the Spirit-design of God’s heavenly kingdom; you’re either led by the “satisfy-me-now” syndrome or led by a Spirit-birthed, Spirit-blessed life, walk, and ministry; you’re either led by “what pleases me,” or WHAT PLEASES FATHER-GOD! Several things I want you to see:
1) THE FLESH IS FUTILE – it doesn’t honor God! In Romans 8:7 Paul says, “The mind set on the flesh is HOSTILE TOWARD GOD; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so. Verse 8, “and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” Is that clear to you? Have you experienced the reality of inability to please God through your sin nature, old man, the Adamic-bent away from God? Romans 8:3 says, “He [God] condemned sin in the flesh.” But not only did God condemn it, He crucified it with Christ! It’s futile!
2) THE FLESH IS FATAL – its end is death! Romans 8:6 says, “For the mind set on the flesh is death…” You’ve witnessed it, experienced it, been overwhelmed by it: “The wages of sin is death!” [Romans 6:23]. Paul challenges us in Romans 8:13, “for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”
3) THE FLESH HAS A FUTURE – ETERNAL SEPARATION FROM GOD! And I don’t believe that’s what most of fallen humanity wants – they just haven’t heard the truth! Paul said to the church at Rome, Romans 8:12, “So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh –“ THERE”S ANOTHER WAY! And it’s JESUS ONLY! Look at Romans 8:10-11! “And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness [right-relatedness-to-God!]. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies, through His Spirit who indwells you.”
THIRD, PLEASE NOTICE THE BATTLE-FRONT OF DEVILISH, DEMONIC ACTIVITY. What did Jesus say in John 10:10? “The thief comes only TO STEAL, TO KILL, AND DESTROY…!” I’m convinced Mark 5:1-16 is one of the most sobering sections of Scripture you’ll ever read. Follow carefully:Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshipped Him. And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.” For He said to him, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” Then He asked him, “What is your name?” And he answered and said, “My name is Legion: for we are many.” Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country. Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains. So all the demons begged Him saying, “Send us to the swine, that we may enter them.” And at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea. So those who fed the swine fled, and told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had happened. Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed, and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine.”
And how could one omit Verse 17? Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region. [How amazing is that? But the truth is: Some Christians want no investigation into demon-possession!! Wonder why that is?]
Do you remember Jesus saying to Simon Peter in Luke 22:31, “Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat”? And there’s a whole lot of “sifting” going on! The thief [Satan] comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy!
It happened to Jesus Himself. In Luke 4:1-2 the Word says, “And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led about by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, BEING TEMPTED BY THE DEVIL.” And you think you’re exempt, you think you don’t have to be concerned about devilish influences coming against you?
Paul told the church at Corinth [2Corinthians 11:3], “But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” Have you ever witnessed one led astray by the powers of darkness? Then in verse 4 Paul laid it out how some, through the craftiness of the devil’s deception, embrace “another Jesus…a different spirit…or a different gospel.”
John described this battle-front like this, [Revelation 12:15-17], “And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman [Bride of Christ], so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood [a flood of words, speculations, doubts, lies]. And the earth helped the woman and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth. And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony.”
That “Flood” out of the devil’s mouth is the perverting of the holy truths of God’s Word. It’s a flood of denials about the need of blood redemption: “You’re not ‘lost’; you’re not ‘separated from God’ in your sin; you’re not depraved in your nature; you don’t need the Lamb of God (a little baby’s story!) – you’re a winner, you’re smart, you’re an elite rendition of perfect manhood; you don’t have to look at Jesus – look to yourself!”
This is why Paul wrote the Corinthian church: [2 Corinthians 4:3-4], “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world [the devil] has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image [exact image, same DNA!!] of God.” In fact, the beloved John wrote: I John 5:19, that “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” THAT’S THE DEVIL HIMSELF, THE DECEIVER, THE DESTROYER – YOUR ENEMY!! And he rules over “the domain of darkness.”
I often feel or sense in my spirit that far too many Christians ignore the spiritual warfare of faith. I believe it’s why Paul warned the church at Ephesus, [Ephesians 4:27], “and do not give the devil an opportunity, or area of occupation, or ‘toe-hold.’” And in the context of that verse, before and after it, Paul talked about Lying, Anger, Stealing, Rotten Words Out Of The Mouth, Unforgiveness, Slander, Grieving the Holy Spirit! And we don’t see how “the thief” operates?
Hear me with all of your heart, soul, and mind! There is “Victory In Jesus,” victory over your arch-enemy, the devil and his demons! You are more than conqueror through Christ! In Hebrews 2:14-15, hear the Word! “Since then the children share in flesh and blood [covenant], He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, THAT IS, THE DEVIL; and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”
Did it say that Jesus rendered powerless the one who had the power of death? Did it say that Jesus delivered men and women of faith from spiritual slavery to Satan? In Christ YOU HAVE VICTORY OVER THE DEVIL!
There is that “invisible war” going on right now! The ‘hellish’ forces wage war against the Lamb of God AND His faithful ones. But the Lamb of God, the blood of the Lamb of God, overcomes His enemies because “He is Lord of lords and King of kings.” THE ETERNAL BATTLE IS FINISHED – CHRIST JESUS IS VICTOR!
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
BITTER WATERS – BLESSED WONDER!!
When it comes to “Competing Lifestyle – Conflicting Loyalties,” I’ll never understand folk being ‘comfortable’ in ‘bitter waters’, abandoning even the ‘hope’ of a blessed wonder in their lives. But it happens. It was even Job who said in Job 7:11, “Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.” And though he came through to ultimate victory there was a day when Job knew the heavy hand of God. In Job 16:12 he said, “I was at ease, but He [God] has shattered me; He has also taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces; He has set me up for His target.”
No wonder the wise man of Proverbs 14:10 wrote: “The heart knows its own bitterness, and a stranger does not share its joy.” The brother of Jesus, James, understood a lot about “bitter waters.” In James 3:14 he said, “But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your heart, do not boast and lie against the truth.” Is he saying bitter waters are often stirred up from within a man?
I want to look at eight or nine ‘bitter waters’ possibilities before we get into the heart of this chapter: Let’s look first at “the bitter waters of life-altering circumstances.” Proverbs 27:7 says, “A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb, but to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.” You want an interpretation of that verse? Look at Jeremiah 2:19! “Your own wickedness will correct you, and your backslidings will rebuke you. Know therefore and see that it is an evil and bitter thing that you have forsaken the Lord your God, and the fear of Me is not in you,” says the Lord God of hosts.” If more explanation is needed, God gladly provides it! Look at Jeremiah 4:18, “Your ways and your doings have procured these things for you. This is your wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reaches to your heart.” Bitter waters IS ALWAYS a heart matter! Do you understand that there are one of two sidewalks people ‘choose’ to walk on? One is the Sidewalk of Transformation where everything “bitter” is made sweet by choice. [“In everything God works FOR Good to them that love Him and are the called according to His purposes.” OR, there’s the sidewalk of condemnation where everything sweet is seen as BITTER.] And we often fail to see that everything bitter is sweet because we’re so satisfied with ourselves as we are!!
In Ezekial 3:14 we learn about the bitter waters of disappointment in people. God had told Ezekial earlier about an impudent and hard-hearted people, yes, even God’s own! Ezekial said, “So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, AND I WENT IN BITTERNESS, in the heat [anger] of my spirit; but the hand of the Lord was strong upon me.” Thank God for that!
Have you experienced the bitter waters of discipline? In Job 9:17-18 we read, “For He crushes me with a tempest, and multiplies my wounds without cause. He will not allow me to catch my breath, but fills me with bitterness.” Even at 75 years of age I remember my high school football coach at the end of practice saying, “Boys, it’s not over yet – 10 forty-yard sprints, because good teams win late in the game often because they’re disciplined!” This is why Hebrews 12:11 tells us: “Now no discipline seems to be joyful for the present, but GRIEVOUS…[AMEN?]…Nevertheless afterwards it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
The bitter waters of death is no stranger! In I Samuel 15:32, Then Samuel said, “Bring Agag king of the Amalekites here to me.” So Agag came to him cautiously. And Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.” But it wasn’t, and especially not for him! Samuel killed the wicked king! But it doesn’t matter – evil or good, death is bitter, for awhile!
There are those exempt from the bitter waters of family failure – but not many! In Proverbs 17:25 we read, “A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her who bore him.” Besides the family, pastors and leaders have been witnesses and burden-bearers for many who bare the pain, not of child-birth but child-rebellion!
Bitter waters of believers’ betrayals by enemies, by the secret plots of the wicked, by rebellion out of the hearts of workers of iniquity, sharpened tongues – listen to Psalm 64:3! “Who sharpen their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows – bitter words.”
How many people of faith have had to experience that awful, bad taste of the forceful fruit of unforgiveness? In Hebrews 12:14-15 we read, “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord; looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.”
And it’s for certain, the church in America has not been exempt from the bitter waters of the strange woman or man of immorality! Look at Proverbs 5:3-5! “For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death, her steps lead to hell.” In Ecclesiastes 7:26 we also read, “And I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God shall escape from her, but the sinner shall be trapped by her.”
I’m sure there’s much more that relates to “bitter waters”, but let me highlight one more: That’s the bitter waters of dark deception! In Isaiah 5:20 we read, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” BE CAREFUL ABOUT THOSE “BITTER WATERS!”
Have you ever noticed, recognized, accepted how quickly things can change? You walk in the spiritual “Sonlight” and then all of a sudden it’s that “dark, sacred night of the soul!” You dance with the children of Israel in celebration of your deliverance, then find yourself moaning a sad refrain of murmuring and complaining.
Everything has been so positive up to now, and then it’s negative arrows shot toward your mind, heart, and spirit. You were UP – but now you’re DOWN! You seemed so “IN”, but now you sense you’re “OUT” on the outer fringes of blessing, growth, and maturity. You’ve been consumed with that passion to please and follow God, but now you’re consumed with a passion to simply survive. You’ve walked in the spiritual riches of the faith journey but now you’re like a spiritual pauper. Everything has been so “sweet” but all of a sudden it all tastes so “bitter”.
Here’s how Job put it, [Job 7:11], “Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.” The writer of Proverbs put it like this: [Proverbs 14:10], “The heart knows its own bitterness, and a stranger does not share its joy.”
You are aware that when Moses and Aaron confronted Pharoah, they told him in Exodus 5:1, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast for Me in the wilderness.’” Verse 3 says: “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go a three days journey into the desert and sacrifice to the Lord our God…” When you come to Exodus 15 you see the children of Israel in the wilderness, a three-day journey, and they FOUND NO WATER. My only question for you is, “Did God know when He sent His people into the wilderness to worship Him that in exactly a three-day journey they’d find NO WATER? And did He know that when they arrived at Marah they’d find water but it would be bitter?
“BITTER WATERS – BLESSED WONDER!!”
There’s some things we really need to nail down in our own pilgrimages: THE PRIVILEGED PILGRIMAGE TO “OUR” LAND OF PROMISES IS PRESSURED AND PUT UPON BY THE PERILS OF A PILGRIM’S WALK OR JOURNEY!
No disciple of Jesus is exempt from the “wilderness walk.” In Exodus 15:22 it says, “Moses brought Israel [that’s US! First the natural, then the spiritual!!] from the Red Sea; THEY [the ekklesia in the wilderness] went out into the wilderness of Shur. And THEY went three days in the wilderness and found no water.”
NOTICE, we learn quickly that we’re not immune from trials and testings. John 16:33 is clear, “IN THE WORLD YOU WILL HAVE TRIBULATION…”. In I Peter 4:12-14, 16, we read: “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified…Verse 16, Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.”
I know you know what the Word of God is telling us! TO BE WINGED WITH FAITH DOES NOT MEAN WE’VE BEEN MIRACULOUSLY WEANED FROM TROUBLE! The privilege of sonship is not the absence of suffering! Discipleship is not deliverance from but deliverance in the times when the serving of your spiritual dinner is the bread of adversity and the water of affliction.
WE ALSO LEARN QUANTITATIVELY THAT TRIALS AND TESTINGS INTENSIFY! Look at Exodus 15:22! “They went three days in the wilderness and found no water.” Verse 23, “When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were BITTER.” Spurgeon said, [Memorial Library, Spurgeon’s Sermons, Vol. 9, p.386], “Is the wind balmy, blows it from the south? It is but another trial for you, be sure of that, for they who have withstood the northern blast and grown the ruddier and stronger for its influence, have often grown faint and weary under softer airs…the crucible is changed, the fire still burns.”
WE LEARN CONVINCINGLY THAT TRIALS AND TESTINGS ARE FOR THE UNVEILINGS OF OUR HEARTS, FOR EXPOSURE OF WHAT HINDERS US, AND FOR REVELATION OR UNVEILING OF OUR ONLY HOPE! Exodus 15:25 says, “…And there God tested them…” Exodus 16:4, “…that I may test them, whether they will walk in My word or not…”
And from their interpreted “prosperous life of Egypt” to the poverty life of a wilderness they find God who rains down bread from heaven and shows them His glory!
Exodus 20:20, Moses said, “…God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, SO THAT YOU MAY NOT SIN…” There’s such an encouraging word, yes, for us, in Deuteronomy 8:16, “who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you, AND THAT HE MIGHT TEST YOU, TO DO YOU GOOD IN THE END…”
Good in the end? If your journey for a long time was without God, but He reaches out for you, you start a journey…very, very hard, very, very difficult…but life’s experiences open the door of faith and blessing after blessing, especially because you know God as you never knew Him before, then, the trip is triumphant even if tribulation was your daily experience! Listen to Zechariah 13:9! “I will bring the one-third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people;’ and each one will say, ‘The Lord is My God!’” This is why Job said in Job 23:10, “But God knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold!!”
What’s a test when I know God is unveiling His triumphant ways for me? What’s a trial or a tribulation when I know through it all Jesus is speaking, “Be of good cheer. I have overcome!” What’s my loss in comparison to the liberty I find? What’s a cross to bear when it leads me to ‘empty-tomb-victory’? What’s the grossness of trouble when it leads me to the glory of God? Joseph Hall once wrote: “If the sun of God’s countenance shine upon me, I may well be content to be wet with the rain of affliction.”
Hebrews 12:11 says, “Now no CHASTENING [discipline, trial, trouble, tribulation] seems to be joyful for the present, but grievous: NEVERTHELESS afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
Spurgeon wrote: [Spurgeon’s Sermons, p.388], “For you there will be Marahs that others may not know, and for you there will be long thirsts where others drink to the full; nevertheless, we will take Christ and His reproach, Christ and His Marah, rather than the world with its sweetness, for with every drawback that is supposable to Christ Jesus, He is better than the world with all the additions that can be invented by the sons of mirth!”
THE PRIVILEGED PILGRIMAGE TO OUR LAND OF PROMISES IS PRESSURED AND PUT UPON BY THE HUGE POT-HOLE OF FLESHLY INCLINATIONS! You know what that smooth highway trip can be all about. So nice. So calm. So peaceful. Then all of a sudden there’s that major pot-hole you didn’t see until the last second, and the whole front-end is about thrown out of alignment or a tire is torn apart! Here’s the spiritual picture: Galatians 5:17, “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are CONTRARY TO ONE ANOTHER…”
And when we get to our wilderness, when we run upon our Pot-Hole, what happens? “No Water!” “Could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter!” What happens? Exodus 15:24, “And the people murmured against Moses, saying, ‘What shall we drink?’” In Numbers 14:2-4 we read, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?…Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.” EVER SEEN THAT POT-HOLE?
It’s so easy for us to get in the “put-down mode” and accuse the Israelites of NO FAITH, when at the same time, we don’t face our own “pot-holes”, but a little gravel on the pathway and we grovel in despair, frustration, and fleshly disappointments and would even accuse God that He’s forgotten us!
With all my heart, I tell you, it’s not simply the question “What shall we drink?” but the big doubt and fear, “Where’s God in all this? I know He divided the waters, I know He held them back by His strong arms, I know He led us through on dry land, I know He crashed the waters of divine judgment in upon Pharoah and his armies…BUT can God sweeten my bitter waters?”
Fleshliness digs the grave of faith and even imitation flowers cover my casket with doubt, fear, complaining, and agitation of unfulfilled fleshly wants and desires. Murmuring is ignorance uttered! Murmuring is moving from the Spirit-realm to the flesh-realm and exercising deathly doubt. Murmuring is the misery of me, my, mine. Murmuring is railing against God rather than reaching for and resting in Him! Murmuring against our Moses’ and our Aarons’ is hypocritical accusations against God alone.
And we either exercise the faith of a Joshua or a Caleb or we get swallowed up in a critical spirit of a Dathan, Korah, or Abiram. When you stand at or in your “pot-hole”, YOU HAVE A CHOICE!! “No water…bitter water…Where’s God?” OR…”Spring up, O well!” In Psalm 84:4-6, 10-12, we read: “Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they will still be praising you. Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca [“weeping”], they make it a spring; the rain also covers it with pools. Verses 10-12, “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”
Are you unsure about “bitter waters” or “sweet waters”? In John 7:37-38 Jesus stood saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink…He who believes in My, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow RIVERS OF LIVING WATER…!”
The God who divides the Sea is the same God who sweetens the waters! The same Spirit who empowers the Christ is the same Spirit who speaks to the reservoir Rock of eternal waters! The same Jesus who took upon Himself our sins, sicknesses, sorrows, senselessness, is the same Jesus who pours in the oil and the wine into the abundance of our afflictions!
John Newton wrote it: “How sweet the name of Jesus sounds In a believer’s ear! It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, and drives away his fear…It makes the wounded spirit whole and calms the troubled breast; It’s manna to the hungry soul and to the weary, rest…Dear name! the rock on which I build, My shield and hiding place; My never-failing treasure, filled with boundless stores of grace!…Jesus, my Shepherd, Brother, Friend, my Prophet, Priest and king, My Lord, My Life, My Way, My End – accept the praise I bring…Till then I would Your love proclaim With every fleeting breath; And may the music of Your name REFRESH MY SOUL IN DEATH.”
ON THE PRIVILEGED PILGRIMAGE TO OUR LAND OF PROMISES, THOUGH PRESSURED AND PUT UPON BY THE BITTER WATERS, GOD IS ALWAYS PRESENT WITH THE “BLESSED WONDER”! In Exodus 15:25 Moses cried out to the Lord, AND THE LORD SHOWED HIM A TREE; AND when he cast it into the waters, THE WATERS WERE MADE SWEET!” [Moses KNEW the value of the Cross!}
And without a doubt Paul KNEW the VICTORY AND VALUE of the Cross of Christ when he wrote to the Galatians [Galatians 6:14], “God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” To the Corinthians, Paul proclaimed [I Corinthians 1:18], “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, BUT TO US WHO ARE BEING SAVED IT IS THE POWER OF GOD!” The writer of Hebrews declares, Hebrews 2:9, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the SUFFERING OF DEATH, crowned with glory and honor, THAT HE, by the grace of God, MIGHT TASTE DEATH FOR EVERYONE.”
Woodrow A. Geier, in “Religion In Life,” wrote: “In the Cross, God descends to bear in His own heart the sins of the world. In Jesus, God ATONES at unimaginable cost to Himself.” You know, yes, you DO KNOW, why in John 12:32 Jesus said: “And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto Me.”
It’s not appreciation men need, but Acceptance In The Beloved. It’s not understanding men need, but the uncovering of their sin unveiled by Jesus on the Cross! It’s not “amiable religiosity” we need, but the atoning, regenerative power in the Blood of the Lamb! It’s not a pious attitude we need, but convicting power of the Holy Spirit that it was for me Jesus died!
Isaiah 53:5 says, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.” “Bitter Waters!” BUT THERE WAS A TREE THRUST IN THAT SWEETENED THE WATERS! “SUNKEN AXE-HEAD!” BUT THERE WAS A TREE THRUST IN AND THE AXE-HEAD SWAM!
Revelation 22:1-2 says, “And he showed me a pure river of the water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb…In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore 12 fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree were for the HEALING OF THE NATIONS!”
Bitter waters – but a blessed wonder! Bitter lives – but a blessed wonder! Bitter existence – but a blessed wonder! Bitter hopelessness – but a blessed wonder! Bitter religion – but a blessed wonder! Why? 2 Corinthians 5:19, “God was in Christ [on the Cross] reconciling the world unto Himself…” That’s why John 3:17 tells us, “God didn’t send His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.” Bitter waters – Blessed Wonder!
I Peter 2:24, “Who His Own Self bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed.” Bitter waters – Blessed wonder!
Hebrews 9:14 tells us, “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, PURGE YOUR CONSCIENCE from dead works to serve the living God?” Bitter waters – blessed wonder!
“He died, atonement full to make, for sin’s dark crime and shame; He knew the claim of God in law, with these in view He came…’The soul that sins it shall die,’ He gave His soul instead: Thus God in Christ His claim has met and raised Him from the dead.
He died to put away our sin, the barrier great and tall, that kept the God of Love from us, And did our lives enthrall….The hell of sin He far removed, and made the way so clear, that now we can come near to God, without a doubt or fear.
