By Farrell Fisher

Copyright 2013

Table of Contents

Foreword, by Farrell Fisher

Chapter One: Visions ……………………………………………7Chapter Two: Expecting God’s Presence ………………………18Chapter Three: Entering In ……………………………………25Chapter Four: The Sounds of Heaven ………………………33Chapter Five: Living In the High Places ………………..40Chapter Six: As He Is…So Am I! …………………………..47Chapter Seven: The Great Looking …………………………56Chapter Eight: All Glory To God Alone …………………..62Chapter Nine: The Self-Styled Humanist vs. Sovereign God ….70Chapter Ten: On What Do You Major In Your Pilgrimage? …75Chapter Eleven: No Longer! …………………………………82Chapter Twelve: Claiming Your Mountain ………………..92CHAPTER- THIRTEEN:EXPANDING VISIONS AND HORIZONS 98

CHAPTER – FOURTEEN: A SENSE OF URGENCY 107

Foreword

Since 1982, when God birthed the “vision” of Macedonian Ministries in my heart, He has been so faithful to birth within me a heart-cry for renewal and revival, not only among pastors, but also for all disciples. Over twenty-five years, our Lord has graciously allowed me to speak into the lives of over 100,000 Indian pastors and hundreds of thousands of disciples.

It is not only in the midst of a lost and dying world but even in a languishing and depressed church where people are struggling for identity and purpose. All of us truly need to “Capture the Vision.”

I pray that you will read each chapter in a studious, disciplined, dependent, determined fashion. I’m convinced that God has an encouraging word for you in these fourteen chapters.

In our ministry brochure, I quoted an Indian pastor who wrote several years ago to say, “Pastor Fisher, your seminars in India for pastors have been such a blessing. Multitudinous men were on the threshold of walking away from their ministries until the seminar touched their lives with new hope, new visions, and new purposes. Their ministries are not lost but lifted. Their ministries are not abandoned but ascending in the fullness of our Lord.” My prayer is that your walk is rising, ascending, accelerating in the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ. Be blessed.

I want to dedicate this new book to my wife, who has stood with me faithfully these past 57 years, and I pray for another 57. She’s not only beautiful on the outside but also beautiful on the inside. She’s also very brave to have lived with me for 57 years. It’s been good and I just want to honor her for her faith and her love.

Farrell Fisher

CHAPTER ONE

VISIONS

Carl Henry wrote a book entitled “Twilight of a Great Civilization.” This theologian knew who the real heroes of a given age are – those who know divine visitation and have been captured by heavenly vision! Examine what he wrote: “The real heroes of our time are those who in a faithless age hold, live, and share their faith in God. Genuine revolutionary courage belongs to those who remain true even if atheistic rulers force them underground or punish citizens simply for being Christians…The true immortals will be those who seek to apply the principles of the Bible concretely to the complicated realities of modern life, who preserve a devout and virtuous family life, who are faithful to the abiding values of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.”

Modern life, both politically, socially, and spiritually is being pounded by waves of indifference, shoals of apathy spiritually, rocks of opposition to God and His Truth, even endless tidal waves of the visionless and a lack of virtuous, victorious living. We are a people being programmed for failure, governed for godlessness, educated for imbecility, and silenced to hear and trust God alone for ourselves.

Oswald Chambers, in his book “My Utmost For His Highest” (p.46), wrote: “It is easier to serve God without a vision, easier to work for God without a call, because then you are not bothered by what God requires; common sense is your guide, veneered over with Christian sentiment. You will be more prosperous and successful, more leisure-hearted, if you never realize the call of God. But if once you receive a commission from Jesus Christ, the memory of what God wants will always come like a goad; you will no longer be able to work for Him on the common-sense basis.”

No…it’s not a common-sense basis but the uncommon Spirit of visions and dreams. It’s not human compassion but divine appointment. It’s not fleshly reasoning but Faithful Revelation. Paul said in Galatians 1:15-16, “BUT WHEN IT PLEASED GOD…TO REVEAL HIS SON IN ME…” Dynamic, dynamite, distinctive service unto God is that which is unveiled by God! George McDonald wrote, “The one principle of hell is, ‘I am my own.’” Cal Thomas put it in a little different way when he commented in his book, “The Things That Matter Most” (Harper-Collins Publishers, 1994, New York, NY, p.145): “The fact is, burden-less lives create superficial people whose only interest is themselves.” And visionless lives also create sham people and preachers whose only concern is themselves, and they never listen to the God who gives visions and dreams!

The poet said it well when he wrote: “There is a secret in his breast that will never let him rest.” What I want to say is: There is a “Vision” in the true disciple’s heart that will never let him rest!

Jeremiah 29:11-14 is such a powerful, personal, and practical Word. Three truths are amplified there: 1) God’s thoughts and purposes toward us are good. 2) God has a living hope and an abiding future for us. 3) God hears our cries and is ever-present to lead us and enable us to His highest calling for our lives.

Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” I think it is very important for you to consider what your vision is, what God has revealed to you about yourself and your future, about your family, about your nation and about your church. WE NEED VISION FROM GOD!!

In Acts 26:16-19, Paul is relating his testimony of his encounter with the Lord on the Damascus Road. Look at what the Lord said to him: “But arise, and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; delivering you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’ Consequently, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision…”

So, this encounter with the Lord, Paul calls it a “heavenly vision.” He met the Lord on the road to Damascus, God revealed to him that he was to be a minister and a witness to the things he’d already seen, and to the things in which the Lord would appear to him and reveal to him. And Paul states, “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision…”

Look at Revelation 1:1-2: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must shortly take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, who bore witness to the Word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.” Now, look at verses 9-11: “I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos, because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. “I WAS IN THE SPIRIT” on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, saying, ‘Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches…” John was IN THE SPIRIT on the Lord’s day. I am firmly convinced that our yieldedness to the Holy Spirit is vitally imperative if we’re going to receive this vision from the Lord. I am fully convinced Saul of Tarsus was under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, or he would not have said, “Lord, what would You have me to do?” I think he came to the realization that His encounter with the Lord was through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. WE NEED TO BE YIELDED TO THE HOLY SPIRIT.

I don’t believe there is any man or church that advances without a sense of need, awareness, conviction or direction; aware that God has something to say to each one of us; that He has a purpose and a plan for every one of our lives. The greatest need of our day is God’s vision!

George Moore is an English novelist. In one of his novels was an illustration of Irish peasants during a period of great depression. The government put them to work building roads. At first the peasants were joyous. They worked appreciatively; they were glad to have a job. Over a period of time, however, they learned the truth – they were building roads to nowhere! They were roads that went out to the wilderness area and just stopped there. As they became aware that they worked for no purpose, only to provide them employment and as an excuse to feed them, the laborers grew listless, stopped singing, and the work building roads came to a halt. Here is George Moore’s comment in this novel: “The roads to nowhere are difficult to make. For a man to work well and sing, there must be an end in view.” I’m convinced the “end in view” is VISION FROM GOD! “WHERE THERE IS NO VISION, THE PEOPLE PERISH!”

Beth Moore, from her book, “Things Pondered,” has written these words entitled “The Mountain”:

“I hear You call ‘Come meet with Me, See that which eyes are veiled to see And ears in vain will please to hear Except your heart should draw you here!…Abandon deeds down at My feet, No crowns as yet, no Judgment Seat, Surrender here all noble plans, Just lift to Me your empty hands…I’ll fill them with the richest fare And circumcise your heart to dare To reach beyond all earthliness For on this mount you’re Mine to bless…With gentle hands ‘til heart is stretched I’ll have MY Word upon it etched ‘Til only knees can catch the fall Of one who cries ‘You are my all!’”

What is this vision? We can say that it’s something seen, something that has been heard, something that has been revealed, maybe in a dream; it may be at the height of spiritual ecstasy under the anointing of the Spirit of God or it may be a supernatural appearance that conveys a revelation, a will, a purpose, a plan to your life; but God comes and speaks to the hearts of men.

Rudyard Kipling has a poem called “The Explorer.” He wrote: “There’s no sense of going further, it’s the edge of cultivation, so they said and I believed it, broke my land, sowed my crop, built my barn, strung my fences in the little border station, tucked away below the foothills where the trails run out and stop, ‘til a voice as bad as conscience rang interminable changes on one everlasting whisper day and night repeated, ‘Something hidden; go and find it; go and look beyond the ranges. Something lost behind the ranges, lost and waiting for you, go.”

There is the vision beyond the ranges of the common place to man. There is a vision behind the hills that are hidden away for the life of a man who will listen, for the life of a man who will look, for the life of a man who will stop and hesitate and wait upon God because God is no respecter of persons. What are visions and dreams all about?

FIRST, LET’S EXAMINE THE BLESSER OF VISIONS:

The Blesser of Visions is God Himself! Look again at Revelation 1:1, “The revelation of Jesus Christ WHICH GOD GAVE HIM TO SHOW TO HIS BOND-SERVANTS.” So God Himself gives to you His vision! Joel 2:26 says, “And you shall have plenty to eat and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you…”God is the giver of a vision. God authors spiritual dreams. And we need to recognize that since God is no respecter of persons, God wants to give YOU a vision for your life.

This needs to be a matter of prayer, of laying hold of the horns of His altar and hold on!! “God, do You have something for me individually? God, are You speaking to my family, my church, our nation?” Unless we have that attitude prevailing in our hearts, we’re going to miss what God has to say to our lives. We ALL need to bow before the Blesser of Visions and say, “God, since You are no respecter of persons, what is Your vision for me, for my family, for my church, for my nation?” I believe the Word of God reveals our need of bowing before the Blesser of Visions and saying, “Lord, here we are; what do You want to say to us today?”

SECOND, LET’S EXAMINE THE BIRTH OF VISIONS!

• Here is an Abraham, who is given a vision that he is going to be the father of a great nation. So he leaves Ur of the Chaldeas, not knowing where he was going, but only that God had sent him and said to him, “You’re going to be a blessing to all the nations of the world.” [Didn’t Jesus say that Abraham rejoiced to see Jesus’ Day, and he was glad?]
• Here is a young Joseph. He is given a vision. Just a young farm boy, yet God says in Joseph’s childhood, “You’re going to be a great leader, and there are going to be many in the world who are going to bow down to you; they will acknowledge the leadership that is in your life.”
• Here’s a Moses, given a vision of the God of fire who cannot be consumed. This vision is of God taking Moses’ life and making him a leader of his people out of bondage.
• Here’s a Nehemiah, given a vision of a restored city. He’s given a vision of a mighty work of God, which compels him and thrusts him out on the edge of a new adventure for his life. He goes into the city of Jerusalem. He cannot come down off of the wall because of the significance of the work. He cannot compromise with the Arabs (that’s very, very interesting) because of the vision God has given him.
• Here’s a Joel, given a vision of a land that is prosperous, of people that are filled with plenty, of a band of followers of a Holy God; people who’ll find satisfaction in their lives and will not be disappointed regardless of what comes against them. They’re going to be a people blessed of Almighty God.
• Here’s a band of disciples who are so very few, about 12 in number, given a vision of ushering in and establishing the kingdom of God on earth. What a vision! Twelve men – ushering in the kingdom of God!
• Here’s that grain of wheat, given a vision of dying to itself, of reproducing many more grains of wheat and being fruitful in its life.
• Here’s a Paul, given a vision of touching his world with the gospel of which he was not ashamed!
• Here’s a John, whose friends are dying for the faith, given a vision of hope and victory, a vision of a new heaven and a new earth, and of celebration in the wedding of the Lord Jesus Christ with all His followers. With that vision in his heart not even death could discourage John or the Body of Christ, and they walked on victoriously because of the vision that God had given to them!

My co-laborer in India for ten years was Dwayne Weehunt, now founder and director of “Sower of the Seeds International,” who commented in one of his meetings: “When the church has vision, it changes society around it. But when there is no vision, society changes the church!”

Then you come and you think about where Satan’s seat is (I’m not sure that there is any church on the face of the earth today that’s not where Satan’s seat is – Bedford, Texas, Dallas, Texas, Nigeria, India or some place in Europe, Satan’s seat is prominent in the land). But “Here Is A Church That’s Given a Vision!” It’s going to be a faithful, caring, giving, telling, and healing community with a vision of hope, health, helpfulness, growth and prosperity, and spiritual plenty. It has a vision of joy and blessedness abounding, true salvation, the healing of the hurting and the broken-hearted, marriages restored, deliverance of captives, godly families putting their hands to the plow and not looking back, people who hunger and thirst after righteousness, a loving and caring family, a cooperative body of a rejoicing people that praise God for their present and for their future, a praying people that loose and bind, that release and restrain, that uplift and cast out.

There’s an old hymn that says:

“Once to every man and nation [or church?] Comes the moment to decide, In the strife of truth with falsehood, For the good or evil side; Some great cause, some great decision, Offering each the bloom or blight, And the choice goes by forever, ‘Twixt that darkness and that light.”

The birth of a vision! All these men of God had a vision, and it was birthed within their hearts. And if there is the birth of a vision , what’s yours? What is it that God has revealed to you that He wants to accomplish in and through your life? We need to see and hear that vision. We need to know that God has spoken to our hearts. We need to be thankful that God is the God of visions and dreams, and that He is no respecter of persons. He has a vision for each one of our lives!

W. Graham Scroggie has written: “If one would be Christ-minded he must be missionary-minded, and one who is not this has no justification for calling himself a disciple of Christ. Are you missionary-minded?” Have YOU seen this vision?

Henry T. Blackaby, in “The Power of the Call” (Broadman & Holman, Nashville, TN. P.35) wrote: “God Himself chose us, called us in His time, and separated us out for Himself. As clearly as God separated from all other days and sanctified the seventh day (set it apart for Himself, Gen. 3:3) and commanded it to be ‘the Sabbath of the Lord your God’ (Exodus 20:10), so God set you apart from all others – for Himself!” And I would add – for His purposes, His visions, and His dreams!

THIRD, LET’S EXAMINE THE BATTLE OF THE VISIONS!

You need to be aware that whenever a vision is given and birthed within a person’s life, there is always going to be a battle about that vision. God ALWAYS gives a vision that places men at the point of their extremity where God begins to have an opportunity in their lives. GOD ALWAYS GIVES YOU A VISION THAT IS BEYOND YOURSELF! God gives a vision that puts people on the edge of impossibility where God becomes known as the God with whom all things are possible. That’s what our lives are all about: the God with whom all things are possible! So…He gives you a vision. I don’t know what that vision is going to be for you, but I’ll tell you this, it’s going to place you at the point where God has the opportunity to bring the impossible into reality as a demonstration of the greatness of our God. In fact, the vision God gives always brings His people to the point of “death” where they discover God as the power and authority and the Author of Life over death! Let me explain:

Let’s think about Abraham: “Abraham, you’re going to be the father of a great nation. Through you all the nations of the earth will be blessed.” (By the way, how old was Abraham at this particular time when he gets this vision? I believe he’s about 100 years old and that the Bible says Sarah was past the age of childbearing.) So God gives them a vision, and says, “You’re going to have a son.” What did Sarah do? She began to laugh – but God had brought them to a place of impossibility in the natural, so that through the supernatural work of Almighty God, the vision He gave them can be fulfilled by Him!!

Think about Joseph. He’s the farm-boy, the little child to whom God had given a vision that this little shepherd boy would shepherd nations! God saw him as a world-leader. So what happened to Joseph? He was sold into slavery, falsely accused, and imprisoned; yet God raised him up as a world leader.

Consider Moses. “Moses, you’re going to lead My people out of bondage!” You cannot read the life of Moses, even before the burning bush experience, and not know that it was already in the heart of Moses that God had told him he was going to be the deliverer. So he goes out, acts impulsively, kills the Egyptian, and then out of fear of Pharoah runs for his life and spends 40 years on the backside of a desert with his rod as a shepherd. But even in spite of that, God raised Moses up!

And here are the disciples. They’re going to usher in and establish the kingdom of God on earth! Then their King is killed. They in their despair said, “We may as well go back to the old way of life; let’s just go back and be fishermen again,” yet the Resurrected Christ re-appointed them!

Here’s John – a new heaven, a new earth; you’re going to have life and victory – yet, the world around him was crumbling, his friends were dying about him every day. BUT GOD SAYS, “There’s going to be a new heaven and a new earth.”

What about “the wheat”? The one grain of wheat was going to be fruitful and bring forth a great harvest. Yet, it was placed into the ground, it rotted, it died. Then here came the mighty harvest!

What about the church? Victorious, mighty army, strong, dynamic force penetrating society, changing society, for the glory of God! When you read the Book of Acts, all of a sudden they were scattered abroad, everywhere, alone, weak, feeble, struggling. Yet the Bible says they turned their world upside down!

The battle of the vision! I don’t know what all that means. I have heard many people say to me, “God gave me a vision of what He was going to accomplish in my life. It was totally beyond the realm of human possibility, but God honored Himself and brought the fulfillment of that vision and dream into my heart.” Whatever He shows you is going to bring you to the edge of your own impossibility, where whatever He shows you will be possible for your life because “HE IS ABLE…!!”

God may say to you, “You’re going to be a doctor someday.” You reply, “A doctor? How could I be a doctor? I don’t even enjoy Biology or Chemistry!” God will bring it to pass. Whatever He says to you, He’s able to do! He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that you ask or think!

FOURTH, EXAMINE THE BLESSINGS OF A VISION! What are the blessings?

THERE’S THE BLESSING OF DIRECTION. Just because we haven’t arrived as yet to the fulfillment of the vision that God may give to us does not make the vision unreal. So many times God gives a vision, it is ‘out there’ to be fulfilled, totally beyond us, it seems. Just because we haven’t stepped the soles of our feet on every inch of ground in that land of promises doesn’t mean the vision and the promises and the purpose of God has been defeated for us! But the sense of direction that we KNOW we heard from God, we know that He revealed His purpose, we know that He gave us the Divine blueprint, and it gives a sense of direction to us.

Dr. Paul Tillet made this statement: “God is present in the unknown forces that make us restless.” AND IF YOU’RE NOT RESTLESS, YOU’RE NOT LIVING ON THE EDGE OF GROWTH! If you’re not restless, you’re not on the edge of maturity, not on the edge of hunger and thirst for what God wants to do in and through your life. But if you’re there, and God has said, “This is what I’m going to accomplish through your life,” then there is a striving toward that sense of direction. It’s called the “Sabbath Rest”! Our striving is being finished with ourselves and found us in His faithfulness.

Oswald Chambers said in his “My Utmost For His Highest” (p.51) that we don’t “attain to a vision, we must live in the inspiration of it until it accomplishes itself.” Paul said, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

There is nothing more beautiful than to see one who has heard from God and knows what God’s purpose and God’s plan is for that life. They commit themselves to that, they hold on to it, and they see the fulfillment of that vision. It may take years. Think about Caleb. It was forty years before Caleb saw the fulfillment of his vision. God said to Caleb, “I’m going to give you a mountain.” After he came into the land of promise, he went to his mountain, and said, “Give me my mountain.” It was 40 years from the time God gave him that vision of what his inheritance was going to be. He held onto it. It gave a sense of direction to his life, it gave a sense of purpose to his life. He would not be detoured away from what God had revealed to him. It gave him the blessing of direction!

THERE’S THE BLESSING OF DEPENDENCY. What did we say about the birth of a vision? About the battle of a vision? God is always going to bring you, with whatever He asks of you, to the place of impossibility. Why? So that whatever God is revealing, it takes Him to fulfill it. So there is the blessing of dependency. When I know that God has brought me there and given me a vision that is beyond me, then every day of my life I find myself dependent upon God for that fulfillment of the vision – and that’s a good place to be!

The Lord said when you pray, pray like this: “Give us this day our daily bread.” Give us this day our fulfillment of the vision, give us this day whatever is necessary to meet the physical, emotional, mental, material, spiritual needs of our lives – absolutely dependent!

Georgia Harkness is an outstanding Methodist theologian. The author wrote: “Christianity’s major world in the western world is secularism. Secularism defined? “The organization of human life as if God did not exist.” I thought about that as I read that statement. How many people organize their daily life as if God did not exist? And that’s true of some businesses, some families, yes, even some pastors and churches.

Acts 26:16 says: “I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you.” Verse 17 says, “…I am sending you.” Here is one who has a vision. As a result of that vision, he is sent out. Read verse 18. Whatever the vision is, there is purpose behind it: “To open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God in order that they also may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in me.” Look at verse 22: “And so, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the prophets said was going to take place.” Notice the first part of that 22^nd verse: “And so having obtained help from God…” That’s the blessing of dependency. God gives Paul such a vision that he understands that vision cannot be fulfilled in and of Paul himself. Paul understood that, and he obtained help from God! We ALL need that kind of vision – every one of us! We need the kind of vision that will cause us to be shipwrecked on the isle of God’s sovereignty and stranded on the island of His omnipotence, where, if the vision that God gives us is going to be fulfilled, He has to be the provider of everything that is necessary to fulfill that vision.

THERE IS ALSO THE BLESSING OF DELIVERANCE. Joel 2:32 says: “And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape…” Deliverance from what?

Deliverance from the bondage of criticism of what we’re about with our lives. There is deliverance for the man who has a vision from God. Here’s the man who has this vision from God: He begins to “live” that vision, he begins to “die” for that vision, he begins to invest everything in himself to that vision…and opposition arises! Here comes a family member; along come close friends; business associates arise and begin to say, “You’re being so foolish; do you know what you’re doing? Do you realize what price you’re paying? How foolish can a man be?” Yet, what happens? Well, here’s a Paul who says, “It’s good to be a fool for Christ’s sake.” He was delivered from criticism of what he was about!

One of the biggest hindrances to the fulfillment of a vision in a person’s life is the opposition that comes from those who have no spiritual understanding of hearing the voice of God, of seeing a vision from God or a dream from God, and then pouring out their lives to see that vision come to be a reality within them. But if there is that vision burned within your heart, it doesn’t matter what family or friends may say. When you know that you’ve heard from God, you’re willing to lose everything, lay down your life and die, so that vision can be fulfilled through you!

There is deliverance from aimlessness. What is life all about with the people you come in contact with every day? Think about it – the people in your neighborhood, the people in your business office, the people where you work at that factory, the people you rub elbows with every day – what is their life all about? Can I tell you? Can I tell you that probably 80-90% of the people you come in contact with, their whole reason of existence is simply survival. They’re just doing the best they know how to survive. They have no purpose to life, no meaning to life, no aim to life, no goal to life except that they’re just trying to get by every day and survive life as it is. What a sad state of life! But when you have met Christ, when you have heard the voice of God, when you know He has spoken to you about your life purpose, you have an aim. You have direction. You have a goal. You have a purpose for living. And your life will never be the same! You are all business for the King of kings and the Lord of lords!

Let’s come back to Joel 2:26. “You shall have plenty to eat and be satisfied [Are you satisfied? REALLY satisfied? Is there contentment to your life?] and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you; then My people will never be put to shame.” YOU shall praise the name of the Lord your God! Prayer and praise are how you maintain a vision. God inhabits the praises of His people! Prayer and praise maintain the vision! God inhabits the praises of His people! And when you arise in the morning, in that inner man, there ought to be that thankful spirit. When you walk through the day, there ought to be that thankful spirit that God has a purpose for your life; He’s given you a vision and a dream and you are fulfilling that vision and that dream. Praise the name of the Lord!

Not only is there praise to maintain the vision, but there is participation in the vision. Paul said: (Acts 26:19), “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.” That is so practical to our lives. If we’re not participating with God in the fulfillment of what He reveals to us, we’re not maintaining the vision, and the vision will die! Paul was obedient to the vision God gave to him for his life and as a result of that he was maintaining the vision, there was fire in the vision, there was warmth to the vision, and it carried him through even to the point that he died for it because he knew God had spoken to his heart and life.

WHAT ABOUT BOUNDARIES TO THE VISION. Joel 2:28-29, “And it will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. And even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.” Boundaries?

GOD HAS A VISION FOR EVERY INDIVIDUAL. (Philippians 1:21), “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” What is your purpose to life? What is your reason for living? What is the purpose in what you do with your daily life? Paul said, “For to me, to live is CHRIST” – to honor the Lord through all he is and all he does.

GOD HAS A VISION FOR YOUR OCCUPATION. (Exodus 31:1-6), “Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, and in cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship. And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are skillful I HAVE PUT SKILL that they may make all that I have commanded you.” God gives severally as He wills. He gives gifts unto men. That is a vision God will reveal to you, as clear as a ringing bell! It may take a while for that bell to ring clearly in your mind and heart and spirit, but God has a purpose for your life!

GOD HAS A VISION FOR YOUR FAMILY. (Genesis 12:1-3) “Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” God is no respecter of persons. If God had a vision for Abram and his family, through which all the families of the earth shall be blessed, then God has a vision for your family. Begin to thank Him!

GOD HAS A VISION FOR INDIVIDUAL CHURCHES. Acts 1:7-8, He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs [seasons] which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” God revealed His purpose to individuals, and to the body of believers. He gives a vision, a dream, a direct order, yes, to fellowships.

What did we begin with? “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” What is YOUR vision before God? What has God revealed to you? I believe we ought to pray for that vision or dream. We ought to have a vision for our nation! Whenever we lose sight of the vision of God for a nation, the people perish. Whenever a fellowship loses sight of its vision, the people perish. Even in marriages – when they have no vision of what their purpose is before Holy God in marriage, marriages drop like dying flies! It’s so true, yes, of individuals. That’s why it’s so important to be committed to that one, to the many, whose hearts are going after God. For what fellowship does light have with darkness? There is none. We need a vision!

Barbara Reynolds, a liberal columnist for USA Today, wrote an enlightening column for June 25, 1993. She was addressing the clouds and thunderclaps of lawlessness and lack of social order that hangs over far too many country’s major cities. She wrote: “Those murderous habits aren’t based solely on financial poverty, but on a bankrupt human spirit caused by an absence of the Spirit of God. If it weren’t for the religious faithful [in cities and schools], life would be utterly hopeless.” She was so right! But even more, if we lose the religious faithful who’ve been captured by Vision, Vision from God, all segments of human life will be utterly hopeless! But we are not “hopeless” people; we are hope-filled servants of the Most High God who unveils for us the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God!

Let me close this truth of vision with several tremendous statements penned by Gloria Gaither in “An Old Friend Not Forgotten.” Bill Gaither included this in his “Homecoming Collectors’ Edition (Gaither Music Company, 1993): “The world is oblivious for there are too few visionaries. Too blind to subtleties and too imprisoned by carnivals. Too numb to gentleness and too overwhelmed by power. Too deaf to music and too stimulated by noise. Too dull to recognize the permanent – too focused to the transient. Too tuned out to the prophets, too attuned to the hucksters. The world is oblivious for there are too few visionaries…The world is losing heart for there are too few dreamers. Too much cynicism and not enough faith. Too much hype and not enough hope. Too much savvy and not enough wisdom. Too much money and not enough treasure. Too much form and not enough substance. Too many takers and not enough givers. Too many dissenters and not enough inspirers. The world is losing heart, for there are too few dreamers…Into such a world God sends His poets, prophets, troubadours who see what we have missed, who warn us lest we self-destruct, and who fill the songless night with music. They surround our alienation with love’s embrace; they burn through the fog of our oblivion with the piercing light of truth, and they sing the dream back into our hearts.” AMEN?

CHAPTER TWO

EXPECTING GOD’S PRESENCE

Do you remember the passage from 2 Peter 3 about the mockers and scoffers of God’s Word? They said to Peter in verse 4, “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.” “Where is He?” Even Job, the most righteous man of the day said: “Oh that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come to His seat.” (Job 23:3). Elihu, one of Job’s ‘friends’, said, “The Almighty – we cannot find Him.” (Job 37:23).

Even God Himself knows and understands how man finds himself with that question ringing in his ear. In Isaiah 49:21 God speaks: “Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has begotten me, since I have been bereaved of my children, and am barren, an exile, and a wanderer? And who has reared these? Behold, I was left alone…” Have you ever been there where you felt so alone?

In 2 Samuel 21:1 the Word says, “Now there was a famine…and David inquired of the Lord.” In your life, in family relationships, in the economy of pocketbook and soul, in the journey – you may ask, “Where is God?” And like David, you begin to seek the presence of the Lord.

I want you to know that because God loves you so much, He allows you famine to rediscover faith. He allows you economic and soulish bankruptcy to rediscover JEHOVAH-JIREH. He allows you dead-end streets for you to rediscover the only way of salvation’s promises and provisions.

In Genesis 3:9 God called to Adam and said to him, “Adam, where are you?” But I’m sure that in all of our hearts there have been those times we’ve said, “Lord, where are You?” Elisha had just received the mantle of Elijah, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven (2 Kings 2:9-14). Elisha was left alone and stood by the bank of the Jordan River. Do you know his first words? “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?”

Psalm 79:1-10 tells us of Israel being invaded and how their blood flowed in the streets of Jerusalem. In verse 10 someone makes a strong statement: “Why should the nations say, ‘Where is their God?’ It’s not only a nation like Israel that is invaded, but there are times, events, circumstances, happenings, when a life feels that it has been invaded and people ask, “Where is his God?” Sometimes the holy temple of the saved saint has been defiled and people ask, “Where is his God?”

It has even happened that lives, businesses, families, and fellowships have laid in ruins and people ask, “Where is their God?” More than anything else, as you read this book, I want to bring you to a place of “Expecting God’s Presence.”

In Exodus 14:19 the Word says, “And the angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them”! Before us, behind us, around us, above us – and He’s within us who’ve been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb!

In Exodus 23:20 God says, “Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.” In Exodus 33:14-15 He says, “My Presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest…” Moses said, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here!”

Exodus 39 tells of the completion of the work of the tent of meeting – the tabernacle. In that tent, in the Holy Place (verse 36), there was “the bread of the Presence”! David’s heart-cry was “Do not cast me away from Your Presence.” (Psalm 51:11)! But Isaiah had to say that Jerusalem had stumbled and Judah had fallen because they “rebelled against His glorious presence” (Isaiah 3:8). He then finalized his holy prophecy with a word of great hope: “In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His Presence saved them; in His love and in His mercy He redeemed them and He lifted them and carried them all the days of old” (Isaiah 63:9).

Do you really know and understand the heart of God? Have you truly grasped His “saving to the uttermost”? Notice:

• EXPECT GOD”S PRESENCE EVEN AT THE PLACE OF BITTERNESS!

In Exodus 15:22-23 Moses had brought God’s people into the Wilderness of Shur. They had traveled 3 days into the wilderness as God had instructed them in order to worship Him, and the Word says they “found no water.” When they came to Marah, “they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter.” Let me ask you a question. Do you believe God knew they’d find no water, and that when they would find water, it would be bitter? Then there was a “murmuring”! Sound familiar? What did Moses do? Verse 25 says 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!” The end of verse 25 says, “And there He tested them.”

Capture the vision! God never promised that the walk of a disciple is “a bed of roses,” “peaches and cream,” or “ease and comfort”! Before His ascension, Jesus informed us, “In the world you shall have tribulation.” Paul said to Timothy, “All who live godly in this world will suffer…even persecution.” But what God has promised is “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Exodus 1:13-14 speaks of the Egyptians making the children of Israel to serve with rigor, or harshness, and “made their lives BITTER with hard bondage.” If you don’t know as yet, be prepared, the world of fallen men longs to put the “liberated” and “free” under hard bondage. That’s the intent of the powers of darkness – to enslave you in the harshness of bitter bondage. But Jesus says, “You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free”, even as you walk through the bitter waters.Job 3:28 speaks of “the bitter of soul…who…even long for death, but there is none,” unless you find a Dr. Kevorkian who does not thrive on easing one’s pain, but finds pleasure in providing death to the bitter of soul, neither knowing, understanding, comprehending, nor sensing that that place of bitterness of soul may be the place to meet the ever-present Lover of their souls rather than an evil angel of death!

Proverbs 5:3 speaks of the “bitterness of adultery.” I have never seen adultery anywhere, anytime, do anything but produce bitterness – in the participants or those who experience the fallout from it. But then there is Hosea! And there is Jesus who meets Mary Magdalene at the point of her bitter life and brings sweetness to her soul!

Jeremiah 4:18 speaks of the “bitterness of evil ways and thoughts.” In the midst of that bitterness, God sends the prophet. In verse 14, “O Jerusalem, wash your heart from your wickedness, that you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?” Please, please note: God promises you “the mind of Christ.” By His Word, His power, and His Spirit you can bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ Jesus!

2. EXPECT GOD’S PRESENCE AT THE PLACE OF EARTHLY JUDGMENTS!

Never forget Daniel 3 and the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego who fall under the judgment of King Nebuchadnezzar. In verses 23-25 we’re told they fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Nebuchadnezzar was astonished because in that blazing inferno of the fiery furnace, he saw not three men but four, and the “form of the fourth is like the Son of God”! Let me tell you if you don’t know – it WAS the Son of God, who has told us “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Notice what Nebuchadnezzar said in verse 28: “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, Who sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God.”

Earthly judgments? An innocent man on death row now facing an inevitable execution finds grace and mercy; the Holy Presence of God is not locked out of prison bars. Look up – your redemption is drawing nigh!

A tear-stricken, heart-broken, forsaken wife faces the pain of a compromising, condescending, callous, cruel, and critical husband who heaps strife upon her because he “deserves someone better.” But in her pain she’s visited by “Holy Presence”, by the Heavenly, helpful “Husband” of eternity, God Himself. Look up – your redemption is drawing nigh!

It is a shattered, broken dream, a horrible business failure because of the under-handedness of a dear friend that cost you dearly. But in the midst of that down and out experience – look up! Your redemption is drawing nigh!

Having traveled to the Philippines over the years since 1984, I was keenly interested in Chuck Colson’s account of Benigno Aquino, husband of Cory Aquino, past president of the Philippines. The account is recorded in Colson’s “Kingdoms In Conflict (Harper Paperbacks, 1987, Harper & Row Publishers, New York, pp.483-485):

“A small Filipino man with penetrating brown eyes stared, unbelievingly, at his prison door’s cool, smooth surface. It was 1972. Moments before, the door had crashed shut on him with metallic finality. It felt like a bad dream. Never before had he been in a prison. In fact, until that day he had expected to become the next president of the Philippines.

It seemed impossible – ridiculous, really. Benigno Aquino was the boy wonder of Philippine politics – mayor of a large town at twenty-two, governor of a province at twenty-eight, at thirty-five elected senator, the youngest ever. Now he measured the entire extent of his freedom in two or three paces. He sat on his bunk and thought, and as the day passed into night he continued to sit there. For the first time in his life he had nothing else to do – nothing.

Son of a wealthy family, this charismatic, gregarious politician suddenly found himself stripped of everything that had propped up his ego. All his plans, his friends, his busy schedule, all his carefully cultivated followers were gone, replaced by the sheer loneliness and boredom of the prison cell and the venomous hostility of his guards. He kept waiting for Marcos to send for him, to offer a deal. Surely he could not simply leave him to rot in prison!

Half a year went by before Aquino was even questioned or confronted with any charges. Then a trumped-up murder case was brought, and a rigged military court condemned him to death. This too was a bad dream, for the real reason for his imprisonment was President Ferdinand Marco’s greed for power. With his two-term limit as president due to expire in 1973, Marcos had declared martial law, granting himself unlimited powers. He had thrown Aquino and other political opponents into prison. Marcos intended never to leave office – and so was determined never to let a popular Aquino out to challenge him.

Prison had, for Aquino, the same bewildering effect it has held for many others. He lost all sense of direction and perspective. He became bitter not only at Marcos, but at the world, even at God. He hated everyone and his prison guards goaded him on. They sometimes put his dinner plate on the ground, and let a mongrel dog wolf part of it down; then, kicking the dog aside, they gave what was left to Aquino. He lost 40 pounds. He suffered two heart attacks. When he was not longing for revenge, he wanted to die.

His mother, deeply concerned, sent him a book, the memoirs of another prisoner. It was my story – “Born Again”. At first Aquino looked at it with little appetite. Watergate was poorly understood outside America. Nonetheless, there were similarities in our careers. So Aquino read the book – and it touched him.

He read how I too had lost everything and entered the disorienting, mocking maze of prison. But God had shown me that such losses were not in vain as I found my true life in Christ. Aquino began to search for the meaning I had found. A voracious reader, he poured over the Bible and other Christian books. He found great inspiration in a little classic, “The Imitation Of Christ” by Thomas a Kempis. He was surprised to discover in reading the works of an early Filipino hero, Jose Rizal, that the same book had motivated his life and struggle for his country.

One night Aquino knelt in his jail cell and gave his life to Jesus Christ. Overcome with grief for his anger toward God, he begged forgiveness. His viewpoints, his life, most of all bitterness – all changed. He had a sense that his life had suddenly moved into a different channel with another purpose.”

How familiar are you with David’s account in Psalm 139? Look especially at verses 5-12:

“You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it. 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 Your 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.”

3. EXPECT GOD’S PRESENCE AT THE PLACE OF FEAR!

In I Kings 19, after such a tremendous victory on Mount Carmel, Elijah was confronted by a messenger from Jezebel: “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as one of them by tomorrow about this time.” Elijah, so captured by fear, arose and ran for his life! He hid in a cave! Notice – in that cave GOD MET HIM! In that cave of fearfulness, “the Lord passed by.”

Life’s circumstances, similar to Elijah’s, are not intended to capture us in a cave of fearfulness but release us to the care of God’s faithfulness. The Lord is still “passing by” where fear rules. Reach out for Him!

Marion Hilliard, quoted in “Digest of World Reading,” Melbourne, Australia, has said, “Since fear is unreasonable, never try to reason with it. So-called positive thinking is no weapon against fear. Only positive faith can rout the black menace of fear and give life a radiance.” Henry Van Dyke once said: “Some people are so afraid to die that they never begin to live.”

Paul encouraged a fearful Timothy when he boldly declared, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). We all face tremendous battles through our pilgrimage, but God Almighty has a Word for us that is so practical, powerful, and personal: “When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt IS WITH YOU.”

4. EXPECT GOD’S PRESENCE AT THE PLACE OF DARKNESS!

I love Exodus 20:21 because it tells us so much about the God we serve. “So the people stood at a distance, but Moses drew near the thick cloud (or darkness) where God was”!

Again, Psalm 139, verses 11-12, says encouragingly, “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.”

There are dark days, dark seasons, dark events or circumstances, dark words, or even dark deeds that are against us. Yet, Job was able to say (Job 12:22), “He reveals mysteries from the darkness, and brings deep darkness into light.” In Job 29:3 he said, “…by God’s light I walked through darkness…”

It is so awesome to read Job 23:16-17 because it is so true, and because it produces such a reverential awe of God in our hearts. “For God made my heart weak, and the Almighty terrifies me; because I was not cut off from the presence of darkness, and He did not hide deep darkness from my face.”

Isaiah illumines God’s purpose of allowing “darkness” in our lives by saying this: (Isaiah 45:3), “And I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden wealth of secret places, in order that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.” King David said, (Psalm 18:28), “The Lord God illumines my darkness.” Hallelujah! Expect God’s Presence in the dark night of your soul!

5. EXPECT GOD’S PRESENCE AT THE PLACE OF LONELINESS AND ISOLATION AND SEPARATION FROM THE DIVINE WILL OF GOD FOR OUR LIVES!

It had been 40 years since Moses had decided to leave Pharoah’s household and walk with God’s people. It had been 40 years since Moses had killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. It had been 40 years since Pharoah had heard of the matter and sought to kill Moses, but “Moses fled from the face of Pharoah and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well” (Exodus 2:15). Forty years later! Moses had ended up on the backside of a desert! He had wanted to walk with God. He had wanted to help God’s people find freedom. But for forty years he had lived separated from God’s ultimate intention for his life.

In that lonely place, isolated, so alone, separated from his mission, God came. Look at Exodus 3. Look at that burning bush that God has for your own life and your own experience. God will call to you as He did to Moses because God is no respecter of persons. He longs to liberate you to your ultimate calling and mission in life!

Do you remember Jacob and that lonely, dark night when he met with God? In Genesis 28:15, God spoke: “Behold, I am with you, and will keep you wherever you go…” And Jacob responded, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” In verse 17 he continues: “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” Did you get it? The place of isolation, loneliness, and separation can be for us “the house of God and the gate of heaven!”

6. EXPECT GOD’S PRESENCE AT THE PLACE OF DISILLUSIONMENT AND DISCOURAGEMENT!

Simon Peter! So intent on defending and standing by Jesus! But he denied Jesus. John 21:3 tells us that Peter had decided to go back to his former life, back to his former occupation, back to his old lifestyle. He was so disillusioned and so discouraged! Have you ever been there? Have you ever found yourself drowning in that sea of desperation because of your personal failures in the things of the Spirit? “I AM GOING FISHING!”

But notice: “After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias…” (John 21:1). Peter’s denial and desertion didn’t shake Jesus; it motivated Him the more to be where Peter and the other disciples had found themselves – wallowing in the sea of self-pity. Look up – your redemption draws nigh!

7. EXPECT GOD’S PRESENCE AT THE PLACE OF PERFECTING AND PROVING PERSEVERANCE!

It may be time for you to have an in-depth review of the Book of Job! Though Job may have felt so alone at times, I am reminding you that God says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” When you come to Job 42:5-6, you see what finally dawned upon Job – God had never left him even though he felt so alone! Look: “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.” And Job repented because he had not sensed or faithed or trusted God’s abiding Presence in the perfecting processes of his life!

Hebrews 10:35-36 says, “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.”

I would like to have personally known Civilla D. Martin and learn all she had experienced in her walk with the Lord. She wrote the words to the old stand-by hymn, “God Will Take Care Of You”: It says –

“Be not dismayed whate’er betide, God will take care of you;

Beneath His wings of love abide, God will take care of you.

Through days of toil when heart does fail, God will take care of you;

When dangers fierce your path assail, God will take care of you.

All you may need He will provide, God will take care of you;

Nothing you ask will be denied, God will take care of you.

No matter what the test, God will take care of you; Lean, weary one, upon His breast, God will take care of you.

God will take care of you, Through every day, o’er all the way;

He will take care of you, God will take care of you.”

8. EXPECT GOD’S PRESENCE BECAUSE IT IS A PROVEN PROMISE! God said to Joshua as he prepared to embark upon the ministry of leadership of God’s people, “Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5). And remember as Jesus gave us The Great Commission and prepared to ascend into heaven on that great cloud of glory, He added, “And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.” (Matthew 28:20).

Paul was not only “persuaded that He is able”; in Romans 8:38-39 he was “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.” Are YOU persuaded?

9.EXPECT GOD’S PRESENCE EVEN IN YOUR DEATH!

Psalm 23 is more than just a child’s favorite Psalm – it is the child of faith’s glowing testimony! In verse 4 the man of faith said: “Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

One of my favorite people in all the world is Dr. Gene Galloway, family practitioner in Elizabethtown, Tennessee, now retired. We’ve been dear friends for a long, long time and have had the privilege of visiting with one another occasionally over the years. On one occasion Gene shared with Sue and me one of the most heart-tugging stories I’ve ever heard. In the Elizabethtown hospital there was a little girl about six or seven years of age dying, I believe of leukemia. Her family was a family of faith and had built into that precious little girl an abiding faith. As she came near to the hour of death, in and out of consciousness, all of a sudden she raised up in her bed with a big smile on her face and a gleam in her eye and said, “Oh, Mommy, Mommy, do you hear them? Do you hear the angels singing? It’s so beautiful.” And then she laid down to die. No…! She laid down to rest in the bosom of Jesus forever!

Catch the vision! A living faith transcends all that earth and hell have to throw at us…AND WE WIN!! We are “more than conquerors”!!

CHAPTER THREE

ENTERING IN

I want to ask you a question. Are you entering in where you need to enter and with Whom you need to be with? Psalm 100 is one of the greatest psalms with one of the greatest challenges:

• “Make a joyful shout to the Lord all you lands,” including wherever you presently rest the soles of your two feet!
• “Serve the Lord with gladness,” not sadness!
• “Come before His presence with singing,” not silence!
• “Know that the Lord, He is God,” the only One, True, Living God – not the multitudinous idols, false gods of our own making or cheap imitations!
• “It is He who has made us and not we ourselves,” telling us we are not accidents or freaks of evolution but the work of Eternal, Holy God!
• “We are His people and the sheep of His pasture…” Why? Because He made us, lost us through the result of sin and Satan, but He bought us with a price, the precious blood of the Lamb of God!
• “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise,” saying it is not our entering ‘hell’s’ gates, but HIS gates!

In Exodus 33:9 the Word says, “And it came to pass, when Moses entered the Tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses.” I want to enter the place where the Lord talks with me!

But to Ezekial God gives a warning: “And the Lord said to me, ‘Son of man, mark well, see with your eyes and hear with your ears, all that I say to you concerning all the ordinances of the house of the Lord and all its laws. Mark well who may enter the house and all who go out from the sanctuary.” (Ezekial 44:5). And in Ezekial 43:12 God says the law of God’s temple is holiness, Whose temple we are through Christ! Are you entering or are you out?

Revelation 22:15 says, “Outside are dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.” Another awesome word of warning comes from the lips of Jesus when in Luke 11:52 He said, Woe to you, lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered! I don’t want to be a hindrance to those trying to enter – I want to be a help! I don’t want to be a stumbling block – I want to be a stepping stone! I don’t want to be a thief who has stolen the key of knowledge and hidden it – I want to be a trumpeter and proclaimer of God’s undiluted Word!

In Proverbs 4:14 we read: “Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil.” Proverbs 8:16 says, “A fool’s lips enter into contention and his mouth calls for blows.” And in Matthew 26:41, “Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation…” Several times in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 6:23 for one) the Word declares that “God brought us out from there that He might bring us in…” Are you in where God wants you to be?

GOD CALLS YOU TO ENTER WHERE HE WANTS YOU TO BE THROUGH THE “STRAIGHT AND NARROW” GATE.

In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” I have no desire to follow the “many” who go the way of destruction. I want to follow the “few” who go the way of life!

In Deuteronomy 30:19 God speaks: “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life that both you and your descendants may live.”

Jesus was traveling through the cities and villages teaching and preaching when someone asked Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” Jesus said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able” (Luke 13:23-24). The word “strive” is the picture of a contest – a prize fighter with every ounce in him fighting to win. It is the picture of a foot race with the runner stretching out fervently to finish first. The “narrow gate”? Jesus said in John 10:9, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”

Then you say, “Pastor Fisher, why do you teach us about the ‘narrow way’? We believe Jesus is that ‘door’ to God.” I do so because across our world there filters in a false teaching that there is more than one way to God; God has many doors, they say, and all lead to the same place!

I tell you a thousand times over, NOT SO!! Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no man comes to the Father but through Christ alone! Acts 4:12 says this, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”.

Jesus, the Lamb of God, Immanuel (God in flesh), Promised Messiah, did not come in human form, suffer, bleed, and die in order that Sovereign, Holy God might give multitudinous ways for men to be saved. Jesus only is Lord or not Lord at all!

GOD SAYS THAT ENTERING IN THROUGH THE NARROW GATE IS ALSO ENTERING INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

In Mark 10:13-15 Jesus said, “Then they brought young children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid; For of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”

Jesus challenged Nicodemus and all of us when He said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Jesus amplified that statement by saying, “Most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (verse5).

Oh, and then in Luke 12:32 Jesus said, “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

Because of a repentant heart and faith in Christ’s redeeming work alone, the Word declares that “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.”(Colossians 1:13).

Paul was on his missionary journey and so many were turning to Christ. In Acts 14:21-22 it tells us how Paul wanted to strengthen the new disciples. Notice: “And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.’”

Entering in is the surrendering of allegiance to the King of the kingdom! Jesus asks, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).

Entering in is the submission of acceptance as a way of life of kingdom truth! Isaiah 59:14 speaks of why God set Israel aside as His instrument of being a blessing to all the nations of the world. It says: “Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.” Again in Isaiah 26:2 there is an amplification: “Open the gates, that the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter in.”

Paul magnified kingdom truth for Timothy when in I Timothy 3:14-15 he said, “These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly; but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground [or support] of the truth”!

In Christ’s kingdom, we are “recipients of heavenly truth”; no longer blinded or deceived by Satan and his hellish hordes.

In Christ’s kingdom, we are “celebrators of heavenly truth,” not compromisers.

In Christ’s kingdom, we are “disciples of heavenly truth,” not people who “pretend obedience.”

In Christ’s kingdom, we are “proclaimers of heavenly truth,” our feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace!

Entering in is the sensibility of adaptability to kingdom life and authority. The words of I Peter 4:1-2 are powerful and life-changing for a genuine disciple: “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.”

Paul amplified this truth in Ephesians 4:20-24 when he said to us: “But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you “put off”, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you “put on” the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”

Then there is the explosive statement of John in I John 4:17 which says, “Because as Jesus is, SO ARE WE IN THIS WORLD.”

Do you really know the heart-cry of kingdom living? One of my favorite choruses says it like this: “Jesus, be Jesus in me; No longer me but Thee.

Resurrection power, Fill me this hour; Jesus, be Jesus in me.”

Kingdom living is being the extension of Christ’s life, the very expression of Christ’s love, and the proof of His power and authority!

In 2 Peter 1:3-4 Peter said, “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.” In verses 5-10 Peter built in foundation stones of a victorious, overcoming life, and then adds in verse 11, “For so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

GOD ALSO SAYS THAT ENTERING IN IS ENTERING IN TO THE PLACE OF WORSHIP. In Jeremiah 7:2 the Word of the Lord through the prophet says, “Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, ‘Hear the Word of the Lord, all you of Judah who enter in at these gates to worship the Lord.”

John 4 tells us that Jesus “needed to go to Samaria.” The necessity was a divine appointment with a needy woman. She came to salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ, and in verses 21-24 Jesus said this: “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”

To the church at Philippi Paul said, “For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3). Worship is a way of life – not a Sunday morning ritual. Worship is the outflow of an inner oneness with God. Worship is the supernatural exhaling from a supernatural inhaling of all God is. David entered the tabernacle of God and out of the overflow of his heart he cried out: “Give to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness” (I Chronicles 16:29). In Psalm 95:6 we read: “Oh, come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.”

Too many preachers and disciples don’t have time to “bow down” because they are too busy raising themselves up!

GOD’S HEART-CRY IS THAT ENTERING IN IS ENTERING TO THE FULLNESS OF HIS GLORY!

We know what the Bible declares! (Romans 3:23), “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Did you see it? In our sin, we were short of the glory of God. We had missed the mark!

There is an Old Testament picture that lays a foundation for our understanding of all Christ Jesus has done for us. It is found in Exodus 40:34-35: “Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” The Scripture said, “Moses was not able to enter…the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” But come to the New Testament, to the blood covenant, to the activity, the sacrifice, and the victory of Jesus at the cross in our behalf. Notice Matthew 27:50-51: “Jesus, when He had cried out again with a loud voice, yielded up His spirit. Then behold the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom”! Hallelujah! Do you know what that means?

I Peter 5:10 says, “But the God of all grace…called us TO His eternal glory by Christ Jesus…”

To those disciples on the Emmaeus Road, Jesus said, “Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” (Luke 24:26).

In the Lord’s High Priestly Prayer in John 17:22, Jesus said to the Father, “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are One.”

Living in the fullness is living in the glory cloud of His abiding Presence! Living in the fullness is living in the glory of all He is! Living in the fullness is living in the glory of all He desires to be in our behalf!

Psalm 34:5 says, “They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.”

*Enter into the glory-cloud today because there is “the help of His countenance.” Psalm 42:5 says, “Hope in God for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.” In Psalm 44:3 the psalmist said, “The arm of our fathers didn’t save them; but it was Your right hand, Lord, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, because You favored them.”

*Enter into the glory-cloud today because there is “the help of His counsel.”

In Exodus 33:9-11, “Moses entered the tabernacle, [and] the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. All the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose and worshipped, each man in his tent door. So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend…”

*Enter into the glory-cloud today because there is “the help of His commitment.” Again in Exodus 33:14-15, God speaks with assurance: “And the Lord said, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’ Then Moses said to Him, ‘If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.’”

*Enter into the glory-cloud today because there is “the help of His comfort.” In Psalm 42:5 David cried out, “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him.”

To the church at Corinth, Paul wrote: (2 Corinthians 1:3-4), “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 who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

GOD SAYS ENTERING IN IS ENTERING IN TO THE “SABBATH REST.”

God gave us a warning through the psalmist when He said: “…Today, if you will hear His voice: ‘Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, as in the day of trial in the wilderness, when your fathers tested Me; they tried Me though they saw My work. For forty years I was grieved with that generation, and said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts, and they do not know My ways.’ So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’” (Psalm 95:7-11).

But Joshua and Caleb DID enter, and so can each of us! There is a “Sabbath rest”! In Hebrews 4:1 the writer said, “Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it,” and then boldly declared in verse 3: “For we who have believed do enter that rest…” Continuing in verses 9-10 he further stated: “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.” What is that “Sabbath rest”?

• It is the one who has ceased from his own pre-determined ‘works’ and “rested” in God.
• It is the one who knows the reality of the crucified life and lives by the life of “Another”! (Galatians 2:20).
• It is the one who has captured the vision of Ephesians 1:23: “…The fullness of Him who fills all in all.”

GOD SAYS ENTERING IN IS ENTERING IN TO THE WORK. In Numbers 4:1-3, “the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: ‘Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the children of Levi, by their families, by their fathers’ house, from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting.”

And here is our personal rocket launched off the pad of faith. Paul said in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

Do you remember Jesus in John 6 instructing His disciples that they not labor for the food which perishes? “Then they said to Him, ‘What shall we do that we may work the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in [trust, rely upon, adhere to, obey!] Him whom He sent” (verse 28).

• Acts 13:2 speaks of the work of missions to which God has called.
• I Corinthians 16:10 speaks of the work of the Lord that Timothy and Paul do including taking care of the churches of God!
• Philippians 2:12 speaks of the working out of our own salvation in fear and trembling.
• Philippians 2:30 speaks of the work of Christ that brought Epaphroditus close to death.
• I Thessalonians 1:3 speaks of the work of faith and labor of love.
• 2 Timothy 4:5 speaks of the work of an evangelist.
• I Corinthians 12:11 speaks of the work of the Holy Spirit.
• 2 Corinthians 6:1 declares us workers together with God.

Now, 4 things I want to highlight for you about our work:

• I Corinthians 15:57-58 tells us to be “always abounding in the work of the Lord.”
• I Corinthians 3:13 tells us that “fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.”
• John 9:4 tells us “the night is coming when no one can work.”
• Jeremiah 48:10 warns us: “Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood.”

George Eliot once wrote: “It is vain thought to flee from the work that God appoints us, for the sake of finding a greater blessing, instead of seeking it where alone it is to be found – in loving obedience.”

GOD SAYS ENTERING IN IS ENTERING TO POSSESS THE LAND.

Please remember – the Bible is a picture book, and when we read about possessing a land, we can see that the Old Testament historical happening is an unveiling of what God wants to accomplish in us – we are the “land,” the “field,” the “vineyard.”

“So they said, ‘Arise, let us go up against them. For we have seen the land, and indeed it is very good. Would you do nothing? Do not hesitate to go, and enter to possess the land. When you go, you will come to a secure people and a large land. For God has given it into your hands.” (Judges 18:9-10).

But then God spoke through Jeremiah (2:7) when He said, “I brought you into a bountiful country, to eat its fruit and goodness. But when you entered, you defiled My land and made My heritage an abomination.”

In Deuteronomy 7:1-2 Almighty God gave the command that the seven strong nations on the promised land were to be conquered and destroyed. They were to show no mercy. And on YOUR “land” there are seven nations greater and mightier than you and they are to be driven out. You are to “possess the land” showing no mercy on that which is so un-Christ-like!

Look at the spirit of the “Amorites,” meaning to “publicize” or “promote.” It represents the boastful, self-promoting who thrive on the root of self-glory and self-praise. That’s pride and prominence for number “I” – “self.”

Look at the spirit of the “Hittites,” coming from a root word meaning “terrifying,” that which produces fear or dread in your heart. It’s that “nation” that “breaks down protective walls through violence and fear.” But God said to Abram in Genesis 15:1, “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield and your exceedingly great reward.” These “Hittites” are creators of storms to take you under or down on your voyage on the sea of life, but Jesus came in the midst of a storm to say, “It is I, do not be afraid” (Matthew 15:27).

Look at the spirit of the “Perizites.” The root word means “to decide to separate.” It is the picture of one who is irreconcilable and unforgiving. In Matthew 18 Jesus told of an unforgiving servant and of two things that happened:

• He turned him over to the torturers.
• The Master reinstated the debt!

Look at the spirit of the “Canaanites,” which means “bowed down” or “brought low.” But the picture is not that of humility but that of rejection. It is the picture of men who are in subjection and slavery to lust for approval, who are more interested in the praise of men than the praise of God! In Galatians 1:10 Paul asks, “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.” To the church at Thessalonica, Paul said, “But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.” (I Thessalonians 2:4).

Look at the spirit of the “Hivites,” which comes from a word that basically meant “Eve” or “first woman,” who rebelled against the Word of God and believed the lie of Satan that you can sin and not die. It is basically being god unto yourself with an attitude of “A fist in Your face, God! I am doing as I please.”

Look at the spirit of the Jebusites,” which means “trodden down” or “trampled underfoot,” which is what the powers of darkness even now seek to do to you. They want to step on you and grind you into the dirt!

Look at the spirit of the “Girgashites.” It is interesting that I could not find a definition of it anywhere which tells me there is a spirit out of nowhere that will blindside you, surprise you, and astound you that “that” could even be on your “land.” Ever sensed it?

GOD SAYS ENTERING IN IS ENTERING THE PLACE OF PRAYER.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:6, “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut the door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”

Talking about “Capturing The Vision,” I have never seen, read about, or discovered a mighty man who was used of God who was not a man of prayer. Every human instrument God has mightily used was a Heaven-Invader, laying hold of God in prayer.

Dallas F. Bullington, in the Akron Baptist Journal, once wrote: “Do you know what is wrong with the world today? There’s too much theologian and not enough kneeologian.” He is right!

Alexis Carrel, in his article “Prayer”, wrote: “Prayer is the most powerful form of energy one can generate. The influence of prayer on the human mind and body is as demonstrable as that of secreting glands. Prayer is a force as real as terrestrial gravity. It supplies us with a flow of sustaining power in our daily lives.”

Though prayer may be a force as powerful as terrestrial gravity, I long for people whose sole desire is Terrestrial Grace impacting lives because they faithfully acknowledge and submit themselves to the sovereignty of God.

G. Ashton Oldham put it like this: “Prayer is the chief agency and activity whereby men align themselves with God’s purpose. Prayer does not consist in battering the walls of heaven for personal benefits of the success of our plans. Rather it is the committing of ourselves for the carrying out of His purposes. It is a telephone call to headquarters for orders. It is not bending God’s will to ours, but our will to God’s. In prayer, we tap vast resources of spiritual power whereby God can find fuller entrance into the hearts of men.”

Here is my heart-cry for you, your family, and the Body of Christ of which you are a part: Acts 4:31, “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.”

Are you entering in to capture the vision of God?

CHAPTER FOUR

THE SOUNDS OF HEAVEN

In Leviticus 26:25 the Lord speaks about “vengeance for the covenant,” released upon those who betray His covenant of grace and walk in disobedience. There are awful prices to pay for the spirit of apostasy and the deeds of spiritual harlotry. One such judgment is found in Leviticus 26:36, “The sound of a shaken leaf shall cause them to flee.” I have no desire to live with that kind of fear, frightened simply by the sound of a shaken leaf!

One of Job’s friends, Eliphaz, speaks about “the wicked man who writhes with pain all of his days,” who has “dreaded sounds within his ears: (Job 15:20-21). I have no desire to hear those dreadful sounds.

The Word of God also speaks of “uncertain sounds.” In I Corinthians 14:8 Paul asks, “If the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle?”

Even sadder is when God’s judgment comes upon His own people and He says, “Behold, I am going to eliminate from this place, before your eyes and in your time, the voice of rejoicing and the voice of gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride.” (Jeremiah 16:9).

As heaven rejoiced over the destruction of Babylon, the mighty angel in Revelation 18:22 said, “And the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in her any longer.” Good! There are too many millstones crushing out contaminated grain. But we do need to hear the sound of the millstone that crushes out the true grain of “the Bread of Life.” In 2 Corinthians 4:2 Paul said he was not “walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully.” God , oh God, give us more men of the pure Word – unadulterated by men’s philosophies, traditions and vain deceit!

Mary had learned from the angel that she was to be with child and “that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” Mary went to visit Elizabeth and something supernatural happened upon her greeting: Elizabeth exclaimed, “For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy” (Luke 1:44). And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit!

I don’t need a greeting from Mary, but I do need to hear those “sounds of heaven” that cause the spirit of God within me to leap for joy and bring a fresh in-filling of all that He has for me! I certainly don’t want my life to be what the Apostle Paul warned against – “a noisy gong or clanging cymbal” because there is no love. I do, however, desire that the sounds of heaven radiate through my life in a clear, distinct sound so that men and women around me, upon hearing those sounds of heaven, arise to meet the Master!

I read recently Duncan Campbell’s “The Price and Power of Revival.” He asks: “Are there sounds from heaven today? I say yes, it is happening today! Some of us saw it happen in churches comparatively empty, the youth given to pleasure rather than seeking after God, then suddenly there was a sound from heaven, and the whole community became saturated with God and men and women were swept into the Kingdom. We had not organized, we had no publicity program, but heaven’s messengers moved in the midst of the people, and in a matter of hours churches became crowded as scores were swept into the Kingdom of God.”

There are “Sounds of Heaven.”

THERE IS THE SOUND OF BLESSING. I Kings 18:41 says, “And Elijah said unto Ahab, ‘Go up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.” In Scripture, rain represents blessing and drought symbolizes a curse. In Deuteronomy 28:12 we are instructed, “The Lord will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand.” In contrast, verse 24 speaks of the curse that comes upon those who rebel against God and says, “The Lord will make the rain of your land powder and dust; from heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed.”

These were natural occurrences for a natural historical people. But you and I are of the supernatural – we are His “chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people…” (I Peter 2:9). God has not called us to a drought! He has called us to the “sound of the abundance of rain.”

You’ve been discouraged lately, maybe in a state of despair. You’ve been in the dry places, a drought of soul and spirit. It hasn’t been for you “showers of blessing,” it’s been powder and dust that has come upon you. I’m here to tell you, look into the face of Jesus right now! Proverbs 16:15 says, “In the light of a king’s face is life, and his favor is like a cloud with the spring rain.” God is here to lead you out of the bondage of your land of discouragement. Listen to the sound, the sound of the abundance of rain! It may be only a reminder you need today or a revival of its truth in your heart, but Ephesians 1:3 says, “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”! Listen for it, look for it, receive it! It is there for you!

THERE IS THE SOUND OF GOD’S BENEVOLENT, GRACIOUS VOICE. Ezekial 43:2 says, “And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the way of the east. And His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory.” Do you long for your land to shine forth His glory? Then hear the voice like the sound of many waters!

Do you long for your life and ministry to shine with His glory? Then hear the voice like the sound of many waters! Do you long for your church to shine with God’s Glory Cloud? Then hear the voice like the sound of many waters!

Our Lord and Savior still walks among the seven golden candlesticks and He still says: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches”!

In Matthew 10:27 Jesus says, “What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops.”

John 10:4 says, “When he puts forth all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him BECAUSE THEY KNOW HIS VOICE.” The psalmist said, “How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! O Lord, they walk in the light of Your countenance” (Psalm 89:15). O God, tune our ears to hear the sounds of grace, mercy, and love!

THERE IS THE SOUND OF THE SOVEREIGN WIND OF REGENERATIVE POWER. Jesus spoke frankly with a religious leader in John 3:7-8 saying, “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Oh, I ask you with all the compassion of God I can muster, “Have YOU heard the sound of the sovereign wind of regenerative power?” Some local churches have bought the lie that they are beyond the age of spiritual child-bearing. No new life, no zeal to see men and women, boys and girls born into the Kingdom of God. They have settled into stagnation-barrenness!

The prophet saw it and came with a word of great Holy Ghost encouragement: (Isaiah 54:2), “Shout for joy, O barren one, you who have borne no child; Break forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not travailed; For the sons of the desolate one will be more numerous than the sons of the married woman,’ says the Lord. ‘Enlarge the place of your tent; Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, spare not; Lengthen your cords, and strength your pegs. For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left. And your descendants will possess nations, and they will resettle the desolate cities.” Do you hear that sound?

THERE IS ALSO THE SOUND OF BATTLE.

In I Chronicles 14:15 David heard from God. The Philistines once again had made a raid against God’s people. And YOU must be aware that in the same way the enemy of God’s people had backed off for a season and returned once again – you must be ready also! If you are enjoying a temporary reprieve, be sure that there is coming another raid on the valley of your habitation!

So God said to David, “And it shall be when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then you shall go out to battle, for God will have gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.”

What do we do?

• Listen for the sound
• Listen for the sound of marching: the Heavenly hosts, the army of God’s warring angels
• Then YOU go out to battle
• You go out with confidence and assurance because God has gone before you
• God strikes the enemy in your behalf – because you went out in faith and obedience!

But listen to the sad note, because it may be personal to you and an honest and truthful evaluation as to why you’re not walking in victory. In 2 Samuel 11:1 the Word says, “Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent for Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. BUT DAVID STAYED AT JERUSALEM.” Verse 2 goes on to say, “Then it happened…” FAILURE comes when one loses the will to fight!

Paul said to Timothy, (I Timothy 6:12), “Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called…” Do you hear the sound of marching in the top of the mulberry tree?

THERE IS THE SOUND OF HOLY FIRE.

In Ezekial 10:5,6 the prophet has a powerful up-to-date Word for us as we face the battle of our lives. “Moreover, the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when He speaks. And it came about when He commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, ‘Take fire from between the whirling wheels, from between the cherubim,’ he entered and stood beside a wheel.”

In Psalm 104:4 we are instructed that God “makes his ministers a flame of fire.” But perhaps you have become a dying wick! Perhaps you have become smoke and ashes! Do you know there is hope for you?

There’s the sound of the wings of the Cherubim that was heard! And God Almighty speaks, “Take fire from among the wheels!” He’s going to give it to His man who is clothed with Christ! Hear the sound – TAKE THE FIRE!!

• It’s the fire of testing, the fire of unconditional, full surrender. In Genesis 22:5-16 Abraham faced the ultimate test of his life – “And Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship and return to you.’ And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it in his son Isaac, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together.”
• It’s the fire of Heavenly attraction. Look at Exodus 3:2-3. You are reading this by divine appointment today perhaps because you have lost that passion to know Christ, you’ve lost that passion to pray, you’ve lost that passion for the hunger of God’s Word and His righteousness. Your faith, calling, and ministry have been hanging in the balance and found wanting. But God loves you, the bush still burns! Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight.” The bush still burns – it has not and will not be consumed! In Isaiah 42:3 God says, “I will not extinguish a dying wick!” Have you heard the sound of the wings of the Cherubim?
• It’s the fire of heavenly prayers uttered in your behalf. (Isaiah 62:1-5), “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet, until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, and her salvation like a torch that is burning. And the nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; and you will be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord will designate. You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. It will no longer be said to you, ‘Forsaken,’ nor to your land will it any longer be said, ‘Desolate;’ but you will be called, ‘My delight is in her,’ and your land, ‘Married;’ for the Lord delights in you, and to Him your land will be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so your sons will marry you; and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so your God will rejoice over you.” That’s A Promise!
• It’s the fire of Holy Spirit renewal. In Matthew 3:11 John the Baptist said, “As for me, I will 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 fire.” The Lord’s will is clear: “Be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).

EXAMINE THE SOUND OF THE VOICE OF GOD’S THUNDER.

Are you listening for the gracious sound of the voice of God’s thunder chasing away the flood waters of your life? Psalm 104:7-9 is so powerful! “At the voice of Your thunder the flood waters hastened away…that they may not return to cover the earth.”

God knows where you are; He knows what shape you are in; and He knows whether you’re walking on the water of faith or sinking down because of the “flood”!

In Psalm 69:1-3 David cried out, “Save me, O God, for the waters have threatened my life. I have sunk in deep mire, and there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and a flood overflows me. I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched; my eyes fail when I wait for my God.” Are you waiting for God?

Have you heard the voice of God’s thunder? Hear it! Psalm 29:1 says, “The Lord sat as King at the flood; yes, the Lord sits as King forever.”

Again the psalmist testifies in Psalm 18:16, “He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters!” Look at Psalm 93:3-4! “The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, than the mighty waves of the sea.” Do you hear the thunder? No more floods in your life! God chases them away, and it is by His Spoken Word! Battering waves hear God’s voice!

THERE IS THE SOUND OF THE BEAUTY OF HEAVENLY PRAISE.

Luke 2:13-14 says, “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God, and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” Have you heard it? Psalm 96:11 says, “Let the heavens rejoice and let the earth be glad.”

We are of those who “shout joyfully to the Lord…who break forth in song, rejoice and sing praises. We sing to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of a psalm; with trumpets and the sound of a horn…” We are instructed to join with the sound of heavenly praise and praise the Lord! He inhabits the praises of His people!

THERE IS THE SOUND OF THE HOLY ANGEL ANNOUNCING HIS RESURRECTION.

Kings and kingdoms have set themselves together against our Lord and His anointed. The nations have raged and the people have plotted vain things to break His claims, to shatter His cords from them, and to erase His name and memory. The powers of darkness, with Satan in the lead, have marched against Jesus and His Church. They sounded the alarm. They rallied the armies. They devised a scheme : “Let Him be crucified! Put Him to death! Silence His voice!” So they nailed Him to a tree where Jesus suffered and bled and died. They put Him in a tomb. “There; that should be the end of that!” Then three days later, “What’s that I hear? It’s the sound of music!”

In Matthew 28:5-6 “the angel answered and said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.” Do you hear that sound? It’s the sound of resurrection life, power, and hope!

THERE IS THE JOYOUS SOUND OF JESUS’ SOON RETURN.

I Corinthians 15:52, 57 says “For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed…Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Many have quit listening for the sound of His trumpet announcing His return – don’t give up hope, don’t become so entangled in this present day that you lose sight of His promised return. The angel didn’t lie! “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up to heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

One of my favorite hymns says: “Some golden daybreak Jesus will come; some golden daybreak battles are won; He’ll shout the victory, break through the blue, some golden daybreak for me and for you.” Are you listening for the trumpet?

THERE IS THE SOUND FROM HEAVEN OF A RUSHING MIGHTY WIND.

There is no greater need for the church today than the appropriation of Pentecost’s promise, blessing, and fulfillment. It’s not a matter of theological discussion, but a matter of Truth’s discovery. It’s not a matter of denominational pride, but a matter of all disciples’ power from on high. It’s not a matter of one disciple’s badge of honor, but a matter of all disciples’ blessing of Holy Spirit power!

Acts 2:1-4, 6 says, “And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. Suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance…And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because they were each one hearing them speak in his own language.”

Again, Duncan Campbell, in his book, “The Price and Power of Revival,” said: “I love that passage in Acts that tells us that ‘when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together.’ “ What was noised abroad? What was happening in the midst of men? What was noised abroad? That men and women were coming under deep conviction. What was noised abroad? That men and women in the community appeared like drunken men because they were drunk by the mighty power of God. That was God’s method of publicity, and until the church rediscovers this and acts upon it, we shall at our best appear to a mad world as a crowd of common people in a common market babbling about common wares. The early church cried for unction, not entertainment because they knew that unction creates interest and real soul-concern.”

• *Human effort uses entertainment – God uses the Holy Spirit!
• * Human effort produces frustration – the Holy Spirit releases fire!
• * Human effort covets political influence – God commissions supernatural inspiration!
• *Human effort births church members – the Holy Spirit births disciples!
• *Human effort gives nothing but anxiety in ministry – the Holy Spirit grants adequacy!
• *Human effort breeds the counterfeit – the Holy Spirit breeds sons and daughters of the Most High God!
• *Human effort produces spiritual declension – the Holy Spirit produces revival!

LASTLY, THERE IS THE SOUND OF HOLY SPIRIT PARTICIPATION IN THE HEAVENLY, NEW JERUSALEM.

I get so excited every time I read Hebrews 12:22-24 which says, “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.”

Verse 28 goes on to say, “…we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken…” Don’t you know? Haven’t you heard? There is more, so much more ahead of us. And they are not faint sounds, but the full sounds of heaven’s gathered companies. Paul said in I Corinthians 2:9, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.” Are you listening?

In I Thessalonians 4:16-17 Paul wrote, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.” Are you listening?

Peter explodes with eternal expectancy, saying in I Peter 1:3-4, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.” Are you listening for the sounds of heaven? Jesus frequently used the phrase, “He who has an ear let him hear” – we are encompassed by the sounds of heaven, only those who have an ear to hear ever do.

ARE YOU LISTENING FOR THE SOUNDS OF HEAVEN?

CHAPTER FIVE

LIVING IN THE HIGH PLACES

I don’t even remember the song, but I do remember a phrase of it that said, “You take the high road, and I’ll take the low road…” I do believe that some have never really learned about “Living In The High Places” because we have been so busy trying to survive on the low road.

David was called “a man after God’s own heart.” Are YOU? He’d made the choice! 2 Samuel 22:2-3 says, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my Savior, You DO save me from violence.” What a tremendous statement of faith, a powerful statement of dependence, a liberating statement from doubt and fear! But that is only the beginning! Look at verses 33-34: “God is my strong fortress; and He sets the blameless in His way. He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, and SETS ME ON MY HIGH PLACES!” Holy God has a heavenly design, taking us off the low road and sovereignly placing us in His High Places!

Deuteronomy 26:18-19 says, “The Lord has today declared you to be His people, a treasured possession, as He promised you [see I Peter 2:9-10], and that you should keep all His commandments, and that HE SHALL SET YOU HIGH ABOVE all nations which He has made, for praise, fame, and honor; and that you shall be a consecrated people to the Lord your God, as He has spoken.” In Isaiah 57:15 God speaks – “For thus says the high and exalted One who lives forever, whose name is Holy, ‘I dwell on a high and holy place…”

You and I have choices! Do you remember the man who “had his dwelling among the tombs”? (Mark 5:3). There IS the “dwelling among the tombs” OR ascending “the hill of the Lord” (Psalm 24:3). Where are you living?

The prophet Jeremiah saw it with those eyes of faith (Jeremiah 17:12). “A glorious throne on high from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary [a sacred place, a holy place].”

Luke 6:35 speaks of “sons of the Most High.” That is such an awesome, illuminating, liberating statement! Not only is it a powerful declaration of faith, but also a persuasive statement of responsibility – we’re called TO the Most High and to His High Places!

Paul said to his spiritual son, Timothy, “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…” (2 Timothy 1:9). The word “granted” is “didomai,” meaning “given us”!

GOD HAS GIVEN US A HIGH PLACE OF HEAVENLY PROTECTION FROM OUR ENEMIES!

The psalmist cried out (Psalm 59:1), “Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; set me securely on high away from those who rise up against me.” Again, in Psalm 61:1-4 the psalmist said, “Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to you, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah.”

To follow the Lord Jesus Christ is not an exemption from strife, conflict, battles and attacks from the “enemy”! Pause and reflect upon what Paul said to Timothy: “Alexander the Coppersmith did me much harm. May the Lord repay him according to his works. You also must beware of him, for he has greatly resisted our words. At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. 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!” (2 Timothy 4:14-18).

One verse of “Amazing Grace” is often overlooked. It says: “Through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come; ‘Tis grace has brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.”

If you have never studied the life of Martin Luther, it would be worth your time to study what brought him to write that great hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” Look at the words:

“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, 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.

Dost 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 thru 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, abideth; The Spirit and the gifts are ours thru Him who with us sideth.

Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also_ The body they may kill; God’s truth abideth still; His kingdom is forever.”

It sounds like Job, doesn’t it? In Job 13:15 he said, “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him!” Do you remember Nebuchadnezzar’s question? In Daniel 3:15 he asked, “What god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?” as he prepared to thrust Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego into the fiery furnace. Do you remember their answer? It’s found in verse 17.”If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.”

HE HAS GIVEN US A HIGH PLACE OF PLENTIFUL PROVISION OF THE MERCIES OF GOD.

Psalm 103:11 says, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.”

Isaiah was even bolder and stronger when he said in Isaiah 30:18, “Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you…”

Then Paul said to the church at Ephesus, (Ephesians 2:4-6), “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

I grew up on the song that says, “Mercy there was great and grace was free, Pardon there was multiplied to me, There my burdened soul found liberty – At Calvary.”

Exodus 25:17 tells us of “a mercy seat of pure gold!” What is YOUR heart-cry? Justice or mercy? Isaiah 63:9 says, “…In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, and He lifted them and carried them all the days of old.” Do you receive it? MERCY REDEEMS, LIFTS, AND CARRIES! Paul said to Timothy, “I was shown mercy” (I Timothy 1:13). Lord, open our eyes and show US mercy!

In Luke 18:13 the publican cried out, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner.” Far too few find mercy because they whitewash sin and never see themselves as “the sinner.” Then there are those who never truly become “living sacrifices” because they have never been to the mountain of the multitudinous mercies of God! Look at Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” What a high and holy place is the mountain of God’s mercies!

HE’S GIVEN US A HIGH PLACE OF POWERFUL DEPENDENCY WHERE GOD IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING AFFLICTION INTO AN ANTHEM OF PRAISE, TROUBLE INTO THE SYMPHONY OF TRIUMPH, AND EVEN THE STING OF DEATH INTO THE HYMN OF ETERNAL VICTORY.

To “capture the vision” for your daily pilgrimage, the Psalms MUST become a part of your spiritual journey. I want you to carefully follow Psalm 107:33-43!

“He turns rivers into a wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground; a fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of those who dwell in it. He turns a wilderness into pools of water, and dry lands into watersprings. There He makes the hungry dwell, that they may establish a city for a dwelling place, and sow fields and plant vineyards, that they may yield a harvest. He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly; and He does not let their cattle decrease. When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow, He pours contempt on princes, and causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way; yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction, and makes their families like a flock. The righteous see it and rejoice, and all iniquity stops its mouth. Whoever is wise will observe these things, and they will understand the lovingkindness of the Lord.”

Look again at verse 41: “Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction…” The poor? He can be the wealthiest man on the face of the earth, but in his heart he is broken, spiritually humbled, and bankrupt of his own worth and value. He is the publican, not the Pharisee. He is the empty ego, the “nobody” who finds he is “Somebody” only in Christ. He is the “nothing,” the “zero,” who has been filled with the fullness of Christ. He is poor – and God Himself has raised him “far from affliction.”

It’s not that he never faces it, but he is freed from it. It’s not that he never undergoes trouble, but he is raised above its impact to a holy place of rest.

No one has ever faced any more tribulation than the nation of Israel as they were being delivered from slavery to Egypt. In Exodus 14 we see them on the journey, but Pharoah’s army is in hot pursuit. In verse 13 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever.” Verse 14 follows with: “The Lord will fight for you, ‘and you shall hold your peace.’”

What a place to be! You face affliction and God transforms it into a place of peace. You face the torment of an alien army and God releases nothing but a peace that passes all understanding. You face that sting of death but resurrection life raises you above it.

After Exodus 14 and the armed conflict, chapter 15 begins like this: “Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song…” I encourage you to read beginning at verse one, but hide verse 13 especially in your heart – “You in Your mercy have led forth the people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them in Your strength to Your holy habitation…”

To the church at Corinth, Paul said: “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.”

HE’S GIVEN US A HIGH PLACE OF DISCIPLINED FAITH WHEREIN THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD IS RESTED.

In Psalm 113:3-5 the Holy Word says, “From the rising of the sun to its going down the Lord’s name is to be praised. The Lord is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God who dwells on high?”

If you have not learned it as yet, we serve the absolute monarch of all ages, nations, and people groups. He is divinely omnipotent. He IS the sovereign ruler over all – even over the powers of darkness.

It’s not a trite statement, but one pregnant with eternal truth – “Our God Reigns!” Psalm 146:10 says, “The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations.” In Psalm 47:8 it reads: “God reigns over the nations, God sits on His holy throne.”

Divine sovereignty and our submission to it is not only the well-spring of Holy Ghost regeneration but also the essence of Holy Ghost revival! Isaiah said, “The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high.” (Isaiah 33:5). The question is, is He exalted in your heart and in your life?

Contemplate the words of this great old hymn: “My faith has found a resting place – not in device or creed; I trust the ever-living One – His wounds for me shall plead. I need no other argument, I need no other plea. It is enough that Jesus died, and that He died for me.”

That’s Immanuel! That’s God-in-the-flesh! That’s the Sovereign Ruler of the ages – and He died for me!

HE’S GIVEN US A HIGH PLACE OF HEAVENLY PRAISE!

Psalm 149 is such a powerful word for every disciple. It says: “Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise in the assembly of 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 on the peoples; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute on them the written judgment – this honor have all His saints. Praise the Lord!”

What did verse 6 say? “Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand…” Why? Because Psalm 145:3 says, “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised…” And then Psalm 22:3 tells us that He “inhabit[s] the praises of Israel.” Do you realize how many never sense God’s presence? They never sense God’s presence because praise is absent from their hearts and lips!

Isaiah 43:21 says, “This people I have formed for Myself, they shall declare My praise.”

PRAISE IS DECLARATIVE – Exodus 15:2, “This is MY God, and I will praise Him.”

PRAISE IS BLESSING – I Chronicles 16:36, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting even to everlasting.”

PRAISE IS INTERPRETIVE – Psalm 7:17, “And I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.”

PRAISE IS THANKSGIVING – I Chronicles 23:30, “And they are to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord…”

PRAISE IS BECOMING – Psalm 33:1 “Praise is becoming to the upright.”

PRAISE IS ENDURING – Psalm 111:10 “His praise endures forever.”

PRAISE IS THE CONQUERING SPIRIT – Psalm 149:6-9 “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 on the peoples; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute on them the written judgment – this honor have all His saints. Praise the Lord!”

PRAISE IS JOYFUL – Psalm 71:23 “My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to You, and my soul, which You have redeemed.”

HE’S ALSO GIVEN US A HIGH PLACE OF HEAVENLY PROCLAMATION.

Does the Word of God excite you as it does me? Look at Isaiah 40:9-11. “O Zion, you who bring good tidings, get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, you who bring good tidings, lift up your voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid; say to the cities of Judah, ‘Behold your God!’ Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young.”

Say to the cities, “Behold your God!” What an awesome privilege and responsibility. I have always said to my sons that I had rather preach the gospel in the smallest village of India with little wages than to step down to be the King of England, President of the United States, or Chief Minister of India! “Behold your God!” He comes, He rules, He works, He feeds, He gathers, He carries, and He gently leads.

Here is how Paul addressed that royal assignment to the church at Rome (Romans 10:13-15), “For ‘whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!’”

Let me “gently” remind you, according to 2 Corinthians 5:18, our Lord has given to every disciple “the ministry of reconciliation,” and he reminds us in verse 20 that we all are “ambassadors for Christ”! Are you living in that high and heavenly stratosphere of faithful proclamation of the good tidings?

HE’S GIVEN US A HIGH PLACE OF HEAVENLY PROSTRATION. Let the impact of Isaiah 57:15 do an effective examining, expressing a work of grace in your heart as you read it. Look! “For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place WITH HIM WHO HAS A CONTRITE AND HUMBLE SPIRIT, to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”

Paul put it like this to Timothy: “For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.” The greatest and highest standing within the kingdom of God is for that humble and contrite spirit that faithfully walks out the Gospel as a servant of Christ!

What did Paul say to the church at Philippi? (Philippians 2:5-9). “Let this mind be in you which also was in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name.”

Then through Jeremiah God gives us a warning! Jeremiah 49:16, “Your fierceness has deceived you, THE PRIDE OF YOUR HEART, O you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, who hold the height of the hill! Though you make your nest as high as the eagle I will bring you down from there,’ says the Lord.”