He died that sins might be forgiven, His blood the price must be, the Life for Life, the sum was paid, to set the sinner free…The freedom gained is great and full, for every sinner born, and those who will the Christ receive, shall never be forlorn.
He died, He shed His precious blood, to cleanse from sin’s foul blot, to make us white and pure as He, and free from sin’s dark spot…He died, that we the right might have, into the Holy Place, and fellowship with God enjoy, and gaze upon His face.
He died that we might know our part, with Christ on Calvary’s cross, that we to sin and self might die, and count the world as dross…He died that we might live to Him in holy deed and life, for Calvary’s flame inspires to love and ends unholy strife.
He died to bruise the serpent’s head, and all his works destroy, that in His triumph we might share, and all its fruit enjoy…He died that we might serve Him well, in all we do and say, And in the world His name confess, and ever own His sway.
He died to consecrate entire, our spirit, body, soul, He died to make us like Himself, and all our life control…He died that He might come again, us to Himself receive, and share with Him the glory bright, who on His name believe.”
BITTER WATER [Separated from God] – BLESSED WONDER [Reconciled to Him in Christ]
BITTER WATER [Dead in trespasses and sins] – BLESSED WONDER [Made alive in Christ]
BITTER WATER [Dividing walls of relationships] – BLESSED WONDER [Peace and ONENESS]
BITTER WATER [Blackened hearts] – BLESSED WONDER [Made white, pure in His blood]
BITTER WATER [Condemned, Judged] – BLESSED WONDER [“Bearing shame and scoffing rude, In my place condemned He stood.”]
BITTER WATER [Declared unrighteous] – BLESSED WONDER [Dressed with His righteousness]
BITTER WATER [Wrath of God recipient] –BLESSED WONDER [Saved from wrath in Christ]
BITTER WATER [Unholy]- BLESSED WONDER [Sanctified in Christ, made saints]
BITTER WATER [Selfish]- BLESSED WONDER [“He died for all, that they which live should live no longer unto themselves, but unto Him who died for them and rose again.”]
“I serve a Risen Savior, He’s in the world today; I know that He is living, whatever men may say; I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer, And just the time I need Him He’s always near…
In all the world around me I see His loving care, And tho’ my heart grow weary, I never will despair; I know that He is leading through all the stormy blast, The day of His appearing will come at last…
Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian, lift up your voice and sing Eternal Hallelujahs to Jesus Christ the King! The hope of all who seek Him, the Help of all who find, None other is so loving, so good and kind.
He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today! He walks with me and talks with me along life’s “bitter” way. He lives, He lives, salvation to impart! You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
PASSIONATE PRAYING – POWERFUL PRESENCE
Please come to Isaiah 64:1-7! Oh, that you would rend [tear open] the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence! As fire burns brushwood, as fire causes water to boil – to make Your name known to Your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at Your presence! When You did awesome things for which we did not look, You came down, the mountains shook at Your presence. For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, who acts for the one who waits for Him. You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, who remembers You in Your ways. You are indeed angry, for we have sinned – in these ways we continue; and we need to be saved. But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is no one who calls on Your name, who stirs himself up to take hold of You; for You have hidden Your face from us, and have consumed us because of our iniquities.”
Do you realize that for most people the worst thing, the most terrible thing, the most dreadful thing would be to see God? Even for some who profess the name of Christ, the last thing on their minds is seeing God! And yet one of the earliest unveilings of the nature of God in His names was “JEHOVAH SHAMMAH – THE LORD IS THERE.”
When Balak tried to get Balaam to put a curse on Israel, in Numbers 23:21, Balaam responded, “The Lord his God is with him, and the shout of a KING is among them.” But the tragedy of too many church-folk is they certainly want to know ABOUT GOD, but to be in His presence, that’s a reservation. And who wants “the shout of the King?”
Tommy Tenney, in “The God-Chasers,” [Destiny Image & Publishers, Inc; Shippensburg, Pa., 17257-03310, 1999, p.71] wrote: “We have a hell-inspired, fleshly fear of holy intimacy with God. The roots of this fear reach all the way back to the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve hid in shameful fear while God longed for sweet fellowship.”
You’ll remember that God said to Moses, “Bring My people and Come Near,” and they said, “No way, Moses; you hear God for us!” And without a doubt it has to be “powers of darkness” deception not to desire God’s VISITATION OF DIVINE PRESENCE! Job 10:12 says, “…You have granted me life and favor, and YOUR CARE [one root word is “visitation.”] has preserved my spirit.” And bless Peter! He wrote in I Peter 2:12 about glorifying “God in the day of visitation.”
The “Spiritual Doctor” in Luke 1:68 said, “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel. For He has visited and redeemed His people…Verse 69, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us…” Verses 78-79, “Through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” AND YOU DON’T WANT A VISITATION? You need it even if you’re afraid! Peter, John, and James were!
Look at Luke 9:28-34! Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He [Jesus] took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.. But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud.” IT’S NOT FEAR BUT FAITH THAT SHOULD LONG FOR HOLY PRESENCE! But one thing is sure: fear or faith, we must enter that cloud of Holy Presence!
If we settle for less than God’s Holy Presence, we could end up like Saul! In I Samuel 28:6, in his rebellion, Saul inquired of the Lord, but “the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets.” So, verse 7 says, Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.”
David realized the desperate state Saul’s defiant leadership had brought the state of the nation to, so in I Chronicles 13:3, he said, “…let us bring back the Ark of our God back to us, for we have not inquired of it since the days of Saul.”
Do you realize how suddenly, progressively, suicidally, we can settle into life without His presence? I want to ask you: Are we in the vicinity of where God is around or in the reality of His Holy Presence? Do we have only a faint scent or is the awesome Glory-Cloud surrounding us? Is it shadows, representations, substitutions or the reality of Holy Ghost Presence? Is it smoke or the very Fire of His manifested Presence? Is it our man-made mechanisms of religious activity or God’s move of divine, Sovereign invasion?
A.W. Tozer once asked, “Do you quietly bow your head in reverence when you step into the average church? I would be surprised if your answer is yes.” But then there’s the woman with the issue of blood who would not be denied – she wants to lay hold of Jesus! Mark 5:25-34, “Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?” But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.” In Micah 2:13, the Amplified Translation, we read: “The Breaker [Messiah] will go up before them. They will break through, pass in through the gate and go out through it. And their king will pass on before them, the Lord at their head.”
In 2 Chronicles 5:11-14 the Word says, “And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the Most Holy Place [for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without keeping to their divisions],…and the Levites who were the singers, all those of Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, stood at the east end of the altar, clothed in white linen, having cymbals, stringed instruments and harps, and with them 120 priests sounding with trumpets -: indeed, it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying, ‘FOR HE IS GOOD, FOR HIS MERCY ENDURES FOREVER…,’ that the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud,…so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.”
You’ll find this so interesting: During the mid 1800’s in the time period of the American revivals, when ships were coming into the ports on the east coast, they sailed into a strong cloud of Holy Ghost influence. Ship after ship told of supernatural manifestations, awful conviction of sin, and sudden conversions. It was a sovereign move of God manifesting Himself in the presence of people. Do you believe it may be what we need now?
In Numbers 14:20-21 God speaks, and it is forever written indelibly on God’s ledgers of time as His heart’s desire and His faithful promise: To Moses, “I have pardoned, according to your word…but truly, as I live, ALL THE EARTH SHALL BE FILLED WITH THE GLORY OF THE LORD!!”
IF NOT NOW, WHEN? IF NOT HERE, WHERE? IF NOT US, WHO WILL IT BE THAT LAYS HOLD OF THIS EVERLASTING PROMISE?
Come to Luke 7:36-50 for one thrilling, heart-inspiring event! [Before I read it, many years ago, in Haiti, I was on the front row ready to go to the platform to preach, but the Haitian pastor before introducing me scolded a woman for her dress and told her to leave – she wasn’t welcomed in the church he pastored. I learned after the service she was a ‘street walker, scantily dressed, but not out for a score.’ She was in need – but unwelcomed by a blinded pastor to her need!] The Word!!
Then one of the Pharisees asked Him [Jesus] to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. AND BEHOLD, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” So he said, “Teacher, say it.” “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And Jesus said to him, “You have rightly judged.” Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for my feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil… Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sin?” Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
Ecclesiastes 11:3 says, “If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth.” The clouds of Heaven are filled with God’s Glory; they’re ready to be emptied upon us! Oh, but listen to Luke 19:42-44!! “If you had known, even you, especially in this YOUR DAY, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes…For the days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side,…and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your VISITATION.”
God’s Visitation is not out of mechanical repetition of eternal Truth, but a meaningful response to His good, acceptable, and perfect will. God’s visitation is not out of hollow affirmation of all He is, but a heart-overflow of unending hunger to see His face!
God’s visitation is not on the basis of our passing grades on the history of where God has been, but on the basis of our passion to be where God is! God’s visitation is not founded on our genius level of biblical knowledge, but founded on the longing to know Him alone, to love Him alone, to lean upon His breast, to look within His eyes, to feel His heart-beat!
God’s visitation! You’ll remember Exodus 33 and the conversation between Moses and God. God had just told Moses, “I’ll send My angel before you, I’ll drive out your enemies, the land before you flows with milk and honey just as I said – but I’ll not be going with you.” And Moses responded, “God, I’m thankful for Your promises, but I want Your presence! I’m thankful for the victories, but we need Your intimacy. I’m thankful for Your provisions, but we need Your personal presence. If You’re not with us, we don’t want to go!”
What’s blessings without the One who Blesses? What’s comfort in a nice building without the Comforter? What’s Kingdom awareness without the King? What’s a house of crumbs when there is the Shewbread of His presence? What’s the atmosphere of a religious spirit when there’s the promised presence of the Reigning, Real, Redemptive Savior and Lord?
What’s a beautiful church building if it’s surrounded by the man-made moats of dry river-beds? What’s the well-dressed, finest of flesh, perfumed body if there’s the absence of Holy Spirit anointing? What’s the smoke of a dying-out burning bush if the God who lit the fire isn’t around?
Isaiah 64:1, “Oh, that You [God] would rend the heavens! That You [God] would Come Down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence…Verse 5, You [God] MEET HIM who rejoices and does righteousness, WHO REMEMBERS You [God} IN YOUR WAYS…” So, what does this all mean for us today?
WE NEED A VISITATION OF TRANSFORMATION! You know the story of Jacob and how he deceived his father and stole his brother’s birthright. He’s a deceiver, a trickster, a liar. He ran to try and save his sin-diseased life. Does that sound familiar? And us? SIN IN OUR HEARTS, WE LIED TO THE FATHER, WE RAN AWAY, SEPARATED FROM GOD. That’s “the dark night” of every man’s soul!
Come to Genesis 28:10-19, Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give it to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!” Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel [House of God].”
Let’s look at Genesis 32:24-30! So important! Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.” And He said, “Why is it you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel [Face of God]: For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”
Another vital passage! Genesis 35:1-3, Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.” And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone.”
Do you see the ‘visitation of transformation’? Do you see the ‘visitation of transformation of our relationships’? [Genesis 32:6-7, 33:3-4]. Do you see the visitation of transformation of our spiritual, geographical locations? From crooked tree to House of God? From fear and apprehension to confidence and assurance? From the wilderness of pride and arrogance to crossing over the Ford of the Jabbok, a”humble or lowly place”? From the place of deception to the dwelling place of Truth?
What does 2 Corinthians 5:17 tell us? “If any man be in Christ, he IS a new creation; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Oswald Chambers in “My Utmost For His Highest,” [p.235], wrote: “What idea have you of the salvation of your soul? The experience of salvation means that in your actual life things are really altered, you no longer look at things as you used to; your desires are new, old things have lost their power. ONE OF THE TOUCHSTONES OF EXPERIENCE IS – HAS GOD ALTERED THE THINGS THAT MATTER? If you still hanker after the old things, it is absurd to talk about being born from above, you are juggling with yourself. If you are born again, the Spirit of God makes the alteration manifest in your actual life and reasoning, and when the crisis comes you are the most amazed person on earth at the wonderful difference there is in you. There is no possibility of imagining that YOU did it. It is the complete and amazing alteration that is the evidence that you are a saved soul.”
“YOUR NAME IS NO LONGER ‘DECEIVER’ BUT “PRINCE OF GOD.” Come, Lord Jesus, change our hearts! Come, Mighty God, change our relationships! Come, Savior and Lord, change our spiritual, geographical location!”
WE NEED ALSO A VISITATION OF TRANSLATION FROM AN EARTHLY MIND-SET TO THE REALM OF THE ETERNAL! Listen to Philippians 3:18-19, “For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ…whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is their shame – WHO SET THEIR MINDS ON EARTHLY THINGS.”
Do you realize how fundamentally easy it is, even natural, to be caught up in this world? Do you realize how seemingly normal it is to be earthly-minded? Paul said to the church at Corinth, [I Corinthians 15:49], that we “have borne the image of the man of dust…” In the parable of the Sower [Mark 4:18-19], Jesus talked about seed sown among the thorns and He said, “…they are the ones who hear the word…and the CARES OF THIS WORLD, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” Cares of this world – deceitfulness of riches – desires for other things!! Other things than God!! Other things than fellowship and communion!! Other things than the intimacy of relationship with Loving God!!
Do you remember God’s sad word in Jeremiah 2:32? “Can a virgin forget her ornaments or a bride her attire? YET MY PEOPLE HAVE FORGOTTEN ME DAYS WITHOUT NUMBER.” In verse 13, God said, “For My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns – broken cisterns that can hold no water.”
Oh, but then there’s a PAUL! In 2 Corinthians 4:16, 18 he wrote: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the INWARD MAN is being renewed day by day…while we do not look at the things which are seen, but the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” It’s no doubt why to the church at Colossae Paul wrote: [Colossians 3:1-2], “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God…Set your mind on things above, not on things on earth.”
Have you ever thought about John, that beloved disciple of Jesus, in exile on the Isle of Patmos? How devastating aloneness can be! How fear can so grip and strangle your heart! How the feelings of despair can sweep over you in your circumstances! Then there’s a VISITATION!! In Revelation 1:9-19 we read, “I, John, l both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,, and ‘What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodecia.’ Then I turned to see the voice that spoke to me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. Write the things which you have seen and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this.” HOW IS YOUR MIND-SET? WILL YOU LET JESUS VISIT WITH YOU?
WE NEED THE VISITATION OF THE TRIUMPHANT SPIRIT OF THE ALMIGHTY! In Matthew 3:11 John the Baptist said, “…He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and Fire…” By the baptism of the Holy Spirit He “endues us with power from on high.” [Luke 24:49]. By the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit unveils the fullness of Christ. [John 15:26]. By the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit brings to our remembrance all Christ said. [John 14:26]. By the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit guides us into all truth. [John 16:13]. By the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit raises us up into heavenly places. [Ephesians 2:6]. By the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we learn what has been freely given to us by God. [I Corinthians 2:12]. By the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. [2 Corinthians 3:18]. By the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. [Romans 5:5].
Listen to Oswald chambers: [“My Utmost For His Highest,” p. 2], “The only possibility of understanding the teaching of Jesus is by the light of the Spirit of God on the inside. If we have never had the experience of taking off our commonplace religious shoes off our commonplace religious feet, and getting rid of all the undue familiarity with which we approach God, it is questionable whether we have ever stood in His presence.”
Charles Finney in his book “Power From On High,” speaking of the early disciples, wrote: “They had the peace which Christ had GIVEN them, but not the POWER which He had promised. This may be true of all Christians, and right here is, I think, the great mistake of the church and of the ministry. They rest in conversion, and do not seek until they obtain this enduement of power from on high.”
Where’s the Fire consuming our sacrifices on the altar? Where’s the Fire consuming our flesh and releasing God’s Spirit? Where’s the Fire consuming our selfishness and revealing our selflessness? Where’s the Fire consuming our silence and seeing holy men and women of speaking as they were moved by the Holy Spirit? Where’s the Fire consuming our best fleshly efforts, flooding us with the fullness of God’ Spirit? Where’s the Fire consuming our selfish prayers unveiling “Praying in the Spirit and with understanding also?” Where’s the Fire consuming our weaknesses but inflaming God’s strength? Where’s the Fire consuming our divided tongues and releasing that tongue of fire?
D.M. Panton once defined “revival” as – “the inrush of the Spirit into the body that threatens to become a corpse!” Do you remember Elijah in I Kings 18:37-38? “Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again…THEN the fire of the Lord fell…”
Listen to Amy Carmichael’s passionate prayer: “Give me love that leads the way, The faith that nothing can dismay, The hope no disappointments tire, The passion that will burn like fire, Let me not sink to be a clod: MAKE ME YOUR FUEL, FLAME OF GOD.”
The now-dead Southern Baptist prophet, Vance Havner, once wrote: “The same church members who yell like Comanche Indians at a ballgame on Saturday sit like wooden Indians in church on Sunday.” If we are like “wooden Indians,” let’s get those totem poles on the altar and call on God to let the fire fall! Fire-baptism took fearful, timid, hiding disciples and turned them into world-savers!
WE ALSO NEED THE VISITATION OF THE TAKE-OVER REIGN IN OUR HEARTS! Acts 9:1-6 is so powerful if you’ll put yourself in Paul’s shoes right now! Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
In Psalm 32 David had experienced God’s great forgiveness. He’d known the heavy hand of divine conviction, faced tremendous battles of fleshly and demonic opposition, he’d sensed and been saved by God’s songs of deliverance, and then God spoke to him tremendous words of intimacy in Verse 8: “I WILL INSTRUCT YOU AND TEACH YOU IN THE WAY YOU SHOULD GO; I WILL GUIDE YOU WITH MY EYE!” Verse 9, “Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come to you.”
Yet, how many of us live with that reluctance to let go and let God have His way? How many of us hold onto the governmental reins of our lives? Too many of us want the residual income of the blessings of relationship, but the residency and the rule of God for far too many people and places is something optional. But Paul? “Lord, what would You have me to do?” It was Oswald Chambers [“My Utmost…”, p.259] who made this awesome statement: “…be careful to keep pace with the communications of reality from God or you will be crushed.” Second statement by Chambers: “Our work lies in coming into definite contact with God about everything, and we shirk it by becoming active workers.” Do you understand what he was saying?
BUSYNESS TAKES THE PLACE OF KINGDOM RULE AND REIGN. ACTIVITY BECOMES THE SUBSTITUTE OF DEPENDENCY. MY WORK FOR GOD TAKES THE PLACE OF FAITHFULNESS FROM GOD. And because of the previous sentence, I am so thankful for the great hymn that says this: “Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah, Pilgrim through this barren land; I am weak, but You are mighty; hold me with Your powerful hand…Open now the crystal fountain, whence the healing stream does flow, Let the fire and cloudy pillar lead me all my journey through…When I tread the verge of Jordan, bid my anxious fears subside; Bear me through the swelling current, land me safe on Canaan’s side…Songs of praises, songs of praises, I will ever give to You, I will ever give to You.”
Spurgeon in his Memorial Library, Spurgeon’s Sermons, [Vol,14, p.95], said: “God will not dwell in a house which does not belong to Him…the first thing with any one of us is to answer this question: -Do I give myself up to Christ, body, soul, and spirit, to live for Him and to die for Him? Will I give Him all that I have of talent and ability, and substance and time, and life itself? Where there is a church made up of consecrated people, there God will remain, and there He will make a heaven below, and there the shout of a King shall be heard, and there His strength shall be revealed, and there His glory shall be seen even as it is beheld on high…”
WE NEED THE VISITATION OF THAT TRAIN OF HEAVENLY GLORY. In I Kings 8:10-11 we read, “And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord,…so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the GLORY OF THE LORD FILLED THE HOUSE OF THE LORD.”
In Frank Damazio’s book, “Seasons of Revival,” [BT Publ., Portland, Ore.,, 1996, pps.35-37], he states: “When God comes down, His people will encounter His power and the manifestation of that power.” And from Isaiah 64 he highlighted seven things: 1) God dissolves immovable difficulties – Verse 3, “mountains shook at Your presence…” 2) God removes dead areas in our lives – Verse 2, “fire burns up the brushwood.” 3) God restores our zeal – Verse 2, “the fire boils the water.” 4) God brings victory – Verse 2, “the name of God is amongst the adversary.” 5) Vision is enlarged – Verse 2, “nations tremble.” 6) The impossible becomes reality – Verse 3, “awesome things are done.” 7) God moves on behalf of the one who waits – Verse 4, “He acts for the one who waits…”
You’ll remember Isaiah 40:31, “They that wait upon the Lord…shall walk and not faint.” This is why Oswald Chambers wrote: “The reality of God’s presence is not dependent on any place, but only dependent upon the determination to set the Lord always before us.”
I don’t want a thrill – I want the train of His glory! I don’t want an “experience” – I want an encounter that captures my heart! I don’t want simply an initiation into the supernatural – I want an intimacy with my Savior and Lord that unveils all He is! I don’t want a casual introduction to a possible friendship – I want a complete initiation into the fullness of face to face meetings with My God!