As Jesus willfully chose the way of servanthood, Paul said that God EXALTED HIM! James 1:9 says, “Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation…” Far too many know little about living in the high and holy place because they never discerned the spirit of the “lowly brother”!

HE’S GIVEN US A HIGH PLACE OF THE PERENNIAL PROVISION OF THE EVER-ABIDING WATER OF LIFE. Jeremiah 17:12-14 says, “A glorious high throne from the beginning is the PLACE OF OUR SANCTUARY. O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake You shall be ashamed. ‘Those who depart from Me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters.’ Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for You are my praise.”

The world around us more and more becomes a dry and thirsty land, yet those who have found the glorious high throne and know the place of their sanctuary never thirst; from within there flows “rivers of living water.”

The well of God’s faithful provision of living water never runs dry!

HE’S GIVEN US A HIGH PLACE OF PRECIOUS AFFECTION. Colossians 3:1-3 says, “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 of the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

Ezekial saw that High Place! In Ezekial 47 he tells of seeing a flow of water “flowing from under the threshold of the temple.” He saw its intensification as it went from ankle deep to such depths like a mighty river that could not be crossed, one had to swim. With all of my heart, I believe that was the Holy Spirit “given without measure” to the body of Christ whose fruit is love! Romans 5:5 says, “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.”

One of the sad words Paul confronts the church with today is found in 2 Corinthians 6:12 when he said, “You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections.”

We are not called to restrained affections, but to a heart that is wide open! We are not called to selectionle affections, but to a love broader than this world! We are not called to limited affections, but to a limitless love! “Love the Lord your God!” “Love one another!” “Love your enemies!” What a high and holy love God Almighty has called us to, a love as true as the eternal cross of Christ! Have you been baptized in the river of love?

LASTLY, HE’S GIVEN US A HIGH PLACE OF POWERFUL EXPECTATION. In Revelation 21:10-11 John has ‘Captured the Vision’! “And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. And her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.” There is something more! There is something eternal! There is something forever! There is something beyond!

To the Corinthians Paul said, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable” (I Corinthians 15:19). We are not called to pity but to the pleasure of God’s Eternal Day! We are not called to a grave but to the Resurrection! We are not called to “old age” and then death, but to the reality of eternal youthfulness and forever fellowship with the reigning Christ! We are not called to hopelessness but to the hope that we have “as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil.” (Hebrews 6:19). What a high place of powerful expectation!

I don’t know what road you have chosen, but I choose the high road. I want to live in those high places God has unveiled for us through His precious Word. I love the book of Isaiah so much. There is such expectation throughout. In chapter 62, verses 10-12, the prophet wrote:

“Go through, go through the gates! Prepare the way for the people; build up, build up the highway! Take out the stones, lift up a banner for the peoples! Indeed the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the world: ‘Say to the daughter of Zion, “Surely your salvation is coming; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him.” And they shall call them The Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord; and you shall be called Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.” AMEN?

CHAPTER SIX

AS HE IS…SO ARE WE!

The truth of the Gospel and its power to save grows sweeter with every passing day. The depth, length, height, and breadth of the love of God illumines the mind with the greatness of God’s intent. The people of God are those blessed of God beyond measure. Every new day unveils understanding of the greatness of our salvation.

Paul to Titus was 110% correct when in Titus 2:5-7 he wrote, “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom HE POURED OUT UPON US RICHLY THROUGH JESUS CHRIST our Savior, that being justified by His grace we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” We were “dead in trespasses and sins.” We were “in subjection to slavery under the heavy hand of the powers of darkness.” We “formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, and were by nature children of wrath.” We were “separate from Christ”; excluded from the family of God; strangers to the covenant of promise; had no hope, and were without God in the world.

But through Jesus Christ, no longer are we strangers to the covenant of promise! In Romans 5:1-2 Paul tells us, “Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.”

Observe carefully – though we were “dead in trespasses and sins,” by our teacher, the Holy Spirit, we have been introduced into grace! We were DEAD but Almighty God “made us ALIVE together with Christ.”

Jesus said in John 10:10, “I am come that you might have life and to have it more abundantly…” LIFE! LIFE with a capital “L”! Life in the supernatural dimension! The Life of God! Resurrection life, hope, and power! Partakers of the Divine nature!

In 2 Timothy 1:1 Paul describes himself, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus…”

There is an awesome statement the writer of Hebrews makes when he says, “Jesus has become the GUARANTEE of a better covenant.” The word “guarantee” is from two Greek words meaning “under good security.” In other words, you can count on it; you can bank on it. It is not a promise given without the guarantee or security of its fulfillment.

All the promises of God are what? 2 Corinthians 1:20 says in Christ they are “Yes” and even “Amen”!

The writer said “a better covenant.” The word “covenant” comes from a word meaning “granted” or “made.” Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines covenant in two ways: redemption and grace.

Redemption? “The mutual agreement between the Father and Son, respecting the redemption of sinners by Christ.”

Grace? “That by which God engages to bestow salvation on man upon the condition that man should believe in Christ, and yield obedience to the terms of the gospel.”

Between the Father and the Son there was an agreement, there were promises and conditions that would be granted and made because of Christ’s “obedience even unto death.” We need to be reminded – God was “IN CHRIST” reconciling the world unto Himself.

Therefore, according to 2 Corinthians 5:21, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, THAT WE MIGHT BECOME THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM.”

Between the Father and the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, there was an agreement:

• The Son would take our place and the Father would take men of repentance and faith unto Himself.
• The Son would shed His blood in our behalf, and the offense of Holy God, because of our sin, would be satisfied.
• The Son Himself would be the sin offering and the Father would accept us in His Beloved.
• The Son Himself would die and the Father would make us alive in Christ.
• The Son Himself would be the substitutionary sacrifice and the Father would credit to us all that the Son is.

STAND ON THESE HOLY WORDS:

Ephesians 1:6 speaks of our “acceptance in the beloved.”

2 Thessalonians 1:5 speaks of our being “considered worthy of the kingdom of God.”

I Corinthians 1:30 says, “But by God’s doing YOU ARE [in Christ Jesus] WHO BECAME TO US WISDOM FROM GOD, RIGHTEOUSNESS, SANCTIFICATION, AND REDEMPTION.”

And the major text for this study is I John 4:17, a verse we must never forget: “Because as He is, so also are we in this world…”

I John 5:10 says, “The one who believes in the Son of God has THE WITNESS IN HIMSELF…”

The very heart of Father-God, of God Almighty, of the God of grace and mercy is that you live with that witness in yourself of confidence, of assurance, of an overcoming faith, of the triumphant truths of divine declaration of your Christ-like identity! AS HE IS…SO AM I!

AS HE IS…SO AM I IN THE LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE.

In Romans 8:2 the Word declares, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.” The law of the Spirit of life! IN Christ Jesus! When I come to faith in Christ, it is not a call to what I am already in, sin and death, it is a call to the law of the Spirit of life!

In fact, when you look at Hebrews 7:16 it speaks of our Lord and “the power of an indestructible life!” In Romans 6:23 Paul says it is the wages of sin that is death, but that the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Do you realize what we’ve learned already? In Christ there is eternal life, abundant life, and life in the Spirit!

Romans 8:11 says, “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Jesus Christ from the dead WILL ALSO GIVE LIFE TO YOUR mortal bodies through His spirit who indwells you.”

Jesus said in John 6:63, “It is the Spirit who gives life…” Romans 6:4 speaks of “the newness of life.” 2 Corinthians 2:16 speaks of “an aroma from life to life.” 2 Corinthians 5:4 describes us as being “swallowed up by life.” I Timothy 2:2 speaks of a “tranquil and quiet life.” Revelation 21:27 says, “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.”

The Gaithers have it right! “Because He Lives” –“ God sent His Son, they called Him Jesus, He came to love, heal, and forgive;…He lived and died to buy my pardon, An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives…Because He lives I can face tomorrow, Because He lives all fear is gone;…Because I know He holds the future. And life is worth the living just because He lives.”

AS HE IS…SO AM I IN THE WITNESS AND EXAMPLE OF A LAID-DOWN LIFE.

In Matthew 16:24 Jesus said to all of His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” The very pattern of one’s true identity in Christ is:

• He is “after Christ” in faithful pursuit and passion.
• He is “denying himself” in counting all things loss to gain Christ.
• He is “taking up his cross,” taking the sentence of death unto himself that the life of Jesus may be manifested fully within him.
• He is “following Christ” in the spirit of “Wherever He Leads, I’ll Go.”

That is why John said in I John 3:16, “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us, and WE OUGHT TO LAY DOWN OUR LIVES FOR THE BRETHREN.”

To the church at Thessalonica, Paul bared his heart and soul. In I Thessalonians 2:4-8 and 10-12, the great apostle illumined in a practical way the “As He Is…So Am I” calling: “But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts. For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak for covetousness – God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, when we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. SO, AFFECTIONATELY LONGING FOR YOU, WE WERE WELL PLEASED TO IMPART TO YOU NOT ONLY THE GOSPEL OF GOD, BUT ALSO OUR OWN LIVES, BECAUSE YOU HAD BECOME DEAR TO US…You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe; as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, THAT YOU WOULD WALK WORTHY OF GOD WHO CALLS YOU INTO HIS OWN KINGDOM AND GLORY.”

To those around you, have you imparted not only the Gospel of God, but your own life as well?

AS HE IS…SO AM I IN THE WALK OF OBEDIENCE.

In Hebrews 5:8 there is a description of Jesus. It says, “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.” You and I are sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, and one of the necessary lessons of the overcoming life is our learning to obey. Some say, “That’s legalism”; no, it’s an ever-deepening love of our Father. Some say, “That’s law”, no, it’s liberty released because we’ve seen Jesus and His attitude toward Holy God.

David, the king, sang in 2 Samuel 22:45, “Foreigners pretend obedience to me.” But that is true not only of earthly citizens, but also of the professors of heavenly citizenship. In Psalm 81:15 the Word says, “The haters of the Lord would pretend submission to Him, but their fate would endure forever.”

We are not called to be “pretenders”, but “participants” in the very life of our Lord which is a life of obedience. What does the old hymn say? “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”

Paul said to the Corinthians that we can even “take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2Corinthians 10:5). A paraphrase of Romans 16:25-26 says: “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ…for obedience to the faith.” He even complimented the church at Rome when in verse 19 Paul said, “Your obedience has become known to all”!

Peter speaks to all saints and says in I Peter 1:14, “[Be] as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance.” The question is – Have I found the path of pleasurable obedience to the Prince of Peace?

AS HE IS…SO AM I IN THE POWERFUL PERSUASION OF PURITY OF HEART?

Do you know who the children of God are? Do you know what it means to truly be a disciple of Jesus? Have you come to full faith and understanding of what it means to be a member of the family of God? Paul said to Titus that we should be (Titus 2:13,14), “looking for that blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and ‘purify for Himself a people for His own possession,’ zealous for good deeds.’”

The psalmist asked, (Psalm 24:3-5), “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.”

Our precious Lord and Savior loves and redeems us as we are in our sin, but He certainly has no intention of leaving us in bondage to sin and self. “He purifies FOR HIMSELF a people for His own possession”!

In I John 3:2,3, John has previewed for us our great inheritance as servants of Christ – “We shall be like Him!” – and then adds: “And everyone who has this hope IN HIM PURIFIES HIMSELF, just as He is pure.”

The writer of Proverbs states persuasively and powerfully in chapter 22, verse 11: “He who loves purity of heart and whose speech is gracious, the king is his friend.” Is Jesus, the King of kings, your friend?

But to the church at Corinth, Paul delivered a compassionate warning: (2 Corinthians 11:3), “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.” That is our calling! THE PURITY OF DEVOTION TO CHRIST! The psalmist asked (Psalm 119:9), “How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to God’s Word.”

The Bible speaks of:

• The purity of our way – Psalm 119:9
• The purity of heart – James 4:8
• The purity of hope – I John 3:3
• A purified name – Song of Solomon
• Purified lips – Zephaniah 3:9
• Purified souls – I Peter 1:22

To young Timothy, the fatherly Paul said, (I Timothy 4:12), “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, AND PURITY, show yourself an example of those who believe.”

I said earlier that our Lord will not leave us as we are but that He and we, ourselves, are on the journey of purification. Let me give you an illustration.

…A man by the name of Richard Garcia from Knoxville, Tennessee, visited Calvary Baptist Church in Winter Haven, Florida, sometime around 1978 or 1979. I was serving as pastor of that great, compassionate, loving Spirit-anointed fellowship. It was a Sunday morning service that he attended. After he returned home, he wrote a letter to me that I will never forget. He started out like this:

“Pastor Fisher, two years ago I came to the Lord Jesus Christ. It was the greatest day of my life. I knew that I was saved and that I was in His hands for the process of being perfected in His image. I didn’t know what all that included until I visited your church…

Pastor Fisher, on that Sunday morning in your church I saw a man that I had thought was dead for about 35-40 years. And he was there on the front row of your church! God pierced my heart. Here’s why:

In the second World War, I was on a naval patrol on an island in the Pacific when we were overrun by the Japanese. It was hand to hand combat and I was so afraid. I was injured and because of my fear, I pulled a dead body over mine and played dead. From that position I watched the battle rage – and the last two standing were a Japanese soldier and the chief petty officer of our patrol. They fought and fought and I thought had ‘mortally wounded’ each other as they both finally fell down bleeding profusely with no movement. I laid there for a long time. No one moved. Finally, I said to myself that I must get back to our lines. I did. And then I told my commanders of fighting the battle until I was the only one left standing. They gave me the Purple Heart and the Congressional Medal of Honor.

But last Sunday I saw the chief petty officer who led our patrol I had thought dead. He is very much alive and I knew I must meet him and apologize. Will you arrange this meeting and I will return to Florida.”

The chief petty officer was Cliff Hawley, a retired agent of the FBI who had also been a stand-in for President Lyndon Baines Johnson – he looked just like L.B.J., big, tall, and strong. He didn’t remember the young man, now much older, but was willing to meet with him. Cliff said, “When you’re in war you don’t like to know the other soldiers intimately because so many are lost on the battlefield.”

Richard closed his letter by saying, “I’ve written the Office of the Armed Services, I’ve made my confession, and I’ve returned the two medals. I’m going to meet Jesus soon and He wants ‘nothing between my soul and the Savior.’” Hallelujah! Out Lord IS purifying for Himself a people for His own possession and Richard Garcia is a huge part of that glorious family!

AS HE IS…SO AM I – TEMPTED AND TESTED YET ETERNALLY TRIUMPHANT.

In Hebrews 2:18 the Scriptures say of Jesus, “For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.” Then in chapter 4, verses 15-16 it says, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are , yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Again, Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines “temptation” as follows: “Enticement to evil by arguments, by flattery, or by the offer of some real or apparent good…solicitation of the passions…enticements to evil proceeding from the prospect of pleasure or advantage…an allurement.”

J. Wilbur Chapman had it right – “Temptation is the tempter looking through the keyhole into the room where you are living; sin is your drawing back the bolt and making it possible for him to enter.”

John Bunyan was right also when he said, “Temptation provokes me to look upward to God.” If we do not look upward to God, we will look in, usually to our old sin natures rather than to the Indwelling Christ, and give in rather than resist! It’s why Spurgeon wrote (Memorial Library, Vol. 13, p.40), “The depravity of our nature forbids, first of all, a venturing or presuming to play and toy with temptation!” And it is certainly not the case that a few of the fallen or even a few of the redeemed are peculiarly or sensitively subject to temptation – “We’re All Tempted!” Oh, but notice the liberating truth of our Lord in I Corinthians 10:13 – “No temptation has overtaken you except such 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 temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” Hallelujah!

If you walk “As He Is” in the minefield of devilish temptation, victory is assured because of the same Christ within us who faced the tempter in the wilderness in Luke 4:1-14! Three elements of Jesus’ overcoming the tempter and his temptations:

• He stood on the Word – Luke 4:4 “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God.”
• He had settled His heart allegiance – Luke 4:12, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him alone shall you serve.”
• He lived humbly and not in haughtiness before the Lord – Luke 4:12 “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.”

Then notice Luke 4:14, “Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee…” The test of your temptation “can be” the testimony of Christ’s triumph through you!

AS HE IS…SO AM I, FAITHFUL AS A SON OVER MY HOUSE.

In Hebrews 3:6, in speaking of Jesus it says: “…faithful as a Son over His house, whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.”

It is divine truth that frees us to faithfulness like Christ! In Ephesians 2:19-22, the precious Word describes us as “fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, IN WHOM ALSO YOU ARE BEING BUILT TOGETHER FOR A HABITATION OF GOD IN THE SPIRIT.” Our lives, in Christ, are for the dwelling of God in the Spirit in us!

There has been a war waged against the Lamb of God; there is a war presently being waged against the Lamb of God; and there will be a war waged against the Lamb of God. The Word of God declares in Revelation 17:14 that “those who are with Him are the called, the chosen, and the faithful.”

In Isaiah 26:1,2 a song is being sung about those who enter the “strong city,” and verse 2 says, “Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter, the one that remains faithful [or keeps faithfulness].” It’s the way of life for one who is “in Christ.” I Samuel 2:35 speaks of a “faithful priesthood.”

Nehemiah 7:2 speaks of a “faithful man who fears God.”

Nehemiah 9:8 speaks of a “faithful heart.”

Psalm 78:37 speaks of the “faithful in God’s covenant.”

Psalm 119:30 speaks of the one who has “chosen the faithful way.”

Proverbs 13:17 speaks of the “faithful envoy who brings healing.”

Proverbs 14:5 speaks of the “faithful witness.”

Proverbs 27:6 speaks of the “faithful wounds of a friend.”

Matthew 25:21 speaks of the “faithful servant.”

Ephesians 1:1 speaks of the “faithful in Christ.”

Hebrews 3:5 speaks of the “faithful in all his house.”

Then in Revelation 2:10, our Lord speaks – “Be faithful until death, and I will give you a crown of life.” Are you longing for the “Well done…”?

AS HE IS…SO AM I IN THE STEADFASTNESS OF ENDURANCE – EVEN OF THE CROSS.

In Hebrews 12:2,3 we hear our calling again, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls."

My faithful co-elder in Belton, Texas, for 17 years, Attorney Thomas Baird, says: “It costs us nothing to begin, but everything to finish.” I believe he is right! We shared preaching and teaching together !

In Revelation 1:9 we hear John’s testimony: “I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Christ Jesus…” Did you receive it?

Tribulation…kingdom…and PERSEVERANCE WHICH ARE IN CHRIST JESUS! The persevering, enduring spirit is not our attributes but His availing gift!

Paul told the church at Rome (Romans 15:5), “Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus…” God gives us perseverance if we accept it! And the end result?

Look at James 1:12. “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”

Through this earthly pilgrimage, as we press into Him, read what the Lord said to the Philadelphia church in Revelation 3:10-12. “Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell upon the earth. I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, in order that no one take your crown. He who overcomes I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.”

Edmund Burke, in “Reflections on the Revolution in France” wrote: “The body of all true religion consists, to be sure, in obedience to the will of the Sovereign of the world, in a confidence in His declarations, and in imitation of His perfections.”

Obedience to the Sovereign will, confidence in His revealed truth, and imitation of His perfections! What is in Jesus? Tribulation! The kingdom rule! And perseverance! Enjoy it as you enjoin yourself to Him!

AS HE IS…SO AM I – SWALLOWED UP IN THE LIFE OF HIS ABIDING LOVE.

John13:1 speaks of the nature and character of our Savior’s love: “Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He should depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, HE LOVED THEM TO THE END.” Unending love! Aren’t you glad?

In the High Priestly Lord’s Prayer found in John 17, our Lord said two things to the Father:

*Verse 18 – “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.”

*Verse 26 – “…that the love with which You loved Me may be in them…”

Is that love of the Father being released through your life? Do you know that unending love?

Dorothy Gurney wrote a powerful hymn. It says, two verses only: “O perfect love, all human thought transcending, Lowly we kneel in prayer before Your throne

That theirs may be the love which knows no ending, Whom You forevermore do join in one.

Hear us, O Father, gracious and forgiving, Through Jesus Christ, Your co-eternal Word, Who, with the Holy Ghost, by all things living

Now and to endless ages are adored.”

“AS HE IS…SO AM I,” flooded with the wellspring of abiding love!

“As He IS…SO AM I,” bathed in the beauty of Christ’s eternal love!

“AS HE IS…SO AM I,” filled with an unconditional, unquenchable love!

“AS HE IS…SO AM I,” blessed with the fragrance of the sweet aroma of Calvary’s love!

“AS HE IS…SO AM I,” girded with the greatness of Christ’s sacrificial love!

“AS HE IS…SO AM I,” inspired by the covering love of Christ at the cross that causes me to hide another’s transgressions in the sea of agape forgetfulness!

“AS HE IS…SO AM I,” buoyed by the awareness that His banner over me is love!

In Matthew 5:43-48 Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain of the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

George Beverly Shea wrote it and sang it: The song says, “There’s the wonder of sunset at evening, the wonders as sunrise I see, But the wonder of wonders that thrills my soul is the wonder that God loves me. O, the wonder of it all! The wonder of it all! Just to think that God loves me!”

Do you need a baptism of heavenly love? Look at Romans 5:8 – “The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who was given to us.” Receive the Holy Spirit, and see a release of the fullness of Calvary love.

In the closing of the epistle to the Hebrews the writer gives an uplifting word (Hebrews 13:20-21): “Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing TO DO HIS WILL working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to Whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

“As He Is…So Am I!”

CHAPTER SEVEN

THE GREAT LOOKING

I Kings 18:41-46 is one of the most exciting, encouraging words in all of scripture. Read it carefully:

“Then Elijah said to Ahab, ‘Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the abundance of rain.’ So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground and put his face between his knees, and said to his servant, ‘Go up now, look toward the sea.’ So he went up and looked, and said, ‘There is nothing.’ And 7 times he said, ‘Go again.’ Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, ‘There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!’ So he said, ‘Go up, say to Ahab, “prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.” Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. Then the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah.”

CRISIS! That’s a word we all had rather not hear. It’s a cloud we hope will not settle over us. It’s an event we pray will be written into someone else’s life story. But that is not being real, honest, or facing the truth of human experience.

Crisis is defined as follows: “an unstable or crucial time or state of affairs whose outcome will make a decisive difference for better or for worse.”

That’s a universal experience! It doesn’t matter what part of the globe you live on, you are not exempt from crisis moments. There are moments of conflict, times when confusion wants to prevail and cloud the hearts and minds of God’s people. There are seasons of pain, of frustration, of heartache and of disappoint.

It’s there…we’ll not escape it! And whether we are able to admit it or not, crisis, conflict, and confusion are a part of God’s molding scheme in our spiritual journey. He has ordained it.

There was an experiment conducted at the University of Montreal by Dr. Hans Selvye, professor of Experimental Medicine that related to ‘crisis.’ He took some rats, placed them in a comfortable cage, gave them the best of foods, but they were constantly harassed. He placed a dog outside of the cage that barked and growled and threatened them while they were eating. There was the constant pressure of loud noises produced in a variety of ways. Frequently he dropped heavy objects onto the cage. Soon it was evident that the rats were exhausted although they had not been physically hurt. Crisis had taken its toll!

We all know about crisis, conflicts, and times of confusion. What a crisis when a nation is at war. I was only 5 years of age when on December 7, 1941, I stood beside my grandfather with his ears stuck to the radio learning of the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese and then our inevitable entrance into the second World War.

There is the inevitable conflict with people who walk with feet of clay. There is the confusion of rejection, those misunderstandings, and then the tragedies of broken marriages and divided families. There is that crisis of failure, the painful blue flame of human experience when we come to the end of ourselves. There is the cloud of sorrow, disappointment, defeat, hurt, antagonism, or hostility.

Crisis comes! It can be with people. It can be the unfolding of nature’s wrath. It can be disturbances that are demonically motivated. Paul said in Ephesians 6:12, “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.”

Years ago I read of a Dr. Franklin as he told about a transcribed radio program. He talked of how the beautiful music was the inspiration of the speaker’s thoughts of love and understanding among men. His thoughts were on the theme of “The Brotherhood of Men.” But Dr. Franklin said that he looked on the label on the jacket of the record that read: “Fingerprints will be produced as audible disturbances on this transcription. Please avoid fingerprinting the grooves by handling the record by the outside rim.” Dr. Franklin said it was a parable of life! The loving voice of our heavenly Father, the heavenly harmony, the symphony of life, may be distorted and marred by minor or major human disturbances. OR…they may be used to mold us into the spirit, faith, and life of a man like Elijah.

Elijah knew about crisis, confusion, and conflict. He stood before the Ahabs and Jezebels of this world. In the flow of the above passage in I Kings 18, Elijah had just trusted in God to defeat the pagan prophets of Baal and Ashtoreth, 850 of them in number, on Mount Carmel. He had just heard King Ahab call him names, “He that troubles Israel!” He had just finished that spiritual conflict of heaven’s war on earth calling down fire from the throne of God to consume the sacrifice on the altar. Now he is saying, “The same God who withheld rain for three and a half years can send it to wash away the godless of Israel!”

In that experience, there is A GREAT LOOKING, a heavenly message that we need to heed. Elijah told his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” What a picture! It’s a picture for the world, for the church, for a life…an unfading picture of victory in a time of crisis. It’s a picture that appears blank with only a frame around it. It seems as if there is a complete lack of evidence for the support of Elijah’s prayer and faith.

On the surface, it says “NO HOPE.” On the surface, it is painted black with the feeling of bleak discouragement on the servant’s part. On the surface, the print of faith reads as despair. “Look toward the seas”…illogical words of a seeming illogical conduct in the zenith of overwhelming odds. “There’s nothing,” responds the servant.

But Elijah didn’t panic. Delay to this dependent prophet was not defeat. The failure of an immediate answer was not God’s final word. Faith supported the head of Elijah’s hopes. Perseverance was the name of the song sung when the coronation service was held for one of God’s prophets. Holding on in hope was the life verse of his walk by faith.

WHEN THE CRISIS OF LIFE COMES, IN “THE GREAT LOOKING” TOWARD LIFE’S SEAS AND OCEAN DEPTHS, LOOK TO GOD IN PRAYER.

Look at I Kings 18:42, “…And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; THEN HE BOWED DOWN ON THE GROUND…”

Elijah hadn’t taken that physical position in order to try to ease his pain of conflict by the power of positive positioning. Elijah was praying! This is the Elijah called out by God to be His holy prophet. This is the Elijah who depended upon God to shut out the rain of heaven for three and a half years. This is the Elijah whom God fed by the brooks through the ravens. This is the Elijah who trusted God to fill the widow’s barrel of meal, whose jar never failed. This is the Elijah who prayed for the resuscitation of the life of the widow’s son, and he lived. This is the Elijah who stood before the false prophets on Mount Carmel and challenged them: “How long do you halt between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him.” What else would he do when he stands before this crisis with Ahab? What else but pray?

Arthur John Gossip of Aberdeen, Scotland, was one of the greatest among the greats of Scottish preachers. He lost his wife very suddenly, and the first sermon he preached after her untimely death was entitled, “But When Life Tumbles In, What Then?” Among other things he said, “I cannot comprehend how people in trouble and loss and bereavement can fling away peevishly from the Christian faith. In God’s name, fling to what? Have we not lost enough without losing that too?” And he turned to God in a life of Prayer to find the lift above the cloud of the crisis of sorrow and bereavement.

What do people do when crisis comes? What do people do when the revealing tests come? Look at I Kings 18:42 again, “So Ahab went up to eat and drink…” For some, it’s not that priceless privilege to turn to God; it’s another opportunity to gratify self. It’s not that holy hour to hang on to God; it’s the cowardice compromise of sticking our head in the sand and ignoring it. For some, it’s not that monumental moment to discover the power of God, it’s the tragic temptation to become deeper imbedded in the stronghold of self-pleasure, self-evaluation, and self-will.

But Elijah turned to God! It was a crucial day in the life of his people and his nation. For three and a half years the mocking skies of God’s judgment held no clouds over physically and spiritually impoverished Israel. The spirit of rebellion had ruled God out. The nation had sown the wind of willful rejection of Holy God, and they were reaping the whirlwind. The fiery breath of cloudless skies had burned the fields clean; the hot breath of the sun’s rays had scorched their earth. The dead, parched foliage had rustled and rattled in the swirling winds and scorching heat. Deadly drought had swept the streams, lakes, and ponds barren and dry. The cattle died. Desperation was the song of the nation.

But Elijah knew the power of God. He saw it on Mount Carmel. He saw a whole nation turning back to God. I Kings 18:39 says, “Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, ‘The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”

And now he lifts his heart to God and prays. He doesn’t pray for fire but for water. The same Sovereign God who withheld the rain, who sent the fire, that same Sovereign God can give the rains again!

Oh, today, how we need to know in the midst of our crisis the God who sends gracious rains. How we need to know the God who answers our prayers. How WE need to pray. We need to see as Elijah the God who turns the face of conflict into the face of conquest. We need to see as Elijah the God who turns the face of personal drought into the face of the spiritual showers of blessing.

Like Elijah, we trust God and pray! Our skies may be filled with brazen iniquities. Our surroundings may be like the thunderous storms of cataclysmic proportion. Our day may be turned into the black night of suffering, but in the midst of tears, grief, heartache, pain, seemingly unbearable pressures, we will turn our faces unashamedly and in confident faith to the God of Mount Carmel; we’ll pray!

WHEN THE CRISIS COMES, IN “THE GREAT LOOKING” TOWARD THE SEA WE WILL LEAN AND REST UPON THE ROCK OF FAITH.

Again in I Kings 18:42, Elijah not only “bowed down on the ground” but “he put his face between his knees.” It’s a picture of being totally finished with himself and fully trusting his God alone. That’s “FAITH”!

In Hebrews 11:1 the Word says, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen…” And in Hebrews 11:19 it says Abraham “…accounted that God was able…”

What is it that we sing? “Faith is the victory that overcomes the world.” That song says: “By faith they, like a whirlwind’s breath, swept on o’er every field…the faith by which they conquered death is still our shining shield.” Faith…it’s the anchor of the soul in the storms of life. Faith…it’s the only firm, faithful resting place. Faith…it’s this: “He cannot fail, He must prevail.”

Another favorite hymn says, “Standing on the promises that cannot fail, when the howling storms of doubt and fear assail…By the living Word of God, I shall prevail, standing on the promises of God.”

Elijah leaned solidly and assuredly on the “rock of faith!” Let’s look at faith. It’s not feeble fables or cunning devices of man’s imagination. What does faith, true faith, do?

*FAITH LISTENS

I Kings 18:41, “Then Elijah said to Ahab…’there is the sound of abundance of rain…” There are no clouds. There had been no rain for three and a half years. No lightning has been flashing. No bolt of thunder rumbling across the horizon. Not one drop of rain has fallen…BUT WAIT!

The man of faith stopped. The man of faith listened in on the deliberation councils of Sovereign God. The man of faith, before the fact on earth, heard the sound of abundant rain in heaven. The man of faith held on to sovereign facts not seen as yet.

Fear says, not so…Faith says, “I Hear.” Fear says, not so…Faith says, “I hear abundance.” Fear says, not so…Faith says, “I hear the sound of abundance of rain.” Fear says, not so…Faith says, “I told you so” as Ahab’s chariot floats down the side of the mountain.

Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” Have you listened for God’s Word for you in your moment of crisis?

*FAITH LOOKS UP

Verse 43, Elijah said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea…” Is it real for you? The hymn says and we sing it:

“My faith looks up to Thee, Thou Lamb of Calvary, Savior Divine! Now hear me while I pray…!”

Faith looks up. It looks up into the face of God that doesn’t appear to be there.

Faith says, “Look up…Doubt says, “There’s nothing.”

Faith says, “Look again!” God said through Isaiah (45:22), “Look unto Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else.”

Have you focused? Have you focused your eyes on the faithfulness of God? Have you faithfully focused? Sarah Adams found conflict (or was it providence?) in the illness of her family. Her sister’s ill health forced Sarah to have to give up her own plans of marriage and become the personal, private duty nurse in her own home 24 hours a day. But she focused her faith. She saw her crisis in the light of God’s love and wrote: “Nearer my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee! Even though it be a cross that raises me, still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee!”

*FAITH HOLDS ON

Verse 43 says, “Go…seven times.” “There’s nothing.” “Go again.” “There’s nothing.” “Go again.” The sixth time…”Go again. I know that just as certainly as I am standing on Mount Carmel, the clouds are gathering. I know that the windows and doors of heaven have been opened and I have heard the sound of abundance of rain.”

He didn’t sense it. He didn’t feel it. HE FAITHED IT! Then in the first part of verse 44, “Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, ‘There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea…’” Paul said to the church at Corinth (2 Corinthians 4:18), “We look not at the things which are seen, but at things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Verse 45, “The sky became black with clouds and wind, AND THERE WAS A HEAVY RAIN…! There’s a rumble of thunder, a flash of lightning, and the rolling in of rain-filled clouds. Nearer and nearer they came over Elijah and Mount Carmel, as he stands with a smile on his face, the wind blowing his hair and clothes in strong breezes. Thunder cannonades across canyons echoing a shout out from the heart of deep caves, “GOD HAS ANSWERED.”

The skies became veiled in glorious clouds. The sound is furious like the torrent of all the rivers that ever flowed in Israel – oceans of water released.

The cloud is called judgment – and it roars. The cloud called anger faces a pagan king. The cloud is called faithfulness and it drops rain like the Niagara. God is riding on the wing of the storm. God is sounding out the voice of promise. It’s a deafening roar. The mountain becomes a channel as the flood of God’s graciousness flows.

Then the rain stops. The sun shines through. The land has been touched with the freshness of God’s cleansing. Faith holds on because “Joy comes in the morning.”

WHEN THE CRISIS OF LIFE COMES, IN “THE GREAST LOOKING” TOWARD THE SEA, WE’LL LIVE IN AN ATTITUDE OF UNWAVERING CONFIDENCE IN GOD.

Verse 46, “Then the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah…” Here’s what David said in Psalm 23:4, “…I will fear no evil; for You, O God, are with me…”

To the church at Corinth (2 Corinthians 4:8-9), Paul said, “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.” Why? Because his hand was in the hand of God.

*PLACE YOUR HAND IN THE HOLY HAND OF GOD!

Isaiah knew crisis. He knew trouble. His dear friend Uzziah had died, and broken-hearted, Isaiah went to the temple. Do you remember? He encountered the living God, and he put his hand, a hand of faith, into the hand of God. And what did he say? “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His Glory.”

*PLACE YOUR HAND IN THE HELPING HAND OF GOD!

Reflect upon the words of this great hymn: “Come, thou Fount of every blessing, tune me heart to sing Your grace. Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise. Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above. Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it, Mount of Your redeeming love…

Here I raise my Ebenezer. Hither by Your help I’m come; And I hope by Your good pleasure safely to arrive at home. Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God; He, to rescue me from danger, interposed His precious blood.”

George Muller explained often how at times in the history of his God-supplied orphanage, he, his staff, and the orphan children had gone to bed at night with nothing in the home for breakfast the next day, but that they had never gone without a meal. One who listened said, “It looks to me like a hand-to-mouth proposition.” To which Mueller responded, “It is, but it’s God’s hand and our mouths.”

*PLACE YOUR HAND IN THE HOLDING HAND OF GOD!

Jesus said in John 10:27-29, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them to Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand.”

It’s time to look up! It’s time to focus that spiritual vision on the abundant faithfulness of God’s provision! It’s time to open your eyes to the rains of God that are “Times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord!” It’s time to “Lean not unto your own understanding, but in all of your ways to acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.” It’s time to appropriate out of your heart “the flow of rivers of living water.” It’s time!!

CHAPTER EIGHT

ALL GLORY TO GOD ALONE

Isaac Watts, a famous hymn-writer of by-gone years knew the reality of “All Glory To God Alone.” One of his famous hymns is entitled “O God, Our Help In Ages Past.” It says:

“O God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come, Our shelter from the stormy blast, And our eternal home!

Under the shadow of Your throne, Your saints have dwelt secure; Sufficient is Your arm alone, And our defense is sure.

Before the hills in order stood, Or earth received her frame, From everlasting You are God, To endless years the same.

O God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come, You be our guide while life shall last, And our eternal home.”

In I Corinthians 4:7 Paul asks an eternally significant question. He asks, “And what do you have that you did not receive?” That is so basic, so fundamental, so foundational, and yet there are multitudes in the “spiritual awakenings”(?) of the last 15-20 years who have become so introverted that they have come to believe that they are where they are by self means, resulting in a self-glory that omits God!

That is not the testimony of either Old Testament or New Testament saints. Never did they consider their victories, spiritual accomplishments, understanding, or their overcoming tenacity to have anything to do with themselves.

David, a great king, said of God, “…my glory and the lifter of my head.” (Psalm 3:3). In Psalm 29:9 he said, “…and in His temple everything says, ‘Glory!’” Then in Psalm 66:2 he said, “Sing the glory of His name; make His praise glorious.”

Listen to the beloved John in Revelation 19:6-7, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, Almighty reigns! Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him!” And in Revelation 5:13 he wrote: “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”

The writer of Hebrews (3:6) said of Christ: “But Christ was faithful as a Son over His house, whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and THE BOAST OF OUR HOPE firm until the end.” What is “the boast of your hope”?

To the church at Corinth, Paul wrote (2 Corinthians 10:17-18), “But he who boasts, let him boast in the Lord. For not he who commends is approved, but whom the Lord commends.” Then to the church at Rome, Paul wrote (Romans 15:17), “Therefore in Christ Jesus I have found reason for boasting in things pertaining to God.” Have you found reason for boasting ONLY in things pertaining to God?

Jeremiah the prophet found a wealthy treasure when he heard God speak these words: “Thus says the Lord, ‘Let not a wise man boast in his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts BOAST OF THIS, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,’ declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24).

The psalmist wisely said in Psalm 20:7, “Some boast in chariots, and some in horses: But we will boast in the name of the Lord, our God.” In Psalm 44:8 he said, “In God we have boasted all day long, and we will give thanks to Your name forever.”

Then in Psalm 34:1-3 David erupts like an exploding volcano: “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together”!

Now, after that scriptural foundation, let me introduce the heart of our thoughts from John 3:27 when John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from heaven.” What is His name? Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end! “All Glory To God Alone!”

First, WE GIVE GLORY TO GOD ONLY BECAUSE OF HIS GIFT OF UNVEILING OF REVELATION, KNOWLEDGE, AND UNDERSTANDING ABOUT HIMSELF.

In Romans 3:10-18 Paul explains the reality of the fallen sin nature of men, that there are none who seek after God. Is that a statement of a cynic or the statement of Holy Ghost revealed truth?

Are YOU a seeker after God? If so, why? Listen to Romans 1:19, “…that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them…” The awareness and acknowledgement and discernment of the need of our acceptance of God COMES FROM HIM! It’s His gift!

WE GIVE GLORY TO GOD ONLY BECAUSE OF THE GIFT OF HIS DRAWING POWER. Jesus so graciously spoke to His disciples in John 6:44 when He said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him…”

In John 15:16 our Savior boldly declares, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you…” The God of the universe, the Christ of Calvary’s cross, came to you and drew you to Himself!

Oh, read the psalmist’s hymn of praise and providence: “He sent me from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hate me, for they were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support.” (Psalm 18:16-19).

Be warmed by Jeremiah’s revelation of the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God for your life as recorded in Jeremiah 31:3, “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.” Have you sensed His drawing power of your heart to Him? He is drawing you, and the cross of Calvary stands forever as a testimony of His everlasting love of your life!

WE GIVE GLORY TO GOD ONLY BECAUSE OF THE GIFT OF HIS TEACHING TO ENLIGHTEN US. In John 6:45 Jesus said, “It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.” Taught by God! It is not that Scripture contradicts itself when in Ephesians 4:11 the Word tells us of the gift of pastors-teachers. Our Lord graciously allows men to be the channels of His blessing – but He only is the teacher – we are the tools.

John puts it another way when in I John 2:27 he said, “And as for you, the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.”

For 25 years I traveled primarily to India, but also to the Philippines, Tanzania, Nigeria, Kenya, Cambodia, Haiti, Bangladesh. One of the awesome times in the seminars when I’m teaching the pastors is when we come to 2 Timothy 2:7 and I read: “Consider what I say, Timothy, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” Our God is no respecter of persons, and when village pastors learn of God’s faithful promise to give them understanding in everything there is revival, celebration, great joy, and they leave with confidence that God will teach them also.

WE GIVE GLORY TO GOD ONLY BECAUSE OF THE CONVICTING POWER OF HIS HOLY SPIRIT.

The prophet Zechariah said, God speaking through him, “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they have pierced; they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.” (Zechariah 12:10).

The process of salvation necessitates the convicting power of the Holy Spirit for the conviction of one’s sin-blotted heart. That is why I am convinced modern Christianity is filled with “cultural Christians” rather than converted, regenerated, second-birthed men and women.

It took thirty-seven and a half years of my life to truly come to that place of “repentance toward God and faith in Christ alone.” I will never forget February, 1974 when my dear friend, Peter Lord, said to me in his church auditorium, “Farrell, I sense your problem is you’ve never repented of your sin. You go in my office, I’ll stay on my knees at the altar here praying for you, but you need to do business with God. I’m praying that the Holy Spirit will show you your heart, convict you of your sin, and bring you through to true confession, brokenness, and a crying out to Him for your salvation.”

I did, he did, the Holy Spirit did, and God did! I tell the pastors across the world, “It’s good for preachers also to be saved, born again, and filled with the Spirit.” I had grown up in the church ( and thank God for it), gone to Bible college and seminary, then pastored for 12 years, but finally broke through to true salvation because of the Holy Spirit and the love of a friend.

Jesus said this in John 16:7,8 – “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage 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. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” But also in John 15:22,26, Jesus spoke these illuminating words about sin and the Spirit. Look: “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin…But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.”

John closed out his epistle in I John 5:20 saying, “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.”

WE GIVE GLORY TO GOD ONLY BECAUSE OF THE GIFT OF AN OPENED HEART ENABLED BY HIM TO RESPOND TO TRUTH. One of the awesome times of travel to India was in the early days, about 1983, when the door was opened for me to preach to about 2000 young ladies between the ages of 14 to 20 in a school in southern India in the city of Nagercoil. The Lord had led me to open up Acts 16:14 to these young ladies where the Word tells us about Lydia. “Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshipped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.” Under the anointing of God’s Spirit, I saw about 500 young ladies get on their knees and begin to cry out, “God, open my heart to respond to the things spoken by Jesus.” Has your heart been opened? It always has been a matter of the heart with God! He said to Samuel, “Man looks on the outward appearances – God looks at the heart.”

In Ezekial 36, after talking about washing and cleansing (through the blood of the New Covenant), God promised in verse 26, “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.” Oh, but that is not all! Look at what God Opens:

*Psalm 40:6 “My ears You have opened…”

*John 9:30 “…He opened my eyes…”

*Luke 24:45 “Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures…”

*Ezekial 1:1 “…the heavens were opened, and I saw visions from God.”

*Acts 14:27 “…and how God opened a door of faith to the Gentiles…”

*Zechariah 13:1 “In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and impurity…” Which leads us to:

WE GIVE GLORY TO GOD ONLY BECAUSE OF THE FOUNTAIN FILLED WITH THE BLOOD OF CHRIST JESUS.

Sometime around 1993 or 1994 I was in Nigeria to do a Pastors’ Seminar and be a part of an open-air crusade in Jos, Nigeria, with Bob Phillips. At one of the night crusade meetings they introduced a young man, about 27-28 years of age, to sing. He was tall, about six feet, six inches, and very impressive. He began to sing and was singing the stars down with the 7000-8000 people in the palm of his hand. I turned to Bob Phillips and said, “Wow, we need to find out about this young man.” We did.

They told us that in his early high school years, about the tenth standard, or sophomore year, he was already probably the best basketball player Nigeria had ever produced. Universities from America were already traveling to see him play, drooling over his skills and abilities. They said he was a magician with the basketball, strong inside, strong outside. BUT…he was a womanizer, already heavy into alcohol, and soon into drugs. He became both an alcoholic and a drug addict and ended up on the streets of Lagos a beggar. He was broken and dying.

One day in his room, he rummaged in his pockets and found a little money. He said to himself that if he didn’t get something to eat he was going to die. He went to a nearby restaurant, the waitress brought a menu, he ordered and she left. When she returned she brought a bowl of water and a towel, a local custom of washing your hands at the table, looked at the young man and said, “Young man, the water in this bowl can wash your hands clean, but only the blood of Jesus can wash your heart pure!” Then she turned and walked away. He ate his meal, returned to his bedbug and rat-infested room, fell across his bed and began to cry out, “Jesus, I’ve never heard of You, don’t know who You are, but if You can help me, please come to me;” then fell asleep in a puddle of tears.

At daybreak the next morning, there was a knock at the door. He arose and went to the door, opened it, and saw an elderly white-haired gentleman standing there. The man (or angel!) said, “Young man, do you have a need? Jesus sent me here.” Hurriedly, he led the old man in, sat beside him, and heard the story of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, repented of his sins, gave his heart to Christ, and was instantaneously delivered from alcohol and drugs. Then God gave him a song to sing, even praise to our God, and he’s been singing ever since!

What did Peter say? (I Peter 1:18,19). “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”

Jesus Himself “Bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed” (I Peter 2:24).

Then in I Peter 3:18 we read, “For Christ also suffered once for our sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.” Hallelujah! Give Glory To God!

Then in Hebrews 9:14 the anointed author wrote, “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

WE GIVE GLORY TO GOD ONLY BECAUSE OF THE GIFT, NOT OF ‘OUR’ WORDS, BUT OF HIS WORD THAT GIVES LIFE.

To the church at Thessalonica, Paul said, (I Thessalonians 2:13), “And for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God’s message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.” (I Thessalonians 2:13).Jesus is not a liar. He is not a lunatic, but is Lord God, Immanuel, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. In John 6:63 Jesus said, “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”

Peter understood it and spoke to the scattered of all ages, “…having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the Word of God which lives and abides forever” (I Peter 1:23). It does what? It lives and abides forever. That is why Jesus, in response to the tempter, said in Matthew 4:4, “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” No wonder the Word is so treasured!

WE GIVE GLORY TO GOD ONLY BECAUSE OF THE GIFT OF REPENTANCE THAT LEADS TO LIFE.

I have basically said already that repentance is missing from too much of American preaching. It’s as if we have developed an American ‘gospel’ that is in opposition to THE GOSPEL that Paul was not ashamed of! In fact, in 2 Corinthians 11:4 Paul said, “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.”

To the elders at Ephesus whom Paul called to his side (Acts 20:20-,21), Paul said, [“You know] how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Peter went back up to Jerusalem to explain to the circumcision why he reached out to the “unclean.” In Acts 11:12-18 Peter shared how he was led of the Spirit to go to Cornelius’ house. He preached the Gospel to them and said (v. 15), “And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning.” Then in verses 17-18 Peter informed them in Jerusalem, “If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God? When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, ‘Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”

I know you didn’t miss it! “Then God has also granted (given, bestowed) to the Gentiles REPENTANCE TO LIFE”! Yes, even repentance is a gift of God – not an emotional attitude, mind-set, or fleshly determination to change. It is a gift of God!

Let me remind you of what Paul said to the church at Rome: (Romans 2:4), “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”

Reflect upon 2 Corinthians 7:9-11 as you ask yourself, “Have I truly repented and forsaken my sin?” “Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner. What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.”

WE GIVE GLORY TO GOD ONLY BECAUSE OF THE RICHNESS OF THE GIFT OF LIFE THROUGH JESUS CHRIST.

In 2 Corinthians 8:9 Paul wrote: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” And I am not talking about worldly prosperity even though in God’s Sovereignty He may choose to bless you in that way. But, what is a man profited if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?

Look at true wealth through the grace of God! (I Corinthians 1:30), “But of Him [by God’s doing] you are in Christ Jesus who became for us wisdom from God! – and righteousness [imputed and implanted] and sanctification [set apart for His glory and honor] and redemption [blood-bought]…”

The precious Word of God teaches us three things about the richness of the gift of life from God:

1)It is abundant, John 10:10, “…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

2)It is spiritual, Romans 8:2, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”

3)It is eternal, Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Are you enjoying and basking in your journey of great riches?

WE GIVE GLORY TO GOD ONLY BECAUSE OF THE GIFT OF HIS WORK WITHIN US. I have a little plaque, wooden, in my office that says, “Please be patient with me. God isn’t finished with me yet.”

In Philippians 2:12,13 Paul says, “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.”

Then, in Philippians 3:20,21 Paul wrote: “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.”

Aren’t you glad? Your God is able even to subdue all things to Himself! Even every part of where you feel there is no hope. Look up – for your redemption draws near!

It does not mean that I don’t have a part. It is why Paul told the church at Colossae, (Colossians 1:29), “To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.” I LABOR AND I STRIVE IN ACCORDANCE TO HIS WORKING WITHIN ME!

To the church at Thessalonica Paul put it like this : (I Thessalonians 5:24,23), “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. 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.”

WE GIVE GLORY TO GOD ONLY BECAUSE OF THE GIFT OF A NEW IDENTITY.

The atheistic George Bernard Shaw said, “Every man is ill at ease until he had found his niche.” I am convinced that when a man has found “his niche” he is in the most dangerous place he has ever been in and will forever remain ill at ease. I am convinced that it is not our niche that eases our spiritual illness but our oneness with God who blesses us with our new identity.

I love and celebrate regularly what Peter said in I Peter 2:9,10, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but now are the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.”

I appreciate so much James D. Mallory’s book, “The Kink and I,” subtitled “a psychiatrist’s guide to untwisted living.” The truth is we all have “kinks” our Lord is untwisting, but the great relief comes when you exchange your kinks for your identity as “a new creation,” “ambassadors of Christ,” “sons of God,” “kings (not kinks) and priests.”

I remember my precious friend, Peter Lord, asking someone in the seminar group I was a part of, “How righteous are you?” Then he asked a lady to stand and give an answer. “70%? 90%?40%?” Hesitantly, she finally answered, “I guess, maybe 70%.” “No, dear lady, no; if you are ‘in Christ’ you are 100% righteous because as He is, so are you.” Do you see it, do you understand it? It is exchanging, because of God’s great mercy, your identity as a sinner for your place in the kingdom of God and “sainthood” – those set apart for the glory of God alone. Amen?

Last of all, WE GIVE GLORY TO GOD ONLY BECAUSE OF HIS GIFT OF OVERCOMING POWER. The beloved John said in I John 4:4, “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.”

In chapter 5:4 John said, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.” And didn’t Paul tell us (Ephesians 2:8) that “by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the Gift of God.”

Overcoming power, the overflow of saving faith, is the gift of God. Our overcoming has everything to do with Him. He deserves the glory and honor!

In closing, the psalmist exalted our God 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 of hosts, He is the King of glory.”

CHAPTER NINE

THE SELF-STYLED HUMANIST VS. 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.

It wasn’t long after that, that “the whole earth used the same language and the same words.” I don’t believe that only means they simply spoke a common language, but that they all were speaking with the same thoughts, ideas, intents – “we’ll be God unto ourselves, so, come, ‘lets us build FOR OURSELVES’ a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven an ‘let us make for ourselves a name,’ lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:1-4)

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 is 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-mankind’s-own potential apart from God!

He even has a peace about him – certainly a false peace and not the peace that passes all understanding – but he has measured himself by himself, and others, and is satisfied with what he sees. He has no need of God and promotes the false doctrine of human potential apart from God.

Joseph Alleine wrote “An Alarm To Unconverted Sinners, “Cursed is that 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” Oswald Chambers basically said that humankind wants 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.”

And the sad thing is that the church at large in America has bought into a comfortable, convenient, non-condemning ‘gospel’ that does not produce “Life”.

J.I. Packer wrote in an article printed in “Christianity Today,” entitled “Decadence a la mode”: “Though we negate secular humanist 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 that 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.”

Let me ask you some questions:

*Is it that man is simply a victim or is the problem that he is a sinner?

*Is it a pat on the back men need or holy conviction?

*Is humanism an acceptable way to godlike, human potential or is rebirth THE 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 converted, regenerated, transformed by the Gospel and the power of God?

*Is it self-worth and self-esteem that is the great need of men or is it Jesus?

I want to remind you of the eternal truth 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.”

To Nicodemus, Jesus said in John 3:7, “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again…”

Acts 4:12 is so clear: “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.”

In John 11:25 Jesus proclaimed, “I am the Resurrection and the Life…” But some men love darkness rather than light! There is a choice. There is a crossroad. There is a confrontation with Eternal Truth – and men must decide. The Self-Styled Humanist vs. Sovereign God:

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 it – 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 and 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 the victory of Christ’s priceless sacrifice.”

The humanist says, “Live by the blood and guts of focus, dream, and visualization to fulfill your dreams;” God says, “Live through the grace and blood of the Lamb that focuses on divine will, heavenly pleasure, and eternal blessings.”

The humanist says, “Live in the liberty and freedom of doing whatever comes naturally;” God says, “Flee youthful lusts and discover true freedom in imputed righteousness, a living faith, a holy love, and abiding peace.”

The humanist says, “Be at peace with yourself, accepting the good and the bad, the light and the dark, and the acceptable and the evil, that’s real life;” God says, “Be at peace with me and 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 present, evil world, saving the time for eternal, spiritual benefit and blessing.”

The humanist says, “Exalt yourself;” God says, “I called you through grace and am pleased to reveal My Son in you as you humble yourself and repent.”

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 ne manifest 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.’ But I Am and forever will be.”

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, the one way to Me who was: revealed 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 His Father-God.”

The humanist says, “Man’s word is sufficient enough for a profitable existence as he looks to himself;” God says, “Man is sanctified only by means on My Word and prayer to the God who does hear and answer.”

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, for 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 am number one;” 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;” God says, “Friends of this world become My enemies.”

The humanist says, Man in himself is all one needs;” God says, “Man in himself walks in the delusions of his own mind, is darkened in his understanding, and is excluded from the life of God.”

The humanist says, “Neat self;” 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;” God says, “Establish your hearts unblamable in holiness, a poured out drink offering for others, a servant like My Son.”

The humanist says, “Man is the victim not the sinner;” God says, Man is the sinner, victimized by Satan and the powers of darkness and 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;” 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;” God says, “It’s a matter of fallen nature. Man is fallen, depraved, alienated, separated from Christ, having no hope, without God in this world and there’s only one answer – Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.” John Bunyan wrote, “Christ and Christ only can make us capable of enjoying God with life and joy for all eternity.”

The humanist says, “Temptation to evil passions is normal and natural – enjoy it;” God says, “Temptation to evil is destructive and there is a way of escape.”

The humanist says, “Sincerity, sophistication, and soul-sacredness is the key to understanding mankind, not sin;” 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;” God says, “Man’s heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure…Behold, he was brought forth in iniquity and in sin did his mother conceive him.”

The humanist says, “Man’s nature is innocuous (not harmful or injurious);” 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;” God says, “By the stripes of Jesus they are healed.”

The humanist says, “Man is of great value and worth;” 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/daughter of God.”

The humanist says, “Affirm, esteem, light up, promote yourself as one of costly importance;” God says, “Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus.” George Mueller once said, “There was a day when I died, utterly died: died to George Mueller, his opinions, preferences, tastes, 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;” 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 through you who are redeemed.”

Paul would have a very difficult time in too many churches today if he stood to say as he did to the church at Corinth, (2 Corinthians 5:14,15), “For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.”

In verse 17 he continued, “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” Then in verse 21 he said, “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.”

And because Paul learned the truth, he also learned the greatest reason for life: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

There was an article in one of the newspapers years ago about the death and funeral of baseball’s great Mickey Mantle. It mentioned how Mick had come to know himself before he died and how that knowledge had brought great sorrow. I believe it was Bobby Richardson who led him to Christ on his deathbed. After his commitment to Christ, Mantle asked Roy Clark to sing a song at his funeral entitled, “Yesterday When I Was Young.” The third verse of that song says:

“Yesterday the moon was blue

And every crazy day brought something new to do.

I used me 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 lefty 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.”

But then Roy Clark also sang, “Amazing Grace!” By what are you living your life? Amazing grace or abominable grit?

I choose to stand, not with the humanists, but with one like Elizabeth Clephane who wrote:

“Upon that cross of Jesus mine eyes 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 redeeming love and my unworthiness.” What do you confess?

CHAPTER TEN

ON WHAT DO YOU MAJOR IN YOUR PILGRIMAGE?

The title is such a vital question for us all. The walk of a disciple is certainly mental as well as spiritual, and sometimes a believer is overcome by misguided, misplaced thoughts rather than the revelation of abiding truth. In Philippians 1:21 Paul said, “For to me to live is Christ!” Three things I believe Paul amplified for us in this scripture:

*”FOR TO ME…” I believe very strongly in sovereign election. Jesus said, “You did not choose Me, I chose you.” The initiative is the Father’s. In John 6:44 Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” So True! But having been drawn, there IS a personal responsibility to respond. God has commanded, “Repent and believe the Gospel!” Will I, YOU, do that?

In Proverbs 1:24,25 God says, “Because I called and you refused, I have stretched out My hand AND NO ONE REGARDED, BECAUSE YOU DISDAINED ALL MY COUNSEL, and would have none of My reproof.”

God called and some refused. Have you?

Through Jeremiah, God said, “And now, because you have done all these works, and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I called, but you did not answer…” (Jeremiah 7:13). Have you?

*”FOR TO ME TO LIVE…” For most, it is a life-long search for life, but always in the wrong places and with the wrong persons. In John 10:10 Jesus proclaimed, “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.” You will remember that awesome declaration of God to His people in Deuteronomy 30:19,20 – “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

*”FOR TO ME TO LIVE IS CHRIST…” Christ Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, is the Eternal Reality of Heaven’s pre-ordained blessing for fallen man. And without Christ we are lost, we are on the wrong foundation, we are majoring on the minors that sound the chords of ultimate sadness and separation and senselessness from the desires of God for us. Augustine said truthfully forever, “Restless are our souls, O Lord, until we rest in You!”

Is your life a glad symphony or a sad refrain? On what do you major in your life’s pilgrimage? Please, please, examine your heart, your mind, your persuasions as you answer my questions ordained by the Father because of His great love for you!

Do you major on your faults and failures, or on Christ’s strength and redemptive conquests in your behalf? Do you major on your un-acceptance before others, or that you are “accepted in the Beloved?” On your inevitable defeats, or on His eternal victories that always cause you to triumph as you rest in Him?

Do I major on a fear that no one really loves me, or that God proved His love for me in that while I was yet a sinner Christ died for me?

Do I major on my search for personal identity, or do I major on the fact of a true, fulfilling identity of who I am “in Christ”?

Do I major on my sinfulness and the filthy rags of attempt at self-justification, or on my declared redemptive righteousness “in Christ”?

Has my emphasis been on my weaknesses in a debilitating fashion, or do I magnify my weakness so that the power of Christ may rest upon me?

Is my thought life dominated on my oldness in the old sin nature, or on the fact that I am a new creature in Christ and declared by God to be a saint?

Do I major on the cultural and familial curses that want to dominate me, or on the Kingdom of Christ and the faith-filled blessings of that kingdom that liberates me?

Do I major with the psalmist on the sad fact that no man really cares for my soul, or on the glad fact that God has loved me with an everlasting love and drawn me with His lovingkindness?

Do I major on the futility of the fleshliness of the First Adam, or on the finality of the Spirit-Life of the Second Adam?

Am I dominated by what I was before Christ, or on who I am in Christ? On the reigning death of my old sin nature, or the reign of righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ my Lord?

Has my mind been filled with the reality of earthly opposition, that so many are against me, or on the blessed truth that Almighty God is for me?

Do I major on my own personal ineptness in the things of the spirit realm, or that I am more than a conqueror through Him who loved me? Do I major on my feebleness in the human effort of being a witness to my world around me, or on the fullness of divine oneness in the blessing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Do I major on my fears of the war with the powers of darkness, or that the God of peace will soon crush Satan under my feet?

Do I major on my inability and the shortcoming of impacting my world effectively, or on Him who is able to establish me redemptively in my world?

Do I major on my personal poverty in the spirit realm, or that I am already enriched in everything spiritual and eternal in Him?

Has my emphasis been on my earthly learning that never brings me to the knowledge of the truth, or on the benefit of the new blood covenant in Christ where I receive His wisdom and His mind?

Am I dominated by my continual war with temptation, or on the truth that my God made a way of escape for me from it?

Is my mind consumed with the thoughts and feelings of restlessness in my life, or that there is now a rest in Christ, and, yes, a rest that remains for the people of God?

Do I major on what is unsure and fading in my life, or upon the anchor of my soul, that is both sure and steadfast, and which enters into the Presence of God behind the veil?

Do I major on my tendency to wander and draw back, or upon the faith, trust, and reliance that causes me to press in to the saving of my soul?

Do I major on my sorrowful chastenings, or do I look beyond to the yielding of the peaceable fruit of righteousness by which God trains me?

Do I major on all that can be shaken in my life, or do I rest and receive in its fullness the Kingdom of Christ which cannot be shaken?

Do I major on the passion for the praise and honor of men, or am I consumed with the passion for the praise of God alone?

Do I major on the works of the law by which no one is ever justified, or on the deeds of the law written on the tablets of my heart by the finger of God through the blood of Christ?

Do I major on the fallen life of my former self without Christ, or on the redeemed life in Christ who loved me and gave Himself for me?

Do I major on setting aside the grace of God in me and focusing on “grit,” or do I stand in the grace of God and focus on His glory?

Am I consumed with being made perfect by the flesh, or do I major on having been perfected by the Spirit?

Are my thoughts on the weak and beggarly elements of my life that lead again to bondage, or on the joy of the Lord that is my strength and the blessed revelations that lead me to full liberty and freedom?

Is my mind captured by the entanglements of the world, the flesh, and the devil that leads again to bondage, or do I stand fast in the liberty by which Christ made me free?

Am I dominated with the less of my former, unredeemed life, or on the much more of reconciliation, being saved by Christ’s life?

Do I major on what I was without Christ – without strength and ungodly, or on the revelational, “rhema” truth that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me and by His grace be transformed to the kingdom of the godly?

Do I major on personal condemnation incited by the accuser of the brethren, or on powerful confidence inspired by the affirmer and advocate of the elect?

Do I major on the power of sin in the old man, or on the truth of power over sin because I know I died with Christ at the cross, my old body of sin died with Christ, and that now sin is no longer my master but Jesus rules and reigns in me?

Do I major on the law of sin and death, or on the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus who made me free from the law of sin and death?

Do I live with the emphasis being the carnal mind that is enmity against God, or on the leadership of the Spirit that is life and peace?

Am I consumed with the program of “of me,” “through me,” “for me,” or upon the ministry “of Him,” “through Him,” and “to Him” to whom be glory forever and ever?

Are my thoughts on making constant provision for the flesh to fulfill its best, or do I put on the Lord Jesus Christ?

Is my mind on the kingdom of food and drink, or on the Kingdom of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost?

Do I major on the emptying of my life of faith of all confidence or assurance, or on the God of hope who fills me with all joy and peace in believing that I may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit?

Do I major on my sadness and sorrows, or on the provision of Holy God that I can live before others with joy in the will of God and may be refreshed and renewed with them as I walk by faith?

Do I major on my earthly, fleshly house that is daily dying, or on the eternal temple of God which is my body where the Holy Spirit dwells?

Do I major on the kingdom that is word only, or on the Kingdom that is of God, filled with Holy Ghost supernatural power from on high?

Do I major on the mindful, discouraging picture of what you were, or on the truth that you’ve been washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God?

Do I major on the constant attempts of the stealing, thievery of your time, or on the redemption of your time and the revelation of truth that you may serve the Lord without distraction? The Christ-life is not a compartment but the total sum of all you are and do!

Do I major on the sounding brass and clanging cymbals, or on the greatness of that which abides – FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE?

Is my mind on the fact that I have many adversaries as a disciple of Christ, or on the fact that through it all God has opened a great and effective door for me?

Do I major on that which was buried with Christ – and it stinks – or on the fact that through the new birth you are of God and by His grace have become the fragrance of Christ?

Is my emphasis on the letter that kills, or on the Spirit that gives life? On the ministry of condemnation, or the ministration of righteousness (IMPUTED, IMPARTED, IMPLANTED) that abounds in glory?

Is my mind on the veiled face of my old, unrepentant heart, or on my un veiled face by the grace of God that continually transforms me into the same image from glory to glory?

Are my thoughts on despair because heaven’s treasures are in an earthen vessel not discerning it’s God’s design so the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us?

Do I major on the fact that I’ve lost heart because the outward man is perishing, or on the glorious fact that the inward man is renewed day by day?

Do I major on selfish living for the satisfaction of SELF, or on living no longer for yourself but for Him who died and rose again?

Are you yielded to the domination of the old man, or on the discipline of the new creation miracle of God?

Do I major on the restrictions of my affections, or on the marvelous truth that the love of God has been poured out in my heart by the Holy Spirit who was given to me?

Do I major on the reality of trouble on every side, that without are conflicts and within are fears, or on the reality that nevertheless God comforts the downcast?

Do I major on the poverty of my personal soul life, or on the grace of the Lord Jesus who for my sake became poor, that I through His poverty might be made rich?

Do I major on the emptiness and void of my former life without Christ, or that in Christ by the grace of God I always have all sufficiency in all things to every good work?

Do I major on measuring myself by myself or comparing myself among others, or on the Holy Blessed Gospel that “as He is, so am I in this world”?

Do I major on the thorns that pierce my life, or on the grace that is sufficient to see me through?

Do I major on the futility of the former self with all its deeds of fleshliness, or on the fruit of the Spirit?

Is my mind on my doubts and uncertainties, or on the fact that, having believed, trusted, rested in, I’ve been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise?

Are my thoughts on those accusations of the powers of darkness o0f my former emptiness, or on the truth of Jesus, the fullness of Him who fills all in all?

Do I major on the fall-out of having been a child of wrath, or on the fill-up of the truth that I’m a son or daughter of God now by grace through faith?

Do I major on my perplexities, conflicts, and anxieties, or on Him who is my peace?

Do I major on the heartache of living in a loveless world, or on the joy of knowing the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge?

Do I major on my own personal ineptness in my spiritual journey, or on God who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all I ask or think?

Do I major on my sadness for no greater progress in my spiritual maturity, or on the confidence that He who began the good work in me will complete it until the day of Christ?

Do I major on the failures of the past, or on forgetting the things which are behind and looking forward to those things which are before you, pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus?

Do I major on the temporariness of my earthly home, or on the blessed truth that my citizenship is in heaven?

Is my mind on all the sad events of my life and maybe even the multiple sorrows, or do I rejoice in the Lord always?

Am I anxious always about everything, or in everything do I pray to God and find the peace that passes all understanding?

Are my thoughts on the kingdom and powers of darkness around me, or on the holy truth that God has translated me out of that kingdom into the Kingdom of the Son of His love?

Is my life emphasis on my reaching earthly stardom for earthly glory, or on the emancipation of my soul and spirit as I discover Christ only in me as the Hope of Glory?

Do I major on the shadows of former things from the past, even in the historic events of scripture yesterday, or on the substance of Christ?

Do I major on the investment of earthly attractions, or on setting my mind on the things above?

Do I major on my inability to speak the Gospel like Moses and Jeremiah both did, or on the revelation I’ve been approved by God and entrusted with the Gospel to speak its claims – not as pleasing men but God?

Do I major on the establishment of my place in this world, or that God desires to establish my heart blameless in holiness before Him?

Do I major on my short-comings, or on the gracious fact that God counted me worthy in His Kingdom?

Do I major on my unworthiness of Heavenly Kingdom Life, or that God from the beginning chose me for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and my belief in the truth?Has my emphasis been on the reality of having made shipwreck of my faith at some point, or on the rescue of God like the restoration of Peter?

Have I majored on the mystery of iniquity, or on the mystery of godliness?

Is my mind on the earthly opposition to the Gospel that sometimes makes me feel ashamed of the testimony of our Lord (The Gospel is an offense; it does bring reproach!), or do I major on the glorious truth that He has saved me and called me with a holy calling, not according to my works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given us before time began.?

Are my thoughts on what I don’t know about the things of God, or on what I do know – knowing Whom I believed and how I was persuaded that He is able to keep what I’ve committed against that day?

Have I majored on the discouragement of having been a vessel of dishonor, or on the promise that he who cleanses himself will be a vessel of honor, sanctified and useful for the Master and prepared for every good work?

Do I major on the forsaking of friends and family because of my faith, or on the glorious truth that the Lord stands with me, strengthens me, and delivers me from every evil work, preserving me for His heavenly Kingdom?

Do I major on earthly blessings alone in this present age, or am I majoring on looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ?

Do I major on the hopelessness of my flesh (my old sin nature), or on the hopefulness in Christ that is an anchor to my soul, both sure and steadfast, and which does enter the veil of God’s Holy Presence?

Do I major on the prayerlessness of men in my behalf, or on pure and undefiled religion before God the Father?

Do I major on the aftermath of my old sin nature, on the fallout, on the burial clothes, from my death in trespasses and sins, or on the truth that I have been a partaker of the divine nature?

Do I major on the disappointments of lost battles in the spiritual war, or on the truth that I am of God, I have overcome, because greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world? Do I major on the fact that the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one, or that I am of God and have overcome the dragon through the blood of the Lamb, through the word of my own testimony, and because I truly don’t love my own life, even unto death?

Do I major on my mis-steps, or on Him who is able to keep me from stumbling and to present me faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy?

Now…I don’t fully know what all this is about, why the Lord poured these questions into me. I was reading Revelation 3 where the Lord spoke to the pastor or messenger at Sardis and in verse 2 Jesus said: “Be watchful, and strengthen the things that remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.” And I know in one sense He is saying, “You’ve not been mature in your understanding of who you are IN CHRIST!”

Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”

Out of the passion of his soul for the church at Rome, Paul wrote: (Romans 12:2), “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.”

Through Isaiah the prophet (Isaiah 55), God challenged His people with “higher ways and higher thoughts.” Then He blessed them with the truth that His Word would go forth from His mouth, not returning void, but accomplishing what He pleased, prospering in the thing for which He sent it!

And because His people hear it, receive it, and walk in it: “You shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the fields shall clap their hands!”

Oh, listen to Peter (I Peter 2:9,10), “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light, who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy!”

Have YOU obtained mercy? Are you the people of God? Are you His own special people? Are you a holy nation? Are you a royal priesthood? Are you the chosen race?

Listen carefully – I’m not asking you to take the name of the Lord your God in vain. But I am asking you to take His name in victory!

The word says to “confess”! That means to “agree” – to say the same thing as! A very dear and precious brother,, now departed to His heavenly home, used to lead many of us in that valid and victorious confession. Join me. Say it out loud for all to hear – even the angels of heaven and the powers of darkness. Be bold:

I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus! I am blessed with all spiritual blessings. I am made alive together with Christ. My nature is divine. As Jesus Christ is in this world, so am I. I am seated with Christ in heavenly places. I am born again by the Word of God. I am kept by the power of God. I am redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, my sins were nailed to the cross. I am complete in Christ Jesus lacking nothing. I am sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. God is my heavenly Father. Jesus Christ is my Lord. I am a new creation of His love. I have love, joy, peace, meekness, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Greater is the Lord Jesus in me than he who is in the world. I overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my own testimony. I love not my life even unto death. I always triumph in Christ Jesus, my weapons are mighty in God to the pulling down of strongholds. I am more than conqueror through Christ my Lord. I take the dominion and authority given to me. I rule and reign in Jesus’ name because Jesus Christ is my Lord and lives within me. I am no longer an alien nor a stranger, but God’s household and a habitation of God through the Spirit. I am a saint by His grace set apart for His glory and honor. I take authority over all the power of the enemy. I renounce all the ways of darkness and demonic powers, both in me and my family. I rebuke all sicknesses, diseases, and curses in the name, power, blood, and authority of Jesus Christ. I tear down every stronghold in my life to the glory of Jesus Christ. I bring every thought captive, in my mind, to the obedience of Jesus and the Word of God. I have the mind of Christ. Jesus is my wisdom, righteousness, redemption, and sanctification. Mighty God works through me. He confirms His Word and signs follow. I always triumph in Christ Jesus. I am delivered from every evil work and preserved by His grace for His Heavenly Kingdom! AMEN? SO BE IT, LORD!!

Our church fellowship has sang the last few Sundays a song by Big Daddy Weave entitled “Redeemed.” It says: “Seems like all I could see was the struggle, Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past, Bound up in shackles of all my failures, Wondering how long is this gonna last. Then You look at this prisoner and say to me, stop fighting a fight it’s already been won…All my life I have been called unworthy, Named by the voice of my shame and regret, But when I hear You whisper, child, lift up your head, I remember, oh God, You’re not done with me yet…I am redeemed, You set me free, So I’ll shake off these heavy chains, Wipe away every stain, yeah, I’m not who I used to be.” AMEN? AMEN!

CHAPTER ELEVEN

NO LONGER! A PROPHETIC WORD FOR A PURSUING PEOPLE

Have you ever said it at some point in your pilgrimage: “When is this going to stop? Is there an end to this trial? Is there a reprieve from the bread of adversity and the water of affliction? Is there a word of hope for the emptiness I feel or for the vainness I’ve experienced in this fleshly walk?”

What if you heard (and received) the vibrating words of eternal truth: NO LONGER, NEVER AGAIN, IT’S OVER, IT IS FINISHED!

Do you realize how the book of Revelation ends? Listen: Revelation 21:1, “no longer any sea,” or separation! Do you remember Paul’s words to the church at Corinth? (I Corinthians 13:12), “Now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face…” Revelation 21:4 says, “…No longer any death, sorrow, crying, pain; for the former things have passed away.” Words of tremendous encouragement and hope, but they relate to our futures! Revelation 22:3, “no longer, any curse…” But for now multitudes live under the curse; some like Job, even without a cause. Revelation 22:5, “no longer, any night…” But for now there are dark seasons of the soul and even dark sacred nights!

And you ask, “But is there a Word for now? Is there a ‘no longer’ for this day and this hour and for my soul upon which I can build my life in faith, confidence, and with much assurance?” I’m so glad to say, “There is!” Receive it, rejoice in it, stand upon it, celebrate it as you see it for yourself!

FIRST, “NO LONGER” DOES THERE HAVE TO BE A MEANINGLESS, UNFULFILLING EXISTENCE, NO LONGER A NAME WITH A HOLLOW RING, NO LONGER A CONSUMING PASSION FOR THE TEMPORAL, BUT A CONSUMING PASSION FOR WHAT GOD HAS IN STORE FOR US:

Come to Genesis 17:1-5 and see the blessings you can walk in as a child of faith, a descendant of Abraham, and an heir. Galatians 3:29 tells us, “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” And Genesis 17?

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and multiply you exceedingly.’ Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: ‘As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.’” What is it saying to me? Notice:

I have an appointment with God. HE HAS SOUGHT ME OUT!

God has called me by name. “I called…”

God has given me a promise. “All the promises of God in Christ are ‘Yes’ and ‘Amen’.”

God took my name and wrapped it in the love, authority, and grace of His own name! “Farrell Fisher – Son of God!”

Do you remember Saul’s words to Jesus on the Damascus Road? Acts 26:15-16 says, “Who are you, Lord?” Then Jesus said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But arise, and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose…” And our God is no respecter of persons!

You ask, “God has appeared to me?” Yes; He’s appeared to you in the authority of the Living, Life-giving, eternal Holy Scriptures! He’s appeared to you through the sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection of Christ! He’s appeared to you through the anointed Gospel message of a preacher’s sermon or a martyr’s witness! He’s appeared to you through the passionate, intercessory prayers of loving parents! He’s appeared to you through the faithful witness, walk, and ways of a Christ-like friend!

“God has called me? He’s called me by name?” It may have been the tender, soft tap on the shoulder. It may have been a strong tug in the heart. It may have been that “mulish” 2×4 between the eyes! It may have been a Holy Ghost anointing in the fire of a burning bush! Exodus 3:4 says, “So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, ‘Moses, Moses!’”

I remind you of what Jesus said in John 6:44, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him…”

“God has given me a promise?” 2 Peter 1:2-4 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.”

“God took my name and wrapped it in His?” Peter talked about the “newborn babes in Christ” and said of them, (I Peter 2:9-10): “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have mercy.”

I’m no longer controlled by a meaningless, unfulfilled existence; I’m a servant of God. I no longer confess a name with a hollow ring; I’ a son, daughter of God. I’m no longer captured by the spirit of this world; I have an eternal mission in partnership with God!

ALSO, “NO LONGER” DO WE LIVE SALVING OUR CONSCIENCES WITH VAIN SUBSTITUTIONS, BUT WE’VE COME INTO THE FULL AWARENESS AND FULL ASSURANCE THROUGH OUR VICTORIOUS SUBSTITUTE, JESUS CHRIST. The New American Standard version of Leviticus 17:7 says, “And they shall NO LONGER sacrifice their sacrifices to the goat demons with which they played the harlot.”

Did you hear that word? Sacrifices, sacrifices to goat demons, spiritual harlotry! It’s the “golden calf” mentality of even modern-day American spirituality; any old or new calf will do as long as you’re sincere. The end justifies the means! So they bow before the trees, bow before their bank accounts, bow before their sex and drugs, bow before the god of self-will worshipping their “rights”, bow before the false gods of men’s own makings, bow before and celeb rate their church’s advance at the high price of abandonment of the Gospel on which Paul was not ashamed, forfeiting “repentance toward God and faith in Christ alone” for a “feel-good” philosophy that has nothing to do with the proclamation of Christ’s Gospel of “demands” to true discipleship! (Read carefully Luke 14:25-35!!)

I Kings 14:25-27 tells us of the time period of King Rehoboam and the tragedy of vain substitutions, “It happened that in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. And he took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house; he took away everything. He also took away all the gold shields that Solomon had made. Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who guarded the doorway of the king’s house.”

Do you realize how many people like Rehoboam come to a place where “gold” no longer matters; they can get by with “brass”. Consider it!

2 Kings 18:1-7 is just as powerful with its message for us today. Hezekiah had begun his reign at 25 years of age. The Word says in verse 3, “And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done.” Please, please notice verse 4 and the first part of verse 5: “He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden images, and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it “Nehushtan” (meaning “just a bronze thing”)…He trusted in the Lord God of Israel.”

What have you put your trust in? “Bronze things” or the blessed truth of the Indwelling Christ?

What is it for you? Vain substitutions or the Victorious Savior?

What does your life of “faith” reveal? Spiritual harlotry or spiritual Health?

Where’s your faith placed? Your sacrifices to ‘goat demons’ or in the Sacrifice of the Lamb of God?

I Peter 1:17-21 says: “And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”

“NO LONGER” DO WE LIVE WITH THE SADNESS OF UNFULFILLED DESIRES AND UNANSWERED PRAYERS.

In I Samuel, Hannah, that godly wife and devoted servant of God, longed for a child. She faithfully year by year went up to the house of the Lord and cried out unto God. She was so passionate, in such bitterness of soul, praying and weeping in anguish, that Eli the priest thought she was drunk! But he learned differently; she was drunk in the Spirit!

Look at I Samuel 1:15-18: “But Hannah answered and said, ‘No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.’ Then Eli answered and said, ‘Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.’ And she said, ‘Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.’ So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.”

In Jeremiah 33:3 God has promised, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”

What did Jesus promise? John 15:17, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.”

God longs for a praying heart and has assured us, Psalm 91:15, “He shall call upon Me, and I will answer…” In fact, in Isaiah 65:24, God says, “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.”

Moses cried to the Lord because of a thirsty, murmuring people – and God showed him a tree that transforms the bitter to the sweet!

Gideon called out to God once more for dry fleece and wet ground and the Bible says, “God did so that night.”

We just read of Hanna who prayed for a child and God heard her petition.

Elijah stood on Mt. Carmel (I Kings 18:37). “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 again…Then the fire of the Lord fell…! How we need that fire today!

The angel said to Zacharias, Luke 1:13, “Fear not, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son…”Acts 4:31 says, “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spoke the Word of God with boldness.” No longer unfulfilled desires and unanswered prayers! But also…..

“NO LONGER” WILL A DEATHLY SPIRIT HOVER OVER YOU AND NO LONGER WILL YOU EXPERIENCE A BARREN, UNFRUITFUL LIFE.

What a powerful, life-changing, word of faith and victory is found in 2 Kings 2:19-21! It says, “Then the men of the city said to Elisha, ‘Please notice, the situation of the city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad, and the ground barren.’ And he said, ‘Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it.’ So they brought it to him. Then he went out to the source of the water, and cast in the salt there, and said, ‘Thus says the Lord, I have healed this water, from it there shall be no more death or barrenness.’”

Do you remember Job in the height of his personal and family distress? His wife had said to him, “Do you still hold on to your integrity? Curse God and die.” In Job 14:14 he asks, “If a man dies, shall he live again?”

Do you realize how many people fight the mental wars in the situations of their lives? “…The water is bad, and the ground barren…”

Do you realize how many people fight with the mind games in the situations of their marriage and family shortcomings? “…The water is bad, and the ground barren…”

Do you realize how many people fight intellectually with doubts and fears because of the sad situations they’ve settled into? “…The water is bad, and the ground barren…”

WELL, IT’S OVER!! The Salt of God’s faithful Word is being poured into your situation!

It’s over! The Salt of living promises is being poured into your circumstances!

It’s over! The Salt of healing grace is being poured onto the open wounds of your deathliness and barrenness! “By His stripes you are being healed! No more death! No more barrenness!

I’ll never forget a Sunday morning in our fellowship in Belton, Texas, about 18 years ago. I had preached the message, was ready to dismiss the service, but God moved on my heart with ‘a word of knowledge.’ I said, “I don’t know exactly why I am saying this this morning since our fellowship is blessed abundantly with the spirit of fertility, but if there is anyone who hasn’t been able to conceive and you want a baby, God says I’m to pray for you right now.” And a young married lady with her mother had decided to come to her mother’s church this particular Sunday. She began to cry openly and said, “My husband and I have tried for a baby for seven years unsuccessfully.” We surrounded her, laid hands on her, and prayed for God to open her womb. In less than two months, we received the news that she was pregnant, and later she came with her baby son and we dedicated him to the Lord! No more barrenness! No more death!

My next door neighbor in Belton, Texas, was Doug Wood, former Baptist pastor and counselor. Doug was truly a modern-day Job. When he was in high school in Dumas, Texas, he had broken both of his ankles and was in casts. Just two months before his family moved into a brand new home. They were not Christians (in fact, his stepfather was very hostile to anything that had to do with Christianity). Earlier, when he was 12 years of age, he had turned on the television, flipped to a channel, and saw a man laying hands on another man, saying, “Jesus loves you and wants you well.” But his stepfather came in and angrily turned off the television with the words, “Never allow that stuff on my television.” Two months in his new home, suddenly there was a gas explosion, then another, then another. Doug shared that he watched as parts of him blew away or burned off. He was burned so badly that they told his parents they would not move him to the burn unit because he wouldn’t live through the night. He didn’t know Jesus at all, but he shared that he knew Jesus was with him. He lived, and two years later came to salvation in Christ. He ended up with approximately 100 skin, nerve, muscle, and bone graft operations. The medications that followed over the years impacted him in odd ways, sometimes paralysis, and another time produced tumors in his chest to the point he had to have a double mastectomy!

Twenty years later, after coming home from a hospital confinement that had lasted about three months, his neighbor who had just purchased a new motor home said, “Doug, I want to drive you to your next speaking engagement.” It was a blizzard. The man turned the motor home over, and just about every rib in Doug’s body was broken or crushed. It was about a year and a half recovery time!

On another occasion, he was approached by the CIA or FBI or both and asked to join a secret unit of deliverance ministers that traveled the world setting armed forces free from the bondage to the powers of darkness. He told them he needed to pray although in his heart he felt this was where the Lord was leading. The next morning as he arose with the commitment in his heart to accept the offer, the Lord spoke to him. “The powers of darkness will try to kill you today, but you will survive.” Hours later, he was completely paralyzed and remained that way for one full year. On the day the paralysis struck, he died twice and had to be revived.

I was his neighbor for over eight years. I watched him battle horrible migraines. On one occasion after returning home from a vacation, Sue and I both felt I should check on Doug. And as I walked through my garage toward his house, the Lord said, “This is not physical, it’s demonic.” When I knocked on the door, I waited, then Doug opened it having crawled to the door. And he said, “Oh, I’m so glad to see you. The Lord just said this migraine is demonic and not physical and you’re to cast it off me.” I did as God instructed and God did as He is able!

August 1998, Doug, as chaplain for the Bell County Sheriff’s Department, received a call because of the drowning of a soldier at Lake Belton. He hurried in his Mazda pickup toward the lake, but as he was going through a green traffic light, a lady driving a Suburban and drinking, pulled out in front of Doug. He hit her very hard and after his truck stopped he ended up on the pavement with his sternum fractured and every rib on one side crushed into pieces. His knee was injured. His elbow was injured. He was placed in intensive care. On Sunday after church, I was on my way to visit him in the hospital. That Sunday morning I had preached “No Longer” in the church fellowship I helped pastor when I was in the States. The Lord said, “That message this morning was for Doug Wood, and when you see him, tell him I am sovereign and NO LONGER will the death spirit hover over him. I appoint his time of death – not the powers of darkness.” And when I saw him, I told him, we cried, and then I prayed that covering of grace over his life.

Six weeks later, Doug was on his way to town. He was stopped at a stop sign in heavy rain. A teenager driving a pickup truck too fast in the rain tried to turn the corner where Doug was sitting full speed and slid into him, totaling his wife’s car, but for Doug? Not a scratch!

I would be amiss not to tell you that that fire Doug was burned so badly in?

Lived in the new home two months? His step-father and mother set it on fire for insurance not knowing Doug hadn’t gone to school that day and stayed home. He found this out shortly before Sue and I had to move to Bedford, Texas. His mother confessed to him, asking his forgiveness after 40 years (?). No longer! Nehemiah 2:17-18 says: “Then I said to them, ‘You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.’ And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also spoke of the king’s words that he had spoken to me.”

Through the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 65:17-19), God says, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, and her people a joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people; the voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, nor the voice of crying.”

Do you hear what God is saying to you? “You may have experienced seven years of famine, but now, get ready, for there are seven years of rich prosperity coming.” NO LONGER! “You may have experienced seven years of ordinariness in your life, but now, on the authority of My Word, get ready, for there are seven years of extraordinary works of divine grace and mercy coming your way.” No Longer! “You’ve known the chewing, swarming, crawling, consuming locust, but I say, ‘I will restore to you the years the locust has eaten; you shall eat in plenty and be satisfied and praise the name of the Lord your God who has dealt wondrously with you today!” No longer!

Absorb in your heart your confidence in God as you read Zephaniah 3:14-17. It’s for you! “Sin, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all 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 your hands not 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.’”

“NO LONGER” WILL YOU BE LOOKED UPON AS ONE FORSAKEN OR AS ONE LEFT DESOLATE, BUT NOW YOU’RE KNOWN AS ONE DEEPLY LOVED AND FOREVER “MARRIED”.

Come with me to Isaiah 62:4-12. Read it all carefully, but notice specifically, “You shall no longer be termed ‘forsaken,’ nor shall your land any more be termed ‘desolate.’” And then verse 12 says, “And they shall call them the Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord; and you shall be called “sought out,” a city not forsaken.” Hallelujah!

Do you remember the heart-wrenching words of the man in Psalm 142:4? “No man cared for my soul!” It’s the ego battles! It’s the frontlines of war as to one’s identity, worth, or value. Do you realize that around you are people who are saying, “I wish I had never been born”?

How many people do you know who’ve turned inward on themselves and with much hostility have lived under the cloud of self-condemnation? They’ve lived controlled by mental and emotional aberrations.

Oh, the sad number of those who live with feelings of worthlessness, so they build prison walls thick and strong around them to isolate themselves against the risk of being loved.

I want you to look at several verses that will regenerate, revolutionize or revive your life and lost hope about yourself. Take not!

Psalm 40:17, “I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinks upon me…!” YOU are on the mind and heart of God. Put your name by that verse!

Psalm 56:9, “When I cry out to you, then my enemies will turn back; this I know, because God is for me!” Put your name here!

In Ephesians 1:3-6 the apostle Paul says, “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 MADE US ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED!” Did you see it? Accepted in the Beloved! Put YOUR name there!

In Colossians 2:9-10 we read, “For in Him (Christ Jesus) dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” Put your name THERE! Paul says, “Complete!” Lenski in his book on Colossians says, “The periphrastic perfect has the strongest present connotation: ‘You have been made full, are so now, and continue so.’ The passage implies that God made you complete ‘in connection with Christ.’”

To the person who has been dominated by feelings ‘nobody cares,’ what does it matter when you know “God cares!” Deuteronomy 32:9-12 says, “For the Lord’s portion is His people…He found [Farrell Fisher] in a desert land and in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled [Farrell Fisher], He instructed [Farrell Fisher], He kept [Farrell Fisher] as the apple of His eye…as an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreads out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings…so the Lord alone led him, and there was no foreign god with him.” Hallelujah! PUT YOUR NAME THERE!

I Peter 5:7 says, “cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” Listen:

*The world may forsake you, but God has found you!

*The family may reject you, but God receives you!

*The friends may abandon you, but God has adopted you! God cares!

“NO LONGER” WILL YOU BE GOVERNED BY FEAR, BUT GRACED AND GALVINIZED BY A LIVING FAITH.

Hear it, O fearful one, afraid of your own shadow! Jeremiah 23:4 says, “I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall “no longer fear, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking,” says the Lord!

In the mid-1960’s I was pastoring in Tucson, Arizona. The music leader at our church was the herdsman for the University of Arizona Experimental Farm. My, how he loved his animals! One night Sue and I went over for a visit but Carnie was not home. He was out in the barn with a gun to protect his prize sheep from the coyotes. Dawn, his wife, said, “He’ll stay out there as many nights as it takes to defend his sheep.” Can I say, “A greater than Carnie is here for you”? It’s Mighty God, your Defender, and you don’t have to be afraid!

In Genesis 15:1 we read, “After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I AM YOUR SHIELD, your exceedingly great reward.’”

Do you remember King David’s testimony? In Psalm 27:1 he said, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

God says: “The fear of failure is over!”

God says: “The fear of earthly or demonic foes is over!”

God says: “The fear of rejection or aloneness is over!”

God says: “The fear of death is over!”

Lidie H. Edmunds wrote the words to the great old hymn, “My Faith Has Found A Resting Place.” Read it faithfully:

“My faith has found a resting place, not in device or creed; I trust the Ever-living One, His wounds for me shall plead…

Enough for me that Jesus saves, this ends my fear and doubt; a sinful soul I come to Him, he’ll never cast me out…

I need no other argument, I need no other plea; It is enough that Jesus died, and that He died for me.”

“NO LONGER” WILL YOU BE CONFUSED AND SIDE-TRACKED BY VAIN VISIONS AND FLATTERING DIVINATIONS, BUT CEMENTED IN SOUND DOCTRINES AND AFFIRMING TRUTHS.

In Ezekial 12:23-24 the word of the Lord enlightens and encourages us, saying, “The days draw near as well as the fulfillment of every vision…For there will NO LONGER be any false vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel.”

Paul challenged the church at Galatia (Galatians 3:1), “You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?”

The Amplified Version says it like this, “O, you poor and silly and thoughtless and unreflecting and senseless Galatians! Who has fascinated or bewitched or cast a spell over you…?” No, that’s not God’s desire for you!

In Ephesians 4:14-15, Paul said, “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.”

Our loving Father is saying, “No longer do you have to be subjects to false prophets, false teachers, false doctrines, false visions. It’s over!”

How? Hunger and thirst after righteousness and you shall be filled!

How? 2 Timothy 2:15, “Be diligent to present yourself approved of God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

How? Psalm 119:72, because, “The law of God’s mouth is better to me than thousands of shekels of gold and silver.” How? Ephesians 6:14, because, “I’ve stood and girded my waist with TRUTH (not error), with TRUTH (not a lying spirit), with TRUTH (Not a deceitful prophet!). (Study Jeremiah 23:16-18, 25-30, 4:3-7, and also 2 Timothy 1:12-14, 2:2,7, 14-19, please.).

“NO LONGER” WILL YOU BE CALLED SLAVES BUT FRIENDS OF GOD. In the Amplified Version, John 15:15 says, “I do not call you slaves any longer, for the slave does not know what his master is doing or working out. But I have called you My friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from My Father – I have revealed to you everything that I have learned from Him.”

In James 2:23 it says of Abraham (And potentially of you), “And the scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ And he was called the friend of God.” Does God just have a few special friends? Remember, God is no respecter of persons. He desires that you be His friend!

Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “We force no doors in friendship (Can I say, neither does God!), but like the Christ in Revelation, we stand reverently at the door without, to knock. And only if the door be opened from within, may we welcome in to sup with our friend and he with us. The glory of Friendship is not the outstretched hand, not the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him with friendship.”

I Thessalonians 2:4 says, “But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the Gospel…” In 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 Paul says, “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, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

LAST OF ALL, “NO LONGER” ARE YOU A SLAVE TO SIN BUT A SERVANT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Sometimes I fear and tremble with the realization that too many “teachers” are “dumbing discipleship downward” and lowering the standard of our high and holy calling. I tremble when I hear someone say, “I’m just an old sinner saved by grace.” I want to shout it: “We’re not sinners; if we’re saved by grace, we’re saints!”

Look with me prayerfully at Romans 6:6-9, 12, 14, 17-18, 22:

Romans 6:6-9, “Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we “no longer” be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.”

Romans 6:12 “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.”

Romans 6:14, “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”

Romans 6:17-18, “But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”

Romans 6:22, “But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.”

To the church at Corinth (2 Corinthians 5:15), Paul wrote: “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.”John, the beloved disciple, also held high the bar of true discipleship when he wrote in I John 3:4-10, “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. 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.”

YOU CAN BE FREE OF SLAVERY TO SIN – TRUST THE WORD!

YOU CAN BE FREE FROM THE PATTERN OF SIN – OBEY THE WORD! “TRUST AND OBEY!”

Charles Spurgeon, in his book, “The Soul Winner,” has written (p.31): “We are not to hold up a modified holiness before our people and say, ‘You will be all right if you reach that standard’. The Scripture says, ‘He that commits sin is of the devil (I John 3:8).’ Abiding under the power of any known sin is a mark of our being the servants of sin, for ‘his servants you are to whom you obey (Romans 6:16)’…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 our 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.”

Is it “Defeat In Jesus” or “Victory In Jesus”?

Is it “Manipulated by the old sin nature” or “More than conquerors in Christ”?

Is it “falling short” or “It is Finished”?

Is it “Under the power of sin” Or “Led by His Holy Spirit”?

Is it the “law of sin and death” or “The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus”?

Is it “sown to the flesh, reaping corruption” or is it “sown to the Spirit, reaping everlasting life”?

Is it “leaven” or “liberty”?

Is it “the blood helps some” or is it “the blood of Jesus cleanses from all sin”?

Is it “sin masters me even though I believe” or “sin shall have no dominion over you”?

Is it “slave of sin” or “servant of righteousness”?

It’s “NO LONGER!”

CHAPTER TWELVE

CLAIMING YOUR MOUNTAIN

Too many Christians are so “other-world” oriented, they never plant their feet in the task at hand. Others live in what they call “the deep things,” so deeply buried that they never learn to live in what God has already shown them about the “here and now.” Some live in the realm of “ecstasies,” in a mystical cloud, even seeking to know more than what God has already shown them, but surround their lives with what it takes to live in what they have already envisioned for themselves – for them His vision and dream for them seems too small of a calling and they get depressed.

Oswald Chambers, in “My Utmost For His Highest” (Barbour & Co. p.206, 1963), put it like this: ‘ The little ‘I am’ always sulks when God says ‘Do.’ Let the little ‘I am’ be shriveled up in God’s indignation – “I Am That I Am has sent you.’ He must dominate.” What dominates you?

Are you dominated by fleshly drives? Are you dominated by the depraved desires of a world culture? Are you dominated by what’s good rather than what’s best? Are you dominated by the “frame-up” of temporary living or that which is eternal? Are you dominated by self or by God? Are you dominated by ‘your’ visions and dreams or The Vision of The Almighty?

When God has given you His vision, nothing else matters. When God has unveiled His plan for your life, anything else becomes total dissatisfaction. When God pulled back the curtain and shows heaven’s plans for an earthly disciple, anything but what He reveals becomes life on a lower level. And if we lose sight of what He has shown us or allow anything to capture us but His good, acceptable, and perfect will, all of a sudden we find ourselves in darkness, living the self-inflicted limited life rather than living with the Limitless One in limitless boundaries. We can touch heaven and “Claim Our Mountain.”

I’m sure you know the background of Caleb’s life. Joshua and Caleb were two of the twelve whom God had sent to “spy out” the Promised Land. Ten came back with bad reports, but these two precious servants had seen and held onto what God had promised. It’s an amazing story. Come with me to Joshua 14. In Proverbs 29:18 God had said, “Where there is no vision, the people perish!”

Caleb didn’t perish, he prospered. This holy man of God didn’t fall short, he entered in. This persistent, persevering disciple didn’t set his sight short, he saw and kept on seeing what God had promised. How do YOU claim your mountain?

“CLAIMING OUR MOUNTAIN DEPENDS UPON STANDING ON THE AUTHORITY OF THE SPOKEN WORD OF GOD!”

Look at Joshua 14:6, “…And Caleb said, ‘You know the WORD which the Lord said to Moses the man of God CONCERNING YOU AND ME in Kadesh Barnea.”

Several questions we must answer and settle in our hearts right now! Are the Holy Scriptures God’s personal Word to me? Is the Bible the overflow of the heart of God telling me how much He cares for me?

Does it confirm for my life the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God? With David, Psalm 119:89, can I say, “Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven? And I must ask, ‘Settled for me?’

I have no desire in my heart to see any disciple of Christ try to live an overcoming, victorious life apart from the Word of God. When Jesus was confronted by Satan, He said, Matthew 4:4, “Man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” You are of the ‘mankind’ variety!

In Ezekial 1:1,3, God unveiled for us how He was able to use Ezekial. It says, “…the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God…” With the inspiration and revelation of the Holy Word of God, heaven’s doors have been opened wide to you! Verse 3 says, “The word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekial the priest… and the hand of the Lord was upon him there…” There? The hand of the Lord was upon him, where? By the River or in the Word of the Lord?

I Samuel 3:1 tells us about “the boy Samuel…ministering to the Lord before Eli.” The New American Standard translation finishes the first verse saying, “And word from the Lord was rare in those days; visions were infrequent.” And, when in your daily walk you seldom visit the Word of the Lord, infrequently and rarely go to hear His voice, visions will be infrequent for you!

It is the promise of God through the pouring out of His Holy Spirit, Joel 2:28, “Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions.”

After Jesus’ resurrection and right before His ascension, in Luke 24:44-45, Jesus said to the disciples (and to us), “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.’ And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.”

Have you discovered as yet what has been written “concerning you” that is to be fulfilled in God’s timing? Some haven’t seen it as yet because the lingering effect of a veil over them for far too long has had an adverse impact on their spiritual vision. But listen to Isaiah 25:7, “And God will destroy on this mountain the surface of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations.” I’m telling you, Christ rent the veil in two! The covering over all people has been cast aside. You can see “concerning you”!

Jesus said in John 6:63, “The words that I speak to you, they are spirit and life!” How many disciples do you know who are living like Caleb, standing on the authority of the Word of God unveiling and holding on to the vision God has revealed for them? Charles Spurgeon once said (Spurgeon’s Sermons, Memorial Library, Vol. 15, p.184):

“We often wonder that the disciples put such poor meanings upon our Lord’s words, but I fear we are almost as far off as they were from fully comprehending all His gracious teachings. Are we not still as little children, making little out of great words? Have we grasped as yet a tithe of our Lord’s full meaning, in many of His sayings of love? When He is talking of bright and sparkling gems of benediction, we are thinking of common pebble-stones in the brook of mercy; when He speaks of stars and heavenly crowns, we think of sparks and childish coronals of fading flowers. Oh, that we could have our intellect cleared; better still, could have our understanding expanded, or, best of all, our faith increased…” It may not be our intellect that needs clearing, but our hearts! Search and stand on the Word of God with an open heart! Which brings us to the second foundation stone of Caleb’s vital faith:

CLAIMING OUR MOUNTAIN DEPENDS UPON THE BENT OF OUR HEART!

Look at Joshua 14:7. Caleb says, “I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him AS IT WAS IN MY HEART.”

The writer of Hebrews challenges us, Hebrews 3:7-8, “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 trial in the wilderness…’” Do you realize how important the bent of your heart is in claiming your mountain?

God told Samuel that men look on outward appearance but that God looks at the heart. What does He see when He looks at our hearts?

2 Chronicles 16:9 is one of the most encouraging, powerful, life-changing verses in all of God’s Word. It says: “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” Have the eyes of the Lord seen a loyal heart in you, and has His mighty arm reached down in your behalf?

Psalm 119:10 says, “With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!”

I grew up on an old hymn that says, “True-hearted, whole-hearted, faithful and true…!” In Deuteronomy 5:29 God says, “Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!”It was well with Caleb because his heart was wedded to God, His Word, His promises!

CLAIMING OUR MOUNTASIN DEPENDS UPON US FOLLOWING FULLY.

Look at Joshua 14:8, “Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the Lord my God.”

The Gospel of the Living God, the Eternal Gospel, the Gospel of Christ has never changed. In Matthew 16:24 Jesus said, “If anyone [do you?] desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”

Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines “follow” as : to go after, to pursue, to accompany, to attend in a journey, to imitate, to copy, to embrace, to obey, to observe, to practice, to act in conformity to, to adhere to, to side with, to move on in the same course or direction…”

In John 10;4 Jesus is talking about the True Shepherd and His sheep. He said of His sheep, “And the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.” Question! Do you know the voice of the True Shepherd and are you following that voice?

In Ezekial 13:3 the word of the Lord came to Ezekial, saying, “Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!” With all my heart, I believe that too many “disciples” are visionless because they also follow “their own spirit” rather than being led by the Holy Spirit of God! It’s why Paul prayed for the church at Ephesus and us in this day. Ephesians 1:18-19 says that “the eyes of your understanding 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…”

Revelation 14, in the early verses, talks about the “redeemed.” And verse 4 says of the redeemed, “These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.” That was the spirit of Caleb that kept him on the path of his mountain appropriation.

CLAIMING OUR MOUNTAIN DEPENDS UPON OUR STANDING ON THE PROMISES.

Joshua 14:9 says, “So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children’s forever…”

We all need to be reminded of 2 Corinthians 1:20 as Paul said, “For all the promises of God in [CHRIST] are Yes, and in [CHRIST] Amen, to the glory of God through us.”

Romans 4:17-21 is such an illuminating word for “mountain-seekers.” The truth is that God IS the same yesterday, today, and forever. And look at what happened in Abraham’s walk of faith, “God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was able also to perform.”

It was a promise Caleb stood upon and claimed his mountain!

CLAIMING OUR MOUNTAIN DEPENDS UPON OUR STANDING IN THE TEST OF GOD’S TIMING.

How exciting Joshua 14:10 is! It says, “And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, as He said, these 45 years, ever since the Lord spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, 85 years old.”

When was the promise given to Caleb? At the age of forty. How old is he when the promise is fulfilled? Eighty-five years of age! For forty-five years Caleb stood upon the promise! He never turned aside; he never doubted; he aimed, held onto, and received what God had promised him! I don’t know what all was involved in Caleb’s wilderness wanderings with Israel, but I doubt it was very comfortable or like at “ease in Zion.” But he never lost sight. He held on!

Charles Swindoll, in his book, “Hand Me Another Brick” (Bantam Book, May 1981, p.146), told the story of Ludwig van Beethoven. He said, “The life of Ludwig van Beethoven, although one of great ecstasy, was also checkered with sporadic agony. By the age of five, Beethoven was playing the violin under the tutelage of his father – also an accomplished musician. By the time he was 13, Beethoven was a concert organist. In his twenties he was already studying under the watchful eyes of Haydn and Mozart. In fact, Mozart spoke prophetic words when he declared that Beethoven would give the world something worth listening by the time his life ended…

“As Beethoven began to develop his skills, he became a prolific composer. During his lifetime, he wrote nine majestic symphonies and five concertos for piano, not to mention numerous pieces for chamber music. He has thrilled us with the masterful works of unique harmony that broke with the traditions of his times. The man was a genius…

“Beethoven was not, however, a stranger to difficulties. During his twenties, he began to lose his hearing. His fingers ‘became thick’ he said on one occasion. He couldn’t ‘feel’ the music as he once had. His hearing problem haunted him in the middle years of his life, but he kept it a well-guarded secret. When he reached his fifties, Beethoven was stone deaf. Three years later he made a tragic attempt to conduct an orchestra and failed miserably. Approximately five years later, he died during a fierce thunderstorm…

“He was deaf, yet a magnificent musician. On one occasion, Beethoven was overheard shouting at the top of his voice as he slammed both fists on the keyboard, “I will take life by the throat!” He had determined not to give in. Many of his biographers feel that because of his great determination, Beethoven remained far more productive than he otherwise would have been. Indeed, he took life by the throat.”

It wasn’t ‘life’ Caleb took by the throat, but a promise of God. In closing out his thoughts on Beethoven, Swindoll quoted Romans 15:4, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” Have you discovered God’s promise for your life and are you patiently holding on to the hope in the sea of His comfort?

CLAIMING OUR MOUNTAIN DEPENDS UPON US LIVING IN THE UNDYING STRENGTH OF OUR LORD!

Joshua 14:11 says of Caleb, “As yet I am as strong this day as I was on the day that Moses sent me: just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, for both going out and coming in.”

King David understood living victoriously through the “Life of Another.” In Psalm 84:5-7 he wrote, “Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a spring; the rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.”

Notice, who is “the blessed man”? It’s the man who lives in the strength of the Lord, and he does so because his heart is set on pilgrimage and he knows without God he cannot make it. But with God, all things are possible. It’s so difficult for the macho man and the headstrong feminist to ever learn the victory of “weakness.” Paul put it like this in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Last of all,

CLAIMING OUR MOUNTAIN DEPENDS UPON THE STAKING OF OUR CLAIM!

Joshua 14:12 says simply, “Now…Now…Now…Therefore (because of everything that’s gone on before!), give me this mountain!”

And verse 13 says, “And Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb…” What is it that Jesus needs to do to bless you today? What are you standing on? What have you claimed from the promises of God? What is your vision? What are you holding onto as revealed by the Word and will of God for you, your family, or your fellowship?

Our Lord’s promises are sure, certain, filled with blessing, abundant in their anointing, and radiating Holy Presence in us! Step up, step out…claim your mountain!

CHAPTER 13

EXPANDING VISIONS AND HORIZONS

How rich is the Word of God! Yet many live in a spiritual state of poverty because they do not feed themselves on the riches of His grace as revealed in His Word. Several verses to lay a good foundation:

Psalm 31:8b, “…You have set my feet in a wide place…”

Psalm 18:19, “He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.”

Isaiah 54:2-3, “Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, and strength your stakes…For you shall expand to the right and to the left, And your descendants will inherit the nations, And make the desolate cities inhabited.”

I Chronicles 4:10, “And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, ‘Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!’ So God granted him what he requested.”

Ephesians 3:17-19, “That Christ may 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…”

Psalm 118:5, “I called on the Lord in distress; The Lord answered me and SET ME IN A BROAD PLACE.”

Has it ever dawned upon you as to the vastness of the bigness of our world setting with all its universes?

For most of us we all grew up with limited visions of our little corner of the world never seeing or sensing what all was ‘out there.’ For some of us we readily wanted to stay in and hold onto our childish perceptions; some of us basked in our woeful ignorance; and some of us majored on mistaken misinterpretations of our big world.

Then, one day it’s “man on the moon.” Another day it’s that miracle of organ transplants. Here’s the Concorde, breakfast in London, lunch in New York City.

Have you seen now the bullets that will turn a corner?

Always to those of youthful visions our world is such measurement of infinite distances so beyond our comprehension.

To a little boy a small number of trees equals a vast forest, water in a ditch is like a huge lake, and one little city block is an advance into the unknown world.

And then, we come to God’s Word, and we hear: “You, God, have set my feet in a WIDE PLACE…” We’ve often been so hindered in the world of spiritual adventure because we’ve been so narrowed!! “You, God, brought me into a broad place” granting deliverance from my LIMITED VISION!! I never knew about enlarging and stretching and lengthening and strengthening and expanding – I bought in to “be content with what you are”, never realizing God had a “much more” in mind for me!

It’s time to call on God like Jabez and see if our Lord has something else in mind for us that we’ve failed to discover. What did I Chronicles 4:10 say? “Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, ‘Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!’ So God granted him what he requested.”

WE NEED AN EXPANDING VISION AND HORIZON AS TO THE ABILITY OF OUR GOD!

Do you remember Genesis 18:13-14 after Abraham told Sarah that God had revealed they were going to have a child in their old age? Listen: “And the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?…Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.’”

In the New Testament, an angel appeared to Mary and told her she would conceive and bear a Son and call His name Jesus! Remember Mary’s response? Luke 1:34, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And the angel responded, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”

Then the angel told Mary of Elizabeth bearing a son in her old age and said in verse 37, “FOR WITH GOD NOTHING WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE.”

In I Chronicles 29, before the assembly of God’s people, David blessed the Lord and said, verses 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, for 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.”

With all my heart I believe God is waiting on a man, waiting on a church, waiting on a nation that will expand its vision or horizon and lay hold on where God wants to take them AND IS ABLE TO TAKE THEM!!

Daniel 3:17 says, “our God whom we serve IS ABLE TO DELIVER…From the fiery furnace(s) we find ourselves in!!”

Luke 3:8 says, “…God is able of (these) stones TO RAISE UP CHILDREN UNTO ABRAHAM.”

In Romans 4:21 we read, “And being fully persuaded that, what God has promised, HE IS ABLE ALSO TO PERFORM.”

2 Corinthians 9:8 says, “…God is able to make ALL GRACE ABOUND TOWARD YOU…”

To the church at Ephesus, Paul wrote: (Ephesians 3:20), God “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think…” To the church at Philippi he wrote, (Philippians 3:21), “…God is able even to subdue all things unto Himself.”

In Hebrews 7:25 the author wrote: “…[God] is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him…”

And in Jude 24 we read: “Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.”

Did you catch all that? Do you receive it? In your little corner of the world you don’t believe God is able to EXPAND YOUR VISION AND HORIZON?

Isaiah 43:26 says, God speaking, “Put Me in remembrance; let us contend together…” Do you know what God is saying? “Remind Me of what I’ve promised you!!”

“In Your hand, God, is power and might; in Your hand is to make great and give strength to all; You’re able to raise up children of faith out of hard, stony hearts; What You’ve promised me, YOU’RE ABLE TO DO; every situation will be subdued unto Your glory and honor; You’ll keep me from falling; You’re going to present me faultless with great joy; You’re going to do even exceedingly abundantly above all I ask or think!!”

This ‘broad place’ is surrounded by the sense of the infinite! This broad place is submerged in the swelling tide of the Almighty! This broad place is a spacious universe of Divine Ability! This broad place is an on-going symphony of praise unto the God with whom nothing is impossible!

Isaac Watts wrote it: “I sing the mighty power of God, That made the mountains rise; That spread the flowing seas abroad, and built the lofty skies; I sing the wisdom that ordained The sun to rule the day; The moon shines full at His command, and all the stars obey.”

Do YOU sing the mighty power of God and soar into the heavenlies?

WE NEED AN EXPANDING VISION AND HORIZON AS TO THE AWESOMENESS OF A LIVING FAITH.

In Matthew 17, a man came to Jesus and told Him that he’d brought his demonized son to Jesus’ disciples and that they could not cure him. Jesus’ response? Verse 17, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.”

After Jesus cast the demon out, the disciples asked him, “Why could we not cast it out?” Verse 20, So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, IF YOU HAVE FAITH AS A MUSTARD SEED, you will say to this mountain, ‘MOVE from here to there,’ and it will move; and NOTHING WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE TO YOU.”

There’s an interesting verse in Isaiah 28:20. It says: “For the bed is too short to stretch out on, and the covering so narrow that one cannot wrap himself in it.”

Do you know what is too narrow or too short to stretch yourself out on? It’s that LIFE OF UNBELIEF! The walk of unbelief cramps you and keeps you COLD, but the walk of faith covers you and keeps you warm!

Is your life covered or uncovered? The bed that you’ve made for yourself is it too narrow, too short, or do you rest on the bed of faith? Come to Deuteronomy 32:15-20:

“But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; You grew fat, you grew thick, You are obese! Then he forsook God who made him, and scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation…They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign gods; With abominations they provoked Him to anger…They sacrificed to demons, not to God, To gods they did not know, to new gods, new arrivals that your fathers did not fear…Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful, And have forgotten the God who fathered you…And when the Lord saw it, He spurned them, Because of the provocation of His sons and His daughters…And He said, ‘I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end will be, For they are a perverse generation, children in whom is NO FAITH.”

Do you remember the lame man healed at the gate of the Temple as Peter and John ministered to him? The religious folk marveled at this and didn’t know nor could understand how it happened. Acts 3:16, Peter responding, said: “And His name, THROUGH FAITH IN HIS NAME, has made this man strong…”

Remember the paralytic carried by four men in Mark 2? They even uncovered the roof where Jesus was and let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. And Mark 2:5 says, “When Jesus SAW THEIR FAITH, He said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’”

Hebrews 6:12 says, “that you do not become sluggish (or lazy), but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

Are YOU inheriting the promises? Are you in faith standing on the promises? Are you in faith moving mountains? Are you blessed beyond belief laying hold of Big God? Are you in faith being made whole? Are you seen as a man of great faith? Are you walking with a heart purified by faith?

Are you strong in faith giving glory to God because of a faithful life? Are you part of the faithful whose faith is not in the wisdom of men but in the power of God? Are you surrounded by the shield of faith?

Is your faith toward God spread abroad? Is your faith growing exceedingly? Are you finishing the course and keeping the faith? Are you drawing near to God with a true heart in the full assurance of faith? I John 5:4, “…And this is the VICTORY that has overcome the world – OUR FAITH.” Do you understand the awesomeness of a living faith?

Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God,” and when your FAITH STANDS ON THE WORD OF GOD, listen!!! Isaiah 55:11, “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.” Are you prospering, expanding, enlarging your vision and horizon because of the awesomeness of your living faith?

WE NEED AN EXPANDING VISION AND HORIZON AS TO OUR AREAS OF SERVICE UNTO GOD. Listen to Acts 1:8, “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.”

“You have set my feet in a wide place…”

“He also brought me out into a broad place…” He’s called upon ME to “enlarge the place of [my] tent, [to] stretch out the curtains of my dwellings, [to] lengthen [my] cords, strengthen [my] stakes, [to] expand to the right and to the left.” Do you understand what God’s Word is telling us?

Disciples of Jesus are not those confined in a small place suffering from cabin fever – they are the ones who’ve entered the gate of holy calling and soar with Christ in heavenly places…

And though they may live in a small town, an insignificant village, they are consumed with the spirit of global-mindedness! Since God loves the WORLD, SO DO WE!

Disciples of Jesus live in the breadth of an international scope with Abraham desiring to be a blessing to all the nations of the earth!

Disciples of Jesus have been lifted to the mountain-tops to see the vast visions of WORLD VISION of the perishing peoples in the world populace!

Disciples of Jesus don’t live on the shores of “Lake Contentment” – we live by “THE OCEAN OF OPPORTUNITY” to touch our world with grace.

Jesus said, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” (Mark 1:17)

Daniel 12:3 says, “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.”

Are you a “wise” disciple? Are you turning ANY to righteousness? Are you a “star” hung up in God’s spiritual galaxy, hung there forever and ever because you did expand your vision and upheld that horizon of “witness” forever and ever?

Listen to Swindoll, “Come Before Winter,” (P.208), “Every so often it’s helpful to stop the annual merry-go-round, get off, look objectively, and think clearly. It’s not only helpful, it’s ESSENTIAL for the Christian. In this circus-like American lifestyle of ours, we tend to be deafened by the blare of our own band and blinded by the lights of our own spots, shining – always shining – on the ring of our choice…That needs to change. We need the hear the voice of the Ringmaster as He raises His hand to stop the band: “We interrupt this program to bring all of you a reminder that the world in which you live is not the whole world…but only a very small part of the world for which I died.” Then Swindoll said:

“The Great Commission is still “The Great Commission,” not “The Limited Agreement for My Corner of America.” He Jesus still looks out across a wide world and weeps over men and women and children who do not know – have never heard – His healing, life-giving Name.”

Dr. Joseph Clark paraphrased I Corinthians 13!! [“Today’s Evangelism,” by Ernie Reisinger, Phillipsburg, NJ; Craig Press, 1982, pps. 142-143],

“Tho’ I speak with the tongues of scholarship, and though I use approved methods of education, and fail to win others to Christ, or to build them up in Christian character, I AM BECOME AS THE MOAN OF THE WIND OF A SYRIAN DESERT…And tho’ I have the best methods and understand all mysteries of religious psychology, and tho’ I have all biblical knowledge, and lose not myself in the task of winning others to Christ, I BECOME AS A CLOUD OF MIST IN AN OPEN SEA…And tho’ I read all Sunday School literature, and attend Sunday School conventions, institutes, and summer schools, and yet am satisfied with less than winning souls to Christ and establishing others in Christian character and service, IT PROFITS NOTHING…

The soul-winning servant, the character-building servant, suffers long and is kind; he envies not others who are free from the servant’s task; he vaunts not himself, is not puffed up with intellectual pride…

Such a servant does not behave himself unseemly between Sundays, seeks not his own comfort, is not easily provoked. Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things…And now abides knowledge, methods, the MESSAGE, these three: but the greatest of these is the MESSAGE!!”

What did Paul say in Romans 1:16? “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation…”

Expanding your vision and horizon of touching the souls of men in our world!! Donald Whitney, in “Spiritual Disciplines For The Christian Life,”

(p.112), writes: “Throughout his life, John Bunyan, author of “Pilgrim’s Progress,” insisted that the conversation of some poor women, talking of the things of God while sitting in a sunlit doorway, was a critical turning point in his coming to Christ. Believe that the Lord can use what YOU say as “The Great Catalyst of Conversion.”

Hear me with all your heart: Are you a catalyst for the conversion of our world? Are you a seed planter? What is YOUR strategy to touch the world beginning at your doorstep? Whitney said, “If God does not use people like these – LIKE US – as His witnesses, there will be no human witnesses.” God, help us to expand.

WE NEED AN EXPANDING VISION AND HORIZON AS TO THE BROADENED AVENUE OF THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER.

In Matthew 6, as Jesus saw the multitudes, He led His disciples to a mountain, sat them down to instruct them, and in verses 5-7, three times He said, “…when you pray…” Jesus never said, “…if you pray…”

The disciples had been with Him now for a long period of time, in the early morning, mid-day, late afternoons, early evening, all night. In Luke 11:1, “Now it came to pass, as Jesus was praying in a certain place, that one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray…’”

They could have said, “Lord, teach us to work miracles;” “Lord, teach us to maximize our incomes;” “Lord, teach us to be good citizens;” “Lord, teach us to fight the powers of darkness;” “Lord, teach us to heal;” No, they said, “Lord, teach us to pray!!!”

Look at the world around you – both secular and religious – and what are their priorities for successful men?

• Get a good worldly education!
• Get a song to sing – be a happy person!
• Find a worthy cause or profession to invest your life in!
• Be disciplined to make your mark, making a name for yourself!
• Set your goals to establish yourself as one of the world’s wealthiest men!

No, your greatest priority? “Lord, teach us to pray.”

In fact, Alexander Whyte wrote a book entitled “Lord, Teach Us To Pray.” And in it is one chapter heading: “The Magnificence Of Prayer.” Is the magnificence of prayer woven into the fabric of your walk as a disciple?

Alfred Lord Tennyson (“Morte d’ Arthur”) wrote: “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let your voice Rise like a fountain for me night and day. For what are men better than sheep or goats That nourish a blind life within the brain, If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer Both for themselves and those who call them friends? For so the whole round earth is every way Bound by gold chains about the feet of God.” So true, but the greater truth is:

“Bound by gold chains about the heart and hands of God!!”

Samuel Henry Price said it so eloquently: “The world is full of faces, black with anger, green with envy and red with shame, which could be made radiantly white with holiness and spirituality aglow by the transfiguring power of prayer.” What does James 5:16 say? “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

Matthew 26:41 says, “Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

In Luke 18:1 Jesus spoke a parable to His disciples, “THAT MEN OUGHT ALWAYS TO PRAY, AND NOT TO FAINT.”

John 16:24 is a challenge from Jesus, “Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” Are you a joy-filled disciple?

Look at Ephesians 5:18, “praying always with all prayer and supplication IN THE SPIRIT, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints…”

Has the ‘Last Days’ church forgotten or ignored II Chronicles 7:14? “If Mt people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sins, and heal their land.” God, help us! God, wake us up from our prayerless sleeping!! No wonder you walk in most churches today and think you’re in a funeral home!

What was it that caused the early church to turn their world upside down? Acts 4:331 says, “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!”

Oh, but listen to Matthew 21:13!!! And Jesus said to them, “It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.” Either the omission of prayer in our lives is dominant or we’ve discovered the magnificence of prayer! It’s either the absence of prayer in our lives or the erupting, bubbling of the springs of prayer that touch our world surroundings with grace and mercy!

It’s either the absence of prayer in our lives or the acceleration of that ministry of intercession.

It’s either a void in our lives or a continuous volcanic eruption of the “greater works” ministry of Christ through us because we ARE “PRAYERS”!

It’s either impotent spirituality in the dynamic and discipline of prayer or the unleashing in our lives of the potent power and privilege of prayer.

Kierkegaard used to speak of that “little chamber…where…(a true suppliant) (prays)…where HE LIFTS THE WORLD OFF ITS HINGES.”

James Montgomery in his book on prayer said: “Prayer moves the arm which moves the world, AND BRINGS SALVATION DOWN.”

I’m not talking about your little poetic ditties some call prayer – but, Do you lay hold of God, and you won’t let go until He answers and blesses?

I’m not talking to you about “occasional impulses,” but that expanded life and ministry of PRAYING TO GOD. Do you?

If it should not be thought an incredible thing that God raises the dead, why should I not through prayer lay hold of Him who can raise me, raise us to heights where we’ve never been before in unceasing prayer?

WE NEED AN EXPANDING VISION AND HORIZON AS TO THE BLESSEDNESS OF PLANTING OUR FEET ON THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN-PEAK OF THE ETERNAL.

You don’t have to wonder why Paul wrote what he did to the church at Colossae in Colossians 3:2, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”

Do you understand the battle that every life faces as to this world or the eternal world here and now plus forever, beyond the earthly entanglements?

Do you understand the battle that each individual faces or wrestles with as to the investment of his life in either the temporal or the eternal?

Do you understand the battle that all of us have to come to grips with as to what has our hearts in time, in importance, in significance as to my life pumping my flesh or honoring God through the Spirit?

I want you to listen to the three verses of three different gospels as to the seed of God’s Word sown among the thorns:

• Matthew 13:22, “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.”
• Mark 4:18-19, “Now these are the ones sown among thorns; 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.”
• Luke 8:14, “Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are CHOKED with cares, riches, and pleasures of life and bring no fruit to maturity.”

Oh, but listen, God “set (our) feet in a wide place,” not a place narrowed to our selfish concerns! God “brought me out into a broad place,” of understanding that I am part of His ETERNAL SCHEME, His FOREVER PLAN, His GLORIOUS HEAVEN in the world beyond!

Enlarging, expanding, lengthening, and strengthening is not to make me comfortable here, but to broaden my awareness of THERE!

No wonder the famous David Livingstone impacted Africa for so long. He said: “I will place no value on anything I have or may possess except in relation to the kingdom of Christ.” His kingdom is ETERNAL!

In 2 Peter 1:10-11 Peter said, “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble…for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

I’m telling you, WE MUST EXPAND OUR VISION AND HORIZON!

“This world is not my home, I’m just a’ passing through, My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue…

The angels beckon me from Heaven’s open door And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore…

Oh, Lord, you know I have no friend like You, If Heaven’s not my home, Then Lord what will I do…

The heavens beckon me from Heaven’s open door And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

A SENSE OF URGENCY

In Ephesians 5:15,16 Paul challenges the Church: “Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.”

With an understanding of man’s frailty, James, in James 4:14, said, “You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.”

That’s why the great preacher of the 1700’s, Jonathan Edwards, author of “Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God,” prayed – “Oh, God, stamp eternity on my eyeballs!”

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines urgency as “Pressure – pressing with necessity; as the urgency of want or distress – even violent or vehement.”

Hezekiah learned of that urgency through direct instruction from the Lord. One day he was healthy, the next, he was mortally ill (2 Kings 20). God sent Isaiah the prophet to warn him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.’”

Some men never consider that life in this world is just a fleeting moment in the span of eternity. No thought is given to the reality of their impending death – or what follows the grave!

Shakespeare, in Macbeth (Act V.,sc 5,2.6) said, “Life is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” What a sad commentary of a man’s understanding of life.

But Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his Psalm of Life wrote: “Life is real! Life is earnest! And the grave is not its goal.” I don’t know if he knew what was beyond, but he knew there was more!

John Wesley wrote, “I desire to have heaven and hell ever in my eye, while I stand on the isthmus of life between two boundless oceans.”

And then there’s King David, no wonder he was the apple of God’s eye! Psalm 39:4-5, “Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the extent of my days. Let me know how transient I am. Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing in Your sight. Surely every man at his best is a mere breath!"

The Apostle Paul challenged first century Christians to redeem “the times, because the days are evil.” Are you eternity conscious? Are you aware of the days, their number, destiny, signs, opportunities, or wisdom? I Chronicles 12:32 speaks of the “men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do.” Deuteronomy 32:29 says, “Would that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would discern their future (or latter end)!”

In Deuteronomy 28 the children of Israel were presented the sanctions of God’s covenant with them – blessings that accompany obedience and curses

brought on by disobedience. One of the curses that comes upon those who refuse to walk in God’s ways is found in verse 66, where it says, “So your life shall hang in doubt before you: and you shall be in dread night and day, and shall have no assurance of your life.” Man will go through life either experiencing an assurance of life, of blessing, and of his future, or his life will be spent in agonizing uncertainty. Ecclesiastes 7:17 asks, “why should you die before your time?” Or, why should you die before you’ve begun to live?

In Deuteronomy 32 the Lord talks about the unwise. Verse 35 says, “In due time their foot will slip; for the day of their calamity is near, and the impending thins are hastening upon them.” Continuing in verses 46-47 He warns, “Take to your heart all the words which I am warning you today, which you shall command your sons to observe carefully, even all the words of this law. For it is not an idle word for you; indeed, it is your life!”

Do you remember Paul speaking before Felix and his wife, Drusilla, in Acts 24? Paul preached that faith in Christ Jesus means “righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come.” Felix became frightened, and said to Paul, “Go away for the present, and when I find time, I will summon you.” There is no evidence he ever did! He didn’t sense the urgency of the moment.

In Acts 26:28,29 Paul shared with Agrippa, but rather than yielding to Paul’s challenge, he responded, “In a short time, Paul, if I let you, you will persuade me to become a Christian.” He pushed Paul away, went back to the business of being a “little king” and forever missed the King of kings!

Jude 18,20,21 says, “In the last time there shall be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts. But you…keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.”

What is this, “A Sense of Urgency”?

IT IS “TAKING CHRIST SERIOUSLY”.

Ephesians 5:15 says, “Therefore, be careful how you walk…” The Amplified Bible says, “Look carefully then how you walk. Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise – sensible, intelligent people, making the most of the time –buying up each opportunity – because the days are evil.” Why?

I Timothy 4:1 speaks to that: “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.” Are you aware of the reality of some “falling away from the faith”? Do you even know its dangers? Or have you cut out of your Bible the passages that give warning to apostates, “the cutting off,” “the assigning of a place with unbelievers,” or “the transgressors and sinners crushed together”?

Hebrews 3 speaks of those who began, but did not finish the journey. Read carefully Hebrews 3:12-19. It’s a warning! “Take care, brothers, lest there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God!” He challenges us not to be “hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

Our call to “follow Christ” is serious and urgent because it is a call not to a life of ease and comfort, but instead to commitment and a cross! In Romans 8:18 Paul said, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us.” Suffering? In modern-day “Christian America?” Though suffering for the sake of the gospel is not something most Americans consider, except as something experienced by Christians in hostile societies, it should be the daily experience of every believer – I Peter 4:1,2 tells us how: “Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.” Has the desire to live your life in fulfillment of the will of God, regardless of the cost, been the testimony of your life?

Look at Romans 13:11-14, “And this do, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”

Paul urged members of the church at Corinth, 2 Corinthians 6:1 “not to receive the grace of God in vain.” What a statement! So many disciples professing faith in Christ fail to utilize the grace given to them by God in their daily spiritual battles. They encounter a conflict between the nature of their flesh and the Spirit, and rather than resisting the flesh and trusting in the grace of God to deliver them, thereby experiencing “the day of salvation,” They submit to the natural desire of their flesh and rebel against God.

Taking Christ seriously means remaining alert! In Luke 21:36 Jesus warned His disciples, “But 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.” Too many disciples follow in the example of the children of Israel who did not consider their latter end! What can we do to avoid the pitfall of their example?

Maintaining your spiritual alertness? Two-fold:

A commitment to prayer: Luke 18:1 Jesus speaking to His disciples, “that at ALL TIMES they OUGHT TO PRAY, and not lose heart.” In Ephesians 6:18 Paul said, “Pray at all times in the Spirit!” [Look at Daniel 6:10!]. And,

A commitment to the Word: Romans 15:4, “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of scripture we might have hope.”

Our call to “follow Christ” is a call to daily spiritual warfare! Ephesians 6:12 tells us that “OUR STRUGGLE is not against flesh and blood [only], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” We must each enter that battle for our own lives – Paul told Timothy, I Timothy 1:18, to “Fight the good fight.”

In 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 Paul explains how we enter that battle and reveals to us the weapons that must be utilized, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” Many people live their entire lives never understanding the battle; others simply grow weary and give up, tired of resisting, tired of staying alert, tired of guarding their minds.

I Chronicles 20:1 begins the life-long saga of heartache and tragedy experienced by David, when at a time for kings to go out to battle, David went A.W.O.L…Psalm 78:9 tells us of the children of Israel, equipped for battle, sent by the Lord, “yet they turned back in the day of battle.” The result was centuries of despair caused by enemies remaining in the land that should have been driven out.

Sometimes we may fail, falter, or find ourselves accommodating the flesh rather than the spiritual and eternal. Ecclesiastes 9:12 says, “Moreover, man does not know his time; like fish caught in a treacherous net, and birds trapped in a snare, so the sons of men are ensnared at an evil time when it suddenly falls on them.”

Samson is an example of someone who did not remain alert, he weakened; he failed to take seriously his holy calling and ended up with the Philistines gouging out his eyes, binding him with chains, and being imprisoned. Have you ever lost your spiritual vision? Have you ever limped around in spiritual bondage? Have you ever awakened to find yourself languishing in slavery?

But Samson learned to lean through what he suffered! Judges 16:28, “Then Samson called to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord, God, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time…” And God did! “A SENSE OF URGENCY”?

THAT’S RECOGNITION, AWARENESS OF, AND BATTLING AGAINST THE FLOOD OF OPPOSITION.

No one whose heart goes after Jesus and whose path is directed by the Holy Word of God can look around our world and not be ashamed of the rampaging flood of earthly, natural, and demonic ‘wisdom’ that is being poured out in opposition to the wisdom of God.

Sexual perversion is so rampant it’s enough to make one heart-sick. On one of my trips to India with Bob Phillips, who was founder and co-pastor of Times Square Church in New York city, Bob told me then, at least 12-15 years ago, that in the New York City public school system a “family life” curriculum had been introduced that taught masturbation to sixth grade boys and girls!

We are not just facing a flood of sexual perversion, but a flood of every form of wickedness that is raised up in opposition to the ways of God – greed, compromise, deception, a lying spirit – in the business and political systems – a man’s word is no longer his bond, very few can be trusted, especially our national leaders! Anything goes. What pleases me, what gives me satisfaction, that’s OK.. Moral absolutes are out. No final authority – just what pleases me.

In James 3:14-17, James wrote, “But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, and demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.” The wisdom of God and the wisdom of the world are in stark contrast!

Job, in a struggle to understand what was taking place in his life, asks an important question, (Job 28:12,13), “But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man does not know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living.”

There is worldly wisdom, but it is raised up in opposition to the wisdom of God! Paul wrote in I Corinthians 3:19 that “the wisdom of the world is foolishness before God.” In I Corinthians 1:19,20 he records God saying, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will set aside,” and continues, saying, “God has made foolish the wisdom of the world.”

As believers in Christ, we have one great advantage over the world – time! As time progresses, the futility of man’s wisdom and the superiority of God’s ways are proven. 2 Timothy 3:9 says, “But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all…”

Have you personally wrestled with what true wisdom is all about? Let me give you a few verses to the door of enlightment!!:

• “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” – Job 28:28
• “For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright.” Proverbs 2:6-7
• “Now Joshua was filled with the spirit of wisdom” – Deuteronomy 34:9
• “When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is wisdom” Proverbs 11:2
• “The rod and reproof give wisdom” Proverbs 29:15
• “The “Branch of Jesse” – “and the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding” Isaiah 11:2
• “Christ became to us wisdom from God” – I Corinthians 1:30
• “I pray..God..may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him” – Ephesians 1:17
• But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously” – James 1:5

If our nation is to be saved there must be a return to the wisdom that comes from God. How we must urgently pray for God to raise up men like Bezalel, Exodus 31:2,3, men filled with the Spirit of God in wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, to restore the American church, and ultimately the nation, in “the wisdom from above.”

The history of Israel is tragic. Times of apostasy led to judgment from God resulting in destruction upon the nation. Sometimes, in their distress, they would cry out to Him and truly turn back, but it never lasted. In Hebrews 3:10 Paul recorded the Lord’s frustration with His people, “Therefore I was angry with this generation and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; and they did not know My ways.” If we are to walk in wisdom, we must learn from the example of Israel’s failure. Will we follow in their example of disobedience, or will we seek after the Lord alone? It is the only hope for ANY nation! Isaiah 33:6 prophesied of the coming Messiah and reveals God’s intentions for His people who will receive Him and walk in His ways, “He shall be the stability of your times, a wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is His treasure.” “A SENSE OF URGENCY?”

HEART-BROKENNESS OVER THE WORLD’S WICKEDNESS.

In Ephesians 5:16 Paul warns us to “redeem the time because the days are evil.” Man, without God, runs in circles, making paths of unrighteousness that hold him captive. His wickedness becomes more and more ingrained and more difficult to escape its hold! I’m 76 years of age, and it is hard to believe the depth of depravity my nation has sunk to in the last forty to fifty years!

Paul understood (2 Timothy 3:13) that “evil men and imposters will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived!” He told the church at Rome that as they present the members of their bodies as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, which is sin, it produces further lawlessness – sin breeds more sin. That explains how a nation with a motto, “In God We Trust,” can buy the lie of political rhetoric that says a person’s moral character has nothing to do with his ability to govern – resulting in the election of a man with no moral character to the most powerful office in the world, lying every time he opens his mouth!! [By the way, God says, “All liars go to Hell!!]. His lying spirit and election exposes the wickedness of our nation and our need of a new “Great Awakening”!!

In Ephesians 6:13 Paul urges us not to give up in such a time as this – instead he challenges us to “take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything to stand firm.”

WE will no longer be able to take our faith for granted in America. Freedoms that were purchased with the blood of our forefathers, born out of a desire to establish a “city on a hill” giving light to the whole world – are now under attack and being lost, almost on a daily basis. I haven’t given up hope on America yet. There is hope. I don’t believe it is the will of God for us “to perish;” but a price must be paid! The price of prayer, the price of costly discipleship, the price of emptying ourselves that we may be supernaturally filled with God’s Holy Spirit, the price of upholding the Word of God – even in the face of legal and political persecution, and the price of broken hearts at the Throne of Grace crying out to Him for a “divine visitation”! “A SENSE OF URGENCY”?

DEEP, HEART-FELT AWARENESS OF MULTITUDES WITHOUT CHRIST.

In 2 Kings 5 there is the story of Naaman, captain of the army of the king of Aram. The Bible says that he was a great man and one that was highly respected – a valiant warrior. But “he was a leper.”

That’s the picture of every man, woman, boy or girl across our world. Without Christ, deathly ill with a spiritual leprosy called sin. They are bound for an eternal hell apart from salvation in Jesus Christ. Apart from Christ they are without hope.

That may be your father or your mother. It may be your brother or your sister. It may be your closest friend, your employer, or your fellow employee. Isaiah 59:2 says that “your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you.” It’s true! And there is only one way to restore the breach between God and man that was brought about by sin – (Acts 4:12), “Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.” That name? JESUS CHRIST OF NAZARETH! The urgency of the hour is that hundreds of millions of people are slipping into eternity having never heard the name of Jesus.

Proverbs 24:20 says, “For there will be no future for the evil man; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.” But the heart of God cries out: “Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are as scarlet they will be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they will be like wool.” There’s HOPE! It is in Christ Jesus, the Lord, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world! It is the message that God has entrusted to every disciple to proclaim – it is urgent that the Gospel be proclaimed to all men in every nation! “A SENSE OF URGENCY?”

OUR EYES OPENED TO THE REALITY OF DIVINE JUDGMENT!

It’s awesome! Think about it! Hebrews 9:27 says, “And inasmuch as it is appointed for man to die once and after this comes judgment!” Judgment!

Romans 14:10 says, “For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God.” God, help us! Even the church doesn’t know, doesn’t believe, or doesn’t care “that judgment begins with the household of God!” (I Peter 4:17).

In Jude 14 and 15 it’s written, “And about these also Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam prophesied, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

Peter, (2 Peter 2:9), warned that “the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment.”

It’s so urgent!! Psalm 96:13 says, “For He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the people in His faithfulness.”

So many lives that we touch every day are hanging over the entrance to hell by a single strand of thread – and the thread is old and rotten. It’s not very popular to talk about today, but hell is real – it was prepared for the devil and his angels – but it has become a place for all who are without Christ!

It’s that place “where the worm dies not and the fire is not quenched.” We need a big whiff of the smoke and stench of Hell!

Leonard Ravenhill wrote a message before his death entitled “Your Day In Court.” I wish there was room to reprint it in its entirety –

“Can you see those millions of unholy dead? All the criminals who ever lived. All the prostitutes. All the men who make millions from pornography. Can you think of the pimps who pollute those little girls on West 42^nd Street in New York? Can you imagine when God takes hold of history and empties it?! When every man who ever walked the streets of ancient Babylon with all its lusts, or Corinth which was just one colossal cesspool of impurity, must account for himself? When all that has happened in Las Vegas last night is going to be ‘thrown on the screen’ in eternity! Every king that has ruled over England, the caliphs of Baghdad, the maharajas of India, the multi-millionaire, the billionaire – they’re all going to stand one day! Can you imagine that? At the Judgment Seat of Christ they will have to account for all of their deeds done in the body. Every judge that sits in the high court is going to be judged one day by an Infallible Judge. How long will it take? I don’t know and I don’t care…because we’re t going anywhere! I think one of the joys of eternity will be that the redeemed will see all the unholy dead judged, but the unholy won’t see the judgment of the saints, because they won’t be there….

“You may say, ‘Well, Mr. Ravenhill, I won’t be in serious trouble because I don’t have a good memory.’ Well, you’ll have one that day. There’s going to be some awful revelation. There’s going to be some weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. John says the books were opened. (Revelation 20:12) What books? I’m not really sure what books are, but I think the book of the Ten Commandments for one, and I think maybe the Book of Memory for another thing. (Mal.3:16). You see, memory is an amazing thing. Memory will last into eternity. I don’t think the redeemed will remember their sorrows and heartaches, but I’ll tell you the unholy dead will remember every time somebody put a tract into their hand. They’ll remember it through eternity and wish to God they still had a chance to respond. They’ll remember every one of their mother’s prayers they ever heard. They’ll remember every word of every sermon they ever sat through. They’re going to remember everything. How do I know? Because one day a man in hell prayed. It was not only the wrong place to pray, but he prayed to the wrong person (to Abraham), and he of course got the wrong answer (according to the answer he was looking for). ‘Child, remember that during your life, you received your good things…’ ‘But I don’t want my brothers to come here!’ But Jesus says, ‘Remember.’ (Luke 16:19-31). Memory is eternal. It will never die. Your memory isn’t faulty. Every-thing you’ve done, every idle word you’ve spoken, and every action will one day be recalled.

“The unholy dead are going to stand, great and small, before God. Sometimes I look at my Encyclopedia Britannica and I think of all the history that is going to pass before me in the flesh. I’ll be interested to see Julius Caesar and Tiberius Caesar. I’ll be fascinated when Pontius Pilate stands before Jesus. I think he’ll be more uncomfortable than Jesus felt standing before him! It will be awesome when we see the founders of these cults stand before God. When, in God’s name, is the Church going to open their heart and mind and see that every man will stand accountable to God? I don’t care if he flies his own private jet or how many cities or millions of people he rules. It doesn’t matter. The great of the earth and the lowest of the earth are all going to spend their time in eternity. They are going to live there forever and ever, ‘where their worm does not die…’ (Mark 9:48). Hell won’t be the same for everybody. Some will be beaten with a few stripes, some with many stripes (Luke 12:47-48). But I tell you what – I’d rather be the least in the Kingdom of God than the greatest in the kingdom of the devil, both in time and in eternity.” WOW! THANKS, DR. RAVENHILL!!

Do you remember Revelation 9:6? “And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; and they will long to die and death flees from them.” JUDGED! JUDGED!

In Revelation 6 there’s the breaking of the sixth seal! Verses 15-17, “and the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains…and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come; and who is able to stand?”

I’ll tell you who will stand – the ones who are “IN CHRIST JESUS”!! So, I believe I’d find out what it means to be “IN CHRIST JESUS!”

“A SENSE OF URGENCY?”

CONSIDER THE UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE.

We began this message by looking at James 4:14, “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.”

David recognized that a man’s life was like a mere breathy in the scope of eternity. Job exclaimed that his days were “swifter than a weaver’s shuttle.”

But there are those who know that things are not right in their hearts toward God, but say, “It’s not urgent – I have plenty of time.” And then, without warning, it’s gone… the day of opportunity vanishes – because they didn’t sense the shortness or the uncertainty of life!

Jesus, in one of His seven letters to the churches contained in Revelation, rebuked the church at Thyatira for tolerating “the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.” He goes on to say to her, “And I gave her time to repent; and she does not want to repent of her immorality.” It is so crucial that you understand that He does not desire that any should perish but that all should come to repentance! He gave her time to repent, just as He gives all of us the time and opportunity – but He will not contend with us forever. There is a point at which He ceases to strive with us.

The tragedy is that so many people ignore His voice and harden their hearts to the wooing of the Spirit. That’s why He tells us in Hebrews 3:7, “Therefore, just as the Spirit says, ‘Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as when they [Israel] provoked Me, as in the day of trial in the wilderness.” Don’t follow in their example – yield to Him. Don’t put it off – yield TODAY!

The attitude should affect your manner of life on this earth. In I Peter 1:17 we find out what kind of effect it should have upon us: “And if you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each man’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay upon the earth.” In other words, recognize the urgency of the moment! Do you? I urge you to redeem the time, make the most of every moment to seek after God while He can be found!

CONCECRATION TO CHRIST’S LORDSHIP?”

J.FARRELL FISHER, JUNE 20-21,2019

LEVITICUS 11:44 IS SO VERY, VERY CLEAR & PLAIN. IT SAYS: “FOR I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD. YOU SHALL THEREFORE CONSECRATE YOURSELVES, & YOU SHALL BE HOLY; FOR I AM HOLY.” BUT IN OUR WORLD, OUR DAY & TIME, JUST AS IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE : “SO-CALLED” PEOPLE OF GOD, THEIR LIVES WERE BEING CONSUMED BY “COMPETING LIFESTYLES.” ‘HOLINESS’ BECAME, & STILL IS, EVEN IN SOME ‘CHRISTIAN’ (?) CIRCLES TODAY, A STRANGE WORD, A DEROGATORY WORD; RATHER THAN AFFIRMATION,& IT HAS BECOME A FROWNED-UPON CONCEPT OF “THE LESSER INFORMED”, BECAUSE, ‘THEY’ [THE SPIRITUALLY ELITE] ARE SO ‘ABOVE’ SUCH AN ‘ILL-INFORMED, UNEDUCATED, NARROW-MINDED GROUP’, WHO CAN’T POSSIBLY REPRESENT GOD!!

YET IT’S GOD HIMSELF WHO SAID, “..BE HOLY,” & “CONSECRATE YOURSELVES.” AND THE MEANING OF THE WORD, ‘CONSECRATE’? IT’S FROM A HEBREW WORD MEANING, ‘TO BE SET APART,’ OR ‘SACREDNESS’! WEBSTER’S 1828 DICTIONATY 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 & ONE’S WALK.”

I THINK YOU’LL UNDERSTAND THE TITLE OF THIS MESSAGE WHEN YOU REMIND YOURSELF OF GALATIANS 6:14 WHERE PAUL SAID, “BY WHOM THE WORLD IS CRUCIFIED UNTO ME; & 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 & CONSUMED BY ITS FALLEN SPIRIT, BUT TO BE OUR LORD’S WITNESSES OF HIS SAVING GRACE, MERCY, & LOVE! 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, & THE CARES OF THIS WORLD & THE DECEITFULNESS OF RICHES CHOKE THE WORD, & 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 ONCE SAID: “THE UNREST OF THIS WEARY WORLD IS ITS UNVOICED CRY AFTER GOD,” & SADLY DOESN’T EVEN KNOW WHAT IT’S ‘UNVOICED CRY’ IS ALL ABOUT!

COMPETING LIFESTYLES? GOD’S PEOPLE ARE TO BE FAITHFUL “TO THE WORLD IN ITS 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 & SUBMISSION TO HOLY GOD THROUGH THE “RECONCILER” & “REDEEMER”, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST!

COMPETING LIFESTYLES? THE ‘WORLD’ IS A NET TO SNARE, ENTRAP, & 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 & ROTTING OF WHAT COULD HONOR HOLY GOD! COMPETING LIFESTYLES? THE ‘WORLD’ BIRTHS WORRY, WAR, FALSE WORSHIP, CHAINS & BONDAGE, RATHER THAN FREEDOM & LIBERTY, CHAOS RATHER THAN “THE PEACE THAT PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING.”

COMPETING LIFESTYLES? “DAY OF WRATH THAT DAY OF BURNING, SEER & SIBYL SPEAK CONCERNING, ALL THE WORLD TO ASHES TURNING,” [THOMAS DE CELANO]. MASTERS OF ‘SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS’ BECOME MIDGETS MIRED IN THE MUD OF ONE’S OWN MAKING.IT WAS JAMES MILNER WHO SAID: “WHILE A MAN RESTS IN HIS OWN MERITS FOR ACCEPTANCE WITH GOD, IT IS OF LITTLE CONSEQUENCE WHETHER HE BE A PAGAN IDOLATER, OR A PROUD, ARROGANT PHARISEE – I KNOW NOT WHICH OF THE TWO IS MOST DISTANT FROM THE KINGDOM OF GOD.”

COMPETING LIFESTYLES? IRREVERANCE IS THE NAME FOR TOO MANY PEOPLE WHO BOW BEFORE THEIR ‘FLESHLY IDOLS’,NOT EVEN KNOWING IT IS A ‘god’ THEY BOW BEFORE & WORSHIP. FOULNESS IS ITS FRUIT, SMELLY STENCH ITS JUICE, POISONOUS VINES THE VEINS WITHIN THEIR ‘SICKENED, SINFUL, NATURAL, THO’ RELIGIOUS PRESENCE’, BUT “STILL” ALIENATED & SEPARATED FROM HOLY GOD, BECAUSE, THOUGH ‘BELIEVING’, THERE’S BEEN NO TRUE REPENTANCE OR TRUE “RESTING” IN THE FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST AT THE CROSS & HIS EMPTY TOMB,OR WELCOMING OF HIS REIGNING PRESENCE!

COMPETING LIFESTYLES? WEALTH IS THE ‘god’ BEFORE WHOM MANY BEAR WITNESS! JESUS SAID IN MATTHEW 6:19, “LAY NOT UP FOR YOURSELVES TREASURES UPON EARTH, WHOSE MOTH & RUST DOES CORRUPT, & WHERE THIEVES BREAK THROUGH & STEAL.” IT WAS ROBERT SOUTH WHO ONCE 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, & NO HELL BUT AN EMPTY PURSE; & NOT A FEW OF THEIR DESCENDANTS ARE STILL LIVING.” NO WONDER JOHN FOSTER WROTE: “THE PRIDE OF DYING RICH RAISES THE LOUDEST LAUGH IN HELL.”

COMPETING LIFESTYLES! I’VE SAID BEFORE, & I’LL SAY IT AGAIN: “RELIGION IS NOT AN ETERNAL, VIBRANT RELATIONSHIP, BUT AN OCCASIONAL ‘SUNDAY-NODDING OF THE HEART’, BUT ABSENT OF A “NEW, GRACED, SPIRIT-ANOINTED LIFE & HEART”!! YET ‘RELIGIOUS GATHERINGS’ ALL OVER THE WORLD WILL INCLUDE JESUS CHRIST AMONG THE ‘WORSHIP’ (?) OF THEIR NATURAL GODS!! BUT THERE IS NO GRASP AT ALL OF THE LORD’S WORDS: “YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN”!!

WALTER BAGEHOT WROTE: “THE WHOLE HISTORY OF CIVILIZATION IS STREWN WITH CREEDS & INSTITUTIONS WHICH WERE INVALUABLE AT FIRST, & DEADLY AFTERWARDS.” (CONTEMPLATE THAT THOUGHT FOR A DAY!). COMEPETING LIFESTYLES? HOW MANY DO YOU KNOW WHO’VE BOWED BEFORE THEIR OWN MINDS AS THEIR ULTIMATE ‘god’? I DO KNOW THAT IN PHILLIPIANS 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, & UNDERSTANDING! BUT HOW MANY ‘EDUCATED’ UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS HAVE DISAVOWED ALLEGIANCE TO GOD & BOW BEFORE THEIR FLIMSY, FAITHLESS 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” – BUT 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, GOVERNED 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 CHOOSE TO 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 EMBARASSING 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 & OF THEMSELVES, FULFILL THEIR OWN DESTINIES & BE RICHER FOR IT THAN ‘THOSE POOR CHRISTIANS’, YET GOD SAID IN JEREMIAH 2:11-13: “HAS A NATION CHANGED THEIR GODS, WHICH ARE YET NO GODS? BUT MY PEOPLE (ISRAEL) HAS CHANGED THEIR GLORY FOR THAT WHICH DOES NOT PROFIT. BE ASTONISHED, OH YOU HEAVENS, AT THIS, & BE HORRIBLY AFRAID, BE YOU VERY DESOLATE, SAYS THE LORD. FOR MY PEOPLE HAVE COMMITTED TWO EVILS; THEY HAVE FORSAKEN ME THE FOUNTAIN OF LIVING WATERS, & HEWED THEM OUT CISTERNS, BROKEN CISTERNS, THAT CAN HOLD NO WATER.” (IS THAT ‘WATER’ THE “WATER OF THE WORD” THAT ISRAEL DID NOT UPHOLD?). (BY THE WAY, THE “WATER OF THE WORD” IS KING JESUS THAT THEY WILLINGLY CRUCIFIED!!).

COMPETING LIFESTYLES? THAT’S THE ‘godless’, THE ‘convenient’, THE ‘careless’, THE ‘self-exalting, self-ruling, self-indulgent, self-deceived individual, who, like Israel, (Gen.11:4), “..LET US BUILD A CITY, & A TOWER, WHOSE TOP MAY REACH UNTO HEAVEN; & LET US MAKES US A NAME, LEST WE BE SCATTERED ABROAD UPON THE FACE OF THE WHOLE EARTH.” SELF-EXALTATION, NATIONAL EXALTATION, FAMILY EXALTATION, BUSINESS EXALTATION – & MAKE SURE THAT YOU LEAVE ‘YOUR ‘god’ out of our self-governing right!’ REALLY? IN JOHN 5:44 THE LORD JESUS SAID TO THE ‘SELF-REIGNING JEWS’, “HOW CAN YOU BELIEVE, WHICH RECEIVE HONOR ONE OF ANOTHER, & SEEK NOT THE HONOR WHICH COMES FROM GOD ONLY?”

COMPETING LIFESTYLES? IN 2 CORINTHIANS 13:5 PAUL SAID TO THE “CHURCH” IN CORINTH, “EXAMINE YOURSELVES, WHETHER YOU BE IN THE FAITH; PROVE YOUR OWN SELVES. KNOW YOU NOT YOUR OWN SELVES, HOW THAT JESUS CHRIST IS IN YOU, EXCEPT YOU BE REPROBATES?” WHEN IS THE LAST TIME YOU READ GALATIANS 6:1-8? IT SAYS: “BRETHREN, IF A MAN BE OVERTAKEN IN A FAULT, YOU WHICH ARE SPIRITUAL, RESTORE SUCH A ONE IN THE SPIRIT OF MEEKNESS; CONSIDERING YOURSELF LEST YOU ALSO BE TEMPTED.

BEAR YOU ONE ANOTHER’S BURDENS, & SO FULFILL THE LAW OF CHRIST. FOR IF A MAN THINK HIMSELF TO BE SOMETHING, WHEN HE IS NOTHING, HE DECEIVES HIMSELF. BUT LET EVERY MAN PROVE HIS OWN WORK, & THEN SHALL HE HAVE REJOICING IN HIMSELF, & NOT IN ANOTHER. FOR EVERY MAN SHALL BEAR HIS OWN BURDEN. LET HIM THAT IS TAUGHT IN THE WORD COMMUNICATE UNTO HIM THAT TEACHES IN ALL GOOD THINGS. BE NOT DECEIVED; GOD IS NOT MOCKED; FOR WHATSOEVER A MAN SOWS, THAT SHALL HE ALSO REAP. FOR HE THAT SOWS TO HIS FLESH SHALL OF THE FLESH REAP CORRUPTION; BUT HE THAT SOWS TO THE SPIRIT SHALL OF THE SPIRIT REAP LIFE EVERLASTING.”

COMPETING LIFESTYLES? YOU’VE HEARD THE WORLD’S ‘EDUCATIONAL ELITISTS’ SAYING, “WE “are” the “ELITISTS”!! WE ARE THE SUPERIOR MINDS OF OUR DAY! WE ARE OF SUCH AN ACADEMIC MENTALITY THAT OUR EDUCATIONAL & SCHOLARSHIP COMPETENCE LEAVES NO ROOM FOR DISCUSSIONS ABOUT GOD, YOUR ‘JESUS’, THE BIBLE, LIFE OR DEATH, ‘SALVATION’, OR WHAT YOU ‘CHRISTIANS ‘ (?) CALL ‘FREE GRACE’ – WE’LL JUST SLIDE INTO ‘YOUR HEAVEN’ BY OUR ‘GREASE’!” BUT I CHOOSE JOHN 17:6 FOR MY EDUCATIONAL DEGREE! IT SAYS: (THIS IS JESUS SPEAKING TO FATHER-GOD!), “I HAVE MANIFESTED (UNVEILED) YOUR NAME (FATHER-GOD) UNTO THE MEN WHICH YOU GAVE ME OUT OF THE WORLD: THEY WERE YOURS, & YOU GAVE THEM TO ME; & THEY HAVE KEPT YOUR WORD.” (WHAT AN AWESOME WORD OF HOLY TRUTH!!).

COMPETING LIFESTYLES? ARE WE IN “THE LAST DAYS”? IN 2 TIMOTHY 3:1-5 WE READ, “THIS KNOW ALSO, THAT IN THE LAST DAYS (OF JUDAISM?), PERILOUS TIMES SHALL COME. FOR MEN SHALL BE LOVERS OF THEIR OWN SELVES, COVETOUS, BOASTERS, PROUD, BLASPHEMERS, DISOBEDIENT TO PARENTS, UNTHANKFUL, UNHOLY, WITHOUT NATURAL AFFECTION, TRUCEBREAKERS, FALSE ACCUSERS, INCONTINENT, FIERCE, DESPISERS OF THOSE THAT ARE GOOD, TRAITORS, HEADY, HIGHMINDED, LOVERS OF PLEASURES MORE THAN LOVERS OF GOD; HAVING A FORM OF GODLINESS, BUT DENYING THE POWER THEREOF: FROM SUCH TURN AWAY.”

OH, I HAVE NO DOUBTS AT ALL! WHAT WE JUST READ REFERRED TO JUDAISM IN THAT DAY & TIME PERIOD, BUT THAT ‘FALSE SPIRIT’ DOESN’T ABOUND IN THE 21^ST CENTURY OF “MODERN-DAY CHRISTIANITY”? HAVE “YOU” NOT GRASPED THAT ALL YOU SEE IN “YOUR” ‘LAST DAYS’ IS ALSO MUCH ‘godlessness’ THOUGH MANY ARE “PROFESSING BELIEVERS, CHURCH-GOERS, & STRONG PROMOTERS OF THEIR ‘SELF-RELIGIOUS DECEPTION’? YES, EVEN IN THE CHURCH THERE ARE THOSE, MEN & BOYS, WOMEN & GIRLS, WHO HAVE DECIDED, “THE LOW LIFE IS THE HIGH LIFE,” “VIOLENCE IS VIRTUOUS,” “REBELLION IS SPIRITUAL INDEPENDENCE”, “GODLESSNESS IS GREAT”, “SIN IS JUST THE CELEBRATION OF “WHO WE WERE”, BUT NOT WHO WE ARE NOW (EVEN AS WE CONTINUE TO MANIFEST, CELEBRATE, & PROFESS OUR ‘TWO-WORLDS FAITH’, “OURS & GOD’S”!)”. REALLY?

THERE’S NO ‘GOD-THING’ IN THE RELIGIOUS CLIMATE THAT CELEBRATES BOTH ‘THE LOW-LIFE & THE HIGH-LIFE’, OR ‘VIOLENCE IS VIRTUOUS – IT HAS ITS PLACE’, OR ‘REBELLION ( A ‘LITTLE-DAB WILL DO YOU’!)’, OR ‘SIN IS JUST THE CELEBRATION OF WHO & WHAT WE ARE – GOD UNDERSTANDS OUR TWO-PART SYSTEM: FLESH & SPIRIT, WORLDLY & THE KINGDOM OF GOD ‘– SORRY, YOU CAN’T WALK ON TWO STREETS!!’ ‘SACRILEGE IS PERMISSABLE’, ‘THOUGH MY WAY MAY NOT BE GOD’S WAY, HE STILL OVERLOOKS MY ‘FLESHLY TRAITS’ & ACCEPTS MY ‘BEST EFFORTS’! NO! YOUR ‘BEST EFFORT MENTALITY’ WAS CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST!!!!

COMPETING LIFESTYLES? OH, THERE ARE THOSE WHO READ THE BIBLE & HEAR FROM JESUS, “IN THE WORLD YOU WILL HAVE MUCH TRIBULATION, IF YOU FOLLOW HIM,” & YOU HEAR THEM SAY, “PLEASURE FOR ME – NOT PAIN; GOOD TIMES HELL’S WAY, NOT HEAVEN’S WAY; WE WANT “ALL” THAT ENCIRCLES US IN THE WORLD’S WAY”, [NOT KNOWING “IN CHRIST” THEY INHERIT HEAVEN’S FORTUNES!]; INTEGRITY? HOW ABOUT FOR US, COMPROMISE? ‘ALL-OUT’? – HOW ABOUT: HALF-HEARTED? HALF OF FLESH, HALF OF THE HOLY SPIRIT?’ 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 4:7 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 MINDS”? HOW MANY DO YOU KNOW WHO PRACTICE WITCHCRAFT? HOW MANY DO YOU KNOW WHO TODAY CELEBRATE THE “DEMONS”? HOW OFTEN HAVE YOU WITNESSED “HELL’S ANGELS”? (JUST TURN ON YOUR TV &YOU’VE WITNESSED “HELL’S ANGELS”?)

BUT WHAT DID JOSHUA SAY? “CHOOSE YOU THIS DAY WHOM YOU WILL SERVE, BUT AS FOR ME & MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD!” CHOICE! WEBSTER’S 1828 DICTIONARY SAYS THAT ‘CHOICE’ IS THE ACTS 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 DISPUTING, PETER ROSE UP, & SAID UNTO THEM, MEN & BRETHREN, YOU KNOW HOW THAT A GOOD WHILE AGO GOD MADE CHOICE AMONG US, THAT THE GENTILES BY MY MOUTH SHOULD HEAR THE WORD OF THE GOSPEL, & BELIEVE. AND GOD, WHICH KNOWS THE HEARTS, BORE THEM WITNESS, GIVING THEM THE HOLY SPIRIT, EVEN AS HE DID UNTO US (JEWS); & PUT NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN US & THEM, PURIFYING THEIR HEARTS BY FAITH.” [BUT THAT’S NOT WHAT GOD STILL DOES TODAY?].

THE BROTHER OF JESUS, JAMES, IN JAMES 2:5, WROTE: “HEAR ME, MY BELOVED BRETHREN, HAS NOT GOD “CHOSEN” THE POOR OF THIS WORLD RICH IN FAITH, & HEIRS OF THE KINGDOM WHICH HE HAS PROMISED TO THEM THAT LOVE HIM?” [I ASSUME THE QUESTION IS: “ARE ‘YOU’ THE POOR OF THIS WORLD WHO ARE, YES, RICH IN FAITH & HEIRS OF THE KINGDOM BECAUSE “YOU” TRULY LOVE THE GOD WHO PROVED HIS LOVE FOR YOU EVEN WHILE YOU WERE ‘CHIEFEST OF SINNERS’?”].

“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’S INDWELLING PRESENCE, & AS AN ASSURANCE OF HIS SAVING GRACE & HIS ETERNAL POWER TO, YES, RAISE THE “DEAD” INTO HIS ABIDING PRESENCE!” IT OUGHT TO PUT YOU ON “HALLELUJAH GROUNDS” WHEN YOU READ JOHN 15:16 WHERE JESUS SAID: “YOU HAVE NOT CHOSEN ME, BUT I HAVE CHOSEN YOU, THAT YOU SHOULD GO & BRING FORTH FRUIT, & THAT YOUR FRUIT SHOULD REMAIN:THAT WHATSOEVER YOU SHALL ASK OF THE FATHER IN MY NAME, HE MAY GIVE IT TO YOU.” AN AWESOME DECLARATION!! YOU DO UNDERSTAND: “JESUS TOOK UNTO HIMSELF THE TWELVE INITIAL DISCIPLES,” & THEY WERE FOR SO LONG UNSURE OF HIS INTENT & 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 CAN’T DO WITHOUT, HE CANNOT CHOOSE YOU BECAUSE YOU HAVE ENDS OF YOUR OWN IF YOU CHOOSE TO GIVE HIM YOUR BEST, (WHICH HE CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST ON THE CROSS!); BUT IF YOU HAVE LET HIM BRING YOU TO THE END OF YOUR SELF-SUIFFICIENCY, THEN HE CAN CHOOSE YOU TO GO WITH HIM TO JERUSALEM, & THAT WILL MEAN THE FULFILLMENT OF PURPOSES WHICH HE DOES NOT DISCUSS WITH YOU.”

HAVE “YOU” HEARD HIS VOICE OR HIS ‘KNOCK’ ON YOUR HEART’S DOOR? “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 & IN OUR SORROWS, DAYS OF TOIL & HOURS OF EASE, STILL HE CALLS, IN CARES & 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 & LOVE YOU BEST OF ALL.”

OH, 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 HEARTS TO AFRESH & ANEW HEAR HIS VOICE! REVELATION 1:12-18 SAYS, AND I TURNED TO SEE THE VOICE THAT SPOKE WITH ME. & BEING TURNED, I SAW SEVEN GOLDEN CANDLESTICKS; & IN THE MIDST OF THE SEVEN GOLDEN CANDLESTICKS ONE LIKE UNTO THE SON OF MAN, CLOTHED WITH A GARMENT DOWN TO THE FOOT, & GIRT ABOUT THE PAPS WITH A GOLDEN GIRDLE.

HIS HEAD & HIS HAIRS WERE WHITE LIKE WOOL, AS WHITE AS SNOW; & HIS EYES WERE AS A FLAME OF FIRE; & HIS FEET LIKE UNTO FINE BRASS, AS IF THEY BURNED IN A FURNACE; & 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; & HIS COUNTENANCE WAS AS THE SUN SHINES IN ITS STRENGTH.

AND WHEN I SAW HIM, I FELL AT HIS FEET AS DEAD. & HE LAID HIS RIGHT HAND UPON ME, SAYING UNTO ME, ‘FEAR NOT; FOR I AM THE FIRST & THE LAST: I AM HE THAT LIVES & WAS DEAD; &, BEHOLD, I AM ALIVE FOREVERMORE. AMEN; & I HAVE THE KEYS OF HELL & OF DEATH.” CHRIST JESUS CONQUERED DEATH, THE GRAVE, & HELL ITSELF! OH, & THEN, IN MATTHEW 16:19, WE READ: “AND I WILL GIVE UNTO YOU THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN; & WHATSOEVER YOU SHALL BIND ON EARTH SHALL BE BOUND IN HEAVEN; & WHATSOEVER YOU SHALL LOOSE ON EARTH SHALL BE LOOSED IN HEAVEN.”

DO YOU BELIEVE ONE OF THE “KEYS” IS THE KEY OF TESTIMONY? EXAMINE ROMANS 5:1, & VERSES 6-11! “THEREFORE BEING JUSTIFIED BY FAITH, WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST:

VERSES 6-11 THEN SAYS: FOR WHEN WE WERE YET WITHOUT STRENGTH, IN DUE TIME CHRIST DIED FOR THE UNGODLY. FOR SCARCELY FOR A RIGHTEOUS MAN WILL ONE DIE:YET PERADVENTURE FOR A GOOD MAN SOME WOULD EVEN DARE TO DIE. BUT GOD COMMENDS HIS LOVE TOWARD US, IN THAT WHILE WE WERE YET SINNERS, CHRIST DIED FOR US.MUCH MORE THEN, BEING NOW JUSTIFIED BY CHRIST’S BLOOD, WE SHALL BE (BEING) SAVED FROM WRATH THROUGH HIM.

FOR IF, WHEN WE WERE ENEMIES, WE WERE RECONCILED TO GOD BY THE DEATH OF HIS SON, MUCH MORE, BEING RECONCILED, WE SHALL BE (BEING) SAVED BY HIS LIFE. & NOT ONLY SO, BUT WE ALSO JOY IN GOD THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, BY WHOM WE HAVE NOW RECEIVED THE ATONEMENT.” DO “YOU” TRULY UNDERSTAND THE WORD, ATONEMENT, OR WOULD IT BE BETTER TO SEE IT AS “AT-ONE-MENT” WITH GOD THROUGH JESUS ONLY?

IN PHILIPPIANS 1:21 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 HE SAID, “FOR TO ME TO LIVE IS CHRIST, & TO DIE IS GAIN.” WHAT HAD JESUS SAID IN JOHN 10:10? “I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE, & THAT THEY MAY HAVE IT MORE AVBUNDANTLY.” THAT’S “CHRIST IN YOU THE HOPE OF GLORY!” IT’S LIFE, THE LIFE IN & OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, LIFE THAT IS ABUNDANT, LIFE THAT IS ETERNAL!