It was Christopher Morley who wrote: “I had a thousand questions to ask God; but when I met Him they all fled and didn’t seem to matter.” Listen, receive, walk in, Psalm 24:7-10! “Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of Glory shall come in…Who is this King of Glory? THE LORD STRONG AND MIGHTY, THE LORD MIGHTY IN BATTLE…Lift up your heads, O you gates! And lift them up, you everlasting doors! And the KING OF GLORY shall come in…Who is this King of Glory? The Lord of hosts, He IS THE KING OF GLORY. Selah.”
WE NEED THE VISITATION OF THE TRICKLING STREAM MANIFESTING INTO A TEEMING, TUMULTOUS FLOWING OF A MIGHTY RIVER! That’s Ezekial 47! [Please read!]. In “The God Chasers,” [p.107], Tommy Tenney wrote: “Isn’t it ironic that the river of God’s presence flowing from His sanctuary grew DEEPER the further the prophet walked? Finally Ezekial ended up in water that was over his head and he couldn’t touch bottom. He was out of control. I am after an “out-of-control” revival! Its shallowest point should be the church building.”
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, I believe God is saying to us that if we want a Mighty Flow of the rivers of God in our midst, we’ve got to make room for the MIRACULOUS! In 2 Kings 4:1-7 we are or should be encouraged about the miraculous since God is no respecter of persons! “A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, ‘Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.” So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?’ And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.” Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors – empty vessels; do not gather just a few. And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.” So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.”
WE NEED THE VISITATION OF TRANSITION! I Samuel 3:1 says, “Then the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation.” Oh, but look at verse 4! “…the Lord called Samuel…” Is God still in the business of calling people by their names, transitioning them into more than they thought they’d ever be? “So Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him.”
Listen to Tenney again, [p.70], “[Israel’s] blessing didn’t consist of some rocky real estate someplace, although the promised land was part of the packaged deal. GOD CALLED THEM TO A PROMISED PLACE IN HIM.” Isn’t that what Paul said in Colossians 3:3, “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God!”
You’ll remember that our Lord’s Word tells us: “Where there is no vision, the people perish…” and you believe listening for Him calling you is unimportant? Samuel finally learned: “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.” Isaiah said what? “My eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts..” And He spoke to Isaiah, “Whom shall I send and who will go for Me?” And Isaiah said, “Here am I! Send me.” Jeremiah had a transitional moment that affected his life forever: “Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; and ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Ezekial said: “..the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God…” Did Paul have a transitioning moment on the Damascus Road? What about the beloved John in Revelation 1?
WE NEED THE VISITATION OF TRANSFORMATION TO GOD’S STATE OF TENDERNESS! Come to Matthew 9:35-36, “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people…But when Jesus saw the multitudes, HE WAS MOVED WITH COMPASSION FOR THEM, BECAUSE THEY WERE WEARY AND SCATTERED LIKE SHEEP HAVING NO SHEPHERD.”
[I want to urge you to pause, go to 2 Kings 7 and read verses 3-9!]
Joseph Bayly had a prayer entitled “Psalm of Single-Mindedness” [Psalms of Life, Wheaton, Ill., Tyndale House, 1969, pps. 40-41] that says: “Lord of reality make me real not plastic synthetic pretend phony an actor playing out his part hypocrite. I don’t want to keep a prayer list but to pray nor agonize to find Your will but to obey What I already know to argue theories of inspiration but submit to Your Word. I don’t want to explain the difference between eros and philos and agape but to love. I don’t want to sing as if I mean it I want to mean it. I don’t want to tell it like it is but to be it like you want it. I don’t want to think another needs me but I need him else I’m not complete. I don’t want to tell others how to do it but to do it…to have to be always right but to admit when I’m wrong. I don’t want to be a census taker but an obstetrician nor an involved person, a professional but a friend…I don’t want to be insensitive but to hurt where other people hurt nor to say I know how you feel but to say God knows and I’ll try if you’ll be patient with me and meanwhile I’ll be quiet..I don’t want to scorn the clichés of others but to mean everything I say including this.”
“Lord, rend the heavens and come down. Transform our toughness into tenderness. Take the hearts of stone and make them hearts of heavenly flesh. Lord, meet with us to so Master us that when others see us they see You.”
WE NEED THE VISITATION OF TRANSPARENT PURITY AND HOLINESS AND AWESOME WORSHIP! Come to Isaiah 6! You know what has happened here: King Uzziah had died and Isaiah encountered the Lord God Almighty in the temple; angels were all around worshipping Holy God! Isaiah is broken, touched by compassionate God, hears the challenge of God, and offers his life – “Here am I! Send me.”
And I know why so much ‘church worship’ leads to nothing because true worship is surrender to God’s calling! It is surrender to His Ways, not our way! In I Chronicles 15:12-13 David said to the priests, “You are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites; [the priestly order] sanctify yourselves [consecrate], you and your brethren, that you may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it. For because you did not do it the first time, the Lord our God broke out against us, because we did not consult Him about the proper order.” I’m convinced “proper order” is absent from most gatherings to ‘worship’ because purity, holiness, and awesome worship or surrender to Holy God are too ‘strange’ to the majority of attenders!
Why does this absence often occur? In Psalm 66:10 we read: “…You have refined us as silver is refined…,” but how many do you know who truly have been engulfed in the “holy fires” of refinement? If you’ve been IN “the refining fires”, the fire of God has fallen and burns out your impurities! If the fire of God falls, the fire of God burns out all that is not like Him! And I know this is why Paul said, “Examine yourselves as to whether or not you are in the faith!” If the fire of God falls, it so heats us up that we become moldable in the hands of the Holy Potter!
Look at 2 Corinthians 4:17, “For our light affliction which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and [Listen!!] ETERNAL WEIGHT OF GLORY!!”
Spurgeon wrote: [Memorial Library, p.193], “…God’s Holy Spirit, when he has finished his work, will leave in us no trace of sin; no temptation shall be able to touch us, there will be in us no relics of our past and fallen state. Oh, will not that be blessed? I was going to say it is all the glory I want – the glory of being perfect in character, never sinning, never judging unjustly, never thinking a vain thought, never wandering away from the perfect law of God, never vexed again with sin which has so long been my worst enemy. One day we shall be glorious because the devil himself will not be able to detect a fault in us, and those EYES OF GOD, which burn like a fire and read the inmost secrets of the soul, will not be able to detect anything blame-worthy in us. Such shall be the character of the saints that they shall be meet to consort with Christ Himself, fit company for that thrice Holy Being before whom angels veil their faces. THIS IS GLORY!”
Again, Spurgeon, [Memorial Library, Vol. 15, p161]: “As dust blinds the eye, so does sin prevent the sinner from seeing God aright.” And it may be that repentance has been totally absent in one’s life though church attendance has been major! Oswald Chambers wrote: [“My Utmost…”, p.255], “The entrance into the Kingdom is through the panging pains of REPENTANCE crashing into a man’s respectable goodness; then the Holy Ghost, Who produces these agonies, begins the formation of the Son of God in the life. The new life will manifest itself in conscious repentance and unconscious holiness, never the other way about. The bedrock of Christianity is REPENTANCE…The old Puritans used to pray for “the gift of tears.” If ever you cease to know the virtue of repentance, you are in darkness. Examine yourself and see if you have forgotten to be sorry.”
It was Samuel Chadwick who wrote: “Brethren, the crying sin of the church is her LAZINESS after God.”
This may be that eternal moment for you to rest your life on 2 Chronicles 7:14! Why Not? Why not now?
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
IS THE FIRE OF THIS THE FIRE OF THAT?
You know that in the previous chapter I talked about “the refining fire”. But there are several places in the Old Testament where some came before the Lord with “strange fires,” which is not good! In Acts 2:1-16 you’re going to see some very interesting verses of Scripture – we’re going to read about the “day of Pentecost” – and what an awesome day it was in the time period in the life of the early church and with men like ourselves! But my question for you is,” Is it possible “strange fires” have become competing lifestyles and conflicting loyalties? And the answer is, “Yes!”
Before His ascension, our Lord had said, [John 20:21-22], “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you…And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” In Acts 1 He had commanded them, “not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised…” What had the Father promised?
Look at Matthew 3:11 where John the Baptist says [and by the way, this is the man whom the angel said, Luke 1:15, would be “filled with the Holy Spirit, while yet in his mother’s womb”], what did he say? “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; HE WILL BAPTIZE YOU WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND WITH FIRE.”
How vital is that? Have you ever done a study on those 12 disciples before Pentecost? Oh, they were followers, and they followed hard after Him, but they did so in weakness, with many fears, in a “save-our-own-skin” mode and attitude with many doubts.
But then, HERE COMES PENTECOST! And ordinary men began to be the channel of extraordinary things, fleshly men began to walk in spiritual authority, the battle of doubts were transformed into HOLY BOLDNESS, the self-preservation syndrome became that Holy Spirit attitude of “loving not their own lives even unto death,” weakness was overruled by that Mighty Power from on high anointing, cowardice was overruled and confidence and courage came to the forefront, timidity became a thing of their past and a continuous triumphant spirit thrust them to new frontiers where they’d never walked before!
And what does Acts 2:16 say? “THIS IS THAT!!” “THE FIRE OF THIS IS THE FIRE OF THAT!!” What has happened here at Pentecost? 1) a mighty, rushing wind – verse 2 2) a fire resting on each of them – verse 3 3) a filling with the Holy Spirit – verse 4 4) a miraculous confrontation with lost men of diverse languages verses 5-11 5) an astounding and perplexing question of unbelievers that stops them in their tracks, ‘What does this mean?’ verse 12
What does Peter say? “The fire of this is the fire of that” and Oh, how we need THIS TO BE THAT! THAT SPOKEN OF BY THE PROPHET JOEL! Are you sure you want “The Fire of this is the fire of that”? Let’s look at it:
WHEN THE ‘FIRE OF THIS’ IS THE ‘FIRE OF THAT,’ THERE IS A CONVICTING RECOGNITION OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF PEOPLES’ SIN: Joel 1:4, “What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; what the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten; and what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten.” Verse 10 says, “The field is ruined, the land mourns…” I Corinthians 3:9 boldly and correctly states, “…YOU ARE GOD’S FIELD…” And when the ‘fire of that’ has become ‘the fire of this,’ SIN IS NOT EXCUSED but confessed and forsaken, SIN IS NOT OVERLOOKED but washed in the blood of the Lamb, SIN IS NO LONGER A ‘MAKING ROOM ‘ FOR FLESHLINESS but a bold act of removal of that which crucified the Christ we love.
In Isaiah 1 the prophet of God magnified for God’s people the seriousness of their sin: Verse 4, “Alas, sinful nation [congregation], people weighed down with iniquity, offspring of evil doers, sons who act corruptly!…” Notice now what has happened: 1) They had abandoned the Lord! 2) They had despised the Holy One of Israel! 3) They had turned away from Him!
Listen to God’s Word! Isaiah 1:18-20, “Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword;” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Verses 21-23, How the faithful city has become a harlot! It was full of justice; righteousness lodged in it, but now murderers. Your silver has become dross, your wine mixed with water. Your princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves; everyone loves bribes, and follows after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, nor does the cause of the widow come before them.” Verses 27-28, Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and her penitents with righteousness. The destruction of transgressors and of sinners shall be together, and those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed.”
And ‘the FIRE OF THAT’ has become ‘the FIRE OF THIS’ and with David God’s people cry out: Look at Psalm 51 and David’s prayer of repentance and reconciliation! The wandering prodigal came home and cried out of his bruised and wounded, sin-filled heart, Luke 15:21, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.”
And when that happens, God the Father isn’t going to disown us. He will call for the best robe, for the family ring of authority, shod our feet afresh and anew with the gospel of peace, kill the fatted calf, and God will make glad! Luke 15:10, “…there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents!” When ‘the Fire of This’ is ‘the Fire of that,’ a godly repentance becomes the rule of the hour!
WHEN ‘THE FIRE OF THIS’ IS ‘THE FIRE OF THAT’, THERE IS A CONSCIOUS AND CONSECRATED COMMITMENT TO TRUTH AND A DECLARATION OF LIFE TO OPPOSE ERROR: Look at Joel 1:5! “Awake, you drunkards, and weep; and wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the new wine, for it has been cut off from your mouth.” Is Joel really fighting the brewers and those who abuse ‘the wine’? I don’t think so – here Joel is confronting those who are drunk on the wine of false teaching, confronting those who know no difference between the bitter and the sweet, challenging those who have lost their taste buds for the sweet wine of holy truth!
Daniel has provided some powerful statements, not only of his day, but even of our own day when in Daniel 8:11-12 he says, notice especially verse 11, “He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down.” What’s happened here? The CROSS IS REMOVED from the centrality of preaching and the need of living in HOLY PRESENCE IS THROWN DOWN!
In the April 1, 1995, religion section of the Dallas Morning News, there was an article entitled “Symbol of The Cross too violent, some theologians say.” Here we go, Daniel! The article spoke of some who want to replace the symbol of the Cross with the dove, a loaf and a fish, a lighted candle, or a mustard seed!
Daniel 8:12-13 then says, “Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered. Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, ‘How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot?” They did what? They cast or “fling truth to the ground!!”
In 2 Timothy 4:2-4 there is such a valuable word from Paul: “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from truth, and be turned aside to fables.”
There are several prophetic verses you must be alerted to: Jeremiah 7:28 says, “And you shall say to them [USA or INDIA?], ‘This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the Lord their God or accept correction; TRUTH HAS PERISHED and has been cut off from their mouth.” In Jeremiah 9:3 the prophet shares, “Lies and not truth prevail in the land…” Does that sound familiar? The prophet Isaiah wrote: Isaiah 59:14, “truth has stumbled in the streets.Verse 15, Yes, truth is lacking.” Does THAT sound familiar?
Oh, but Jesus knew an hour was coming when things would be different! Listen to John 16:12-14!! “I have many more things to say, but you cannot bear them now…But when HE, THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH, comes, HE WILL GUIDE YOU INTO ALL TRUTH; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.He shall glorify Me: for He shall take on mine; and shall disclose it to you.”
And when ‘The Fire of This’ IS ‘The Fire of That,’ the Holy Spirit is not a part of perverting or maligning the Truth! Malachi 3:13-18 is one of the most vital, most important verses you’ll ever read: “Your words have been harsh against Me,” says the Lord, “yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ You have said, ‘It is useless to serve God; what profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, and that we have walked as mourners before the Lord of hosts? So now we call the proud blessed, for those who do wickedness are raised up; they even tempt God and go free.’” Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name. “They shall be mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “on the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.” Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.”
And a new day has arisen in which God Himself “prepares His jewels “for Himself!
In Jeremiah 15:19 God Almighty speaks to us today! Therefore thus says the Lord: “If you return, then I will bring you back; you shall stand before Me; if you take the precious from the vile, you shall be as My mouth. Let them return to you, but you must not return to them.” Who was God talking about concerning “not returning to them?”
Please look at 2 Thessalonians 2:7-13 and you’ll clearly understand! “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason, God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.”
WHEN THE ‘FIRE OF THIS’ IS THE ‘FIRE OF THAT’, THERE IS RELEASED TO THE TRUE BELIEVER A HOLY UNDERSTANDING OF GOD’S SOVEREIGN CONTROL OVER THE POWERS OF DARKNESS AND HOW HE USES THEM TO BRING DISCIPLINE AND CORRECTION TO HIS OWN PEOPLE. Look with me at Joel 1:6-7, 15-2:4-11! For a nation has come up against My land, strong, and without number; his teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he has the fangs of a fierce lion. He has laid waste My vine, and ruined My fig tree; he has stripped it bare and thrown it away; its branches are made white…Verse 15 -2:4-11, Alas, for the day! For the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as destruction from the Almighty. Is not the food cut off before our eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God? The seed shrivels under the clods, storehouses are in shambles; barns are broken down, for the grain has withered. How the animals groan! The herds of cattle are restless, because they have no pasture; even the flocks of sheep suffer punishment. O Lord, to You I cry out; for fire has devoured the open pastures, and a flame has burned all the trees of the field. The beasts of the field also cry out to You, for the water brooks are dried up, and fire has devoured the open pastures. 2:4-11, Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; and like swift steeds, so they run. With a noise like chariots over mountaintops they leap, like the noise of a flaming fire that devours the stubble, like a strong people set in battle array. Before them the people writhe in pain; all faces are drained of color. They run like mighty men, they climb the wall like men of war; every one marches in formation, and they do not break ranks. They do not push one another; every one marches in his own column. Though they lunge between the weapons, they are not cut down. They run to and fro in the city, they run on the wall; they climb into houses, they enter at the windows like a thief. The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble; the sun and moon grow dark, and the stars diminish their brightness. The Lord gives voice before His army, For His camp is very great; for strong is the One who executes His word, for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; who can endure it?”
You must understand that God is NO SILENT WITNESS to the sins and rebellion and deception of His own people – and because He IS Almighty God, He can use whomever He desires to discipline and chasten His own children to turn them away from darkness to the Light! [Please read carefully Habakkuk 1:5-17 and see WHO is appointed to exercise judgment and use His rod of correction!!]
WHEN THE ‘FIRE OF THIS’ IS THE ‘FIRE OF THAT’, BECAUSE OF THE COMPASSION OF THE LORD, POURED OUT IN THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF THEIR SIN, AND THEIR COMMITMENT TO TRUTH,AND THE AWARENESS OF GOD’S CORRECTIVE MEASURES, GOD’S PEOPLE THEN ARE RAISED UP PROPHETICALLY TO SOUND THE ALARM. Look at Joel 2:1! “Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord is coming, for it is at hand.”
I want you to come to Jeremiah 4:5-8, 14-22, and read Heaven’s “Headline News” of the sounding of the Alarm! Declare in Judah [House of Praise!] and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say: “Blow the trumpet in the land; Cry, ‘Gather together,’ and say, ‘Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the fortified cities.’ Set up the standard toward Zion. Take refuge! Do not delay! For I will bring disaster from the north, and great destruction.” The lion has come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of nations is on his way. He has gone forth from his place to make your land desolate. Your cities will be laid waste, without inhabitant. For this, clothe yourself with sackcloth, lament and wail. For the fierce anger of the Lord has not turned back from us. Verses 14-22, O Jerusalem, wash your heart from your wickedness, that you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you? For a voice declares from Dan and proclaims affliction from Mount Ephraim: Make mention to the nations, Yes, proclaim against Jerusalem, that watchers come from a far country and raise their voice against the cities of Judah. Like keepers of a field they are against her all around, because she has been rebellious against Me,” says the Lord. “Your ways and your doings have procured these things for you. This is your wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reaches to your heart.” O my soul, my soul! I am pained in my very heart! My heart makes a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because you have heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Destruction upon destruction is cried, for the whole land is plundered. Suddenly my tents are plundered, and my curtains in a moment. How long will I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet? For My people are foolish, they have not known Me. They are silly children, and they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.”
God Himself sounds the alarm and so desires to see His people stand up and “blow the trumpet in Zion!” The need of ‘correction’ is desperate! “IS THERE ONE, ARE THERE MORE, WHO SEE THE DANGERS EVEN GOD’S OWN PEOPLE ARE IN! Sound the alarm! Blow the trumpet, warn the people – call them to repentance and faith! WHEN DID THAT PLEA END?
Oh, please, please, come to Revelation 4:1! “After these things, I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, ‘Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.” And, here we stand before the door opened in heaven – God says: ‘Look at what is about to happen – blow the trumpet!” WILL YOU?
WHEN THE ‘FIRE OF THIS’ IS THE ‘FIRE OF THAT’, THERE ARE NOT ONLY TRUMPETS OF WARNING, BUT ALSO TRUMPETS OF WITNESS THAT ARE SOUNDED. Come to Joel 2:15-17! Blow the trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly; Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, and the bride from her dressing room. Let the priests, who minister to the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar; Let them say, ‘Spare Your people, O Lord, and do not give Your heritage to reproach, that the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’” [You might even check in Ezekial 9:4 about looking for that ‘spiritual’ mark on the foreheads of true witnesses!!]
In these three verses you see several things that distinguish and set apart these true witnesses: 1) A trumpet of witness of mutual compassion for the needs of those around us – Joel 2:15-17a] 2) A trumpet of witness of mutual prayerful intercession for mercy and grace – Joel 2:17b-18 3)A trumpet of witness of the merciful nature of Holy God – Joel 2:19-22 4) A trumpet of witness of the miraculous early and latter rains of God on His people – Joel 2:23-27
In Zechariah 10:1 we read, “Ask rain from the Lord at the time of the spring rain [“Rebirth”] – the Lord who makes the storm clouds; and He will give them showers of rain, vegetation in the field to EACH MAN.”
But beyond the promise God just made is there encouragement of a walk of faith when the rains don’t come, but you bear witness of your unswerving faith in God? Look at Habakkuk 3:17-19! Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herds in the stalls – Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God [HIMSELF!!] is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.”
I love what Vance Havner once preached: “A true work of God is always self-authenticating. It bears its own credentials and needs no conference of experts to identify it.” [Douglas M. White, “Vance Havner: Journey From Jugtown,” Fleming H. Revell.] Then, Joel 2:28 says, “And it shall come to pass afterward…” WOW! WHAT IS POSSIBLY NEXT?