GALATIANS 2:20-21a TELLS US, “I AM CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST:BUT I LIVE;& THE LIFE WHICH I NOW LIVE IN THE FLESHLY BODY I LIVE BY THE FAITH OF THE SON OF GOD WHO LOVED ME, & GAVE HIMSELF FOR ME. I DO NOT FRUSTRATE THE GRACE OF 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” – & I AM 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 & 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!!

I CLOSE WITH THE WISE WORDS OF PETER IN 2 PETER 3:9-14!! “THE LORD IS NOT SLACK CONCERNING HIS PROMISE, AS SOME MEN COUNT SLACKNESS; BUT IS LONGSUFFERING TO US-WARD, NOT WILLING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH, BUT THAT ‘ALL SHOULD COME TO REPENTANCE.’ BUT THE DAY OF THE LORD WILL COME AS A THIEF IN THE NIGHT; IN THE WHICH THE HEAVENS SHALL PASS AWAY WITH A GREAT NOISE, & THE ELEMENTS SHALL MELT WITH FERVENT HEAT, THE EARTH ALSO & THE WORKS THAT ARE THEREIN SHALL BE BURNED UP.

SEEING THEN THAT ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE DISSOLVED, WHAT MANNER OF PERSONS OUGHT YOU TO BE IN ALL HOLY CONVERSATION & GODLINESS, LOOKING FOR & HASTING UNTO THE COMING DAY OF GOD, WHEREIN THE HEAVENS BEING ON FIRE SHALL BE DISSOLVED, & THE ELEMENTS SHALL MELT WITH FERVENT HEAT?

NEVERTHELESS WE, ACCORDING TO HIS PROMISE, LOOK FOR NEW HEAVENS & A NEW EARTH, WHEREIN DWELLS RIGHTEOUSNESS. WHEREFORE, BELOVED, SEEING THAT YOU LOOK FOR SUCH THINGS, BE DILIGENT THAT YOU MAY BE FOUND OF HIM IN PEACE, WITHOUT SPOT & BLAMELESS.”

IT WAS CHARLES WESLEY & S.B.MARSH, IN THE OLD “THE AMERICAN HYMNAL”,(P.131), (PUBLISHED BY “THE BROADMAN PRESS,” NASHVILLE, TENN.), WHO WROTE THE HYMN, “JESUS, LOVER OF MY SOUL.” IT SAYS: JESUS, LOVER OF MY SOUL, LET ME TO YOUR BOSOM FLY, WHILE THE NEARER WATERS ROLL, WHILE THE TEMPEST STILL IS HIGH! HIDE ME, O MY SAVIOR, HIDE, TILLTHE STORM OF LIFE IS PAST; SAFE INTO THE HAVEN GUIDE, O RECEIVE MY SOUL AT LAST!

OTHER REFUGE HAVE I NONE;HANGS MY HELPLESS SOUL ON YOU: LEAVE, AH, LEAVE ME NOT ALONE,STILL SUPPORT & COMFORT ME!ALL MY TRUST ON YOU IS STAYED, ALL MY HELP FROM YOU I BRING; COVER MY DEFENSELESS HEAD WITH THE SHADOW OF YOUR WING.

YOU, O CHRIST, ARE ALL I WANT; MORE THAN ALL IN YOU I FIND; RAISE THE FALLEN, CHEER THE FAINT, HEAL THE SICK, & LEAD THE BLIND.JUST & HOLY IS YOUR NAME, I AM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS; FALSE & FULL OF SIN I AM, YOU ARE FULL OF TRUTH & GRACE.

PLENTEOUS GRACE WITH YOU IS FOUND, GRACE TO COVER ALL MY SIN; LET THE HEALING STREAMS ABOUND, MAKE & KEEP ME PURE WITHIN.

YOU OF LIFE THE FOUNTAIN ARE; FREELY LET ME TAKE OF YOU; SPRING YOU UP WITHIN MY HEART, RISE TO ALL ETERNITY.” (IS CHRIST “RISEN” IN YOU?).

I don’t know how you’ll respond to the title of this chapter because only you really know the secret chambers of your heart and mind. Why? Appearances can be deceiving; outward ‘show’ can be simply fictitious, uneventful heart-change, or a desire not to be exposed for what one really believes.

It was C.S. Lewis who once wrote: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen; not only because I see it, but because of it I see everything else.”

But then in a real world of life and death, success or failure, blessing and disappointment, true examples and pretenders, wise or blinded, divine fruit or diseased or dis-eased citizens, people will either “press in to Him” or fall away by their own free will.

Don’t you find it interesting, convicting, and challenging, that in Revelation 2:10b, Jesus tells us: “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”? Is it possible that some begin the walk of faith, are faithful for a period of time in what they know, and then walk away? “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

Are bad turns made away from the highway of holiness that lead to ‘dead-end’ places? Does disappointment in one’s self or others mean, “I choose to be disappointed in Jesus also”? If a ‘Texas dust storm’ can restrict your vision, can a believer’s storm of doubt cast dark shadows on one’s devotion and allegiance and all-out surrender to the King of kings and Lord of lords?

Oh, and hear me – can a preacher-pastor’s ‘falling away’ be the ‘straw that breaks the camel’s back,’ and you decide, “I want nothing more to do with ‘phony Christianity’?

In Ezekial 18:23 God spoke: “Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord God, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?” And whatever is opposite of the Word and the will of God and His ways is determined wicked and brings a judgment of death – and God says, “turn from YOUR ways and live!” He went on to say in verses 31-32, “Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord. “Therefore turn and live!”

I know, and I assume you also know, that there are “distressing disguises”! It’s so evident by spiritual blindness, unholy hearing, willful rejection, painful indifference, yes, even deeply-wounded scars from spiritual events of the past that one holds on to, residence in a jail of unforgiveness because someone, somehow, somewhere led them down, they believe, to a place, a practice, a persuasion that didn’t line up with the desire for a ‘godly lifestyle’ but an ungodly lifestyle even when the Word declared and still declares ‘separate from sinners.’

I’m really sorry, but I do not see projected in God’s Holy Word ‘comfort’ or ‘comfortable’ or ‘pleasurable for the flesh’ in a world where Holy Truth is seen as needed to be suppressed and certainly worthless in schools, universities, or any governmental institution locally or nationally!

How dangerous is it for men of all standings, places, ranks, abilities or inabilities, education or the absence of it, to find themselves in a place they don’t feel comfortable, identifying themselves as men unreservedly sold out to Christ so they ignore the church Jesus loved and gave Himself for, going the way of “silent allegiance” when Jesus instructs us to identify ourselves as His true followers and devoted to build up, strengthen, and, yes, laboring for His church-body’s success?!? “Distressing disguises”? Are you ever confronted by those who once have known Truth and then, all of a sudden, because of multitudinous fleshly crises, the door was opened to cast doubt on the Word of God? Sadly, I’ve known men over the years who so devotedly shared God’s Holy Word, but crisis came from business, family, spiritual family, resulting in undefinable criticism, and like a wounded ‘puppy’ they crawl away from upholding Truth!

“Distressing disguises”? Are you aware of those who have been ingrained with partial truth and they profess “Peace, peace! When there is no peace”? [Jeremiah 6:14]. It’s as if the ‘gospel’ they held onto was ‘peaches and cream’ without Jesus’ word, “In the world you will have tribulation!” I would urge every disciple over the next three to four months to devote himself/herself to the four gospels and determine if Jesus ever talked about a ‘trouble-free walk of discipleship!’

“Distressing disguises”? Do you remember in the Gospel of John Jesus telling the scribes and Pharisees that denying Him was the result that they never knew the One True and Living God? In John 8:13 they told Jesus, “You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.” In the eighth chapter alone Jesus told the ‘religious crowd’ about 4 times, similar to verse 21, “I am going away, and you will seek Me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come.”

“Distressing disguises”? I hope it doesn’t seriously offend you if I tell you that there are “sticklers” for legalism apart from God’s grace, mercy, and love! On the tablet of stone God carved out and imprinted Ten Commandments that exposed men as true ‘law-breakers’ in need of mercy, grace, and love, but deception blinded men to their true need of God because they graded by the ‘curve’, wanting acceptance by self-effort rather than acceptance through the finished work of Christ at the Cross, with God then writing His love, His law, and His liberty on a redeemed heart! How about your devotion? Is it by law or the very love of Calvary’s Cross and the reality of Jesus’ empty tomb and His present residence in Heaven at the throne of God interceding in your behalf?

“Distressing disguises”? Have you not wrapped your mind around the fact that fallen humanity is fully absorbed in the mind-set and heart-absorption of materialism, and the more one has, the nearer he/she is to God? Yet, our Lord and Savior and True Master of all of life has said, Matthew 16:24-26, “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 [for himself] 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?”

“Distressing disguises”? You’ll remember as Moses was leading Israel to the Promised Land there came a time when he went up on the mountain for an alone-time with God that became a long time – and his people became anxious.

They went to Aaron and told him, Exodus 32:1, “Up, make us gods which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what is become of him.” Verse 4 tells us he, Aaron, received golden earrings from the people, and fashioned it with a graving tool into “a molten calf”; and the people said, “This be our gods who brought us out of the land of Egypt.” Then the end of verse 6 then tells us, “and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.” God then told Moses, “your people, Moses, which you brought out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them.”

Has anything changed? What is it that has become your own ‘distressing disguise’? But reality also speaks so loud and clear as when Samuel said in I Samuel 10:19, about some in Israel, “And you have this day rejected your God, who Himself saved you from all your calamities and your distresses; and you have said to Him, ‘No, set a king over us!’”

At least David had the sane attitude of brokenness, repentance, and turning from that which scarred him and others so deeply. In Psalm 25:17-22 he prayed: “The troubles of my heart have enlarged; bring me out of my distresses! Look on my affliction and my pain, and forgive all my sins. Consider my enemies, for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred. Keep my soul, and deliver me; let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You.”

I’m sure you’ll remember Paul challenging the church at Corinth when he said in 2 Corinthians 6:12, “You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections.” And he paid a heavy price for standing in truth! He said to the Corinthians and us in 2 Corinthians 12:10, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, FOR CHRIST’S SAKE. For when I am weak, then I am strong [in Him].”

Paul further testified in 2 Corinthians 13:4-6, “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. Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? – unless indeed you are disqualified. But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified.”

In Christ you are made to soar, not to sink; you’re a new creation in Him to live victoriously, not defeated; in Him you overcome the devil himself and his temptations, not swallowed up in a sea of denial of truth or ocean depths of drownings in deceptions opposite of Holy Revelation, Eternal Truth, and His ever-abiding presence in you!

“Distressing disguises”? I picked up again recently Mark Levin’s book entitled “LIBERTY OR TYRANNY,” sub-titled “A Conservative Manifesto.” I read it several years ago, but on the back cover of his book he had a statement of Abraham Lincoln, spoken in 1864. Lincoln said, “We all declare for liberty; but in using the same word we do not all mean the same thing. With some the word liberty may mean for each man to do as he pleases with himself, and the product of his labor; while with others the same word may mean for some men to do as they please with other men, and the product of other men’s labor. Here are two, not only different, but incompatible things, called by the same name – liberty. And it follows that each of the things is, by the respective parties, called by two different and incompatible names – liberty and tyranny.”

Do you remember the unbelieving Pharoah of Egypt? In Exodus 5:1-2 we read, “Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharoah, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’ And Pharoah said, ‘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.’”

It’s certainly not always true, but it seems, for some like Pharoah, that ‘wealth’ or ‘riches’ lead an awful lot of people to bow down in idolatry and not live in worship, praise, or thanksgiving, with adoration and submission and loyalty to the God who laid down His Son at the Cross! “That’s not MY calling!” – have you ever heard that? “I serve the Lord who blesses me,” yet the Lord God Almighty, Emmanuel (“God With Us”), Savior and Lord, Master of all of life said: Deuteronomy 30:14-20, “But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, THAT YOU MAY DO IT. [“Why, YOU legalistic God! Who would want to submit to Your Word, Your will, Your way? Not me!”] See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God WILL BLESS YOU in the land which you go to possess. BUT IF YOUR HEART TURNS AWAY SO THAT YOU DO NOT HEAR [and some choose, ‘I don’t want to hear what God says!’] and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today THAT YOU SHALL SURELY PERISH; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

[And just as a reminder if you have questions about what you just read and its spiritual relevance to New Testament disciples, John 8:56 says, Jesus speaking: “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”]

“Distressing disguises”! I pastored a church many years ago in which a very visible leader became involved in an adulterous relationship with another church member. In my office he denied it and assured me it never happened.

A few weeks later I received a late night call to hurry to a particular home where the police had already arrived. The church leader was in the home of his adulteress mate with an irate, almost uncontrollable husband.

The church leader had lied and then resigned his visible office in the church. I advised our church officers or deacons that this situation required church discipline, but they all said, “He’s our friend, and it won’t happen. He deserved better than having to care for a sick wife!” Within a short time, God moved our leadership role as pastor elsewhere!

When open sin is ignored it manifests itself in abundant rebellion to God’s Holy Word – I heard years later that adultery, broken marriages, and a suffering church had about died, until several pastors later God placed His man in a strong place of leadership – now, the church prospers spiritually.

“Distressing disguises”! Consider it, examine it, reflect upon it – what’s the result of half-hearted allegiance to a local body of believers, yes, the local body Jesus suffered, bled, and died for? What’s the result of the negligence of whole-heartedness; what’s the result of divided allegiance; what’s the outcome of ‘profession’ apart from possession of the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Jesus Christ; what’s the ‘fruit’ of a ‘couldn’t-care-less’ attitude concerning a needy fellowship of believers?

Is it really possible that believers feel no sympathy for, devotion to, or commitment of their lives to a needy church fellowship or even comfort and healing grace to despondent saints, a battered pastor, or, yes, immature church members? But they find ‘their’ place where the crowd gathers, where the smiles abound, but in far too many living a “laid-down life” is omitted! It’s even happening today that ‘forsaking of the assembling of yourselves together’ is like an old ‘wives’ tale’ – “we don’t need the church assembling”!

I was reading Spurgeon recently. [Spurgeon’s Sermons, Memorial Library, Vol.15, pps. 78-79]. He said: “Is it so, that because you are yourself a member of a flourishing church, and because you enjoy all sorts of Christian privileges, you therefore harden your heart concerning dying churches and desponding saints? Do you imagine that the body can be sick, and yet you as a member of it will not suffer? I tell you, if the church of God goes aside it will be to your injury;’ if the truth of God be not preached you will be a loser; if Christian life be not vigorous you will be weakened.”…(p.80), “If you are not creating a holy warmth, the chill of sin is freezing you.”

‘Ice-berg city’ – the gathering of chilled believers! ‘Ice-berg city’ – the union place of divided allegiances! ‘Ice-berg city’ – the creeping sickness of unconscious allegiance to self-birthing of paralyzed infants who don’t know where they came from or where they are headed. The Lord Jesus said in Revelation 3:11, “Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.” [It would be worth your effort and time to research about “your crown.”]

“Distressing disguises”! It was so interesting and challenging recently when in Luke 16:1-13 I read about the parable of the unjust steward. Read carefully and consider your walk as a professing disciple of Christ! Jesus also said to His disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.

So he called him and said to him, “What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.” [I pray you realize “stewardship” has much more to do in your walk than what you “give” in money!]

Then the steward said within himself, “What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg. I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.” So he called every one of his master’s debtors to him, and said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ So he said to him, ‘Take your bill and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ So he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’

So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light. And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.

He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own? No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Is Jesus teaching us about faithfulness in ‘little things’? Is He teaching us about money and its blessing or curse? Is He informing us about faithfulness in what belongs to another man? But now, let’s transition from “distressing disguises” to “FAITHFULNESS”! We’ve just witnessed Jesus talking about “faithfulness” in three ways. Is there more in His precious and powerful Word we should discern and apply?

It’s not difficult to grasp or understand or comprehend the subject of “faithfulness” – the battle comes when faith and faithfulness must be exercised and YOU must discern for yourself, ‘a walk of fleshly sight and its desires OR a walk of faith and faithfulness to honor the God of the Cross and the empty tomb!

I do not know or understand how a person reads or hears read Ephesians 2:4-8, 12-13, and determines to walk away from saving grace! It says: “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),

And raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God…Verses 12-13, that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH AND BY FAITH ALONE! That’s what you just read!

WE ARE JUSTIFIED BY FAITH! Examine Romans 3:19-26 very, very carefully: “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

Do you remember the lame man outside the temple asking alms as Peter and John were about to go in? Follow Acts 3:6-16, 19-20, 23, 26: Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”

And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them – walking, leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God.

Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed. So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: ‘Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pontius Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go.

But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know.

Verses 19-20, “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, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before..

Verse 23, And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people… Verse 26, To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”

WE ARE TO CONTINUE IN THE FAITH. In Acts 14:21-22 Paul was endeavoring to build a solid foundation in new disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith. It says: “And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”

WE ARE TO UNDERSTAND, RECEIVE, WALK IN THE WALK OF OUR HEART, MIND, SOUL, AND SPIRIT PURIFICATION BY FAITH. Acts 15:6-9 says: Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. 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.”

WE ARE TO WALK IN THE PEACEFUL REST OF FAITH LIKE ABRAHAM. In Romans 4:1-8 we read of the faith of faithful Abraham: “What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.

For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,

Just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: ‘Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.”

WE ARE TO BE EMPOWERED BY FAITH – NOT IN THE EARTHLY WISDOM OF MEN. I Corinthians 2:4-5 instructs us: Paul speaking, “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.”

WE ARE TO BE AT PEACE IN OURSELVES BECAUSE OF OUR FAITH IN THE FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST AT THE CROSS. Galatians 2:20 illumines our minds and hearts as Paul tells 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. Verse 21, I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”

WE ARE TO BE DILIGENT TO THE END BECAUSE OF OUR INHERITANCE OF GOD”S PROMISES. In Hebrews 6:11-12 we see our calling as true believers: “And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

WE ARE TO BE WELL-TRAINED, PERSONALLY DISCIPLINED, AS A TRUE SOLDIER IN GOD’S ARMY, NOT GIVEN AN ‘AWOL’ SPIRIT, BUT DEVOTED TO HIM AND THE CHURCH JESUS LOVED AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR. Paul wrote young Timothy as a wise spiritual father, 2 Timothy 2:1-4, “You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.”

Earlier, in I Timothy 6:12, he told Timothy, “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

You do understand that we serve a God and Savior who is so ever faithful to us! In Lamentations 3:22-27 Jeremiah shared both a broken heart because of Israel’s sin but also a peaceful heart and soul because He knew the faithfulness of God’s compassion:

“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: GREAT IS YOUR FAITHFULNESS!! ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘Therefore I hope in Him!’ The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth.”

And I have no doubts that this is why Isaiah encourages us in Isaiah 25:1 because he knew God’s faithfulness: “O Lord, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.”

Because of our Lord’s faithfulness, His people sprout and bear His fruitfulness! Because of our Lord’s faithfulness to us, our faithfulness to Him is not to be a probability but a sure certainty! Because of our Lord’s faithfulness, we don’t enlist for a seat in a church pew but a place in the front-line of a holy war! Because of our Lord’s faithfulness, we’re not to be inventers of simply religious activities but fully surrendered lives available to His presence, power, and promises to be expressed through our available lives!

It was the old “The Defender” who had this quote: “Faith is dead to doubt, dumb to discouragement, blind to impossibilities.” How true!

Off-key lives are invaded by the “Master-Tuner” and discords vanish and perfect harmonies erupt! When repentance toward God and faith in the finished work of Christ at the Cross finds a permanent home, empty barrels become the overflowing presence of His never-ending LIFE!!

Faithfulness is not a philosophy but Divine Presence, holy certainty, continual blessing, and a sacred marriage of eternal bliss!

Faithfulness is the Shining Sonlight of the resident Christ within, the evidence of God’s Holy Presence, and the certainty of the Holy Spirit’s fulfilling ministry in sons and daughters of faith.

It was B.B. McKinney who wrote the old hymn, “Have Faith In God.” “Have faith in God when your pathway is lonely, He sees and knows all the way you have trod; Never alone are the least of His children; Have faith in God, have faith in God.

Have faith in God when your prayers are unanswered, Your earnest plea He will never forget; Wait on the Lord, trust His Word and be patient; Have faith in God, He’ll answer yet.

Have faith in God in your pain and your sorrow, His heart is touched with your grief and despair; Cast all your cares and your burdens upon Him, and leave them there, oh, leave them there.

Have faith in God though all else fail about you; Have faith in God, He provides for His own; He cannot fail though all kingdoms perish, He rules, He reigns upon His throne.” AMEN?

By J. FARRELL FISHER, APRIL 11-13, 2017

The Random House College Dictionary, Revised Edition, 1975, (Copyrighted by Random House Inc., New York), defines ‘fate’ in several ways: “Something that unavoidably befalls a person; fortune; lot. (Or), ultimate agency by which the order of things is prescribed. (Or) that which is inevitably predetermined; destiny. (Or) a prophetic declaration of what must be: death, destruction, or ruin, Or (JFF), life in Christ, complete in Christ, eternal blessing in Christ!” What’s YOUR choice?

Choice? “I choose to do my ‘best’, hoping that is acceptable to the Living God!” It’s not and never has been! It’s so amazing to me that even in the old covenant days of Judaism Holy God gave “precious promises”! In Ezekiel 36:22-27, God spoke to Israel and us!

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: I do not do this for your Sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. And I (Holy God!) will sanctify My great name, which you have 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 (the “water of the Word of God”?), 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 (tender toward God, purified within, yielded to His Sovereign will!). 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.”

Sadly, much of Israel in those days did not take God at His Word, but there was a “true remnant” that submitted themselves to the sovereignty of God, to His Spirit, and “LIVED” in and through His Holy Promises!

But, do you remember, in Matthew 23:12-13, Jesus went into the temple of God (in Jerusalem) and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And Jesus said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.’”

Is it possible that God, desiring your body to be the “temple of His Holy presence” has sadly seen it become a fleshly temple of self-indulgence? God’s desire, will, and purpose of redeemed flesh is becoming His “Holy Temple”, but “the world, the flesh, and the devil” see it as opportunity for “a den of robbers” stifling God’s intent and ‘lusting’ in the flesh, choosing ‘desolate houses’ instead of the desire, will, and pleasure of being the vessel of His Holy Presence, satisfied with the identity of ‘the den of robbers’, which they sanitized by fleshly, acceptable deception!

In Joshua 24:14-25 there is an amazing story that has resemblance to “professors” today without “possession” of faithfulness to God’s promises! It says: “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! (Lay out FOR YOURSELF what Joshua just said to the, at least, inquisitive Israelis!).

And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, CHOOSE FOR YOURSELVES THIS DAY whom YOU will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

The beloved John, standing with two of his disciples, in John 1:35, ‘looking at Jesus as He walked’, said: “Behold, the Lamb of God”! But earlier, in John 1:29, it says, John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Doesn’t that astonish you? IF the sin of the world has been washed away through the shed blood of the Lamb of God, if forgiven, what keeps one from being united with the Savior? It’s their desire, will, and pleasure to do as their flesh dictates, not what Jesus demands! In fact, in Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus unveiled why even some ‘believers’ don’t enter the eternal Kingdom! He said: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”

Fate? Is that determined by ‘what way you choose’ to live your life’s journey – by YOUR GRIT OR BY HIS GRACE? In Matthew 7:13-14 the Lord Jesus declared, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and DIFFICULT IS THE WAY which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Do you understand, comprehend, and are able to discern the difference between spiritual ‘natural affinities’ and ‘the sufferings of this present time’ as Paul wrote about in Romans 8:18-29? Receive it! My New King James highlights these key verses as “From Suffering To Glory”! It says:

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits FOR THE REVEALING OF THE (TRUE) SONS OF GOD. For the creation was subjected to futility ( the deep, deep vacuum of ungodliness!), not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; (there’s no other way for spiritual blessing other than the habitation of Christ in the repentant heart!)… because the creation itself also WILL BE delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of the children of God. [I don’t know what the “end of the world folks” do with ‘the creation itself delivered from a bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children itself’!]. Verse 22 & following: For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now (even now? Even into the 21^st Century?). Not only that, but we also who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were SAVED IN THIS HOPE, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession FOR US with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

And we know that all things work together FOR GOOD to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 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.” Are you ‘brethren’ or simply a “good church member”? AND THERE IS A DIFFERENCE, yes, an eternal difference!

The “FATE” of the ungodly, the unbeliever, the pretender? And with “Fate” foremost in many lives, what about the “promised Fury of the Lord”? In Mark 9: 19 Jesus shared a convicting, scary warning when He said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you?” Oh, and then in Verse 42 Jesus said, “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.”

Is it the ungodly, the unbeliever, or the ‘pretender’ who “deceives little ones”, causing them to stumble, and ‘the offender in religious deceit’ who finds himself with ‘a millstone hung around his neck, and thrown into the sea’ of eternal separation from God and eternal punishment at the hands of the devil and his demons?

In Isaiah 2:10-12, and Verses 17-19, as Isaiah hears, sees, and understands the judgment, the fate of the ungodly, the unbeliever, and the pretenders, his heart and mind and spirit becomes aware of “the terror of the Lord AND the glory of His majesty.” Do YOU understand it and find yourself humbled before Holy God? Hear the Word! Isaiah 2:10-12 says, “Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust, from the terror of the Lord and the glory of His majesty. The lofty looks of man shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of “the Lord of hosts” shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up – and it shall be brought low –“

Then Isaiah 2:17-19 says, “The loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. But the idols He shall utterly abolish. They shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, FROM THE TERROR OF THE LORD and the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake the earth mightily.”

There is an illuminating word from Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:2 when he wrote, and no doubt taught publicly, on the streets, and, yes, even in the temples! He said: “But we (Paul and his associates in Christ!) have renounced ‘the hidden things of shame’, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” The “hidden things of shame”? Violaters of the Spirit of Christ and the Holy Word of God need to be aware of 2 Corinthians 4:5 speaks about “the Lord coming, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the heart.” For some, it may be glorious what the Spirit of Christ witnesses, but for others there is THE EXPOSURE of the hidden things of darkness in his heart and mind!

Will you be hiding from the Lord when He comes “to shake your earth, your world” mightily? There are ‘compromising religious people’ who thrive in walking both sides of the streets, one flesh-side, the other the Spirit and holy side! Loving God but pumping the flesh, feeding the ‘spirit-heart and mind’ but indulging the “hidden lusts of a divided life”, Holy Spirit interest but pummeled by self-interests – yes, divided-mind devotees to Christ with little interest in the Holy Word of God, when the Word declares that “Man does not live by physical bread alone but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God”!

There will be a day of judgment coming – not only for unbelievers, but the game-players in the Christian community, as well as every sold-out, yielded, born-again, Spirit-filled child of the King!

In Colossians 1:24-29 we get a view, the introduction of, the unveiling of, yes, a “sold-out disciple” of Christ Jesus! Is this our introduction, picture, viewing of the reality of “The Finished Work”? To the church at Colossae Paul wrote: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, TO FULFILL THE WORD OF GOD, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, BUT NOW HAS BEEN REVEALED TO HIS SAINTS. 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.”

Is “EVERY MAN PERFECT IN CHRIST JESUS”? Is the Gospel a “FINISHED WORK”? Of course, IT IS! But it doesn’t mean “every man” is automatically now “a child of the King”! In Luke 24:46-49 Jesus said: “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that REPENTANCE AND REMISSION OF SINS SHOULD BE PREACHED IN HIS NAME TO ALL NATIONS, beginning at Jerusalem. And you, repentant disciples, are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you, but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”

Consider ‘modern-day’ churches around you! Would you say that “repentance” IS the major message of churches to the ‘lost’ and ‘unreconciled to God’? Or, is it, “Make sure you’re a member of a local church’, which could be an invitation to “miss Christ”! Did Paul talk about “fulfilling the Word of God”; yet how often have you heard the “compromisers” talk about: “That’s salvation by works!” Absolutely not! It’s the evidence true salvation has occurred! Do you know the “bible teacher” is on target or void of the mission of Christ? Is he “pressing in” to Christ and “preaching”, “bearing witness to the lost”, of their need of His saving grace, mercy, and love?

I’ve often wondered if in Romans 12:2, as Paul wrote about, “Don’t be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world”, if that would include the patterns of the church world that too often are totally silent and unproductive about “missions” and “evangelism”! In James Montgomery Boice’s book, “Whatever Happened To The Gospel of Grace?” (Crossway Books, Good News Publishers, Copyright, 2001, p.42), he wrote about the church “breaking away from and repudiating the world’s ‘worldview’,” but there came a huge question to me, after 30 years of ‘overseas missions’, proclaiming Christ, even on major streets of needy ‘world’ cities, “Has the church-at-large been ‘transformed by the renewing of its mind, and does evangelism and missions take its place as a major endeavor of the church’?”

In Boice’s book he included a statement from Harry Blamires that came from Blamires’ book, “The Christian Mind: How Should A Christian Think?” (p.44). “To think secularly is to think within a frame of reference bounded by the limits of our life on earth; it is to keep one’s calculations rooted in this – worldly criteria. To think Christianity is to accept all things with the mind as related, directly or indirectly, to man’s eternal destiny as the redeemed and chosen child of God.” CHOSEN? CHOSEN WITH A PURPOSE AND PLAN? In YOU, is there an awareness and commitment to, “YOU shall be My WITNESSES?”, but no understanding in you that YOU ARE TO TELL THE WORLD AROUND YOU OF GOD’S SAVING GRACE, MERCY, AND LOVE IN AND THROUGH CHRIST’S CALVARY’S CROSS?

I close this teaching with an old hymn entitled “Rise Up, O Men of God”, written by William Pierson Merrill and Aaron Williams, in the old “Broadman Hymnal”, (published by The Broadman Press, Nashville, Tenn., 1940!). It says: “Rise up, O men of God, Have done with lesser things; Give heart and mind and soul and strength TO SERVE THE KING OF KINGS!

Rise, up, O men of God! His kingdom tarries long; Bring in this day of brotherhood And end the night of wrong.

Rise up, O men of God! The Church for you does wait, Her strength unequal to her task; Rise up, and make her great!

Lift high the cross of Christ! Tread where His feet have trod; As brothers of the Son of man, Rise up, O men of God!”

I don’t know how YOU respond to God’s Holy Word, but John 6:53-56 is clear, convicting, and challenging! The Lord Jesus said: “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. 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.”

In Verse 60 many of His disciples voiced a major concern: “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?” Oh, but then we read in Verse 66, “From that time many of His disciples WENT BACK and WALKED WITH HIM NO MORE,” yet some still “sat” in ‘church pews’ within a ‘grain’ of commitment to “be My witnesses”! God, help us!

GOD’S CALLING TO

REMAIN FAITHFUL

By J. FARRELL FISHER

Revelation 2:10, “Be faithful until death…”

INTRODUCTION

Revelation 2:10 is a powerful word by God’s “angel” or messenger when he said, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

Biblical faithfulness is not an option that one holds but a biblical command by Heaven itself! Yet, many are programmed by false teachers that obedience would be “salvation by works” rather than eternal evidence that biblical salvation has occurred!

It was Jesus Himself who said in Luke 6:46, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” Lordship IS the Hallelujah Chorus of a redeemed life expressing love and faithfulness and thanksgiving to the “Savior” and “Master” of the “new-born life”!

You are aware, I assume, that there are many who ‘hear’ the Master’s words, ‘believe’ His words, yet do not walk in the spirit of obedience and faithfulness to what He has said. To them, acting on what Jesus has said would be ‘self-effort’ reconciliation, rather than the evidence that “His word is our command”!

In Jeremiah 25:15-18 God spoke through Jeremiah a word that should awaken and sober up any man or nation that has turned away from Holy God! It says:

For thus says the Lord God of Israel to me: “Take this wine cup of fury from My hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send you, to drink it. And they will drink and stagger and go mad because of the sword that I will send among them.”…

Then I took the cup from the Lord’s hand, and made all the nations drink, to whom the Lord had sent me; Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and princes, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, a hissing, and a curse, as it is this day…”

God “treading grapes” is not a good thing, God giving the wicked “to the sword” is not a good thing, “disaster” as a “great whirlwind” is not a good thing, God “plundering their pastures” is not a good thing, turning “the lions loose” is not a good thing!

And the one thing you should learn as you read a prophet like Jeremiah is: “Fear God, and surrender to Christ alone!”

In Luke 23:36-43 we read about Jesus as He hung on the Cross before His death and the reactions of those around the Cross and on their crosses:

The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.”

And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”

But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”

Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

Confronted with Eternal Truth, the dying criminal found grace, mercy, and love, resting in the dying Savior, soon to be resurrected! The “crown of life” was soon placed on his dying head as he trusted in, yes, his Sacrificial Savior and Lord! This man truly sensed, “King Jesus, Lord over life, Lord through death, and Lord in Resurrection power and eternal hope!” Tell me of your eternal hope or your hopeless life!

Do you see “Today” as “Kingdom Living” in full surrender unto His Lordship with “faithfulness” daily to God’s calling for You to “remain faithful”?

OUTLINE

CHAPTER ONE: “SELF-DETERMINED ALLEGIANCES OR A SOVEREIGNLY-DETERMINED ALLIANCE?”

CHAPTER TWO: “STONES OF STUMBLING OR LIVING STONES OF HOLY PRESENCE?”

CHAPTER THREE: “FAITH THAT FALTERS OR FAITH THAT ENDURES?”

CHAPTER FOUR: “FAITH AND GOD’S FAITHFUL PROVISIONS”

CHAPTER FIVE: “FALSE IDENTITY OR TRUE FAITH ‘IN CHRIST’?”

CHAPTER SIX: “FAITH AND THE FAITHFULNESS OF MASTERED MEN”

CHAPTER SEVEN: “SAVING FAITH AND THE CONVERTED’S WORK”

CHAPTER EIGHT: “UNFORGIVENESS-UNFORGIVEN OR FAITH AND FORGIVENESS?”

CHAPTER NINE: “FAITH AND THE REALITY OF KINGDOM TRANSLATION”

CHAPTER TEN: “FAITH AND THE FULLNESS OF CHRIST”

CHAPTER ELEVEN: “FAITH AND THE FAITHFULNESS OF SPIRIT-IDENTITY”

CHAPTER TWELVE: “FAITH’S VERBAL FAILURE OR FAITH’S VICTORIOUS FINISH?”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: “FAITH AND ITS EVIDENCE OF THE FATHER’S FRUITFULNESS”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: “FAITH AND ITS MAGNETIC, DRAWING POWER!”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: “THE FAITH JOURNEY AND FOUL WATERS”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: “FAITH’S FIRST LOVE – FOLLOWERS’ FAITHFUL OBEDIENCE”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: “FAITH’S CALL OR FAITH’S COMMITMENT?”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: “TRUE FAITH – YOUR THOUGHTS OR GOD’S TRUTH?”

CHAPTER NINETEEN: “A FAULTY FAITH OF DEPARTURE OR FAITH THAT SUSTAINS, FEEDS, AND PROVIDES!”

CHAPTER TWENTY: “FLESHLY FAITH OR GOD-GIVEN FAITH?”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: “TRUE FAITH – ITS DESPISERS AND ITS FOLLOWERS”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: “TRUE FAITH – TRIUMPHANT WARS!”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: “FAITH’S PROBING – FAITH’S PROVING” – CONCLUSION

CHAPTER ONE

“SELF-DETERMINED ALLEGIANCES OR A SOVEREIGNLY-DETERMINED ALLIANCE?”

Do you remember Moses and Aaron going in to Pharoah of Egypt in Exodus 5:1-2, saying to him, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’”? And Pharoah said, “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.” I’ll never forget many, many years ago witnessing to a young lady to tell her about Christ Jesus, and she responded, “Who is she?” I don’t know if I’ve ever been more shocked!

Allegiance to one’s ‘flesh-life’ without any consideration of divine purpose is, without a doubt, the most serious spiritual disease one can ever face, yet the Holy Word of God is clear concerning those who have determined for themselves that darkness is better than Light, that the blackness of one’s soul is better than a “blood-washed” life, and that ‘self-effort’ is more rewarding than God’s divine blessing!

But, of course, most who settle in to “self-determined allegiances” don’t even know that they are “bound” by Satan himself! In 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 Paul told the Thessalonians and us: “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’s “you can sin and not die”!], that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

“Self-determined allegiances” overflow in and through the life of unbelieving men who are controlled and dominated by faithless minds and selfish wills that Paul told Timothy (1 Timothy 6:5) erupted in “useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.”

But how many worldly men do you know who would even admit that corrupt minds need redeeming or especially that in their sinfulness they are not destitute of the truth! Oh, they have some “truths” but not the Way, the Truth, and the Life of God! In reality, they are truly spiritually poverty stricken, alienated and separated from Holy God!

Temptations, snares, foolish and harmful lusts, deceiving spirits, even doctrines of demons, consciences seared with a hot iron out of Hell, uncontrolled desires for wine or whiskey or evil drugs, puffed up with fleshly pride, lawless, insubordinate, a blasphemer against Holy Truth, rebellious men and women, unholy and profane, fornicators, sodomites, liars, perjurers, and, yes, haters of God – with Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, warning his spiritual son Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, “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, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness [that’s attempting the ‘religious route’!] but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”

Are you aware of your surroundings of godless people whose intent is to be “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense” to your “Sovereignly-determined alliance” with the Lord Jesus Christ?

I was reading recently Arthur Bennett’s “The Valley of Vision,” [The Banner of Truth Trust, PO Box 621, Carlisle, Pa.,, 17013, USA], and was stopped in my tracks strongly as I came to a chapter entitled “Self-Knowledge,” addressed to the Searcher of Hearts, and I KNEW that was Holy God Himself! Bennett wrote:

SEARCHER OF HEARTS, It is a good day to me when You give me a glimpse of myself; Sin is my greatest evil, but You are my greatest good;…

I have cause to loathe myself, and not to seek self-honor, for no one desires to commend his own dunghill. My country, family, church fare worse because of my sins, for sinners bring judgment in thinking sins are small, or that God is not angry with them…

Let me not take other good men as my example, and think I am good because I am like them, For all good men are not so good as You desire, are not always consistent, do not always follow holiness, do not feel eternal good in sore afflictions…

Show me how to know when a thing is evil which I think is right and good, how to know when what is lawful comes from an evil principle, such as desire for reputation or wealth by usury…

Give me grace to recall my needs, my lack of knowing Your will in Scripture, of wisdom to guide others, of daily repentance, want of which keeps You at bay, of the spirit of prayer, having words without love, of zeal for Your glory, seeking my own ends, of joy in You and Your will, of love to others…

And let me not lay my pipe too short of the fountain, never touching the eternal spring, never drawing down water from above.” [p.122-123].

Did awesome God alert you to anything in you that may shame our loving Lord? You do understand that the author of the above words was examining himself as to defiled areas in his life that didn’t honor King Jesus, even speaking later of “chambers of foul images within my being,” with a prayer of thanksgiving, [p.131], saying to Father-God, “But You have given me another Master and Lord, Your Son, Jesus, and now my heart is turned towards holiness, my life speeds as an arrow from a bow towards complete obedience to You. Help me in all my doings to put down sin and to humble pride. Save me from the love of the world and the pride of life, from everything that is natural to fallen man, and let Christ’s nature be seen in me day by day.”

From ‘self-determined allegiances’ to a “Sovereignly-determined Alliance,” the above author knew the conviction Spirit of Holy God and His desire to draw him to Christ, away from the world, the flesh, and the devil, and, yes, turn him to full surrender to the Lordship of Christ and His saving grace and mercy!

Are you aware of how tiring ‘self-determined allegiances’ can become? Do you acknowledge the reality of secret mental rooms where you’ve “played” around with locked rooms of lower-natured vain imaginations, wading in the world’s fleshliness, opening doors at times of sickly dreams, wading in cesspools of filthy imaginations, finally realizing the need of God’s sovereign mercy, grace, and love? And what a day of enormous, eternal victory when that man cries out, “God, be merciful to me the sinner!”

‘Self-determined allegiances’ are men bound to ‘fleshly houses’, men who are unholy priests of a deadly faith, who on the altars of their deadly hearts offer up sick, sensual, sordid thoughts, deeds, or actions that shame the very Name of Christ Jesus. The ‘self-determined’ are men fueled by the very ‘bait’ of their own fallen, depraved, warped sin natures, deformed by the very powers of darkness out to enlarge the boundaries and numbers of their ‘kingdom’ of snares, fleshly, sensual, dusty and dirty defilements that are ‘award winners’ in the devil’s theatrics of “shames” before Holy God!

It was Peter who said in 1 Peter 2:11, “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul…”, and that was to ‘true believers’, and if true believers war against their souls, where does that leave unbelievers, doubters, enemies of the Cross of Christ? And, oh, how easy it is for unbelievers to indulge themselves in malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, evil speaking, even cursing God for His amazing grace and undying love!

“Self-determined allegiances”? Do you sense how easy it is for finite men to walk away and turn their backs on “Infinite God” Who never changes, but the kingdoms of men fall fast in an evil world, lapse deeper into a pit of denial and unbelief, paint louder and louder their colors of defiance, rebellion, and fleshly uncertainties, saying to Holy God: “Let us alone! Leave us with our nakedness, our vainness, our uncertainties, our spiritual ignorance – silence the preachers, the evangelists, the witnesses of Your saving grace – we’re not interested!!”

“Self-determined allegiances”? That’s the spiritually blinded who refuse to “see” the “Light of the world,” satisfied by their sensual desires, their spiritual ignorance of “God’s Eternal Love” for them, and satisfied to settle for “self-will” rather than the Eternal Will of God! I wrote the following words a few years ago as I contemplated the end result of a Christ-less life. It says: “All hail the power of a worldly man’s name, Let demons prostrate fall, let sinners prostrate fall; Bring forth a false diadem, and crown us lord of our own lives…

You chosen seed of the devil’s clan, You prisoner of the Fall, Hail him who captured by his lies, crown him lord of the fallen world…

Let every family, every tribe, On this disastrous fall, yes, on this disastrous fall, To hail the devil all misery release, crown him lord of the Fall…

O that with young devilish clans, who at the devil’s feet will bow, we’ll join that off-key chorus, and celebrate godlessness as our call.”

Though ‘fallen humanity’ does not know it, they are under Satan’s control, yes, guided by his many sub-creatures called ‘demons’ who major on spiritual blindness, fleshly ignorance of their imprisonment in the devil’s army, encouraging a strong ‘self-will’ void of any leaning toward divine will, emphasizing hardened consciences to even hear one word from Holy God; rather than an abhorrence of evil, Satan paints sinful malignances as ‘supreme master-pieces’, spiritual wounds because of disobedience to God as ‘stars’ of a Four-Star general in his army of the deceived!

“Self-determined allegiances”? Are you aware of fallen humanity’s “modern-day’s mobilization” of all to be free to choose to follow the voice of the “deceiver”, and to be delivered over to one’s selfishness, sensing ‘unrighteousness’ as a ‘blessing’ and not a ‘curse’, sympathizing with indolence, rebellion, meanness, and unbelief as the ‘true nature’ of a blessed individual? Yes, to them, spiritual adultery is a virtue, not a victimization of fallen creatures alienated and separated from Holy God!

Are you aware of how much flaunting there is in modern-day cultures with no shame or sorrow over separation from Holy God? In fact, it’s as if modern-man and modern-woman’s vain imaginations have ushered in award-winning performances for their monuments of pollution, un-ashamed-ness, and indifference to God’s Holy Truths!

In Revelation 16:10-11 we read about a “bowl” being poured out filled with darkness and pain! It says: “Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain. They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and sores, and did not repent of their deeds.” But, maybe, today – maybe YOU will be one of those who fall before the King of kings and Lord of lords to repent of YOUR “self-determined allegiances”!

But rather than “self-determined allegiances”, why not consider for yourself a “Sovereignly Determined Alliance”? As Paul was intent on discipling young Timothy, he wrote to him in 1 Timothy 2:1-5, “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence…

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, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle – I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying – a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.”

Paul became, by the grace and mercy of Holy God, God’s appointed, anointed earthly representative of God’s divine intent of reconciling the lost world unto Himself! What did Paul say God’s intent was? “…God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved [redeemed, regenerated, re-born, reconciled] and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

But here is the everlasting Truth that you may have missed: Revelation 13:8 speaks of those who ‘worship’ “the beast” – not God but the devil’s leaders! And Verse 8 says, “All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb [of God] slain from the foundation of the world.” Yes, the Lamb of God slain in the mind and heart of God from the very foundation of the world! Several thousand years later Emmanuel came, “God with us”, to be God’s sacrifice on the Cross for our sins!

Are you aware that in Genesis 3:8 we find Adam and Eve “hiding themselves from the presence of the Lord”?

And then in Verse 9 we read of the Lord God calling to Adam and saying to him, “Where are you?” And I certainly don’t believe it was God asking Adam about his exact geographical location in the Garden, but did Adam now know where he was spiritually before God, exposed in his nakedness? “Where are YOU”?

In Verse 7 we read: “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.” And we have the establishment of “Fig-Leaf Religion” authored by fallen mankind, but you’re not sure that it still stands? Give me a break!

“Hiding from God” becomes ‘fallen nature’s’ diversified deceptions with multiplied sorrows and pains because rebellion against Holy God always produces “cursed grounds with thorns and thistles”!

In James 1:12-15 the brother of Jesus shares the blessing and the curse: “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 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.” And then James said in the very next verse, “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.”

A “Sovereignly-Determined Alliance”? In Genesis 6:5-6 we discover the broken heart of Almighty God! The Word tells us, “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.”

But two verses later, Verse 8, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord,” and God determined hope remains! The Ark of Safety became a divine reality! And since that time God still searches for men who become tools in extending God’s life, expressing God’s love, and proving His power to save, heal, and deliver!

In this “sovereignly-determined alliance” how could one overlook Abram! In Genesis 12:1-3 the Lord said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

And if you didn’t know it, Abram was used of God to prepare the way of the Coming Messiah with Jesus even saying during His earthly pilgrimage, “Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he was glad!” Genesis 15:6 says, “And he [Abram] believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.”

Are there Moses-men leading the “chosen” out of ‘slavery’ to Egypt? Are there anointed, appointed, assigned-by-God men ordained with an eternal calling to lead people out of ‘bondage’ to the true freedom of oneness with Holy God, to the blessing of transformation from ‘flesh’-living to Holy Spirit guidance, to the divine assignment of “witnesses” to Heavenly living on earth in and through oneness with the Resurrected King of kings and Lord of lords? Are there truly men throughout human history who become so aware of the futility of self-awareness and come to self-despair, and hearing of the preciousness of Christ Jesus the Lord, turn from their sinfulness to His divine forgiveness, washed clean by the blood of the Lamb of God?

“Sovereignly-Determined Alliances” are so numerous throughout both the Old and the New Testaments of sovereign grace and mercy! Consider prophets raised up by God to confront, expose, and convict a wayward people! In Hebrews 1:1 we read: “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets…”

We find an amazing Verse in Jeremiah 1:5 when the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you [‘set you apart’]; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Isn’t it amazing to you that Holy God “formed men to be His servants,” turning men and nations back to the Lord with prophetic utterances, challenges, even warnings, restoring men and nations to God’s intended purposes? He gave prophets “as a light to the Gentiles”! They came with “repent or else,” with “turn or burn,” with the call to “set the captives free,” with “forsake darkness and come to the Light,” with “inherit the desolate heritages” and restore them as “highways of holiness.”

Holy God and blessed prophets! How great were those men anointed of God to turn nations, families, individuals, back to Him! How anointed men were tools in God’s hands to turn vain men to victorious, eternal living! How the prophetic Word exposed empty dreams and fleshly vanities and shameful insensibilities to God’s holy love! How ‘fatal enchantments’ binding men and women in reckless, ungodly affections, were turned by the Blood of the Lamb to eternal life and everlasting blessing and to forever, overcoming, conquering victorious living in the Resurrection Life of Christ Jesus!

“Sovereignly-Determined Alliances”? Have you ever considered why Paul said, “Preach the Word”? Didn’t Christ Jesus magnify, “Man shall not live by [physical] bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God”?

It was the author of Hebrews who said, Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

One’s reception or denial, feeding on or avoiding, trusting in or resisting, the Holy Word of God, is a clear picture of one’s true salvation or fleshly lost-ness and separation from Holy God! Do you understand or grasp the imprisonment of worldly dispositions OR the freedom and liberty the blood of the Lamb gives to a repentant heart, surrendered mind, and submissive will to God’s salvation ministry? Are you familiar with the words from the song that says, “Amazing love, how can it be, that You my God should die for me?” But He did – on Calvary’s Cross!

As Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper with His disciples, Matthew 26:26-29, And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” THE KINGDOM HAS COME! KING JESUS REIGNS! FEED NOW ON HIS WORD!

“Sovereignly-Determined Alliance”? Are you fully aware of the ministry of the Holy Spirit through YOU? In Acts 1:8 Jesus commissioned His disciples, “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.”

There is no doubt that in this day and age, in and through the American church, there must be a fresh ‘baptism’ of Holy Spirit anointing! Holy Spirit anointing is the overflowing of the very fruit of God Himself in His love being shed abroad through His disciples to touch a lost world with His amazing love and grace and mercy! Through you, as a born-again believer, reconciled to God, now you are commissioned as His “royal ambassadors”, no longer bound by callous indifference, but in-filled, in-fused, empowered by Holy Spirit anointing to touch the world with His love!

It’s time for Spirit-conviction, Spirit-anointing, Spirit-authenticity, to reach out through you as you open your heart wide to His unveiling of God’s redeeming love through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ! It was Jesus Himself who said in John 16:8 about His earthly departure and the Holy Spirit’s earthly residence – “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment…”

The Holy Spirit enlightens your darkness without Christ, illumines the deceit of your sin, exposes the tricks and treachery of your old sin nature and its perverse ways, gives one vision of the vastness of separation from Holy God and what eternity will be like in one’s life without God’s saving grace, mercy, and love, and paints the dark and foreboding heart of a Godless life, unveils one’s fleshly insensibility to God’s Holy Presence, His eternal desire, and what the Way of the Cross is as it relates to God’s love of fallen mankind.

Are YOU aware of ‘fatal enchantments’ that can so blind one to Calvary’s love, encouraging one devotion to their old sin nature is not a bad thing, when in reality, under the mask of pretense is both captivity to evil affections and the fleshly love of that God-less life?

But then there comes the Holy Spirit in the forever cloud of God’s Holy love for the ‘sinner’ for whom Christ died! Eternal grace has opened the door to divine reconciliation! And a heavenly chorus of divine singing begins to surround the needy sinner with songs of God’s redeeming love, with Master-pieces of blood redemption, with the Spirit of the King of Life overshadowing, opening a new door and saying, “Welcome Home”! The Spirit comes and leads you to repentance, leads you to faith, leads you to justification, sanctification, and the daily glorying in the divine life of Resurrected Jesus, ruling through His victory, and by His Spirit daily releasing the Victorious Life of the King of kings and Lord of lords!

Are you aware that day by day you are clasped with the loving hand of eternal friendship as Christ Jesus faithfully takes you to God’s throne, rejoicing that YOU are one with Jesus, with the Father, and with His precious Holy Spirit? Are you living in the “new day” of the eternal divine life Jesus gives to all who are of repentant hearts and willful surrender to His Lordship? Do you understand, “Christ in you the hope of glory”? Christ the Giver is the Author of all blessing, unveiling more and more of Himself daily as His children mature in their faith, obedience, and reception of all He is!

Does His revealing Himself to you assure you more and more of a blessed life, a purposeful existence overflowing with eternal callings and ministries, unveiling the vastness of His goodness, His mercy, His love and grace, glorifying Himself through US as we lean not to our own understanding but in all our ways we give Him His rightful, redemptive, and reigning place as Victorious Conqueror through us? DO IT – in Jesus’ precious Name above all names!

CHAPTER TWO

“STONES OF STUMBLING OR LIVING STONES OF

HOLY PRESENCE?”

In 1 Peter 2:4-10 we find vital words of eternal purpose for every life on the face of the earth, but sadly some refuse the ministry of God’s Holy Word to reveal to them His plan! It says:

“Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, YOU ALSO, AS LIVING STONES, ARE BEING BUILT UP A SPIRITUAL HOUSE, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,

‘Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.’ Therefore, to you who believe [trust in, rely upon, adhere to], He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,’ and ‘a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.’…

They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. BUT YOU are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.”

“They stumble…”, sad words for human lives who see “the call of God” on their lives as unimportant, unnecessary to their life-journeys, and ill-conceived by warped minds with no fleshly dreams, plans, or earthly ambitions – “just satisfy your flesh, your old sin-nature, your total self-promotion, and like Solomon keep building your self-worship centers or tabernacles!”

It was Stephen, in Acts 7, who exposed Israel’s rebellion against Holy God and His eternal purpose, calling them “stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.” When one considers Old Testament history of Judaism, one finds only a remnant who obeyed Holy God in submission, surrender, and a true servant-heart! Are you aware of how easily spiritual deception can come over a group of people like the scribes and Pharisees of Judaism who were so blinded to themselves and their false standing before God? One of the dangerous places to be in a spiritual journey is to be spiritually blinded to the slavery of a sin-blackened heart, yet boastful of self-preeminence in their journeys of a blinded faith!

Even religious Pharisees of today are ‘self-assured’ rather than Sovereignly redeemed, delivered, and empowered in living the Christ-honoring life! They really have no awareness of their fallen sin-natures or the necessity of “crucified with Christ” and “raised” up to eternal privileges in and through His resurrected life and Holy Presence in a true believer!

“Strangers to God”? “Why, we’re His best friends, His most religiously trained and equipped generation”, when in reality they’re strangers, foreigners, outcasts, and enemies, knowing nothing of full surrender and loyalty to the very Spirit of the King of kings and Lord of lords! The absence of Christ from religious self-promotion is a life gripped in the stronghold of a trembling shame, darkened spiritual eyes, and blinded minds, with no true rest, no peace that passes all understanding, and no “joy in the Lord” but a hellish happiness that deceives and enslaves and infects more and more in the deadly diseases of Hell itself as the ‘religious crowd’ celebrate their devilish brilliance!

How “easy” the fallen, the wayward, the unbelieving, the barren trees, the fruitless vineyards, the worldly, the ‘self-promoting’ denounce, ignore, and deny the amazing grace and love of God so brilliantly shining on the hill called Mount Calvary – they ‘flow’ in the river of an unexhausted stream of sin, in the river of a fouled stream of denial of the need of God in their godless flow, in the powerful movement of Satanic delight overflowing with waves of self-despair, waves of strong denials of the need of saving grace and mercy, and waves of indifference concerning the “crucified Christ” and His resurrection, ascension, and soon-coming!

To the “strangers”, “you must be born again” is to them ‘religious garbage’ when in reality it’s the miracle of grace, love, and mercy, that shines brilliantly in the darkened heart and mind of unbelief, that unveils to the spiritually bankrupt the very wealth of Heaven’s treasures reserved in their names, and opens Heaven’s Door to the Resurrected King, in the repentant one’s heart and life, Jesus’ abiding presence, amazing power, His ‘all in all,’ and, yes, His eternal faithfulness to the Father’s will, Word, and way, through us as we choose to yield to Him daily in His eternal devotion to “obey” that Father, even through the Cross!

“Strangers to God”? Did Peter tell us that “strangers to God” are ‘disobedient to the Word of God’? That’s 1 Peter 2:8! It was Paul who wrote to Titus in Titus 3:3 saying to him and us, “For we ourselves were also foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another,” and that was a Jewish Rabbi and leader before his “new birth” in and through Christ Jesus!

But Peter, in 1 Peter 4:3, said: “For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles [unbelievers] – when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.”

And isn’t it amazing to you that in Old Testament Judaism much of Judaism allowed idols in the temple in which they professed loyalty to God as they bowed before their idols? But isn’t it true also that in our modern-day acknowledgement of Christianity that many profess being “partakers of the divine nature” of Christ as they hold onto the corruption that is in their world through lust? Do you ever encounter, in the church, “those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority, presumptuous, self-willed, [those who are] spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls”? [2 Peter 2:10,13b-14].

But aren’t YOU thankful that “stones of stumbling”, by God’s grace, can and do become “Living Stones of Holy Presence”? I was reading in Acts 16:16-19, overjoyed as I saw a slave-girl to Satan freed by God’s divine grace! It says: “Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, ‘These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” And this she did for many days.” Paul prayed for her deliverance – and it happened!

And are you familiar with what happened next in Paul and Silas’ lives? The masters of the delivered young lady saw “that their hope of profit was gone” and dragged Paul and Silas to the local ruling authorities with the two servants of Christ ending up imprisoned! [Whoever said ‘peace and safety’ is assured to all New Testament disciples bought deception rather than the reality of, yes, troubles, oppositions, enemies, even sufferings for the faith at times!].

In Acts 17:5-8 we find more assaults on faithful disciples! “But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, ‘These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king – Jesus.’ And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things.”

Elevated to divine living in the life of Christ as a faithful disciple is to open the door to fleshly and demonic and worldly opposition! Even one’s own redeemed life will face battles between the old man and the Spirit-man! But also the ruler of the world of darkness rallies his forces as a new child of saving faith is birthed. And the powers of darkness are intent on displacing, distressing, and demoralizing the young servants of Christ, seeking to erect in them monuments of doubt, fears, and failures, reminding them often of their evil ways when they were without Christ as Lord and Savior, and seeking to cover over the realities of them “in Christ” becoming monuments of divine mercy and grace with Christ raising them high as eternal trophies of His triumphant power and might!

“Strangers to God”? How easily unbelievers become “stones of stumbling” as those around them trip over, stumble, and are led astray by one another in their clouds of rebellion and disobedience and the absence of redemptive faith in them and through them! Even their spiritual famine becomes a deadly influence and their spiritual nakedness exposes their unbelieving identity, and they take others down with them; their unbelieving identity produces deadly fruit with their lives governed by sinful passions, bondage and captivity, producing in them corrupted minds and hearts, and the devil himself finding a comfortable abode of darkness, indifference to God, and weak individuals through whom he enlarges his hell-bent domains!

“Stones of stumbling” become objects of shamefulness as their sinful hearts become rivers of corruption, their minds darkened in wretchedness and continual wavering, their iniquitous ways making stronger in them the very gates of Hell to keep them in chains, their spiritual blindness assuring them that what is wrong is right, what is darkness is light, what is misery is mercy, what is a lie is truth, and what is their sinfulness is their God-given right to “do as you please” without any consequences or end results! Tell me! “How does one ever get to the place he/she feels they can live without and survive apart from God’s saving grace, mercy, and love?”

But rather than choosing to be a participant in “Stones of Stumbling,” what about the eternal blessing of choosing to be one of God’s “Living Stones of Holy Presence”? What was it Peter said in 1 Peter 1:4-5? “Coming to Him [the Lord Jesus] as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

“Living Stones of Holy Presence”? What did we see in 1 Peter 2:9-10? “But you [in Christ] are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.”

That’s the blood-bought redeemed whose victorious faith is in the Lamb slain whose name is Christ Jesus. God told Israel of the Coming Messiah but they substituted ‘self-effort’ for the Savior’s sacrifice! It’s why God said to Israel through Hosea the prophet in Hosea 6:4b-6, “For your faithfulness is like a morning cloud, and like the early dew it goes away. Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets, I have slain them by the words of My mouth; And your judgments are like light that goes forth. For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”

God then, one verse later, Verse 7, alarmingly said, “But like men they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt treacherously with Me.” That’s truly unbelievers who treat God through a sad state of rejection, self-will, and denial, but born-again believers are the “new creations” who walk in submission and obedience and faithful trust in what God says, demands, and expects!!

This is why Paul enlightens, challenges, and expects the true followers of Christ to not be ‘unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.’ [2 Corinthians 6:14-16].

As a result of the love, mercy, and grace of God, repentant hearts are described by God as NOW a part of the Heavenly, Royal, Eternal Family of God! 2 Corinthians 6:18 tells us, God speaking, “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

I’ve been so blessed lately reading Arthur Bennett’s book, “The Valley of Vision,” [published by The Banner of Truth Trust]. In the writing entitled “God The All”, [p.5], Bennett wrote: “I know that You are the author and finisher of faith, that the whole work of redemption is Yours alone, that every good work or thought found in me is the effect of Your power and grace, that the sole motive in working in me to will and to do for Your good pleasure. O God, it is amazing that men can talk so much about man’s creaturely power and goodness, when, if You did not hold us back every moment, we should be devils incarnate. This, by bitter experience, You have taught me concerning myself.”

Aren’t YOU thankful God unveils Himself in every good and perfect and perfecting work, but He allows us to be His vessels of containment of ALL HE IS AND DOES THROUGH US?

Did Peter tell us [1Peter 1:4-5] that “having come to Him…chosen by God…[declared] living stones…are being built up by Him…[first] as a spiritual house…”? Judaism decided, Solomon decided, “God needs a beautiful, gorgeous temple,” when God’s plan was to establish His residence in the hearts and lives of trusting men and women!

We read in Acts 7:48-50 the following: “However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says: ‘Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the Lord, or what is the place of My rest? Has My hand not made all these things?’” God declared further in 2 Corinthians 6:16b, “For you are the temple of the living God.”

You understand – it’s so much easier building physical temples and buildings rather than being aware of His desired Holy Presence in you as His earthly dwelling place! Do you consider that earthly temples are easier to maintain than understanding of Him in YOU requires “cleansing ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness [in us] in the fear of God…”?

God’s revelation to His saints? In Colossians 1:27-28 we read, “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.”

That’s not “imitation living” but a divine reality; that’s not the best of common flesh but “the presence of Him WHO IS our All in All;” that’s not cheap, counterfeit ‘likenesses’ but the Living, Resurrected, Reigning Life of Christ Jesus or Emmanuel, ‘God with us’; true manhood is the awareness of eternal emptiness in the best effort of ‘flesh’ but faithfully accepting that I know that truthfulness best when I find myself fully surrendered to His Lordship and accepting the crucifixion of my old life and nature when Christ Jesus took me to the Cross with Him – as He died, so did I!!

God’s revelation to His saints? I’d address that like this: “To be Heavenly relevant is to be earthly radical in willing obedience to all our Lord says to us as His disciples!” “Come…Follow Me!” “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 [for himself] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” “Seek FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness…”. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, BUT HE WHO DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER IN HEAVEN.”

And God’s desire for every child of faith who has decided to follow Christ Jesus as Lord, Savior, Master, Ruler, King over his heart and life? God looks for the man who recognizes his emptiness and willing to rest in Christ’s fullness, He looks for the man who clearly understands the voids in his old heart and life but recognizes the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, God looks for the man who willingly submits the ‘clay’ of his earthly life to be transformed by God into the very likeness of the Lamb, and who senses that God Himself is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all one asks or thinks, transforming the repentant one into a son of God, into the very image of Heaven and Earth’s adored Savior and Lord, dramatically, dynamically, and eternally determined by His Almighty Power to raise up sons and daughters of faith in the Son’s exact likeness as those who walk with Him in Heaven’s “glory-cloud”!

“Heirs of the kingdom, raised up in Christ; sons of faith resurrected from death into life; chains now broken from devilish enslavements, freed in Christ to bold eternal service!

Sons of flesh in sinful domination, but the blood of Jesus ushering in eternal resurrection; self-serving men becoming vessels of Holy Presence, repentant hearts becoming Heaven’s rejoicing chorus.

From temporal slaves to eternal servants, God’s love and grace “new sons” to reveal God’s place; no foreign idol before a ‘stone’ to bow, but eternal presence in the here and now!

The chorus of angels continually call, and receptive hearts willingly fall, bowing before Him in full surrender, joyfully submitting to Holy God’s splendor!

Earth and heaven joined as one, bowing before Him in the brightness of His Eternal Son; the beams of His presence enlighten one’s thoughts, so deeply aware His life is not bought, but graciously given the breaking of chains, that He as their Savior eternally reigns!

Grant me a vision of Christ on His throne, ruling in peace of a life Word-sown; show me assurance of His Life fully present as I die daily to myself that His glory may glow in radiant skies as we give to Him no alibis!

Circumcised hearts and yielded minds, right spirits within of the heavenly kind; dead to sin daily that His Name may be honored, no confusion or sins or self-glory even pondered; ruling our hearts as King of our lives, willingly choosing no fleshly deployments, but soldiers of Christ in Spirit-anointings!

Though my body may weary as the older I get, His Spirit-anointing has me graciously set, ready to live, ready to die, ready to serve faithfully even in the sweet by and by. No out-doing God – it could never be done, but in His hands we’ve already won – victors in Christ, servants of the Master, death in Him is no disaster!

A finished salvation so graciously revealed, a forever uniting purposefully sealed; one cry we hold and daily are bold, to say to others, “In Him, Behold!” Grace after grace, gift after gift, our “Sabbath Rest” says in Him we’re forever blessed! A finished salvation so graciously given, His abiding presence so faithfully enlivens, His peace of heart in me will not depart, His Word is true and assures God’s part!”

“Living Stones of Holy Presence”? Paul so enlightened, encouraged, and elevated the new Corinthian church when in 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 he told them, and us, “Now the Lord is the Spirit [the Holy Spirit]; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

God’s ‘amazing grace’ in Christ is supernatural power that ‘raises the dead’ into sons and daughters of everlasting life in Him! Your “treasure-gift” from God? In 2 Corinthians 4:7-12 Paul enlightens us even more when he wrote: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are [often] hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed – always [always, always, 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.”

Earlier, in 2 Corinthians 1:9-11, Paul proclaimed, under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, what should be every disciple’s daily ‘discipline’: “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 still will deliver us, you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many.”

Life’s serenity in Christ is a disciple’s eternal gift that encourages, uplifts, and strengthens him/her, whether in one’s celebration days or a day’s distresses, whether a day of defeat or one of unchangeable victory, whether in one’s fears and cares of temporary loss or the eternal awareness of His perfect peace because of the gift of eternal gain He gives to every true believer! Do you receive the Word daily? “THE LORD OUR GOD REIGNS OMNIPOTENTLY IN OUR BEHALF AND FOR HIS GLORY!” “Our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, is our Shepherd, the Good Shepherd, who gave and gives His life for the sheep!” “Christ Jesus? Our Savior, our Lord and Master, our Defender, our Provider, our Strengthener and Helper, our Blessing and Blesser, our Ever-Present Ruler and Protector, my Door to everlasting delights and unimaginable inheritances and Heavenly rejoicing!”

CHAPTER THREE

“FAITH THAT FALTERS OR FAITH THAT ENDURES?”

In Hebrews 10:19-25 the writer, directed by the Holy Spirit and unveiling the very heart of God for each of us as true followers, was inspired to tell us about “holding strongly your confession.” And he wisely encourages us to “draw near [to God, to our Lord and Savior, and to the Holy Spirit, guided by His eternal Word]] with a true heart in full assurance of faith…”! Follow His precious Word:

“Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest [place] by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

From this scripture on in the chapter the author emphasizes “the just [living] by faith” – and that continually, not short-term! He then closes out Hebrews 10 saying in Verse 39, “But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.” Drawing back to perdition? If you didn’t know it, you should! There are those having begun their spiritual journey with Christ Jesus who have “turned back, turned away, yes, even voiding their commitment to the Savior and Lord!” [If you are unsure about this, examine carefully Luke 12:39-46!!].

The disease of sin is deadly, not only for unbelievers, but true believers! And isn’t it sad that some ‘sick folks’ refuse the physician’s care? Some ‘believers’ doubt the dangers of sin’s diseases! Some ‘believers’ doubt watchfulness is necessary in the journey of faith! Some ‘believers’ have no true understanding of the necessity of one’s detachment from the influence of their ‘old man tendencies’ or even the strong influence of ‘new man’ temptations unaware of the devil’s tests or the world’s drawing power!

It’s so interesting to read Mark 1:12-13 where the Word tells us, Immediately the Spirit drove Him [Jesus] into the wilderness. And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.” [Thank God for ministering angels, yes, in your wilderness temptation experiences!].

Paul was testifying about his conversion experiences before King Agrippa and the scribes and Pharisees in Acts 26 testifying of his encounter with Christ, his calling and ministry under God, and alerting him to all he would face. Verses 15-18 tells us: ‘So I said, Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and FROM THE POWER OF SATAN TO GOD, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.”

Hypocrisy IS “play-acting”, but in the walk of redemptive faith it is eternal reality of oneness with Christ which includes spiritual warfare with the devil and the powers of darkness. Hypocrisy is the devil’s plan in any ‘believer’ to issue cheap imitations of the Lord’s “golden crowns”, to grant fleshly masks that at least give the appearance of one’s spiritual leanings but unworthy and unfit as the true reflection of Christ, or clearly and purposefully misusing the sacred and the holy without any guilt or remorse as long as they are acknowledged as spiritual! And that, my friend, is demonic and devilish influences directing one’s journey!

“Faith that falters”? Without a doubt, in most cases, it is a life ungrateful of saving grace and mercy, because, seriously they like ‘religion’ apart from repentance toward God and faith in the finished work of Christ at the Cross. That’s folks out to approve ‘image’ apart from reconciliation to Holy God by way of personal brokenness, godly sorrow, and true confession as to the need of Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior and Master of their lives. That’s the independent clan who sense no need to be a part of the Family of God; who needs God’s arm of omnipotence when he/she is so strong in and of himself/herself?

“Faith that falters”? That’s the life, when the masks are off, that reveal dangerous weeds of the poisonous sin nature they refuse to let go of: self-righteousness, self-adoration, self-sinner-ship which is doing as one pleases, not what God requires, self-pride, self-concern only of ‘me, my, mine,’ self-love and the satisfaction of every sinful tendency, a life more concerned about man’s opinions than God’s omnipotence; “evil?” –“ that’s just a dark cloud that flies by occasionally, not something one should be concerned about” – Have you ever heard someone say who ‘professes faith’ without any concern for God’s tent of grace and mercy, “I have no need of Sovereign help – I’m able even though weak, I’m able even though frail, I’m able even though infirmed and deficient, I’m able though I live a discouraging ‘life-journey’, I’m able though I know my self-seeking brings no glory or honor to God; yes, “My profession is without possession, my self-importance is empty, my outward glow doesn’t give the true picture of my sin and guilt, discouragement is Hell’s award-winner for me, my walk is tasteless, embittered, unrefined,, unreformed, and spiritually infirmed!”

“Faithless disciples”? In Luke 17 a man came to Jesus, kneeling before Him and saying, Verses 15-21, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.”…

Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the child was cured from that very hour…

Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

I pray you didn’t float over and around, never landing on a “faithless and perverse generation,” even empty of healing grace “because of your unbelief”!

Are you familiar with the parable of the sower in Luke 8:11-15? Jesus said, “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear [Have YOU heard the word of God?]; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved…

But the ones on the rock are those, who when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity…

But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience [or steadfastness].”

“Faithless men of the world.” Are you aware of Cain and his ‘fallen countenance’? [Genesis 4:6]. Verse 16 speaks of Cain “wandering” or Going “out from the presence of the Lord.” Oh, and then only by Genesis 6 there is a dramatic heart-breaking of God Himself! Genesis 6:5 tells us, “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.”

Scattered men because of fleshly towers being built “to make a name for ourselves,” and you don’t believe that attitude still exists today? Are “Esaus still selling “birthrights” today? Of course, no worries today about people worshipping and serving their “golden calves”, right? Solomon’s Temple instead of Holy Presence in the heart? No true Sabbath Rests? No interest in the budding of God’s rod? Desert years in place of disciples’ yieldedness? Religious idols in place of a covenant with Holy God? False gods rather than Holy God, Loving Savior, and the Holy Spirit? Scornfully denying the Rock of one’s salvation?

In Joshua 23:14-16 there is an awesome word of warning for people all over the world because God never changes!! “Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth [one is born, he lives, he dies!!]. And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you; not one word of them has failed…

Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all the good things have come upon you which the Lord your God promised you, so the Lord will bring upon you all harmful things, until He has destroyed you from this good land which the Lord your God has given you…

When you have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed down to them, then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given you.”

Faithless men of the world, a faithless and perverse generation, faithless disciples, possessors of a faith that falters or the full assurance of the true faith that endures? In Jude, Verses one and two, we read of Jude, “a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Christ Jesus: Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.”

Then, in Verses 20-21, Jude tells those of true, enduring faith: “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…”. Oh, and then Jude said in Verses 24-25, “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, To God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.” Amen means agreement or “so be it!”

It sounds to me that “building one’s self up on your most holy faith” is to be the strong foundation in every true believer’s life! In 1 Timothy 1:12, 14-17, Paul told Timothy, a spiritually young son in the faith, “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because HE COUNTED ME FAITHFUL [or credited to Paul’s account full, finishing, infinite faith!], putting me into the ministry…

Verses 14-17, And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be glory and honor forever and ever. Amen.”

“Faith that endures”? In Mark 11:22 Jesus laid the strong, eternal, life-changing faith to His new disciples when He said to them simply, “Have faith in God.” That’s the eternal God, the Author of His creation, God Almighty who speaks and the worlds are framed, who speaks and rivers, seas, and oceans flow, who speaks and there’s the bright sun and the shining moon and beautiful stars, who speaks and human beings inhabit His new world, who authored life unto Himself but fleshly men crowned human existence under their domain and reign of darkness! “Faith in God”?

Yes, that’s Holy God who creates, the God whose very Name is hallowed, the God whose strength, life, and creation is of the Almighty’s handiwork, “the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome… a God to be feared, a God to be served, a God to bow before and yield all to His Holy Sovereignty, a God who is to be YOUR praise, your adoration, your surrender, and your total yieldedness!”

In fact, Paul, so anointed by the Holy Spirit, wrote strong foundation support of the necessity of the Holy Spirit in one’s spiritual journey of faith. In 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 he wrote, “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.” Paul’s speech, his preaching, his declaration of redemptive faith, was primarily on the foundation of saving faith that saves, sustains, strengthens, and sends out as true missionaries, witnesses, proclaimers of biblical faith!

In Romans 4 we learn more of Abraham’s saving faith! Romans 4:13-5:1 is Paul’s declaration of faith on the foundation of God’s promises to him and to us. He wrote: Don’t miss this revelation from God!!

“For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, BUT THROUGH THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF FAITH. For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no [known] transgression…

Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed – God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” …

And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”…

Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification. [Romans 5:1], Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…” AMEN? We were “dead in Adam,” but made alive in Christ and declared ‘righteous’ by the mercy of God!

Do you understand “helplessness” when it comes to one being confronted by God to live the overcoming life of sin and death? Without Christ Jesus one is “without strength, without hope, without even, yes, faith” – but redemptive faith IS the gift of loving, merciful, gracious God, who so loved you and me, desiring we be reconciled to Him through the blood of Christ; so God “gives” saving faith to any who desire to be reconciled to Him!

In fact, in Romans 5:8-11, we read joyfully, “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 [being] 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.”

Do you even comprehend or understand how many “teachers” of the Bible go about teaching about “then,” “out there,” “someday,” “in the sweet by and by,” and leave out “our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we HAVE NOW RECEIVED the reconciliation”?

Look at Romans 5:15-17!! “But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”

Is your spiritual journey a matter of fleshly performance or the position of the grace of God? Are you ‘gritted’ or graced? Are you ‘climbing’ as best you can or resting in our Lord’s ‘finished work’ at Calvary? Is your walk of faith a matter of self-determination or God’s free gift of righteousness in and through Christ’s resurrection victory over sin and death?

Are you aware of God’s surpassing greatness and mercy, His amazing grace, His awesome goodness, and His faithful favor, in blotting out man’s sin and guilt through the blood of His Son and our Savior at the Cross, with you either accepting or rejecting what the Lord Jesus did at Calvary?

Are you ruled by ingratitude and unbelief or continual thanksgiving and trust in the Calvary sacrifice and death in your place? Are you able to say to Holy God, “Father, it was my sin, my rebellion, my self-centeredness that placed Jesus there to die – He took my place. I repent, and I rest in His finished work and His available resurrection life and eternal hope.”

Are you aware of your guiltiness, pardoned by the blood of the Lamb? Have you grasped the eternal salvation through Him available now to the repentant heart and trusting will? Do you rest now in His “present salvation”? Do YOU know of available graces and eternal blessings that never fade away? Are you ready to forsake the world’s foolishness and rest in our Lord’s eternal wisdom? Will you ditch and bury your fleshly vanities and swim in the sea of His mercies, blessings, and eternal privileges? Are you a ‘flesh-promoter’ or a life yielded to the glory of God alone? “Fleshly pursuits” or Divine intent? False and fleshly dreams or His immortal goals? The vanity of sensuality or the victory of sins forgiven? Present intent or forever privilege? Inexpressible sorrow and pain or eternal blessing? A life of empty nothingness of eternal meaning or a life surrendered, yielded, placed in the clouds of heavenly glory and Godly intent?

CHAPTER FOUR

“FAITH AND GOD’S FAITHFUL PROVISIONS”

How rich is God’s Word in providing every disciple understanding, awareness, blessing, and insight to every provision Holy God makes available to each son or daughter of true faith! Paul said in Philippians 4:19, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

Sometimes young, immature, childish believers, are unaware of God’s Fatherly faithfulness – they’re unsure at times of what God as Heavenly Father faithfully provides! Did Paul say God “supplies all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus”? Wasn’t that what you just read? But you’re not sure? Hebrews 4:16 challenges every believer, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

What did the Lord Jesus say to those early disciples? In Matthew 7:7-11 our Lord said, “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 who, if a son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”

Do you remember the leper in Matthew 8:2 as he came to Jesus and worshipped Him, and then stated, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean”? Verse 3 says, Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Have you read lately about the ‘fig tree’ withering when Jesus spoke to it in Matthew 21:19-20? And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?”…Verses 21-22,

So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

But the ‘faithless’are many, many men who are so opposite to the true believer’s understanding of “Faith and God’s Faithful Provisions.” Too many men are not only ‘birthed’ spiritually blind, but live void of any understanding of the blessing of true redemptive faith and all of God’s faithful provisions! Even from the author of the Hebrews writing we learn of the once enlightened who fall away – [Hebrews 6:4-6], “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, IF THEY FALL AWAY, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.”

Earlier, in Hebrews 3:12-19, the anointed writer reveals even, yes, the danger of “brethren” becoming victims again of sin’s deception and destructive power. It says, “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…

For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while it is said: ‘Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.’ For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses?…

Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.”

Do you see that ‘unbelief’ IS disobedience? Or has a spirit that hardens a believer’s heart already made steady advances in you? But the “faithless” are not only believers falling away, but unbelievers born into a sin-nature society, regardless of what nation one is born in! Human births, from Adam and Eve onward, were, are, and will be still birthed in the Adamic sin nature, necessitating repentance toward God and faith in the finished work of Christ Jesus in and through the Cross, the tomb, and its emptying through Resurrection Life, Resurrection Power, and Resurrection Hope!

I’m sure you remember Paul’s writing to the Corinthians, in 1 Corinthians 2:14, “But the natural man [unredeemed, unbelieving] does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” And then, in Verse 16b Paul said, “But we have the mind of Christ.” That’s the true, born-again, Spirit-filled man in Christ Jesus! [But the sad truth is, even true believers will or may, at times, “behave like mere men”!] But who did Christ Jesus shed His innocent blood for as the Lamb of God?

Men, without Christ as Savior and Lord, are ‘unrighteous,’ unholy, unclean, unbelievers, unwise, untaught, totally incapable of redeeming themselves apart from the blood of the Lamb of God! Religious activity has no power of forgiveness, no resurrection hope, and no promise of Heaven’s life, except in a repentant sinner’s confession to Christ of his/her need of Him – in Acts 16:30, after a great earthquake, with Paul and Silas imprisoned for their faith, the keeper of the prison, fearful for his own life because of escaping prisoners, was ready to kill himself, but Paul called out to him with a loud voice, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” Running in to Paul and Silas, he brought them out, saying, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Acts 16:31 then says, they said, “Believe on [trust in, rely upon, adhere to] the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

But poverty-stricken men, spiritually, of the sinners’ hellish clan of unbelievers are as clear and distinct as dark is to day and darkness is to light! A world of unbelievers live unworthy lives, defiant to God and His Holy Word and Will, are truly senseless, fleshly opposition to “the Savior”, unbelieving of Gospel Truth, being spiritually destitute, diseased, with a darkened heart, living under the dark cloud of spiritual bankruptcy, irreconcilable in a determined heart and mind of chaotic rebellion to God’s loving grace and mercy, unkind, no thirst for God, no desire for spiritual meat or the eternal Bread of God’s Word, wells without the water of life, like a city with no lights, homes with no desire for the heart of God redeeming them, individuals with total fleshly independence, satisfied with their old sin natures and their consequences, blinded by the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Are you aware of, yes, how undeserving a sinful world is of God’s mercy? Do you weep over fallen humanity’s infirmities, their spiritual blindness, their bondages to their old, vile, darkened sin natures, and does it trouble you how far, how deep and dense the darkness is in rebellious societies to the Light of God? How do you respond to the smells from the wells of the fountains of human pollution called ‘respectable rebellion’ or ‘sinful satisfaction’ or ‘personal pleasure in spite of God’?

Satanic traps and snares are so numerous as an educated, modern world demonstrates how to live ‘successfully’ apart from God with no understanding of the end result! Even a godless life competes for ‘bragging rights’ against those snares of the devil as one lives ‘proud’ of their rebellious rags before Holy God! The modern-day ‘Hollywood’ crowd is found ‘lusting’ after applause as they parade obsceneness before warped minds and deceived hearts. “Master-less lives” are matted in the miseries of mis-focused wills and misguided, fleshly dreams and ambitions – no God, no blessing; no Savior, no salvation; no Divine Lord, no demon-deliverance; no redemptive faith, no Sovereign deliverance; no Master, no re-made life in Christ!

Don’t you find it so amazing that a godless world is totally blind to “the dark guest” of bondage, whether a sinful self or a devilish army? Have you witnessed mortal sinfulness, fleshly ill-will, even against Holy God and His Holy Word? Sinful hearts come so cheap on Satan’s auction block, even “a dime a dozen’, and many, trapped, cuffed, slave-like to his demands, surrender to his dangerous ways, his daily shame, and his imprisoned sinfulness in demonic minds and hearts blinded to the love, grace, and mercy of, yes, the Loving God, Savior, Deliverer, Healer, Redeemer, Master, King of kings and Lord of lords!

How aware are YOU that the Savior’s ‘shed blood’ is abominable to the world, the flesh and the devil? Do you know how resentful “God’s Pleasure and Will” is to a godless world that has meaninglessly-mastered “lies” and the devil’s atrocious rebellion and disobedience? ‘Lostness’ is a strange word to a world’s unbeliever; ‘bound’ in the devil’s chains appears ludicrous to doubters of God’s eternal Word; ‘prisoner’ to Satan and his army of demons is for ‘brain-dead believers’ who follow Jesus! And the world, the flesh, and the devil himself, will go on celebrating their independence, satisfied with dust, displeasure, defilement, degradation, deformities of heart, soul, and life itself, delighting in unbelief until they begin to hear the awful sounds of Hell’s prisoners!

Hate is held onto in Hell! Ill-will reigns from the top down; malice is a never-ending ringing of Hell’s bells; forever slaves to Satan’s diabolical will continue to spread more and more in sin-bound, satanic bondage; scars, shames, sad indifferences to God’s Holy Kingdom dominate; life-long rebellion against Holy God and His Holy Word is amplified and extended ten thousand times in every disgraced citizen of Hell; ‘self-knowledge’ forever deteriorates into ‘self-loathing’ as one is disgracefully ‘programmed’ more and more by the devil himself; ‘evil’ becomes an acceptable title or description of Hell’s residents; sin’s deformity becomes a sad mask one must wear; ‘enemy of God’ daily identifies one’s roll-call; and all of a sudden, in a flash, Hell’s residents realize their eternal bondage and utter stupidity! But another word of warning before “shifting” to the grace of God: “The day is coming when “sinners” will be exposed in the hands of an angry God!”