WHEN THE ‘FIRE OF THIS’ IS THE ‘FIRE OF THAT’ THERE IS AN UNDENIABLE OUTPOURING OF THE MIGHTY SPIRIT OF GOD SPREAD OVER ALL MANKIND. Joel 2:28, “And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.”
In John 3:8 Jesus said, “THE WIND BLOWS WHERE IT WISHES [Sovereignty of God] and you hear the sound of it, BUT DO NOT KNOW WHERE IT COMES FROM AND WHERE IT IS GOING…” [THAT’S THE MYSTERY OF IT ALL!}. I can be in India and witness a mighty move of the Spirit of God, come back to the United States and visit a small fellowship of believers and see a mighty move of the Spirit of God. I can talk to a friend on the phone and say, “Brother Pastor, are you seeing revival fires?” And I heard him say, “I see some scattered fires but not a great conflagration.”
I can speak to a California pastor friend and hear him say, “What you’ve seen in India, we are witnessing here!” I can hear from another friend, “I know what’s happening in Florida is happening in Alaska!”
And you begin to discern – it always has been, always is, and always will be God’s desire to pour out His Spirit abundantly! In Numbers 11:17 to Moses the Lord said, “…I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit who is upon you, and will put Him upon them.” Judges 6:34 says, “The Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon,” but you don’t believe you’re special enough to God? 2 Samuel 23:2, David’s last words: “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue.” In I Kings 18:12 Obadiah said to Elijah, “The Spirit of the Lord will carry you where I do not know.”
Isaiah 32:9 says, “Rise up you women who are at ease and hear my voice: Give ear to my word, you complacent daughters…Verse 15, Until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high…” Isaiah 61:1, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me…” I John 2:20 tells us: “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.” In John 6:63 it says: “It is the Spirit who gives life…’ which is why we read in John 3:34, He gives the Spirit without measure…” Paul had to instruct the Corinthians, 2 Corinthians 3:2-3, “You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men…being manifested that YOU ARE a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts.”
When the ‘fire of this’ is the ‘fire of that,’ [what did I say?], there is an undeniable outpouring of the mighty Spirit of God poured over all of mankind!! I mentioned earlier Vance Havner, prophetic minister of Southern Baptists in the 40’s -70’s era. He preached on this text in a message he entitled “If This Were That”. [Douglas M. White’s “Vance Havner; Journey From Jugtown,” 1977, Revell.] To summarize:
- If this were that, there would be a return to the authority of the Bible, the inerrant inspiration of the Word of God.
- If this were that, our orthodox churches would experience needed revival. It is possible to be as straight as a gun barrel theologically and as empty as a gun barrel spiritually.
- If this were that, there would be profound conviction of sin, confession, and forsaking of sin…If we were having revival, if this were that, the divorce rate would drop, houses would become homes, and marriage would be for life. It would not be fashionable for unwed college students to live like man and wife in dormitories. Pornography,nudity,homosexuality, and other abominations would not be accepted. The husband would be the head and the wife the heart of the home. Motherhood would be elevated again to its true importance in spite of Women’s Lib. Discipline would be restored in home and church, from which it has disappeared almost entirely.
- If this were that, it would make its impact on lawlessness and crime.
- If this were that, there would be reconciliation and restitution among Christians.
- If this were that, there would be a decline of worldliness in the Church…The world and the professing Church first flirted with each other, then fell in love, and now the wedding is upon us…If we had revival, Christians would learn afresh that the friend of the world is the enemy of God.
- If this were that, we would be delivered from such popular aberrations as the notion that we must dress like the world, talk like the world, sing like the world in order to reach it for Christ…One does not have to look like a clown in order to witness in a circle.
- If this were that, there would be a recovery of modesty in dress and deportment.
- If this were that, the sanctity of the Lord’s Day would be restored. 10. If this were that, there would be a mighty impact on evil institutions and a powerful surge of social righteousness…If revival comes, it will be in the providence of God and in His time. We cannot regulate the Holy Spirit like clockwork. One thing is certain: There will be no revival until the Church repents. Our Lord’s last word to the church was “Repent,” and His last word to the church is the last work in the church today.”
There was an article in the Dallas Morning News a number of years ago about “Russian Recounts Conversion,” the story of a Russian general who came to Christ, General Borisov. He said: “Every passing day of my life is now a testament of God’s magnificent grace and power…[His final statement?]..remember that monumental changes in Russia and around the world are the work of God, not humanity.”
What does 2 Chronicles 7:14 tell us? If you are hungry for change, world change, personal change, family change, church change – then make the last verse your daily discipline until God answers!
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
LIKE PASSIONS – LIMITLESS POWER
In this particular chapter, I want to remind you of the “amazing grace of God.” Paul was right when he encouraged Timothy [2 Timothy 1:9], “God has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity.”
To the church at Thessalonica [I Thessalonians 1:4-7] Paul said: “..knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; for our gospel did not come to you in word only but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.”
We are deep into this book study of “Competing Lifestyles – Conflicting Loyalties,” and I wonder if you’ve come to an understanding of the conflicts that arise between ‘flesh’ and Spirit, my way or God’s way, the power of ‘positive thinking’ or the power of the Prince of Peace Truth? There is such a ‘war’ in the minds of men over self or the Savior, over ‘no need of a new birth’ or “You Must Be Born Again.” And, there are those even called “Christians” who believe ‘religion’ is the acceptable path to God, yes, even apart from relationship. Reconciliation is a strange word for them.
Paul really aided the Thessalonians and us when he wrote in I Thessalonians 1:4-7, “…knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; for our gospel did not come to you in word only but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.”
Do you know you are “the beloved of God?” Do you know His choice of you? Do you know His desire that you walk in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction? Do you know how He longs for you to be an imitator and an example? Yet, how often have you heard it said, “Those were special men for special days – God doesn’t mean us!” How often have you heard it said, “What God did then is history – we’re not a part of that spiritual era.”
And it may be like it was in Jesus’ hometown when according to Matthew 13:58, “He did not many miracles there because of their unbelief.” I want you to come with me to one of the most encouraging, inspiring, and hopeful verses of scripture in all the Bible. It is found in James 5:16 where it tells us of Elijah, that he was a man, a man with a nature like ours. The King James Version says, “Elijah was a man subject to LIKE PASSIONS as we are…,” yet what happened through his life, walk, and ministry?
Then, in James 5:17-18 it says he prayed that it might nor rain, and that it did not for three years and six months. I Kings 17:17-24 tells us how God used Elijah to raise to life the son of the widow of Zarapath who had died. In I Kings 18:38 in that mighty confrontation on Mt. Carmel he called down fire from heaven and it came. I Kings 17:6 tells us God used a raven to feed Elijah. I Kings 19:8 shows Elijah going forty days and forty nights on the strength of only one meal. In 2 Kings 2:8 Elijah passed over the Jordan River on dry ground. The God of the Red Sea parting is still on duty. In 2 Kings 2:11 Elijah went into heaven in a fiery chariot. And let’s not forget that in Matthew 17:3 Elijah visibly appeared at the Transfiguration of Jesus.
Again, James 5:17 stated that Elijah was “a man” from the Greek word, ANTHROPOS, a term referring to a man in general terms. It says he was “a man of like passions” or “of similar nature.” The Greek word here is HOMOIOPATHES, a word that is used in Acts 14:15 where, at Lystra, they called Paul and his co-laborers “gods.” But Paul responded: “Men, why are you doing these things? We are also MEN OF THE SAME NATURE AS YOU and preach the gospel to you in order that you should turn from these vain things to the Living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them.”
HOMOIOPATHES comes from two Greek words, “HOMOIS,” meaning like, similar, or resembling; and “PATHOS” from the verb “PASCHOO,” meaning to experience good or evil, or LIKE PASSIONS. What a revelational word of hope!
I have no doubt that Elijah knew the war, the struggle, the conflict between “flesh and Spirit.” I have no doubt that Elijah knew THE TEMPTOR and the pull of temptation. I have no doubt that Elijah knew the squeezing of the “world spirit” to draw him away from God. I have no doubt that Elijah knew the surging wave of a lower sin nature that wanted to sweep him away. I have no doubt that Elijah knew the limitations of being on this earth with all it has to entice us at times.
Let’s look at Elijah! In I Kings 17:11, he was “hungry.” In I Kings 19:3, he was “afraid and fled from Jezebel.” In I Kings 19:4 it says he “asked God to take his life when he became fed up with it all.” Elijah, a man of like passions who felt pain, who experienced suffering, who knew discouragement, who knew what it was to be isolated and to walk alone. He tasted the bread of affliction and was reminded often of his own weakness. He knew highs and lows, he knew up and down times, he knew the glory of the light and also “the dark side of home,” he knew devotion to God and its blessings, but he also knew the proneness to wander and its debilitating impact.
Here is a natural man who walked in “the Supernatural Presence.” Here is an ordinary man who knew “the Extraordinary God.” How is it that you know LIKE PASSIONS yet you can walk in LIMITLESS POWER? Come with me to I Kings 17 and let’s examine six great truths from this man, Elijah!
THERE IS LIMITLESS POWER WHEN A MAN IS WILLING TO STAND HUMBLY, HONORABLE, AND HOLY BEFORE THE LORD. In I Kings 17:1 Elijah acknowledges the Lord, “…before whom I stand…” Obadiah speaks of those who “stood aloof.” Luke 10:24 speaks of that certain lawyer who “stood up…to put Jesus to the test.” Luke 17:12 speaks of those who “stood up to play.”
But not Elijah!! God speaks of Levi (the priesthood – aren’t we as believers priests unto the Lord’?) and says, “my covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him as an object of reverence; so he revered Me, and STOOD IN AWE OF MY NAME.” Examine with me the awesome ministry of STANDING BEFORE THE LORD!
Genesis 19:27-29 tells us of Abraham and he “arose early in the morning and went to the place where he stood before the Lord…and he looked down towards Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the valley, and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land ascended like the smoke of a furnace. Thus it came about, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overflow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot lived.” Because Abraham stood before the Lord, God remembered him and saved Lot. Who in your life will God deliver from the coming destruction because YOU have stood before the Lord?
In Leviticus 9:1-6 Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel and gave them instructions about the sacrifice and said in verse four “for today the Lord shall appear to you.” Verse five says, “…and the whole congregation came near and stood before the Lord.” Then in verse six notice what Moses told them: “This is the thing which the Lord has commanded you to do, that the glory of the Lord may appear to you.” It ought to be the heart cry and passion of every disciple to stand before the Lord and bathe themselves in the fullness of God’s glory.
But here is the exciting truth for “new covenant” disciples – if Moses and Israel experienced that with the “shadow” what about us who live as one with “the substance?” Follow carefully through the following scriptures: Hebrews 7:24-27, 9:11-14, 24, 10:1-4, and 12:22-29.
Numbers 16 tells us of Korah’s rebellion. Korah and all his company were called to “stand before the Lord.” In verses 16-33 we learn an awesome and necessary truth – that it is crucial that we know with whom we make a stand. Moses, in verse 26, speaks to us and says, “Depart now from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing that belongs to them, lest you be swept away in all their sin.” In 2 Timothy 2:22 Paul said to Timothy, “…flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”
In 2 Chronicles 20 the Moabites and Ammonites came to make war against Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was afraid and turned his attention to seek the Lord. We all will have “enemies” who come to make war against us. It is not an option or just some more remote possibility. Jesus said, “The thief comes…!” And he does, like a roaring lion, or even as a wolf in sheep’s clothing – but he comes! In verse 12 the king said, “We are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us, nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on Thee.” Then Almighty God speaks, verses 15-17, “Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s. [Do you know that, receive it, and walk in it?] You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, STAND AND SEE the salvation of the Lord on your behalf.” And verse 19 tells us “the priests” stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a very loud voice. Disciples of Jesus ought at times to put a Super Bowl crowd to shame with their mighty praises of God as they stand before Him to see their salvation! [Look at Psalm 20].
2 Chronicles 34:27-32 tells us of Josiah when he sought to repair the house of the Lord God and they “rediscovered” the Word of God. He heard that Holy Word, his heart was tender, and he humbled himself before the Lord God. Then the Word says in verse 31 that “THE KING STOOD in his place and made a covenant before the Lord to walk after the Lord and to keep His commandments.” Have you stood there before the Lord to receive in meekness that Holy Word? [Look at Nehemiah 9:1-3 and Jeremiah 23:18,22]. Have you made a covenant with God about His Word?
In Ezra 3:10-11, as the builders had begun to build the House of the Lord, and the foundation had been laid, the Word says “the priests stood in their apparel…to praise the Lord…and they sang, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, saying, For He is good, for His lovingkindness is upon Israel forever…and all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.” The foundation has been forever laid and there is no other foundation than Jesus Christ our Lord, and if He is our foundation, we ought to be those priests who also stand forever to praise our God! Sometimes I think the church has bought in to grave deception – too often we believe we should be quiet as little mice rather than standing with Israel and praising God with a loud voice!].
There is another instance of standing before the Lord found in Psalm 106:23 – and I believe it is why America still stands if even for a brief moment. It says, “Therefore God said that He would destroy them had not Moses, His chosen one, stood in the breach before Him to turn away His wrath from destroying them.” For whom are you standing in the breach before the Lord?
Isaiah “saw the Lord”!! In Isaiah 6 he stood before the Holy One, the Lord of hosts, seeing the Lord, he saw himself and in that holy hour standing in God’s presence the destiny of his life was forever changed.
But let me give you a contrasting picture as seen in two verses: 1) Luke 22:35 as Christ is crucified – “and the people stood by looking on.” 2) Luke 22:28 to His disciples He said – “you are those who have stood by Me in my trials.”
Elijah stood before God. Abram stood before God. The people stood before the Lord as the offering was consumed by fire. The Levites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a very loud voice. King Josiah stood in his place before the Lord God. The priests stood before the Lord to praise His name. Isaiah stood before Holy God and offered his life. And when we choose to stand before Him, to stand by Him, to stand with Him, what happens?
In 2 Timothy 4:17 Paul said, “The Lord stood with me, and strengthened me…and I was delivered out of the lions mouth.” John knew that truth also and lived by it. In Revelation 6:17 he said, “for the great day of their wrath has come; and who is able to stand? Who is able to stand?” Those who have made Christ Jesus their ark of safety! Jude 24-25 says, “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever.”
Listen to the Word of encouragement: I Peter 5:12, “I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it.” 2 Thessalonians 2:15, “…stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught.” I Thessalonians 3:8, “,,,stand firm in the Lord.” Colossians 4:12, “…stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.” I Corinthians 16:13, “…stand firm in the faith.” Romans 5:2, “…this grace in which we stand.”
Luke 21:36 tells us to “keep on the alert at all times, praying in order that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the son of man.” There are so many distractions, things that can enter into our life and keep us from experiencing all that God has for us.
THERE IS LIMITLESS POWER WHEN MAN RECEIVES GOD’S WORD, WALKS IN IT, AND THEN IS RELEASED UNTO MINISTRY. Look at I Kings 17:5 where the Word says, “So Elijah went and did according to the word of the Lord…” You do understand that there are different kinds of people in our world, even in our churches? There are those who submit to the Word of God and there are those who scoff at the Word of God. [“Competing Lifestyles – Conflicting Loyalties!!”]
Peter was so aware of that when in 2 Peter 3:33-5 he said, “know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mockings, following after their own lusts…and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming?’ For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation. For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the Word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water…”
How powerful is the living and abiding Word of God! And Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:9, “…The Word of God is not imprisoned…” That’s why Mary said in Luke 1:38, “Be it done to me according to Your Word!” According to I Peter 1:23, We are “born again…through the living and abiding Word of God.” John wrote to the “young men” in I John 2:14 and said, “I have written to you, young men, because you are strong and the Word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.”
In I Peter 2:2 the apostle says, “By the pure milk of the Word you grow up into your salvation.” Acts 8:4-8 tells us of those who had been scattered abroad going about “preaching the word.” Philip was among them and he went down to Samaria proclaiming Christ. And verse 8 says, “there was much rejoicing in that city.” When the Word of God rules, cities rejoice. When the word of man is in control, cities groan!
Caleb is a powerful witness of faithful submission to the Word of God. Joshua 14:10-13 tells us Caleb got “his mountain” because for forty-five years he stood on the Word of God. The Lord spoke to Abram in Genesis 12:1-4 and the Word says in verse 4, “Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him,” and he became “the father of the faith.”
Psalm 1 tells us of a “blessed man” who became so very, very fruitful because he meditated on God’s Word day and night. He didn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, he didn’t stand in the path of sinners and he didn’t sit in the seat of scoffers. He stood on the Word of God! Ephesians 5:24-27 speaks of the church that is “subject to Christ” and how our Lord sanctifies her, “having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word!”
Look at the challenge of God’s Word: Titus 2:5 “that the word of God may not be dishonored…” Titus 1:9 “…holding fast the faithful word…” I Thessalonians 2:13 “…the word of God, which performs its work in you who believe…” Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ richly dwell in you…” Philippians 2:16 “…holding fast the Word of Life…” Romans 9:9 “…a word of promise…” Acts 20:32 “I commend you to God and to the Word of His grace…” Acts 17:11 “…received with great eagerness the Word of God…” Acts 13:48 “…began rejoicing and glorifying the Word of the Lord…” John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; Your Word is Truth…” John 14:23 “…If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word…” John 8:31-32 “If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine…and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”
The mighty Word of God liberates us from emptiness and pours in His fullness. The mighty Word of God loosens the bonds of our sinful slavery and releases us to walk in victory through His Word that cannot be imprisoned! The mighty Word of God takes our ineptness and by the faithful Word releases us to the fullness of resurrection power. That’s what Paul was crying out to the church at Ephesus. It was his longing that they know “what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe…” [Ephesians 1:19].
THERE IS LIMITLESS POWER WHEN A MAN HAS THE WILLINGNESS TO MOVE TO THE “THERE” RATHER THAN BEING IMMOBILIZED BY THE SPIRIT OF THE “HERE.” Again in I Kings 17:4 where the Lord spoke to Elijah, “and it shall be that you shall drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide for you “THERE”.” In Luke 24:49 Jesus instructed the disciples, “…you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” But if God says “there” and we stay “here” there will be no power from on high! So Elijah went “there” and was fed, not only bread out of the raven’s mouth, but he was fed power from on high because he was willing to be on the move with God!
Do you remember when the Lord said to Abram, “to your descendants I will give this land.” So Abram built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him! This land is the DIVINE DESIGNATION of the place of blessing, so Abram was there! Look into your heart right now. Ask yourself, “Am I really in this land, the “there” of divine endorsement of power from on high?”
Genesis 21:33 tells us more of Abram’s spiritual journey with God. It says, “and Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba; and ‘There’ he called on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God.” What an awesome revelation! No wonder he became “the father of the faith”! There will be, as with Elijah, such a surge of limitless power when you find that place, the “there” where you become one with the everlasting God. Let that ring in your head and your heart – THE EVERLASTING GOD!
And how can you ever be the same when you arrive at the land of Moriah? Genesis 22:”2 is the scriptural unfolding of God’s “Self-Disclosure.” “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will tell you.” He faithfully followed the instruction of the Lord and in verse 14 the Word says, “and Abraham called the name of that place, ‘THE LORD WILL PROVIDE.’” It took him 40 years to learn it, but he did. Do you live in that place of comfort, of peace, of faith, of trust because you know HE WILL PROVIDE? Our God is the great “I AM,” whatever we need to glorify Him through our walk, He is!
There is another interesting “there;” it’s found in Genesis 26:19. It says, “…when Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found THERE a well of flowing water…” How do you think you’ll live in power “here” when the well of flowing water is “there”? Do you remember Israel as they left Egypt going three days in the wilderness and found no water? Now how many times have we become embittered because we settled in the place of “bitter waters” rather than moving on to Elim [Exodus 15:27] where there are 12 springs of water and 70 date palms? Get up, move out, move on to the springs of living water. It’s “THERE”!
“Peniel”! Remember it? Genesis 32:24-30, the place where Jacob saw God face to face. Verse 13 says, “So Jacob spent the night THERE…” and in verse 29 it says, “…and he blessed him THERE!” Is your “Peniel” a forsaken city or vibrant with the power of divine presence?
In Deuteronomy 12:5 God spoke through Moses, “But you shall seek the Lord AT THE PLACE which the Lord your God shall choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and THERE YOU SHALL COME.” Seek the Lord at the place! Do you remember the famous “dwelling places” of John 14? And how many of us were sadly deceived because somebody told us it was future, beyond this earthly realm. But what did Jesus say? Please don’t miss or take lightly John 14:23! “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our abode with him.” ABODE – “dwelling place” – same word as John 14:2. “Seek the Lord at the place…the place where He chooses to establish His name there!!” It is the place of the mind and heart of a man totally in love with the Word of God!
Deuteronomy 33:27 says, “The eternal God is a dwelling place and underneath are the everlasting arms…” Psalm 132:13, 17 says, “For the Lord has chosen Zion: He has desired it for His habitation…THERE I will cause the horn of David to spring forth; I have prepared a lamp for Mine anointed.” WOW!!
In Deuteronomy 33:19 God says: “They shall call peoples to the mountain; THERE they shall offer righteous sacrifices.” I was saddened a number of years ago during an “Easter” season and Jewish “Passover” as I listened to a national news broadcast and “Passover” was defined as “the time of the Jews’ remembrance of the Exodus.” So few have any notion of God’s call for “the righteous sacrifice.” In Psalm 51:17 David said, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” Come to the mountain! It’s the mountain of mold-ability when the living clay is in the hands of the Holy Potter! It’s the mountain of tenderness to the voice and word of God. It’s the mountain of “living on the growing, cutting edge of life” where dramatic changes can and do occur.
It gets better! In Judges 6:24, “Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and named it, “The Lord is peace…’” Verses 22-23 laid the foundation: “Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face…and the Lord said to him, ‘Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die.” There! THE PLACE OF PEACE! In John 14:27 Jesus spoke to His troubled disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid.” THERE!! Without hesitation, if you are not in the place of peace you are not in the place of holy presence and perfect will.
Then there is the story of holy Hannah! What a need today for praying mothers whose one desire is to present their children to the Lord! She prayed for Samuel and God heard her prayers. In I Samuel 1:20-22 she had given birth to her son and named him Samuel, “Because I have asked him of the Lord.” Then her husband Elkanah decided to go for the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow. But Hannah decided not to go up with her husband at that time. She said, I will not go up until the child is weaned; then I will bring him, that he may appear before the Lord, and STAY THERE forever.” Staying there! Staying in the Lord’s presence! Parents so loving, so caring, so responsible, so desiring that the children they bring into this world abide in the shadow of the Almighty!
I’m really excited for myself and you about this next “THERE”! It’s found in 2 Samuel 5:19-20. David asked of the Lord if he should go up against the Philistines, and God assured him it was His will and that he would be victorious. Verse 20 says, “So David came to Baal –perazim, and defeated them There; and he said, ‘The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like the break-through of waters.’ Therefore, he named that place Baal-perazim.” The message of this verse is so strong – the Lord goes before us, the Lord breaks through in our behalf, and we walk on in faith, in assurance, in hope that our battles have already been won. Micah puts it so plainly in Micah 2:13, “The breaker [that’s Jesus!] goes up before them; they break out, pass through the gate, and go out by it, and the Lord at their head.” Notice, the defeat is THERE where God won the victory in David’s behalf as God broke through – THERE!
Let me give you one more THERE. It’s found in Matthew 18:20 where Jesus said, “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, THERE am I in your midst.” Do you gather your day in the name of the Lord? THERE HE IS IN OUR MIDST! Do you gather your family in the name of the Lord? THERE HE IS IN OUR MIDST! As you truly assemble as the fellowship of believers, the community of Christ, is it in the name of our Lord? THERE HE IS IN OUR MIDST! How awesome!
THERE IS LIMITLESS POWER WHEN A MAN UNDERSTANDS THAT SUCCESS IN MINISTRY IS NOT ON THE BASIS OF EARTHLY CONTACTS, BUT ON THE BASIS OF HIS HEAVENLY CONNECTION. IKings 17:14, “For thus says the Lord God of Israel…” This is one of the most encouraging, uplifting, liberating truths of walking in that limitless power. Elijah was a “man of like passions” yet he walked in such dynamic force and strength. So, there are those who say, “He was a special, unique, one-in-an-age man.” But, I say, “No, He knew the Sovereign, Unlimited, Omnipotent God!”
In Philippians 4:13 Paul said to the church, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” That’s the key! Look at Elijah! He had no building, no budget, no band, no big following, but he walked with the big God! [Examine Isaiah 4:28-31, 2 Corinthians 12:7-11, I John 4:17].
THERE IS LIMITLESS POWER WHEN A MAN SEES HIS BLESSING COMING BECAUSE HE IS WILLING TO REACH OUT TO THOSE WHOM GOD HIMSELF IS MOST CONCERNED ABOUT. In I Kings 17:9 Elijah went to the widow of Zarapath where God had said, “…behold I have commanded a widow THERE to provide for you.” Then in verse 17 the son of the widow had died and Elijah prostrated himself before the Lord in behalf of one who had no hope in himself.
As I traveled to India over a 25-year stretch four to five times a year, I witnessed great darkness, depravity, and need, but I was always awed as I witnessed the miraculous, life-changing, liberating power of God. It was always the same! In fact, it seemed His anointing grew stronger and stronger on every journey. What was the answer? The man, Farrell Fisher? No – Farrell Fisher’s presence where God’s searching heart is most open and bare – the place of great human need. In the synagogue at Nazareth, Jesus opened and read from the scroll of Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor. He has sent Mew to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”
Too many of us are like the busy priest and Levite on the road to Jericho by-passing the broken, beaten, robbed, and left for dead. But there are the “good Samaritans” who know how to kneel at the point of need and pour out Christ Jesus’ healing grace!
THERE IS LIMITLESS POWER WHEN A MAN RECOGNIZES HE HAS NO PERSONAL POWER, BUT HE KINOWS THE POWER OF PREVAILING PRAYER. In I Kings 17:21 the Word says, “Then Elijah stretched himself upon the child three times, and called to the Lord, and said, ‘O Lord my God, I pray You, let this child’s life return to him.”
Luke 18:1 is one of those refrigerator verses. It says, “Now Jesus was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart.”
When we began this study, we looked at James 5:16-18 where the Word says, “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” and Elijah prayed – a man – a man of like passions – and he prayed earnestly. There are no shortcuts to limitless power. A price is to be paid – THE HIGH COST OF PASSIONATE PREVAILING PRAYER!
Let me close this chapter with this observation from the life of Elijah. We’ve been in I Kings 17. I Kings 18 is the great confrontation on Mt. Carmel where Elijah travailed over the prophets of Baal and Jezebel. It was a mighty conquest and victory for the honor of God through Elijah. Then comes I Kings 19, and verse 3 says, that because of the threat of Jezebel, “Elijah was afraid and arose, and ran for his life.” He ended up hiding in a cave. Our seeking God came to him there to tell him, “you’re not alone, Elijah, I have 7000 in Israel who’ve not bowed the knee to Baal,” and the next event is Elijah passing his mantle to Elisha! Has he failed so miserably that God had to punish him? Is his ministry shortened because he was afraid and ran? Has Elijah ended up as a miserable failure? And I say to you a thousand times – never, never, never.
It’s not failure but finality. It’s not a hopeless time but the time of hope for Elisha and everyone of us. It’s a time of encouragement. The ministry is going on, the will of God is being fulfilled, the calling is continuous. It’s not the man but God behind the man. And though Elijah’s earthly ministry was over, there is an Elisha to carry on. Though Elijah’s time has been fulfilled, Elisha’s time had just begun – and the work goes on.
I so want to be in on what God is up to. I so want to know that as God was with Elijah, so He will be with me. And I am so comforted as I continue the upward spiral of age, our Lord has those in the wings He’s preparing who will carry on! Hallelujah!
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
FLESHLY BLUNDERS OR MARITAL BLISS
[PRE-MARITAL SEX – EMBRACED BY THE REBELLIOUS]
Recently I sat and listened to a broken-hearted mother tell of her eldest son who had graduated from college and presently serving as Youth Minister of a church. The son had told his mother, when she asked, of pre-marital sex with his soon-to-be wife with whom he was presently living with. He saw nothing that he was doing to be wrong. He assured her he was okay since the Bible was nothing more than Hebrew men’s opinions – not authoritative at all. And, as a youth minister he’s influencing, indoctrinating, instilling within his ‘young flock’ rebellion and disobedience to the Word of God! He’s, no doubt, by his example, influencing more and more youth to follow his pattern and example.
I entitled this chapter “FLESHLY BLUNDER – MARITAL BLISS.” I guess I wanted to at least lower the blow of judgment from God’s Word and hopefully at least capture a few hearts in the saving grace of Christ admitting for those few “blunders” rather than “bush-whacked in sin!” Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines “blunder” as “a gross, stupid, or careless mistake; to move or act blindly, stupidly, or without direction or steady guidance.” Well, that gets close to the violation of God’s eternal Law – and regardless of how some youth minister lives, thinks, or teaches, adulterers do face God’s judgment – look at Revelation 21:8! That’s about as sad as it gets!
My wife, Sue, heard another young lady, speaking of the university she attended, to be overcome and swamped by the rebellion of pre-marital sex: “Almost every dating couple on campus is involved – they openly talk about it.” What is going on?
When a nation, including all of its educational institutions, or at least most of them, dumb down its citizens and students to God and His revelation, rebellion becomes the norm, and, adherents to God’s Holy Word become the “freaks” of human existence.
John Piper in his book “A Godward Life,” [p.119], writes: “If you love God’s gift of sexuality, take a stand for treating it like precious gems rather than common gravel. Guard it in the velvet-lined safe of steel commitment. Don’t strew it on the street or in the press.” And I could add: Don’t de-sensitize it on television or movie screen!
What is so shocking to me is the fact that at least 80% of teen-agers today truly believe God is the Creator, but He is not big enough, bright enough, to author His Book! Josh McDowell even wrote in his book, “Beyond Belief To Convictions,” [p.7], “But what may surprise you is that the majority of our young people don’t even hold to a biblical belief system. Our kids, even those from solid Christian homes and churches, have distorted beliefs about God and the Bible, beliefs that are having a devastating rippling effect into every aspect of their lives.”
Sadly, many young people today do not feel that God, because He is Creator, or even Savior, has a right of ownership to tell them how to use those bodies He purchased with His own blood. Far too many find it easy to ignore, to deny, or contradict His Word or sacred will – they not only let “truth perish in the streets,” but in their church pews, hearts, schools, and minds. And it all boils down to “supreme selfishness” that supposedly was put to death at the Cross when Jesus died in their behalf for their sins! That’s mutiny against the Captain of the “ship of their souls!”
I find it so interesting that young Joseph had a strong response when confronted with “sin,” yet modern youth deny what they do to be, not sin, but normal and natural responses to human inclinations God blessed them with. In Genesis 39 Joseph is confronted by Potiphar’s wife – “Lie with me,” but Joseph refused. Then, in verse 9, listen to his answer: “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
But if the god of this world, Satan himself, has blinded youth to such an extent they hold to NO biblical belief system, then why should we be surprised when they ignore, deny, refute, disparage one of the Ten Commandments?
It was Aristotle who once wrote: “To enjoy the things we ought and to hate the things we ought has the greatest bearing on the excellence of character.” But to love what God hates, or to hate what God loves, is not the building of the excellence of character but it’s marring and scarring. Too many youth are settling for jungles of junk and not the precious palaces of purity, honor, and obedience to the never-changing Word of God.
Do you remember what Paul wrote to the church at Rome?[Romans 1:21-22], “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God…but became futile in their imaginations [speculations], and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools.”
You may be a young person who professes to “know” Jesus but His words you do not receive. But I pray the Holy Spirit brings deep conviction to your heart as you read Jesus’ words in Mark 7:20-23! “And He [Jesus] said, ‘What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these EVIL things come from within and defile a man.” Poisoned is no evidence of “being saved”! “The defiled” DO NOT INHERIT the Kingdom of God! Even if they’re professing allegiances while they bow at the altar of “doing what feels good”!
I found statements by Dr. Scott Peck so interesting as he wrote about the My Lai massacre that occurred in the period of the Viet Nam war. His book was entitled “People of the Lie.” [New York: Simon & Schuster, 1983, p.221]. It’s about one or a group becoming anesthetized to the evil going on around them. He writes: “It is a simple sort of thing…the horrible becomes normal and we lose our sense of horror. We simply tune it out.” And many youth today have “tuned out” God’s Word about sexual purity or sexual impurity and tuned into “everybody does it.” NO, THEY DON’T!!
I remember someone in the church I pastored many, many years ago coming to me and saying, “Pastor, [so & so] is one of our visible, vocal young ladies and is actively involved with a number of different boys. She’s hurting the name of Jesus.” I called her into my office one day and said to her: “I know what you’ve been doing at school with a number of young men, but you profess allegiance to Christ. Did you believe giving Him your heart didn’t include giving Him your glands?” And she broke, and wept, and wept, and wept – ending up with deep, deep repentance “that leads to life.”
I know it’s not all of our youth, but there are large numbers in a downward spiral of “sinfulness” as they live to satisfy the lusts of the flesh, not knowing the damage to themselves, their future mates, and the One they claim to be Master over their sins – Him they dishonor most of all.
Dr. Charles Swindoll in his book “The Quest For Character,” [Hoddon & Stoughton, London Sydney Auckland, 1987, p.92], quoted Carle Zimmerman in his 1947 book “Family and Civilization,” and listed eight patterns of disintegration of family and the culture around us:
- Marriage loses its sacredness…is frequently broken by divorce.
- Traditional meaning of the marriage ceremony is lost.
- Feminist movements abound.
- Increased public disrespect for parents and authority in general.
- Acceleration of juvenile delinquency, promiscuity, and rebellion.
- Refusal of people with traditional marriages to accept family responsibilities.
- GROWING DESIRE FOR AND ACCEPTANCE OF ADULTERY.
- Increasing interest in and spread of sexual perversions and sex-related crimes.
And Zimmerman’s 65-year-old “prophecy” finds fulfillment across the Junior Highs, High Schools, Universities, and even churches in America! “God, help us!” I wasn’t surprised when I read a statement by David J. Burrell written years ago. He said: “The divorcement of morals and piety is characteristic of all pagan religions.” [The Encyclopedia of Religious Quotes, Frank S. Mead, p.311]. Much of ‘churchianity’ today and so-called ‘Christianity’ is nothing more than pagan religion with a modern-day interpretation. I’m sure most young people clearly understand ‘guided missiles,’ but they have no desire for a ‘guided message’ of obedience to Holy God! Jesus asked a very vital question: “Why do you call Me, Lord, Lord, but do not do what I say?”
Let me share several TRUTHS of vital importance for every young person today determining in his/her heart submission or rebellion concerning pre-marital sex:
FIRST, GOD HAS DECLARED SEX IN THE SANCTITY OF MARRIAGE ALONE. Hebrews 13:4 says, “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.”
Here’s how Paul, under the anointing and administration of the Holy Spirit, put it in I Corinthians 6:9-11! “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomies, nor thieves, nor covetousness, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God.”
Is there an interest in you of inheriting the kingdom of God? It’s certainly God’s good pleasure to “:give you the kingdom,” but it is not without conditions! I love T.Z. Koo’s comment: “The kingdom of God does not exist because of your effort or mine. It exists because God reigns. Our part is to enter this kingdom and bring our life under His sovereign will.”
Do you understand ‘hypocrisy’ or ‘play-acting’? That’s profession of allegiance to the kingdom rule of Christ as Lord but continually doing what the devil was kicked out for! I love what Leo Tolstoy wrote in “Anna Karenina,” [Pt. VIII, ch. 19], “There is one evident, indubitable manifestation of the Divinity, and that is the laws of right which are made known to the world through Revelation.”
It’s RIGHT to save yourself for marriage. It’s RIGHT to run from fleshly passions. It’s RIGHT to avoid boy or girl if their ‘wrong’ is to use you as a practice dummy. It’s RIGHT to give the holy gift of purity to your future mate, not to give impurity to a fleshly manipulator!
SECOND, GOD DECLARES SUFFERING FOR THE RIGHT AND THE HOLY TO BE HIS WILL, EVEN WHEN THE MULTITUDES OF FRIENDS AND CLASSMATES ARE DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED TO WHAT GOD REQUIRES. In I Peter 4:19 Peter said, “Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good as to a faithful Creator.”
I Thessalonians 4:3 is so clear: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that you should abstain from sexual immorality.” Sanctification? The will of God? It means in salvation you are set apart for His glory, honor, and praise alone! It means your walk is an interpretation of His grace that teaches you to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age – not a demonstration of adulterers, homosexuals, or a picture of the walk of all fallen humanity.
You’ve received the mandate from the Master and from the message of God Almighty Himself – abstain from sexual immorality! It’s the will of God for YOU to be pure, not defiled!
THIRD, GOD HAS DECREED HIS LAW AND HIS WORD TO BE, NOT THAT WHICH YOU BREAK, BUT THAT WHICH BREAKS YOU IF YOU DON”T HAVE HIS WORD, HIS WILL, HIS WAY INSCRIBED UPON YOUR HEART. [And, if you’re so self-centered to blurt out, “That’s not love,” then I say to YOU, Look To The Cross of Christ, then try to tell me God doesn’t love YOU!]
I don’t need to read all of the Ten Commandments – only one will do! Exodus 20:14, “You shall not commit adultery.” And we’ve already read adulterers don’t make it into God’s Kingdom unless they repent. Do you understand Law and Law-breaking? Have you ever heard someone say they’ve successfully defied the Law of Gravity as they jumped from the world’s tallest building? I don’t think so! “I’m going to break that law of gravity!” And it breaks them!
FOURTH, GOD HAS WARNED THAT IT WILL BE HIS WORD THAT JUDGES US! In John 12:48 Jesus said, “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him – the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.”
There is a frightening word found in Acts 13:46 after many Jews had rejected God’s Word spoken by Paul: “Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, ‘It was necessary that the Word of God should be spoken to you first, but since you reject it, AND JUDGE YOURSELVES UNWORTHY OF EVERLASTING LIFE, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.”
Paul knew so thoroughly what he was speaking about – In Romans 7:13, as he was sharing his testimony about how he came to salvation, he spoke of “sin, that it might appear sin, was producing sin in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.” In the very next verse Paul said, “we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.”
The spoken Word of God, even about your sin, your law-breaking, is spiritual because its purpose is to lead you to Christ!
LAST, GOD HAS SOVEREIGNLY REVEALED THAT TO REJECT HIS WILL AND HIS WORD CONCERNING SEXUAL IMMORALITY IS PROOF POSITIVE OF ONE’S REJECTION OF GOD HIMSELF. Look at I Thessalonians 4:3-8!! “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel [marriage partner] in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has given us His Holy Spirit.”
And having given us His Holy Spirit who “guides us into all truth,” you firmly believe adulterers have a place in God’s Kingdom? I don’t think so! I believe I’d repent [even some preachers!!] – that’s the door into His eternal Kingdom.
It’s a verse out of an old, old hymn – Listen with your mind, spirit, and heart!! “If your ears refuse the language of His grace, Your hearts grow hard, like stubborn Jews, That unbelieving race, The Lord in vengeance dressed, Will lift His hand and swear, ‘You that despise My promised rest, Shall have no portion there.’”
I pray God’s words of wisdom will not become wilting words, perilous procrastination, absolute rejection, determining to go your own way, failing to clearly understand eternity without God, eternity without the only Savior and Lord, and eternity without the Holy Spirit who so wants to lead you “His Way”!
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
BLINDED EYES OR BLESSED EYES?
I have no doubt you’ve heard an old saying that says: “None are so blind as those who will not see.” That is such a sad condition of life for one to find himself/ herself in, but it is true of more than we’d like to think. You do understand that I’ll be speaking of spiritual blindness not physical blindness. The truth will one day be known that there are multitudes across the world physically blind but have greater spiritual vision than many perfectly physically sighted people who have chosen spiritual blindness to the things of God!
God spoke through Isaiah the prophet in Isaiah 42:18, “And look, you blind, that you may see..” explaining in verse 20, “Seeing many things, but you do not observe.” Disobedience to God’s Word breeds contempt for Him and for His Word evidenced by their refusal to observe or obey, producing spiritual blindness! Jeremiah 5:21 says, “Hear this now, O foolish people, without understanding, who have eyes and see not…” In Ezekial 12:2 God spoke to Ezekial, “Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see…; for they are a rebellious house.”
You’ll remember Jesus and His young disciples being confronted by the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 15. These were men who substituted inward realities for outward trivialities, men who went from revelation to twisted application, men who side-tracked the “do’s” for the “don’ts!” In Matthew 15:14 Jesus told His disciples, “Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.” And I hate to tell you, but the ditch is crowded!
What you’re going to read in this paragraph is from Revelation 3:17-19 exposing even spiritual blindness among some “church folk.” Our Lord said to the lukewarm Laodicean church: “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ – and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, BLIND, and naked – I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; AND ANOINT YOUR EYES WITH EYE SALVE, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.” What’s the “eye-salve”? Very simply – it’s called “the Blood of the Lamb”!
With all my heart I believe it’s so important to grasp ‘WHY’ spiritual blindness has occurred – and especially because without ‘diagnosis’ there is no healing grace as the prescription that is so desperately needed! Look with me at Romans 1:18-25! For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes ARE CLEARLY SEEN, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man – and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, WHO EXCHANGED THE TRUTH OF GOD FOR THE LIE [THE LIE? “You can sin and not die – sin has no consequences!”], and WORSHIPPED AND SERVED THE CREATURE RATHER THAN THE CREATOR, who is blessed forever. Amen.”
I thought it might help us to look at Random House’s “College Dictionary” published in 1975: “Blind? unable to see; lacking the sense of sight; unwilling or unable to understand: ‘He was blind to all arguments.’” “Blind? Without guidance or forethought…sightless, irrational, thoughtless, unreasoning…” And I wondered if the one/ones who wrote the definition were themselves “blind” to God? Had education eroded even their educated lives ruling out faith, grace, mercy, love, even God Himself?