THERE IS ANOTHER WAY THAT GOD HAS USHERED IN FOR A MAN TO WALK IN – IT’S CALLED “TRUE FAITH AND GOD’S FAITHFUL PROVISION”! The Apostle Paul said it so strongly, powerfully, and redemptively! Romans 3:4, “…let God be true but every man a liar.” It was John the Baptist who said in John 3:33, “He who has received His (Jesus’s) testimony has certified that God is true.”

Do YOU bow before “Truth” or yield to unbelief, disobedience, and rebellion to Holy God’s Way of the Cross and the empty tomb? I want to share with you what true faith and God’s faithful provision is about – it centers on “the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world!” I want to emphasize about six Truths that have stood forever!

FIRST: DO YOU SEE AND SENSE AND CELEBRATE GOD’S AUTHENTICATION OF HIS ETERNAL SALVATION PLAN BIRTHED IN HIS MIND AND HEART BEFORE THE WORLD AND MAN EVEN CAME INTO BEING?

The Random House College Dictionary, published in 1975 by Random House Inc., defines ‘authentic’ as “entitled to acceptance or belief because of agreement with known facts or experience; reliable; trustworthy…not false or copied; genuine; real…”. Ask any true born-again believer and follower of Christ if God’s eternal salvation plan has proven to be false, brain-dead thinking, a figment of a darkened mind of some false god, or eternal, pure Truth with error in the least, and you’ll find a celebration symphony of praise in every born-again life!

Spiritually dead without Christ as Lord and Savior is evident even without the vocal resistance to His eternal truths – “by their fruits you shall know them”, because lives born again are evident by the visibility of the fruit of the Spirit, or in an unbelieving life by fleshly fruit that radiates no evidence of the Life of Holy Presence or any divine fruit!

“In Christ” is alive and well because a new-born life radiates the Lord’s reign even in the decisions one makes! Choices made by a true born-again believer reflect a life of divine peace, a life bound in the cords of Calvary’s love, a spirit of thanksgiving and joy that never diminishes but intensifies with every new discovery of God’s eternal dimensions in their hearts and lives, and a walk that visibly reveals “Christ in me the hope of glory,” Christ through me the release of Heaven’s unending power, and Christ around me as the never-changing evidence of Holy God’s eternal blessings for one’s bowing daily as a devoted son or daughter of true faith in our Lord’s salvation gift!

Do you understand “surety” in our Lord and Savior’s promises and Word? “I’ll never leave you nor forsake you,” “surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life,” “surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows!”

In 2 Peter 1:16-19 Peter wrote: “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…”. HAS JESUS RISEN IN YOU AS GOD’S ETERNAL STAR AND SAVIOR? Jesus is “the bright and morning star” radiating the wreath of God’s eternal glory, honor, and authenticity!

SECOND, CONCERNING GOD’S ETERNAL PLAN THROUGH CHRIST JESUS, HAVE YOU ACTIVATED HIS HOLY PRESENCE THROUGH THE OPEN DOOR OF REPENTANCE AND FAITH IN HIS FINISHED WORK ON THE CROSS? Have you become aware that three times in Matthew 6:5-7 Jesus said, “when you pray,” and then in Verse 9 Jesus said: “In this manner pray…”! And what was the prayer?

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

Has there ever been a human being on the face of the earth who didn’t need to fall on their faces before Holy God, the Father, and pray for forgiveness? But, sadly, many men never fall before the Throne of God in confession, asking for sins to be forgiven and resurrection life in Christ becoming their only hope for a blessed life on earth. Didn’t Jesus say, “Few there be who find it,” which was Him as “the Door” into the Holy Presence of God?

But there are those who do find “the Door,” desire “the Door,” and willingly walk through the only “Door” into God’s Holy Presence! When earthly kings found the eternal kingdom of Christ, their fleshly empires became as nothing, worthless, fleshly, but in Christ Jesus they found, not flesh’s religions, but “Christ in them the hope of glory.” Having repented and rested in Christ, “new life” was rooted in His Word; eternal understanding of a divine relationship was unfolded day by day; new hearts through Him became expressive in divine affections that were both holy and heavenly; life’s intent was purified with the desire to please and honor Christ Jesus in all things; a “new heart” became passionate in exalting Christ as Lord over all in their daily journeys; deliverance came from evil desires, from the darkness of a natural, earthly, sinful mind; the Great Physician dissected the evil corruptions of an old, disgraceful, rebellious heart, and implanted the “peace that passes all understanding”; through Him temptations became toothless, high mountains became easy climbs, even darkened trials were exposed to His eternal Light!

THIRD, Authentication, Activation, IS FOLLOWED BY A MIRACULOUS ATTITUDE CHANGE FROM FLESHLY DOUBTS OF ONE’S LIMITATIONS TO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF GOD’S FAITHFUL PROVISION OF OVERCOMING POWER! Are you aware of what took place in the lives of the first twelve disciples who walked with Christ Jesus, most of them for the three years of His earthly ministry? I’m sure you’re aware Judas “sold” Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, falling away.

But then we read in Matthew 28, after the Resurrection, and right before His Ascension, Verses 16-17, Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshipped Him; but some doubted.” [And I’m convinced this is often a result of ignoring the very Words of Christ for one’s ‘fleshly’ insight, or maybe blindness would be a better term!]

If “the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” is every true believer’s rightful inheritance in Christ, where does doubt come from? In Him is the treasure of grace and mercy and love; in Him is the forever fountain flowing with Heaven’s glory; in Him a true believer is settled on His Solid-Rock foundation; Christ-like certainties are a disciple’s heavenly currency; even His name flows with awesome power and authority; I may be weak but He’s forever strong, I may be limited in the ‘brain’ but I’ve been blessed with the mind of Christ; I may be threatened but in Him I’m eternally triumphant; and when I even cry out to Him, “Help me,” I have the blessed assurance of an ever-present availability of divine power and heavenly armies! We overcome by the blood of the Lamb!

FOURTH, WOULD YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOUR “AIM” IN FOLLOWING CHRIST ALONE IS TO HONOR HIM, BLESS HIM, LOVE HIM, AND TO LAY DOWN YOUR LIFE THAT HE MIGHT BE SEEN THROUGH YOUR JOURNEY?

All I can say here is, “Why try to intellectualize historical, biblical truth when God’s Word has so elevated divine truth for us to a heavenly level that has an earthly lifting? In 2 Corinthians 4:7-11 Paul, so divinely anointed by the Holy Spirit, wrote: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed – 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.” Glory to the Living God of love, grace, and mercy!

How do YOU pray today as you understand your ambassadorial ministry in His name and for His honor and glory? How about: “Holy Father, I proclaim Christ Jesus as my Lord, Savior, and Master of my earthly life. He is my salvation, my reconciliation with You, my earthly body as His earthly residence, living in me, living through me, and living to honor You! I know that only as I take the sentence of death daily to myself and yield to His indwelling presence will Your power and authority and eternal purpose find fertile ground. I daily yield to Jesus to reign in me on earth as He gloriously and as He in His beloved way and character reigns in Heaven. I openly declare that Christ Jesus is my Rock, my following faith and sure arrival of His foreordained home forever, my eternal life and my Heavenly Authority. He’s my forgiveness, my everlasting future, my strong fortress and defender, my glorious life that never dies, my eternally significant ministry of daily exalting, proclaiming, leaning on His everlasting arms, completed in Him lacking nothing, graciously blessed with the dynamic Presence of the Holy Spirit that energizes me, enforces and defends my faith, and grants me the Holy Spirit’s Sovereign leadership to glorify Christ Jesus through my journey of faith!

FIFTH, IS ADORATION, WORSHIP, AND PRAISE THE FOREVER CALLING OF GOD UPON ALL TRUE BELIEVERS? In Psalm 29:1-2 David said: “Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”

Worship? How about as a way of life? How about the ministry of verbally blessing His Holy Name? How about lifting up thanksgiving and praise in one’s “house of prayer”? How about blessing the Name above all names? How about “calling upon Him” because you know He will answer? How about “bowing” before Him in full surrender, even moment by moment, in the attitude of heart of full surrender? How about the true attitude of surrender and yieldedness and confession when bad desires or fleshly, misguided, devilish entertainments begin to darken one’s soul, even diluting true faith to Satan’s level of ‘error’ as a way of life, personal pride as the devil’s goal in you, rebellion as just a rest from attempts at godliness, and fleshly passions as: “It’s YOUR life; do with it as you please!” NO! We worship, bow before, confess God’s eternal attributes, including forgiveness if we fail, even for a second!

SIXTH, ARE YOU WILLING TO “PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD” THAT YOU MIGHT LEGITIMATELY FIGHT AND WIN YOUR BATTLE OF FAITH? How about “the armor of faithful promises”? In Psalm 18 is an awakening to the awareness of God’s availability in the times of spiritual warfare with the enemies of true faith. David said in Psalm 18:4-6, “the pangs of death surrounded me, and the floods of ungodliness made me afraid. The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple; and my cry came before Him, even to His ears.”

But you’re not sure God will hear your cries? I’m telling you, God is faithful, and especially, lovingly, mercifully responds to the man in need of Him! Verses 13-14 of Psalm 18 tells us, “The Lord thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered His voice, hailstones and coals of fire. He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe, lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them.”

Are you aware that “some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God”? [Psalm 20:7]! Amen?

CHAPTER FIVE

“FALSE IDENTITY OR TRUE FAITH ‘IN CHRIST’?”

Are you aware of how often the Holy Word of God speaks about ‘false words, false professors, false identities, false teachings or false teachers’? But I’m convinced also that through the Word of God we find those who, “not [only] bear false witness against your neighbor”, but many bear false witness TO the neighbor, professing one thing but diametrically are opposed by their lifestyles to what they professed falsely to their neighbors!

But this spirit goes deeper! Proverbs 17:4 says, “An evildoer gives heed to false lips; a liar listens eagerly to a spiteful tongue.” The author of Proverbs went on to say in Verse 7, “Excellent speech is not becoming to a fool, much less lying lips to a prince.” Dare I tell you that lying lips are not becoming to the true believer, but they are ‘natural’ to the one of a “false identity”!

There are narcissistic ‘nobodies’ who ‘think’ they are superior beings to everyone around them, even in church settings, who are truly ‘fleshly neutered’ as to the God who made them and void of redeemed reality by the blood of Christ, but are vocal as to their ‘false identity’, so sure they are God’s greatest gift in a religious world setting!

In 2 Peter 2:10 Peter spoke about “those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries.” In Verses 13b-15a Peter also said of the ‘false identity crowd’, “They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam…who loved unrighteousness…”

It’s a sad reality but the Bible is totally aware of “pretenders,” “play actors,” “dramatists who can ‘act’ fashionably,” yet they have no solid foundation but live their profession with the dark tint of the devil’s forces trying to impersonate the divine life of Christ Jesus! It’s amazing to me but there are lots of governmental leaders and workers who have no godly foundation, and you know them by their works, words, and ungodly lifestyles, while they play the game of political representatives of Holy God! And if we “know them by their works”, we discern they are spiritually diseased!

I was reading this week the publication entitled “Bottom Line,” [Vol.36, Number 18, Sept. 15, 2015 – a gift from my dear friend, Dr. C.A.Kile, of Cleveland, Tennessee]. The front page article was titled, “How to Live to 100 – Best Ways to add Healthy Years to Your Life!” But, I thought, what is one hundred healthy years physically if one has no faith, trust, vibrant relationship with the God who created and blessed them physically?

Do you sense degeneracy exploding around you? Do you see human races running from Holy God? Does it frighten you when you see the death pattern of divine spirituality in many young students in schools and universities across our nation? Are you aware of the destructive self-will that leads many to wander away from Holy Truth and the Loving Savior and the Caring God and shuts the door to Holy Spirit guidance?

How bad and how serious do you discern the disease of sin, rebellion, and disobedience to be concerning your city, state, nation, even the vast world around you? How are you responding to the societal sickness that grows around you? Have YOU been commissioned by God to touch your rebellious world with the love and grace of God? Do you travel the “main highway” that leads you to Holy God or are you content with the “back roads” of discontent with holy living? How familiar are you with graceless living, or the road entitled “estrangement from God”, or the pathway of permissiveness to perilous perverseness that so poisons an attempt at a walk of faith and obedience?

“False Identity?” Does “pretense” raise doubts about one’s true identity? The Random House Collegiate Dictionary says of ‘pretense’ that it is “feigning, make-believe, false show of something…alleging falsely…an insincere or false profession… an unwarranted claim.” It was Paul, in Romans 3:4, who wrote: “Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar.”

How bold was Jesus Himself as He confronted the religious leaders of Judaism in John 8:42-47?!? Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came [out of or] from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word…

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 it…

But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”

What a sick identity is the soul that possesses no desire to hear the Voice of our Savior and Lord! Later, in John 10:22-31, the Lord Jesus further exposed the “false identity crowd”!! Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. [Side-bar! Winter as a season or winter identifying “cold hearts” to Eternal Truth?]. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”…

Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me…

And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.” Glory!

How do YOU respond to Christ Jesus’ words about the “crowd” who made false declarations about their “false identity”? Many said then, and still do now, “Let Him be crucified!”

Are you aware of what Holy God truly hates? In Proverbs 6:16-19 the “wise man” wrote: These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.”

Are there ‘modern’ Sodoms and Gomorrahs today? In Isaiah 1:4 and 7-20 Holy God sends another “shock-wave’ to awaken nations, including the U.S.A.!! Verse 4, “Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked to anger the Holy One of Israel, they have turned away backwards.”

Then Verses 7-20 sounds God’s ‘alarm system’! “Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire; strangers devour your land in your presence; and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers, so the daughter of Zion is left as a booth in a vineyard, as a hut in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city…

Unless the Lord of hosts had left to us a very small remnant, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been made like Gomorrah. Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; give ear to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah; “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” says the Lord. I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats…

When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts? Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me, the New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies – I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting…

Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; they are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood…

Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow. 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.”

How many cries are you hearing around you because of fallen man’s rebellion and disobedience? How often do you hear someone truly praying, “God, be merciful to me the sinner”? How many do you know who believe God is insufficient to meet their sin-problem’? Does ‘despair’ over one’s sinful nature and their ‘closed ears’ to redeeming grace build the separation from God bigger and wider because they refuse “Amazing Grace”? Does ‘mourning’ over one’s fallen nature away from God get wider and broader every day because of a cursed, defiant response to His love, grace, and mercy?

Are you aware of how resentful some unbelievers are to “the fountain filled with blood, drawn from Emmanuel’s veins,” as if they’ve totally rejected Calvary’s love? To them ‘sin’ and the ‘sin nature’ is not a curse but a fleshly blessing! There is no satisfaction in one’s attempt at “law observance”, because all it is is a pat on the back of fleshly effort, that closes the door to God’s imputed, imparted, implanted righteousness! Abusing sinners of the grace of the gospel of Christ is just deepening the hole of their burial inside the gates of Hell! For many it is not an abhorrence of all God calls evil, but a ‘fleshly love-song’ about their self-indulgence and a love of the devil’s deadly fruit!

In Isaiah 1:28 the ‘shock wave’ should carry one to the shore of God’s throne of mercy! “The destruction of transgressors and of sinners shall be together, and those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed,” maybe said more clearly, ‘being consumed with hell’s fire that never stops the burning’!

“FALSE IDENTITY OR ‘TRUE FAITH’ “IN CHRIST”? Yes! Thank God, there is biblical faith that is eternally true and transforms even one who tasted ‘false identity’ and reached out to ‘True Faith’ “In Christ”!! That’s faith in the Father-God of the blood covenant of Christ Jesus and His redeeming, reconciling, reigning, overflowing River of Eternal Life and Forever Hope! That’s anchored in the Sea of Calvary’s Blood Redemption! That’s breathing in through repentance and faith the very Resurrected Life of the Lord Jesus Christ! That’s willingly submerging one’s life and new being in Christ and His ocean of omnipotent power to raise the dead to Divine Life and Divine Purpose! That’s glowing with His heavenly glory! That’s the true, eternal, blessed faith of eternal hope and eternal helpfulness, keeping Heaven’s fire burning in a yielded heart and life daily!

‘True Faith’ “In Christ”? That’s the love of God brought to earth to abide in the redeemed heart, embraced by the very arms of God, enveloped and indwelt in the fullness of the Holy Spirit, enjoined with Christ’s resurrected presence, and the eternal significance of being extensions of His life, expressions of His love, and the proof of His awesome power to manifest Heaven through you and me!

If “the Lord is in His holy temple,” are you aware that through your repentance and faith in Christ Jesus, that 2 Corinthians 6:16 declares, “And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? FOR YOU [in Christ] are the temple of the living 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.” Have you, in Christ Jesus, been made aware that YOU are His earthly temple, having received His Holy Presence?

Yet, how casually indifferent are most believers about the awesome truth on their lives, by God’s own declaration, that they are the temple of Christ’s earthly dwelling? Have YOU, as a true believer, assumed the awesome responsibility of honoring Him who chose to make you His temple of holy presence?

‘True Faith’ “In Christ”? The last paragraph you just read is interpreted greatly by Paul in Colossians 1:24-29 when he wrote: “I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but has now been revealed to His saints [saints? Lives ‘set apart’ for the glory and honor of Holy God!]. 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. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.”

Are you aware of how ‘brutally’ at times the lost world around you will put disclaimers of your ‘professed faith’ out to unbelievers you seek to influence ‘for Christ’ because that turns attention away from their unbelief to what they hope the world around you sees as ‘hypocrisy’ in you as a true, born-again believer? But ‘true holiness in Christ’, kindled to a great flame of glory, cannot, will not, be suffocated out by an unbelieving world! Infinite, holy, divine love and amazing grace in you may be crucified by a rebellious world, but “three days later there is Resurrection Life” out of God’s eternal power!

Are YOU identified with Christ in His Resurrection Life as a born-again believer? In “My Utmost For His Highest,” [p.233], Oswald Chambers wrote: “The Christian worker has to be a sacramental ‘go-between’, to be so identified with his Lord and the reality of His Redemption that He can bring His creating life through him. It is not the strength of one man’s personality being superimposed on another, but the real presence of Christ coming through the elements of the worker’s life. When we preach the historic facts of the life and death of Our Lord as they are conveyed in the New Testament, our words are made sacramental, God uses them on the ground of His Redemption to create in those who listen that which is not created otherwise. If we preach the effects of Redemption in human life instead of the revelation regarding Jesus, the result in those who listen is not new birth, but refined spiritual culture, and the Spirit of God cannot witness to it because such preaching is in another domain. We have to see that we are in such living sympathy with God that as we proclaim His truth He can create in souls the things which He alone can do.” Amazing Truth!

In Matthew 18:3 Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven,” with Jesus also saying in Verse 4, “Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Does ‘child-like faith’ speak to you in convicting fashion or does fleshly pride carry your torch? Do you ‘try’ or do you truly ‘trust’?

Paul was so on target with God’s heart when he wrote in Romans 12:1-2, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 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.”

Aren’t you thankful for the divine mercies of God – plural?!! And His mercies are as His faithful sun arising to dispel the darkness from all around! Darkness condemns – His Light enlightens, fleshly darkness imprisons – His Light frees, the sin-soiled spirits of a sinner’s bondage hold one captive – Jesus’s shed blood washes white as snow, Satan deforms – Christ Jesus transforms, a world spirit accuses the true believer – the Savior atones, re-aligns, restores, and releases God’s pre-ordained heavenly design!

Fleshly debacles, life-styles, and devilish deceptions, bring on and further push one away from God’s eternal intent, with Satan’s celebrations, but the Holy Spirit reminds us of why Christ Jesus came and suffered and died on that cruel Cross, and that by God’s love, power, and purpose was raised from the dead! Out of YOUR sin-death new life in Christ is knocking at your heart’s door! Your sin-guilt can be pardoned through the shed blood of the Lamb of God, your bondages can be broken and severed, your choices of unholy living can be transformed to God’s eternal intent, a poor spiritual condition can be divinely changed into His Resurrected Life in Heaven’s eternal wealth – and that by the convicting and converting and consecrating power of the Holy Spirit!

It was George D. Moore and H.L. Gilmore who wrote the old hymn, “The Haven of Rest.” It says: “My soul in sad exile was out on life’s sea, So burdened with sin and distress, Till I heard a sweet voice saying, “Make Me your choice,” And I entered the haven of rest…

I yielded myself to His tender embrace, And, faith taking hold of the word, My fetters fell off, and I anchored my soul: The haven of rest is my Lord…

The song of my soul, since the Lord made me whole, Has been the old story so blest, Of Jesus, who’ll save whosoever will have A home in the haven of rest…

Oh, come to the Savior, He patiently waits, To save by His power divine; Come, anchor your soul in the haven of rest, And say, ‘My Beloved is mine.’..

I’ve anchored my soul in the haven of rest, I’ll sail the wild seas no more; The tempest may sweep o’er the wild stormy deep, In Jesus I’m safe evermore.”

‘True Faith’ “In Christ”? There is a strong, convicting, self-examining verse in 2 Corinthians 7:10 that says, “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” Self-sorrow that is concerned only about what others have witnessed in you but there is no concern or true sorrow about what God knows and reveals doesn’t produce salvation but only fleshly sorrow!

Have you known those who “weep” over their sin, but not for breaking the heart of God, but because they’ve disappointed their family and friends or employer? Then you find those absolutely heart-broken, spiritually troubled, even publicly ashamed, because they’ve come to the true understanding that it was “my sin that nailed Christ Jesus to Calvary’s Cross” – and “godly sorrow” prevails!

1 Pater 2:24 declares: [speaking of Christ Jesus first, then truly convicted sinners], “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed.”

‘True Faith’ “In Christ”? Are you aware that God has no interest in the eternal death of even one unrepentant life? In Ezekial 18:30b-32, God has spoken! “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? [Why should you die, Oh American, or citizen of India, or European citizen?]. For I [Holy God] have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and live!”

And Christ Jesus tells you, “I am divine forgiveness, I am the Door to reconciliation, I am the Resurrection Life and Eternal Hope, I am God’s plan for your eternal destiny, I am divine perfection for the repentant heart, I am the blood atonement that washes away all your sin and guilt, I am your wisdom, your righteousness, your sanctification, and your eternal hope, I am your justification, your sanctification, and your glorification, I am the Christ who carried your old sinful flesh to the Cross with all of its infectious affections and lusts and put them to death through My Cross offering…I AM AND FOREVER WILL BE!!” But you have a better explanation for true Godly living? “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God IS eternal life in (and through) Christ Jesus our Lord.”

OH! “Hear me!” Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Justified by His blood, sanctified or made holy by His blood, and glorified by His blood!” But you have a better way?

Has the Truth penetrated, positioned you, and dynamically empowered you to receive and walk in the overcoming life of Christ, whether sin, warfare, or death, empowering you in the “Victory In Jesus”? It’s not that I am now ‘religious, but re-born, not that I appear ‘holy,’ but I’ve been reconciled, not that I’ve abandoned the world but died to it and made my life Through Christ a Living Witness of His amazing grace, and though I truly love the world I am a part of, my affections, my devotion, my goal, my ministry, is to honor Him in all things, even dying to the flesh daily with its foolishness, it’s foul smell, and its fleshly vanities, becoming by His grace His earthly reservoir of grace, mercy, and love, putting on His armor and fighting the good fight of faith!

CHAPTER SIX

“FAITH AND THE FAITHFULNESS OF MASTERED MEN”

I personally love what Oswald Chambers once said in his book, “My Utmost For His Highest.” [p.252], “When once you are rooted in Reality, nothing can shake you. If your faith is in experiences, anything that happens is likely to upset that faith; but nothing can ever upset God or the almighty Reality of Redemption; base your faith on that, and you are as eternally secure as God.” Glory!

Do you remember when men brought to Jesus a man who was paralyzed? The story is in Luke 5:19-26. And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus. When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”…

And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you, or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins” – He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”…

Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today!”

There is no doubt that ‘faith and the faith of Mastered men” IS a strange thing for multitudes who do not know the God who is able “even to subdue all things to Himself.” Most finite men are faithless concerning infinite God because to them there is no fear of God, but to the man who genuinely fears Holy God, you are aware that man is a spiritual learner of life and God’s Holy Word, he’s blessed by the divine presence that surrounds him, he is fearful of holy God because he’s wise, he knows ‘God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all he asks or thinks’, he’s aware of his own weakness but extremely aware of God’s heart and God’s able-ness, and he knows where and with Whom to yield his heart, his life, his eternal destiny, and with Whom to yield his trust and faith and future!

Psalm 25:12 asks, “Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He [God] teach in the way He chooses,” and God sets the path of that man’s present and future, even eternally!

What an enormous difference between faithless men and men of true faith! In Hebrews 12:22-28 the Lord speaks about a “glorious company of men” of redemptive faith and faithfulness: But you have come to Mount Zion [your spiritual house, your holy temple, your divine residence] and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem [in you!], 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…

See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain…

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. For our God is a consuming fire.”

‘Serving God with reverence and godly fear’? Our biblical text for this chapter is from Luke 5, Verses 19-26, about men bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed and laid him before Jesus. It is an amazing, God-honoring story of both spiritual healing as the Lord forgave his sins and physical healing as Jesus told him to rise up and walk! The scribes and Pharisees discussed, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” And in Verse 24 we read, “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins” – He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house,” and the man did, glorifying God Almighty!!

But do you see and sense a holy message in this REALITY OF SPIRITUAL PARALYSIS AND THE ETERNAL NEED OF THE GREAT PHYSICIAN, Christ Jesus, to raise up men paralyzed by Satan’s deceit that one can sin and not die? But here came Jesus! That’s the Son of Man who has the power on earth to forgive sins!

‘Spiritual paralysis’? I pray you face it, if you haven’t as yet in your earthly journey, but there is the “danger” of a spiritual sickness that can limit eternal potential, detour one from a divine destiny, blind one to the highway of holiness, and subvert Christ Jesus’s desire for presence in and through their redeemed lives – but they ignore Him! The FIRST paralysis? You should know!

THERE IS THE SPIRITUAL PARALYSIS OF DESTRUCTIVE, DEMEANING, DEATHLY SIN! Romans 6:23 announces what YOU already know! “For the wages of sin is death..” not life, not lasting pleasure, not super-human, demonic activity to give you blessing in your life but vain emptiness and ‘doctored-appearances’ by the devil himself!

Are you aware of Holy God’s desire to redeem lost men and use them then to honor Him by touching their lost and dying world with “redemption’s glorious message” of forgiven life in Christ? Isaiah 6:1-8 tells us: 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…

Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!”…

And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. So I said: “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.”…

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the 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.”

Holy God spoke to men in Old Testament days AND in New Testament days, but He continues to speak throughout human history since Bible-days, exposing the ‘undoneness, uncleanness, and irreconcilable attitude of many who ARE ungodly’! The sinfulness of mankind that produces ‘death’ is utter self-consciousness that has no room for God, body, soul, or spirit! What does Romans 5:12 tell us? “Therefore, just as through one man [Adam] sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned…”

Oswald Chambers wrote in his book, “My Utmost For His Highest,” [p.206], “The disposition of sin is not immorality and wrong-doing, but the disposition of self-realization – I am my own god.” Death in sin breeds fleshly stupidity and indifference to God’s revelation and His offer of reconciliation, re-birth, and His heavenly identity described as: “I’m a child of the King” whose name is Jesus! Are you aware of God’s pleasure celebrated through your conversion from death to life? Paul said in Galatians 1:15-16, “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…,” and the same applies to you!

SECOND, THERE IS THE SPIRITUAL PARALYSIS OF DISINCLINATION! Have you ever been around those, even someone in particular very close to you, but you have no question about their disinterest in spiritual realities and especially no interest in spiritual re-birth through the shed blood of Christ? They are spiritually paralyzed! They are DISINCLINED! They are unwilling to pick up the Holy Word or to hear it read to them. Their attitude is a distaste of anything that relates to “salvation,” the “Savior,” “New Birth,” and totally ignore your heart-felt desire to share eternal truth with them.

Godlessness is a spiritual disease birthed in the mind and heart of one who is an ‘unbeliever.’ That’s those who are described as “faithless” – and, sadly, many are not even ashamed of that state of mind, heart, and fleshly will – they are content in separation from God.

In Matthew 17:17 Jesus made a strong, convicting statement: “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you?” And what they couldn’t do in their faithlessness, Jesus did, casting out the demon from a child!

The spiritual paralysis of disinclination of spiritual re-birth is also a reality because of the sad condition of a strong love of self, sin, satisfaction with the sickness of one’s rebellion toward God, and sold out to one’s independence from Holy God. When Jesus said in Matthew 16:24, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me,” and you immediately begin to hear the ‘self-idolaters’ saying, “Is He serious? Why should I walk away from what I am in love with?” Haven’t you heard it as you witnessed to the “lost,” – “Why should I give up what I am totally in love with,” not even knowing their “love” of their sin nature is devilish infatuation with no eternal blessing!

Spiritual disinclination of not seeking after Eternal God’s purpose is because of the “disease” of an evil sin nature, a life filled with evil possibilities and distractions from True Life and Eternal Purpose, and blinded by the devil’s darkness, not knowing one’s enemy, called the devil or Satan, is the master of loving evil and abhorring Divine Truth!

THIRD, THERE IS THE SPIRITUAL PARALYSIS OF DREADED FEARS! Hear me! “Fears in the ‘flesh-walk’ are of the unwise, unrighteous, unholy, and unredeemed – fleshly fears bind faith, blind one to God’s presence,, and block God’s revelation of freedom from fleshly fears because He is able!”

There are those who get up in their morning dreading the day because of the heavy weight of the fears about what might happen, that they are crushed by its weight, enslaved by its chains, and weakened more and more by fear’s ability to chain one to their slavish fears!

That’s why in Deuteronomy 31:8 Moses said, “And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”

Yet many walk on in the pilgrimage of their earthly journey enslaved to their ‘fears’! It’s as if there is no available heavenly help! If the Lord is your Helper, then why is one ruled by fleshly fear? Do you understand ‘dreams of apprehension’ by the powers of darkness? Does ‘faltering faith’ say anything to you when you sense, maybe, you are about to be consumed by the world, your flesh, and the devil? If “God has said,” why fret about the devil’s empty words? We ought not fear because God has said, “I am with you!” What about, “Leaning on the everlasting arms?”

If there’s legitimate fear, it ought to be “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”! Even King David sang in Psalm 19:9, “The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever!” Jeremiah wrote in Lamentations 3:22-24, “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” God is not a non-entity! He’s your ALL IN ALL, even standing between you and your fears!

FOURTH, THERE IS THE SPIRITUAL PARALYSIS OF DOUBTS! Uncertainty of the authenticity of the Word of God is promoted by many. Uncertainty even of your testimony of faith is declared by some. And uncertainty surely arises when one who has been vocal becomes silent, indifferent, even rebellious to what he/she once professed!

Security “in Christ” is God’s divine gift, but if one’s spiritual journey becomes faith in themselves, one should get ready to envision a horrible falling away! There is NO ASSURANCE in self-determination, but only release of your surrendered life to our Lord’s Sovereign care!

A declaration of reduction in one’s self births doubts because one wrestles with the fact that the old self was “crucified with Christ” – and a flood of doubts about the redemptive faith through Christ intensifies! Being “made holy” by the blood of Christ is the eternal matter of sanctification, which IS the very impartation of His Resurrection Life, not my attempts at imitation!

In John 7:17-18 Christ Jesus speaks, saying, “If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.” Oh, and then in John 8:28-29, our Lord and Savior said, “When you lift up the Son of Man [to crucify Him!], then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.”

Are you “paralyzed” by spiritual doubts or empowered by Him as you obey what He tells you to do? And is this because “you are not your own, because you were bought with a price”? The price of liberty, freedom, and deliverance from doubt? YOU DIED AND YOUR LIFE IS HIDDEN IN CHRIST!

Receive Oswald Chambers’ brilliant words! [“My Utmost For His Highest,” p. 228], “The Lord does not give me rules, He makes His standard very clear, and if my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without any hesitation. If I hesitate, it is because I love someone else in competition with Him, viz., myself. Jesus Christ will not help me to obey Him, I must obey Him; and when I do obey Him, I fulfill my spiritual destiny,” unless you settle in to yourself and what your sin nature tells you!

FIFTH, THERE IS THE SPIRITUAL REALITY OF DESPONDENCY! Things are not going as one thinks they should, and when that ‘spirit’ turns from fleshly success to failure, a spirit of despondency can begin to rule rather than “resting in the Lord.” If Jesus says, “Take no thought for your life,” is it possible one majors on ‘self’ rather than on ‘resting in Him’?

Do you remember Jesus’ Word about “the cares of this world” in Matthew 13:22? He said, “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.” And remember, Jesus also said, “By theirs fruits you shall know them,” so, if there is no fruit in us from Christ, what is He telling us?

Isn’t true faith the death to the ‘natural’ and redemptive faith in God to “care” for us? Often, despondency is disappointment in ourselves, which means that for many there has not been the choice daily of death to self for the manifestation of our Lord’s “Resurrection Life” but a yielding to what is sure will produce dark clouds over, around, and even in us!

Have you ever dealt with “taking the sentence of death daily unto myself that Christ’s Resurrected Life may be manifested in my mortal flesh”? Didn’t Paul say, “I die daily”? But then there is the fleshly reality of overlooking the Holy Spirit’s reign in us because, the truth is, sometimes one chooses that old ‘fountain of pollution’ from which he/she once drank! Dangerous choices, dirty chambers, defying imaginations, can be awakened, if daily one is not purposefully yielding to Christ, His Word, and to the promise of the abiding Holy Spirit!

How did Paul address this dilemma? In Romans 6:14-18 he wrote, “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”

Let me paraphrase what Oswald Chambers said about this dilemma, at times, in one’s spiritual journey or pilgrimage: [“My Utmost For His Highest,” p.53], “Yield in one’s spiritual childhood walk to self-indulgence, and you’ll find personal bondage, fleshly imprisonment, and enchaining tyrannies in your spiritual life’s pilgrimage!” But, remember, we serve the King of kings and the Lord of lords who still preaches ‘deliverance to all captives.’ Amen?

CHAPTER SEVEN

“SAVING FAITH AND THE CONVERTEDS’ WORK”

Don’t you find it amazing at times when you come to the Word of God, and you read one thing in one place, turn to another passage of Scripture, and you find a word that “seems” to contradict?

In Philippians 2:12-13 Paul wrote, “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.”

Working God, and the Converted’s Work”! I can’t help but point you to Oswald Chambers who wrote: [“My Utmost For His Highest,” p.115], “In a regenerated man the source of will is almighty. ‘For it is God which works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure.’ You have to work out with concentration and care what God works in; “not work” your own salvation, but “work it out”, while you base resolutely in unshaken faith on the complete and perfect Redemption of the Lord.”

In Colossians 2:8-10 we read, “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 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.”

If ‘the world, the flesh, and the devil’ are God’s enemy and your enemy, are you equipping yourself in fighting the good faith of faith as you are opposed, even with yourself and your ‘old man, sin nature, and fleshly desires’? “Self-introspection” and “self-love” are a strong enemy IF you don’t know that your old man was ‘crucified with Christ’ on the Cross two thousand years ago! Sometimes the ‘independent spirit,’ a strong self-will, an obstinate attitude, a heavy pull from unintelligent spirituality, will tempt, entice, build wedges of indifference in a compromising faith, and work hellish havoc in one’s walk of faith.

Are you aware of what we read in John 6:66? “From that time many of His [that’s Christ Jesus!] disciples went back and walked with Him no more.” Are you aware that there ARE “disciples” who, yes, decide to walk with Jesus no longer? What happened in those minds and hearts of disciples who once ‘walked’ with Jesus, but then they decided, “No more”!

Rebellion to the Living Word is deadly! Determining ‘self-rights’ is already seen in God’s Holy Word as a personal death-sentence related to eternal faith! Disobedience is destructive, defiant to Holy God, and puts a stamp of approval of “drying up” and “wasting away” in what could have been intimate, personal relationship with Father-God! Haven’t you witnessed that man in his early days of faith who came to Christ with such a devoted heart, life, and witness, but then began to be “successful”, made a name for himself, made a lot of money – and then he fell away, yes, into an ungodly lifestyle? How many have you known who became involved in sexual immorality and faded away? Any “believers” you have known who descended into a spiritual attitude of “decrease” rather than “increase” into our Lord’s image and likeness and were distracted from “pressing in” to Christ and yielded to the flesh?

No days pass that you are not in the scope of Satan to bring about your demise from eternal faith and obedience! Satan wants you so deceived because of your sinful indiscretions that you come to believe there is no spiritual hope for you – the devil will tell you: “You are a lost cause to God; come join my crowd”! The devil doesn’t really know how much God loves you and how willing He is, and able, to empower you to overcome the flesh’s greatest failure! God is merciful!

Holy God is omniscient, aware of your lack of understanding of spiritual warfare and the schemes of Satan, but His patient ‘Fatherhood spirit’ will walk with you, pick you up when necessary, and even step in to provide you with the victory that overcomes the world, your flesh, and the devil and his demons; God is merciful with His children! If Christ Jesus is your “Master”, are you aware of His oversight ministry, care, and supply of every need you have according to His riches in glory?

In Psalm 103:17-22 we need to evaluate our understanding and appropriation of God’s mercy or evaluate our failure to rest in His mercy if we don’t! David said: “But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him [reverential awe!], and His righteousness to children’s children, to such as keep His covenant, and to those who remember His commandments to do them…

The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all. Bless the Lord, you His angels [‘messengers?’], who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word. Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, you ministers of His, who do His pleasure. Bless the Lord, all His works, in all places of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!”

If YOU are “complete in Christ,” does that mean God sees you as He sees His Son and our Savior, and the release in us and through us of all Christ Jesus is as a merciful and faithful High Priest? In Arthur Bennett’s book “The Valley of Vision,” he quoted one of the Puritan age disciple’s prayer that said: [p.17],

“I deny them not, [his former sins AND sin-nature!], frame no excuse, but confess, ‘Father, I have sinned’; Yet still I live, and fly repenting to Your outstretched arms; You will not cast me off, for Jesus brings me near, You will not condemn me, for He died in my stead, You will not mark my mountains of sin, for He levelled all, and His beauty covers my deformities. O my God, I bid farewell to sin by clinging to His Cross, hiding in His wounds, and sheltering in His side.”

Examine your full and unending grasp of God’s mercy illumined for you in Christ’s shed blood! It was Thomas Watson who once wrote: “Mercy is not for them that sin and fear not, but for them that fear and sin not.”

“Saving Faith AND THE CONVERTED’S WORK”? Is it visibly seen, continually affirmed, and exercised in you as the fruit of saving faith and your recognition of the true disciple’s faith, ministry, care, and conquest, knowing the converted’s work is not finished until we allow His Full Life demonstrated through us?

In the Psalm 25 passage David answered “Who is the man who fears the Lord?” 1) The blessed man is a learner. Psalm 25:12 says, “Him (the learner) shall He (God) teach in the way He chooses.” 2) The learner is blessed. Verse 13 says, He himself shall dwell in prosperity, and his descendants shall inherit the earth. 3) The learner IS fearful of Holy God! That man is filled with reverential awe! “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show Them His covenant.” 4) The learner learns, “God is able!” David said, “My eyes are ever toward the Lord, For He shall pluck my feet out of the net.” 5) David was so aware of his own weaknesses! Verses 16-17, “Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me, for I am desolate and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have enlarged; bring me out of my distresses!” 6) David discovered and knew God’s heart! Verses 18-19, “Look on my affliction and my pain, and forgive all my sins. Consider my enemies, for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred.” 7) He knew where and with Whom to yield himself! Verses 20-21, “Keep my soul, and deliver me; let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You.”

If one truly waits on “God’s eternal remedy”, “God’s saving grace, and mercy,” and senses, receives, and walks in our Lord’s perfect, imparted plan, what do WE learn from Him about “Saving Faith AND THE CONVERTED’S WORK OR MINISTRY”? In Philippians 2:1-8 we read, “Therefore if there is any consolation [or encouragement] in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, of being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” And we must decide what it is we are to give to God!

Dare I tell you that God isn’t interested in what YOU might give to Him! “Well, how about my gladness, even my sadness, or my goodness, or my best for Him?” And, if you didn’t know, what you in your flesh would like to give to God, GOD CRUCIFIED IT ALL when Christ shed His blood on the Cross! And, if you receive that Word from God, then forgiveness begins to RISE, hope begins to emerge, strength and empowerment from God’s Holy Spirit takes up residence in you, and your heart and mind-understanding increases to infinity!!

“Saving Faith AND THE CONVERTED’S WORK OR MINISTRY” erupts like an erupting volcano! Your NEW IDENTITY IN CHRIST puts your feet on the SOLID ROCK AND ETERNAL FOUNDATION that cannot be shaken, Your NEW ATTITUDE becomes overriding joy and thanksgiving for the grace and mercy of God, Your NEW CALLING AND MINISTRY as a royal ambassador of Christ overjoys your daily walk, Your LIFE IN CHRIST becomes an Overflowing Walk in and through His divine presence within you, and you enter a NEW TIME PERIOD OF YOUR LIFE OF ETERNAL CONFESSION OF HIM AND HIS GLORY, thankful the “old, unbelieving, sinful, reckless, careless life” was crucified with Him!!

“Saving Faith AND THE CONVERTED’S WORK OR MINISTRY”? If Paul tells us in Philippians 2:12c,“work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” how do we even begin? First, how about our thanksgiving offered to God because the blood of Jesus has obliterated our indictment as number one sinner before Holy God! Do you remember what the Lord said in Isaiah 1:18? “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.”

Second, how about the yielding to the Promised Holy Spirit who empowers us to live a Christ-honoring, overcoming, blessed life by the short-circuiting of Satan’s testing of us? Are you aware of what Galatians 5:16 tells us? “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Christ Jesus’ Emancipation Proclamation was and is: “Go and sin no more,” even promising the Holy Spirit as our spiritual “vest of protection”!

In Romans 8:1-5 Paul tells us, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, 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. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, GOD DID by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” Are you ‘walking’ yielded to the Holy Spirit?

Third, if “Saving Faith” is real, genuine, God-honoring, Christ-devoted, and led by the Holy Spirit, there is a radical change of affections and loyalties! The “godless sinner”? He/she is a ‘bond-slave’ to the old sin nature, covered over with that dark cloud of an evil sin-nature, even deeply in love with that sin and devoted to it in a greedy fashion, even unconcerned about its ultimate ‘prize’ of eternal separation from Holy God!

But then one learns of “the blessed ones through the blood redemption” in and through Christ Jesus only! In Ephesians 1:3-6 God’s eternal Word tells us: “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 [GOD] CHOSE US IN HIM [CHRIST JESUS] 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 made us accepted in the beloved.”

Did I say, “If ‘Saving Faith’ is real, genuine, God-honoring, Christ-devoted, and led by the Holy Spirit, [that] there is a radical change of affections and loyalties? Do YOU walk before Holy God as ‘rejected’ or “accepted in the beloved”? Do YOU walk as the ‘godless sinner’ or blessed as the “graced saint”? Is your worldly pilgrimage as a slave of sin and Satan or as the “glad, joyful, blessed, fulfilled servant of Christ as a genuine ‘foot-washer’ like Christ”?

I thank God for the testimony of Paul to Timothy and us in 1 Timothy 1:12-16, “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I OBTAINED MERCY because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.”

I know you are not “shocked” because some haven’t learned of the blessing of believing on Him for everlasting life, but I’m sure you are “shocked” at times when you learn of the depths of depravity many have sunk to – unbelief in God is enough to awaken most “sinners”, but when astonishment is awakened in them to the radical demise of many, even those “sinners” stand dumb-founded!

And one of our greatest testimonies to the radical unbeliever is our testimony of our own deliverance from fleshly, demonic, worldly bondage and the change in us of abominable affections and degraded loyalties!

Fourth, “Saving Faith”, and “The Converted’s Work and Ministry”? Do you realize the vast change between “sinners” and “saints”? Have you been discipled as to the ‘identity difference’ between a man of the world and a man of God? What’s the difference between one who lives for the “temporary” and one who lives for the “eternal”? Does “escaping fleshly corruption in the world” ring a wake-up call to you?

In 2 Peter 1:2-4 Peter wrote: “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.”

But, sadly, even some “professing believers” have not come into full understanding of “fighting the good fight of faith” in themselves. They haven’t received fully what Jesus has delivered them from, and they still give in, at times, to the world, the flesh, and the devil!

Oswald Chambers, in his book, “My Utmost For His Highest,” [p.9], wrote: “Jesus does not take us alone and expound things to us all the time; He expounds things to us as we can understand them. Other lives are parables. God is making us spell out our own souls. It is slow work, so slow that it takes God all time and eternity to make a man and woman after His own purpose. The only way we can be of use to God is to let Him take us through the crooks and crannies of our own characters. It is astounding how ignorant we are about ourselves!” [Have you been in any tight, testy, troubling ‘time zones’ lately?]

In John 8:34-36 Jesus spoke to some Jews who believed Him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” What did Paul tell us in Romans 6:7? “For he who has died has been freed from sin.” Physical death, physical casket, physical funeral service – “Joe died, and so we have a funeral service”? No! That death Paul told us about IS “our sinful lives crucified with Christ! The old, sin-natured man was crucified with Him!”

In “The Valley of Vision” Arthur Bennett of “The Banner of Truth Trust”, [2012 printing], has given us a major, major writing of prayer through several hundred years. One, [p.100], is entitled “Freedom.” Consider it in the Spirit!

“O Holy Father, You have freely given Your Son, O Divine Son, You have freely paid my debt, O Eternal Spirit, You have freely bid me come, O Triune God, You have freely graced me with salvation…

Prayers and tears could not suffice to pardon my sins, nor anything less than atoning blood, but my believing is my receiving, for a thankful acceptance is no paying of the debt…

What did You see in me? that I a poor, diseased, despised sinner should be clothed in Your bright glory? That a creeping worm should be advanced to this high state?…

That one lately groaning, weeping, dying, should be as full of joy as my heart can hold? That a being of dust and darkness should be taken like Mordecai from captivity, and set next to the king?…

Should be lifted like Daniel from a den and be made ruler of princes and provinces? Who can fathom immeasurable love? As far as the rational soul exceeds the senses, so does the spirit exceed the rational in its knowledge of You?…

You have given me understanding to compass the earth, measure the sun, moon, stars, universe, but above all to know You, the only true God. I marvel that the finite can know the Infinite, here a little, afterwards in full-orbed truth;…

Now I know but a small portion of what I shall know, here in part, there in perfection, here a glimpse, there a glory. To enjoy You is life eternal, and to enjoy is to know. Keep me in the freedom of experiencing Your salvation continually.” Amen?

“Saving Faith and the Converted’s Work And Ministry”? I tell you that I am absolutely amazed and awed that Holy God continues to enlarge redeemed man’s capacity to grasp, celebrate, and walk in “the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ”! Thank God for our liberation from the bondage of sin and unbelief through the shed blood of Christ! Thank God that He saves us from ourselves and raises us up in Christ in His eternal identity! From sons of the flesh to sons of the Spirit, from sons of darkness to sons of the Light, from sons of self-bondage to sons of liberty and freedom, from sons of a fading world to sons of God’s eternal Kingdom and rule!

Fleshly life’s highest pinnacle cannot even begin to approach God’s eternal throne in the human heart where the Resurrected King of kings and Lord of lords reigns! We’re not called to reach out for “self-realization”, but called to abandon “self-worship” so that our eternal ministry is “That I may know Him, and the power of His Resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings”! “In Christ” our journey of Faith is the full understanding of and our appropriation of “the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,” [Ephesians 4:13b].

Do you understand? It was Christ’s “guiltless blood” that was shed on the Cross of Calvary that each of us as guilty sinners might be eternally forgiven and freed!

CHAPTER EIGHT

“UNFORGIVENESS – UNFORGIVEN OR FAITH

AND FORGIVENESS?”

It sounds like an extremely harsh title of a sermon or teaching, but His Word is truth and that is what His people are to stand upon. And I’m convinced, whether husband and wife, pastor and people, employer and employee, friend to friend, God’s Word is clear.

Come first to Matthew 6;12, 14-15! Get Ready! Verse 12, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Verses 14-15, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

But please look at the nature and character of Christ as we read Luke 23:33-34, “And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”

Sinless Jesus nailed to a Cross as a common criminal, but He says, ‘Father, forgive them.’ Holy Jesus crucified as an unholy man, but He says, ‘Father, forgive them.’ Pure Jesus brutalized as an impure sinner, but He says, “Father, forgive them.”

There are some things you must wrestle with and come to a clear understanding about: Forgiveness is far better for any man than bank accounts filled with earthly riches – especially the forgiveness of God – but unforgiveness is self-imposed personal bankruptcy!

Forgiveness is of the spirit and nature of God Himself, while unforgiveness reveals the frailty and failures of fallen flesh. Forgiveness is the revelation of the indwelling nature and character of Christ, while unforgiveness is the unveiling of the malignant, sick nature of “the old man,” “the “first Adam,” “the “fallen nature and sickness of the sinner” at odds with God Himself.”

Forgiveness is freedom in and through the Indwelling Holy Spirit, while unforgiveness is the living picture of a despairing soul, locked in a self-imposed cage of vanity and vindictiveness.

Forgiveness is peace and the portrait of the indwelling Christ, while unforgiveness is an enslaved, dying sinner, maybe even with sorrow and remorse but dreading to face the prospect of their future because they have an inkling their attitude is horribly wrong and even inexcusable, and even sense a bleak, dark future if things aren’t made right!

I read Spurgeon recently who said, because of unforgiveness: “You will bewail in everlasting misery the mercy that through your willfulness was unavailing.”

Religion without reality of the nature and character of Christ Jesus is, yes, a professing believer walking without eternal purpose to be conformed to the image of Christ but captured by his old sin nature and willfully walking in unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, resentment, holding grudges and determined to have his selfish way and refuses to bear witness to the spirit of Christ and His saving grace!

Relationships – and it doesn’t matter what the relationship is: marriage, business, church, friend to friend, family member to family member, parent to child or child to parent – relationship is not a matter of winning or losing, BUT…is God glorified in any of this or ‘flesh’ magnified? – what matters is whether or not we decide to walk in the nature and character of Christ and glorify Him in the good and the bad, in the down and the dirty, even ‘flesh’ activity or ‘Spirit’ activity.

Sometimes I wonder if God allows, permits, yes, difficult events or circumstances, to expose us as to how and where and why and with whom we choose to walk: with the forgivers or the unforgivers, flesh folk or Christ’s fullness, sweet Jesus or sour grapes?

And Lamentations 3:32 gives me a challenging word: “Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.”

Oswald Chambers really hit a ‘grand-slam homerun when he wrote in “My Utmost For His Highest,” [p.241]: “Beware of the pleasant view of the Fatherhood of God – God is so loving and kind that of course He will forgive us. That sentiment has no place whatever in the New Testament. The only ground on which God can forgive us is the tremendous tragedy of the Cross of Christ; to put forgiveness on any other ground is unconscious blasphemy. The only ground on which God can forgive sin and reinstate us in His favor is through the Cross of Christ, and in no other way. Forgiveness, which is so easy for us to accept, cost the agony of Calvary. It is possible to take the forgiveness of sin, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and our sanctification with the simplicity of faith, and to forget at what enormous cost to God it was all made for us.”

Hear me! Forgiveness is the testimony of the Cross, the unveiling of the indwelling Christ, and the power that transforms circumstances and sets the captives free! Unforgiveness denies God, closes the door on eternal relationships with Him, honors the devil, and blemishes the name of Jesus!

I know you’re familiar with Stephen and his prophetic stand and preaching to Israel. Acts 7:51 says, Stephen speaking, “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.”

And, remember, they took him out of the city and stoned him, as he was calling on God and saying, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then in Acts 7:60, it says, that Stephen knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”

True believers walk in forgiveness. True believers choose the attitude and actions of their Savior and Lord because to do otherwise shames the holy name of Jesus. They’d rather take stones snuffing out the breath of life than deny the Lord’s spirit and grace and mercy!

And the one thing I want you to see out of Stephen’s testimony is its impact on one called Saul of Tarsus. After the stiff-necked Israelites stoned Stephen to death, Acts 7:58 says, “And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.” Acts 8:1 says, “Now Saul was consenting to his death.”

But then Saul met our Lord on the Damascus Road – he’s redeemed, saved, transformed, set aside as a mighty witness of the True Faith. In 2 Corinthians 2, the converted Saul – now Paul – has to deal with the church at Corinth who had to exercise church discipline but then failed to walk in loving forgiveness toward the brother. Look at 2 Corinthians 2:1-11,

“But I determined this within myself, that I would not come to you again in sorrow. For if I make you sorrowful, then who is he who makes me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me? And I wrote this very thing to you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow over those from whom I ought to have joy, having confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you all. For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you. But if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent – not to be too severe. This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man, so that on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things. Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.”

Does Paul talk about forgiveness exercised in church discipline? You need to realize ‘restoration’ is always God’s intent in the necessity of church discipline. My wife Sue and I celebrated our 50^th anniversary June 10,2006, which now in 2015 means 59 years of marriage! Friends from Temple, Texas, had come to our 50^th celebration and gave us a print that said: “A successful marriage is the union of two great forgivers.” I’m sure if Sue were before you today she’d say: “We never thought about divorce – the word ‘divorce’ was never allowed to be mentioned by any of our four children, but murder? That is on the table!”

Daniel 9:9 says, “To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him.” And that’s true – but don’t stop reading there! Look at Daniel 9:10-13! “we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God to walk in His laws [His Word]!], which He set before us by His servants the prophets. Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him. And His has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has been done to Jerusalem. As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth.” [Is that a relevant passage for today?].

A number of years ago my son, Scott, and I were in the Phillipines doing pastors’ conferences and on a weekend an open-air crusade outside Manila in a city park. Before the service our Filipino organizer asked me, “I know you’ll give an evangelistic invitation after your message, but will you also pray for the sick?” And, of course, I said ‘Yes.’

There were four Americans and four Filipino pastors that formed eight lines to pray for healing grace on the sick. A young mother stood before me after I’d prayed for several others. When she came I said, “Young lady, how can I help you?”

She said, “I’ve been sick for several weeks but I don’t know what it is.” Immediately I heard the Lord say to me, “Ask her about her husband.” And when I did, I saw the demons manifest all over her – her face began to contort, her teeth began to grind back and forth, anger began to boil over – and she said: “My husband left me and our three children three weeks ago for another woman – and I hate him.”

I said, “Young lady, I’d like to pray for you, but I can’t. God will not heal your sickness by accepting your hatred, bitterness, anger, and unforgiveness.” It rang a bell within her! She said, “What must I do?” And I said, “If you promise me, after I pray, that you go find your husband and ask his forgiveness for your hatred and anger and bitterness and unforgiveness toward him, I’ll pray for you – and God will heal you.” She said, “Yes”! I prayed – brokenness came, tears began to flow, Christ Jesus began to radiate all over her and in her. Though I never saw her again, I believe her new-found spirit and attitude even brought a wayward husband home to a new wife and three children!

Come to Matthew 18:21-35! “Unforgiveness – Unforgiven!” Read it carefully at least five times! Forgiveness is the heart-cry of Jesus for Peter and all disciples! It’s not an option! I see several vital, important, life-altering truths from the lips of Jesus:

1} Forgiveness is without limit! Matthew 18:22

2} God Himself settles accounts – there is a reckoning! Matthew 18:32, “wicked servant”!

3} God calls a ‘spade’ a ‘spade’ and nothing less! Matthew 18:32 “wicked servant”

4} There are things God is ‘angry’ about and unforgiveness is one of them! Matthew 18:34

5} An unforgiving servant of God causes God to deliver that one to ‘the torturers’ – that’s delivered over to the demons, the powers of darkness, for hopefully correction, forgiveness, and a God-honoring life. Matthew 18:34

6} Because of unforgiveness God reinstates the debt! Matthew 18:34

7} God gives an unfailing promise – if one does not forgive from his heart his brother, God will not forgive him. Matthew 18:35!

It’s important that you see how God uses the Deceiver, yes, the devil, the demons, the powers of darkness to discipline and hopefully bring correction to His own children. Come first to Isaiah 5:24-30: “Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble, and the flame consumes the chaff, so their root will be as rottenness, and their blossom will ascend as dust; BECAUSE they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. Therefore the anger of the Lord is aroused against His people; He has stretched out His hand against them, and the hills trembled. Their carcasses were as refuse in the midst of the streets. For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still. He will lift up a banner to the nations from afar, [“THAT’S THEM – the demons!], and will whistle to them from the end of the earth; surely they shall come with speed, swiftly. No one will be weary or stumble among them, no one will slumber or sleep; nor will the belt on their loins be loosed, nor the strap of their sandals be broken; whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent; their horses’ hooves will seem like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind. Their roaring will be like a lion, they will roar like young lions; Yes, they will roar and lay hold of their prey; they will carry it away safely, and no one will deliver. In that day they will roar against them like the roaring of the sea. And if one looks to the land, Behold, darkness and sorrow; and the light is darkened by the clouds.” What an awesome passage!

But look also at Isaiah 7:18-19! “And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will “WHISTLE” for the fly that is in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Syria. They will come, and all of them will rest in the desolate valleys and in the clefts of the rocks, and on all thorns and in all pastures.”

How illuminating is God’s Holy Word! See if you’ve seen before or witnessed in churches what Job saw in Job 12:16-25!!: “With Him are strength and prudence. THE DECEIVED AND THE DECEIVER ARE HIS. He leads counselors away plundered, and makes fools of the judges. He loosens the bonds of kings, and binds their waist with a belt. He leads princes [priests?] away plundered, and overthrows the mighty. He deprives the trusted ones of speech, and takes away the discernment of the elders. He pours contempt on princes, and disarms the might. He uncovers deep things out of darkness, and brings the shadow of death to light. He makes nations great, and destroys them; He enlarges nations and guides them. He takes away the understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth, and makes them wander in a pathless wilderness. They grope in the dark without light, and He makes them stagger like a drunken man.” “OH, God, help us!”

One last Scripture: Come to Joel 2:4-13, and Verses 25-29! God tells the prophet about a people coming, great and strong, then He tells the prophet what’s coming down the highways of life! “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 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 the 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 words. For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; who can endure it?…

Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm…

Then, Joel 2:25-29, “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you…

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; I am the Lord your God and there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame…

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. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.”

And why is this? What’s the difference between the Isaiah passages we read and the last few verses of Joel we just finished reading? Because we choose to walk in FORGIVENESS, not unforgiveness; we choose to walk in the Spirit, not futile flesh; we choose to die to sin, not celebrate it as under the blood, so we can live and act and do as we please!

Let me close with a true story I experienced. I was in Madras, India, now Chennai, India, having finished a pastors’ conference during the week, then preaching on a Sunday morning for the host pastor, Pratap Singh, a graduate of Lee University in my hometown of Cleveland, Tennessee. Pratap Singh is a visionary and our Lord has blessed his ministry phenomenally and powerfully!

I preached that morning on “How Shall We Escape If We Neglect So Great A Salvation?” When I gave the invitation, a man in his mid-forties came forward, absolutely broken, weeping uncontrollably. As Pratap was taking me to my hotel after the service, I said: “Pratap, tell me about the man who was so broken at the invitation.”

He said, “He’s married to one of the ladies in our church with two grown children. Thirteen years ago he left his wife and children to go to California with a new engineering job. In 13 years he never talked to his wife or children, never sent one dime of support. In that 13-year period he lived in an adulterous relationship.

His wife never ceased to love him or pray for him. She went back to school, finished her degree, became a teacher, taught the children daily to pray for their father, honor him, love him, because one day he was coming home. She taught only love, respect, and confidence in God to hear and answer their prayers.

Pratap then said: “Last week the husband and father called the wife from the U.S. to see if it was alright for him to come home to see the children. She said, “Oh, yes! They are going to be so happy and pleased that you are coming home. You are most welcome!”

He came – and they received him as if he’d never been away! When he came during the invitation, he told Pastor Pratap, “Please tell me of this Jesus who built such a loving, forgiving heart in my wife and children!” SAVED BY THE GRACE OF GOD – because of a wife who walked in forgiveness!

I think the year was the time period between 2002-2003. I had gone to be interim pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Winter Haven, Florida, a church I had pastored previously. I told Pratap’s story.

Next morning my fishing buddy and I had launched our boat in a prime lake for big bass. I was ready to catch my lunker. About 30 minutes into our fishing extravaganza, I heard crying in the back of the boat –

“Bob, what’s the problem?” Bob Davidson said, “Pastor, I heard that story yesterday – I haven’t spoken to my 80-year-old father in over a year. Sorry, but we’ve got to go in – I need to be forgiven and reconciled to my father!” We did – and he did – and God was honored!

Have you seen the picture? Forgiveness – forgiven! Unforgiveness – unforgiven! What will YOU do?!?

CHAPTER NINE

“FAITH AND THE REALITY OF KINGDOM TRANSLATION”

It is so amazing to me to hear a lot of ‘church folk’ talk about “The Faith”, but they seldom mention the Kingdom of our Lord God and their citizenship in the Kingdom of His Sovereign rule over their lives. And I wonder if their “faith” has any awareness of the reality of “Kingdom Translation” out of earthly, fleshly, man-made kingdoms into the Kingdom of the King of kings and Lord of lords.

There was a scribe who told Jesus, after Jesus had responded to Him about “commandments” in Mark 12:32, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. Verse 33, And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

Oh, and then Verse 34 tells us, Now when Jesus saw that He answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” Do you understand that “not far from” doesn’t mean the scribe had kingdom citizenship, but that he was near, without having abandoned all and yielded his life and allegiance to the King of all Eternity?

In John 16 the Lord Jesus talked about the ministry of the Holy Spirit, saying in Verse 13-15, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, [which a lot of people do today!], but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine, and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take on Mine and declare it to you.”

Question! Are you SURE that what you hear in a lot of American churches is the undiluted Truth of Holy God? Oswald Chambers, in his book, “My Utmost For His Highest,” [p.248], wrote: “The pietistic movements of today have none of the rugged reality of the New Testament about them; all that is required is a pious attitude and prayer and devotion. This type of experience is not supernatural nor miraculous, it did not cost the passion of God, it is not dyed in the blood of the Lamb, not stamped with the hall-mark of the Holy Ghost; it has not that mark on it which makes men say, as they look with awe and wonder – “That is the work of God Almighty.” That and nothing else is what the New Testament talks about.”

But when there is bestowed grace, there IS blessed victory! This is why Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:10, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain…”. When it’s the victory of the Risen Christ through the Cross, His burial, and His Resurrection, and our surrender, yielded-ness, and appropriation of His Holy Word, then “new life” is blossoming!

Paul put it like this in Romans 14:17, “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” And he then called that, “serving Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.”

Righteousness isn’t earned – it’s a holy gift through true faith. Peace isn’t fought for – it’s Holy Presence. Joy isn’t juiced up – it’s Christ Jesus in you that is the hope of glory!

Again, in Arthur Bennett’s book entitled “The Valley of Vision,” [pps.240-241], it’s another Puritan prayer from the 1800’s through the 1900’s. It’s title? “Divine Promises”! Read it with an open mind and heart, even with the content so far in this book!

“GLORIOUS JEHOVAH, MY COVENANT GOD,” All Your promises in Christ Jesus are yea and amen, and all shall be fulfilled. YOU have spoken them, and they shall be done, commanded, and they shall come to pass…

Yet I have often doubted You, have lived at times as if there were no God. Lord, forgive me that death in life, when I have found something apart from You, when I have been content with ephemeral things. [Ephemeral? “short-lived”!]…

But through Your grace I have repented; [That’s the ‘lost’ stepping stone to Holy Presence!]. You have given me to read my pardon in the wounds of Jesus, and my soul does trust in Him, my God incarnate, the ground of my life, the spring of my hope..

Teach me to be resigned to Your will, to delight in Your law, to have no will but Yours, to believe that everything You do is for my good…

Help me to leave my concerns in Your hands, for You have power over evil, and bring from it an infinite progression of good, until Your purposes are fulfilled…

Bless me with Abraham’s faith that staggers not at promises through unbelief. May I not instruct You in my troubles, but glorify You in my trials; Grant me a distinct advance in the divine life;…

May I reach a higher platform, leave the mists of doubt and fear in the valley, and climb to hill-tops of eternal security in Christ by simply believing He cannot lie, or turn from His purpose…

Give me the confidence I ought to have in Him who is worthy to be praised, and who is blessed for evermore.” Yes! That’s the WORK of Glorious Jehovah, Our Covenant God!

“Faith And The Reality Of Kingdom Translation”? But earthly, fleshly, man-made kingdoms are void of true faith and even the knowledge of the reality of “”Kingdom Translation”! But there’s “the remnant”, always has been “the remnant”, and the gathering around the Eternal Throne will be the “remnant” forever and forever! This is why King David prayed to Eternal God and Father, Lord and Savior, in Psalm 25:1-5,

“To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed; let not my enemies triumph over me. Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.”

How familiar are you with Paul’s statement in Galatians 5:1 when he wrote: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”? Are you aware that there are many “pretenders” who know the Bible from cover to cover but are void of true oneness with and in Christ, void of deliverance from the bondage and captivity of the old sin nature, but fully acquainted with the devil’s style of impersonation? Are you aware that there exists a large group of “professors of faith” who sincerely believe that “Christians can’t do anything but sin until they get to heaven”? And that’s with Jesus saying to His disciples, “Go, and sin no more!”

“Faith and the Reality of Kingdom Translation”? In Hebrews 10:19-23 we read with a joyous and thankful heart, “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the House of God [which is the true disciple of faith!], let us draw near with a true heart IN FULL ASSURANCE OF FAITH, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. [Water of the Word?]. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for He who promised is faithful.”

Did Verse 19 tell us, “having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus”? Entering ‘the Holiest’ is the Holy of holies in His tabernacle which is the abiding presence of Holy God, and He says that through Christ YOU ARE ‘the temple” of God! I sense day by day through the Word of God that true discipleship is the awareness of "Christ in you the hope of glory”, and our pilgrimage becomes one of absolute awe and greater yielded-ness as we recognize His Presence within us!

I’m convinced one of the true believer’s great discoveries is what Paul told us in 2 Corinthians 5:7 when he said, “For we [true believers] walk by faith, not by sight,” but the ‘faith-walk’ for some is faith in themselves, their abilities, their dreams, their personal inspiration and attitude about their own abilities, and totally miss God and leave Him out of the pilgrimage. Oswald Chambers was truly a wise spiritual father in England for many years. He said once: [“My Utmost For His Highest,” p.88], “How many of us have laid ourselves by, as it were, and said – “I cannot do any more until God appears to me.” He never will, and without any inspiration, without any sudden touch of God we will have to get up. Then comes the surprise – “Why, He was there all the time, and I never knew it!” Never live for the rare moments, they are surprises. God will give us touches of inspiration when He sees we are not in danger of being led away by them. We must never make our moments of inspiration; our standard is our duty.” And our duty before Holy God and the Lord Jesus is His revelation through His Word!

In 1 Corinthians 2:11-14a, plus verse 16, we read: “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but [in Christ] the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him…”.

“Faith and the Reality of Kingdom Translation”? But the Word is so very, very clear if one receives it, but apart from “new birth” men never even get the Holy Book opened by the Holy Spirit! The Spirit resides in true believers; in fact, Jesus said in John 3:5, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Are you ‘flesh-led’ or ‘Spirit-led’ as you come to the Holy Word of God?

It was Peter in 1 Peter 1:22-23 who, inspired of the Holy Spirit, wrote: “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever…”.

Divine conversion through the Word by the Holy Spirit translates us from our own fleshly kingdoms and desires to Life IN the Kingdom of God! ‘Obeying the truth’ of the Holy Word of God is the eternal biblical evidence of divine conversion – no obedience, no salvation; no feeding on the Word – no spiritual maturing out of ‘babyhood’ to spiritual full-grown men and women of faith; no standing in the Word – no armor or heavenly weapons to ward off demonic powers against the sons of faith!

You know that Hebrews 4 talks about God’s Promise of “eternal rest,” but in Verse 2 the author wrote: “…but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it,” and God then said, “they shall not enter My rest.” In naming the Name of Christ, does that naming build in you a strong foundation of Biblical Faith or does that come as one faithfully “feeds” on the Word of God? Didn’t Jesus say, “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God”?

[Every conference I led in India over twenty-five years was a strong emphasis on the discipline of the Holy Word daily, even stressing , beginning in Genesis and Matthew, five chapters from the Old Testament and five chapters from the New Testament every day until they met Him at Heaven’s throne in the “after-life”!]

“Faith and the Reality of Kingdom Translation”? Do you, as I do, find Hebrews 5:8-9 a challenging unveiling of the very process of our salvation walk? It says, “though He [Jesus] was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,…”!

“The author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him”? In Romans 16:25-27 Paul tells us: “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, FOR OBEDIENCE TO THE FAITH – to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.”

As you’ve read the Scriptures I’ve shared in this chapter, has there been in you a strong awakening to the “new beginning” from rebellion to submission, from disobedience to obedience, from ‘my way’ to His Way in and through Christ alone, that as He obeyed the Father, so we submit ourselves to His Kingdom rule through us as we reject ‘self-will’ and yield to our Lord and Savior’s divine will? Can you, right now, say without hesitation, “Lord Jesus, I sense Your abiding love for my life because You took my sins to the Cross with You, suffered, bled, and died, that my life would be free from bondage and discovering “life-change” through the Victory of Your Cross on my behalf! You took my sin unto yourself, exposing through my sin, the necessity of re-birth in Your Spirit, nature, and character, and as You are, so am I! In me it is no longer ‘a form of godliness’ but the very Faith of God-likeness because of my “second birth” through my faith in Your sin-sacrifice! I thank You for Your purifying blood, for Your Resurrection Life, and for the gift of the Holy Spirit to honor You through my journey!”

It was Paul again who said in Galatians 4:19, “My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you.” It’s certainly not natural birth that Paul was speaking of, but the reality of the “Seed-Birth” of the Word of God in us and through us, and from birth spiritually, to growing spiritually, feeding on the milk of the Word of God, we come to maturity in the faith through that daily yieldedness to the Word of Christ!

Earthly kingdom or the Kingdom of God? Exchanged devotion to the sinful self or exchanged devotion and submission to the Word and will of God? Adapted or converted? Natural birth only or the blessedness of spiritual birth in repentance toward God and faith and surrender to Christ’s Lordship? A temporary ‘religious spasm’ or eternally birthed in the “new man”? I’m sure, even as a true spiritual child of God, that you’ve wrestled with the war between spiritual reality and the natural affinities that you’ve seen, yes, in the worldly man/woman that seem so appealing, and yet can be that sinister trap of Satan to lead you astray! The walk of the true disciple is “being conformed to the image of Christ,” not taking on what appears to be ‘good human traits’.

There is a challenging, freeing, completing Verse in Luke 21:19 when the Lord Jesus said, “By your patience [steadfastness] possess your souls.” In the process of maturing into the image of Christ, there is to be the claiming, the forming, the acquisition of Christ-likeness, yes, even the warfare of ‘possessing’ the “new-man in Christ” and daily dying to the old man – it’s not at times an easy pilgrimage! Have you ever watched someone dealing with pulling out ‘wild hairs’ both physically and figuratively? If the “Kingdom way and the Kingdom life” is to be first in the true disciple, the ‘care’ of our lives must be ‘what honors God’ and not ‘what pleases or satisfies one’s ‘flesh-nature’!

It was Matthew Henry who once wrote, [probably in one of Matthew Henry’s New Testament commentaries!], “Extraordinary afflictions are not always the punishment of extraordinary sins, but sometimes the trial of extraordinary graces. – Sanctified afflictions are spiritual promotions.”

How about John Brown’s word in his writing entitled, “Barbarossa,” [Act 5, Sc.3], “Now let us thank the eternal power, convinced That Heaven but tries our virtue by affliction: That often the cloud which wraps the present hour, Serves but to brighten all our future days!” But YOU don’t see Calvary’s Cross as meaningful to you in your journey of life?

“Faith and the Reality of Kingdom Translation”? Remember, if you need to be reminded, that there is the ‘kingdom of this world’ or the Kingdom of God; there is the fleshly kingdom of self-will and self-promotion or the spiritual Kingdom of God Almighty; there is the demonic, Satanic kingdom or, Yes, the Ruling Kingdom of Holy God, the Lordship of Christ Jesus, and the very Power and Authority of the Holy Spirit!

And whether a life, a family, a government, or a church, it is never to be by ‘fleshly efforts’, as good as they can be at times; it must be by Spirit-anointing, yes, by the very “hall-mark” of the Holy Spirit as He is allowed to work through us in honoring Christ, as Christ Himself said, “And when He, the Spirit of Truth is come…He shall glorify Me”; so we submit, surrender, and daily celebrate the Holy Spirit’s presence in us to honor Christ through us!

The Holy Spirit doesn’t come to affirm YOUR celebration of Christ in you, but His affirming of Christ through you! He unveils the Lord Jesus in you that you might be captured by God’s eternal intent and able-ness to unveil Him through you!

It was William Knox, in his “Oh, Why Should the Spirit of Mortal Be Proud?”, who wrote: “Oh, why should the spirit of mortal be proud? Like a swift-flitting meteor, a fast-flying cloud, a flash of lightning, a break of the wave, he passes from life to his rest in the grave.” The writer of Proverbs tells us wisely in Proverbs 25:28, “Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls.”

The “religion of self-centeredness” is a world-wide dilemma and dangerous trend! Do you sense, understand, been enlightened by the terrible dilemma of multitudes of lives, families, governments, schools, businesses, who so easily close the door on God Himself and lock Him out? If a man has determined to rule himself, he becomes more than a fleshly king of his own kingdom – he’s opened the door of his life to be ruled, dominated, controlled, and blackened even more in his heart by the devil himself and destined for the devil’s eternal house in Hell!

“Faith and the Reality of Kingdom Translation”? ‘Flesh,’ ‘the old sin-nature,’ ‘the temple of self-righteousness’, ‘the selfish reign of one’s demonic up-bringing’, ‘the bridled reverence of self unbelievers ride upon is the bucking mustang that continually, ultimately, will put sinners down where they don’t want to be’!

Selfish, sovereign power is the ‘rule’ of unbelieving men who crowned themselves as rulers over the fallen sin-nature, and proud of it – it’s the kingdom of selfishness rather than the kingdom of selflessness ruled over by the Indwelling Christ who is both Savior and Lord or Master of the Eternal Kingdom – and if there is in you true faith and the reality of Kingdom Translation, there has been, yes, self-denial, self-renunciation, self-interest, and glad Jesus took it with Him to the Cross, and as He died, so what diseased and dis-eased YOU! Tolstoy once talked about, “Everybody thinks of changing humanity and nobody thinks of changing himself.” Well, Christ Jesus thought of YOU and declared YOU were only deserving of death with Him on Calvary’s Cross!

When that awareness sinks in by the conviction of the Holy Spirit and one receives the divine gift of repentance toward God and faith in the finished work of Christ at Calvary, repents, confesses, yields, and dedicates the life to glorifying his Lord and Savior, the journey begins as Jesus said, “When He the Spirit of truth is come…He shall glorify Me” through YOU!

What did John say in 1 John 1:7? “But IF we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” [Are you even aware of what sin is?] [Are you aware of Who and What God IS, and are YOU lining up with Him with no diversions or separations from Him?] Is His loving nature at work in you as you grow in faith and understanding of what honors Him in your pilgrimage? Did YOU receive righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit?

And, thank God, we serve the God who fulfills His promises to all who receive them! Standing on the promises is not a matter of a spiritual determination to please God by ‘self-filled pride’ and ‘mustered up determination’, but, “Lord, You said…I receive; Lord, You determined…I depend on You; Lord, You spoke…I have surrendered to let Christ BE Christ in me!”

There is nothing in our walks, lives, opportunities, that is redemptive apart from the shed blood of the Lamb of God! There is to be, not even a thought, about ‘me’ being able to walk in a way on my own that would honor and bless and exalt His Name! But in Him, through Him, by His Holy work, my house of clay becomes His Holy Temple; my self-deception was crucified and Jesus’ Resurrection Presence graced me with His infinite wisdom; my fleshliness of darkness, my spirit of mental deficiency about Him, my limitless infirmities by the absence of the divine nature, my weaknesses void of Spirit-power and authority, my personal imperfections like visible scars, my powerlessness against the powers of darkness, did a work in me that Christ took to the Cross and translated me out of the kingdom of the devil, the flesh, and the world, translating me, now and forever, in the Eternal, Spiritual Kingdom of Holy God!

It was H.L. Gilmour and Rev. H.J.Zelley who wrote the old hymn, “He Brought Me Out.” It says: “My heart was distressed ‘neath Jehovah’s dread frown, And low in the pit where my sins dragged me down; I cried to the Lord from the deep miry clay, Who tenderly brought me out to [His] golden day…

He placed me upon the strong Rock by His side, My steps were established and here I’ll abide; No danger of falling while Here I remain, But stand by His grace with the crown I gain…

He gave me a song, it was a new song of praise; By day and by night its sweet notes I will raise; My heart’s overflowing, I’m happy and free, I’ll praise My Redeemer, who has rescued me.” Amen?

CHAPTER TEN

“FAITH AND THE FULLNESS OF CHRIST”

Pride never entered into the heart and mind of Paul the Apostle, but only deep and sincere and celebratory confidence in the gift of God through Christ Jesus. He said in Romans 1:5-7a, “Through Him [Christ Jesus], we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, among whom ‘you also’ are the called of Jesus Christ; To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints…”. Is it ‘you also’ that Paul would consider a ‘saint’?

Saints are not “the holier than you” but those “set apart by God for the glory of God.” And if you are unsure about saints, it’s those who know how to take soap and towels, and wash someone’s feet! It’s the “servant spirit and heart” that Christ Jesus so dramatically portrayed as He knelt and washed and served and blessed others, even sacrificing His eternal life and body to the Cross for our Eternal Redemption!

Again, Paul the Apostle, hit the “life-winning” home-run when he wrote in 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 confirmed to His death…”.

Life’s excellence has nothing to do with human achievements that come because, more likely than not, most ‘achievers’ have set aside divine blessing of a life to show their ability to do it “on my own”; “who needs God”?

But then, you “see” those who count self-achievement as total loss that they may gain Christ as Lord of their lives. Christ Jesus already determined, even before we were born, that “the crucified life” was necessary if one was to be reconciled to God, which was each of us wrapped up ‘in Christ’ and put to death with Him that we might inherit by faith “the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death…!”

In 2 Corinthians 5:20 Paul tells us, “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. For He [God the Father] made Him [Christ Jesus the Son] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” “In Him” is the true definition of every born-again believer! Oh, and then Paul told us in Colossians 2:9, “For in Him [“in Christ”] dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power!”

What did the Lord Jesus say in 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.” “In Him” dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily! “In Him” you’re reconciled to God – there’s no other way! “In Him” you’re seen by the Savior as His completed work, molded in His loving image by His strong hands of revealed Truth!

But, sadly, there are multitudes all across the world who live with the blockage of spiritual impertinence and sick rebellion and self-soulish importance, with an unwillingness to submit themselves to His Lordship because their fleshly independence demand allegiance to “Number One,” the warped self who sees no need of the love, grace, and mercy of God!

One of the greatest blunders of unsaved mankind is that they don’t need a Savior and Lord – they can oversee their own lives, but they cannot redeem themselves from soulish bondage, they cannot in themselves break the chains of the devil off of their lives, they cannot birth or implant for themselves even a semblance of God’s righteousness, and they cannot on their own be a perfected example of God’s eternal purpose through Christ!

I am awestruck when I read what God said about men who rejected Him but then magnified the true faith and follow-ship of Caleb in Numbers 14:20-24! It says: “Then the Lord said: ‘I have pardoned, according to your word; but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord – because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it. But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.”

Do YOU look beyond your walk of faith and obedience “in Christ” to see the faithful journeys of your descendants? What did Moses say earlier in Numbers 14:18? “The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.” In no way is God unkind or unforgiving, but He sees the deadly ‘fruit’ that comes from godless, disobedient, rebellious fathers! And, “what you see is what they get”, who follow the life-styles of the unbelieving, even generational curses!

Again, I remind you of what Paul wrote in Romans 1:5-7a, “Through Him [Christ Jesus], we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, among whom YOU ALSO ARE THE CALLED OF JESUS CHRIST; To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, CALLED TO BE SAINTS…!” Do YOU know that through Christ Jesus a “saint” is one “set apart” to honor the Lord by daily death to self and dependence upon His Resurrection Life in and through you to reveal Him to an unbelieving world that surrounds you? “In Him” you are the called to extend His grace and mercy and peace to a troubled majority of the world’s societies who presently are the unredeemed, alienated and separated from the God of Calvary’s Cross, in need of “blood atonement”!

“Faith and the Fullness of Christ”? Examine carefully John 1:14-16 as we see God’s intent and eternal purpose “in Christ Jesus” to reconcile a sinful world to Himself! “And the Word [Christ 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.” Faith in the fullness, not some freakish, minimal faith!

The author of Hebrews builds an eternal foundation under the house of faith that is true, strong, and eternally blessed. He wrote: Hebrews 10:19-23, “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart IN FULL ASSURANCE OF FAITH, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us HOLD FAST the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”

Faith and the Fullness of Christ is a God-given gift – we don’t buy it, earn it, or imitate it! “For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” [Ephesians 2:8-9]. Through faith, the God-given gift, one then appropriates its fullness, living the blessed, overcoming, victorious life in and through Him!

It’s so amazing to me that I read in the Word that our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus, shed His blood on the Cross, not only for the sins of believers, but, yes, unbelievers! In 1 John 2:1-2 we read, “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And IF anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only BUT ALSO FOR THE WHOLE WORLD.” Separation from God comes, not because of sin forgiven, but faithlessness in His Lordship and Sovereign Rule over, in, and through their lives!

Do you remember the testimony of John in John 1:29,34? He said, first, in John 1:29, The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Verse 34, “And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” Are you aware that “growing in faith” is a heart and mind that “says what God says”? Faith is the free gift of God, and then there is the process, the battles, the warfare of “learning to stand on the promises” rather than just sitting around on His premises!

What was Paul speaking about when he wrote in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…”. Do YOU see that ‘faith and the fullness of Christ’ is unveiled, demonstrated, appropriated, yes, in the personal warfare of the faith between your ‘old man’ and the “new man in Christ”?

Warfare? Is it ‘sinner’ or “saint”? Is it bound by the curse or blessed by His blessing? Is it the daily experiencing of death in the flesh or Resurrection Life, Power, and Hope in Him? Is your life a testimony of spiritual poverty or the richness of God’s continuous provisions? Is it doubts and fears that dominate you or dependence upon God’s revelation concerning a growing faith? Are you a “slave to your flesh [your old sin nature]” or a servant under God’s Holy Spirit’s administration of your walk?

Is your walk EMPTY or filled in His “All in ALL!” Are you presently hiding in disappointment and frustration or abounding in Holy Spirit discipline and His Holy Fire? Are you governed by your ‘feelings’ or guided by the Faith in what God says? Is it bondage for you or the blessing of Christ’s on-going gift of liberty and freedom and fulfilment in Him?

Do you live with a clouded mind about your identity or a renewed mind of your unending identity in and through Christ? Are you ‘of the world’ or are you “a citizen of God’s Kingdom?” Are you AIMLESS in your discipleship walk or understanding of your “ambassadorial ministry”? Is it for you a “down-in-the-mouth”, sad, “pity-me-state of spiritual-affairs” or do YOU rejoice in the Lord always and OR again I say rejoice? In your mortal body are you being swallowed up by defeat, discouragement, disappointments, defilements, OR are you being swallowed up by His Life knowing YOU ARE MORE THAN CONQUEROR THROUGH CHRIST JESUS?