Well, like Peter, those of us “in Christ” are under an urgent mandate and mission. In Acts 5:20 we read, “Go, stand in the temple [ the homes, the marketplaces, the hospitals, the schools and universities] and speak to all the people all the words of this life [in Christ!].” Why? Because like Jacob some are still unaware of His Holy Presence and His desire to live in them and through them – many have been ‘blinded’ to God’s intent. In Genesis 28:16 Jacob said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”
Blindness spiritually? It was C.S Lewis, in “The Weight of Glory,” who wrote of “the evil enchantment of worldliness.” And, no doubt, this is why we read the beloved John writing in I John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” The love of the world is the root cause of self-inflicted spiritual blindness! That was Pharoah’s problem In Exodus 5:1-2. Moses and Aaron had gone into Pharoah after hearing from God: The Lord God of Israel says, “Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.” Pharoah’s response? “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go?? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.” That’s the voice “weighted down”, not in glory, but in “the evil enchantment of worldliness”!
Blindness spiritually? In 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 God’s Holy Word tells us: “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age [Satan] has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” Apart from Christ, men are easy marks of the powers of darkness, and those “powers” shut their eyes! I pray you receive the following if spiritual blindness has been ruling your life, vision, purpose, or future, yes, for eternity – it is Satan himself that found an easy entrance into your mind and heart, and as a result of his consuming control, he darkens your mind to the things of God, he distracts you from His truth, he disables you to hear, see, understand God’s will for your life, he deadens you to The Spirit of Truth, and seeks to distance you from anyone who would point you to God’s eternal love, proven at Calvary!
In Matthew 13 Jesus had gone to the seashore and “great multitudes were gathered together to Him.” After speaking to this large crowd in ‘parables’, His disciples came asking why He had spoken as He had – He responded that His message was for the true disciples. Then in verses 15-16 Jesus said: “For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, AND THEIR EYES “THEY” HAVE CLOSED, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so I should heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes for they see…”
Blindness in men spiritually? It’s even because of the dense religious ‘fog-clouds’ that can descend over them! In Matthew 15 you see the scribes and Pharisees descending on Jesus and His disciples, but this ‘religious crowd’, blinded to TRUTH, Jesus called “Hypocrites!” [Matthew 15:7]. Then in verses 8-9 He said to them: Quoting Isaiah 29:13, “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”
You do understand that there is more than one “gospel.” Of course, there is the “true” Gospel of Jesus Christ that IS the “good news,” but then there is a ‘gospel’ that some spout that has nothing to do with the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, they regard it as true, they certainly believe it, and they will “Preach it, Brother,” and all it does is deaden hearts to the Eternal Truth! It’s why Paul wrote the Galatians, Galatians 1:6, “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel [or another gospel.]”
In I Timothy 4:1 Paul warned Timothy, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, GIVING HEED TO DECEIVING SPIRITS AND DOCTRINES OF DEMONS,” Paul knowing that there are those [2 Corinthians 11:4] who preach ‘another Jesus, another spirit, and another gospel.” What is going on? I believe it was John Eldridge in his book “Waking The Dead” who talked about some who are “shamed back into the gospel of Sin Management.” Do you sense at times a new gospel I would entitle “the gospel of deception” because nothing they “preach” lines up with God’s Holy Word?! Some teach a ‘gospel’ that is nothing more than disillusionment or the ‘gospel’ of unrealized spiritual dreams, OR the ‘gospel’ of self-assertion which produces false hopes, shattered goals and dreams, and a horrible emptiness that can only be filled by the Master, the Lord Jesus!
Have you ever witnessed to an unsaved man and hear him say to you, “Preacher, I know you’re sincere, but I choose to live by my well-trained ‘common sense.’” But where is God in all of that? No doubt this is why God spoke through Jeremiah, [Jeremiah 6:14], “They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, Saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ When there is no peace.” It is a sad, sad day when a man has decided by his well-trained ‘common sense’ that he doesn’t need God! Isaiah 5:21 says, “Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!”
BLINDNESS SPIRITUALLY? In John 10:10 Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” The ‘thief’ is Satan himself, but he has minions that do his bidding, even some who are false teachers, false preachers, most of whom don’t even know the devil controls them!
The thief wants to halt any progress one may have made toward Christ! His strategy is to harass any person who has even slightly aimed his life toward Jesus! He wants to hurt you, your witness, your walk, your family, your business! He wants to hurl your allegiance to Hell itself! He wants to hinder your hunger for the Lord! He’d definitely settle for you to be a “good” Pharisee who settles in as “puppets” of his powers of darkness – if you’re “loud’ in your diabolical expressions, he’ll even promote you to a high position as his spokesman! That’s “famished minds” who know nothing of the Faithful Master! “BLINDED EYES!!”
But let me shift to the amazing truth about “BLESSED EYES”!! I know it’s not easy for some as we talk about those who “see God,” because the FIRST THING I want you to take note of is THE REALITY OF PAINFUL ENCOUNTERS WITH GOD. Come with me to Genesis 32: 24-30! Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. And He said, “Let me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” And He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel [Prince With God!]; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.” And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: ‘For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”
Oh, I know, as Jacob wrestled with God, that God touched the socket of Jacob’s hip and it was out of socket – one painful “trip” or event! – but the real pain was when God asked him, “What is your name?” and there comes the painful decision – “Will I seek to deceive God about myself or admit the truth? A cover-up or the truth? Deception or reality? Cosmetic name or naked truth? “What is your name? And Jacob said what? “Jacob”! In the presence of Holy God, wrestling with Holy God, JACOB SEES HIMSELF FOR WHAT AND WHO HE IS – “deceitful, insidious, tracked by his footprints…”!! How painful is that when one must admit before Holy God what he’s hidden from others who he really is!
Jacob may have deceived others but he cannot deceive God! In Jeremiah 9:6 God said, “Your dwelling place is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know Me,” says the Lord. But confronted By God, Jacob uncovers, admits to, repents of his true identity and finds mercy – Jacob “sees God face to face…!”
What a word from Jeremiah in the youthfulness of his pilgrimage, confronted by God, challenged by God, saying to Him, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.” But God assured Jeremiah, “I am and will be with you.” In Jeremiah 1:12 we read, Then the Lord said to me, “Jeremiah, you have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word [through you].” And whatever pain we have to go through, to meet God “face to face” is an eternal blessing!
“BLESSED EYES”? ARE YOU AWARE OF THE BURNING BUSHES OF DESTINY BLESSINGS? You know what happened with Moses on the ‘mountain of God.’ In Exodus 3:2 he witnessed the burning bush and verse 4 tells us, “God called to Moses from the midst of the bush: “Moses, Moses!” “Farrell, Farrell!” “Paulose, Paulose!” “Sheldon, Sheldon!” And he said, “Here I am.” You are on Holy Ground when you know “the bush burns,” destiny is defined, the mission is unfolded, the life-ministry is laid out before you, and the challenge of delivering nations from bondage and captivity becomes YOUR calling!
You’re no stranger to Saul of Tarsus, persecutor of the church, denying Christ, but on a road to Damascus something happened! Acts 9:3-6 we read: As he [Saul] journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”
I believe the year was 1982 when I made my first trip to India. I was in southern India, outside Trivandrum, in the church yard of a Church of South India congregation, where I had finished a daytime pastors’ conference and nighttime out-doors crusade. Everyone had left the grounds that Sunday night and I stood around thanking God for His blessings – then it happened; no burning bush, no flashing light, but a “holy presence”, then His voice: “Farrell, for the rest of your ministry life I want you to minister to my pastors across India!” Clear as a ringing bell, bright as a glowing light, as warm as a burning bush!
“BLESSED EYES”? ARE YOU AWARE OF THE PROPHETIC VISIONS UNVEILING THE COMING MESSIAH AND HIS MINISTRY? I want you to come to Daniel 7 and follow with me verses 9-10 and verses 13-14! Daniel said, :”I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool, His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire; a fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, and the books were opened…”…verses 13-14! I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.”
It is so amazing to me that ‘educated’ men can so easily deny fulfilled prophecies! There’s no doubt they have self-inflicted blinded eyes, but I still scratch my head contemplating bold denials of thousands of fulfilled prophecies!
Then, you come to the New Testament and read words from Simon Peter! 2 Peter 1:16-21 “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” Heed the prophetic Word!!
“BLESSED EYES”? HOW ABOUT RESPONDING POSITIVELY TOWARD GOD AND OUR SAVIOR AND LORD WHEN LIFE’S EXPERIENCES OPEN THE DOOR TO HIS PRESENCE BEFORE YOU? One of the most revealing experiences is when Isaiah’s friend, King Uzziah, had died! You’ll learn about it in Isaiah 6. Listen to the first verse: “In the year that King Uzziah died, I SAW THE LORD sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.” ISAIAH SAW THE LORD!! But what happened next? Seeing the Lord, Isaiah’s own identity was revealed! Verse 5, “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”
And if his word ended there, what a sad story! But it doesn’t! The Lord touched his mouth! Verse 7, “Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.” Then Isaiah discovers his life purpose! When God asked, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Isaiah responded, “Here am I! Send me.”
[Before you continue, I’m asking you to read through the four gospels and discover how many life experiences are recorded that turned men’s/ women’s hearts to the Lord! Sickness experiences, death experiences, persecution experiences etc.!]
“BLESSED EYES”? HOW ABOUT HEEDING THE WORDS OF FIRST IMPORTANCE ABOUT THE DEATH, BURIAL, AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST AND THEIR VALIDATION? In I Corinthians 15:1-11 we read: Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you FIRST OF ALL that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that HE WAS SEEN BY CEPHAS, then BY THE TWELVE. After that HE WAS SEEN BY OVER FIVE HUNDRED BRETHREN AT ONCE, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep [or died.]. After that HE WAS SEEN BY JAMES, then BY ALL THE APOSTLES. Then last of all HE WAS SEEN BY ME ALSO, as one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.”
Words of first importance, words proclaimed, and words that you must receive, believe in, abide by, trusting your heart, soul, mind, and body to the Crucified, Resurrected, Reigning King of kings and Lord of lords. “First of all,” Paul said. And I sense in my mind and heart that NOTHING is to come before “first of all!”
It is so thrilling to read John 20 as Mary Magdalene and then Peter discover the empty tomb! Then after Peter had left, two angels appeared to Mary, and then Jesus!! He called her name – and she knew the resurrected Christ Jesus! Then John 20:18 says, Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that SHE HAD SEEN THE LORD, and that He had spoken to her.” Thank God for those who listen for the voice of Jesus!
“BLESSED EYES”? Jesus was so very, very clear when in Matthew 5:8 He revealed: “BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART, FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD.” If you haven’t discerned it as yet, the bottom line of a man’s relationship with Holy God has always been and always will be a matter of the heart. This is a major reason God raised up Ezekial. In Ezekial 36:23-28 we read: “And I [God] will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord,” says the Lord God, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I WILL GIVE YOU A NEW HEART AND PUT A NEW SPIRIT WITHIN YOU; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God.”
Never forget what the wise writer of Proverbs wrote: Proverbs 4:23, “Keep your heart with all DILIGENCE, for out of it spring the issues of life.” You’ll remember in Psalm 139 that David said God had laid His hand on David and was “blown away” by the truth that God’s thoughts were also on David too numerous to count! He then said in verses 23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” And the way everlasting is the new-born spiritual heart implanted by grace and mercy and love!
In Romans 10:8-10 we read: But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach); that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
“BLESSED EYES”? Paul just said in the previous paragraph: (that is, THE WORD OF FAITH which we preach), which leads us to I Peter 1:3-9 wherein Peter talks about “the genuineness of your faith”! Follow carefully: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy, has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God THROUGH FAITH for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, THAT THE GENUINENESS OF YOUR FAITH, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith – the salvation of your souls.”
If you’ve never heard it, it’s still true: “Faith is the Victory that overcomes…!!” “BLESSED EYES!!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
COMPETING LIFESTYLES OR CONSECRATION TO CHRIST?
Leviticus 11:44 is so very, very plain. It says, “For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy.” But in our world, our day and time, just as the early days of the “so-called” people of God, their lives were being consumed by “competing lifestyles.” Holiness became, and is today, even in some Christian (?) circles a strange word, a derogatory word rather than affirmation, a frowned-upon concept for the “lesser informed” because they, the ‘spiritual elite,’ are so above such an ‘ill-in-formed, uneducated, narrow-minded’ group who can’t possibly represent God!
Yet it’s God Himself who said, “…be holy,” and “consecrate yourselves.” And the meaning of the word ‘consecrate’? It’s from a Hebrew word meaning “to be set apart,” “apartness,” or “sacredness”! Webster’s 1828 Dictionary says of ‘sacred’ – “holy, pertaining to God or to His worship; dedicated; devoted; due reverence of God [in the way one lives!]; it means “set apart to honor God with one’s life and one’s walk”!
I think you’ll understand the title to this chapter, [“Competing Lifestyles or Consecration To Christ”] when you remind yourself of Galatians 6:14 where Paul said, “By whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” Really? In John 17:15 Jesus prayed to the Father about His disciples: “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.” We’re left in the world, not to be captured and consumed by its fallen spirit, but to be witnesses of His saving grace.
But some receive ‘seed’ in the midst of thorns – Matthew 13:22 says, “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.”
Competing Lifestyles! Someone anonymously wrote: “The ship’s place is in the sea, but God pity the ship when the sea gets in it. The Christian’s place is in the world, but God pity the Christian if the world gets the best of him.”
Competing Lifestyles! It was Theodore Munger who said: “The unrest of this weary world is its unvoiced cry after God,” but sadly doesn’t even know what its ‘unvoiced cry’ is all about.
Competing Lifestyles! God’s people ARE TO BE FAITHFUL TO THE WORLD in their witness, but “friendship of the world [makes one] the enemy of God.” [James 4:4]. We are to be disengaged from its ways but engaged in its conversion and submission to Holy God through the Reconciler and Redeemer, the Lord Jesus.
Competing Lifestyles! The ‘world’ is a net to snare, entrap, and capture one’s soul – it has no spirit of contentment but only discontent, no peace but chaos, no forming but fracturing, no laying up of treasures in heaven but wasteful spending and rotting of what could honor God!
Competing Lifestyles! The ‘world’ births worry, war, false worship, chains and bondage rather than freedom and liberty, nervous noise rather than peace that passes all understanding.
Competing Lifestyles! “Day of wrath that day of burning, Seer and Sybyl speak concerning, All the world to ashes turning,” [Thomas di Celano].
Competing Lifestyles! Masters of ‘self-righteousness’ become midgets mired in the mud of their own making. It was James Milner who said: “While a man rests on his own merits for acceptance with God, it is of little consequence whether he be a pagan idolater, or a proud, ignorant Pharisee – I know not which of the two is most distant from the kingdom of God.”
Competing Lifestyles! Irreverence is the name far too many people bow before not even knowing it’s a ‘god’ they bow before and worship – foulness is its fruit, smelly stench its juice, poisonous vines the veins within their sickening spiritual health.
Competing Life styles! Wealth is the god before whom many bear witness! Jesus said in Matthew 6:19, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal; Verse 20, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. Verse 21, For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” It was Robert South who said: “There are not a few who believe in no God but Mammon, no devil but the absence of gold, no damnation but being poor, and no hell but an empty purse; and not a few of their descendants are still living.” No wonder John Foster wrote: “The pride of the dying rich raises the loudest laugh in hell.”
Competing Lifestyles! I’ve said before and I’ll say again: “Religion is not relationship!” Yet our world is filled with ‘religious’ people who have no concept of “You must be born again!” Walter Bagehot wrote: “The whole history of civilization is strewn with creeds and institutions which were invaluable at first, and deadly afterwards.” Contemplate that thought for the day!
Competing Lifestyles! How many do you know who’ve bowed before their own minds as their ultimate ‘god’? I do know that in Philippians 2:5 Paul wrote: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,” but that’s continents away from bowing before one’s own mind as his resource of salvation, wisdom, and understanding! But how many ‘educated’ university professors have disavowed allegiance to God and bow before their own flimsy brains? It was J.B. Phillips in his “New Testament Christianity” who wrote: “The modern intelligent mind, which has had its horizons widened in dozens of different ways, has got to be shocked afresh by the audacious central fact that as a sober matter of history, GOD BECAME ONE OF US.”
Competing Lifestyles! “Happiness is what life is all about – get busy with whatever makes you happy!” How phony is that? Nowhere do you find God saying, “Be happy.” His call on your life? “Be Holy” – and without Him it never happens! Blessed is our Lord’s sermon. Blessed is our Savior’s provision. Blessed is truly the fruit of a Holy Spirit directed life.
Competing Lifestyles! “There is no God!” It was Plato who long ago said: “Atheism is a disease of the soul before it becomes an error of understanding.” I’ll just stand with God Himself who said: “The fool has said in his heart ‘there is no God!’” It was Mary Ann Vincent who said: “An atheist’s most embarrassing moment is when he feels profoundly thankful for something, but can’t think of anybody to thank for it.”
Competing Lifestyles! All across the spectrum of humanity flows the idea in many minds that they can, in and of themselves, fulfill their own destinies and be richer for it than ‘those poor Christians,’ yet God said in Jeremiah 2:12-13, “Be astonished, O heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid; Be very desolate,” says the Lord.” For My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns – broken cisterns that can hold no water.”
Broken cisterns, empty wells, dry riverbeds – but, “What has happened? We’re thirsty and there is no water! We’re hungry and there is no food! We’re meaningless and there is no eternal purpose! How did we miss it? Who did we miss?”
Competing Lifestyles? “We are the elitists! We are the superior minds of our day! We are of such academic mentality that our scholarship and educational competence leaves no room for discussions about God, Jesus, the Bible, life or death, ‘salvation,’ or what Christians call ‘free grace’ – we’ll just slide by with our grease!”
But I choose John 17:6 for my educational degree! It says: Jesus speaking to Father-God: “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.”
Competing Lifestyles! Are we in the “last days”? In 2 Timothy 3:1-2 we read: “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good…” Have you not grasped that most of what you see in these “last days” is a “Godless thing”? Men and boys, women and girls, have decided “the low life is the high life,” “violence is virtuous,” “rebellion is independence,” “godlessness is great,” “sin is the celebration of who and what we are,” “sacrilege is permissible,” “my way not God’s way,” “I choose to be muzzled by my own meanness”!!
Competing Lifestyles! Oh, there are those who read the Bible and hear from Jesus, “In the world you will have much tribulation” if you follow Him – and you hear them say, “Pleasure for me – not pain; good times not bad times; Hell’s way not Heaven’s Way; we want all that enriches us in the world’s way [not knowing ‘in Christ’ they inherit Heaven’s blessings!]; integrity? How about compromise? ALL-OUT?…how about half-hearted?”
Competing Lifestyles! Don’t tell me you’ve never been around them? They’re usually very vocal! They stand incessantly at the “constant Complaint Center;” they’re a part of “misery is company” crowd; it may not be printed on a poster board but it’s easily visible: “FATAL FRETTING FULL OF FRUSTRATION FREE OF CHARGE!”
Competing Lifestyles! In Galatians 4:8 Paul wrote: “Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods.” How many do you know today paying big bucks for the shysters who “can read your mind”? How many do you know who practice witchcraft? How many do you know today who celebrate the “demons”? How often have you witnessed “Hell’s Angels”?
But, what verse of Scripture is listed on this book cover? It says: “Choose you this day whom you will serve…as for me and my house we will serve the Lord!”
Choice! Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines ‘choice’ as “the act of choosing; the voluntary act of selecting or separating from two or more things that which is preferred…care in selecting; judgment or skill in distinguishing what is to be preferred…holding dear…”
I don’t think you’ll find it shocking that God Himself made a choice! In Acts 15:7-9 we read: And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago GOD CHOSE AMONG US, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.”
Oh, how I love James 2:5, Listen, my beloved brethren: “Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” God has chosen! God has chosen me! God has graciously called my name, knocked on my heart’s door, assured me that He has set me apart as an honor to Christ, a testimony of Christ, as an assurance of His saving grace and power! “I HAVE CHOSEN YOU!”
It ought to put you on “Hallelujah! Grounds” when you read John 15:16 where Jesus said: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.”
You do understand: “Jesus took unto Himself the twelve,” and they were for so long unsure of His intent and purpose with them but they ‘followed.’ I love how Oswald Chambers put it in “My Utmost For His Highest,” [p.158], “The bravery of God in trusting us! You say – “But He has been unwise to choose me, because there is nothing in me; I am not of any value.” THAT IS WHY HE CHOSE YOU. As long as you think there is something in you, He cannot choose you because you have ends of your own to serve; but if you have let Him bring you to the end of your self-sufficiency then He can choose you to go with Him to Jerusalem, and that will mean the fulfillment of purposes which He does not discuss with you.”
Have you heard His voice? “Follow Me”! Mrs. Cecil F. Alexander wrote an old hymn entitled “Jesus Calls Us.” It says:
“Jesus calls us; o’er the tumult of our life’s wild, restless sea, Day by day His sweet voice sounds, Saying, “Christian, follow Me.”…Jesus calls us from the worship Of the vain world’s golden store, From each idol that would keep us, Saying, “Christian, love Me more.”…In our joys and in our sorrows, Days of toil and hours of ease, Still He calls, in cares and pleasures, “Christian, love Me more than these.”…Jesus calls us: by Your mercies, Savior, may we hear Your call, Give our hearts to Your obedience, Serve and love You best of all.”
I know that every born-again believer doesn’t have the exact experience of John on the island called Patmos, but I pray these verses stir your heart to afresh and anew hear His voice! Revelation 1:12-18 says: Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.”
And look at what our Lord said in Matthew 16:19! “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Do you believe one of the “keys” is the key of TESTIMONY? I want you to look at Romans 5:1, 6-11! Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…Verses 6-11, “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be [being] saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”
In Philippians 1 Paul was so confident, even in prison, that whether by life or by death the Lord Jesus was going to be magnified in his body because, verse 21, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” What had Jesus said in John 10:10? “…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” That’s “Christ in you the hope of glory.” It’s LIFE, LIFE OF THE SPIRIT, LIFE THAT IS ABUNDANT, LIFE THAT IS ETERNAL!
In Galatians 2:20 Paul wrote: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” He wrote to the church at Colossae and to us in Colossians 3:1-3, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Our “life” IS CHRIST, our “daily walk” is CHRIST, our understanding is that “in Christ” dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily: AND YOU ARE COMPLETE IN HIM!” That tells me of the POSITIVENESS OF HIS PERSON – resurrection LIFE, resurrection POWER, resurrection HOPE, and we are wrapped up IN HIM in the very fullness of the Godhead bodily! This tells me of THE POSITIVENESS OF PRECIOUS PRIVILEGE – one in Christ, ambassador of Christ, member of the Royal Family of God Himself – opening the door even broader and wider to THE POSITIVENESS OF DAILY PURPOSE – living IN HIM, by Him, through Him, which opens door after door to THE PATHS OF CHRISTIAN GRACES!! FOR THE HONOR OF CHRIST ALONE!
This is why Paul wrote to young Timothy, [2 Timothy 1:9], “who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.”
But Peter does give us all a gracious warning. In 2 Peter 3:10-12 he wrote: But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with a fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?”
Acts 9:31 is such an interesting verse, especially because of the loud voices in the Christian community who say ‘fear of God is archaic’! It says: Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.
Oh, for a ‘life’ that multiplies “new babes in Christ!” Oh, for a church fellowship that burns with intensity for the birth of “new babes in Christ”! In Ephesians 1:18 Paul prayed for the church at Ephesus to have “the eyes of your understanding being enlightened…” That’s eyes that also see the lost, the alienated, the separated, those dead in their trespasses and sins…and with open eyes, open hearts for His redemptive ministry, taking a powerful step toward others! I’m convinced “reigning in life – in Christ” is reaching out for others to be drawn to the True Faith!
Look at Philippians 2:15-16! “that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”
We know God heals the brokenhearted and binds their wounds! I would encourage you to look for the brokenhearted, look for the wounded, look for the wanderer who has no path or purpose, look for the feeble who have no faith, look for the person of shattered dreams!
Ask our Lord to put YOU right in the middle of two Isaiah passages: Isaiah 60:1-5, Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and see: they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side. Then you shall see and become radiant, and your heart shall swell with joy; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you.”
Isaiah 61:1-3, The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
It’s a call!! “Rise Up, O Church of God!!” “Rise up, Son and Daughter of The Faith!!” “Rise Up To Share The True Faith With Others!!”
“Rise Up, For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy.”
You shall “Rise Up” because in Christ WE ARE LIVING SACRIFICES!! And that can even mean our death for the honor of Christ alone!
“Rise Up” means raising up the Eternal Standard of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ alone!
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CONFLICTING LOYALTIES OR ALL-CONSUMING LOVE?
Conflicting Loyalty? Is that saying one thing but doing another? Is that the demonstration of divided allegiance? Is that the picture vividly being painted on one’s life-canvas of one foot in heaven and the other foot touching the outer limits of hell itself?
Conflicting Loyalty? Is that “Yes, Sir,” to the General in command or “Do as I please” to my fellow corps-men? Is that public dedication to be honorable and godly to the vows you make to your wife-to-be and then feel you’re at liberty to play the field of available women?
Conflicting Loyalty? Is that a vow of dedication to be honest in your school or university exams but you determine the best way to cheat on your exams?
Conflicting Loyalty? Is that a president’s public oath to defend, uphold his nation’s constitution but daily, verbally, and in deeds, shreds every page he can?
Conflicting Loyalty? You’ve heard it: “Yes, I believe the Bible is divinely inspired, God-breathed, Holy Word, but I also believe my devotion to it is an option I hold for myself!”
Conflicting Loyalty? Have you ever witnessed an elected national representative or senator talk about his firm belief in liberty and freedom but continually votes for policies that enslave, endanger his constituents?
Conflicting Loyalty? “Oh, Yes! One man – one woman for life,” but then voices support of men with men and women with women in gross violation of God’s Word – and the sad thing is public support of immorality increases!
Conflicting Loyalty? “I’m a devoted kind of guy – He can count on me,” but stumbles, falls, rebels on the first lap with no intention of getting up and finishing the race!
Conflicting Loyalty? You’ve seen him/her so consumed by worldly ambition the kingdom of God is squeezed out by an undaunted intent of “making a name for myself,” and glorifying the Lord takes a back seat!
Conflicting Loyalty? “The high cost of following Jesus? I thought this was a free ride, but I’ll do what I feel at ease to do as it pleases me…don’t fence me in!”
Conflicting Loyalty? Many professing disciples become totally disillusioned, disappointed, even despairing, because they believed they were called to give their best – they do, then get a failing grade because discipleship has nothing to do with our best but His best! Denying ‘self’ for some is asking way too much!
Conflicting Loyalty? “I will uphold my devotion to Christ and be a staunch warrior defending the faith,” but after several skirmishes, peer pressure or procrastination takes a damaging toll!
Do you remember the son born blind and healed by Jesus? The Pharisees came to his parents: “We don’t know how he received his sight – ask him – he’s of age to answer for himself!” And John 9:22 says: “His parents said these things because they feared the Jews.” They didn’t want to be put out of the synagogue!
Conflicting Loyalty? You’ll remember that Jesus said: “Whosoever does not bear his cross and come after Me, cannot be My disciple.” There are those “who want to” but the price appears extremely steep! Spurgeon said, “A life in which we have shunned the cross of Christ will lead to a state in which we shall miss the crown of glory.”
Conflicting Loyalty? In relationships between man to man, sometimes compromise has benefits, but to seek to “compromise” God’s revealed truth breeds disaster! To compromise our Lord’s commands is to acknowledge disobedience and to stand under God’s judgment. To compromise is to decay obedience and to bring on a deterioration of morals. To compromise is to vacate privilege. To compromise is to willingly slice off those parts of “unpleasant truths” that you sense “don’t fit my personality and make-up of who I know I am!”
Conflicting Loyalty? Spurgeon, in his “Spurgeon’s Sermons,” [Memorial Library, Vol. 19, p.359], has a message entitled “No Compromise.” He said: “The new plan is to assimilate the church to the world, and so include a larger area within its bounds. By semi-dramatic performances they make houses of prayer to approximate to the theatre; they turn their services into musical displays, and their sermons into political harangues or philosophical essays – in fact, they exchange the temple for the theatre, and turn the ministers of God into actors, whose business it is to amuse men. Is it not so, that the Lord’s day is becoming more and more a day of recreation or of idleness, and the Lord’s house either a joss-house full of idols, or a political club, where there is more enthusiasm for a party than zeal for God.” “Lord, help us!”
Conflicting Loyalty? How many people have crossed your paths “in church” who are more at ease with church as a combat zone than a celebration of Jesus? Divisiveness is their strong “suit”, opposition their true bonnet they wear regularly, commitment to their way fighting the pastor and God’s people to the death in one bitter struggle after another! Proverbs 21:2 says, “All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart.”
Conflicting Loyalty? Oh, they play the religious game as “one cool dude,” calloused to the core, with willingly closed eyes to anything but their way or the highway! [Proverbs 23:7].
Conflicting Loyalty? You’ve witnessed it: Intellectual attainments in one’s mind of their understanding of the Bible, God’s Holy Word, often becoming nothing more than crippling beliefs! “Thus says the Lord” is translated: “As I see it…!”
Conflicting Loyalty? Effort apart from transformation by repentance toward God and faith in the finished work of Christ at the Cross creates despair, not deliverance and healing and salvation!
Conflicting Loyalty? A change in outward behavior is not the spiritual circumcision of the heart! Romans 2:28-29 tells us: “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.”
Conflicting Loyalty? Reaching up, reaching high, is not the same as being raised from the dead by God’s power! Look at I Corinthians 15:14, 17! And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty…Verse 17, And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!
Conflicting Loyalty? Sinful natures are not cloaked with religious garments, religious conversations, or religious activities, but “crucified with Christ”! Galatians 2:20 tells us, Paul speaking, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me…Verse 21, I do not set aside the grace of God…”
Conflicting Loyalty? “I’m a man so devoted to the costly bricks and mortar, the lights and stained glass, of our beautiful church,” failing to understand his body is God’s holy temple because of His grace, mercy, and love! I Corinthians 6:19 is so clear: Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? I Corinthians 3:16 is even clearer: Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
Conflicting Loyalty? “Discipline and self-determination are the marks of an award-winning follower of Christ.” NO!! The mark of a true disciple is one “set apart by God Himself,” sanctified, meet for the Master’s use!
Conflicting Loyalty? “Fig leaves,” fashionable sophistication, proper outward attire, educated common sense, band-aids rather than heart transplants, a manly tinkering with myself on my terms, Ali’s style: “Superman don’t need no seat-belt”! Matthew 13:15 says: For the hearts of this people have grown dull, Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So I should heal them.”
Conflicting Loyalty? I love what John Eldridge said in his book, “Waking The Dead” – so on target! [p.161], “Religion and its defenders have always been the most insidious enemy of the true faith precisely because they are not glaring opponents; they are IMPOSTERS.” Insidious? Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines “insidious” as: “lying in wait; watching for an opportunity to ensnare or entrap; deceitful, treacherous…”
Conflicting Loyalty? It’s not ‘fate’ but faith, fellowship, freedom, and a fight! Personal fate is out to steal God’s glory! Anarchy becomes a substitution for the Atonement! T.S. Eliot sorrowfully lamented: “Endless invention, endless experiment, brings knowledge of motion, but not stillness; Knowledge of speech but not of silence; Knowledge of words, and ignorance of the Word. Where is the Life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?” [Out of “Choruses from the Rock”].
Conflicting Loyalty? Have you chosen the sanctified life or the starving life because to be without Him as Savior and Lord, to be without the Bread of Life is to shrink, starve, and be shriveled up! “I have come that you might have LIFE and have it more abundantly.”
Conflicting Loyalty? “Temptation is not a trap – it’s an opportunity of discerning what I really want or not.” OH, REALLY? James 1:13-15 says: Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”
Conflicting Loyalty? “Pressure, pressure, pressure! This job is so demanding – I’m going to have to ‘cut corners’ somewhere, somehow, even if it’s wrong!” Hudson Taylor had difficult trials he had to face up to – he wrote out of that hard moment: “It doesn’t matter how great the pressure is. What really matters is WHERE THE PRESSURE LIES – whether it comes between you and God or whether it presses you nearer His heart.” Never let pressure cause you to ‘pass by’ Jesus Himself!
Conflicting Loyalty? That’s when courage is called for but one allows cowardice to ‘call the shots’! No doubt this is why the famous Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote in “East and West,” [New York; Harper & Row, 1980, p.45], “Must one point out that from ancient times a decline in courage has been considered the beginning of the end.”
Conflicting Loyalty? It was Martin Luther who once said: “The ultimate proof of the sinner is that he does not know his own sin.” Please read carefully from Jerry Falwell’s “25 of the Greatest Sermons Ever Preached,” [Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, p.18], a quote of George Whitfield from his famous message, “The Method of Grace,” based on Jeremiah 6:14! Whitfield said: “As God can send a nation or people no greater blessing than to give them faithful, sincere, and upright ministers, so the greatest curse that God can possibly send upon a people in this world is to give them over to blind, unregenerate, carnal, lukewarm, and unskilled guides. And yet, in all ages, we find that there have been many wolves in sheep’s clothing…that prophesied smoother things than God did allow.”
Conflicting Loyalty? In Niccolo Machiavelli’s “The Prince,” [New York; Bantam, 1966, p.63], he wrote: “Men are so simple and so much inclined to obey immediate needs that a deceiver will never lack victims for his deceptions.” WOW!
Conflicting Loyalty? I was reading recently Dr. James Kennedy’s and Jerry Newcombe’s book “Cross Purposes.” [Multonomah Publ. 2007, pps. 25-26]. “When I was in seminary, I went to a jail to preach the gospel to those who were locked up inside. I had never been to a place like that to preach, and I must say I was a little unnerved by it. I was sent into a big room where I was separated by bars from probably a dozen prisoners. As they were milling around, I started to talk to them. I probably hadn’t gotten two minutes into my talk when one of the largest inmates suddenly came at the bars (which I was happy were there at that point) and said to me, “Mister, you just go tell that God of yours all I want from Him is what I deserve!”…”Sir,” I replied, “if you got what you deserved from God, the floor would open up right where you stand and drop you straight into hell, for that is precisely what you deserve. I don’t say that because you’re behind these bars while I’m outside them, because that is what we all deserve. If we got our just deserts, we would each and every one of us be condemned – because, you see, we’re actually already condemned. Christ said of the whole human race, “You are condemned already.” [John 3:18].
Let me “shift gears”! I pray “conflicting loyalty” never becomes the pattern in your life but that “by faith” you appropriate our Lord’s “All-Consuming Love”!!
The Scripture I feel so led by our Lord to share with you Romans 8:35-39 where Paul wrote: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ YET IN ALL THESE THINGS WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS THROUGH HIM WHO LOVED US. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
I don’t know how you read the above passage, but the one thing I’m sure of is the fact there are those who would like to “separate” you from Christ Jesus! “The love of Christ” is an offense to Satan and the powers of darkness; “the love of Christ” is a stumbling block to those who would be reconciled on their own terms; “the love of Christ” becomes contemptible to some because they don’t receive God in Christ FIRST loved us; “the love of Christ” separates some because relationship to Holy God is merited, earned, rewarded by what THEY DO – not what CHRIST HAS DONE ONCE FOR ALL AT THE CROSS!; “the love of Christ” infuriates some because “my behavior should be recognized by God rewarding me because of my undaunted radiance – I shine brighter than even Jesus who was called ‘the light of the world.’”
Love for God is not manufactured in a fallen man’s heart or mind! It’s why John wrote in I John 4:19, “We love Him because He first loved us.”
There has never been man, woman, boy, or girl, inclined to love God and be His follower and devoted servant. The darkness of one’s being has never produced ‘New Life’ but only His amazing love transforms our darkness into His Life and Light and Liberty and Love! It is so very, very clear throughout all the Word of God that any man who does not passionately love God has never truly known Him or been ‘birthed’ into a family of faith relationship!
And if we have been birthed into a family of faith relationship, does that mean our ‘LIFE-STYLE’ is unconditional love of others? In I John 4:10-11 we read: “In this is love. Not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiatio0n for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
Spurgeon was a very bold, brilliant preacher and student of God’s Word. In his ninth volume of Spurgeon’s Sermons, [pps. 307-308], he wrote: “Now no man is a Christian who does not love Christians. He, who, being in the church, is yet not of its heart and soul, is but an intruder in the family. But since love to our brethren springs out of love to our one common Father, it is plain that we must have love to that Father, or else we shall fail in one of the indispensable marks of the children of God: ‘We know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren;” but we cannot truly love the brethren unless we love the Father; therefore, lacking love to God, we lack love to the church, which is an essential mark of grace.”
There are two verses in John 1 that we need to put together!! John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen His glory, the glory of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” Then look at verse 18! “No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made Him known.”
Do you see it? THE WORD [IMMANUEL, ‘GOD IN FLESH’] BECAME FLESH! AND THE GOD WE’D NEVER KNOWN BECAME CLEARLY VISIBLE! All of a sudden, flashing before us like 10,000 rays of the sun is Jesus: GOD IS LIGHT! GOD IS LOVE! GOD IS LIBERTY! GOD LIFTS US OUT OF DESPAIR TO A THRONE OF GRACE, MERCY, AND LOVE! Didn’t Paul tell us through his Colossians letter: “He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God.” [Colossians 1:15], and then Colossians 1:22 says: “For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.”
“Wondrous Love so full of Life, Wondrous Love subsiding strife, Wondrous Love to us is given, Wondrous Love transports to Heaven. Wondrous Love, there rings the Bell, Wondrous Love delivered from hell. Wondrous Love, Jesus came To show God, Jesus, and the Spirit the Same. Wondrous Love to set us free, No longer a captive of Satan to be. Wondrous Love, God’s Son was groaning, Because of His Love from sin atoning.”
Paul said in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners CHRIST DIED FOR US.” What an awesome revelation! The word ‘demonstrates’ is from a Greek word meaning “to commend, establish, stood near, consists” – or “holds together.” In Ephesians 4 Paul had been talking about “the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,” verse 12, and then said in verse 15, “but speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head – Christ – verse 16, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
How do we rationally, faithfully, practically, put all this together to honor God’s faithfulness to us in His love expressed through Christ?
- God Himself Proved, Commended, Demonstrated His Love Toward All Men! What does John 3:16 say? “For God so loved the world…” And it includes you!
- God Knew, Understood, Grasped The Sorrowful Truth That Men’s Sin Brought Separation From Him! I don’t know who wrote it, but they sure understood sin’s consequence – “Sin is man’s declaration of independence of God.” It was John Bunyan in “The Pilgrim’s Progress” who wrote: “One leak will sink a ship; and one sin will destroy a sinner,” and God’s intent is to resurrect dead, destroyed sinners who have been separated from His eternal love!
- God Sovereignly Determined Only A Sinless Sacrifice Was Sufficient, Supremely Effective, To Save Sinful Man From His Sin And Reconcile Him To Holy God! Romans 6:23 tells us: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Paul had also told the church at Rome, and us, in Romans 5:21, “so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Oh, then Paul really dispelled the phoniness of some modern-day teachings that Christians can’t do anything but sin until they get to heaven! Romans 6:1-3, 10 says: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” [Question! Was Paul speaking of Jesus’ death on the Cross? I don’t think so!] Look at Verse 10! “For the death that He [Jesus] died, HE DIED TO SIN ONCE FOR ALL; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.”…..Oh, please read, contemplate, receive, stand on Oswald Chambers’ words concerning Romans 5:10 – He said: “The salvation of God does not stand on human logic, it stands on the sacrificial death of Jesus. We can be born again because of the Atonement of our Lord. Sinful men and sinful women can be changed into new creatures, not by their repentance or their belief, but by the marvelous work of God in Christ Jesus which is prior to all experience. The impregnable safety of justification and sanctification is God Himself. We have not to work out these things ourselves; they have been worked out by the Atonement. The supernatural becomes natural by the miracle of God; there is the realization of what Christ Jesus has already done – “IT IS FINISHED!!” God’s Heavenly Love made practical for us? 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For He [God] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
- AMAZING LOVE? GOD IN CHRIST “DIED ON THE CROSS” FOR YOU AND FOR ME! Amazing Love? If you were the only person who had ever lived – past, present, future – on the Cross Jesus would have died there JUST FOR YOU!! “God commended His great love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Can you say, “Christ died for me”?
I don’t know how you respond to that, but in Job 42:5-6 we read: “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” To see Jesus on the Cross dying just for you, is to see yourself as God sees you, yet He loves you anyway – and proves and demonstrates that love AT CALVARY!!
Dr. James Kennedy, in his book “The Presence of a Hidden God,” [p.191], wrote: “Just imagine for a moment that God were NOT love. Suppose, instead, that God were a cosmic ogre, playing with people like grasshoppers in a bottle. Suppose God were a demon, filled with malevolent hatred, or suppose God were an impersonal force, like fate or some machine that had no feeling, no sympathy whatsoever toward mankind.”
But that’s not our God of Calvary’s Cross! Oh, there are those who truly wish God were dead, but even to them the Cross and empty tomb still stand as expressions of eternal love for eternal ‘fools’! “The fool has said in his heart, ‘there is no God’!” But, history stands: Our God is the God who will not die – we serve a Risen Savior! You need to know it if you haven’t heard it or received it: “We love Him because He first loved us!”
An old hymn says it like this: “See, from his head, his hands, his feet, Sorrow and love flow mingling down; Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown?” Do you understand? It’s only in seeing Jesus suffer, bleed, and die for our sins that one truly discovers, discerns, and depends on the love of God! Here’s how Spurgeon put it long ago: [Spurgeon’s Sermons, Vol. 9, p.311],
“Again, our love to God does not spring from the self-determining power of the will. I greatly question whether anything does in the world, good or bad. There are some who set up the will as a kind of deity, – it does as it wills with earth and heaven; but in truth the will is not a master but a servant. To the sinner his will is a slave; and in the saint, although the will is set free, it is still blessedly under bonds to God. Men do not will a thing because they will it, but because their affections, their passions, or their judgments influence their wills in that direction. No man can stand up and say, “I, unbiased and unaided, will to love God and I will not love Satan.” Such proud self-assuming language would prove him a liar; the man would be clearly a worshipper of himself. A man can o0nly love God when he has perceived some reasons for so doing; and the first argument for loving God, which influences the intellect so as to turn the affections, is the reason mentioned in the text, “We love Him because He first loved us.”