“Faith and the Fullness of Christ”? Do you remember the role, the function, the ministry of the Holy Spirit in your spiritual journey? Didn’t Jesus talk about ‘born again’ through the water [of the Word] and the Spirit, because without the ministry of the Word and the Holy Spirit one cannot enter the kingdom of God? [John 3:5]. Then Jesus said in John 3:6, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, but that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” And we praise God for “new birth”!

But also, understanding “Faith and the Fullness of Christ”, it was never God’s intent to birth babies who would remain babies, but babies who would mature into Christ-honoring servants! And does the Holy Spirit have a vital ministry in our maturing from babies to, yes, spiritually adult men and women? In John 14, two vital passages related to one ‘born-again’ and by God’s grace receiving the Holy Spirit:

John 14:15-18 says, “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father [Holy God], and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever – the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for HE DWELLS WITH YOU AND WILL BE IN YOU. I [the Lord Jesus] will not leave you orphans [spiritually]; I will come to you.” And He does so in Holy Spirit Presence within you!

Then, John 14:25-26, our Lord and Savior tells ALL born-again believers: “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”

John 16 has two extremely important teachings every believer must rest in as he/she grows in the Faith. The first is John 16:7-8 where Jesus said of the Spirit, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage 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; and when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment…”

And then in John 16:12-14, Jesus trains and equips and unveils more truth about our need of the Holy Spirit! He said: “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He WILL GUIDE YOU INTO ALL TRUTH; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine, and declare it to you.”

What is the Holy Spirit up to in you after your spiritual conversion? Did you read and receive also John 16:14, convicted by the Holy Spirit of the greatness of Christ’s ministry in your behalf? Jesus told us, “He will glorify Me [that’s through YOU!], for He will take of what is Mine, and declare it to you!”

And He glorifies Christ, not by your best efforts, but by the Holy Spirit’s empowerment and anointing on your life, your testimony, your daily pilgrimage, and your witness to an unsaved world!

“Faith and the Fullness of Christ”? Did John tell us in John 1:16 that, “And of His fullness we have all received [as true believers], and grace for grace.” But you would question the fullness of Spirit-anointing as different from the fullness in Christ? There is not the weakest of saints who cannot come into Spirit-fullness because of the saint’s weakness! God gives the Spirit’s anointing and empowering because all new children in the Faith are weak, and the Spirit’s anointing is a must! You’re not aware the Holy Spirit illumines God’s heavenly truths to you and through you?

Do you remember reading in the Book of Acts Paul’s declaration in Acts 1:1-8 of things pertaining to “the kingdom of God” AND the promise of the Holy Spirit? Receive His words to the glory of God!! “The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God…

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 John truly 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 to Israel?”…

And Jesus 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.”

A word of personal testimony: I pastored churches for about twenty-two years, and then something very dramatic happened spiritually to me. Our Lord and Savior opened my heart to the missions – need worldwide, saying to me, “The church in America will no longer be the leader in world evangelism and missions. I’ve opened the door for you to ‘missions and evangelism and teaching my pastors in India’, because India will become now “the spiritual nation and servants” who will touch My vast world with the Redemption message of Christ Jesus!” And it is happening right now!

But, also, for every born-again believer, there is a vital word of blessed assurance you must receive and walk in: Ephesians 1:13-14 is a necessary word of encouragement, enlightment, and energizing to the true believer who rests in God’s unveiling of the Holy Spirit’s ministry in YOU! Paul said: “In Him [Christ] you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed [trusted in, adhered to, relied upon], you WERE SEALED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT OF PROMISE, who IS the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”

Were you ‘discipled’ concerning the Holy Spirit’s ministry to empower YOU “in Christ” to be a faithful witness of our Lord’s saving grace? Have YOU received, surrendered, welcomed the Holy Spirit’s ministry in you and through you to honor Christ Jesus, not by your natural gifts and fleshly abilities, but by the very “power” of God that resurrected Jesus from the dead? It’s not your educational degree or degrees but the discipline of complete yieldedness to the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in you and through you, and you trusting the Holy Spirit’s power to manifest the reality of our Lord’s Resurrected Life, Liberty, and His faithful Love through us with God’s faithful promises to our needy world!

Have you personally grasped, held onto, surrendered to the Spirit’s control? Are you allowing Him to fulfill His eternal ministry in honoring Christ in and through you in His supernatural way?

Follow Oswald Chambers’ words in “My Utmost For His Highest” [pages 194-195], “The expression of Christian character is not doing good, but God-likeness. If the Spirit of God has transformed you within, you will exhibit Divine characteristics in your life, not good human characteristics. God’s life in us expresses itself as “God’s” life, not as a human life ‘trying’ to be godly. The secret of a Christian is that the supernatural is made natural in him by the grace of God, and the experience of this works out in the practical details of life, not in times of communion with God. When we come in contact with things that create a buzz, we find to our amazement that we have power to keep wonderfully poised in the center of it all.”

Would you say that YOU are poised in pleasing God or a prisoner of self-pleasure in indulging the ‘flesh’ or your old sin nature? Paul told Timothy, 2 Timothy 3:5, about those who are “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,” with some “having a form of godliness but denying its power.”

Or, would YOU say, you are consumed with the passion of living your redemptive faith in the divine providence of the Holy Spirit honoring Christ Jesus through you? The Holy Spirit of God is the Almighty Teacher and Instructor guiding us, girding us, governing us in honoring our Savior and Lord through us, even moment by moment, hour by hour, and day by day! Have you received, invited in, fully surrendered yourself to the Holy Spirit’s sovereign control?

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“FAITH AND THE FAITHFULNESS OF SPIRIT-IDENTITY”

If you are blessed of God, through Christ Jesus, with an eternal calling, and it relates to you having an assignment in your world around you, is there ever a danger of the world impacting you rather than you impacting the world around you with the example, gospel truth, His abiding Presence, and His message proclaimed through you as to His saving grace, mercy, and love?

There is an enriching and encouraging and eye-opening word from Paul in Romans 15:13 when he wrote, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Abounding believers or dejected ‘sons’ who rebel? The hope-filled or the hopeless? Neglecters of biblical truth or devoted disciples of the eternal truth?

In Ephesians 2:11-13 is a necessary reminder of where we were without Christ and where and who you are in Him NOW! “Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh – who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands – that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

One without Christ as Lord and Savior and the Sovereign over his life is known by his ‘flesh-identity’ and ‘hopeless dreams and aspirations’ and ‘self-conceit’ – and that one who owns biblical faithlessness is seen by God as one without hope, without redemptive faith, without passion for God, as he lives deceived by his unbelief and rewarded for it only with despair, disappointment, and darkness, as he dies more and more daily under the devil’s horrendous administration.

Are you aware that goodness without God is the seed of godlessness? How many have you witnessed in your journey who genuinely believed that doing evil was sometimes necessary to bring about good? For instance, examine Arthur Hugh Clough’s statement from his “Dipsychus,” [Part 1, sc.3], “What we all love is good, touched up with evil – religion’s self must have a spice of devil.” Do you realize how reckless man-induced religions and ‘faiths’ can be as they oversee people’s lives and families and indoctrinate them with death-delivering indoctrinations without any comprehension of “new birth,” “new identities,” and the “new hope” of eternal life now and forever because of the “new life” through the shed-blood of the Lamb of God?

Most ‘religions’ approve and try to excuse the deceitfulness of sin, affirm loving one’s perverse nature, deny Jesus’ plea of “You must be born again,” have no disappointments in one’s spiritual failures, explain away the fleshly powers of one’s soul that degrades, destroys, and darkens what ‘little light’ one may have held, and will call the true preacher irresponsible and irrelevant if he preaches “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

If you look at Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, you’ll find a man who was “called of God, sanctified by God, and preserved in Christ Jesus!” He authored Jude 20-22, saying, wisely, “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 on 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 [or old sin-nature].”

“Faith and the Faithfulness of Spirit-Identity”! That’s not a man-made faith or the fleshliness of self-identity in its foolish demonstrations of what some call, “Just a temporary demonstration of one’s good and evil, which is all God expects of us!” How wild an imagination is that, how far from divine truth is that, how foreign to the nature and character of God is that?

What did Isaiah the prophet say in Isaiah 5:20-21? “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! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!”

Human minds and deceived hearts, willingly and unwillingly, cloud the hearts and minds of “the fallen away from God crowd”, yet, at times, will parade themselves in the pretense of righteousness, self-deceived that they are as ‘holy as Jesus and His followers’, when in reality it is ‘hole-li-ness’ in both the head and heart, deceived by the devil again and again that “one can sin and not die”! In far too many lives across the world there is no shame of insensibility to the love and mercy of Holy God.

In the centuries of the past, even in the Garden of Eden onward, and still being modeled in our present day, there is an acceptance of ‘evil’ by many as an acceptable way of life, holding adverse reactions to God saying, “You shall be holy for I am holy.” The reality of the modern world, with sunlight and the nights of darkness, is the picture of the need of ‘fallen men’ who often promote their good and evil nature as a mixture of both, and there is, for them, no problem with a little of both, not realizing their ‘little light of goodness’ is as compromising as their ‘dark nights of the soul’!

It was Spurgeon, in his writing on “Holiness”, who said, “Holiness is the architectural plan upon which God builds up His living temple,” and that’s the born-again believer, not some architectural spiritual genius with sticks and stones! And with “true believers” it is not the self-determination with a “little light of goodness” and with the powerful hold of “dark nights of the soul”, but from the Apostle Paul we read of his encounter with the Resurrected Christ after saying to Him, “Who are You, Lord?” And Jesus said to him [and us!], “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified BY FAITH IN ME.” [Acts26:15-18].

As we consider “Faith and the Faithfulness of Spirit-Identity”, the question that we MUST genuinely face and deal with is whether or not in our spiritual relationship with Holy God our true foundation is Holy God’s provision of eternal scriptural awareness that, [John 4:24], “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth,” which is the result of “Spirit-birthing,” “Spirit-guidance,” and “Spirit-unveiling of Holy Truth” to settle our lives and faith on the strong foundation of Eternal Truth, and “Spirit-empowerment” to fulfill our divine calling as His witnesses, His proclaimers of divine truth, and raising ‘eternal trees’ of divine life producing the very “fruits” of the Spirit of God!

Our Savior and Lord gave us a powerful warning and then gracious encouragement in Matthew 7:15-20 when He said: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. YOU WILL KNOW THEM BY THEIR FRUITS. Do men gather grapes from thorn-bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore BY THEIR FRUITS YOU WILL KNOW THEM.”

If a true disciple of Christ is known by his fruits, and the Holy Spirit IS the “Fruit-Producer”, then what is that Spirit-germinated ‘fruit’ in the life of a disciple? In Galatians 5:22-25 Paul’s Spirit-anointed letter tells us, trains us, teaches us, that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, fruitfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 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.” Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit, don’t quench the Holy Spirit, and if there is no hunger in you to be led by the Holy Spirit, don’t you be grieved when He becomes silent toward you, but repent and yield yourself truly and completely, willing to be led by Him alone, not your own quirky conscience! Especially ‘repent’ before the Holy Spirit of God when you know He’s witnessed your disobedience and allowed bondage to disappoint your sin-leaning when He calls you to holiness, submission, and obedience!

Beyond the Holy Spirit glorifying Christ in us and through us, beyond His fruit-production in us, I personally rejoice and thank God for ‘Holy Spirit helps’! In Romans 8:26-27 we read, “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself MAKES INTERCESSION FOR US with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, BECAUSE HE MAKES INTERCESSION FOR THE SAINTS ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF GOD.”

Thank God for the mighty Holy Spirit that indwells, anoints, guides, convicts, enlightens every true believer, glorifying Christ Jesus through us by His Presence, His Power, His Purpose, His Passion of exposing sin’s darkness, old self’s captivity to spiritual infirmities, the ‘flesh’s’ unruly passions and reckless, senseless, God-dishonoring, disordered, defiling lusts, and even deceiving the wisest of men about the devil’s power over his life, his body, his mind, and his spirit! The devil wants fallen men totally blind to his nature of evil, his hatred of Holy God, and his power to destroy, while the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, honors Christ Jesus, and in a true believer heightens the glory of God, unveils God’s Holy Purpose, exalts and honors the Resurrected Christ in His Royal Family, guides them in holy Truth, in the vibrant life of the Garden of His Holy Presence with the fragrance of Heavenly fruit, radiant with the rich taste of the wine of His Word, radiant with the shining light of the immenseness of Calvary’s love, and loosing believers’ new minds to the voluminous Victory of Christ’s “It is finished,” and with the Holy Spirit’s power, we “rest in Jesus’s love and grace and mercy” for us!

Every single day of true believers’ lives are to be witnesses and affirmers of Holy Spirit presence within them as they “lean not to their own understanding, but in all their ways, walks, and witness,” yield themselves to Spirit-control! This is why Paul instructs every believer in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who ARE IN CHRIST JESUS, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” And I’m sure you are aware of “the flesh of one’s old sin nature” and “The Spirit’s power to honor Christ through your new divine nature”!

The Holy Spirit converts, the Holy Spirit characterizes a “new creation” distinctively, the Holy Spirit infuses the rich treasures of Holy Presence, converts one’s despair from the old life to delight in the divine life, the Holy Spirit manifests eternal fruit, melts fear and pours in faith, buries one’s doubts, fears, tendencies of rebellion and enriches one’s true confidence in God and God’s fullness in him with eternal life, heavenly treasures, abiding hope, the Prince’s peace that passes all understanding, God’s glory that glows within and without, and gives the Hand that holds us peacefully as we even walk through the very shadow of the valley of death!

How thankful are YOU for the Holy Spirit’s, Yes, divine intervention in your life and walk AND circumstances of life you face, often wondering if it’s possible you’ll survive?!? In Romans 8:26-27 we read about the Holy Spirit that ‘comforts,’ ‘comes alongside of,’ “intercedes,” “searches,” “prays” for Christ’s true disciples! It says, “Likewise the Spirit [the Holy Spirit] also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, BUT THE SPIRIT HIMSELF makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

If our ‘bodies in Christ’ are the very temples of God, which is what He tells us, I pray you’ll remember, be reminded of, or taught for the first time in your spiritual life and journey: “Your body IS the temple of the Holy Spirit”! [2 Corinthians 6:16b]. But beyond that unveiling of Holy Truth to you, what about what Jesus told us through the spiritual mountain of His Holy Word in Matthew 5:8 when He said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God;” and Oswald Chambers called all believers to account when he said, [“My Utmost For His Highest,” p.61], “If the spiritual bloom of our life with God is getting impaired in the tiniest degree, we must leave off everything and get it put right. Remember this vision [“you shall see God”] depends on character – “the pure in heart” see God.”

In John 16:7-8a the Lord Jesus teaches us about the awareness of our need of the Holy Spirit and His ministry of Spirit-assistance in honoring Christ in us:

Jesus speaking, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage 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. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment…”. Have you ever witnessed ‘spiritual folks’ who say, “I don’t need the Holy Spirit in my life and walk – I’m able!” And sadly they never learn what the Spirit is up to in guiding them in all truths of the Holy Word!

“Oh, Holy Spirit, we come to You, knowing your conviction has exposed us to our sinful natures; you’ve opened our minds and hearts to our desperate state of life without Christ; you’ve eternally revealed to fallen mankind their need of the Savior and, through the anointing of God’s Holy Word, the need of daily partaking of “the bread of life”, and the need of the discipline of Holy Spirit control in glorifying Christ in us and through us, opening the gift of understanding of the Word of life, through it all magnifying Jesus and honoring Holy God through us, as You, Holy Spirit, graciously guide us into all Truth. Spirit of God, plant the seed and watch over it, until the Seed of Christ is fully formed, and His fruit abounds. Spirit of God, “water us faithfully with the water of the Holy Word, watch over us daily until Christ’s deliverance of us from the old sin nature and until Your eternal work in us finds the fullest, eternal, complete expression of Christ Jesus, and we are able to say to our Lord God, ‘Father, it is finished in me the work of Christ finished on Calvary’s Cross, that through His sacrificial death, You put to death my old sin-nature, and raised me up in His Resurrection Life. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to You, oh, Holy Spirit!”

Do you remember what Jesus said in John 16:14-15 Jesus said, “He [the Holy Spirit] will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine, and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.” A daily walk in Christ is the daily ministry of the Holy Spirit in us, testifying, illuminating, inspiring the perfect will of God for every believer! “You’ll never walk alone,” is not a trite song but an eternal declaration of God to assure YOU the Holy Spirit will in-fill your life, inform your mind, and integrate God’s eternal purpose in your life fully, completely, and so reverently! The angels see the Spirit’s ministry in and through you, singing a song of rejoicing!

I.H.Meredith wrote the old hymn, “Seal Us, O Holy Spirit”. It says: “Seal us, O Holy Spirit, Grant us Your impress, we pray; We would be more like the Savior, Stamped with His image today.

Seal us, O Holy Spirit, help us His likeness to show; Then from our lives unto others, Streams of rich blessings shall flow.

Seal us, O Holy Spirit, Make us His own from this hour; Let me be useful, Dear Master, seal us with witnessing power.

Seal us, seal us, Seal us just now, we pray; Seal us, O Holy Spirit, Seal us for service today.”

What a source of great encouragement the Word of God truly is! In Romans 12:1-2 Paul taught “the brethren,” “I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 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.” Didn’t Paul tell us earlier also in Romans 8:2 that “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made [us] free from the law of sin and death”? And if you profess “faith” in Christ, what are you doing now with the law of sin and death, that so strangles one’s “professing testimony”?

I tell you, it’s time the church-at-large worldwide sets aside ‘sin in the flesh’ and have fulfilled in us now, no longer walking in the likeness of sinful flesh, but walking in the very likeness of Christ who came to glorify Christ in YOU! Let the Holy Spirit have His way in you honoring Christ Jesus, your Savior and Lord!

Will YOU look to Calvary’s Cross and witness the abounding love of God for you as He allowed the Cross, because of the amazing grace and awesome preciousness of the Lord Jesus’ shed blood, and hearing God say for yourself, “My Son’s shed blood has blotted out the guilt of your sin and selfish nature, and every sin-soiled man across the world, can now be free!”

It was P.P.Bliss who wrote the old hymn, “Once for All.” It says: “Free from the law, O happy condition, Jesus has bled, and there is remission; Cursed by the law and bruised by the fall, Grace has redeemed us once for all.

Once for all, O sinner, receive it; Once for all, O brother believe it; Cling to the cross, the burden will fall, Christ has redeemed us once for all.”

Are you aware of “divine freedom”? And if it is divine freedom through Christ’s blood from sin, from bondage, from separation from God, then why would any man spout so sickly, “You can’t but sin as long as you are in your mortal body”? Eternal life in Christ is not the bondage of sin again, it was broken; He is not the free ticket through His blood to allow you to go on sinning because He understands, the bondage was broken; His blood shed was not Satan’s license to allow him to deceive you, but the Savior’s atonement to set you free from the law of sin and death, the bondage was broken!

What did our Lord tell us in John 8:36? “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed!” And Paul’s word in Galatians 5:1 is so essential and necessary for every true believer: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”

It’s a sad day in America, whenever you turn on your television, to be blasted by ungodliness, defiance to Truth, denial of sin or denial of the godly opposition to its expression , blasted by heresy, or demonstrations of godlessness, perversion after perversion, and think that that is freedom, when sadly, it’s the awakening to Hellish living and devilish bondage that bleeds, drains, fouls even the veins in one’s brain, with no comprehension of the love of God!

Let me close this chapter with a serious reminder from Galatians 6:7-8! “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” AMEN?

CHAPTER TWELVE

“FAITH’S VERBAL FAILURE OR FAITH’S VICTORIOUS FINISH?”

Have you ever heard someone say, “What you say is not necessarily what you do”? And I don’t know it ever being plainer than when Jesus said in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”

Is there ever a time that God’s grace is purely revealed, but compromising men will proclaim their ‘salvation’ when His amazing grace becomes self-defiance to that amazing grace, and becomes altered ‘grit’ as one tries to prove his salvation and sanctification through his fleshly, self-determined abilities?

Are there “professors of faith” who have no evidence at all that they are “possessors” of the fullness of His Indwelling Life? Are there, in this modern world of a religious nature, men who are affirmed by men as ‘religious’ as they are, but one who has never identified or walked in the Gospel he/she professes to believe in? In 2 Peter 2:9-10c, we read, “then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, and ESPECIALLY those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed,” but they have declared “faith in Christ”!

How on target and truthfully illustrative was Jude when he wrote to us a description of ‘faith’s verbal apostates’ in Jude 3b-7? Jude said, “…I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of God into lewdness and deny the only Lord and our Lord Jesus Christ…

But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”

In 2 Corinthians 13:5 there is an eternal awakening verse that must be received. It says: “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is IN YOU? – unless indeed you are disqualified.” Verbally it is so easy for multitudes to state, “Why sure I am a Christian – it goes back a long way in the family-line that we always say that we’re a Christian family. We attend church some, usually Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, but otherwise, we’re so busy with a lot of things that we enjoy that takes a lot of time.” How does that fit with the Word telling us, “Not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together as the manner of some is?”

Is there a “Judas” that you have witnessed betraying Christ? In Matthew 16:14-16, we read, ‘ Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.’ Greedy Judas betrayed God’s Son, just as it happens today when what the world has to offer people is more important to the ‘flesh’ than what Christ instills through the Spirit!

In Philippians 3:10-11 Paul shared the divine will of God for every man concerning Christ Jesus when he said, “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.” And, certainly, as Paul took “the sentence of death daily that Christ’s resurrection life would be manifested daily,” so true disciples today appropriate “God’s Way of victorious living”!

But, ‘saying’ and ‘doing’ are two totally different things when it comes to faith and allegiance concerning submission to Christ’s Lordship, authority, and Example! How did Peter describe ‘pretenders’? “They are presumptuous, self-willed”, being loud and boisterous in their fleshly declarations!

“Faith’s Verbal Failure”, sadly, is usually found within the church community, even as Paul warned the church at Colossae about those cheating true believers there with their philosophies, empty deceptions, traditions of men, and the basic principles of men, not according to the Resurrected Christ! [Colossians 2:8]. I would not be shocked if you, as a faithful pastor in a church over-loaded with ‘pretenders’, said to me, “Pastor Fisher, as pastor, I’ve sought to be faithful in the preaching and teaching of the Word of God, but I’m shocked, shattered, almost disillusioned by members of the congregation angry with me, saying to me, ‘That may be what the Bible says, but that’s not OUR belief!’ And I don’t know what to do.” REMAIN FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH!!

“Faith’s Verbal Failure” is often because of one’s own bias or limit to what they want to receive from God in His Holy Word! And many times it is because of a particular ‘mind-set’ apart from a yielded heart to the God of All Truth! Do you think that attitude could be the result of what the author of Hebrews meant when in Hebrews 5:12-14 he wrote: “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

Are you aware of “the once enlightened” who “fall away”? Do you remember Paul opening his letter to the church at Rome, saying in Romans 1:1b, “separated to the gospel of God”? And, Who does the separating – spiritually immature men or Holy God Himself? But if I verbally declare allegiance in my ‘infancy’, I can ‘say’ without any anointing to ‘do’ what I say on my own! Far too many ‘professors of faith’ are inward bound to their own abilities and estimations of their own self-will to honor their Savior, and decide for themselves what they need without God’s help! Even Israel NEEDED the Savior, Emmanuel –“God with us” – but they crucified the Lord Jesus, maintaining their ‘religious fervor’ for their ‘verbal faith’!

But “Faith’s Verbal Failure” has no transformation power to transform a ‘sinner’ into a ‘saint’, which is “set apart to the glory of God alone”, not to a man’s fleshly abilities to make a name for himself! And what you see in a person’s independent walk in “wanting to honor the Lord Jesus” is the spirit of tiredness that leads to indifference that leads to abandonment! Do you remember Psalm 87:7? “All my springs, my fresh, renewing, restoring, reinvigorating, rehabilitating rivers of living water are in the Living Lord and Savior, my Mighty God”, who then, by His own power and purpose releases His own empowering streams! The best of human flesh falls far short of renewing in the Spirit of the Lord!

How on God’s beautiful earth can ‘fallen men’ even think they have a fleshly ‘prescription’ that will heal or make new a blackened heart diseased by the ‘heinousness of sin’ or miraculously exchange it for a “new heart”? If it’s “by His stripes we are healed,” then fleshly efforts for redemption fall eternally short and void of the “Great Physician’s” healing grace and mercy!

At least if one attempts a faithless walk to honor God, even if “short-term” or foreign to His Way, it reveals one who has surfaced who has a general idea that his/her fallen state needs ‘repair’, but believes he/she is “able”, and don’t understand they ARE NOT GOD, though they want to be! Religious people who are self-guided are spiritually blinded to the degree of their “fall away from God”, but sincerely believe they can overcome the damage, cure the sin-sickness, and arise as ‘one of God’s greatest servants’, when in reality they’ve become a tool of God’s enemy the devil! Do you understand or sense at times that “Faith’s Verbal Failures” is because of a man’s extreme reverence of himself apart from the unveiling of Christ or possessing a desire to please and honor the Holy God who created him by ‘flesh’s best effort’?

“Faith’s Verbal Failures” are implemented by ‘shells’ with no evidence in them of divine will, divine power, or the divine miracle of love and grace able to resurrect the dead. Irrational souls are godless beings who think their ‘fleshly faith’ is more than enough to resurrect dead sin natures into living monuments of a man’s best efforts. Irrational souls can be strong creations evidencing the best of ‘fallen sin-natures’, unveiling the fleshly vanity of a proud, self-centered, warped mind and heart, able to compete with the most wicked, but assured they do things better than God Himself with more ‘pleasures, rewards, and devilish pay-offs’! Are you aware of the vanity, pride, self-worshipping creatures, who depend solely upon themselves because they are self-assured their ‘faith’ in themselves out-does the Redemptive Faith of Holy God? They are not interested in God unveiling their rebellious heart, defiant mind, and self-centered ‘religion’ – they have no interest in God exposing the dunghills of hollow hearts and maddening minds – their faculties are faithless, their wills in bondage to the devil, their hearts blinded to the love of God for them; so they celebrate their independence with the demons!

“Faith’s Verbal Failures”? “I celebrate my faith in God, but cower down before His eternal Word; I profess that I’m no enemy of Jesus as I celebrate with His enemies; I believe that the Bible is Truth, my meat, milk, and bread every day, but who needs to partake of it since I know in my own mind what truth is without ever partaking of it with thanksgiving!” And, sadly, many ‘professors of faith’ will violate daily the very spirit of the Holy Word as they profess allegiance!

A lot of ‘professing believers’ have no desire to be warned by God – “God wouldn’t terminate my relationship with Him if I set aside His Bread of Life, He wouldn’t shut me out if I ‘praise Jesus’ and at the same time celebrate with the devil’s dark nights of the soul and flesh, Jesus may have taken every man’s sin-nature to the Cross but that doesn’t mean I have to die to it, sin crucified but not willfully mortified by my own death to sin is excusable.” Oh, really?

Wild hearts can speak religious language while they tell how moved they are by what Jesus did on the Cross for them, but never hear His Word, “Go and sin no more,” while they play the ‘flesh-games of a fallen society’, believing everything is OK between them and the Crucified Christ and Resurrected King of kings and Lord of lords! Consciences may have been white-washed by mere sentiment, but guilt before Holy God still reigns as they join hands with the world, the flesh, or the devil, or all three at the same time!

“Faith’s Verbal Failures”? I was so strongly awakened to the need of revival, renewal, and re-awakening in our nation when in the “Valley of Vision” book I read the following: [“Valley of Vision,” pps.128-129], as one writer stated: “Of all hypocrites, grant that I may not be an EVANGELICAL HYPOCRITE, who sins more safely because grace abounds, who tells his lusts that Christ’s blood cleanses them, [‘as they keep on sinning?’],who reasons that God cannot cast him into hell, for he is saved, who loves evangelical preaching, churches, Christians, but lives unholily.” I tell you, it’s TIME for brokenness in America, and especially in churches nation-wide!

Prophetically, God called to Israel through His prophet Isaiah, who had a deep love for God’s chosen people as well, but recorded for Israel and us a warning about “Faith’s Verbal Failures”: Isaiah 65:11-12, “But you are those who forsake the Lord, who forget My holy mountain, who prepare a table for Gad, [a foreign god or idol], and who furnish a drink offering for Meni. [Another foreign idol of “destiny”.] Therefore I will number you for the sword, and you shall all bow down to the slaughter; Because when I called, you did not answer; when I spoke, you did not hear, but did evil before My eyes, and chose that in which I do not delight.” And in Verse 15, God said to Israel and all who speak verbally but walk rejecting all that God stands for, “For the Lord God will slay you,” and earthly existence is over while the guilty “dance with the devil!”

“Faith’s Verbal Failures”? Are you aware that “service to God” can be reality for some because they see and say that, even serving as sinners, should be acceptable to God? They ‘glory’ in themselves, they ‘glory’ in their own strength, they glory in their own fleshly dreams and visions, assured in themselves of their valiant, brilliant, self-effort, certain they’ll be acceptable to God, yes, apart from His blood sacrifice through Jesus’ death on the Cross!

Is there such a thing as “vain service” that pumps ‘flesh’ but brings no glory to God Almighty? Is ‘patting one’s self on the back’ an acceptable applause from God’s throne? Are “mere men” the tools Almighty God is interested in using or “men Mastered by Christ for His glory alone”?

I’m telling you with all my heart and soul, “Holy God wants vessels of unconditional surrender to His omniscience and His omnipotence; Holy God wants emptied hearts of ‘self-love, self-pleasure, self-will’ that He might fill with the Glory of His Resurrection Power and Eternal Hope in the able-ness of God Almighty; God is looking for ‘gardens of life’ He can plow through, prepare the soil, and plant the eternal seeds of His awesome love, grace, and mercy, and watch the fields of divine ownership, divine provision, divine labor, sprout with the “fruits of His Spirit”, plus He longs to change the house of your fleshly soul into the Holy Temple of Divine Presence in the Resurrection Life of His Son and our Savior, and through YOU touching the world around you with His mercy, grace, and love!

Let me ‘shift’ gears as we change life’s highway from “Faith’s Verbal Failures” to “Faith’s Victorious Finish”! And no better way to “do” that than standing firm on the divine revelation of Hebrews 10:19-25! It says:

“Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

“Faith’s Victorious Finish”? Living in “the Holy Place” is not by one’s good or best effort, but by the divine recognition that through God’s grace YOUR body has become the temple of our Lord’s resurrected presence because of the historic shedding of His own blood on the Cross of Calvary, with us crucified with Him, and repented and rested in His blood redemption, now owned and made one by His grace and mercy, we’re never left alone but live in boldness to rest in Him and in boldness appropriating all He is to honor and glorify Him as we ‘lean not [even] to our own understanding [fully,yet], but in all our ways [at all times] acknowledge His Holy Presence and yield to Him’ to lead us, empower us, and give Him His rightful place in us as King of kings and Lord of lords! The old heart of ‘fallen man’ was spiritually dead, but through repentance toward God and faith in Christ Jesus’s finished work at the Cross, new disciples or true followers of the Lord Jesus Christ have been sovereignly and miraculously chosen as “the holy and beloved of God,” and according to Philippians 2:15-16 [NKJV], are learning to “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…”!

If God says, and He still does, “Choose you this day whom you will serve,” what has been YOUR choice? And, of course, Holy God understood, even before the foundation of the world, that created mankind, blessed with ‘free will’ would “fall away” to be rulers and saviors of their own destiny and missing out on oneness with God Himself! But, then, “God so loved the world…!” And we see the Cross!

And 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Upon the basis of repentance and faith, it is not a man altering his life through “best effort adjustments”, but the “new birth” through the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me at the Cross!

And when the “new birth” occurs, the battle begins, the warfare starts, the struggle between ‘flesh and Spirit’, intensifies, and only when one understands the sanctification journey, that he/she is “set apart” to the honor and glory of his Savior and Lord, and he/she puts on the whole armor of God and fights the good fight of faith is he/she matured, not of possibility but eternal reality, that he/she IS “more than conqueror through Him who loved us”, and fully assured, divinely blessed, in the revelation that “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” because, we are persuaded by divine revelation, (Romans 8:38-39), “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.” The emancipation proclamation IS “Christ in you the hope of glory!”

I pray that YOU understand that Almighty God loved YOU as if you were the only one who ever lived, and what He did for the whole world would have been done for YOU individually, to His glory, honor, and praise!

Receive the Word of God! Romans 10:9-10 says, “that if you CONFESS with your mouth the Lord Jesus and BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART that God has 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.” And the evidence of “Faith’s Victorious Finish”?

Examine carefully Romans 6:15-18 with rejoicing and thanksgiving! “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? CERTAINLY NOT! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But GOD BE THANKED that though you were slaves to sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”

If you’ve been delivered from captivity to the bondage of sin, then why are you feeling it’s OK to go on sinning? Who told you that? Not God’s Holy Word! Through Christ’s blood the debt of your sinfulness was paid for; because of the Master’s willingness to die IN YOUR PLACE the debt and penalty of your sin has been washed away by His own precious blood; and “in Christ” we’ve been set apart, being anointed by Him, “to preach deliverance to the captives”!

God’s true people sing the eternal song of Revelation 5:9-10! “You [Lamb of God] are worthy to take the scroll, and to pen its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; AND WE SHALL REIGN ON THE EARTH.” Are you reigning, rejoicing, resting, releasing the Worthy Lamb through you to touch our needy world with Christ’s amazing love?

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“FAITH AND ITS EVIDENCE OF THE FATHER’S FRUITFULNESS”

Question: “How is one’s faith determined, even if searched out by unbelieving communities or people or family or friends?” As Christ Jesus differentiated between “false prophets” and “true prophets”, between “bad fruit” and “good fruit”, what did He say in Matthew 7:20? “Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”

You are aware, I’m sure, that there are those who “claim” the name “Disciple of Christ” who have no intent of following obediently but ‘professing’ verbally only, while there are those who have truly identified themselves as “crucified with Christ” and have been raised to “new life.”

Is there an unseen war between ‘imitation’ and “immortal presence and power and purpose that truly honors and glorifies Christ only”? If I insert Christ Jesus into Joseph Addison’s “Cato,” [Act V, sc.1], I see hope and blessing in true faith and its evidence! He wrote: “The stars shall fade away, the sun himself grow dim with age, and nature sinks in years, But you shall flourish in immortal youth, Unhurt amidst the wars of elements, the wrecks of matter, and the crush of worlds.”

Fleshliness has nothing but bad fruit, but God’s Spirit births faith and its evidence of the Father’s fruitfulness! It was Edward Young, in “Night Thoughts,” [Night V111, l.704], who wrote: “A foe to God was never true friend to man, Some sinister intent taints all he does.” And if you didn’t know, fallen mankind and, yes, true disciples of Christ have spiritual foes who are out to bring both down! It was Oswald Chambers, in his book, “My Utmost For His Highest,” who wrote: [p.194], “The temptations of Jesus continued throughout His earthly life, and they will continue throughout the life of the Son of God in us. Are we going with Jesus in the life we are living now?”

Examine carefully the words of Walter Rauschenbusch in his writing, “The Little Gate to God.” He said: “When I am with God my fear is gone in the great quiet of God. My troubles are as the pebbles on the road, My joys are like the everlasting hills.”

And, we are on the road of life determined by “flesh” or determined by true faith and its evidence of the Father’s fruitfulness in us! “Flesh”, man’s old sin nature, crashes with sad consequences. “Flesh”, man’s devilish-influenced, cavalier attitude of haughtiness toward God Himself, corrupted by its selfish ways, at peace with compromise, calloused, colored with the deceptions of the devil, will even sign up with God but never show up, even declaring but never delivering, announcing but never applying!

I’m sure if you’re reading this book that you are one who is beyond satisfaction with your old ‘flesh’ nature and, yes, desiring or desperate for “spiritual depths within” that you’ve never experienced! In you, there is no satisfaction with where you’ve been or where you presently are; you want more of what you know God has to offer you! You agree: “Restore a right spirit within me!” There must be a person’s ‘will’ involved, which is exactly what John was talking about when in 1 John 1:7 he wrote: “But IF [in other words, are YOU choosing? Have you NOW chosen – no more desiring to walk in sin!] we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

True Faith, living faith, the faith that is the gift of God, the faith that generates God’s work of grace in me to radically transform me from sinner to saint, from world-prisoner to heaven’s freed son, from earthly bondage to a place around our Lord’s eternal throne, from spiritual emptiness to the fullness of blessing of the Godhead bodily – that’s the pricelessness and the eternal evidence of Holy God’s Master-full heart of love, grace, and mercy! And we find ourselves “grafted in” to His true “tree of life”, amazed at the eternal “fruit” He produces in us and through us!

You are aware that “bad fruit” is the testimony of many, many people who are enslaved to their old sin natures, even if they are ‘professors’ of a ‘faith’ that is totally un-redemptive, Christ’s name stitched on their outer garments; but then there are the “good fruit” bearers, taken over by the Resurrected, Indwelling Christ Jesus – He knocked and you opened the door with the key of repentance toward God and faith and surrender to the Lordship of Christ in you! Yes, you received by grace through God-given Faith the new heart! What did Paul write in Romans 3:23-24? “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being ‘justified freely’ by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed…”.

Jesus made it clearly plain when He said in Matthew 12:33, “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.” When it comes to fallen mankind, they resent, ignore, explain away, even ridicule those who trust God and His Word and who rest in His redemptive grace and mercy, because they are satisfied with independence from God, possessing no desire to know Him or serve Him, addicted, enslaved, imprisoned in the slavish patterns of their old sin natures!

If fallen men were really truthful, they would have no problem or resentment in saying they genuinely hate the good and love the evil; ‘fleshly’ love is selfish and self-centered and opposed to God’s ‘agape’ love of a “laid-down, loving, serving, yes, faithful love”, more concerned about others’ blessing more than themselves! [Look at 1 Corinthians 13!].

Do you remember Jesus drawing near to Jerusalem and weeping over the city? I have no doubt as He approaches world-leading cities today all He can do is weep! Luke 19:41-44 tells us, “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 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.”

How many around you know nothing about “their time of visitation” – it comes, and they have no concerns, until “Hell-fires” begin to consume them with the death that will not die?!?

“Faithlessness”? What did the Lord Jesus say? “If YOU had known…!” But deafened ears to the voice and truth of God birth fields of life with “no seed of Holy Truth” to sprout in one’s heart and mind! “If You had known…!” But massive numbers do not have a clue of “their day and its opportunity to know, serve, and love the King of kings and Lord of lords”! “If YOU had known…!” What might have been never is because unbelieving people are more committed to satisfying fleshly lusts than loving and serving the God who gave His own Son for their salvation!

“Faithlessness”? Do you understand “fields” unfit for the seed of the Word of God because of neglect, annoyance of the need of “field preparation,” no desire to consider the cost at all, no projection of even confidence by the grace of God or in the grace of God that in their field an abundance of divine fruit can come forth, but no acceptance of God’s plowing, God’s planting, God’s watering, or God’s harvest, because of a life devoted to one’s eternal barrenness, yielded to human potential without God, and bound by the devil’s chains of narrowness, bound by the dark spirit of scorning anything that has to do with “God-likeness,” and bound to the devilish and fleshly spirit of unbelief!

“Faithlessness”? That mind-set of fallen men leads men on the highway of inner spiritual blindness to God, produces deeper darkness in the inner man, destroys human potential implanted in the Christ-follower and leaving humans in charge of the divine destiny they really know nothing about. Faithlessness encourages godless emotions, compromising willfulness, corrupted consciences, man’s pagan philosophies, superstitions rather than revealed Truth, abusive responses to any Word shared, loving and serving “self,” “sinful, sensuous, separated from God patterns of living,” traveling on a highway of flesh’s choosing with no interest in God’s highway of holiness, or His “Lighted Path,” or His “fresh springs,” or His “rivers of living water”!

Have you encountered it? “No moral godly law for me – I’m in charge of my own destiny!” “So? I sell my soul to the world, my flesh, and the devil himself? What’s that to you? I don’t care what you think about my sin-enslaved life!” “Let it be known: I willfully choose to defy God! Religious faith is a farce; if I’ve been “sold as a slave to sin, what is that to you Christians? I could care less about what you believe?” It was Oswald Chambers who once wrote: “As long as our eyes are upon our own personal whiteness we shall never get near the reality of Redemption.” “Let it be known to you Christians: I’m guided by my own affinities, not your atoning message!” “The peril I find myself in, separated from God, is my own maddening pleasures, and I choose to hold onto what pleases me!”

“Faithlessness”? At 79 years of age I look back at personal encounters with all kinds of descriptions about people concerning their aims, attitudes, loyalties or lack of them, and without a doubt, the most alarming, most enslaving, and most destructive power separate from God’s power and His anointings is extreme, enslaving, entrapping “selfishness or total self-centeredness”! And only Christ Jesus “forgives, frees, and faithfully breaks the chains that bind a person”!

Having lived in Florida for a number of years as a pastor in several cities, our young kids, then, enjoyed the beaches around the Daytona area. One of the things we had to always alert our kids to were the “under-currents” that could trap, ensnare, and sweep someone away. In life’s spiritual realm of faith, yes, there are strong “under-currents” to sweep one away from his/her devotion to the Lordship of Christ! Hold on to “kept by the power of God” every day!

Now, what about “Faith And Its Evidence of the Father’s Fruitfulness”? Laying the foundation for the next few pages, I’m convinced it’s important that you and I determine what “tree” it is that unveils for us “fleshly choices” or “Divine choice”! You’ll remember that as God unveiled His “Garden” he gave to Adam and Eve trees that could bless them or trees that would put them under ‘the curse’! In Genesis 2:8-9 we read, “The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. Out of the ground the Lord God made every tree to grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”

Please read and reflect with me Verses 15-17! Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. [Just an insert question: Are you tending and caring for the garden He has chosen for you?] And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may eat freely; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

When you come to Genesis 3 you find Satanic, demonic, devilish deception to lead Adam and Eve and, yes, you and me to the “Fall or Falling Away From God”! Genesis 3:1-9 explains what has happened in every life, every family, since God birthed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Opportunity to glorify Him and yet they yielded to ‘flesh bondage’! The Word says:

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.”

Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.

She also gave to her to her husband with her, and he ate. 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. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

Fallen men are in the spiritual condition of ‘death’ because the wild serpent cast doubt on the revealed will of the Word of God, twisted and distorted His Truth, confused the man and the woman, clearly lied to them as Satan still does today, and made ‘unbelief’ a digestible enticement! All of a sudden, having sinned, their eyes physically and spiritually were opened, became aware of their nakedness, established what I call “Fig-Leaf Religion” as they tried to cover themselves, and hearing the sound of the coming of the Lord, they hid themselves from His presence – but you don’t think that goes on today? Then there is God’s voice, God’s Word, God’s calling! “Adam, where are you?” The clear calling was not to define his physical location or proximity, but to challenge Adam’s awareness of his rebellion to the Holy God who made him! “What spiritual state of life, mind, will, do you now find yourself ? Disobedience or submission to My will?”

There is a term still used today in many places called “backsliding”, but for Adam and Eve it was “frontsliding”, an exposure by God of desperateness when one genuinely sees his rebellion and disobedience, and how desperate it really is to become aware of your “nakedness” before Holy God!

And, the ‘fruit of the tree’ from which they chose to eat after God graciously warned them? The fruit of the tree that God warned them not to partake of – but they did? Spiritual death emerged though they were physically alive! Are you personally aware of the difference between “shrubs in the deserts of life” that give no fruit of divine sustenance or have you truly settled in to God’s spiritually evident trees manifesting ‘the eternal blessing’ of “Christ-manifesting fruit”? It’s amazing to me that in Judges 9:7-15 there is a parable that related to who men wanted to reign over them, which gave choices by ways of the trees before them – sweet, tasty, good fruit, OR the ‘bramble bushes’ easily flaming!

Oh, the multitude of God’s promises related to our Lord’s fruitfulness available to every born-again believer and follower of the Lamb of God! In John 1:14 and verse 16 we read, And the Word 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…Verse16, And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.”

Don’t you find it so amazing and so uplifting and so encouraging when you read Paul’s words in Romans 15:29 as he wrote to the Roman believers, “But I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ”? What a dramatic and blessed encounter when Paul met Christ Jesus on the Damascus Road! Divine transformation – Divine calling – Divine provision – Divine vision – Divine empowerment in living the overcoming, serving, blessing others style of life!

We’ll see “fullness” in the next few pages, but understand: There is “blessing after blessing in Christ”, there is the gospel or “good news”, and there is “Christ Himself indwelling YOU as God’s hope of glory”, expressed in you and through you as daily you die to yourself and allow the unveiling and expression and revealing of THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IN HIS FULLNESS!

A few words I wrote in this very moment of looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith in Him:

“Father, You unveiled Christ Jesus to me, as the Spirit you divinely lent, to show me the Way our Savior was sent, to reconcile the world to You.

God, in your goodness and mercy, You took our sinfulness and placed it on Christ; and through His shed blood You brought Your mercy before our sight.

You took sinful lives, placed them on Christ, and challenged their death, and gave us new life. For our emptiness, you gave us Christ’s fullness; of our bondage, you denied the devil’s rudeness.

Wisdom to enlighten, fear of death to no more frighten, by Your Word You enlighten, and our love for You has been gratefully heightened.

Your fullness so free in the bountifulness of Your goodness, so amazing to me because, toward You, the world lives in rudeness.

Your strength so able by Your grace to sustain me, Your wisdom so blessed to eternally guide me, Your Resurrection Life forever enlightening me.

At the throne of Your grace, all fears, all doubts, all worries are erased, as in the awareness of Christ’s presence, I rest in divine life’s eternal place.

What marvelous blessings in partaking of Your love, knowing by Your grace, I’m welcome in the Throne-room above.

You draw me daily to Your calling, so blessed by Your mercy and grace so enthralling; it’s to You I cleave and never will leave, because Your forgiveness and love I forever receive.

Yes, my Lord and Savior is Jesus Your Son, the work of Redemption has been fully done; Your Son You sent and He gladly went, even knowing the suffering, that His body would be rent!

You are God All-Sufficient, and with no hesitation, as Your Son was sent, You made sure the world knew , through divine revelation, and without hesitation, Your love and grace would give us restoration!”

“Faith and Its Evidence of the Father’s Fruitfulness”? In Romans 7:4-6 Paul gives us an eye-opening and mind and heart enlightment when he declared: “Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law THROUGH THE BODY OF CHRIST, that you may be married to another – to Him who was raised from the dead, “that we should bear fruit to God.” For when we were in the flesh [dominated by that old sin nature!], the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. But NOW we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.”

The “newness of the Spirit” is the reality, because of repentance toward God and faith in the finished work of Christ on the Cross as our substitute, of The Spirit’s indwelling within every new, repentant, surrendered, yielded life!

And “the newness of the Spirit” in Christ is no longer bearing fruit to death, but fruit that honors Christ as we die to the old self and live unto our Lord and Savior’s honor, glory, blessing, exaltation of His Name, and adoration of His life-changing presence in us and His outreach through us to touch our world with His grace! Doesn’t Romans 8:14 tell us, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God”? Born of the Spirit, in-filled by His Spirit, anointed by the Spirit, convicted by the Spirit, guided by the Spirit, glorifying Christ in us by the Spirit! But you think “best effort” is the answer for you?

What did Peter tell us in Acts 2:38? “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Amazing grace so freely bestowed! God’s graciousness grants every true believer the gift of His Holy Spirit! Verse 39 says, “For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

To the Ephesian church then and the church worldwide today, Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:17-21, “Therefore do not be unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.”

“Faith and Its Evidence of the Father’s Fruitfulness”? In the realm of God’s Kingdom and our citizenship in it, there is the absolute necessity of KNOWING HIS TRUTH AND WALKING IN IT! And, thank God, Jesus said in John 16:13, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth…Verse 14, He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and declare it to you.”

Do you remember the question that is so essential to every true believer? “Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?” Have you yielded to Him daily as you seek to honor Christ through your walk of faith? Godlessness is a chaotic lifestyle, but the Holy Spirit comes and “convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment to come!” There’s “new birth,” and divine fruitfulness erupts like an exploding volcano! Spirit-anointing brings “Light” where the awful darkness of unbelief had prevailed, unveiling for us through God’s inspired Word our “new identity,” and imparting to us the understanding of eternal Truths!

In fact, God’s Holy Word is so enabling for every true believer in understanding God’s desire that we see, sense, and secure ourselves in the very “fruit of the Spirit”: Galatians 5:22-25, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 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. “

Our Heavenly Father IS “fruitful,” birthed for the world physical fruit, and for His spiritual family released the Holy Spirit to see that eternal fruitfulness abounded in every child of faith!

As a true disciple of Christ Jesus, have you surrendered to the fruitfulness of God’s Life, His Word, His will, His ministry in you and through you being fulfilled by the evidence of the Spirit?

Doesn’t the Word declare [Galatians 6:7-8] the danger and the Victory every believer faces? “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” Tell me about your crop, your harvest, your fruit, in your walk in the Spirit! Amen?

I close this chapter with words Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:8-14, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says:

“Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.” Glory!

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“FAITH AND ITS MAGNETIC, DRAWING POWER!”

The wise man of Proverbs was inspired by God in all his writings, but several verses hit me hard recently as I was reading through Proverbs and came to verses in Proverbs 24:9-12 that erupted instantly in seeing our society today in the U.S.A. with deep sorrow and contemplation of what might happen if there is no “Spiritual Awakening” through God’s Sovereignty and eternal time-schedule! It says:

“The devising of foolishness is sin, and the scoffer is an abomination to men. If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, ‘Surely we did not know this,’ does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?”

How are you responding right now, and especially, when you see the calling: “Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter”!? Those drawn toward death need to be ‘delivered’? Those stumbling toward the slaughter need to be redeemed, born-again, in-filled with Christ Jesus’s Resurrection Presence, celebrating His gift of eternal life?

And, I pray, the one thing YOU grasp and hold on to is the eternal Truth AND possibility of what Paul said under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration when in Galatians 2:20 he 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.”

In Matthew 25:34 we read, Then the King will say to those on His right hand, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world,” but one thing is very sure: It is not only eternal Faith offered by Christ with its magnetic, drawing power, but the reality of Satan as the master-deceiver who offers his magnetic, drawing power to satisfy your sinful lusts, and give you a ‘costly ticket’ to his eternal abode – and there are major differences between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness! Didn’t we just read in the previous chapter, Ephesians 5:8-12? “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.”

Almighty God knew and knows now the awfulness and consequences of the devil’s ‘drawing power and constant allurements and enticements’ and his ‘gift’ of bondage and enslavements with a “big, red bow” tied around them, but then, Jesus said in John 12:32, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” But much of fallen humanity, by God’s gracious gift of life in the human body with ‘freedom to choose his/her loyalties’, determine ‘sinful flesh’ is more profitable to them than loyalty in the spirit-realm to Holy God – and they end up with ‘counterfeit currency’ from Satan himself!

It was Thomas Adams who long ago 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.”

What was it Jesus said in Matthew 7:26-27? “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

Holy God, the Loving Savior, the Holy Spirit, isn’t interested in you constructing your life without a solid foundation, or on a life journey for the unfruitful works of darkness, or participation with evil men and imposters who grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived, or yoked together with unbelievers and the devil’s degraded, deceived, damned eternally crowd, or not even knowing that the eternal Master of all life, the Lord Jesus Christ, will come when you aren’t looking for Him and at an hour when you’re not aware, and for deceived people, He will cut them in two and assign them their portion with the unbelievers! [Luke 12:46].

Foolish men, partakers in foolish deception, captives of a self-centered world philosophy, are men who walk ‘in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God,’ ‘because of the spiritual and scriptural ignorance in them, blinded in their hearts and minds, given over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness’, and who often refuse Christ’s knock at their heart’s door, and deny “Faith and Its Magnetic, Drawing Power,” satisfied with “the old man which grows corrupt according to their deceitful and selfish lusts”!

Unbelief is a powerful, devilish, and fleshly frame of mind and heart that closes the doors of men’s minds and hearts to the graciousness, kindness, mercies, and love of Holy God – just look at Calvary’s Cross, and you’ll know why: “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son”! Of unbelief, Friedrich Wilhelm Krummacher once wrote: “Unbelief does nothing but darken and destroy. It makes the world a moral desert, where no divine footsteps are heard, where no angels ascend or descend, where no living hand adorns the fields, feeds the birds of heaven, or regulates events.” Unbelievers wander in the wildernesses of silence, sin, sorrows, sensuality, superstitions, and shadowy sources, and he/she doesn’t know or understand why! True believers challenge them with Christ’s message of eternal hope in Him! Why? Because they were once darkness, but now they are light in the Lord for the blessing of fallen humanity through Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior and Master of Eternal Life!

Do you sense that spirit, right now, whether across the world or in our own nation of the past, God-Blessed U.S.A? But in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 Paul challenges Timothy and believers today, true believers – “Be careful where you walk!” He said, “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, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” [And that’s not touching the lost with the love of Christ, but avoiding the nature of their fallen existence in your own daily disciplines!]. The ‘unfruitful’ are enslaved to the “unfruitful works of darkness”, sickened by their sin and darkened in their minds and hearts, and, Yes, we are commissioned by Christ and anointed by His confidence, and we will “Not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…!”

In John 6:44 there is a powerful word from Jesus when He said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him…”. And, what does 2 Peter 3:9 tell us? “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” But do ‘all’ come to repentance and faith? Sadly, No! Why? 1 Corinthians 1:18 declares, “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.”

This particular chapter that you are now reading? “Faith And Its Magnetic, Drawing Power”! And did Jesus tell us that no one came to Him apart from that magnetic, drawing power of God? In fact, in Psalm 14:2-3 King David wrote about “A Fool’s Paradise”, and said, “The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, No, not one.”

If “none seek,” how did those of redemptive faith find Him? They didn’t! God Himself found them, drew them, and longed, by His love and grace and mercy, to draw them, you, me, to Himself! In 2 Corinthians 4:6-7 Paul wrote: “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.” Have you sung it? “Amazing grace! How sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind, but now I see. It was grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved; How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed!”

Do you understand ‘inheritance’? In 2 Peter 1:3-4, we catch a glimpse of true inheritance when Peter wrote: “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,” [not our glory and virtue, but God’s!], by which have been given to us [given to us, given to us, given to us – let it be repeated by you over and over and over!], 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.”

“In Christ” we are not ‘versions’ of Him, but vessels of His very Resurrection Life and vessels of Holy Spirit presence and power! We’re not “in Christ” detachments from who He is but people aware of our own ineptness that the Inspired Christ through us can be Himself! Again, “Christ in us the hope of glory!” What did Paul tell us in 1 Corinthians 2:4? “And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit [of Christ] and of power [of the Holy Spirit], that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” [Even overcoming is not by some special human gene but by the Word and Presence of Christ in you, “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world!”]

“Faith And Its Magnetic, Drawing Power”? People of true faith, through repentance toward God and faith in the finished work of Christ, are available vessels to all Christ Jesus is in His reigning and ruling everlasting Kingdom, and it’s not our “best” for Him but our availability to all “He desires” to do through us! This is why Paul trains and equips true followers with “the Truth”! Romans 14:17 says, “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,” which is His overflow of Himself through available vessels!

Charles Wesley, in his “Psalms and Hymns” of the year 1738, wrote “And Can It Be?”, which is one of the richest, most valuable hymns ever written. Two verses I want to share:

“Long my imprisoned spirit lay, Fast bound in sin and nature’s night; God’s eye diffused a quickening ray – I woke, the dungeon flamed with light; my chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed Thee…

No condemnation now I dread; Jesus and all in Him is mine; Alive in Him, my living Head, and clothed in righteousness divine, Bold I approach the eternal throne, And claim the crown, through Christ my own. Bold I approach the eternal throne, And claim the crown, Through Christ my own.”

Christ Jesus had been brought up in Nazareth, and as was His custom, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath, stood and read from Isaiah the prophet6: “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 brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives…”! There’s more, but I want to impress upon you Christ’s coming “to preach liberty to the captives…!”

Have you accepted the divine truth that in your sin you are a ‘captive,’ a ‘prisoner’ detained in the limitation of a corrupt nature, but in Christ, through blood redemption, YOU ARE FORGIVEN AND SET FREE? Look at Psalm 146! “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! While I live I will praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being…

Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; in that very day his plans perish. Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps truth forever…

Who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; the Lord raises those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow; But the way of the wicked He turns upside down. The Lord shall reign forever – Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!”

Are there spiritually blind who need the Lord to open their spiritual eyes? Are there the ‘crushed’ who need to be raised up? Are there hopeless who need our Lord’s gracious gift of hope? Are there fatherless children who need God the Father? Are there widows who need the Eternal Husband? Are there those around you whose plans have perished, and only the Lord can help their downcast, forlorn, deserted, desperate spirits? And how would you find yourself if you had to say like Paul, “but all forsook me.” But God says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you!”

“Faith and Its Magnetic, Drawing Power”? John Greenleaf Whittier, in his “The Eternal Goodness,” wrote: “I know not where His islands lift their fronded palms in air; I only know I cannot drift beyond His love and care.”

When a man has been “saved by grace through faith, and faith is the gift of God,” the convicted man, the repentant man, the transformed man, the man inhabited by the Resurrected Christ and the fullness and abiding presence of the Holy Spirit, is blessed by Holy Presence, Holy Power, Holy Privilege, Holy Persuasion that needs no argument, Holy Peace even in the midst of life’s greatest storms, and through Holy Providence is divinely blessed; and Edward Garrett once said, “To doubt the providence of God is presently to wax impatient with His commands,” which is why there are defyers of God, deniers of God, deflectors of God, degraders of God, and even departees from God!

Isaiah 26:3-4 says, “You [God] will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in YAH, the Lord, is everlasting strength.” And you’re not sure what drawing power you should attach yourself to? Paul told the Ephesians, Ephesians 6:10, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.”

Do you remember, as early as Genesis 5:24, that we learned of Enoch when we were straightened, alerted, guided, inspired, even convicted, that in the early days of human history, here was a man “who walked WITH GOD”! I so appreciate what Oswald Chambers wrote about Enoch when he said, [“My Utmost For His Highest,” p.211], “The worth of a man is revealed in his attitude to ordinary things when he is not before the footlights,” or ‘not on stage performing or imitating,’ but living out a united Life under Jesus’ Lordship, simply available to all He is and all He desires to do through you, even if it’s a casual walk together in sweet harmony and heavenly blessing being in His Presence!

I was given a gift years ago by dear friends from the Dayton, Ohio area, where many, many years ago I led a Bible conference. A number of years later these precious friends sent me Arthur Bennett’s book entitled “The Valley of Vision,” which was a collection of Puritan prayers and devotions, some probably back in the 1700’s and 1800’s. It has been such a blessing!

One writing is entitled “Love-Rest In God.” [pps. 332-333]. Follow with opened heart and mind! “My Dear Lord…I depend wholly upon You, wean me from all other dependences. You are my all, You overrule all and delight in me…

You are the foundation of goodness, how can I distrust You? How be anxious about what happens to me? In the light of Your preciousness the world and all its enjoyments are infinitely poor: I value the favor of men no more than pebbles…

Amid the blessings I receive from You may I never lose the heart of a stranger. May I love You, my Benefactor, in all my benefits, not forgetting that my greatest danger arises from my advantages…

Produce in me self-despair that will make Jesus [more] precious to me, delightful in all His offices, pleasurable in all His ways, and may I love His commands as well as His promises…

Help me to discern between true and false love, the one consisting of supreme love to You, the other not, the former uniting Your glory and man’s happiness that they may become one common interest, the latter disjointing and separating them both, seeking the latter with neglect of the former…

Teach me that genuine love is different in kind from that wrought by rational arguments or the motive of self-interest, that such love is a pleasing passion affording joy to the mind where it is. Grant me grace to distinguish between the genuine and the false, and to rest in You who are all love.” Amen & Amen!

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“THE FAITH JOURNEY AND FOUL WATERS”

The first three verses of Hebrews 12 really highlights for us this ‘journey of faith’ true believers are a part of with a challenge of being alert, informed, and ready for the battles and circumstances of the faith walk we’ll find ourselves in at times. It says, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Christ Jesus Himself, on His journey of redemption of fallen mankind, experienced the reality of ‘heavy weights,’ the ‘temptations of sin,’ the ‘bitter waters’ of the surrounding world population enslaved to demonic passions and fleshly desires.

If you go to the Book of Ezekiel, you’ll find challenging words AND convicting words that relate to the “faith journey.” In Ezekiel 2:8 God told Ezekiel, “eat what I give you,” and he ate, and Ezekial 3:3b tells us, Ezekial speaking, “So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness.” Then God told Ezekial that he was being sent, not to a people of unfamiliar speech or of hard language, but to the house of Israel, a people who then would not listen to God or receive His Word, a people who rejected the “faith journey” and drank “foul waters”, and found no joy in partaking of God’s sweet word that Ezekial said “tasted like honey”!

I’m sure you remember the journey of God’s people, Israel, in bondage in Egypt for about 400 years! Then deliverance, freedom, and the journey back to the Promised Land began. God miraculously opened the waters of the Red Sea and they, Israel, walked on dry land! In Exodus 15:21 Miriam said, “Sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!”

Then Exodus 15:22-25 tells us, “So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people complained against Moses, saying, ‘What shall we drink?’ So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet.”

[Would you dare consider that the ‘tree’ Moses showed them related, previewed, represented the Cross of Calvary?].

You, no doubt, at least were awakened from the singing and dancing of Miriam as they celebrated freedom and deliverance from the bondage of Egypt! And then they came to “bitter waters”! Have you experienced that high swing and celebration of your freedom in Christ, but then experienced a moody, an emotional, and a changeable frame of mind and spirit, finding yourself hanging by a thin thread of hope, joy, and faith?

About sixty years ago I was a running back at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and back then you played both offense and defense. I can tell you, there were times in certain games that “catching your second breath or wind” was a must – but at least we had “good water” to arouse us at times. Israelites? They had a long, long journey, got to Marah, and found “bitter waters” – they wanted to go back to Egypt! [Was that a test from God?].

They complained against Moses: “What shall we drink?” And thank God for those who know to cry out to Holy God! Thank God for those who know He “changes things”! Thank God for those who lean not to their own understanding, but in all their ways, paths, problems, appointments and disappointments, call out to Him, and, Yes, even find miraculous things that can and do occur!

Then, you read further in Exodus 15 and verse 27 tells us, “Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped by the waters.” Where are YOU camped? How many do you personally know who are camped by their dry river-beds of their intellectually genius and never camp by the “rivers of living waters” called the Holy Word of God? “God so loved the world,” and they don’t even know it! “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,” and they could care less! They choose the fleshly life evidenced by “no waters of Life in Christ”!

If the Lord God Almighty showed Moses a tree to toss in bitter waters and make those waters ‘sweet’, will God not do the same for you and me? And if the Lord Jesus Christ can say from that “tree”, “It is finished,” has His finished work on Calvary’s Cross made YOUR “bitter waters” sweet? Several truths I want you to see:

FIRST, IN THE “FAITH-JOURNEY” WE LEARN QUICKLY THAT WE ARE NOT IMMUNE FROM TROUBLES, TRIALS, AND TESTINGS! Dare I tell you that ‘wilderness journeys’ are not occasional ‘way-side events’ but even the norm for every true believer? Were you surprised when you read Matthew 4:1-10? Then Jesus was led up BY THE HOLY SPIRIT INTO THE WILDERNESS TO BE TEMPTED BY THE DEVIL…

And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”…[Lust of the flesh!]

But Jesus answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”…

Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ [Boastful pride of life!], and, ‘In their hands they shall bear You up, lest You dash Your foot against a stone.’”…

Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” 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 Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” [Lust of the eyes!].

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.” Oh, and by the way, I truly love verse 11 which says, Then the devil left Him, and BEHOLD, angels came and ministered to Him. [And I thank and praise God for ministering, caring angels of mercy!].

In John 16:33 we read Jesus saying to us in this day of tribulation, temptation, even torment for some, and troubles that are fleshly, worldly, and demonic, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” And in Christ Jesus you are or can be “more than conquerors”!

I can’t tell you exactly what your troubles, trials, or testings, may be exactly, but be assured, one, two, or three, are on your path, following close and ready to move in for your encounter with ‘reality’! No water, some water but excessively bitter to the taste, and then God grants them “miracle water” through His Sovereign touch!

But be assured: Faith journeys are not exempt, immune, or separated from what will shape us or break us, define us, or discipline us, enrich us in faith or declare us ‘poverty-stricken’ in faith! God “births” sons not snakes, God “transforms” not tolerates, God “writes” your faith-story not fiction, God “breaks” not belittles, God “exercises mercy” not madness, God “enriches” not bankrupts, God “atones” not annihilates, God “feeds faith” not starve, and God comes to you not as a growling bear but “the precious Lamb of God”!

If the Lord Jesus was despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, [Isaiah 53:3], as a follower of Christ, committed to His Lordship, do you think that your ‘faith’ has removed trouble from you? I am so enriched by what Oswald Chambers wrote in his “My Utmost For His Highest,” [p.127]. “Sin has made the basis of things wild and not rational. We have to recognize that sin is a fact, not a defect; sin is red-handed mutiny against God. Either God or sin must die in my life. The New Testament brings us right down to this one issue. If sin rules in me, God’s life in me will be killed; if God rules in me, sin in me will be killed. There is no possible ultimate but that. The climax of sin is that it crucified Jesus Christ, and what was true in the history of God on earth will be true in your history and in mine. In our mental outlook we have to reconcile ourselves to the fact of sin as the only explanation as to why Jesus Christ came, and as the explanation of the grief and sorrow in life.”

SECOND, IN THE “FAITH-JOURNEY” WE LEARN BY HUMAN EXPERIENCE AND RELATIONSHIPS THAT COMPLAINING HAS NO EFFECTIVE RESULT!

Israel was on a God-blessed journey from bondage in Egypt to the blessing of the God-ordained “Promised Land,” but the trip was to encourage complaining rather than heighten thanksgiving and praise to Almighty God?

Do you remember Job losing everything, even family, and then falling to the ground, he WORSHIPPED? Job 1:21 says, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord,” with verse 22 then saying, In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong. Then, in Job 13:15, we read Job saying, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.”

The disciples were with Jesus in a boat when a great ‘storm’ arose, which is so possible in any believer’s journey, and they came to Jesus saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” Matthew 8:26 then says, Jesus speaking to His troubled disciples, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then, Jesus arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

At times I wonder when terrible storms naturally, socially, politically, spiritually, arise in America with terrifying ‘winds’, what will the people of America do, and especially the “faith-troopers”? “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?”

Is it possible that believers misplace ‘faith’ and put it in themselves rather than full confidence and trust in Who Christ Jesus truly is? There are times, events, circumstances, that happen, coming on many as a test of faith, but they don’t know it is, don’t appreciate at all what God has allowed, and don’t even know that they should not lean on themselves, but they do – God intended for true believers to lean on Him, trust Him, wait on Him, call on Him! So they complain with no calling upon Holy God!

Have you experienced “faltering faith” because it was faith in yourself and not faith in God? Have you received God’s Word that He will never leave you nor forsake you? Hebrews 13:6 says, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

Did you catch the last part of Hebrews 13:5 that says: “For He Himself has said…”. If God “has said”, where do your doubts and fears come from? If God “has said”, is your ‘faith’ without a trustworthy foundation? Dare I tell you that one of the greatest treasures you can ever hold onto in your life is the fact that “God never fails”! He never falls short, and His ears are always open to your needy cries! You may say at times, “No man cares for my soul,” but never, ever, can you say, “God doesn’t care!” Just look at the Cross – and if YOU were the only man to ever live, what Christ Jesus did 2000 years ago for the whole world, He would do for your soul alone if you were the only one God allowed to be created! GOD LOVES YOU!

THIRD, IN THE “FAITH-JOURNEY” UNAFFLICTED LIVES NEVER SENSE THE NEED OF GOD’S HELP! Oh, it may be an unafflicted life physically, but one void of the very spiritual, eternal Life of Holy God, is sick and needs the touch of the Great Physician!

Do you remember Moses and Aaron, sent by God delivering a message to the Pharoah of Egypt? [Exodus 5:1-2], “…Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharoah, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.” And Pharoah said, “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.”

If the “fruit” one partakes of is from the “tree of good and evil,” affliction in the spirit-realm is immediate! And like Pharoah, they can only ask, “Who is the Lord God?”, because their supposed ‘unafflicted life’ is already in the state of spiritual death, desiring only the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, which is a ‘curse,’ and places one in the state of condemnation! In John 3:18-21 Jesus alerts the unbelieving! “He who believes in Him [trusts in, relies upon, adheres to, OBEYS!] 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. 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…

For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

Is YOUR ‘walk of life’ a sad drama of godlessness or is your “walk in Life” that of the Resurrection Life of the Lord Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords, and is your walk to the honor of Him prophetically named as Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, upon whose shoulders all life is supposed to rest! Are you ‘resting in Him’ or being ravished by the devil himself?

From what ‘cup’ are you drinking? The cup of God’s indignation or the cup of His inspiration? The cup of the devil or the cup of Christ? The cup of the curse or the cup of the Lord’s blessing? The cup of New Testament life in Christ or the devil’s cup of constant deaths? The cup of devilish celebration for evil or the cup of Jesus’ suffering for your salvation and your suffering for His honor and glory alone?

Oh, hear me!! Christ Jesus’ Resurrection Life within the penitent heart and yielded body, mind, and soul, is worthy of all honor, glory, and praise! As Jude finished his brief writing, he said in Verses 24-25, “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, To God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.”

A bitter life for a blessed life! A cursed life for a converted life in Christ! A dead life for Resurrection Life and Resurrection Power and Resurrection Purpose! A separated life from Holy God to a united life as One in the Spirit! A meaningless life for the Master’s Life of ministry, loving, caring, blessing others as He has blessed you! The bitterness of a mortal life for eternal presence united with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit! An in-bondage life chained by the devil for the Life of eternal freedom in Him! A Satanic owned life but bought by Christ with His own precious blood! A life ticketed for Hell but raised up to be seated with Christ in heavenly places! Marah’s bitterness for the Master’s blessing! The heathen transformed into the heavenly one! The woefulness of fleshly despair for the wonder of Faith’s delight!

The dark places of devilish bondage for the Light that never grows dim and shows us His Highway of Holiness! Self for the Savior. Earth’s bitterness for Heaven’s unending blessing! World hatred for Heaven’s sacrificial love and grace! Passing words of intellectual meaninglessness for Eternal Truth from the Throne of God! Hell today – Heaven forever! Separated to self, selfishness, diabolical sensuousness, a slave of the flesh Or servant of God separated to the very life, work, and ministry He calls us to! Amen? Bitter waters sweetened! And it is so good, so blessed, so thrilling, so exciting, so fulfilling, so redemptive, so rich in the grace of God for His glory, honor, and praise!

Why “foul waters” when Jesus gives you “streams of Living Water”, “seas of Holy blessings,” and “oceans of His omnipresence and omnipotence”? Amen?

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“FAITH’S FIRST LOVE – FOLLOWERS’ FAITHFUL OBEDIENCE”

I’m sure that you’ve been deeply impressed, convicted, and inspired by Paul’s early words in Romans 1:8-12 when he wrote: “FIRST, I thank God through Jesus Christ [good place for any man of faith to begin any day in his life’s journey of faith!] for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established – that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.”

Faith, first, followers, faithful? These are words of eternal importance interpreted by the Presence and Power and Promises of God, but heightened, strengthened, expanded, enlarged, when we read John’s precious words in 1 John 4:19, “We love Him because He FIRST loved us.” And if Paul says he wrote to the church in Rome, and us today, “so that you may be established,” or ‘made to stand’, there is no better beginning in the “faith journey” than taking hold of “Faith’s First Love” and exercising “Followers’ Faithful Obedience”!

“We love Him because He FIRST loved us”! Without awareness of God’s FIRST loving us, I’m not sure of fallen men loving Him without knowing what door of faith and obedience would have been opened! But fallen mankind was and is forever blessed by the “Father’s love” and awareness that it was He who knocked on our heart’s door and illumined our minds with the brightness of Heaven’s Light gloriously shining on the reality of God’s love demonstrated through Christ’s Cross!

Is it any wonder to you that Psalm 119:64 tells us, “The earth, O Lord, is full of Your mercy; teach me Your statutes”? Oswald Chambers wrote in his book, “My Utmost For His Highest,” [p.272], “Our yesterdays present irreparable things to us; it is true that we have lost opportunities which will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future. Let the past sleep, but let it sleep on the bosom of Christ.”

Neither fallen man’s guilt or his goodness was a strong consideration in the sacrifice of Christ, but the reality of redemption came as the overflow of the powerful heart of the God of eternal love! Reflect upon John’s statements in John 1:10-13,16: “He [Christ 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. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name [trust in, relies upon, adheres to]: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Verse 16, “And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.” Grace? Undeserved, unmerited favor of God Almighty because of HIS GOODNESS, not ours!

If there is any love in humanity, it’s because love comes from God! If there is any kindness in humanity, it’s because God is kind and it flows, at times, even through the unredeemed! If there is any goodness in unbelievers, it’s because “God is so good”! And, if God’s love is a proven eternal reality, is that the door that opens our true love of Him and the spreading of His love through us to a loveless world and its deprived humanity?

“FAITH’S FIRST LOVE – FOLLOWERS’ FAITHFUL OBEDIENCE”? Whether we consider ourselves personally or a ‘lost world’ collectively, OUR FIRST CONSIDERATION OR EVALUATION OF OURSELVES AND THE WORLD AT LARGE MUST BE THE AWARENESS OF OUR NEED OF HIS ETERNAL LOVE RECEIVED AND RELEASED BY THE REALITY OF RE-BIRTH AND THE “REST” OF SAVING FAITH!

If Christ Jesus tells us in John 3:3 as Jesus said to Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, is it optional for us? “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God,” and then in John 3:5, Jesus compassionately declared, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water [that’s the ‘water of the Word!’] and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God,” because flesh IS flesh and the Spirit is the necessity of the spirit of fallen men!

In 1 John 4:7-11 John also said, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love IS OF GOD [not fallen flesh!]; and everyone who loves [agape love or God’s love of the ‘laid-down life spirit’, not simply phileo or friendship love!], is born of God and knows God. 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 has 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. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

Consider the lost, alienated from God world around you – what do you see, not only before your very eyes across America, but worldwide, in every area of every nation, large or small? Vainness foments, viciousness fights, vice poisons, venom penetrates, victims retaliate, vagrants wander through life with no consideration of Holy God or His purpose for their lives, vanity pumps ‘flesh’ without any consideration of eternal value ‘in God’ or His plans for human existence, a constant veering away from God rather than running to Him, and as He speaks loudly to them, they then run to find their own locked vault ‘where God cannot see me and I don’t have to hear Him!’

You’ll remember as you read Adam and Eve’s experience in Genesis 3 about what I called their “Fig Leaf Religion”, when their ‘eyes’ were opened and they realized their nakedness before God, that they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves, and then hid themselves from the presence of the Lord, understanding that today unbelievers are creative in hiding themselves from Holy God, but He keeps coming because of His deep and abiding love for every one of His created beings!

Are there ‘loveless beings’ in the world of God WHO IS LOVE AND LOVING? In 1 John 4:8 we read, “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” Love received is love given, but when you find a ‘loveless society’ of fallen away beings, you find a society of individuals who neither love themselves, others, or even Holy God Himself! “God SO LOVED THE WORLD that He gave His Son…”, but you could care less about even those around you? And what does 1 John 4:11 tell us? “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

Didn’t Hebrews 12:2 tell us, “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God”? Do you believe that faith is submission to the Father’s will? You say, “I love God,” but you refuse, and occasionally, as it fits YOUR desires, yield yourself to Master Jesus, Lord Jesus, Submissive Jesus to the Father’s will, but for you, as a believer, to obey would be you saving yourself? What DECEPTION!

What does Hebrews 11:6 tell us? “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” You seek, but you don’t have to submit? I tell you, true faith knows the Father’s will, and does it! This is why we’ve already seen Jesus saying, “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord’, but you do not do what I say?” Oh, but there are those who truly are aware of the Great God they serve and know their need of Him every day, good and bad days, days when trouble seems to reign, one’s God-given strength seems to weaken, sorrow stings like it’s a non-ending pain and loss, afflictions emit bitterness, and this “valley” brings one to a place he/she must decide: me or the Master, grit or His grace, resentment for my dilemma or rest in His promises?

And, thank God, we read in John 20:29, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” You as a disciple of Christ Jesus are not called to reason but to revelation of who He is and what He has said – and you “rest” in Him!

SECOND, From “Faith’s First Love” to the FOLLOWERS’ FAITHFUL OBEDIENCE, WE DISCOVER THE ETERNAL LOVE OF GOD BEING EXPRESSED THROUGH US TO THOSE WHO NEED SAVING GRACE, NEED DIVINE BLESSING, AND NEED HIS FAITHFUL PROVISIONS!

1 John 3:14 lays it out in a consecrated way, a way of conviction, and a way that converts and calls one TO the love of God! It says: “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren.” Apart from Christ, fallen mankind lives in the state of spiritual death, alienated from God, unaware of the eternal extent of His love, bound by the chains of the old sin nature, poisoned by the infection of a ‘fleshly’ love, blighted by the scorn and indifference of God’s amazing love, darkened in the mind to the very Light of God and His liberty to every repentant man who trust in the shed blood of Christ!

Loving the brethren, loving the lost, loving the alienated and separated from God, loving the indifferent, loving the spiritually ill, loving the town’s number one sinner, loving the very enemies of God, loving the guilty, the misguided, the mean, the hard-hearted, the decent and the indecent; God’s love is boundless, even immeasurable, abundant; loving others for the honor of Christ is the dynamic of bringing God and His love into human hearts and seeing the reality of divine transformation!

“Arise, shine” is the Old Testament version of “Arise, love” as an act of obedience, as an expression of His presence in you and through you, as a heart-felt belief and a mind renewed by God Himself, as the divine reality it is, reaching out to touch His world with His very own spiritually implanted heart, reaching out to raise the dead, uplift the fallen, restore not one’s imagination but his inheritance of the very wealth of God’s eternal love, sharing with the unloved the constraining power of divine love envisioned in Christ suffering on the Cross, unveiling for them the ‘paradises’ on earth enveloped in the fullness of Holy Love!

Do you remember Peter’s instruction in 2 Peter 1:5-11, following his declaration in Verse 3 that “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness,” saying, Verses 5-11, “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 be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins…

Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

But Paul calls us ALL to spiritual evaluation of where our allegiance really lies. In Galatians 1:10 he stated, “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.”

In my Holman Edition of the New King James Version of the Bible, Luke 14:26-33, highlights four calls to true discipleship in following Christ:

• Undivided Devotion – Luke 14:26, 2) Costly Commitment – Luke 14:27, 3) Costly Analysis – Luke 14:31, 4) Awesome Surrender – Luke 14:33

Who or what truly has your heart and mind? And, if Jesus says, “This man cannot be My disciple because…,” and in the Holy Court of King Jesus, some are warmly welcomed while others hear, “Depart from Me, I never knew you,” is there a response you have that would change the King’s mind?

It was Frederick William Robertson who once wrote: “Sacrifice alone, bare and unrelieved, is ghastly, unnatural, and dead; but self-sacrifice, illuminated by love, is warmth, and life; it is the death of Christ, the life of God, and the blessedness and only proper life of man.” Didn’t Jesus tell us about the man who saves himself for himself, then loses his life that he so treasured?

THIRD, From ‘Faith’s First Love” to the “Followers’ Faithful Obedience,” Consider THAT SELF-DENIAL IS THE FULLNESS OF THE BLESSING OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST!

What did Jesus tell us in Matthew 16:24-25? “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.”

But what if “self-pleasure” rules in a man’s heart and life, and denying himself is like a foreign language he cannot understand? Rather than “We ought to obey God rather than men,” you find those who obey themselves as fallen men in disrespect of God’s divine will? The world, the flesh, and the devil consume many who only know spiritual deception, and Holy God must come like a mighty wind, blowing down those walls of deception that ‘the lost” may be “found” fully convicted, sick of their sin and sin nature, and fully desirous of God’s graciousness and kindness and love as they discover that Christ Jesus took their sin and guilt with Him as He shed His own blood in obedience to Father-God’s command, and set the “captives” free!

Though God had declared us ‘unclean’ before the Cross, the heart of Father-God led in the establishment of “the Fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins,” and convicted by the Holy Spirit of our sin, that same Holy Spirit unveiled Christ to the darkest of sinners that they might discover the “Light of life” in and through Him! Men bound in the temporal were freed to rest in the Eternal! Men bound in the wells of emptiness discover life in the fullness of God’s blessings! Men fully attached to “shadows” are delivered from them to the very substance of Christ’s Resurrection Life and Hope! Men deceived in their world by “good and best efforts” discover Christ Jesus as their “All in all!”

And to that man of faith, what did the Lord and Savior say? “I will never leave you nor forsake you!” Would YOU dare to say daily, “I personally choose to live under the awesome administration and the ruler-ship of His omnipotence” without any hesitation? Are you a true believer who lives in an attitude of praise because you know what you were saved from and what God intends to do through you as His representative of “Amazing Grace”, unveiling, exemplifying, even demonstrating your recovery from “the fall” and from “the chains Satan used to bind you with”, revealing gladly the freedom, the inheritance, and the marvelous wonders of love and grace poured out on you? “We love Christ Jesus because He “First” loved us!”

FOURTH, IF A FOLLOWER”S FAITHFUL OBEDIENCE IS COMPROMISED, DECEIVED, OR FALLS AWAY FROM FULL DEVOTION, IS THERE HOPE OF RENEWED FAITH AND A RETURN TO THE WAY OF BLESSING?

There are highly interesting and significant verses in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 when Paul has learned of spiritual immaturity in some lives within the Corinth fellowship. He said, “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal, “AND BEHAVING LIKE MERE MEN?”

“Behaving like mere men?” Is that resurrecting the old ‘animal instincts’ of the fallen sin-nature? Is that tearing God from His throne in us and assuming “I’m able to choose for myself what pleases me; God knows it’s just a child’s ‘play-time’, not permanent.” Rather than understanding absolute dependence upon God Himself for one to live the victorious, over-coming life, many feel “I’m able”, and fall away quickly.

It was A.G. Lawson who once said, “Usually he is most empty who is most full of himself.” Are you aware of why Paul chose daily to “die to himself” taking the sentence of death that Christ’s Resurrection Life would reign supreme? I’m convinced one of the major ministries in discipleship training is over-viewing for all new disciples that, apart from the devil and the world, their old self can be very deceiving and lead one to “play” with sin, getting burned! If YOU are out to satisfy yourself, you’re pouring ice-cold water on your devotion to honor Christ!

Have you read Jeremiah lately? In Jeremiah 3:11-13 God spoke to the prophet about ‘backsliding’: Verse 12-13, Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say: ‘Return, backsliding Israel,’ says the Lord; ‘I will not cause My anger to fall on you. For I am merciful,’ says the Lord; ‘I will not remain angry forever. Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have transgressed against the Lord your God, and have scattered your charms to alien deities under every green tree, and you have not obeyed My voice,’ says the Lord.

If you are a ‘backslider’, God loves you enough to come to you and tell you the Truth! “Repent, or else!” Gross rebellion of a son or daughter of the “faith-in-God-family” CAN find mercy and grace if the repentant heart is resurrected; and God loves “the remnant”, even of Israel that turned their backs on Him – the “remnant” were delivered, saved, washed clean, returned to give God His rightful place as Sovereign Savior and Lord! Doesn’t 1 John 2:1b tell us, “And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

That should intensify your love and devotion to the God of your salvation! Renewed faith and a return to His blessing ministry, to His awesome presence, to the Throne of a Godly rule that compels you to bow, to renew, to yield to the God who loved YOU before you’d even be born?

A.J. Gordon wrote the old hymn entitled, “My Jesus, I Love Thee,” which needs to be restored to our modern-world worship! It says:

“My Jesus, I love You, I know You are mine, For You all the follies of sin I resign; My gracious Redeemer, my Savior You are; If ever I loved You, my Jesus, it’s now.

I love You because You first loved me, And purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree; I love You for wearing the thorns on Your brow; If ever I loved You, my Jesus, it’s now.

I’ll love You in life, I will love You in death, And praise You as long as You lend me breath; And say when the death-dew lies cold on my brow, If ever I loved You, my Jesus, it’s now.

In mansions of glory and endless delight, I’ll ever adore You in heaven so bright; I’ll sing with the glittering crown on my brow, If ever I loved You, my Jesus, it’s now.”

Tell me about YOUR love-song to Christ Jesus, your Savior and Lord! Are you singing right now?

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

“FAITH’S CALL OR FAITH’S COMMITMENT?”

How do you respond when you hear Christ Jesus say, as He did in Matthew 16:24-25, 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.” Denying self? But don’t you know?, “Why, my individuality is mine to express it as I please! Why God says, ‘deny yourself,’ I’ll never know!”

I have no doubts that this is why Oswald Chambers wrote in “My Utmost For His Highest,” [p.257], “Individuality counterfeits personality as lust counterfeits love. God designed human nature for Himself; individuality debases human nature for itself.”

As a reminder, do you remember Samson’s story of many, many years of strong exploits to the glory of God, but then a day came when his physical strength was overshadowed by darkness in the mind, playing with fire and being burned, overcome by Delilah’s enticements, and chained like a prisoner? He knew “Faith’s Call” and for years and years honored the Lord, but ‘the calling’ took a backseat apart from “Faith’s Commitment”, and the enemies of God brought temptations, snares, evil opportunities to disgrace initial faith and obedience, and lead him down what appeared to be “primrose paths of pleasure” but became hellish shame!

But opposite of Samson’s “fall”, I want you to see “Faith’s Commitment”! [I challenge you to read all of the Book of Esther before continuing!]. Here is a young lady, beautiful in appearance, chosen to become the wife of the King, Ahasuerus, a very strong leader. Among the “support team” was a man by the name of Haman, a man very opposed to the Jewish people, who got a door opened to bring about the very destruction of Esther’s people.

There was a man by the name of Mordecai who went to Esther, challenging her to go and seek to persuade the king to ‘save the Jews.” Esther 4:5-7 tells us, Then Esther called Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs whom he had appointed to attend her, and she gave him a command concerning Mordecai, to learn what and why this was. So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square that was in front of the king’s gate. And Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king’s treasuries to destroy the Jews.” [And don’t you wonder, pause, think, “Why such hostility?” Was Christ Jesus to be born through the Jewish line? Would even in Esther’s days there be an undercurrent of resistance to the birth of the Lamb of God?]

In Esther 4:13-14 we read, And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!” Later, in Esther 8:5-6, Esther arose and stood before the king, saying, “If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor in his sight and the thing seems right to the king and I am pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman, which he wrote to annihilate the Jews who are in all the king’s provinces. For how can I endure to see the evil that will come to my people? Or how can I endure to see the destruction of my countrymen?”

“If I perish, I perish!” In the sovereignty of Holy God, was God, Holy God, simply granting her the position of queen because she was beautiful or so she would become known as a glorious queen as a prize picture in the king’s court? I don’t think so! In His sovereignty God chose Esther as Queen to save her people in her outreach to Holy God! [Who are you reaching out to God for concerning their salvation, deliverance, or healing?]

In Esther 7:6, before the king, when asked who it was, she said, “The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman!” Verse 8 then tells us, “So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s wrath subsided.”

But, what if Esther had no desire to defend her own countrymen? What if Esther thought only of herself? What if her ‘individuality’ was uppermost in her mind, spirit, and heart, closing herself off to the consideration or possibility of the massacre of her own people, the Jews? And Esther did what? She stepped up to do a work of compassion, love, and faithfulness, in seeing her people saved from Haman’s heartless, selfish, and devilish plan!

And, how thrilling, encouraging, uplifting is the word we find of Christ Jesus’ intervention to save us out of the death throes of spiritual disappointment when He went to the Cross in our place? Paul told us and the world, in 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.” That’s His resurrection life, resurrection power, and resurrection hope!

You do understand that Haman operated his life from “darkness” while Esther walked and served in the “Light”, and “Light” does expose and expels ‘darkness’ wherever Esther or YOU find yourself!

In Ephesians 4:17-19 Paul calls to our attention the ‘role’ the fallen sin nature played in Haman’s self-centered existence and in all of fallen man’s history when he wrote: “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.”

If Haman walked in darkness and Esther walked in the “Light”, have you wrestled with your own existence up until now? Darkness or Light, ‘myself’ or ministry unto the needy, self-preference or dead to self that our Lord’s resurrection ministry may be manifested through your mortal flesh, self-concern or Kingdom rule? Didn’t Paul add in Ephesians 5:15, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Circumspectly? Would that be godly observance, caring watch-care, prudent and wise and holy observance, with awareness of how one intercedes to the glory of Christ?

Many years ago Archibald Alexander made this wise statement, “All my theology is reduced to this narrow compass – Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” And when it comes to “Kingdom living” today, have you invented or accepted a different way of life than “Christ in you the hope of glory”? And how does it come to pass that an Esther can say, “If I perish, I perish”?

First, A Redeemed Life Sees Life Lived No Longer Unto Themselves But Unto The Eternal Purposes Of Holy God And King Jesus! What did Paul tell us in Galatians 6:14? “But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

I’m really not sure if the modern-day, professing church has ever heard much about the word, the spirit of, the actual participation in “consecrated”. In Hebrews 10:19-23 we read, “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by A NEW AND LIVING WAY which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the ‘confession’ of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”

That “New and Living Way” that we just read about IS “the laid-down life” in service unto others! Whatever honors and glorifies Christ Jesus through true believers is acceptable, even if it is the pains and agonies of physical persecution for the Lord’s honor and glory! What about “lions” dens? Are they acceptable to you if necessary? What about isolation, even imprisonments for the faith, or even loss of job or income, or ‘bearing in your body the marks of suffering for Christ’?

But, you are aware that, rather than consecration many, like Israel in the Old Testament, live in desecration without a thought of holy allegiance and honor and blessing of their Savior, Master, and Lord, through the life they live as “professors of the faith”! But not a true disciple like Paul the Apostle! In Acts 20:18-24 Paul, having called for the elders of the church in Ephesus, said to them, “You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews; how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly from house to house, testifying to Jews and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”

Are you aware of the calling as a “royal ambassador of Christ”? 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 we read, “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. For He [God] made Him [Christ Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Second, A Redeemed Life, Set Apart To Honor Christ And Extend His Earthly Witness Is A Man/Woman Empowered By God’s Spirit! The “best” of fleshly effort in the warfare for the souls of men is like a soldier sent into battle without guns or ammunitions for his guns – he either dies young or spends his life behind bars, but never as “more than conqueror”!

But in 2 Corinthians 3:1-6 the Apostle inspires true believers saying, “Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.

And we have such trust through Christ toward God. NOT THAT WE ARE SUFFICIENT OF OURSELVES TO THINK OF ANYTHING AS BEING FROM OURSELVES, BUT OUR SUFFICIENCY IS FROM GOD, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, BUT THE SPIRIT GIVES LIFE.”

Have you been “commissioned by Christ,” “anointed by and in the Spirit,” “empowered by Heaven’s authority,” knowing “that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly; the Lord will hear when I call to Him,” [Psalm 4:3]. Set apart in the sovereignty of God are “chosen vessels”, and Acts 1:8 tells us, “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.”

Empowered by God’s Spirit? Jude 20-21 says, “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, I say to you, a prayerless man is an impotent servant who ‘tries’ but seldom trusts! Believers are powerless seeking to honor Christ by “best efforts” – Your Savior and Lord longs for you to daily empty yourself and daily yield, surrender, abide in, even WAIT upon the Spirit’s leadership! We don’t ‘walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit’! [Romans 8:1]. We are sons of God who are to be led daily by the Spirit of God!

Third, A Redeemed Life, Set Apart To Honor Christ And Extend His Earthly Witness Is A Man/Woman Who Will Be Cornered, Challenged, Confused, Condemned By The Devil And His Evil Forces Called Demons!

Dare I tell you that one of the devil’s battle plans is to “pump your ego” as to all you have to offer God in your service for Him? Yet Paul talked about you taking the sentence daily to your old man so the Resurrection Life of Christ, by His Spirit, might be manifested in your mortal flesh!

Are you ever wondering about the “self, back-slappers” who are certain God couldn’t get by without them? That, my friends, is demonic deception at an extreme high level!

You are aware that our Savior, the Lord Jesus, encountered satanic opposition as He walked those three years of ministry before His death, burial, and resurrection. Over and over Satan was driven to bring Him down, but Jesus stood strong. Satan would leave Him alone for a period of time, looking for a more opportune moment to bring Jesus down! Jesus won! And His triumph over the powers of darkness is your victory-present to enjoy, walk with, and stand tall with in your walk in honor of Christ!

But are you aware that the self-indulgent who ‘profess’ allegiance to Christ are the easy targets of satanic soldiers representing Hell and its head, the devil? And the reason? Self-indulgence is, at times, unseen forces at work, encouraging and opening door after door to satisfy the ‘flesh’ and seek to suffocate the Spirit! All of a sudden delight in satisfying the flesh breeds even ‘the delight of despair’, with the victim deciding, “I might as well go Hell’s way and have some fun,” not realizing Satan is a faithful pay-master with illegal currency!

There were those that John told us about that our Lord would not commit Himself to them, because He knew what was in them and who was directing their steps to the slippery slopes, descending downward, not upward toward God!

The devil’s intent is to deceive us and lead us away from God, not toward Him! And without the healing, the deliverance, the saving of our souls by His blood, men are in a state of utter helplessness because of unbelief, with severe wounds that put them, without our Lord’s grace and mercy and gift of faith, in a hopeless condition! It’s so tragic to see, sense, and sorrow over man’s sin-sickness, yes, physically, spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and walking downward with the devil’s deceptions on a reckless, irresponsible path, easily scarred, tragically deformed, like “the whole creation groaning and travailing in pain together until now.”

It was E. Stanley Jones, a very strong, anointed missionary to India many years ago who wrote the following: [“The Christ of the Mount,” New York: Abingdon Press, 1931,p.9], “Loosed from the moorings that have held life, many are now adrift. They claim to be free. They have thrown overboard the chart, the compass, the steering wheel, and the consciousness of destination. They are free from everything – except the rocks, and the storms, and the insufferable inanity of being tossed from wave to wave of mere meaningless emotion…The modern man is ‘left by science without a goal; by exploded humanitarianism without a hero; by logic with an impasse’ – he needs a way out;” Dr. Jones then shared our Lord’s words from John 8:31-32, speaking to the Jews who had believed 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.”

I pray that YOU are not surprised that Christ Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” But how many do you know who “profess” devotion to Christ by baptism and church membership without even a hint of understanding the truth or opening His Word as their “daily bread” and “meat of the Word”? That, my friends, is deadly deception!

Closing this chapter, I want to use a small section of Oswald Chambers’ “My Utmost For His Highest,” [p.262-263], entitled “The Test of Loyalty.” He quoted Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, [Check out the Book of Job!!], to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Chambers said:

It is only the loyal soul who believes that God engineers circumstances. We take such liberty with our circumstances, we do not believe God engineers them, although we say we do; we treat the things that happen as if they were engineered by men. To be faithful in every circumstance means that we have only one loyalty, and that is to our Lord. Suddenly God breaks up a particular set of circumstances, and the realization comes that we have been disloyal to Him by not recognizing that He had ordered them; we never saw what He was after, and that particular thing will never be repeated all the days of our life. The test of loyalty always comes just there. If we learn to worship God in the trying circumstances, He will alter them in two seconds when He chooses…

Loyalty to Jesus Christ is the thing that we “stick at” today. We will be loyal to work, to service, to anything, but do not ask us to be loyal to Jesus Christ. Many Christians are intensely impatient of talking about loyalty to Jesus. Our Lord is dethroned more emphatically by Christian workers than by the world. God is made a machine for blessing men, and Jesus Christ is made a Worker among workers…

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 – ‘I reckon on you for extreme service, with no complaining on your part and no explanation on Mine.” God wants to use us as He used His own Son.”

Are YOU available to Him as the vessel through whom He pours Himself!!??

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

“TRUE FAITH – YOUR THOUGHTS OR GOD’S TRUTH?”

Studying the Book of Jeremiah recently I was challenged by God’s words through his chosen prophet in Jeremiah 6:13-16, “Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is given to covetousness; and from the prophet 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 at all 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..

Thus says the Lord: “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’” Does that sound familiar in our modern-world?

And the result of strong rebellion to Holy God? Verses 17-19 enlightens us about what a nation will visibly see as Holy God brings judgment on unrepentant nations, even the U.S.A.! “Also, I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen.’…

Therefore hear, you nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. Hear, O earth! BEHOLD, I will certainly bring calamity on this people – “the fruit of their thoughts”, because they have not heeded My words nor My law, but rejected it.”

Contemplate what you’ve just read, examining your own heart, mind, walk, and your pilgrimage of faith’s journey: Are YOU being reconciled to God through the witness of Christ Jesus in you and through you? What does 2 Corinthians 5:9 say to us through Paul’s inspired word? “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him,” Paul saying, “When I’m with you, my aim is to honor Christ in a yielded walk before you, and when I’m absent from your presence, I’m guided by the same commitment: I want Christ Jesus to be honored through me at all times!”

But how tragic do you find the story of Israel’s history as God had set them apart to prepare a lost world for the coming of “Promised Messiah, Redeemer, Lord and Master, Emmanuel – God in the flesh,” but they rejected Christ Jesus, even their ‘religious’ Judaizers leading in Jesus’ crucifixion and rejection, with only a slim minority like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, resting in Messiah’s coming!

So God brought judgment on their thoughts? “Oh, I know God resists my sin and sinful ways, but He also condemns and brings judgment on my sins that are in my mind?” In Genesis 6:3 the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh…Verse 6, 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…Verse 8, But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord,” BECAUSE GOD FOUND A MAN WILLING TO WALK IN GOD’S WAYS, NOT HIS OWN! And in that early time period, related to mankind, we see the beginning of the unfolding of the mercy and grace and love of God!

But what should catch your ‘eye’ and enlighten your mind is GOD SEEING “that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually”! Even King David’s prayer should enlarge your understanding when in Psalm 51:3-5 David prayed, “For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight – that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge.”

But I want you to know that in the spiritual realm of all humanity, the Word calls us to attention to consider God’s intent that all men, through repentance toward God and faith in Christ alone for His sacrificial death to restore us all to our callings, which Revelation 1:5-6 reveals, with John saying, “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, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

God’s desire? God’s intent? God’s sharing of Kingdom rule on earth as it is in Heaven? God’s will for men to rule, but evil thoughts assume leadership in men’s minds and hearts rather than submitted to the authority of God? Satan’s intent? Satan’s plan? Satan’s scheme? Building his own kingdom in opposition to Holy God and His Kingdom! And the tragedy erupted, sin spawned in the hearts and minds of men, and rebellion, disobedience, unbelief, fleshly intent, swept over all mankind, with the fallen world becoming dominated by Satan’s ‘friends’, thinking they’ve won the spiritual war for the souls of all men – but then there was the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ Jesus, and He began to reign, build His Kingdom, looking for the final days of spiritual warfare to be brought to a glorious victory “in Jesus”! But the “war” is on right now!

First, Let’s Look At False ‘Faith,’ False ‘Fruit,’ ‘True Finality’! Thank God for a Jude who was a contender for the true faith! Jude 5-7,11, divinely recorded, tells us: “But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day, as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire…Verse 11, Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.” [It would be to your spiritual benefit to study Verse 11 thoroughly!].

In Matthew 24:24 Christ Jesus said: “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders TO DECEIVE, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.”

Vain thoughts in a vain ‘professor’s life’ produce vain images of ‘self-righteousness’, again ‘pumping flesh’ or the old sin-nature, thinking they are honoring God Almighty, when all they’ve done is to promote themselves!

You do understand that ‘fallen men’ have always lived with ‘self-pretense’, aware of it or not, like the scribes and Pharisees that Jesus called ‘hypocrites’ in Matthew 23:14-15! He said of them, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites [“play-actors”]! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”

Hypocritical thoughts? Self-promotion thoughts? Coveting thoughts? Proud thoughts? Pumping flesh thoughts? Self-vindication thoughts? Frothy thoughts with no true substance? Mill-stone thoughts? Haughty thoughts? Thankless thoughts? Unbelieving thoughts? Bitter thoughts? Resentful thoughts? Unforgiving thoughts?

In Galatians 6:3 we read, “For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” Just how dangerous do you believe self-deception to be? What did Paul tell Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:13? “But evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.”

Is “sin” a sinister plot even in many believers to take them down? It is truly such a blessing to have men like Paul who reached out to young disciples like Timothy to warn them of the dangers of “false fruits”! Or even the author of Hebrews who rose up so valiantly to warn “professing believers” of the dangers of deception. Hebrews 3:12-13 tells us, “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.”

Second, What About The Dangers Of Slothfulness Or Spiritual Laziness? Come with me to Ecclesiastes 10:18 (NKJV), where Solomon wrote: “Because of laziness the building decays, and through idleness of hands the house leaks.” The old King James Version says, “By much slothfulness the building decays…”. Did Solomon ‘profess’ and not fully ‘possess’?

I love Moffatt’s translation of James 1:4 that says, “Let your endurance be a finished product, so that you may be finished and complete, with never a defect.”

But some older believers, sadly, and some immature young believers, drift from devotion to the Faith to complacency, and find themselves in a “falling away” cloud of indifference, at least for a time, until a caring, mature believer challenges them as to their sincere faith or lack of it.

There are ‘believers’ who are spiritually deceived and fail to understand the true warfare against them by the world, the flesh, and the devil, and find spiritual “armor” unnecessary until they are slammed to the ground by the powers of darkness!

Paul told Timothy, 2 Timothy 2:15, and us, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Diligence? Can you fathom an athlete who doesn’t see the necessity of diligence in game preparation, and so he goes into the game and gets his untrained, unequipped, uninformed ‘butt’ kicked from one goal line to the other! Diligence? It’s the Obama socialist excuse of wasting funds on soldiers he could give to the soldiers’ enemies! No diligence in the medical profession? No diligence from the teachers of your children’s education?

And is there to be diligence in the spiritual community as followers of Christ Jesus? Diligence of taking up His Cross daily for the holy appropriation of His power and authority or unconcern about the warfare of the old self, the sin of rebellion, worldliness calling us, even throwing aside The Savior’s word: “Without Me you can do nothing;” so not wanting to be strapped by allegiance to honor Him, many are setting diligence aside and desecrating the life He redeemed by His own blood!?!

Third, Does ‘Fleshly Pride’ Hang Around To Heighten “Falling Away” From The Faith? In 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4,7-12, you’ll find verses that, no doubt, referred to Israel’s “falling away” from their divine appointment to bringing in, yes, the birth of “Emmanuel”, but, at the same time, understanding “flesh,” “religious flesh,” and the reality of divided allegiance between “flesh” and Spirit, ‘fleshly pride’ does become the lightning rod of ‘falling away’ from the Faith!

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 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….

Verses 7-12 then says, “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.”

That’s ‘fleshly’ Israelites, ‘fleshly’ church folk, prominent ‘fleshly’ leaders of churches, denominations, major or minor religions across the known world! But the “Remnant” stands strong, faithful, devoted, leaning on Christ alone! Do you think this might be why Paul said in Galatians 5:1, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage”? Do you think the calf, the cow, or the bull would ever say to its ‘owner,’ “I don’t need your yoke – I can handle my own responsibility and calling”?

Is there the ‘test’ in believers’ walks of faith when they must decide, “Who is in control in this time of testing? Myself or King Jesus?” But, sadly, some never consider, they commit to what their ‘flesh’ cries out! But Jesus says, “Come to Me, and I will give you rest; take My yoke upon you…!!!”

Fourth, Is Unawareness Or Unbelief In The Devil’s Attempts To Take You Down A Major Concern In the Faith Journey AND Faith Warfare? In 1 Peter 5:8-9 Peter lays out for us the enemy, besides ‘flesh,’ that so desires to take down committed, yielded, strong OR weak followers of Christ. He said: “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.”

Of course, unbelievers have no awareness concerning spiritual warfare involving the devil himself because of their engrained unbelief, but ‘believers’, having reported for duty under Christ’s Lordship, are not void of understanding of wars, battles, conflicts with the devil, because they learned from their Lord’s Life experiences and encounters with the powers of darkness. But even do ‘believers’ or ‘true Life in Christ disciples’ face spiritual warfare with their enemy, and at times yield to ‘darkness’ rather than to the “Light”? I’m afraid they do, but healing and deliverance can come, by the grace of God, to those who fall into a trap! “Yell for Help to the Keeper of your life and soul – don’t surrender, fight the good fight of faith!”

In Luke 4:13 we read, “Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Christ Jesus until an opportune time.”

But what about unawareness or unbelief in the ‘demonic’ activity against, especially, those who are the true followers of Christ? If you read further in Luke 4, in Verse 33, we read, “Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are – the Holy One of God!” Jesus cast the demon out, and the crowd around Him were amazed, talking among themselves, saying, Verse 36, Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, “What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.”

I’m not sure I should even mention demonic deliverance in a book for American Christians and even the mission stations across the world where I’ve ministered and taught since the mid-1970’s. Why? Because I’m not sure how many “professing believers” are walking equipped in discipleship training in all phases of ministry, and especially ‘deliverance’, ending up wounded, scarred, even in danger of walking away because they find themselves bitterly wounded by the “spirits” and don’t even know what is going on! It was Michael Drayton, in “The Owl”, who stated, “Better sit still, than rise to meet the devil.” No doubt true for those ‘professing faith’ but never equipped to take the demons on!

It was an Anonymous writer in Frank Meads’ “Encyclopedia of Religious Quotations”, [p.107], who wrote, “Talk of devils being confined to hell, or hidden by invisibility! – We have them by shoals in the crowded towns and cities of the world. – Talk of raising the devil! – What need for that, when he is constantly walking to and fro in our streets, seeking whom he may devour.”

But, of course, you are aware that through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ Jesus that ‘the devil’ IS a defeated enemy, not only of Christ but of every true believer! So…resist him steadfast in the Faith!! His victory over Satan is your victory through Christ!

I don’t know who wrote the following sentence, but it jumped off the page and touched my mind, heart, and will: “But tasks in hours of insight willed Can be through hours of gloom fulfilled.” Your task? Resting in the finished work of Christ Jesus at the Cross and the Empty Tomb!

“Truth Faith – Your Thoughts Or God’s Truth”? Romans 8:37-38 lifts us high to the mountain-top of our Lord’s High Mountain of forgiveness, freedom, fulfilment, and forever winning the battle over the world, the flesh, and the Devil! Paul said, “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.” AMEN?

CHAPTER NINETEEN

“A FAULTY FAITH OF DEPARTURE OR FAITH THAT SUSTAINS, FEEDS, AND PROVIDES”

Come with me to Matthew 14 and follow carefully Verses 13-21 that relates to the Lord Jesus feeding the five thousand! It says: When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities. And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick…

When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.” But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”…

And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” Jesus said, “Bring them here to Me.” Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes…

So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

If there were five thousand men, plus women and children, would it be safe to say that the total was ten thousand at a minimum? “Five loaves and two fish”? “They need to go to surrounding villages and buy themselves food, because how can one miss a meal when all they’re doing is listening to a man teach?”

“They’ve got to take care of themselves, because, even if it is a man representing God, their natural tendencies have to be met, and can God meet our food needs? We’ll go elsewhere for that need to be met; five loaves and two fish can’t meet the needs of ten thousand people!”

But is it possible when you read this event that it arouses in readers, not simply physical hunger because they’re about to miss a meal, or does it go beyond physical hunger to the, yes, spiritual hunger of the souls of men who are without a living relationship with the God who created them? And, if YOU are spiritually hungry, why look to worldly communities to meet your need? Yet, our world is overflowing with “hungry people” who don’t know of God’s desire to meet their every need according to His riches in glory in and through Christ Jesus, the Eternal- Food Blesser and Provider!

In fact, in Psalm 37:25, David tells us, “I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.” Does it mean the ‘righteous’ never have hunger pains? The human body does alert us when it is time to eat, but even with that alert, some deprive themselves of food occasionally because their ‘busy-ness’ substitutes for a ‘sit-down meal’! You probably have encountered a number of friends or acquaintances that are “too busy” to eat!

What about though when Jesus said to those disciples in Matthew 14:16, after His disciples came to Him to encourage the crowd to leave and go find food, “They do not need to go away. YOU give them something to eat.” The disciples responded, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” And you must ask, “Did His disciples not understand that the huge crowd’s greater need was the “Living Bread”?

In Matthew 14:18 we read, He [Christ Jesus] said, “Bring them here to Me.” And a supernatural miracle occurred before their eyes as Jesus blessed what they had and exploded it to care for multitudes! Verse 20 says, “So they all ate and were filled,” with left-over fragments totaling twelve baskets full!

What are the eternal, practical, personal, spiritual lessons Holy God would have each of us to learn from this demonstration of Christ’s awesome power and authority and love concerning “hungry lives and hungry hearts”?

YOUR INNER HUNGER IS NOT TO BE A DISTRACTION FROM CHRIST BUT THE OPEN DOOR TO CHRIST! Do you remember Satan testing Jesus right after He had begun His public ministry? In Matthew 4:1-4 the Holy Word tells us: Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted [tested] by the devil. And when He [Jesus] had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

But Jesus answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” In the main text of this chapter, Matthew 14:16, our Lord and Savior was so very clear: “They do not need to go away.” The ‘going away’ was from Him to find food when He is “food’s inventor”!

In our day to day living in this modern world, most men are drawn away from Christ, not to Christ, because their appetites are strictly ‘fleshly’ and not spiritual as to one’s eternal life and relationship to Holy God! Their main emphasis is satisfying their sin nature and what it calls for, or the world’s chief emphasis, or, yes, the tempting, twisting, troubling activity of the devil to draw men away from God’s bidding and following the deceptive emphasis of Satan himself!

Life in the modern world today is no different than life 2000 years ago with occupations, responsibilities, interests, callings, or ministries – the problem is that the deceived heart of men today is just as enslaved to the devil as the men in Christ’s day, and He came to set the captives free where they begin to discern, whatever their calling, task, or responsibility, what it is God would have them be and do, not deceived by the powers of darkness to work for darkness, the flesh, and under demonic control rather than Christ control, living in honor of Him who created them, loved them, and assigned them His ministry calling through them whether a carpenter, an educator, a pastor-teacher, medical profession, or whatever, but it IS to the glory of God alone, not satisfying ‘fleshly’ appetites!

YOUR INNER HUNGER IS NOT TO BE AN ATTEMPT AT SATISFACTION BY IMITATION OF A FALLEN WORLD AROUND YOU! But, of course, blinded sinners by the powers of darkness have no explanation for their “fall” because those powers of darkness excuse the fallen world by deceiving men, “This is just the way you are; look around you; join yourself to those who have a ‘happy’ identity in their state of life!”

Paul, in Ephesians 4:17-19, explains this “fallen, away from God, imitation life” by saying, “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.”

But, understand, “God so loved the world…,” and is not willing for greedy people, blinded people spiritually, those with the futility-mind-disease, comfortable in darkness, no problem with alienation from God the Creator, Lord, and Savior, sadly, blinded by their sin-state, and at home with lewdness, uncleanness, and alienation – So God Himself, by the Spirit, by the Savior and Lord, by the true family of Holy God stands tall and vocal:

Ephesians 5:14, Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, and Christ Jesus will give you light.” That isn’t human initiative though human initiative is an unspoken of religion all over the world; when the anointed Word and the Spirit of God, yes, even through His redeemed family, is spoken in love, grace, and mercy, we “Arise” and follow our Lord and Savior! If the Savior says to YOU “Arise from the dead”, do you think that’s an option you hold or a command to respond immediately to in honoring King Jesus!

When you consider the Old Testament prophets, why did Holy God raise up the true prophets in challenging His chosen, holy people called Israel who were to be those who were chosen to usher in the Messiah? – it happened, He came, but then the religious elite of Judaism, not the “remnant”, but the chief priests and the Sadducees had Christ Jesus crucified because they imitated the fallen world around them without any consideration of the prophetic Word!

Isaiah 59:20 says, “The Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,” says the Lord,” but the majority of Israel bought “the lie” of Satan, “You can sin and not die,” but they sinned and they died without Emmanuel and His ministry to them and through them!

YOUR INNER HUNGER IS NOT TO BE MAN’S BEST EFFORT BUT THE ACTUAL DISCIPLINE OF SPIRITUAL ENDURANCE! It’s highly important and effective in sharing with young converts the reality of the necessity of discipline and especially as it relates to spiritual endurance.

The walk of a true disciple is never easy because, though saved, re-born, and in-filled with the Holy Spirit, the highway of holiness is a demanding walk! I know this is why Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:7, “But we have this treasure [that’s Christ’s Light and knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, now shining in us and through us who have been “born again”] in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not us.”

Oh, and then in Verses 8-11, Paul challenges us about “resting in Christ”! He said, “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed – 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.”

That’s the choice of daily death to yourself that Christ’s life is revealed through you! Question! Through YOU is it His nature and character or your best effort? Through YOU is it His spirit, His sure confidence, His sweetness and toughness, His strengths or your weaknesses, His manifested presence within you or your mental premises of a good Christian?

YOUR INNER HUNGER IS NOT BY THE RECOGNITION OF ONE’S PERSONAL RELIGIOUS INCLINATIONS BUT THE INSPIRATION OF ENLIGHTMENT OF SCRIPTURAL TRUTH AND ONE’S CONTINUOUS APPROPRIATION OF THAT TRUTH! In Ephesians 1:17-19 we gladly receive, trust, and walk in the revealed truth of one’s victory in Christ alone! It says: “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding 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, according to the working of His mighty power.”

How does this revealed Word speak to your personal examination of your present relationship to Holy God? Best effort or blessed Presence? Trying or trusting? Adapting or appropriating? Your resilience or His “rest”? What YOU say or feel or what Christ Jesus declares?

If Christ Jesus is the “Great I Am”, how does that relate to YOU “in Christ”? 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.” Important question to follow! “Do YOU frustrate or set aside the grace of God, and give your best or rest in Christ’s Resurrection Life in you?

In 1 John 4:17 John deciares, “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; BECAUSE AS HE IS, SO ARE WE IN THIS WORLD.” Your past IS OVER, crucified with Christ 2000 years ago – it is not you but Christ in you as the hope of glory that’s makes the difference! And do you understand why Paul would say, “I take the sentence of death in me daily that the resurrection of Christ is manifested in my mortal flesh”? If your old man was crucified with Christ, then why do you give the crucified life so much attention? Why do you degrade the old self of yours that He allowed to die with Him?

I want to close this chapter with “My Testimony”, written by Milton Green of Cleveland, Tennessee, written over thirty years ago. I don’t think Milton ever finished the 8^th Grade, early into service in the army, returned home and began, I believe, a window-washing business, married, I believe it was three times. His third wife was a friend of mine and Sue’s, Joyce Samples, who begin a positive influence in his life. He was led to the Lord by someone I do not know, went to his home pastor asking for the pastor to disciple him – but the pastor was too busy, and ignored him. My wife and I moved back to Cleveland from Tempe, Arizona, and met Milton – the first thing he said was, “Farrell, would you disciple me?” As I was traveling doing revivals and evangelism conferences, I told Milt that when I was in town, I’d train him every Wednesday night at 9pm after our church’s prayer meeting. After about a year and a half of that, my wife I moved to Dothan, Alabama, where I served as pastor of First Baptist Church. On a Sunday evening service sometime after the move there, Milton and Joyce entered for the Sunday evening service. They stayed in our home for two or three nights – and Sue and I saw a divine transformation! It was so encouraging to see what our Lord had done in Milton’s life – a powerful miracle of grace! Milton ended up teaching in conferences all over the world, many times with 10,000-20,000 seekers after Truth! It was a phenomenal ministry of encouragement to see what God Almighty did through the “carpenter- cleaner’s life”! The following is Milton’s Testimony!:

“MY TESTIMONY”

I cried out to the Lord and He heard my cries. He lifted me up out of a pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet on a rock – making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth – a song of praise to my God. Many will see and fear and trust in the Lord. And blessed is the man whose trust is the Lord, who has not turned to the proud or to those who have lapsed into falsehood. Many Oh Lord my God are the wonders You have done – and yet Your thoughts are toward me. There’s none to compare with You! My ears were opened and then I said, “Behold, Lord, I come to You. In the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God. Your Law is written upon my heart.”

Because I’ve been born again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…to an inheritance that is incorruptible, undefiled, fadeth not away, is reserved in heaven for me. I’m kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last times.

Although I’ve never seen You – I love You. And although I don’t see You right now I believe You and I trust You and I rejoice with a joy unspeakable full of glory, receiving the end of my faith – even the salvation of my soul.

Because I’ve been redeemed. I’ve been redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus – without blemish or without spot. I’ve been born again not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible seed – by the Word of God that liveth and abideth forever.

Jesus Christ is my cornerstone. He’s rejected of men but chosen of God and precious. And I’m a lively stone. I’m a lively stone that makes up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God in Jesus Christ.

I’m a chosen person, a royal priesthood, a holy priesthood, a peculiar person – to show forth praises unto Him who delivered me out of darkness – into the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom I have redemption, the forgiveness of All my sins. He took all my sins in His own body on the tree, that I, being dead to sin, would live unto righteousness – by whose stripes I was healed, in Jesus’ Name!

Now who is going to harm him who follows after that which is good? Who is going to get him?

I sanctify the Lord God in my heart and I’m ready to give an answer to every man that asks me, with meekness and fear. Casting all my cares on Him – because He cares for me!

Jesus Christ is the exact image of the invisible God. He’s the first born of all creation. And in and through Jesus Christ all things were created, visible and invisible, whether thrones, dominions, rulers or authorities – Everything has been created through Jesus Christ and for Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is before all things. And in Jesus Christ all things hold together. Jesus Christ is also head of the body – the Church. For He is from the beginning – the first born from the dead – that He should have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure that all His fullness and goodness should dwell in Him.

And God has reconciled me to Himself. Having made peace through the blood of the Cross. And although I was formerly alienated from Him, I was hostile in my mind. I was engaged in evil deeds – Jesus Christ reconciled me to Himself to appear before Him holy and blameless.

For in Christ Jesus the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily. In Jesus Christ I’ve been made complete. All my sins have been blotted out and nailed to the Cross. In Jesus Christ I’m sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise!

God, after He had spoken long ago to the Fathers through the Prophets in many portions and many ways, in these last days has spoken to us through His Son Jesus – Whom He appointed heir of all things, and through Whom He made the world. He’s the radiance of His glory – the exact representation of His nature – and He upholds all things by the power of His words, and after He had made purification for sins He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high!

And because of His great love for me, He has raised me up to be [seated] with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus – just as He has chosen me before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before Him.

And He has taken every weakness, infirmity, sickness, cures, sin and disease – and by His stripes I am healed in Jesus’ name!

I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. I’ve been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Oh, the riches of the glory of the inheritance of the saints, and exceeding riches of His glory to us who Believe, according to the riches of His mighty might – which He performed in Christ Jesus when He raised Him from the dead and sat Him at His own right hand. He placed all things under His feet and gave Him to be head of all things to the church, which I am a part of, the full ness of Him who fills all in all.

The Son of God appeared for this reason – He has already destroyed the works of the devil. He disarmed him, He made a public display of him, triumphing over him at Calvary. You know of Jesus of Nazareth who went about doing good and healing all those who were oppressed by the devil.

He has given me authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means harm me. These signs will follow those who believe: In His name I will cast out demons. I will lay hands on the sick and they will recover. The Lord works with me – He confirms His word and signs follow. I let the high praises of God be in my mouth, a two-edged sword in my hand to execute vengeance upon the heathens, punishment on the peoples – to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron, to execute upon them the judgment written. This is an honor that belongs to every saint.

My weapons are mighty in God to tearing down strongholds, casting down imaginations, and every lofty thought that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. And I take every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus.

My Father’s word is forever settled in heaven. My Father’s word is the fixed authority. My Father watches over His word to perform it. Heaven and earth will pass away – but my Father’s word will never pass away. My Father’s word is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

My Father’s word is life to those who find it and health to all their whole flesh. My Father’s word doesn’t return without accomplishing what He desires and succeeding in the manner in which He sent it.

My Father’s word sanctifies me, renews my mind, separates me from the world into righteousness. And I rule and reign in life through the gift of righteousness in the grace of God through Jesus Christ.

I’m MORE than a conqueror in Jesus’ name! God is my Father – Jesus Christ is my Lord – and I’m a product of His love!” I have love, I have joy, I have peace, I have patience, I have longsuffering, I have goodness, I have gentleness, I have meekness, I have temperance, I have faith. I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me.

Greater is the Lord Jesus in me than he who is in the world. I overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony. Old things have passed away – All things have become new. As Jesus Christ is in the world – So am I!

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me. Because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has anointed me to bind up the brokenhearted; to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners. To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord and that day of vengeance of our God. To comfort those who mourn.

It was the Father’s good pleasure to give me the kingdom. And His Son Jesus has given me the keys to the kingdom. So that whatever I bind on earth will be bound in heaven – and whatever I loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

I am a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God – which is just my reasonable form of worship. I’m not conformed to this world. I’ll not walk and talk and act like this world! But I’m transformed by the renewing of my mind – that I’ll not only know, but prove what is the good, perfect, and acceptable will of God.

I rejoice greatly in my God. I’ve declared the glad tidings of Your righteousness in the great congregation. Behold, I’ve not restrained my lips. Oh God, You know. I’ve not hidden Your righteousness within my heart. I’ve spoken of Your righteousness and Your salvation. I’ve not concealed Your truth from the great congregation.

Now let those who seek the Lord rejoice and be glad in Him. Let those who love Your salvation continually say, “Let the Lord be magnified”!

For You are our help and our deliverer. I rejoice greatly in my God. My soul exults in my God. He has clothed me with garments of salvation. He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness. Like a bridegroom who decks himself with a robe of righteousness. Like a bridegroom who decks himself with a garland and like a bride who adorns herself with jewels – He keeps me from stumbling. He makes me stand in the glory of His presence – holy, blameless, without reproach – with great joy, the only wise God is my Savior – who is Jesus Christ. To You alone be glory and majesty, dominion and authority before all time, now, and forevermore.

I fight the good fight of faith. I lay hold of eternal life to which I’ve been called by Your grace – and I make the good confession before many witnesses.” Amen?

And your testimony? “A Faulty Faith of Departure” OR “A FAITH THAT SUSTAINS, FEEDS, AND PROVIDES?”

CHAPTER TWENTY

“FLESHLY FAITH OR GOD-GIVEN FAITH?”

There are two verses of Scripture in Psalm 9 that I want to alert your attention to as we continue this study about fleshly faith or God’s God-Given Faith. Psalm 9:10 says, “And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.”

And then Psalm 9:17 says so clearly, “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”

I really don’t know where you are personally in your faith journey as I write this, but I know the passion of my heart is that “God-Given Faith” is the true foundation of your spiritual journey and not a “Fleshly Faith” that comes from vain imaginations, false prophets, or even governmental religious control and fabrication!

Are YOU aware of the human tragedy of men who preach a “salvation” because of men’s best efforts without any regard to the sin that dominates, alienates, and dispenses an eternal poison in the human blood flow, and never relates at all to the “blood flow” of Christ on Calvary’s Cross? Are you aware of men’s inventions of world religions that have no relationship at all to the true Savior of mankind from sin and death? Are there religions of men’s mental capacities that have nothing to do with blackened hearts and devilish bondage?

It’s really interesting that even in Peter’s day that there was the presence of scoffers who believed themselves to be highly religious and ought to be first in line as God opens His door to Holy Presence! But Peter said: “that scoffers will come in the last days [of Judaism], walking according to their own lusts…” and possessing no awareness of the absolute necessity of being “born again”!

In John 12:32-33 we read Jesus speaking. He said: “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” This He said, signifying by what death He would die.” But drawn by Him doesn’t mean automatic human response! “Sad He died, but I’m able on my own to be of highly religious quality without the shedding of His blood!” And so they ‘go to Hell’ instead!

But if Jesus said, “I will draw all peoples to Myself,” isn’t it heart-breaking to realize the vast rejection of the “blood-bought Atonement” of Christ? Oswald Chambers, in his book, “My Utmost For His Highest,” wrote: [p.264], “When you are face to face with a soul in difficulty spiritually, remind yourself of Jesus Christ on the Cross. If that soul can get to God on any other line, then the Cross of Jesus Christ is unnecessary. If you can help others by your sympathy or understanding, you are a traitor to Jesus Christ.”

Do you remember what Jesus said in Matthew 5:8? “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” But purity of heart is not by what one refrains from but by the sacrificial, sovereign grace and mercy of God Himself through the shed blood of God’s Son on Calvary’s Cross! Religious people all over our known world are people who’ve grown up with a degree of intellectual understanding of their ‘man-made’ faiths, but sadly never understood surrender to the Resurrected Lord and Savior!

Do you even have any awareness of the degree to which fallen men have fallen when they would mar God’s character by insisting He is wrong if He cannot, will not accept their best efforts to please Him by their “genius inventions” of their religious steps to God? And if He doesn’t, then “He is unkind, unmerciful, unfaithful to Himself,” so they’ll just go their own religious way!

Is there ‘unfaithfulness’ because of the reality of ‘unfaith’, if there is such a word, which I believe is a mind and heart void of true biblical faith in what God says and what He does – and you trust or have ‘faith’ in His awesome eternal work in and through Christ Jesus?

The Random House College Dictionary of 1975 says of ‘unfaithful’: “Not faithful; false to duty, obligation, or promises; faithless, disloyal..(even) guilty of adultery, (Are there adulterous ‘believers’?}..not accurate or complete; inexact. Unbelieving, infidel.”

And if a man has settled into a state of life called ‘unbelief,’ which is evidence of “Fleshly Faith,” it is because of one accepting unbelief without knowing that literal unbelief is belief in the ‘lie’ that the devil promoted with Adam and Eve, “You can sin and not die”, when the Word declares that “The wages of sin is death”! Isn’t it interesting that in Proverbs 23:7 we read, “For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he”?

There is an Old Testament example of true believers and true unbelievers that Paul tells us about in 1 Corinthians 10:4-13! He said, “For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. BUT WITH MOST OF THEM GOD WAS NOT WELL PLEASED, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, TO THE INTENT that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as some of them were. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them AS EXAMPLES, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such 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 temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

You do clearly understand that biblical faith is far more than most modern-day churches or ‘preachers’ (?) have made it to be. Acknowledging “Truth” is not one’s surrender and yieldingness to that Truth! Edward Young once wrote: [The Encyclopedia of Religious Quotations, by Frank S. Mead, Fleming H.Revell Com., Westwood, New Jersey], “Faith is not only a means of obeying, but a principal act of obedience; not only an altar on which to sacrifice, but a sacrifice itself, and perhaps, of all, the greatest. It is a submission of our understandings; an oblation of our idolized reason to God, which He requires so indispensably, that our whole will and affections, though seemingly a larger sacrifice, will not, without it, be received at his hands.” Are YOU a man or woman of true biblical faith?

In his book printed in 1973 entitled “Sent To Be Vulnerable,” by Creath Davis, [Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan,], he wrote, [p.19], “We can break His heart [that’s God’s heart] by our stubborn refusal to open ourselves to His truth and love, or we can cause Him to rejoice by responding enthusiastically to His promptings.”

In Dallas Willard’s book entitled “Renovation of the Heart”, published in 2002 by Navpress, [PO BOX 35001, Colorado Springs, CO 80935], Willard said: “External manifestation of “Christlikeness” is not, however, the focus of the process; and when it is made the main emphasis, the process will certainly be defeated, falling into deadening legalisms and pointless parochialism. That is what happened so often in the past, and this fact is a major barrier to whole heartedly embracing Christian spiritual formation in the present. We know now that peculiar modes of dress, behavior, and organization just are not the point.”

Much of “Fleshly Faith” is a promotion of ‘self,’ even demanding by some that God accept their best efforts when He crucified them with Christ! Isn’t that the ‘self-righteousness’ of the scribes and Pharisees?

“Fleshly Faith”? In James 1:12-15 the brother of Jesus wrote: “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 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.”

Did Paul, after his deceptive journey in Judaism, even as a rabbi, learn of “God-Given Faith” after being a devout proponent of “Fleshly Faith”? Listen to his words in Romans 2:4-11! “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But in accordance with your hardness and impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, “who will render to each one according to his deeds”: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but TO THOSE WHO ARE SELF-SEEKING and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness – indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.”

“Fleshly Faith” is evident when one determines for himself what ought to be acceptable by God, because, in themselves, they’ve determined their own pattern of self-righteousness which ought to be acceptable by God, even if it is counter to the very revelation of Holy God! Romans 12:1-2 tells us, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 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.”

Haven’t we seen already about the serious nature of the influences of the world, the flesh, and the devil? But often the “pretenders” are in the forefront, the “play-actors” put on a good performance, the “dramatists” operate with no biblical foundation at all because they are smarter than God Himself, and even many “governmental leaders” are void of a Godly foundation while professing allegiance to Him, being physical in nature strongly but spiritually diseased, narcissistic nobodies fleshly neutered as to devotion to the God who made them!

“Fleshly Faith” is the promotion of a self-sanctified individual who has determined for himself/herself what is righteous, holy, and sovereign – the governance of their lives is by self-effort, self-love, self-promotion, and, yes, very religious! They don’t need to be saved from themselves because their nature and character is of a self-defined religious orientation – so, who needs God? [The man who is nearest to God is the man who knows the treachery of a selfish nature!]

“Fleshly Faith” today has large numbers on television promoting how you ought to feel good about yourself without an inkling that self-promotion and self -worship promotes one to a greater distance from God than he/she has ever known! I love what St. Augustine wrote centuries ago, “You have made us for Yourself, O God, and our souls find no rest until they find it in You.”

Augustine leads us into a greater awareness of “God-Given Faith” than we’ve ever known! In Romans 5:1-5 Paul wrote: “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 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.”

Did you notice, “justified by faith” or accepted “just-as-if-I’d-never sinned”? But does the “God-Given Faith” also ‘sanctify’ or set one apart for the glory of God alone? And does true faith also glorify? Does one of God-given faith radiate the Holy Presence of the Indwelling Spirit of God? Yes! It does! “By their fruits you shall know them!”

“God-Given Faith”? If you didn’t know: “Heaven’s reality is Earth’s redemption!” And ‘earth’s redemption’ is one ‘blood-bought’ through Christ Jesus’ own shed blood on the Cross in 33AD, ‘the year of our Lord and Savior’! “God-Given Faith” that does not center in the source of divine forgiveness through the Lord’s shed blood is nothing more than religious idiocy brought on by those living in total rebellion to the love of God, convinced their sin is not serious enough to require the divine intervention through ‘that cruel cross’! But it does require Jesus’ shed blood or all mankind would remain under the demonic control of the ‘father of lies,’ the devil, facing eternity forever separated from Holy God, experiencing the devilish tribulation of fallen mankind, and eternally separated from the God of Calvary’s supreme love, grace, and mercy!

It was Oswald Chambers who once wrote: “The calling of a New Testament worker is to uncover sin and to reveal Jesus Christ as Savior, consequently he cannot be poetical, he must be sternly surgical. We are sent by God to lift up Jesus Christ, not to give wonderfully beautiful discourses.”

“God-Given Faith”? How familiar are you with Paul’s anointed letter to the Corinthians? Follow his anointed Word in 2 Corinthians 7:1, followed by Verses 8-10: First, Verse One, “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord.” [Knowing that ‘word’ today will create heavy resentment in a self-righteous ‘church’!]

Verses 8-10 then tells us, “For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”

Just how sorrowful were you, are you, over your sin that ushered in the shed blood of the Lamb of God? But, be assured, there is a world of people who have no recognition of “sin” in their lives that would require the crucifixion of the Son of God – they are so ‘pride-filled’ in themselves, they’d just as soon crucify you also for even repeating such an ‘untrue’ statement!

“God-Given Faith”? In John 12:27-37 you’ll find the Lord Jesus Christ predicting His own death on that cruel Cross! He said: “Now My soul is troubled, 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. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.”

Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” This He said, signifying by what death He would die.

The people answered Him, “We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up?’ Who is this Son of Man?’

Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them. But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him.”

It is a sad and devastating thing for a man/woman not to believe, trust in, rely upon, or adhere to the very claims of Christ as to their “redemption”, even ‘good men’ who are not Godly, or ‘striving men’ who never trust in God’s eternal help, health, or holy purpose, or highly educated men in man’s worldly philosophy but never understanding or grasping God’s reach for their blood redemption! That is human tragedy in the highest level!

Do you understand the reality of the Eternal, Righteous, Powerful, Holy God, and His ‘down-reach’ for your eternal salvation? Have you ever wrestled with the reality of being “saved from yourself”? Have YOU been confronted with the ‘deceitfulness of your sin,’ or the vastness of your perverse nature and what you are capable of in your ‘fleshly’ state? Are you aware of Holy Presence, and without Christ, being one of constant rebellion to the God who loves you? Are you aware of the end result of a Christ-less life that walks through a vast tunnel of destruction in companionship with the devil and his demons and all unbelievers who omit Christ from their lives?

Are you at all ashamed that you have been totally insensitive to the love of God fully demonstrated at Calvary’s Cross? Is it just plain easy for you to forget God, neglect God, ignore God and His “Amazing Grace”? Have you ever confronted “the fatal enchantments” in your own mind and heart that cloud God’s amazing, personal love for you?

Have you ever stood before the Cross of Christ to say, “I just don’t care You died for me, because I don’t consider my heart, my life, my selfish dreams and selfish ambitions, to cause You to be ‘made a curse’ in my behalf! But I do acknowledge the reality of ‘sin’ in my life, however You want to define it, but to humble myself before Your Cross? Humble myself in the suffocating throes of personal humiliation, saying I need someone, something, outside of myself to ‘save me’? I don’t think so.”

‘Dead in iniquities’? Captured by the devil? Blinded by the old sin nature? A lustful rebel? A polluted person in the mind and heart? Vile passions like continuous nails in the mind and heart?

Yet, Jesus says, “Come unto Me, and I will give you rest,” and He forgives sin, He reconciles men to Holy God, He indwells the repentant heart, He births a “new creation,” He instills eternal, holy, Spirit-anointed living, He blesses me with His everlasting, eternal love, He dresses me in His eternal robes of righteousness, He releases the eternal stream of peace like His mighty river that never runs dry, I suffer – He comforts, I cry – He weeps with me, I find myself in a dark period of life and He releases the bright rays of eternal presence, I doubt – He unveils more and more and more of His eternal truths and releases the rays of His eternal Light upon me.

I’m not a ‘performer’ on a stage ‘play-acting’, but an individual who through repentance toward God and faith in the finished work of Christ at the Cross, has become His “new man” by grace, mercy, and love!

“God-Given Faith”? Here’s how Paul related it for his journey in Philippians 3:12-14, “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.”

“But one thing I do…”; “forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead…”! What’s ahead in your everyday pilgrimage with Christ? How about “the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Jesus Christ”?

What did Paul tell us in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10? And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Do you understand that your “God-Given Faith” is to be firmly established, resting in, and fully dependent upon God’s omnipotence to reign through you by your full surrender unto Him, not that “I’m able!” He’s the Great Shepherd who leads the sheep; He’s the Author of Truth who keeps me from deception; He’s the constant, available, “renewer” of my soul, spirit, ambition, and eternal purpose as I lean not to my own understanding but in all my ways acknowledge Him; He’s the One never ashamed of the eternal Truth of His Gospel, and neither will I be!

“God-Given Faith”? Dare I tell you that 2 Corinthians 1:20-22 we learn, “For all the promises of God in Him [in Christ Jesus] are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God THROUGH US. Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has SEALED US and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” I feel so sorry, so heavy, so saddened by those who ‘live in the Faith’ but have never received the seal of the Spirit and His guarantee in their hearts! That, my friends, is delusional!

Is it possible through the Word that Holy God has given you an amazing advance in faith in the “Christ-life” by His mighty wave of eternal Truth that dispels fear, doubt, and uncertainty about your eternal security in Christ Jesus? It’s there! Not a lie, but His revealed Truth; not deception, but divine revelation – Christ Jesus doesn’t lie!

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

“TRUE FAITH – ITS DESPISERS AND ITS FOLLOWERS”

There is a word from our Lord and Master that should cause strong self-examination in the mind and heart of every professing believer when Jesus said in Luke 6:40, “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.”

So what did the Lord Jesus find as He came to unveil Himself to a lost, perishing, rebellious, man-centered existence? I’m sure you know! There was rejection, resentment, bitterness toward Him, and eventually His crucifixion, resurrection, and then His bodily ascension to the right hand of God the Father! But He had a passion, a prayer, an eternal mission and the spiritual fortitude to stand strong among His despisers.

In John 17:20-23 we read about our Lord and Savior praying for all believers in all parts of His created world and for all unbelievers, even those who despised Him and those who still do! He said: “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one. I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved me.”

I find it so thrilling to be reading the Psalms and come across a passage that so emphasizes and magnifies the very spirit of what you just read from John 17! It’s Psalm 133, and across the number of the chapter I had written, “Unite our hearts to show reverence for Your name.” Psalm 133 says:

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head [anointing oil!], running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing – Life forevermore.”

Do you remember Psalm 86:11? “Unite my heart to fear Your Name!” But for the “despisers” of God, that is a ridiculous request! There are men with divided hearts, careless hearts, compromising hearts, callous, even cruel hearts, and they do despise the very mentioning of His Precious Name!

2 Timothy 3:16-17 is such a vital passage for grasping, understanding, and relying upon the Word of God! It says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

When you come to Luke 21:7-to the end of the chapter, you’ll find passages that truly related to “the signs of the Times and the End of the Jewish age” in 70 AD in the capture, overthrow, and destruction of Jerusalem. So… it has no meaning for all the rest of the world, even modern-day U.S.A? They asked Jesus in Verse 7, “And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?” Follow carefully in your Bible!

Verse 8, “Take heed that YOU not be deceived!” Great deception! Verse 9, “…when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified!” Great conflict! Verses 10-11, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences…fearful signs and great signs…” Great natural catastrophes! Verse 12, “Great persecution”. Verse 16, “Great animosity…hated by all for Jesus’ name’s sake! Great anticipation! Verse 25, “Great confidence…”. Verse 34, “Great importance!” “Take heed to yourselves!”

[And notice Luke 22:3, “Then Satan entered Judas…”] Do you fathom the danger of deception and, yes, the very terror “despisers of the faith” can stir up?

You do remember from Old Testament history that Israel was divided between the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom. In Jeremiah 4 there is revealed the ‘backsliding Israel’ and ‘her treacherous sister Judah’! In Jeremiah 4:11-13 we read: Then the Lord said to me, “Backsliding Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say: ‘Return, backsliding Israel,’ says the Lord; I will not cause My anger to fall on you. For I am merciful,’ says the Lord; ‘I will not remain angry forever. Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have transgressed against the Lord your God, and have scattered your charms to alien deities under every green tree, and you have not obeyed My voice,’ says the Lord.”

If I said to you, about ‘remaining faithful’ in your walk of faith, what would you think would be the response of many ‘professing believers’ in the Christian world? If I said to you, “To be Heavenly relevant is to be earthly radical in willing obedience to all our Lord says,” what would be YOUR response?

In Psalm 22 you’ll find one of the most powerful Messianic messages you’ll ever read, relating to the Lord Jesus’ rejection from men and even mentioning the ‘silence’ of God as He had to walk the path to the Cross alone. This is how the Messiah felt as He walked the Calvary Road! Verses 1-2 says, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning? O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; and in the night season, and am not silent…[Notice, next: Verses 6-8!],

But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and ‘despised’ by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, ‘He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!’

Are you aware that it was the ‘religious elite’ that highly opposed the King of kings and Lord of lords? Yes, even “despised” by the people? Are you aware of the “martyrs” for the faith, slain by ‘religious’ promoters of one’s ‘sick’ opposition to the Living Lord, yes, the One God resurrected from the dead after His crucifixion? I think it was Spurgeon who once preached, “Reproach is the common heritage of the godly.”

Do you remember Jude’s challenge in Jude 3-4? “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you TO CONTEND EARNESTLY FOR THE FAITH which was once for all delivered to the saints. FOR CERTAIN MEN HAVE CREPT IN UNNOTICED, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.” But, in the good-old U.S.A, we don’t have to be concerned about the “despisers of True Faith”, right?

“True Faith’s Despisers”? Christ Jesus didn’t have to wait long in His journey, even from among the inner circle of His first twelve disciples. In Luke 22:47-48 we read, And while He [Jesus] was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him. But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

Do you understand that many of the despisers of Jesus come from within what one might call “the family of faith followers”? And do you understand that Christ Jesus reads us all like an open book? In John 2:23-25 we read, “Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.” And He KNOWS you and me intimiately?

Are you familiar with the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7:51-60? He came on strong under the anointing of the Holy Spirit to expose those who professed but rejected Holy Truth! “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of the angels and have not kept it.”

When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”

Oh, but then look at Acts 8:1, Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered…! Do you see it? Absenteeism opens the door to “making havoc of the church Jesus loved and gave Himself for”!

I tell you, I was so devastated this morning as I read Robert Burns: “The Cotter’s Saturday Night”, in which he wrote: “Compared with this, how poor Religion’s pride, In all the pomp of method and of art, When men display to congregations wide, Devotion’s every grace, except the heart!”

And how penetrating and convicting do you perceive Shakespeare’s Hamlet, [Act 111, sc.1 L.47]? “’Tis too much proved – that with devotion’s visage And pious action we do sugar over the devil himself.”

Rather than ‘devotion to’ there is denial of, rather than receiving there is rejecting, rather than submission there is rebellion, rather than yieldedness there is self-will, rather than divine conversion there is pretense, rather than trust there is fleshly betrayal, rather than “laying down one’s life to the glory of God” there is the looking out for number one, rather than true endurance there is ‘falling short’, rather than the witness of the Spirit there is the unveiled witness of the ‘old self’, rather than Christ-consciousness there is the self-indulgence, rather than divine will there is the spirit of self-satisfaction, rather than the delight in doing God’s will there is the disturbing intent of “my will”, and rather than the full surrender of obedience to God’s Word many choose to live under the dark-cloud of self-willed determination!

But NOW, WHAT ABOUT “TRUE FAITH AND ITS FOLLOWERS”? How clear and to the point about God, true faith, and His followers, is what Jeremiah 10:6-7 tells us? “Inasmuch as there is none like You, O Lord (You are great, and Your name is great in might), Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? For this is Your rightful due. For among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like You.”

True Faith, True Followers, because of the reality of the One, True God! And remember, it was John the Baptist who came blessing, preaching, teaching, exalting Christ Jesus as the Savior and Lord of all life! In John 3:27-36 John promotes the Name, the ministry, the answer of God for all mankind’s spiritual deliverance from bondage through Christ alone! He said:

“A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. HE [Christ Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease.

He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.

He who believes in the Son [trusts in, relies upon, adheres to, obeys] has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” And God’s ‘wrath-cloud’ is slowly moving in over the lives of unbelievers who reject, disbelieve, and share in His crucifixion rather than exalting Him as Lord and Savior of their lives!

What did God say in Jeremiah 45:5? “And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I will bring adversity on all flesh, says the Lord.” An introspective life, concerned only about fleshly ideals and achievements apart from full surrender to God’s Sovereignty, is “flesh” and not the spirit of surrender and yieldingness to Holy God!

Oh, but the psalmist tells us in Psalm 19:7-11, “The law of the Lord is PERFECT, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward.”

Notice, Psalm 19:9, “The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.” True and righteous judgments of the Lord! Take note!

John 1:6-9 says, 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.” Before YOU is the TRUE LIGHT!

Luke 16:10-11 Jesus said, “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?” For you: “false riches or true riches”?

John 3:33 is John again, so bold, so on target! “He who has received His [Christ Jesus] testimony has certified that God is true.” Tell me about your life certification of Christ’s eternal person and purpose and pleasure!

John 4:23-26, WOW! GET READY! Christ Jesus declared, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the ‘true worshippers’ will worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to Him, I know that Messiah is coming (who is called Christ). When He comes, He will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.” So…as Josh MacDowell once said, “Is Jesus a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord God”?

Do you remember those who said to Jesus in John 6:28, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus responded in John 6:29-35 saying, Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe [trust in, rely upon, adhere to, obey] in Him whom He sent.”

Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.” But, listen carefully: IT IS “BROKEN BREAD AND POURED OUT WINE” that Christ Jesus is able to use for His glory, His honor, His praise!

Question! Are YOU ‘broken bread’ and ‘poured out wine’ to the honor, glory, and praise of Christ Jesus only? In Colossians 1:24 Paul wrote, “I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church…”. Tell me about ‘your’ sufferings for the sake of the Body of Christ, the church He loved and gave Himself for!

Please come with me to John 15:1-2 where Christ Jesus tells us, “I AM the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” Oh, and then in Verse 4 Jesus said, “Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”

Our Lord then said in John 15:8, “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” That’s ‘grapes’ for the wine of eternal Truth pressed, crushed, and poured out for His honor, but, ‘why not just be a good church member’?

How did Paul address the Ephesian church, yes, and those of us in the modern-day church? Look at Ephesians 4:17-24!! “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus; that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” [How much do you hear in modern churches about ‘true righteousness and holiness’?]

Do you clearly understand and receive and walk in what Peter talked about in 1 Peter 5:12 when he said, “exhorting and testifying THAT THIS IS THE TRUE GRACE OF GOD IN WHICH YOU STAND.” Oh, then, there must be a ‘false grace’ in which some stand? True Grace perfects, establishes, strengthens, settles one into a state of life of living in God’s glory and His dominion forever and ever!

Oh, but there is more concerning True Faith and True Followers! John put it like this in 1 John 2:8, “Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.”

Please understand: John says “the darkness is passing away”; in Christ every day is a new day, and what was total darkness in every unbeliever, because of Christ’s resurrection presence in us, the darkness is fading away and His true light grows stronger in us moment by moment!

It gets more exciting and encouraging and uplifting for Christ’s true disciples! In Revelation 19:11-13 John wrote: “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.”

True Faith and True Followers? False Faith and False Followers are presumptuous, proud, pointing to “Self-Effort” and determination to be their ‘shining qualities’ when it is nothing more than deception that leads to despair. Despair is deceit when one is dominated by the old sin nature rather than full surrender to what the Word describes for you who, in Him, are “more than conquerors”!

I have no doubts that this is why James wrote in James 1:21, “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”

I had a book-gift given to me after major surgery some years back, sent to me by Ken and Stephanie Hunley, entitled “The Valley of Vision.” [Published by The Banner of Truth Trust, PO Box 621, Carlisle, PA 17013, USA, 2012]. I so want you to receive this prayer entitled “The Gospel Way,” [pps.62-63, Author unknown.]:

Blessed Lord Jesus,

No human mind could conceive or invent the gospel. Acting in eternal grace, You are both its messenger and its message, lived out on earth through infinite compassion, applying Your life to insult, injury, death, that I might be redeemed, ransomed, freed.

Blessed be You, O Father, for contriving this way, Eternal thanks to You, O Lamb of God, for opening this way, Praise everlasting to You, O Holy Spirit, for applying this way to my heart.

Glorious Trinity, impress the gospel on my soul, until its virtue diffuses every faculty; Let it be heard, acknowledged, professed, felt. Teach me to secure this mighty blessing; Help me to give up every darling lust, to submit heart and life to its command, to have it in my will, controlling my affections, moulding my understanding; to adhere strictly to the rules of true religion, not departing from them in any instance, nor for any advantage in order to escape evil, inconvenience or danger.

Take me to the Cross to seek glory from its infamy; Strip me of every pleasing pretense of righteousness by my own doings. O gracious Redeemer, I have neglected You too long, often crucified You afresh by my impenitence, put You to open shame.

I thank You for the patience that has borne with me so long, and for the grace that now makes me willing to be Yours. O unite me to Yourself with inseparable bonds, that nothing may ever draw me back from You, my Lord, my Savior.” Amen?

Even with that attitude of heart and mind, I must remind you that the True Faith and the True Followers WILL FACE DIFFICULT TIMES, DIFFICULT STRUGGLES, AND EVEN DIFFICULT INTERFERENCES, ATTACKS, AND TEMPTATIONS, TRIALS, AND TESTINGS! But don’t forget: “You are ‘more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus’!”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

“TRUE FAITH – TRIUMPHANT WARS!”

I find Hebrews 12:1-3 some of the most uplifting words in all the Bible because they are so challenging, comforting, correcting, and even caressing us with the very arms of Holy God as we face “True Faith – Triumphant Wars!” It says, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” And, “where He is, so we are”? Absolutely!

If what you’ve just read is ‘eternal truth,’ and it is, what about Verse 3 that says, “For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls”? Do you consider ‘hostility’ to be a part of spiritual warfare concerning redemptive faith? Is weariness or discouragement spiritual ‘naturalness’ for a true believer or an abnormal response since the Word declares “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us and gave Himself for us”?

If our Lord and Savior says, “Come unto Me, and I will give you rest,” what is going on in our spiritual journeys or spiritual ‘wars’ if ‘tiredness’ is our testimony rather than spiritual resilience and divine strength? Our Savior and Lord never called us to a spirit of self-determination – He crucified it! He never called us to a spirit of self-dependency – He nailed it to the Cross voluntarily!

Oswald Chambers said in his book, “My Utmost For His Highest,” [p.169], “Am I willing to be destitute of the sense that I am destitute? [That’s one without Christ Jesus!]. This is where discouragement comes in. Discouragement is disenchanted self-love, [or] self-love may be love of my devotion of Jesus.” If I am ‘one in Christ’, that’s crucified daily ,taking the sentence of death daily to ourselves, that His resurrection life is fully manifested every moment of every day, then this is why Paul said, “I die daily!”

But ‘faith’ can be adulterated, and one begins to feel “useless and unstable” [Bonhoeffer], and ‘fleshly faith’ experiences spiritual warfare defeat one after another! It was E. Stanley Jones, great missionary in the past to India, who wrote: [“The Christ of the Mount”. New York: Abingdon Press, 1931, p.9], “Loosed from the moorings that have held life, many are now adrift. They claim to be free. They have thrown overboard the chart, the compass, the steering wheel, and the consciousness of destination. They are free from everything – except the rocks, and the storms, and the insufferable inanity of being tossed from wave to wave of meaningless emotion…The modern man is ‘left by science without a goal; by exploded humanitarianism without a hero; by logic with an impasse’ – he needs a way out.” [I believe I would say, “he needs a way up”, and that’s through the Reigning Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords!]

In Matthew 3 John said to the ‘religious Pharisees and Sadducees’, Verses 7-8 first, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,” and then in Verse 11 John said, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but 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.”

Modern-day ‘church’ response? “Who needs the Holy Spirit and who needs purified by fire?” So many willingly accept ‘false faith’ and ‘continuing smoke’ without the fire of God in their bones! I’ve often wondered how many have become a part of a local church fellowship absolutely enamored with the feeling of how that church ought to be ‘blessed’ by their presence because they serve in ‘self-pride’ and personal admiration for their fleshly abilities, rather than Christ Jesus extending His life, expressing His love through them, and demonstrating His awesome, available, atoning presence and heavenly power!

If ‘following Christ Jesus’ means bearing the Cross faithfully in death to self but life in Him, when the enemies of Christ, enemies of the Cross, enemies of the Way, the Truth, and the Life, rise up against you, do you, as Christ, trust Father-God to deliver you because God sees that YOU delight in Him, rejoice in Him, yes, even sees you willing to die for the honor of His name?

Do you remember Jesus, in bodily form, considering the penalty, cruelty, suffering, and death of the Cross, initially saying, “Lord, if it’s possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Your will be done”? That wasn’t doubting the Cross but being fully aware of the physical, bodily pain, as David highlights the suffering of the Promised Messiah in Psalm 22:1-21!

Verse 1 and following: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning? Oh My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; and in the night season, and am not silent.

But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You delivered them. They cried to You, and were delivered; they trusted in You, and were not ashamed.

But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men and despised by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”

But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts. I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb You have been My God. Be not far from Me, for trouble is near; for there is none to help.

Many bulls have surrounded Me; strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. They gape at Me with their mouths, like a raging and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; it has melted within Me.

My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.

But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me! Deliver Me from the sword, My precious life from the power of the dog. Save Me from the lion’s mouth and from the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered Me.” You’ve just read a prophetic Word hundreds of years before Christ’s death on Calvary’s Cross! It’s called “the grace of God”! And Christ Jesus rested in that grace even if an unbelieving world would, and did, crucify Him!

“True Faith – Triumphant Wars”? Follow Colossians 2:13-15! “And you, [Does that You include 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 handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it, [or the Cross!!].”

Is your faith, your trust in anything else, but not the Cross? Then, if so, your life of a sinner’s ‘faith’ is in yourself, best efforts, striving to improve your standing, on your own before Holy God – and He neither sees you, acknowledges you, nor welcomes you into the “blood-bought” family of God!

But “true faith” in the midst of “triumphant wars” is perfect peace because that is the awesome holiness of God, even if you face the enmity of the caustic nature of the devil himself and his deceiving demons! Peter extended a warning to everyone he knew in 1 Peter 5:8 when he wrote: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your ADVERSARY the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Verse 9, Resist him, STEADFAST IN THE FAITH, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”

And, “the brotherhood in the world” are prime examples of “true faith” who know, understand, and exercise ‘the fight’ or “the good fight of faith, laying hold on eternal life, to which you were called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” [1 Timothy 6:12!].

How easy is it for many “professing believers” to have no clear understanding of the demands of true discipleship in our modern world, just like Peter in Mark 8:31-38? It says: And He [Jesus Christ] began to teach them 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.

He spoke this word openly. THEN PETER TOOK JESUS ASIDE AND BEGAN TO REBUKE HIM. But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

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 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? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

Are you aware of how ‘stinging’ these words are to one without clear understanding of the cost of true discipleship? It’s absolutely amazing to me that in Mark 8:29 Jesus had said to the disciples, “But who do you say that I am?”, with Peter answering “You are the Christ,” the anointed and promised Messiah, Emmanuel; and moments later He had to rebuke Peter for not being mindful of the eternal intent of Holy God through the “laid-down life”!!

Was Peter, in the infancy of his following Jesus, unaware of the fact of suffering, even rejection, and then the Cross? So, this young disciple wanted to correct Jesus, taking Him aside to say, “Jesus, this isn’t what You’re here for, ease up!” And then, WOW!, Jesus said, “Get behind Me, Satan!”

But how many today, like Peter then, have no comprehension of the eternal plan of God in reconciling the lost to eternal reconciliation through “shed blood”? How many today want “the crown” without “the cross,” how many today reject the “sentence of death to the old man, old sin nature” with Peter, because the path of a ‘laid-down life,’ the path of ‘suffering servant,’ the path of ‘a crucified life’ daily, was to be the willful choice daily of death to one’s aim of self-centered living! Kingdom living, in Christ, is “self-denial” daily, which some find totally unrealistic to the way of life they want for themselves!

What did Jesus say in Mark 8:34-38? 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 [for himself, for his fleshly dreams and ambitions, for the satisfaction of his fleshly lusts] 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? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

Is ‘today’ different from the ‘day’ of our Lord’s public ministry? Jesus spoke of “this adulterous and sinful generation” that were “ashamed of Me and My words”; and then in Mark 9:1 Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.” For you, how current is “seeing the kingdom of God present with power”?

“True Faith” in the midst of “Triumphant Wars”? “True Faith” is so very, very personal! In Matthew 10:32-39 Jesus tells us about open confession, open division, and open allegiance for His sake. He said: “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. BUT whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”

Is “the declaration of allegiance to the Lordship of Christ” as vital today as it was when He walked this earth? Is “open testimony” as important today as when Peter and John and other disciples then faced imprisonment for their avowal of His Lordship? When a nation, like the U.S.A, begins to ‘deny the faith, squeeze the testifiers, even promote lawless unbelief and put the unashamed behind bars,’ how does that relate to YOU? What will your response be?

In Acts 9 Saul of Tarsus, who became Paul the Apostle, was journeying near Damascus when “suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.” Being awed, he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, Verse 4, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said to Saul, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” Verse 6, So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Amazingly, in Verse 20, we read: “Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.” Amazing grace!

I so love Jesus’ words in Luke 12:8-9, at least that which tells us about His confession of our faith before the angels! “Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.” I don’t think ‘hiding in the hedges’ as a follower of Christ is what He calls us to!

I’m so thankful for what we read in Hebrews 10:39 which says, “But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.” “True Faith” in the midst of the “Triumphant Wars”! Faith and world foundation, Faith and the dawn of historical humanity, Faith and the strong men of biblical obedience, Faith and eternal, heavenly hope, Faith and the advancement of Sovereign Rule, Faith and the overcoming gift, then telling us in Hebrews 11:39, “And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.”

Of course, there are large numbers of unbelievers who look at people of Biblical Faith, considering them folks of weak minds, battered brains, foolish wills, strange beliefs and behaviors – but “True Faith” and “Triumphant Wars” still stand strong as the world, the flesh, and the devil “go to Hell”!

Charles Spurgeon, in his book, “Spurgeon’s Sermons,” [Memorial Library, Vol.15,p.307], wrote: “Faith in God is a thing to be reverenced rather than reviled. True religion is sanctified common-sense. It is the most common-sense thing in the world to put your trust in One that cannot lie. If I trust myself, or trust my fellow-man, I am thought to be in the first case self-reliant, and in the second case I am judged to have a charitable disposition; yet in either case I shall, sooner or later, prove my folly; but if I trust God, who can bring a reason against my confidence? What is there to be ridiculed in a man’s trusting his Maker? Can He fail that created the blue heavens, that settled the foundations of the earth and poured out the waters of the great sea? Can the Almighty retract His promise because He is unable to fulfill it? Can He break His word because circumstances master Him and prevent His performance of it? ‘Trust in the Lord forever; for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.’”

Do you remember Jesus asleep in the boat with His disciples when a storm arose? Matthew 8:25-27 says, Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” But He said to them, ‘Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?’ Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, ‘Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?’”

Stormy seas of life, turbulent winds of opposition and oppression, hurricanes of demonic, devilish hatred of true believers, critical crisis of enormous consequences, troubles that torment, dark clouds that are the darkest of threatenings, and one wonders if there is a way of escape, and then we read, Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The question of this very moment? Is He exalted in YOUR life and circumstances this very moment? And in Verses 1-7 the psalmist says to us, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.” Glory!!

Oh, and then what does Psalm 46:10 tell us, as a reminder? “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The question in this moment is: Will He be exalted through YOU?

In Philippians 2:5-11 Paul challenges us all with God’s eternal intent! “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

It was Fanny J. Crosby and Robert Lowry who wrote the old hymn, “All The Way My Savior Leads Me.” It says: “All the way my Savior leads me; What have I to ask beside? Can I doubt His tender mercy, Who through life has been my Guide? Heavenly peace, divinest comfort, Here by faith in Him to dwell! For I know, what-e’er befall me, Jesus does all things well.

All the way my Savior leads me, Cheers each winding path I tread, Gives me grace for every trial, Feeds me with the living bread. Though my weary steps may falter, And my soul athirst may be, Gushing from the Rock before me, Lo! A spring of joy I see.

All the way my Savior leads me; Oh, the fullness of His love! Perfect rest to me is promised In my Father’s house above. When my spirit, clothed immortal, Wings its flight to realms of day, This my song through endless ages: Jesus led me all the way.”

Are you aware of the awesome word in Genesis 24:27? “As for me, being on the way, the Lord led me…”! Do you understand the reality of ‘divine consistency’? That’s, “the Lord led me”!

But beyond, “the Lord led me,” are you able to say, yes, joyfully, “I followed, and was glad”? If our Lord says, “Follow Me,” is that an option one holds or the command HOLDS YOU? Have you put your hands to the plow and you don’t look back?

Doesn’t it amaze you? God told Peter, “You [and those of true redemptive faith] are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” Glory! Glory to God in the Highest! I’m His – He is mine!

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

“FAITH’S PROBING – FAITH’S PROVING”

In John 20:24-30 you’re going to be reading powerful verses about disciples then and now and the challenges of “Faith’s Probing – Faith’s Proving.” It says, Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. [Resurrected!]. The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

“Unless…”! What are your conditions of accepting what seems to you to be impossible rationalization, or wishful thinking, or speculative considerations, or uncertainties in one’s life, even if you don’t know or expect what may be coming your way in the near or far future?

Have you ever been around those who live with the clouds of uncertainties and are never at peace for today because they don’t know what tomorrow holds? Oh, and then there are those, as someone said, who see their torturous days now, and forget both present and future, unsettled at every turn or event of life.

At the same time there are those so cemented in the present, even locked into it, that they never think about the eternal ‘after-life’!

What did Thomas say? “Unless..I see, I will not believe!” He saw – and he believed! But, have you ever been around a ‘prober’ intent on searching out, delving into, examining carefully, because he/she is one who wants to know, receive, be blessed by, and forever changed by the discovery of eternal Truth authored by God Himself?

What did Thomas say? “I saw, I believed, and I’ve been forever changed, ‘born again,’ raised up from spiritual death to eternal life, raised out of ‘religion’ to spiritual re-birth, raised out of the temporary to the eternal!”

How did Paul the Apostle explain this eternal phenomenon of spiritual re-birth and the promise and security of your appearance with Him ‘in glory’? In Colossians 3:1-3 he wrote, “If then you were raised with Christ [crucified, buried, raised up], 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, [Did you? Were you 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.”

“In Christ” we are not to be ‘earth-bound’ but “earth-blessed” because we’ve become One with Him, and we’re sharing in His eternal intent to so love this world that we see the world, the flesh, and the devil bound and limited by lies of darkness, but freed by His eternal truths and brought into the Light, and as “free men and women” we live the blessed life of Holy Presence, Eternal Purpose, and Powerful Ministries of sharing His Life and Expressing His love to the spiritually needy around us!

And, if we are “earth-blessed”, what does that entail? One of the things Paul had to say to the church in Corinth is just as vital for churches today as it was then. In 1 Corinthians 15:34, Paul wrote: “Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame,” and especially when much of “modern-day Christianity” promotes, “we can’t do anything but sin until we get to Heaven,” a lie from the devil himself!

But in Galatians 6:14 Paul also wrote, “But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” The cross was ‘death for sin and death to sin,’ but you want to excuse sin in the life of true believers when Jesus said, “Go, and sin no more”?

The eternal reality of victory over sin and death is because one accepts God’s love for him/her through the Cross of Christ as an expression of His eternal love and His power to raise the dead, freeing them from the weight and penalty of sin, through Christ’s shed blood, putting to death one’s interest in the sin nature and its deathly, destructive influences, and letting us know, when Jesus was nailed to the Cross to die, we were there on the Cross with Him! “But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!!”

“Faith’s Probing”? Self-made men have a hard, hard time accepting that their fleshly lives and fleshly allegiances brought on the death of Christ Jesus! Self-made men are out to “find themselves”, and all their worth and value in what they are able to accomplish becomes a “noose” around their necks, yes, even choking out the Holy Spirit’s conviction of their eternal need!

No doubt this is why Jesus said in Matthew 10:39, “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” Eternal consequences to ‘self-determination’, empty of any desire to be reconciled to God, or answer from God’s point of view, “What is your life?”

I want you to come with me and examine Psalm 38 and Psalm 39 as we read about God Almighty confronting, convicting, conforming David through self-examination of his own heart and what in him brought about the disciplines of Loving God, like a faithful, true parent!

In my Holman’s NKJV, Psalm 38 is entitled “Prayer in Time of Chastening”, as David was bringing to the forefront of his spiritual evaluation his sad state of mind and spirit as Holy God brought him into account for his open and hidden sins. Notice, in Verse 3, David acknowledged “willful rebellion” because of ‘my sin.’ In Verse 4, he acknowledged “weighty results”, ‘like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.” In Verse 5, David revealed a “wounded spirit”, saying, “My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness.” Oh, and then in Verses 6-8 David revealed a “warped walk,” saying, “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.”

Are YOU aware of “Faith’s Probing”? In Psalm 39:4-5 David truly evaluated himself as he dealt with every man’s uncertainty of the length of his days – and then the judgment seat before Holy God! He said in Psalm 39:4-5, “Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am. Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my age is as nothing before You; certainly every man at his best state is but vapor.”

As I’ve been writing this chapter, we’ve been experiencing the last day or two strong southern winds out of the Gulf, moving up quickly to the Dallas-Ft.Worth area on in to Oklahoma; they’re here, they pass, and then they’re gone! Does it surprise you that that is how our earthly lives are, and sadly, some never consider their standing before Holy God’s Eternal Throne of, yes, Judgment!

In Revelation 6:15-17 the sixth seal is opened and John is given a ‘last days’ vision! He wrote: “And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

Let me ask you: “Is the word of the Lord being sounded forth from you or through you? In 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10 Paul wrote: “For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything. For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, EVEN JESUS WHO DELIVERS US FROM THE WRATH TO COME.”

Who stands when the day of God’s wrath comes? Who is protected when the day of God’s wrath comes? In the midst of our vast world with resources everywhere, why is it that the majority of the world lives in spiritual bankruptcy? But in the midst of tragic unbelief there are vast numbers of people who have moved out of spiritual bankruptcy to eternal wealth, from spiritual death to eternal life, from the fearful face of deathliness, bondage, and Satanic oppression, to the eternal glow of Heaven’s Glory!

“Faith’s Proving”? In Romans 12:1-2 Paul wrote, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, BY THE MERCIES OF GOD, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 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.”

In “faith’s proving,” are you aware of the “Resurrection Factor”? In Acts 1:3, Luke’s Gospel, anointed by the Holy Spirit, he wrote: “to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.”

Do you remember, after His Resurrection, Jesus appearing to two disciples on the road to Emmaus, “their eyes restrained, so that they did not know Him”? They said to the Resurrected King of kings, Luke 24:21, “But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel.” Initially there was disappointment in Him! Then, in Luke 24:25-27, Jesus 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.” Glory! Glory, Hallelujah!! From Genesis to the end of Revelation there is the UNVEILING OF CHRIST JESUS, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world!

“Faith’s Proving”? Jesus not only ‘entered into His glory”, He opened Heaven’s Door to every child of faith who truly knows ‘repentance toward God and faith in the finished work of Christ at the Cross’! His purpose? Hebrews 2:9-10 tells us, “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. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”

Didn’t Peter tell us in 1 Peter 2:24, “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed.” The Cross? God’s judgment on sin! The Cross? God’s sacred triumph over Hell’s foundation! The Cross? The eternal unveiling of the very heart of God! The Cross? The gateway of fallen mankind to an eternal relationship with Holy God! The Cross? 2 Peter 1:3-4, “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 [PROMISES] YOU MAY BE PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE NATURE, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

The “way of salvation”? The Way of the Cross leads home [to God]!! Romans 6:6 declares: “knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” But unaware of the “way of salvation, unaware of the ministry of the Cross, unaware of the slavish bondage to one’s sin nature”, only through the death of Christ on the Cross, does one find freedom from sin’s guilt, sin’s slavish bondage, and sin’s result of spiritual death and eternal separation from Holy God!