God Himself established forever His love for you as Jesus suffered, bled, and died on the Cross! God demonstrated! God proved His love for you at Calvary! Now, how is that awesome understanding maintained productively and efficiently day by day? Look at Romans 5:5! “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
History! Historic presence and power! Romans 5:6 says, “For when we were still without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” We were without strength, helpless, hopeless in ourselves – “but Christ died for the ungodly.” We were “enemies” but reconciled to God through the death of His Son, Romans 5:10, and having been reconciled, “we shall be [being] saved by His life.”
History? John Piper in his book “The Pleasures of God,” [p.165], wrote: “Jesus wants us to see that His willingness to lose His life is because of His love for the glory of the Father.” He then quoted John 17:4, “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.” Then Piper said: “All of Jesus’ work was designed to honor the worth of His Father’s glory. Everything Jesus suffered, He suffered for the sake of the Father’s glory. Therefore, all His pain and shame and humiliation and dishonor served to magnify the Father’s glory, because they showed how infinitely valuable God’s glory is, that such a loss should be suffered to demonstrate its worth.”
And what about your life, your walk, your calling, your purpose? Is it to honor the worth of the Father’s glory? How did Paul put it? I Corinthians 10:31, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
Let me close this chapter with words again from Oswald Chambers out of “My Utmost For His Highest.” [p.238]. “The tendency is to look for the marvelous in our experience; we mistake the sense of the heroic for being heroes. It is one thing to go through a crisis grandly, but another thing to go through every day glorifying God when there is no witness, no limelight, no one paying the remotest attention to us. If we do not want medieval haloes, we want something that will make people say – ‘What a wonderful man of prayer he is! What a pious devoted woman she is!’ If you are rightly devoted to the Lord Jesus, you have received the sublime height where no one even thinks of noticing you, all that is noticed is that the power of God comes through you all the time.”
Charles Wesley wrote the following hymn: “O For A Thousand Tongues”: “O for a thousand tongues to sing My great Redeemer’s praise, The glories of my God and King, The triumphs of His grace…My gracious Master and My God, Assist me to proclaim, To spread through all the earth abroad, The honors of Your name….Jesus! the name that charms our fears, That bids our sorrows cease; It’s music in the sinner’s ears, It’s life, and health, and peace….He breaks the power of canceled sin, He sets the prisoner free; His blood can make the foulest clean; His blood availed for me.”
In Revelation 1:4-5 John wrote: “Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him WHO LOVED US AND WASHED US FROM OUR SINS IN HIS OWN BLOOD…” AMEN?
CHAPTER THIRTY
VICTIMS OR VICTORS?
I heard this title in a sermon a young man preached in my son Scott’s church this past Sunday, April 15, 2012. He simply said, “Are we victims or are we victors?” And, of course, our world is filled with people who live with a victim complex, yet at the same time many have come to the awareness and appropriation of our ‘victor’ status!
Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines “victim” as follows: “Something destroyed; something sacrificed in the pursuit of an object. How many persons have fallen ‘victims’ to jealousy, to lust, to ambition!”
Then, Webster defined “victor” as “one who conquers in a war; a vanquisher; one who defeats an enemy in battle…one who wins, or gains the advantage…”…as, grace will carry us ‘victoriously’ through all difficulties.”
VICTIMS! I want us to look at this truth before we unveil the reality of one person, by repentance and faith, becoming “VICTOR!”
It was the great Englishman, G.K. Chesterton, who once said: “Anyone who doesn’t believe in God will believe in anything.” And there’s no doubt that some have slid into the muck and mire of “no God” and opened themselves up for an on-slaught of victimization!
Stephen Olford, in his commentary on Philippians made a comment about Dr. Arthur F. Glasser, dean of the school of world missions at Fuller Theological Seminary evaluating Chesterton’s statement: “If you…fall into the relativistic vacuum of thinking any religion is good as another, you can end up falling patsy to any kind of ideology, such as a Manson family, a Hitler, or a Jim Jones…The religious relativism an secularized nihilism of the times [leave] many unable to distinguish between religious realities and fraud, between the divine and the demonic.” And, oh, how TRUE that statement IS!!
There came a moment in time in early human history, after the Fall, that God said: [Genesis 6:5-7], “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. The Lord said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things, and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.”
John Piper, in his book “A Godward Life,” commented on the previous verses. [p.221]. “To answer this, consider another instance of God’s action that (like creation) resulted in great sin and pain. Acts 2:23 says that Jesus was delivered up to crucifixion “by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God.” In other words, God knew ahead of time that he was sending Jesus to be killed. Yet the killing of the Son of God was more evil than all the evil in Noah’s day that made God feel regret that he had made man. Thus if God regretted the creation of mankind when he saw the great misery and evil that it unleashed, may we not assume that he also felt a similar regret over the incarnation of the Son when he saw the undeserved, wicked, infinitely evil murder and suffering of his “only begotten” and “beloved” Son?…Yet we are told explicitly that God not only knew this would happen, but planned it (Acts 2:23, Isaiah 53:10). So if he was capable of feeling genuine sorrow and revulsion at the wickedness of his Son’s murderers and at the suffering of the Son himself, then it must be that he was capable of approving the sending of the Son and at the same time experiencing in advance the sorrow and regret over the sin and suffering involved in the Son’s death. If this is conceivable in the incarnation of the Son, it is conceivable in the creation of man.”
What was Piper telling us? No doubt, God knew of the Fall of man before creation – not happiness over it, no joy so He could then show His redemptive love, but showing us two sides of a ‘coin’ – sorrow over the Fall, sureness of His eternal purpose to make ‘victors’ out of ‘victims’!
Victims! If “the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy,” are there those people who are captured by the ‘thief’ and his advancing armies? In I Peter 5:8-10 we read: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.” I’m really sorry if you don’t believe ‘demons’ and ‘powers of darkness’ are real – it just reveals how ‘victimized’ people can become! In Ephesians 6:11-12 Paul wrote: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
When the word speaks of “pulling down strongholds” it certainly refers, not only to manmade strongholds, but those demonic strongholds where the powers of darkness have settled into the captured territory of one’s life. Deliverance is needed!
Victims? Do a word study sometimes on ‘false gods’ and their origin – they all come out of rebellion to the One True, Living God, and an unwillingness to bow before Him – so, they invent, fabricate, indulge in fleshly religious feelings and pleasures that deceptively make them feel good about themselves.
You are aware that our world easily produces and accepts ‘religious frauds’ and their inventors – the ‘religious charlatans’! In 2 Peter 2:1-3 we read: “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.”
Paul warned the Philippians of the same deception! In Philippians 3:2 we read: “Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!” F.B. Meyer called these “pests of every Christian community.” He said: These are “the fanatical and unbalanced [people IN the church], the cranks;…They exaggerate the importance of trifles; they catch up every new theory and vagary, and follow it to the detriment of truth and love… It is impossible to overestimate the harm that these people do, or the desirability of keeping clear of them…”
Victims? Because of Fallen sin natures, there are those captured by the intensity of “pumping flesh,” proud of their fallen sin natures, perverted in its demonstrations, powerless in themselves to break the ‘hold’ on their lives! Look at Romans 8:12-13a, “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors – not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh [‘Flesh’ is your old sin nature!]. For if you live according to the flesh you will die…” “Pumping flesh”? Someone wrote: “The man who sings his own praises always gets the wrong pitch.”
Victims? There’s an interesting verse in I John 4:18 where John wrote: “But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” Fear is a crippler! In “The Bible Friend,” from the Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations, there’s comments by Ann Landers, famous newspaper counselor: “She was asked if there was any one problem, which predominates throughout the letters she receives, and her reply was the one problem above all others, seems to be fear. “People are afraid of losing their health, their wealth, their beloved ones. People are afraid of life itself.” I wondered if Ann Landers knew about “the spirit of fear”!
Victims? Have you ever wrestled with the difference between ‘speculation’ and ‘certainty’? Speculations are not bad when it involves contemplation. But when ‘speculation’ becomes simply one’s opinions it becomes that which has nothing to do with ‘fact’ but only one’s theories. Truth isn’t speculative – it’s reality! Certainty is fact, certainty is verified, certainty produces eternal results – “I KNOW that my Redeemer lives!” “Behold, as the eyes of servants look upon the hand of their masters…so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God.” [Psalm 123:2]. No speculation – just certainty!
Victims? Are you aware of any around you who became a ‘victim’ of those dark, subtle, seductive ‘fishing lures of sin’ that hooked them strongly, and then led them to a cage for future skinning and death? Even some around you in the ‘Christian community’? You do know we have ‘an adversary’ who is out to ‘devour’ you!
Victims? What deception when one chooses the prism of self-analysis for an evaluation of himself! In 2 Corinthians 10:12 Paul wrote: “For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those WHO COMMEND THEMSELVES. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” You ‘choose’ your ‘self-consciousness’ over “Christ-Consciousness”? Don’t you know that you’re either cemented in yourself or you’re ‘anchored’ in Christ? Hebrews 6:18-20 tells us: “that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” Who or what is your anchor? YOU DO HAVE A CHOICE!
Victims? Yes, even ‘Christians’ who are faithful every Sunday to a local church but faithless to a lost, alienated, separated world around them! I know, like in India, there were pastors who attended the conferences I led who later were martyred for the faith. It was Dr. A.T. Pierson who once said: “A light that does not shine, a germ that does not grow, a spring that does not flow, is no more of an anomaly of a Christian who does not witness.”
Victims? In 2 Timothy 2:22 Paul wrote: “Flee…youthful lusts,” but across the American scene immorality is fast capturing a large segment of the youth population with ‘shame’ becoming a lost term! Wild orgies, reckless alcoholic drinking, drugs, promiscuous sex – a youthful population being “pumped” to plunge into and wade around and wallow in “dirt”!
Victims? It’s not true of ALL children who live under the influence of godless parents but it is true of a significant number. Bossuet said: “Great men are formed on the knees of their mothers.” But also it is just as true that evil men are adversely impacted by godless dads and moms! There was a man I read about sentenced to 15 years hard labor for a violent crime. At his sentencing he was given permission by the judge to speak: “I pardon the judges; their sentence is just; I pardon the police; they did well to arrest me. But there are two people in this court I will never forgive. They are my parents, who brought me up without God and without hope.” How sad is that!?!
Victims? Is it heartless husbands or manipulative wives who neither know about “giving honor” to one another? Is it marriages that are marred because neither/or only one knows the Master? Is it marriages that have decided they are better ‘home-builders’ than God Himself? Psalm 127:1 tells us: “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.”
Victims? I John 2:17 says: “He that does the will of God abides forever…” Yet, there is no abiding or remaining because “the house” has no eternal foundation! In James 4:17 we read: “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does it not, to him it is sin.” Have you ever paused, reflected, wrestled with, “what would Holy God have me to do?” Sadly, far too many have sought to forge their own way through life’s wildernesses, and they remain LOST! To then live in rebellion to His Way, defiance to His Truth, even facing His will and Word as abhorrent, is to live miserably in bondage to one’s own sin and self!
Victims? Slaves to one’s past, preoccupied with one’s past, blinded by one’s past, always establishes high and impenetrable walls, unless one accepts the blood of Christ for the gift of new life, new hope, new victories because of Him!
Victims? In Hebrews 12:1 is an interesting verse! “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” But, there are those holding onto rather than throwing off, holding onto a path of sin rather than repenting and forsaking, and failing to get in on the race set before them – “no running for me, not even toward God Himself!”
Victims? Yes, even a disciple of Christ Jesus can be a victim! When you read Paul in Romans 5:17, 19, you hear him say: “I do not understand what I do…For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing.” This is a time period in his spiritual journey when Paul was void of learning or understanding the Spirit-controlled life of Romans 8! But he did overcome!
And if this is still your journey, their journey, our journey, what a sad state of affairs if our testimony is: “He/she is a VICTIM!” But I believe there’s an opposite truth to VICTIM, and that’s the truth of “VICTOR”! In 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 we learn afresh and anew, or reminded of, or settled into its truth, becoming a VICTOR! It says: “For the love of Christ compels us, because we thus judge: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”
The “victor” is one captured, birthed, renewed, regenerated, reconciled, overruled by the very love of Christ fully expressed at the Cross – and the new believer takes the cross unto himself and experiences the reality of resurrection life, resurrection power, and resurrection hope!
In Matthew 12:20 there is a beautiful verse for our comfort as disciples of Christ. It says: “A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth justice to victory.” Who has ever lived on the face of God’s earth and not known “bruised reeds” or “smoking flax”? And our Lord and Savior comes to us with blessed assurance: Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
And, if you do not know “rest for your souls,” then you’ve never entered the Victory Land of Faith and Fulfillment! If you do not know “rest for your souls,” then you’ve never entered His kingdom! In Romans 14:17 we read, “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
“Rest for your souls”? “Victory”? “Righteousness”? “Kingdom of God Allegiance”? It’s the grace of God in Christ with the gift of the new man! In Ephesians 4:24 Paul tells us: “and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”
That’s VICTORY! “New man,” “new life,” “new hope,” “new dreams,” “new purpose,” “new destiny,” “new songs,” “new covenant,” “new city,” “new creation,” “new name,”…Look at Romans 6:4! “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
What a joy and a delight to be a “new-born in Christ,” but just as with your own children neither you nor God wanted them remaining in spiritual diapers. In fact Peter said in I Peter 2:2, “as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, [or “grow up into your salvation.]” In our “victory” in Christ, we do have a goal! Romans 8:29 says, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
“Super-Saints” is not our calling – our calling is death to the old man releasing all that Jesus is in Himself! “Christ in you the hope of glory!” This is why Jesus said in Luke 9:23, Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
We begin at the place of Victory in Jesus Himself. And from that point we begin our pilgrimage of “resting in” Him and then fighting the fight of faith to be finished with the old man and starting and completing our journey in the “New Man”! Romans 12:2 tells us: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be [being] transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Isn’t it amazing to you? Our “victory” in Christ even has a faithful promise: Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
I’ll not forget a conversation I had with Dr. Bill Anderson recently. In college, over 50 years ago,, we were teammates on Baylor University’s Sugar Bowl champions against number two in the national rankings, the Tennessee Vols; we were number eleven in the nation. No one favored our win at all – Bill mentioned a friend telling him after the game, listening on a radio broadcast, that a commentator said at half-time: “Don’t worry, Vols’ fans; Tennessee is too strong and Baylor is too weak. The Vols will pull it out.” But they didn’t! We held on and won 13-7!
“Victory” is SWEET! “Victory” in Jesus is so satisfying! “Victory” in our Lord is so peaceful! “Victory” in the Master is to always be in His triumphant Life and its fullness! What does 2 Corinthians 2:14 tell us? “Now thanks be to God who ALWAYS leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.”
This victory in Jesus is far more than ‘just believe’ – it’s a matter of sacred TRUST! It’s a matter of “leaning not to your own understanding but in all our ways acknowledging Him.” Come Hell’s attack or the high waters of fleshly assaults – we “rest” in Him! In I Peter 4:19 we read: “Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good as to a faithful Creator.”
If Jesus had to be “about My Father’s business,” is there any circumstance of life in us Holy God cannot use for His business? Too many times too many saints fail to discern “the graces of His ministering Life” at work in them! When Jesus said in John 16:33, “In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” He knew what we would face but He also knew where our overcoming spirit and nature resided – “IN HIM!!”
“Victory” In Jesus? Isaiah 40:29-31 says: “He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall. But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
“Victory” is never depending upon ‘self-awareness’ or ‘self-confidence’ or ‘self-realization’ – in Philippians 3:7-10 Paul wrote: “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”
“Victory” in Jesus? In Ephesians 4:13-15 Paul wrote: “till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head – Christ.”
Do you understand, comprehend, “rest in,” unflinching loyalty to the Christ IN YOU? Here’s how Oswald Chambers put it: “The idea is not that we do work for God, but that we are so loyal to Him that He can do His work through us – God wants to use us as He used His own Son.”
“Victory”? In Galatians 5:24-25 we read: “And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” Isn’t that amazing? And yet so liberating! If there is no denial of self, there is no appropriation of the fullness and victory of Christ! This is why Paul wrote in I Corinthians 2:4, “And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power…”
“Victory?” Oswald Chambers wrote, after quoting John 8:36, “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed,” in his “My Utmost For His Highest,” [pps.239-240], “If there is any remnant of individual conceit left, it always says “I can’t.” Personality never says “I can’t,” but simply absorbs and absorbs. Personality always wants more and more. It is the way we are built. We are designed with a great capacity for God; and sin and our individuality are the things that keep us from getting at God. God delivers us from sin; we have to deliver ourselves from individuality, i.e., to present our natural life to God and sacrifice it until it is transformed into a spiritual life by obedience…Stop listening to the tyranny of your individuality and get emancipated out into personality.” And I would add: Our victory is EMANCIPATION INTO HIS “PERSON- ALITY!!”
“Victory”? Please, please, I challenge you to open the door of your own life to Romans 8:35-39!!
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life,, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
F.J. Huegel, in his book “Forever Triumphant,” opens with this statement: “It comes as a shock when one realizes that the Christian life, as for the most part it is being lived, falls far short of the divine standard. The status of unnumbered Christians is sub-normal. They are below par. They are not out-and-out sinners along with the worldling, for they have named the name of Jesus in true faith and are indeed members of His church; but you talk to them about a life of perennial victory, about being more than conquerors, about a life “hid with Christ in God” in unbroken and joyous communion, and you will fail to get an understanding response. You may provoke an incredulous smile.”
But, thank God, there are those who have discovered, walked in, live by the truth of I John 4:17b, that “because as He is, so are we in this world.” In a previous fourth chapter verse, verse 9, John also said: “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.”
Do you know what pleases God? In Galatians 1:15-16 Paul said: “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to REVEAL HIS SON IN ME…” To the church at Colossae Paul wrote: Colossians 2:9-10, “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him…” What took place at Calvary’s Cross as Jesus suffered, bled, and died? In Galatians 2:20 Paul tells us: “I [you, me, all mankind!!] have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Verse 21, I do not frustrate the grace of God…”
Who are we in Christ Jesus? Do you really know your true identity in Him? Galatians 3:26 tells us: “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” Are you “reigning in life by Christ Jesus?” Do you truly understand and live by the full significance of I John 5:4-5? “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world – our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes [trusts in, relies upon, adheres to] that Jesus is the Son of God?”
I don’t know how a ‘believer’ can read 2 Peter 1:2-4 and not live in continual celebration of the “Hallelujah Chorus” continually!! It says: “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
Are you living “victoriously” as the disciple of Christ? Are you “the overcomer”? Are you triumphant as a traveler on the Highway of Holiness? Having been “born of God” are you victorious over your world in and through Him? “In Christ” we’re not part of a hoax – we’re a part of Heaven’s Royal Family! “In Christ” we’re not overcome but are overcomers through the victory of Christ! “In Christ” we’re not strugglers after a goal that can never be reached – we’re finished products of His “Amazing Grace.” WE ARE COMPLETE IN CHRIST! Romans 8:2 tells me, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death!”
Oh, hear me: In Christ you are not a victim – you are “VICTOR”!!
CONCLUSION
It was in November, 2008, that I had published in India a book entitled “:Mere Men Meanderings”. It came out of I Corinthians 3:1-4 where Paul talked about those “behaving like mere men” when truly they were sons of God through faith in Christ. I believe the introduction to that book should be the conclusion to “Competing Lifestyles – Conflicting Loyalties”!
It is so amazing to me how our Lord hones in on the biggest problems most disciples face, at least sometime in their walks! Of course, most of us have not stepped into the state of perfect perfection, but still struggle between flesh and spirit, self or Christ, the old man or the new man. Our journeys face highways and ditches, mountain peaks and, yes, even pits, times of extraordinary peace and then fierce wars. You know what I’m speaking about! If not, repent of deception or even lying!
I’m also convinced that most behave like “mere men” because they haven’t been discipled as to their true identity in Christ. When one becomes aware that in Him they are “more than conquerors,” then the “Victory In Jesus” becomes more than a song one sings, it becomes the “Hallelujah Chorus” of triumphant faith!….
Remember Paul encouraging his brother in faith to bring the manuscripts with him when he came to Paul? One of the greatest blessings any disciple or young pastor has is to be consumed by the passion to read, and of course, especially the Word of God. Any disciple, any pastor, ought to read daily a minimum of five chapters from the Old Testament [starting in Genesis all the way Malachi, then start over]. Plus, five chapters from the New Testament beginning in Matthew through Revelation, then start over!…
Confrontational truth is so necessary in the journey of faith. It brings conviction, it lights the paths, it reveals wrong steps we may have made, it unveils right ways in which we are to walk. We have the Holy Potter who is shaping and fashioning our lives into the very image of Christ!
It’s my prayer you’ll allow the Holy Spirit to bring you to “Victory In Jesus”!