Paul went on to say in Romans 6:7-11, “For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise YOU ALSO, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

How clear for you was Paul when in Romans 6:5 he said, “For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection…”. Here’s how Oswald Chambers describes it in his book, “My Utmost For His Highest,” [p.74],

“The idea all through the apostle Paul’s writings is that after the moral decision to be identified with Jesus has been made, the resurrection life of Jesus invades every bit of my human nature. It takes omnipotence to live the life of the Son of God in mortal flesh. The Holy Spirit cannot be located as a Guest in a house, He invades everything. When once I decide that my “old man (i.e.,the heredity of sin) should be identified with the death of Jesus, then the Holy Spirit invades me. He takes charge of everything, my part is to walk in the light and to obey all that He reveals. When I have made the moral decision about sin, it is easy to reckon actually that I am dead unto sin, because I find the life of Jesus there all the time. Just as there is only one stamp of humanity, so there is only one stamp of holiness, the holiness of Jesus, and it is His holiness that is gifted to me. God puts the holiness of His Son into me, and I belong to a new order spiritually.”

Yes, in Christ we become the “King’s kids”!! E. Edwin Young, in the early 1930’s, wrote the hymn, “Jesus, Revealed in Me.” It says: “Christ, the Transforming Light, Touches this heart of mine, Piercing the darkest night, Making His glory shine.

Here, Lord, I bring my heart, My love, my strength, my will; Cleanse me in every part, With all Your Spirit fill.

Life is no longer mine, I yield it all to Thee; Fill me that I may shine Until Your face I see. Triumphant peace is mine, Now Jesus reigns within; He gives me joy divine, And victory over sin.” Amen?

CONCLUSION

You’ll remember that John 17 was Christ Jesus’ prayer as His betrayal, His arrest, and His impending crucifixion was weighing heavy on His mind and heart. But as you read that prayer you find Jesus “praying” for His disciples then and now!

In Verses 14-19 Jesus said to the Father, “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.”

“Sanctify”? That means “set apart for the glory of God alone”! When Jesus said in Verse 18, “I also have sent them into the world,” every disciple has Jesus’ calling on their lives to be ‘Salt’ and “Light”! That is DIVINE COMMISSIONING!!

And I often have wondered, “Lord, do You have de-commissioning days when ‘professing believers’ are ‘black pepper’ and ‘burned out bulbs’ rather than strong, vocal, faithful witnesses of the Message you entrusted to Your people?”

Silent churches do not touch the lost world with saving grace and mercy! Silent witnesses have lost the blessing of proclamation to the needy! Small hearts have little, if any, affection for the unsaved. Limited minds concerning Holy Scriptures live in a sad state of mind basically saying by their indifference to the lost and alienated, “We could care less; we’re fine, and that’s all we care about!”

Their eyes are closed to the ‘spiritually dead’, their ears are shut to the painful cries of the enslaved, they’re gripped by ‘darkness’ rather than “The Light,” and it’s as if their lips are stitched by the deceit of the devil! It isn’t “Christ Alone” but whatever their ‘flesh’ calls for!

But there is the “Eternal Call of God” upon true believers to be His witnesses to the utter-most parts of our world! Christ’s calling to be His witness, His ambassador, should be the greatest response given by every true believer’s spiritual journey and pilgrimage!

Christ Jesus IS the Eternal Savior of mankind! He comes with forgiveness, unfailing love and compassion, tender mercies for the most rebellious man on the face of the earth! He pardons, He atones, He redeems, He washes one clean and pure, He heals the sick, He casts out demons, He impresses the divine image of Holy God upon every repentant heart!

He implants Holy, Resurrection Presence, Eternal Power of the Godhead, He soothes the extreme sorrow-filled man because he weeps over his sinfulness, He indwells every repentant life, establishing His Sovereign Throne within us, He sets us free from the devil and the powers of darkness, He gives eternal understanding about mapping your Christ-honoring Life in your pilgrimage, He opens the Word of full-orbed Truth and shows you the Way, He’s the Divine Redeemer who ushers in “Victory In Jesus,” He washes us clean in the blood of the Lamb, fills our minds and understandings with the blessed consolations of His Resurrection Life and Eternal Hope! His “Victory” is our ever-present blessing, conquering our foes, our enemies, even transforming our fleshly extremities into Spirit-Excellence!

Christ Jesus authors our blessings, our hopes, our eternal aspirations – He gives us the gift of faith and His faithfulness, He proves in us and through us the power of His blood, He bestows the Power of His Holy Spirit, He opens wide the door on ministry service and blessing, and, oh, He builds strong foundations under us, and radiates His glory all around us!

Hear me! “You are loved with His everlasting love! You are dressed, by Him, in His eternal robe of righteousness, He gives you joy unspeakable and full of glory, He writes on YOUR eternal ledger seat: Justified, Sanctified, Glorified! And as you embrace His declarations, you begin to hear the angels’ song and the song of the redeemed! “Glory, Glory, Hallelujah, I go to Him marching in!!”

“KINGDOM LIVING – KINGDOM BLESSINGS!”

It’s a day in “Christian circles”, whether schools, universities, churches, businesses, or homes, when the revelation truth of “Kingdom Living” needs to be resurrected ! I’m really not sure if even ‘seminaries’ have taught at all about this subject but rather majored on ‘church life’ void of what is called by most the “Lord’s Prayer”! I want you to read it carefully at least a dozen times in one sitting, and for a period daily of at least one month! I want you immersed in the Lord’s Prayer! It says in Matthew 6:9-13 the following words of Jesus as He trained His disciples, yet, it was months, even years before it sank in to their minds and hearts and wills – Hear His Prayer!

“Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

But I wonder! How many prayers are engaged in the pure desire to see Christ’s Kingdom-Rule on earth, in their hearts and homes, overseeing and ruling in a redemptive Way in all they do, to His honor, His glory, and passionately praying to be equipped “in Him” in touching our world with His Kingdom mission and Kingdom blessings”?

Oh, and here’s the real “kicker”! In Matthew 6:33 the Lord Jesus said, “But seek FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” And, in seeking First “the kingdom of God”, is that willful submission and faithful obedience in all He tells you to do? “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth AS IT IS IN HEAVEN”! Does that shock you or surprise you that the heart of Jesus’ prayer and your praying is to usher in heavenly living on earth?

And how interesting and awakening do you find it when in Matthew 6:25-27 the Lord Jesus says, “Therefore I say to you, take no thought for your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on? Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?”

Your heavenly Father KNOWS your birthing, He knows how to bless you, He knows how to “bear with you” in life’s struggles, their turmoils, their ups and their downs, He knows how to bid and abide peaceably and confidently in your every step, and His heart and mind overflows in benevolence for your sovereign care! And, again, in Matthew 6:32b Jesus said, “…For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things…”, so why ‘worry’ when you can worship the One who cares for you more than you care about yourself?

Do you grasp that Father-God, the Lord Jesus, and the convicting and convincing Holy Spirit wants YOU living day by day in the CONFIDENCE of God’s faithfulness? “Kingdom Living”? In Matthew 13:18-23 Jesus shared the parable of the sower. He said: “Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone HEARS THE WORD OF THE KINGDOM, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.

But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

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. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

Are you aware that in this 21-first-century that there are not many, if any, places where the Word of God has not gone? I traveled our ‘known’ world for twenty-five years, and I seldom found nations or countries without a church, but I soon learned that a local church does not necessarily mean their location had been saturated with the Word of “blood Redemption” through Christ Jesus! I saw people on the streets of foreign cities who had never heard the name of Christ Jesus or heard that He shed His own blood for their salvation, reconciling them to God’s eternal earthly, worldly purpose for their lives and families!

“Seek first the kingdom of God”, “Take no thought for your life (in the flesh)”, “Hear the word of the kingdom”, yet masses of people locally or worldwide have no understanding about “steadfastly in Christ possessing their souls” with the deed of their bodies, minds, spirits, and souls transferred to the ownership of Christ Himself!

Pause to reflect upon what it is that consumes most people in their everyday lives: “I know I was ‘birthed’ – and I’ll ‘try my best’ to make the most I can out of it, with others possessing not even a penny’s worth of concern about why they are here other than ‘self-indulgence’, trying to find something or someone to satisfy the vast emptiness of the mind, soul, and body!

“I’m here, and eternal purpose for me is not a consideration – I live motivated by what satisfies ME!” “I’m here, and it takes a job of some kind to supply what I want!” “I’m here – and I don’t want to live a ‘naked existence – I’ve got to clothe myself and my family!” “I’m here – and breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with snacks in between requires I labor!”

Do you sense at all that many Americans are more concerned about their “outward dressing” more than they are how they are “heart-dressed” before Holy God? Is it “physical bread” without any consideration of “the manna from Heaven”?

In Matthew 4:1-11 there are “soul-awakening, spirit-shocking” Verses! It says: Then Jesus WAS LED UP BY THE SPIRIT (THAT’S THE HOLY SPIRIT!) into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him (Is it possible that the “tempter” has come to you many times nut you didn’t recognize him?), he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

But Jesus answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by (physical) bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Is there a hunger in you for the “bread of Truth” and for the “meat of His Word”, or is it just three square meals a day physically that satisfies you?

In Deuteronomy 8:1 Holy God spoke: “Every commandment which I command you today you MUST BE CAREFUL TO OBSERVE, that you may live and multiply, AND GO IN AND POSSESS THE LAND OF WHICH THE Lord swore to your fathers.” Dare I tell you that “the land” you are to possess wisely is the land of your own mind, heart, soul, and spirit, possessed wisely by yielding daily to the True Owner who “bought you with a price”, yes, the shed blood of the Lamb of God!

Jesus said in John 6:63, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” And later, in John 16:7-15, we learn of one of the most important of “Kingdom Blessings”! Jesus said to young disciples, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage 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. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment; of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said to you that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.” ARE YOU KEEPING THE SOVEREIGNLY, ORDAINED APPOINTMENTS OF SPIRIT-ASSISTANCE IN GUIDING YOU IN ALL BIBLICAL TRUTH?

I find it extremely interesting and convicting to hear the Lord Jesus speak to me and you when He said in John 15:16, “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.”

And “Kingdom Living” through the grace, mercy, and love of God leads to the true remnant of faith involved in “Kingdom Blessings”! “Kingdom Living” comes about because of the “grafted in” “Kingdom Character” which abounds in “Kingdom Blessings”!!

And do you remember the First of the “kingdom Blessings” found in Matthew 5:3 where Jesus spoke the following: “BLESSED are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” That’s “heaven on earth in the life of a ‘poor in spirit’ person who repents”, who turns from ‘self’ to the Savior and Lord, who abandons and exchanges the old sin nature for the “new Life in Christ”, who tires of his fleshly best, even seeing no ushering in of Kingdom allegiance by his endeavor to, at least, live acceptably by the world around! But ‘the world around’ is not going to lead one to True Kingdom allegiance apart from devotion to the King of kings and Lord of lords!

So, Matthew 5:4 declares: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” What did the prophet Isaiah hear about the Spirit on Christ Jesus and His ministry to and through our Savior and Lord, even extended to us? Isaiah 61: 1-3 says, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach glad 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 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.”

In Matthew 5:5 we read, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” The meek? They’re the “teachable”, not the stiff-necked, cold-hearted, or minds dominated by stubbornness and indifference when it comes to trusting Holy God! The ‘earth’ is the new invisible ‘kingdom of righteousness’ being built by the Master-Contractor who takes you and me as ‘stones’ in the building of His Holy Temple only seen by spiritual, re-born eyes in tune to His eternal will and purpose!

And the ‘teachable’ inheriting ‘the earth’? Because we achieve or we receive? Because we merit it or we’re mercied? Earned or credited? Pumped up or poured out on us by God’s grace and mercy? Bought personally or paid for by the Lamb’s blood? Self-genius or Sovereign grace? Talented or “touched by the Master’s hands and taken over in our minds and hearts? Entering Man-made doors or embraced by His amazing love? Personal initiative or the Prince of Peace’s intervention? Perplexed or persuaded?

What does Matthew 5:6 tell us? “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled.” We hunger and thirst, but the filling of us in righteousness is God’s doing! “Shall be filled” is in the “passive” voice – Someone else does the filling as we hunger and thirst before Him for His righteousness!

In Matthew 5:7 we read, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” It’s not in the human anatomy apart from God to be merciful – it’s much easier for lost men to be “revenge-filled”, but when Christ enters our hearts, He’s able to be Himself in us, and He extends mercy through us!

Oh, in Matthew 5:8, Jesus really gets “testy”! He said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Get ready! Christ Jesus really stirred the waters among the “religious Jews” – and He can do the same in some ‘religious communities’! In Matthew 23:23-28 Jesus exposed ‘outward loyalty’ apart from true devotion to the Righteous One, the Lord Jesus. He said: “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 at a gnat and swallow a camel!

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them nay be clean also.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

Would you say that modern-day Pharisaism is “pretense” at attempting to live ‘religiously’ apart from “re-birth” and “true transformation by the grace of God and the blood of the Lamb”? Are you a “pretender” or, yes, a “partaker of Christ’s Sufferings”? (1 Peter 4:13).

“Kingdom Living and Kingdom Blessings” come about by being finished with one’s own abilities and “resting” in the Resurrection Life of Christ! Personal ambitions and personal drives block “Christ in you the hope of glory”! Individual evaluation and individual determination that doesn’t begin at the Cross of Christ and His empty Tomb and His heavenly reign in you is fraudulent, deceived, and totally misleading! Your way is not God’s Way – never has been and never will be! Accept YOUR death with Christ on the Cross, and live in, through, and by His Resurrection Presence in you! 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 become new.” For you, is it “newness living in Christ” or the “gut-it-up mentality” of the “pretenders”?

There’s a very interesting verse of Scripture in 1 John 4:16 that, for me, heightens “remembrance”, which I believe should be a part of every man’s reflection upon his/her spiritual pilgrimage, or lack of it, because of the grace and mercy and love of God for ALL mankind –“God so loved the world!” It says: [The New Open Bible Edition, by Thomas Nelson Inc., 1990], “And we have known and believed [or trusted in, relied upon, adhered to, and, yes, reflect upon faithfully!] the love of God for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, AND GOD IN him!”

And I can only ask in beginning this teaching: “In your own life and spiritual pilgrimage, tell me about your journey to the Mountain of Remembrance and your reflection upon your journey as YOU “remember” what Holy God has done in and through others and in your own personal pilgrimage as Holy God unveils Himself in and through Christ as God’s ‘only Door” to reconciliation, restoration, re-birth into His ETERNAL INTENT for you and me before even the foundation of the heavens and the earth?”

AND, I SAY THIS EARLY IN THIS TEACHING, BECAUSE, SINCE THE BEGINNING OF TIME, THERE ARE THOSE WHO PROMOTE, ‘FORGET GOD AND THE SAVIOR’! In 3 John 9-11 we read: “I wrote to the church, but DIOTREPHES, WHO LOVES TO HAVE THE PREEMINENCE AMONG THEM, DOES NOT RECEIVE US. Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren (the truly ‘born-again believers’) and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church. Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good (spiritually) is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God.”

False messengers harp on one’s mind: “Forget God! Forget the PHONY BOOK CALLED THE BIBLE! FORGET WHAT ‘SPIRITUALLY-POVERTY-STRICKEN-PREACHERS AND BIBLE TEACHERS TELL YOU (!),” while faithful messengers remind and challenge you: “REMEMBER GOD’S WORD AND ETERNAL REVELATION – AND REMIND YOURSELF FAITHFULLY WHAT HE ASKS OF YOU,” because “Man does not live by (physical) bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God!”

It’s evil to forget – it’s good and godly to “remember”! It’s evil to cast doubt on the Word of God – it’s good and holy to partake daily of the Word’s eternal nutrition! It’s evil to promote “my opinion” or assert “This is what I think” – it’s good and godly to “rest in God’s revealed revelation or His Holy Word”! It’s powerless and ‘self-destructive’ to settle into “This is what I think”, rather than, “THIS IS WHAT GOD HAS SAID!”

Don’t you rejoice when you read about Jeremiah saying in Jeremiah 31:3, “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,” and that’s “drawn you to Myself”?! ?

Two psalms I want to share with you as we journey: First, Psalm 20! It’s entitled in the NKJV “The Assurance of God’s Saving Work”, which I entitled “The Song of Confidence and Assurance”! It says: “May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble; ( and I pray, “Lord, forgive those who stand to preach and teach that to follow Christ is to be free from tribulation or trouble or heartaches or pain!”). May the name of the God of Jacob defend you; (And it is a day of trouble when the “Dream-Buster, the Devil” shows up at your door to defuse the explosive and energetic power of a dream, vision, or eternal reality from God of, yes, the Resurrection Life in you as he did with Jesus, thinking His death on the Cross was its ending, when we know Jesus had just begun His redemptive work! Resurrection was to come!). David went on:

May He send you help from the sanctuary, and strengthen you out of Zion; May He remember all your offerings, and accept your burnt sacrifice. May He grant you according to your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your purpose.

We will rejoice in your salvation, and in the name of God we will set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions. Now I know that the Lord SAVES HIS ANOINTED; He will answer him from heaven with the saving strength of His right hand.

Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. They have bowed down and fallen; but we have risen and stand upright. Save, Lord! May the King [King Jesus for you and me today!) answer us when we call.”[But you’re unsure, unbelieving, or even doubtful of the Name, King Jesus?].

But before we turn to the second Psalm, I think it’s very important for me to share 1 Peter 1 in its entirety!! It says: “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocie, Asia, and Bithynia [that’s “scattered former Jews who’ve received “The Truth in Christ!”], elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

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. [Revelation 1:1-3!]. [AND, is the last time the last days of Judaism and Jerusalem when the city was destroyed in 70AD?].

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 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.

Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, (the righteous remnant), searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.

To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which have NOW been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven – things which angels desire to look into.

Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober [or ‘serious-minded’], and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy for I am holy.”

And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently 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.’”

And, I would say, if we have a redemptive remembrance of salvation in and through Christ alone, we have joined with Heaven’s Family in continual “remembrance of what God has done in us and for us through the finished work of Christ alone”!

Second Psalm? Psalm 21! It’s titled “Joy in the Salvation of the Lord”! It says: “The king shall have joy in Your strength, O Lord; and in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! [Just an insert here: Revelation 1:5-6! “To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. [Amen, or “so be it!”].

You (God) have given him his heart’s desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips. For You meet him with the blessings of goodness; You set a crown of pure gold upon his head. He asked life from You and You gave it to him – {AMEN?!?} – length of days forever and ever.

His glory is great in Your salvation; honor and majesty You have placed upon him.{“As Jesus is so are we in this world!”}. For You have made him most blessed forever; You have made him exceedingly glad with Your presence (“Christ in YOU the hope of glory!”).

For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved. Your hand will find all Your enemies; Your right hand will find those who hate You. [And as a result of that denial of and hatred for the sovereignty of God and His great mercy toward them?].

You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of Your anger; the Lord shall swallow them up in His wrath, and the fire shall devour them. Their offspring You shall destroy from the earth, and their descendants from among the sons of men.

For they intended evil against You; they devised a plot which they are not able to perform. Therefore You will make them turn their back; You will make ready Your arrows on Your string toward their faces. Be exalted, O Lord, in Your own strength! We will sing and praise Your power!”

How awesome do YOU find these two psalms of David, songs of “remembrance”? But their intent, from me in this teaching, is to touch the deepest cords of your heart and mind in true reflection and evaluation if YOU are as deeply moved, convicted, and TURNED truly to full surrender and awesome “remembrances yourself of what Holy God and the Holy Spirit have brought to full fruition in you concerning Christ Jesus as Savior, Lord, Master of your life, living within you, extending His love, expressing the fullness of His Life within you, and proving His power still reigns today – THROUGH YOU?” Follow, as we examine Jesus’ relationship with His early disciples and His intent through them AND US!

FIRST, “REMEMBER” THE CALL AND COMMAND TO REPENT! In Mark 6:7 Christ Jesus called the twelve “to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits,” and then in Verses 10-12, Jesus told them and us, “In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!” So they went out and preached that people should repent.”

You’ll remember in Acts 2 that Peter obeyed and went out preaching, saying in Verse 36, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ,” and the Word says that those who heard were cut to the heart, saying to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Verse 37, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

In Verses 38-39 of Acts 2 Peter said to them, “Repent, ( which means ‘confess’ and turn away from the old sin nature!) and let every one of you ( as a testimony) be baptized in the name (and honor of Christ alone) for (or because of His remission, forgiveness, cleansing of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. FOR THE PROMISE is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

As Paul the Apostle was writing to one of the churches He saw God raise up through Christ, he wrote in Ephesians 5:8-10, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.”

“The Changed Life” book by Henry Drummond, published sometime between 1889 to 1893, is a powerful little quick-read! He began it with a statement by Aldous(?) Huxley that says: “I protest that if some great Power would agree to make me always think what is true and do what is right, on condition of being turned into a sort of clock and wound up every morning, I think I should instantly close the offer.”

Oh, but then Drummond made mention of the only Holy Redemptive Truth when he quoted Paul’s words in Romans 8:29, “For whom He (God) foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He (Jesus) might be the firstborn among many brethren,” with my adding Verse 30! “Moreover whom He (God) predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” Glory!

And repentant sinners become justified, sanctified, glorified “saints”, set apart to His honor and glory alone! But later, Drummond, (p.50), declared with biblically authority, “Today men are properly told to confess their sins and to ask forgiveness. But evangelists and pastors are forgetting to tell sinners to repent. Consequently this misinformed age imagines that it can continue in its old ways of life while adding Jesus as a personal Hell insurance for the world to come. Treasures on earth “and” treasures in Heaven. Who could turn down that bargain! Pleasures of sin “and” joys of eternity. That is a good deal! Sinners are not being saddened, as was the young ruler, to learn that they must turn from sin to have eternal life. Yet it is the “sine qua non” of the Gospel promises. Scripture always joins repentance AND remission of sins,” then affirming Truth from Proverbs 28:13, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesses and forsakes his sins (AND SIN-NATURE!) shall have mercy.”

FIRST, THERE MUST BE AN AWARENESS OF, SORROW FOR THE REALITY THAT CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS AND SIN-NATURES, AND WAS RESURRECTED THAT WE WHO REPENT MAY THEN “LIVE FOR, IN, AND THROUGH HIS RESURRECTION LIFE AND THAT ALONE”! Not religion, but a relationship; not a ‘trying, but a trusting’; not improved attempts at godliness by self-effort, but repentance toward God and faith in the finished work of Christ through the Cross and Empty Tomb!

Isn’t this why Paul said in 2 Corinthians 1:9-11, “Yes, we had the sentence of death IN OURSELVES, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises from the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many.” [Dare I say that I believe it was more than their financial support of Paul’s ministry, but the “gift” of willingness to share the Gospel with the lost and needy everywhere they went or where they knew Paul went to minister?].

But the still rampant, resistant, rebellious response to God’s call? Doesn’t Proverbs’ “wise man of wisdom” tell us, even in our modern-day world of much ‘intellectual and fleshly denial’, Proverbs 1: 24-33, the following? “Because I called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded, Because you disdained all my counsel, and would have none of my rebuke, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes, When your terror comes like a storm, and your destruction comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.

Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, they would have none of my counsel and despised my every rebuke. Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled to the full with their own fancies.

For the turning away of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; BUT whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil.”

Are we hearing and “remembering” God’s call to repent or does ‘the spirit of wandering away from His Word, His will, and His way’ have a ‘strangle-hold on our minds, wills, and emotions’ to the point God has to say to the spiritually deaf, blind, and ‘heartless’ toward God Himself, as Jeremiah described them in Jeremiah 14:10, hearing God Himself say: Thus says the Lord to this people: “Thus they have loved to wander; they have not restrained their feet. THEREFORE the Lord does not accept them; He will remember their iniquity now, and punish their sins.” “Holy God, come today to modern-day America and ‘call out’ sinners to repent!”

In Proverbs 28:13 we read: “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses AND forsakes them will have mercy.”

SECOND, “REMEMBER” THE CALL TO MEDITATE, PONDER, AND TO FEED ON THE WORD OF GOD! In Psalm 63:1-5, as David was wandering in the wilderness, assaulted, and having to run from ungodly men, he SANG: “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.

So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.” I would urge you to personally and seriously examine Psalm 119! But let me whet your appetite related to true discipleship and the Word of God as your ‘daily food’! It says:

Psalm 119:9, “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed to Your word.” Psalm 119:11, “Your word have I hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” Psalm 119:24, “Your testimonies are my delight and my counselors.” Psalm 119: 28b, “Strengthen me according to Your word.”

Psalm 119:49, “Remember the word to Your servant, upon which You have caused me to hope.” And it continues to amaze, equip, and encourage one’s “feeding on the Word of God” when in Psalm 119:89 David said, “Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven,” saying also in Verse 92, “Unless Your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction,” adding in Verse 97, “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.”

In Psalm 119:101-104 the author said (Spirit-enlightened!): “I have restrained my feet from every evil way, THAT I MAY KEEP YOUR WORD. I have not departed from Your judgments, for You Yourself have taught me. How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.”

Two other Psalm 119 words, and then we’ll move on: Psalm 119:105 says: “Your word, God, is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Then, Psalm 119: 111, “Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever, for they are the rejoicing of my heart.” [Tell me: How many ‘church-folk’ do you know who are truly ‘faithful feeders’ on the Holy Word of God? Many says, “I’m saved, I know it – nothing else about the Bible concerns me!” Really?].

In Matthew 4:1-4 we read, Then was Jesus led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, ‘If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become flesh.’ But He answered and said, “It is written, Man shall not live by (physical) bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

In John 6:53-58 the Lord Jesus declared to the ‘religious and self-serving Jews” the following: “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. 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.”

THIRD, “REMEMBER” THE TESTIMONY OF TRUE DISCIPLESHIP IS HOLDING ONTO IN FAITHFUL DEVOTION TO THE CHRIST WITHIN YOU! In Galatians 2:20-21a Paul wrote: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live(in old sinful flesh still living), 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. I do not set aside the grace of God…!” And dare I tell you that the grace of God is strong, enduring, and able to do in us even above all we ask or think!

In 1 Corinthians 15:10 Paul said, “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.”

And I assure you that to live in and through God’s grace reveals to all ‘seekers’ and ‘settlers’ in the Kingdom of God in and through Christ knows the power, the blessing of bestowed grace and continual, faithful victory, because in Him we “are more than conquerors”!

Robert Robinson and John Wyeth wrote the old hymn entitled “Come, God’s Fount”, a hymn I grew up on through my childhood and teen years and into my adult life. It’s found in The American Hymnal, copy-righted by Robert H. Coleman in 1933, published by The Broadman Press, Nashville, Tennessee,. It says:

“Come ‘Christ-Fount’ of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Your grace; Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise. Teach me some melodious sonnet, Sung by flaming tongues above; Praise the mount – I’m fixed upon it – Mount of Your redeeming love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer; Hither by Your help I’m come; And I hope by Your good pleasure, Safely to arrive at home. Jesus sought me when a stranger, Wandering from the fold of God; He, to rescue me from danger, Interposed His precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor Daily I’m constrained to be! Let Your goodness, like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to You; Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love; Here’s my heart, O take and seal it; Seal it for Your courts above.”

Dare I say: “And seal us in Your courts of heavenly power, grace, and love in the here and now”?

CHRIST JESUS

BY J. FARRELL FISHER

Colossians 1: 18, “And He [Jesus Christ] 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.”

INTRODUCTION

The verse in Colossians 1:18 is clear, convincing, convicting, and can never be denied”: “…that in all things He [Jesus Christ] may have the preeminence.”

In the “Random House Collegiate Dictionary”, the word ‘preeminence’ is defined as: “the state or character of being preeminent in quality, rank, influence…above, or before others; superior; surpassing…” And you have doubts about the preeminence of Christ Jesus?

You have doubts when even God the Father said, “This is My Beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased”? [Matthew 3:17].

Recently I was reading the February, 2015, issue of “Success” magazine [Published by Success Partners, 200 Swisher Road, Lake Dallas, TX.75065], and in it I read an article by Robin Amster entitled “Take The High Ground.” In it, in the title page, I found these words: “INTEGRITY – which can be strengthened – lays the foundation for trust.”

Of course, the author was majoring on ‘integrity’ in the business world, but, I have to ask you: ‘Do you believe in God’s ‘integrity’ in Christ Jesus’ sacrificial offering in your behalf and my behalf?’ ‘Is God’s love demonstrated at the Cross an unveiling of God’s integrity’? ‘Is demonstrating His love for us “At Calvary” the proof of God’s love and His integrity?’

When the author of the article was sharing about building integrity in the business world, the first point the author made was: “Fulfill your promises”! How strong is that when it concerns God and His relationship with you and me?

In 2 Corinthians 1:18-20 Paul unveils “God’s Integrity”! “But as God is faithful, our word to you was not Yes and No. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us – by me, Silvanus, and Timothy – was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes. For all the promises of God in Him [Christ Jesus] are Yes, and in Him Amen, [“so be it!”], to the glory of God through us.”

My prayer for this book? That its content converts, convinces, and inspires YOU in “taking the High Ground”, living the life that unveils the Lord Jesus Christ!

In Romans 15:8-9, and verse 13, we read: “Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision [Jews, Israel], for the truth of God to confirm the promises made to the fathers, AND that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy… Verse 13, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

And I pray these many chapters of this book will convict, convert, and instruct and inspire you to live honorably for the glory of our Lord and Savior!

OUTLINE

CHAPTER ONE: ALL GLORY TO GOD ALONE

CHAPTER TWO: OUR FATHER’S WILL

CHAPTER THREE: THE VIRGIN BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST

CHAPTER FOUR: IS CHRIST THE ONLY HOPE?

CHAPTER FIVE: THE DEATH OF CHRIST JESUS, THE LORD GOD

CHAPTER SIX: THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST JESUS

CHAPTER SEVEN: HERE COMES THE LAMB OF GOD

CHAPTER EIGHT: THE DECLARATION OF EXCLUSIVITY

CHAPTER NINE: THE COSTLINESS OF CHRIST’S CHOOSING

CHAPTER TEN: CHRIST JESUS – OUR FREEDOM

CHAPTER ELEVEN: THE REJOICINGS OF A KING

CHAPTER TWELVE: FOLLOWING CHRIST JESUS

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: CHRIST JESUS – THE ONE AND ONLY SAVIOR AND LORD

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: CHRISTIAN DETERMINATIONS

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: DEPART…I KNOW YOU NOT

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: DENYING JESUS OR DENYING YOURSELF?

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:BEGINNING LIFE ANEW – IN CHRIST JESUS

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: AROUND JESUS – THE MEMORY OF MARY, THE ANOINTER

CHAPTER NINETEEN: CHRIST JESUS OR THE SELLING OF THE SOUL

CHAPTER TWENTY: CHRIST JESUS’ FREEING OF THE GUILTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: CHRIST JESUS, AND THE FAME OF THE PRIVILEGED

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: CHRIST JESUS, AND THE BLESSING OF THE ACCUSERS

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: CHRIST JESUS – KING JESUS

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: CHRIST JESUS AND ME

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: KNOWING GOD – THROUGH CHRIST JESUS, OUR LORD AND SAVIOR

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: CHRIST JESUS AND GOD’S ETERNAL PURPOSE FULFILLED

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: CHRIST JESUS: NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES

CONCLUSION

CHAPTER ONE

ALL GLORY TO GOD ALONE

In I Corinthians 4:7 Paul asked an eternally significant question that, at first, may seem to be ‘off-base’, but truly is a very strong foundation to “The Preeminence of Christ”! It says: “And what do you have that you did not receive?” That is so basic, so fundamental, so foundational to redemptive faith, yet multitudes in my life time, whom I’ve witnessed in spiritual awakenings over my 78 years of life, often become so introverted that they believe they are where they are spiritually by ‘self-means’ resulting in self-glory, when God Himself IS “the author and finisher of our faith”!

But that was not the testimony of either Old or New Testament saints. Never did they consider their victories, their spiritual accomplishments, their understanding, their overcoming tenacity having anything to do with themselves! The beloved John said in Revelation 19:6-7, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the ALMIGHTY REIGNS…Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him!”

In I Timothy 1:17 Paul wrote: “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” It was David who called our Lord, in Psalm 3:3, “My glory and the lifter of my head.”

Then, the author of Hebrews really lays a strong foundation for us when in Hebrews 3:6 the author tells us: “…but Christ was faithful as a Son over His House whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.” [And if Christ IS the preeminent One, why would we not hold our confidence in Him strongly and faithfully?]

I know this is why Paul challenged the church at Corinth and us when in 2 Corinthians 12:9 he said, “And God has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”

No wonder John was so beloved! He said in John 3:27, “A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from heaven.” Does God provide what you need to live a victorious, overcoming, Christ-honoring life? Let’s examine ‘WHY’, in our lives, we need understanding about “All Glory To God Alone”!

First, WE GIVE GLORY TO GOD ALONE BECAUSE OF HIS GIFT OF THE UNVEILING OF REVELATION, KNOWLEDGE, AND UNDERSTANDING ABOUT HIMSELF. Paul wrote in Romans 1:19, “…that which is known about God is evident within them; for GOD MADE IT EVIDENT TO THEM…”

The very awareness and acknowledgement of God is His “precious gift” to every believer who leans not to his own understanding, but, in all things, acknowledges God and gives Him His rightful place! In Romans 3:21-26 Paul explains “saving grace”!

“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;….

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,…

Whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,…

To demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

Second, WE GIVE GLORY TO GOD ONLY BECAUSE OF THE GIFT OF HIS DRAWING POWER. In John 6:44 Jesus spoke then and NOW! “No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”

This is why God unveiled Truth to the prophet Jeremiah and had him to write Jeremiah 31:3! “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.”

Oh, hear King David as he wrote to us in Psalm 18:16-19 the following: “He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters; He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support. He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.” God Almighty delights in you, but you don’t delight in Him?

Third, WE GIVE GLORY TO GOD ONLY BECAUSE OF THE GIFT OF HIS TEACHING TO ENLIGHTEN US. In John 6:45 the Word is so clear: “…taught of God.” The verse then says, Jesus speaking, “Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.”

Heard? Learned? From the Father-God? “…comes to Jesus!” But some sadly never listen. In I John 2:27 John also wrote wisely: “And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as HIS ANOINTING TEACHES YOU ABOUT ALL THINGS, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, to abide in Him.”

It was Henry F. Lyte and William H. Monk, in the early to mid 1800’s who wrote the hymn: “Abide With Me”. It says:

“Abide with me; fast falls the eventide; The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide! When other helpers fail, and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, O abide with me.”

But some never realize, without God they are helpless in the matter of eternity! In 2 Timothy 2:7 Paul wrote: “Consider what I say, for the Lord WILL GIVE YOU UNDERSTANDING in everything.” But some, oblivious to eternal matters, live lives totally empty of eternal matters, and especially that they’re accountable to Holy God!

Fourth, WE GIVE GLORY TO GOD ONLY BECAUSE OF THE GIFT OF THE CONVICTING POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. It was Jesus who said in John 16:7-8, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage 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. And when He has come [the Holy Spirit], He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.”

This is why Jesus told us in John 15:22, “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.”

And then Jesus told us in John 15:26, “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.” That’s the Holy Spirit testifying of Jesus as God’s blood sacrifice for your sins – and the Spirit of God comes and convicts YOU of your sin!

Zechariah 12:10 prophetically alerts us and exposes us, with a promise! “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a first born.” “Me”? That’s Jesus Christ, the Promised Messiah!

In I John 5:20 the beloved John told us, “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. THIS IS THE TRUE GOD and eternal life.”

Fifth, WE GIVE GLORY TO GOD ONLY BECAUSE OF THE GIFT OF AN OPENED HEART ENABLED TO RESPOND TO HIS TRUTH. How clear is Acts 16:14? “…and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.”

I’m sure that you are least aware of Jeremiah’s anointed word about the heart of ‘fallen man’ when he said in Jeremiah 17:9-10, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.”

One cannot read the Psalms and not be aware of the regenerated attitude of King David. In Psalm 101:2-5 he testified about his commitment to the Lord to walk with a perfect, opened heart to the glory and honor of Holy God. He said: “I will behave wisely in a perfect [blameless] way. Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set nothing wicked [or worthless] before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall way; it shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness. Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy; the one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, him I will not endure.” It’s an ‘opened heart’ to God that willingly responds to His revealed truth! A closed heart willingly responds to untruth, to darkness, to the sinful world of fallen mankind!

Sixth, WE GIVE GLORY TO GOD ONLY BECAUSE OF THE GIFT OF THE FOUNTAIN FILLED WITH BLOOD. How thrilling do you find I Peter 1:18-19? “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”

How broad a brush do you sense in fallen men who imitate “aimless conduct received by tradition from their fathers”? For the majority of ‘fallen men’ who’ve fallen away from Holy God, they have no comprehension at all of living to the glory of God alone. Peter said in I Peter 2:24, “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed.”

Paul wrote to Titus in Titus 3:3-7, “For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace, we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Seventh, WE GIVE GLORY TO GOD ONLY BECAUSE OF HIS GIFT, NOT OF OUR WORDS, BUT HIS WORD WHICH GIVES LIFE ETERNAL. In I Thessalonians 2:13 Paul tells us, “And for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God’s message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”

I’m sure you understand that God’s Word is not simply ink on paper, but the Word that is living, powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword!

Our Savior, the Lord Jesus, said that “man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God! It’s why Peter wrote in I Peter 1:23, “for you have been born again, not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God.” And what a powerful Word of redemption God’s Word really is!

Eighth, WE GIVE GLORY TO GOD ONLY BECAUSE OF THE GIFT OF REPENTANCE THAT LEADS TO LIFE. In Acts 11 Peter was defending the grace of God, and in verses 14-18, he said, “who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.’ And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?’ When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.” GLORY TO GOD!

Ninth, WE GIVE GLORY TO GOD ONLY BECAUSE OF THE RICHNESS OF THE GIFT OF LIFE IN AND THROUGH CHRIST JESUS. 1 Corinthians 1:30 declares, “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus who became for us wisdom from God – and righteousness and sanctification and redemption…” That, my friends, is just the beginning of God’s outpouring on our lives through Christ!

2 Corinthians 8:9 declares, “For YOU KNOW the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” I do not hesitate in telling you that some of the ‘wealthiest’ people in the world are villagers in India who’ve come to Christ Jesus without much, if any, rupees or dollars – just absolutely wealthy in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Do you stand on the Word of God as your personal treasure? In 2 Peter 1:2-4 we read, “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.” But you have no concept of spiritual wealth and riches through Christ?

Tenth, WE GIVE GLORY TO GOD ONLY BECAUSE OF THE GIFT OF HIS WORK WITHIN US. Paul wrote the Philippians and us in Philippians 2:12-13. The Word declares, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your out salvation with fear and trembling; FOR IT IS GOD WHO WORKS IN YOU BOTH TO WILL AND TO DO FOR HIS GOOD PLEASURE.”

To belong to Jesus Christ is to have fully available to you the handiwork of God Almighty! You’re the clay – He’s the Potter! And Paul said in Colossians 1:29, “To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.”

David knew the King and His glory. In Psalm 24:8-9 he wrote, “Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in.” Yes! Come in Lord Jesus, come in, Mighty God, come in, Holy Spirit! Thank You, for your strength and might in the spiritual battles of life!

Eleventh, WE GIVE GLORY TO GOD ONLY BECAUSE OF THE GIFT OF A NEW IDENTITY. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 Paul wrote, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

I pray you understand the very “freshness” of divine revelation and divine identity! In Revelation 1:5b-6 the beloved John tells us, “…To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Twelfth, WE GIVE GLORY TO GOD ONLY BECAUSE OF HIS GIFT OF OVERCOMING POWER. Didn’t John tell us in 1 John 4:4, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them [the spirits of the Antichrist], because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”

But then in 1 John 5:4-5 John informs every true believer, “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.”

Lastly, WE GIVE GLORY TO GOD ONLY BECAUSE OF THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT, ESSENTIAL TO THE STRENGTH AND HEALTH OF HIS BODY OF REDEEMED BELIEVERS. In Ephesians 4:11-16 Paul instructs the Lord’s ‘church,’ His family, His army of spiritual warriors, “And He gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,…

For the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,…

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 – 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.”

Enough said! All glory to God alone!

CHAPTER TWO

OUR FATHER’S WILL

In Acts 21:13-14, when local residents where Paul was, were begging him not to go up to Jerusalem, “Then Paul answered, ‘What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.’ And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, ‘THE WILL OF THE LORD BE DONE!’”

There is no doubt that God [Ephesians 1:11] “works all things after the counsel of His will…!” And if that is true – AND IT IS! – it would seem that mankind would be intent on ‘discerning the counsel of God’s will’!

But Spurgeon wrote [Spurgeon’s Sermons, Memorial Library, Vol.10,p.186], “To know that which God conceals seems to be one of the depraved desires of the human heart.” Yet, at the same time, humankind will ignore that which Almighty God has clearly revealed. I’ve heard them say, ‘Oh, if only I knew the will of God!’

When Ananias came to Saul at the Lord’s direction (Acts 22:12-16), Ananias told him, “The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will…”! I was reading Chuck Colson’s book entitled “Loving God”, when he asked, “But how do we love the Lord?” [Loving God, Hodder & Stoughton, London, p.40] Listen:

“Jesus answered this in a discussion with His disciples: ‘If you love Me, you will obey what I command.’ [John 14:15] Or, as the apostle John wrote later, ‘This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.’ [1 John 5:3]…

And that love leads us to just one place: the Holy Bible. To obey His commandments, we must know His commandments. That means we must know and obey the Scriptures, the key to loving God and the starting point for life’s most exciting journey…

But be warned: Unless you are prepared to have your comfortable notions uprooted, you may want to stop reading right now. A few years ago a magazine article about my prison ministry concluded that ‘prison radicalized the life of Chuck Colson!’ It is understandable that the reporter might have thought that, but it is simply not so. I could have left prison and forgotten it; I wanted to in fact. But while every human instinct said, ‘Put it out of your mind forever,’ the Bible kept revealing to me God’s compassion for the hurting and suffering and oppressed; His insistent Word demanded that I care as He does….

What ‘radicalized’ me was not prison, but taking to heart the truths revealed in Scripture. For it was the Bible that confronted me with a new awareness of my sin and need for repentance; it was the Bible that caused me to hunger for righteousness and seek holiness; and it was the Bible that caused me into fellowship with the suffering. It is the Bible that continues to challenge my life today. That is radical stuff. It is irresistibly convicting. It is the power of God’s Word and it is, all by itself, life-changing.”

Someone asks, ‘Why?’ And I say to you with all my heart, “Because the Holy Word of God reveals “Our Father’s Will”! And he has appointed YOU to know His will!! Ephesians 1:1 says, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God…” To the church at Colossae, he wrote, Colossians 1:9, “…we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding…”, then later in Colossians 4:12, Paul said, “… always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.”

In Acts 13:22 the Word tells us, “And after He removed Saul, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, A MAN AFTER MY HEART, WHO WILL DO ALL MY WILL.’” Oh, and then in Psalm 143:10 it says David cried to the Lord, “Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God…”

It was Jesus who said in Matthew 12:50, “..whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother…” OUR FATHER’S WILL! He wants us all to know it, receive it, celebrate it, walk in it, and do it!

HE WANTS US TO KNOW THE “SURETY” OF HIS LOVE, GRACE, AND MERCY. Examine carefully John 6:39-40 and rejoice evermore! “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day…For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him, [trusts in Him, relies upon Him, adheres to Him], may have eternal life; and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

Salvation! Redemption! Regeneration! James 1:18 says, “In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth!” This is God at work! Spurgeon wrote: [Spurgeon’s Sermons, Memorial Library, Vol. 10,p.187], “It was God’s will that ordained salvation by faith, salvation through an atoning sacrifice, salvation by way of the new birth, salvation by the way of perseverance up to perfection.”

In Ephesians 1:5 Paul wrote, “He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, Verse 6, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved…”

What does Galatians 1:3-4 reveal to us? “Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us out of this present evil age, ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF OUR GOD AND FATHER.” Have YOU received His grace, His peace, His Son into your life?

HE WANTS US TO KNOW “HIS ETERNAL DESIRE” FOR THE SANCTIFICATION OF US ALL. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 says, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality…” What is sanctification?

• Clearly in this verse it is the absence of sexual immorality – 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 says, “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.”
• Sanctification is the absence of obedience to self-centeredness related to sensual desires and fleshly indulgences. Romans 8:6 says, “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is Life and Peace.”
• Sanctification? It is the absence of continual yieldedness to the Old Adamic sin nature. I Peter 4:1-2 tells us, “…because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.”
• Sanctification? It is The Presence of Heart-Hunger for the Holiness of God. In Philippians 3:14 Paul says, “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
• And the upward call of God in Christ Jesus is the Presence of Heart-Hunger for Honoring God through one’s daily life. In Philippians 1:20 Paul challenges all believers: “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.” How does one come to that place? Verse 21, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
• Sanctification? It’s the Presence of Heart-Hunger for my Completion in Christ! In Colossians 2:9-10 Paul wrote, “For in Him [in Christ] dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” [But His rule is not your heart’s desire?] In chapter 1 of Colossians and verse 27 Paul challenged us, “to whom God WILLED to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery…which is, Christ in you, the hope of glory…” And, no doubt, this is why Peter told us in 1 Peter 2:15, “For such is the will of God that by doing right [in God’s eyes!] you may silence the ignorance of foolish men…”

[Before I move on from here, I want you to examine carefully Romans 9:22-24 where Paul wrote: “What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?”]

GOD ALSO WANTS US TO KNOW OUR SPIRIT-ANOINTING IN POWER AND PRIVILEGE AS A MEMBER OF THE BODY OF CHRIST. In Ephesians 5:17-18 the Holy Word declares: “…understand what the will of the Lord is…BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT…” Earlier, in Ephesians 1:19 Paul wrote about “what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe…” RESURRECTION POWER! But also its RELEASE through you!

1 Corinthians 12:11 instructs us all as disciples of Christ Jesus, “But one and the same Spirit works all these things distributing to each one individually JUST AS HE WILLS!”

This is why the author of Hebrews tells us, Hebrews 2:4, “God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.” And the question is: Have You yielded your self to His sovereign control?

GOD ALSO WANTS US TO KNOW THE SENSITIVENESS OF GOD TO HUMAN NEED. Come to Matthew 8:2-3, read, and carefully examine your own heart: “Have I truly yielded to the Holy Spirit to fulfill God’s healing heart to the needy?” A leper came to Jesus and bowed down to Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out His hand and touched Him, saying, “I AM WILLING; BE CLEANSED;…”

In Acts 10:38 the Holy Word schools us in the heart of God! “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil: FOR GOD WAS WITH HIM!!”

Is God WITH YOU, in You, desiring to be Himself through You? There is such a powerful story in Luke 10:30-37 that should awaken every true believer to our calling in following Jesus! In verse 29 a man asked Jesus: “And who is my neighbor, [that I should care for?] ?” Verses 30-37 Jesus is training US ALL AS HIS DISCIPLES!

A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side…

Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion…

So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, “Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.” Jesus then said:…

“So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among thieves?” And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” Are YOU going and doing likewise?

GOD WANTS US ALSO TO KNOW THE STEADFASTNESS OF GOD IN ACCOMPLISHING HIS ETERNAL PURPOSE. In 2 Peter 3:9 we read, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some men count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance…”

Through Ezekial, [Ezekial 18:23], God asks, “Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?” This is why Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 2:4, “God…desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth…”

He is telling us ALL of God’s compassionate heart and His steadfastness in giving them opportunity! 1. He’s telling us of God’s eternal compassion. 2. He’s telling us of the Constancy of God’s call to us to be AMBASSADORS and WITNESSES to the uttermost parts of the earth. 3. He’s telling us of the Constraining, Compelling Love of Christ that He didn’t die for the few but the many, for the whole world of fallen mankind. 4. He is telling us of the billions of people along India’s coral strands. 5. He’s telling us of the billions of people along China’s invisible wall of unbelief and slavery. 6. He’s telling us of the millions & millions across the dark continent of Africa enslaved by earthly war-lords and hellish demon powers. 7. He’s telling us of the intellectually blind and morally impoverished and the deceived millions in the Americas!

“God is not willing…that ANY should perish!!” So Jesus came! Years ago I had purchased Dr. W.A. Criswell’s book entitled “Expository Sermons on the Epistles of Peter”. In pages 159-160 Dr. Criswell told the following story – so inspirational concerning our steadfastness for the souls of lost men and women. He wrote: “This story takes place more than 100 years ago, in the days of the gold and silver rush in the western states. It happened in Silver City, Nevada. A young woman had given her life to be a missionary and in the providence of God was not able to go. Later, she married a man who was the manager of a silver mine in Silver City. In that town, in an adobe hut, lived an old prospector who was dying. He was a vile and loathsome and filthy man. He was evil and cursed so constantly that those who tried to befriend him by bringing him food left it by the bed and went away. This young woman heard about it. She went to that filthy place and looked on the face of the dying prospector. He cursed her, but she, seeking to befriend him, asked, Did you not have a mother who loved you? He cursed his mother for she also was a vile and bad person. The young woman then asked about his wife. The prospector cursed her memory for she was a woman of the streets. Whatever the young woman said was met with an oath and a curse. She left but came back with food the next day and many days after that, but always met those same curses…

One evening, kneeling before bedtime with her children, the young mother was asked by her son if she prayed for the bad man. The mother had to admit she hadn’t. The little boy asked, “But, mommy, has God given him up too?” Then the mother realized God had not given up on him. So she prayed and prayed and prepared to go back…

On her way to that filthy place she met a neighbor and her little girl who said they would go with her. So the three of them went. Again the young woman was met with vile cursing. But while she was there, the little girl playing outside laughed about something. The old man heard this and it sounded like the ringing of a bell. He asked what that was, and when he found out he asked if he could see the girl. The little girl was brought in and in her hand she held a bouquet of purple flowers from the sagebrush. The little girl was frightened but she held out the little bouquet of flowers and the bad man reached forth his bony hand. But he did not touch the flowers. He touched the little dimpled hand of that child and asked her name. The little girl replied that her name was Mamie. Mamie? The old prospector had had a little girl named Mamie, but she had died, and he began to curse God for taking his little girl from him…

However, the young wife saw an opening and inquired about Mamie. Again the miner cursed God for taking her from him. But the young woman spoke to the miner of his mother and wife whom he had cursed and then said, “Sir, it would have been that had your little Mamie been reared by your mother and your wife, she would have grown up to be like them.” Well, the vile man had never thought of that. The young woman went on. “Maybe God took your little Mamie that He might keep her pure and fresh for you. And it could be,” said the young wife, “that if you would give your heart to Jesus and let Jesus save you, that some day in heaven you could see that darling little girl again.” Could it be? The young woman told the man how Jesus had died for his sins that He might wash him, and that He was in heaven waiting for those who love Him, and by His side is a little girl named Mamie. Could Christ forgive someone as bad as he? The man finally repented of his sins and gave his heart to Jesus. But he had never been to church and wanted to go just once. So they decided to bring the church to that hut. All the old prospectors and miners filled that little place and the old man told those inside to get down on their knees for the young woman was going to tell the story of how they could see God some day…

That is God. Whatever is done is always done in pity and tender mercy that God might lead us to trust in Him and to look in faith to Him.”

GOD ALSO WANTS US TO KNOW OF THE SACREDNESS OF TRUST IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF LIFE. Simply, clearly, and in convicting fashion Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” It hasn’t changed at all! God awaits your celebration of His watch-care over you in life’s circumstances!

GOD ALSO WANTS US TO KNOW OF THE SANCTITY OF PERSONAL INVOLVEMENT IN HIS ETERNAL MISSION ENDEAVORS. Yes, even faithful, sacrificial giving in order to touch the world with His grace, mercy, and love.

In 2 Corinthians 8:5, Paul said of the churches in Macedonia, “And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.”

That’s a good, grand, and glorious thing! But in verse 2 Paul also wrote: “that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality.” In other words they generously supported world missions to the honor of Christ Jesus! Amen?

I have no doubts that those disciples gave generously because of their deep and abiding love for the mission of Christ! IT IS THE WILL OF GOD TO SUPPORT HIS ETERNAL MISSION, even sacrificially!

No doubt this is why Peter wrote in 1 Peter 4:19, “Therefore, let those who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.” Why? Ephesians 6:6 declares: “not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.” Glory! So be it, Lord!

CHAPTER THREE

THE VIRGIN BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST

Do you understand, comprehend, receive the Biblical revelation of, yes, “the virgin birth of Jesus Christ,” or do you side with the unbelievers, the skeptics, the doubters, the verbal refuters of what the Holy Bible tells us about our Lord and Savior’s virgin birth?

I was on a trip in September, 2014, with some very dear friends, and while on this trip a friend shared with me that a mutual friend of ours told him that he did not believe in the virgin birth although he attends church regularly. Being in the medical field he had determined that it wasn’t possible for a ‘virgin birth’ and he didn’t feel that a relationship with God was dependent on what one believed about Jesus Christ of Nazareth related to a virgin birth.

Without hesitation, I say to you, I do not agree but firmly believe in the Triune God of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit – One God with three identities or three ministries for the sake of fallen mankind of which we all are a part because we came from Adam and Eve who “fell” and needed to be reconciled to Holy God.

It’s always interesting to read and re-read Genesis 1:26 where the Holy Word tells us: Then God said, [Question! Did He or didn’t He ‘say’?], “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…” Verse 27, So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” “Us?” A lie, a figment of a man’s mind, an illusion that has nothing to do with fleshly reality?

But what is Genesis 3 about? Oh…there’s a serpent present! That’s the devil or Satan who, 1)Casts doubt on the Word of God, 2) Twists the Truth and distorts it, 3) Confuses humankind, 4) Speaks “the Lie”, [you can sin and not die], 5) Spews doubt, unbelief, and entices men to deception!

And Genesis 3:8 tells us about Adam and Eve [and all of fallen mankind!] who “hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God.” Men have been hiding from God ever since that day in the Garden of Eden and, of course, have even clothed themselves in all forms of religious deceptions.

Genesis 3:24 tells us: “So He drove out the man…and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.” That’s an amazing, awesome revelation when you tie all of God’s Word together both Old and New Testament. A flaming sword? But in later Scripture we read of the “sword” that has been “dipped in blood”! Isaiah 34:5-6 tells us, “For My sword shall be bathed in heaven; indeed it shall come down on Edom, and on the people of My curse for judgment. The sword of the Lord is filled with blood. It is made overflowing with fatness, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Edom.”

No doubt this is an Old Testament picture of “shed blood” authored by God in both judgment and redemption. For to the rebellious and unbelieving it is severe judgment. For the repentant and believing and faithful, it is the shed blood of the Lamb of God poured out by God Himself!

But the shed blood of the Lamb of God is the blood of Jesus WHO IS THE LAMB OF GOD! Jesus IS Immanuel, “GOD WITH US,” because the perfect Lamb of God was and is the sinless sacrifice determined by God, yes, even BEFORE the foundation of our world as we know it! Revelation 13:8 clearly tells us of the Lamb ‘slain from the foundation of the world.”

And the other interesting truth found in Genesis 3:24 is that “the flaming sword which turned every way, TO GUARD THE WAY TO THE TREE OF LIFE,” but in your compromised minds you’ve never seen the ‘tree of life’ as the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus? Have you never seen the sword of the Lord as the Word of God that never fades away? Hebrews 4:12 tells us, “For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

What did our Lord and Savior and Master of life tell us in Matthew 4:4, yes, quoting His WORD from Deuteronomy 8:3? “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.”

Oh, hear me, I am firmly convinced that God wants to put His FINGER-PRINT, His PALM-PRINT on our lives by our receiving the Word of God as our true ‘bread of life’ – and He does so through the LIVING WORD, JESUS, and the WRITTEN WORD, His Holy inspired Word!

Before I attempt to fully examine “The Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ,” after reading Deuteronomy 8:3, I want you to carefully examine Deuteronomy 8:11-19!! “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today,…

Lest – when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied;…

When your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, from the house of bondage; who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock;…

Who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and the He might test you, to do you good in the end – then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’…

And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish.”

Oh, I see – you believe in “the Lord your God” but you do not accept Jesus as Emmanuel or the Holy Spirit who guides us into all Truth? And you do not accept that it takes God Himself as the Lamb, the sacrificial Lamb, who would be the “sacrifice” for your sin? I want you to examine carefully Isaiah 7:14 where the Immanuel prophecy tells us: “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” [Or, “God-with-us”].

The Hebrew terminology for the word “virginity” is the word b’tulah, but Isaiah’s word that he was inspired to write was ‘almah’ or ‘a young woman of marriageable age’ because young women of that Old Testament age WERE (mostly) VIRGINS and their marriage preparation was purity of body as well as purity of heart! I’d say that’s a little different from godless societies!

Genesis 24 is such a powerful word for parents today as it unveils Abraham’s heart and spirit concerning a marriage partner for his son Isaac. Abraham had sent a faithful servant to find, not an unbeliever or immoral woman, but a bride for Isaac who was of his God’s calling and expectation of a, yes, holy bride, pure and set apart to honor God through her devoted life to her husband. The servant found Rebekah, and Deuteronomy 24:16 says, “Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her…”

In Genesis 24:26-27 we read about this Godly servant: Then the man bowed down his head and worshipped the Lord. And he said, “Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.” Did you notice, were you alerted as a parent, has it been your consideration to lean upon the leadership of Holy Almighty God, in both the dating patterns and marriage choices of your children?

Hear this servant in Genesis 24:42-44 and verse 48! “And this day I came to the well and said, ‘O Lord God of my master Abraham, if You will now prosper the way in which I go, behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass that when the virgin comes out to draw water, and I say to her, ‘Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink,’ and she says to me, ‘Drink, and I will draw for your camels also,’ – let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master’s son.’ Verse 48. “And I bowed my head and worshipped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has led me in the way of truth to take the daughter of my master’s brother for his son.”

But what about the New Testament revelation of ‘virgin’? In Matthew 1:23 we have a direct quote of Isaiah 7:14 but with the Greek word of ‘parthenos’ specifically used and defined as ‘virgin’. I also find Luke 1:1-4 extremely important. Luke, the physician, wrote: Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things written from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.”

Did you pause and reflect upon verse 4? “that YOU MAY KNOW THE CERTAINTY OF THOSE THINGS IN WHICH YOU WERE INSTRUCTED” –CERTAINTY? You mean a physician who walked with Jesus Christ the Promised Messiah knew that Jesus was virgin-born without a doubt?

Both Matthew and Luke, inspired by the Holy Spirit, guided by the Holy Spirit, assured by the Holy Spirit, tell us that Jesus was birthed in a supernatural way, that a virgin was blessed with the seed of God Himself in her womb apart from a human, sexual event, and that she, yes, birthed the Son of God!

How would one define “the deity of Jesus” apart from the virgin birth? Adam’s ‘fallen race’ was and is desperate for DIVINE INTERVENTION – why? Because Holy God requires DIVINE REDEMPTION, DESTINED AND DEFINED RECONCILIATION, and A DISTINCT RESURRECTION. Luke 2:6-7 tells us: So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

I tell you, if you are not awed by Luke 2:8-14, I’d reach out for a miraculous healing of a hardened heart and a stubborn, un-submissive mind! It says: Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid…

Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”…

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

And I believe as I continue reading in Luke 2 that I hear the ‘doubters’ description of Simeon as “Silly Simeon,” as “Sickly Simeon,” or as “Short-changed Simeon in the brain”: Luke 2:25-35 tells us, And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him….

And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:

“Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.”

And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Did you leap over Luke 1:27? That’s when Luke unveiled the answer to every man’s unbelief! “For with God nothing will be impossible!” “THE VIRGIN BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST?”

FIRST, THE VIRGIN BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST WAS ETERNALLY PLANNED IN THE FATHER’S HEART BECAUSE GOD THE FATHER KNEW WHAT ‘MAN’ WOULD DO. The author of Hebrews had no doubt about Jesus but only divine unveiling. In Hebrews 1:1-3 we read, God, who at various times and in various ways, spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, THROUGH WHOM ALSO HE MADE THE WORLDS; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

I encourage you to reflect upon those words and receive God’s Word to us in verse 2, [God] “has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, THROUGH WHOM ALSO HE [JESUS] made the worlds…” Before the world was, Jesus IS! As the world was being made, it was Jesus in design, Jesus in implementation, and Jesus with His eternal signature revealing Himself: DIVINE IN PURPOSE, DIVINE IN ITS PRINCIPLES, DIVINE IN ITS PRECIOUSNESS, DIVINE IN ITS ETERNAL PROGRAM, [Glorifying the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!].

Have you ignored John 1:1-4? In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS GOD. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”

Oh, but then one comes to Colossians 1:15-18! It says, ‘God illumining His eternal purpose through Christ Jesus,’ : “He 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. 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.”

Have you forgotten or overlooked Isaiah 43:21? “This people I have formed for Myself; they shall declare My praise.” And in Isaiah 43:25 our Lord speaks: “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins.” I don’t know about you but I am awed as I read that our Lord and Savior blotted out our transgressions by the covering and washing in and through His blood “for My own sake”!! I sense our Lord saying to us that through the Cross our Lord and Savior WANTED TO DRAW US TO HIMSELF! HE WANTS YOU AS AN ETERNAL PART OF THE HOLY, DIVINE, ETERNAL FAMILY who are placed “under His wings”! “For my own sake” means Jesus is forever blessed and enriched through your relationship with Him.

Does Hebrews 1:10-12 encourage you as you sense our world today is in our Lord’s hands? And: “You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain; and they will grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will fold them up, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not fail.”

I John 1:1-4 is such an encouraging passage about experiencing true joy in your life of faith. It says: That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life – the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us – that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.”

SECOND, THE VIRGIN BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST WAS PROPHETICALLY ANNOUNCED. It’s not possible to include all prophetic announcements about the VIRGIN BIRTH OF CHRIST, but you need to know that in the Old Testament there are at least 700 verses concerning the coming of the Messiah, and He was, is, always will be Jesus Christ of Nazareth!

I’ve already shared earlier Isaiah 7:14, but it’s so important for you to wrap your mind and heart around and on the Holy verse! Do you understand also the Christmas hymn entitled “Joy To The World”? Isaiah 9:6-7 announces: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. 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.”

Did you see it? “His government, His name, His kingdom, His throne, His rule and reign”!! [But He doesn’t rule your heart, your mind, your very life, because you believe “Jesus was only a man – not Emmanuel?”]

Look carefully at the prophetic announcements of His Virgin Birth because, yes, He IS ‘King of kings and Lord of lords’! What were those announcements? His ‘Kingdom’ was to be and is a “Blood-Bought Kingdom,” a ‘Kingdom’ that was and is “Sacrificial In Nature,” a ‘Kingdom’ that was and is “Ruler-based,” a ‘Kingdom’ that “Shines with the Light of God’s Glory,” a ‘Kingdom’ that is “Holy Presence Dominated,” and a ‘Kingdom’ of “Eternal-Mission Purpose” designed, implemented, and empowered by God through “vessels” like you and me!

Have you overlooked Isaiah 61:1-3? Yes, it IS about Jesus!! “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.”

Oh, and I challenge you: Receive for yourself Isaiah 61:7!! “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.”

Even in the New Testament there is prophetic utterance as in Luke 1:67-79, and the Dayspring came!!

THIRD, THE VIRGIN BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST WAS AND IS SCRIPTURALLY, HISTORICALLY, AND PERSONALLY EVALUATED. Don’t you find it amazing that the Gospel of Matthew begins with the genealogy of Jesus Christ? And you don’t know WHO HE IS OR WHERE HE CAME FROM? [Read it carefully in Matthew 1:1-17.] Oh, but then Matthew, inspired by the Holy Spirit, writes Matthew 1:18-25 telling us, Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit…

Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit…

And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, ‘God with us.’”

Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.”

Have you thoroughly evaluated Galatians 1:1-5? And have you personally experienced the intent of God in revealing Christ Jesus to you? In Galatians 1:15-16, 22-24, Paul reveals God’s divine intent for every true believer:

Galatians 1:1-5, Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead), and all the brethren who are with me. Grace to you and peace from God the Father AND our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Galatians 1:15-16, 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…”

Galatians 1:22-24, And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ. But they were hearing only, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.” And they glorified God in me.

Are you of the “mind-set” that ‘Jesus is not divine – never was, never is, and never will be?’ This is why Paul encouraged and challenged and informed the church at Colossae and us in Colossians 2:8-10, “Beware least anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 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.”

Oh, then Paul unveils for us God’s pointing to His purpose, His pleasure, His perfection in you and through you! He wrote in Colossians 3:1-3, 10, 15-17, the following: 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.

Verse 10, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him…

Verses 15-17, And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord . And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Do you remember Pontius Pilate asking the people as Jesus was brought before him, Matthew 27:22-26? Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!” Then the governor said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!”

When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.” And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children.” Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.”

And when YOU stand before Holy God in your day of judgment before Him, He’ll ask you: “What did you do with My Son WHO IS THE PROMISED MESSIAH and SAVIOR who is called the Christ?” – What will be YOUR answer?

FOURTH, THE VIRGIN BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST, YES, REQUIRES BELIEVING AND TRUSTING AND OBEYING GOD HIMSELF. In Hebrews 10:26-29 we read: “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries…

Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment do you suppose, will be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?”

The author of Hebrews, inspired, yes, by the Holy Spirit, wrote in Hebrews 10:31 and verses 35-39, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God… Verses 35-39, 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: ‘For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.’ But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.”

And how does Hebrews 11:6 awaken our souls and spirits? “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

Question!! Do you believe the Gospel of Christ is eternal? It’s not simply a New Testament revelation – it’s always been in the heart of Eternal, Compassionate, Merciful, Gracious, and Loving God. He tells us in Hebrews 11:23-28 as we read about the faith of Moses: “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command…

By faith Moses, when he became of age, 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, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward…

By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them.”

Holy God then calls US: Hebrews 12:1-2, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, LOOKING UNTO JESUS, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

If I were you, I’d search diligently “the grace and mercy of God,” and especially if you’ve doubted for yourself and then discerned that He is not what or who God and Himself and you have decided because it does determine your eternal future past this earthly existence! In Hebrews 12:12-17 we read: “Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. 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;…

Lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.”

Hear me! And hear God’s Holy Word! Holy Scripture is not man’s best of fleshly, mental rationalism but DIVINE REVELATION! And it is not the modern-day philosophy of ‘churchianity’ but Resurrection Life, Power, Purpose, and Hope in and through Jesus Only!

Did you know that in the Old Testament alone that it is recorded over and over: “This is what God says”? What about the New Testament? Let me give you a taste of what New Testament disciples stood on: I Peter 1:18-21 says: “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, BUT WITH THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you…”

Again, the author of Hebrews so longed to awaken unbelieving hearts even in those who professed faith in God only but couldn’t accept “blood redemption” in and through the Crucified Christ who was known as Emmanuel – “God in Flesh!” In Hebrews 3:1-2, 5-6, 12-14 and the BIG “IF” in verse 14, plus Hebrews 4:11-12, 14-16, we read: Hebrews 3:1-2, “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house.”

Hebrews 3:5-6, And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.

Hebrews 3:12-14, 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. For we have become partakers of Christ IF we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end…”

Hebrews 4:11-12, Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Hebrews 4:14-16, Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

I close this study with a vital passage written by Paul in Ephesians 1:4-14, “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 made us accepted in the Beloved. 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 of which are in heaven and which are on earth – in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him, who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory…

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”

Yes, to the praise of His glory, Jesus Christ, born of the virgin, lived a sinless life, sacrificed His life on the Cross for us who were dead in our trespasses and sins, but washed in His blood, we are free from the law of sin and death, and rejoice evermore in the Son of God, our Savior and Lord, our Resurrection Life, Resurrection Power, and Resurrection Eternal Hope! That is: Jesus Only!!

CHAPTER FOUR

IS CHRIST JESUS THE ONLY HOPE?

Three different passages of the Holy Word will open this chapter. 1 Peter 2:6 says, “Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a Chief Cornerstone, elect, precious; and he that believes on Him shall not be confounded.”

Then Colossians 1:27 clearly declares, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” John 6:66-68 informs us, From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the [original group of twelve] to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

To whom or what have you gone to related to eternal salvation? I ASK you; ‘do you believe CHRIST Jesus is the only hope’? The multitudes in Jesus’ day and the multitudes in our day have not listened to, longed for, or sought the “life”, the “eternal life” that IS in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior! Man in his self-=satisfied way has turned away Him who IS the “Way, the Truth, and the Life”!

According to Dr. R.G. Lee, great former pastor of Bellview Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, Jesus IS “literature’s loftiest ideal, philosophy’s highest personality, criticism’s supremest problem, theology’s fundamental doctrine, and spiritual religion’s cardinal necessity.” [R.G.Lee, “Bread”, p.10]

In John 1:11 we see that “He [Jesus] came unto His own, and His own received Him not.” He comes unto His own today, and His own do not receive Him!

Is there life beyond the grave? Have you ever asked that? Job did! He was one of the most righteous men to ever live! In Job 14:14 he said, “If a man dies, shall he live again?” And he found his answer! In Job 19:25-26 we read him: “For I KNOW that my Redeemer lives, and He (Jesus, Redeemer, Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world) shall stand at the last on the earth…And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God.”

Do you want to live forever in the presence of Holy God? Do you want to see God? My Savior, my Lord, My redeemer, whose name is Jesus, was praying to His Father and Jesus said: “And this is eternal life that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life!” But modern mankind is so spiritually stricken with unbelief that they are not sure where to go. Some say: “Let’s go to the god of science.” At a university luncheon there was a faculty wife who said to the wife of a minister: “We have no religion. My husband is a scientist.” And because of scientific ‘achievements’ in the area of the physical world, and now in the processes of the mind, some feel indifferent toward the Eternal Truth of the Bible! Man believes in himself so much that he now believes he is scientifically ‘self-sufficient’!

“Lord, to whom shall we go?” Let’s just look at where “education” has dumped modern young people! Teachers, ‘guidance counselors,’ university professors, have become so “knowledgeable” that they’ve raised themselves above sin. I would point you to the 1930’s, 1940’s, to a country called Germany where there were more PhD’s and ThD’s per capita than any other nation on the face of the earth. I read of one PhD lady who walked down the corridors of prisoners examining their naked backs of prisoners picking out skin she wanted for her bedroom lamps! There’s no salvation in education! “Ever learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the Truth!

“Lord, to whom shall we go?” “Well, let’s just settle ourselves with ‘military strength’.” And I tell you without hesitation that presidents who deplete the military are tools of Satan and His kingdom of darkness! Military can protect but not redeem!

“Lord, to whom shall we go?” How about us establishing a new religion called “The Faith of Do-Good-Deeds”? Really? There are millions and millions, yes, even billions upon billions spent to raise people out of physical poverty, never realizing the battle is a spiritual battle! You don’t remove men from “slums” until you remove “slums” from within men!

“Lord, to whom shall we go?” Let’s just major on momentary pleasure and fleshly wealth! Really? Do you go to the river of fleshly pleasures and dreams that never come true? Do you go to the harbor waiting for the ship of peace through pleasure and prosperity to come, but when it does, you see it filled with despair, disappointments, decay, and disillusionments?

“Lord, to whom shall we go?” The greatest declaration about the nature and character of the one true and living God is found in 1 John 4:16 when John wrote: “And we have known and believed the love God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in ‘agape’ love abides in God, and God in him.”

From the foundation of the world and from the fall of man and their separation from Holy God because of their sin and sin natures, God Almighty has been intent on one thing – to prove His love to you and for you! In Jeremiah 31:3 we read, “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.” It’s Romans 5:8 that tells us, “But demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Let me illumine several biblical truths related to Christ Jesus as our only hope. Number One: CHRIST IS THE ONLY HOPE FOR THE MEANINGLESSNESS THAT INVADES THE GODLESS, HUMAN, FALLEN-AWAY SPIRIT FROM HOLY GOD. It was Somerset Maugham in his writing “Of Human Bondage” who said: “On the pending death of two elderly people: ‘They had done nothing, and when they went it would be just as if they had never been”. Oh, how tragic, and yet so often true!

We are being inundated, confronted, split apart, by a new way of life about us so different from the call of God on our lives! It’s a life apart from, even denying life without divine purpose or divine meaning! Fast developing before our very eyes is an appalling aimlessness of human living. There was a survey taken on a Texas campus of 12,000 students – “What is the basic purpose of life?” And 75% could not answer!

It was Thoreau who said: “Most men live lives of quiet desperation.” The majority of men let down their empty buckets into empty wells of self-centered living and tire easily from drawing up nothing of eternal significance and don’t know where to turn.

There was a man who gave much thought to the question, “Why did Jesus die?” To find his answer he did as Luther told us all we should do, “Begin at the wounds of Christ.” And his conclusion? “He died for all men that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto Him who died for them.” I’d say, think of the Cross of Jesus Christ! And willingly say, “Thank You, Lord, for saving my soul!” And forgiveness of sins, reconciliation to the Heavenly Father, the power to live the overcoming life – that’s part of what our Lord’s death on the Cross was about, but, yes, even so much more!

The message of the Cross, conversion, faith in the fellowship of Jesus is that YOU lose your life to find it again in Him! Robert McCracken, in his book on “Questions”, [pps.71-72], said: “The death of Jesus not only means that something amazing and wonderful has been done for us; it means that something demanding and exacting is expected of us, Christ on the Cross is a perpetual challenge to our world, and the head and front of the challenge is that we give up self-centered living.”

The message of the Cross, conversion, faith in the fellowship of Jesus is that you lose your life to find it in Him alone! What are the master, compelling, motives of your life? Are you living for His honor and glory through you? What is the dominant demand of your existence – self or Christ? How about the meaning of your life and its direction? Jesus said in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Number Two: Christ Jesus IS THE ONLY HOPE FOR THE MORAL MADNESS OF MODERN MAN. Years ago Samuel Taylor Coleridge looked upon the world of his day and wrote: “Aloof with hermit eye I scan The present work of present man…A wild dream-like train of blood and guile Too foolish for a tear; Too wicked for a smile.”

And I wonder, what would Coleridge think about, what he’d be inspired or dismayed, to write about today if he looked at our decaying generations!

I’m sure he’d feel like the little girl who looked up to the stars and said: “Twinkle, twinkle little star, How you wonder what I are.” The Angel Gabrriel, in “Green Pastures,” said to ‘De Lawd”: “Everything nailed down is comin’ loose, Lawd!” I don’t remember the hymn approaching my 79^th birthday June 12, but just a line: “Change and decay in all around I see.”

The moral disintegration of our modern world is so apparent. Standards that built a spiritual nation are being abandoned, family disintegrating, immorality rampant, open defiance of God and His Word is becoming extreme!

I really don’t remember where I found the following news-print many years ago, but I do remember at five years of age when the bombing of Pearl Harbor took place. I was seated in my grandfather’s lap as he listened to the radio. I was probably in my twenties when I read the following article from the commander of the first air fleet of the Japanese Imperial Navy who led 360 planes in that raid on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and became a Christian eleven years after that tragic day. He said:

“Little did I dream that my view of life would be so revolutionized. Japan today is standing at the crossroads. Communism is working on the left-hand – Shinto Imperialism on the right. Now since I have found Christ I am convinced that the way for Japan is neither Communism or Imperialism, but Jesus Christ.”

Look at our nation today, our communities, our homes, the lives of our fellow country-men. You’ll see on many fronts the open demonstration of moral madness, understanding many with inner dilemmas and no awareness of deliverance and salvation and healing through Christ only. “Lord, to whom shall we go?”

Romans 8:1-2 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh [or one’s old sin nature!], but after the spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made us free from the law of sin and death.”

Number Three: CHRIST JESUS IS THE ONLY HOPE FOR THE BLACKNESS OF SIN THAT CONTROLS THE MIND, WILL, EMOTIONS, AND HEART OF THE REBELLIOUS SINNER. Recently on the television they were recognizing those astronauts who made it to the Moon and back. “Moon Men” were honored again, rejoicing in the tremendous accomplishment of science.

We’ve learned to send men to the moon and conquer outer space, but why do so many know nothing of the inner space of their lives God would love to inhabit? It was an article in my hometown newspaper of Cleveland, Tennessee, written in the Cleveland Daily Banner by Bill Farley. He said: “We can send three men on half million mile space journey and land their returned vehicle with pin point accuracy in the largest ocean on earth, and yet, so frequently we can’t get one automobile through an intersection without hitting another…

We can build the greatest economic and governmental system [before Obama!] the world has ever seen, and yet we can’t explain it sufficiently to our children to have them cherish it….

We can discover the secret patterns of life in the DNA molecule, but often we fail to find the most obvious paths to peace at our breakfast table. We can calculate the exact distance to a star, but we don’t seem to be able to find a way to save a Biafran child from starvation or the horrors of war…

We can tunnel through mountains and bring oil from the bottom of the sea, but we can’t guarantee the balance of a single personality.”

And I have to ask, WHY? And the answer? Because of SIN that men refuse to bring to the “Great Physician” for healing grace and mercy! Science can present to me technological advancements beyond my understanding; they can present to me wonderful chemicals to take off stains from my hands, but what about the blood-stained hands and heart of Lady MacBeth – those spiritual stains, those dark spots in far too many lives? “Lord, to whom shall we go?”

No philosophy of this world past, present, or future can wash away the blackness of sin in the hearts of unredeemed men. No political system is so strong it can remove the guilt of sin. No educational institution presided over by the learned can provide remedies for the ruin sin has brought to the heart of every man. And no church, regardless of its ‘traditions’, can grant dispensations to dispel the misery of sin. But, 1 Corinthians 5:7 tells us, “For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.” And Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

God was not playing “games” at Calvary – it was a matter of life or death – your life and your death. God said that Christ IS the only hope for the midnight blackness of sin.”

Number Four: CHRIST JESUS IS THE ONLY HOPE FOR A MEANINGFUL UNDERSTANDING OF GOD THE FATHER. Ever since I was a young child I’ve been fascinated by the story of Moses as he approached God asking to see God’s glory; he wanted an outward manifestation of what he had experienced in his heart about God.

“Show me Your glory!” God spoke: “I will make all My goodness to pass before you…but you cannot see My face; for man shall not see My face and live…I will put you in the cleft of a rock, and I will cover you with My hand until I have passed by…and you shall see My back.”

Isaiah made mention that “verily, You are a God who hides Himself!” God WAS like that! “THEN JESUS CAME”! And He said “when you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen God!” Doesn’t His Holy Word tell us that “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us…and we beheld His glory, yes, the glory of Father-God” that Moses didn’t see but believed in the Christ to come?

I read stories long ago of the great old ships as they made their way home, close to the harbor, but the blackness of many moonless nights brought fear to the hearts of the crew and the travelers, but then from the Crow’s nest one would speak out: “All is well – the light is shining brightly!” For us today on a “darkened sea of life,” Jesus tells us, “All is well – My Light still shines!”

In 1 Corinthians 15:19 we read, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” Not Paul! In Philippians 1:21 he said, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

Number Five: CHRIST JESUS IS THE ONLY HOPE FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS. Hebrews 9:22 declares: “Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins.” What blood? Innocent blood! Who? Jesus only! 1 Peter 2:24 is so very clear: “Who Himself (Jesus) bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness…By whose stripes we are healed.”

But you don’t believe in ‘sin-sickness’? Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:7, “In Christ Jesus we have redemption through His blood, THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS.” When YOU stand before the Judgment Bar of Holy God, what will be your plea?

Number Six: CHRIST JESUS IS THE ONLY HOPE FOR A FULFILLING, GOD-HONORING LIFE. Ephesians 1:23 speaks of “The fullness of Him who fills all in all.” To come to Christ in repentance toward God and faith in the finished work of Christ AT THE CROSS, is to know the “fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ”! And as a result, one then receives ALL OF GOD and All God wants you to have!

What does Galatians 2:20 tell 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. Verse 21, I do not set aside the grace of God…”

That’s all because of God’s graciousness to every repentant heart! He declares that He makes all things new through the shed blood of Christ at the Cross and a man’s full surrender to, yes, the Lordship of Christ!

And that “HOPE” in Him brings victory over Satan and the powers of darkness, begins a new life and eternal relationship, and then gives us the blessing of an eternal home in Heaven!

Heaven is not for the religious, but the redeemed; Heaven is not for the sons of the devil, but for the sons of God; Heaven is not for the unbelievers but true, repentant believers; Heaven is not for the sinners, but for those justified, sanctified, and glorified by Christ alone!

[In closing this chapter, please read, meditate, and walk in Revelation 7:13-17].

CHAPTER FIVE

THE DEATH OF CHRIST JESUS, THE LORD GOD

In Luke 2:25-35 is a powerful word of unveiling Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior! It says: “And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him…

And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:…

“Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.”…

And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against…

(yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Did you notice? “Joseph and Jesus’ mother MARVELED at those things which were spoken of Him!” In Verse 26 the Word says, “it had been revealed to Simeon by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.” That’s the Promised Messiah, the promised Redeemer, the fore-ordained “Lamb of God.”

All through human history, from the earliest days after the Fall, men put their faith in the One who would redeem them from the “curse of Law-breaking.” And Simeon said, “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word;…FOR MY EYES HAVE SEEN YOUR SALVATION.”

Then to Mary, “BEHOLD…this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against…(yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

A piercing of the heart because of the purpose-filled death of Christ Jesus the Lord! Colossians 1:20 says, “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!”

In Philippians 2:8-9 Paul wrote, “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even THE DEATH ON THE CROSS…Therefore, God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name.”

“THE DEATH OF THE CROSS,” DO YOU HEAR IT IN YOUR HEART? “THE BLOOD OF THE CROSS,” DO YOU HEAR THAT? And humanly speaking we wrestle with the piercing of a mother and a father’s heart. We wrestle with Gethsemane’s agony that is so holy, so sacred, and so mysterious and mountainous! And we wrestle with the Cross’s cruelty, so cruel the Roman government never allowed a Roman citizen to be crucified, and we wrestle with the “suffering” of that cruel cross.

But then we hear, Romans 5:8, “God PROVED His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ DIED FOR US!” And the sympathy of suffering became a symphony of celebration because we learn God’s eternal intent!

Frederick Lehman wrote the following: “The love of God is greater far Than tongue or pen can ever tell; It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell; The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win; His erring child He reconciled And pardoned from his sin…

O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure The saints’ and angels’ song…

Could we with ink the ocean fill And were the skies of parchment made, Were every stalk on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade, To write the love of God above Would drain the ocean dry, Nor could the scroll contain the whole Tho’ stretched from sky to sky.” Oh, how profound and to the point of God’s love for us, even at the price of Jesus’ Cross, His suffering, and His death “At Calvary”! Let me begin for you a scroll of understanding:

FIRST, THE DEATH OF CHRIST JESUS WAS GOD’S DELIVERANCE OF US OUT OF THIS PRESENT EVIL AGE! Galatians 1:4 says, “who gave Himself for our sins, THAT HE MIGHT DELIVER US FROM THIS PRESENT EVIL AGE, according to the will of our God and Father.”

Is God your Father? Is it you for whom He gave His Son because of your sins? Is the will of God being accomplished in and through you? Have YOU been delivered from this present evil age? The word ‘deliver’ basically means “to rescue”. J.B. Lightfoot believes this to be the whole central theme of Galatians, [“Galatians,”p.73], “The Gospel is a rescue, AN EMANCIPATION from the state of bondage.”

Consider your life in this very present moment: Are you enslaved or emancipated? Is it “in bondage to this present evil age” or “blessed by the powerful Emmanuel, the Almighty? Are you “captive” of the powers of darkness or liberated by Christ? Is it, for you, “the kingdom of evil” that explains your life or the “Kingdom of God,” righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit?

In I Samuel 2:6-8 we find Hannah’s prayer; Receive it! “The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up…The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up…He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the beggar from the ash heap, TO SET THEM AMONG PRINCES AND MAKE THEM TO INHERIT THE THRONE OF GLORY.”

Oh, and then Paul wrote in Colossians 1:13, “He [God] has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.”

SECOND, THE DEATH OF CHRIST JESUS IS TO DELIVER US OUT OF THE BONDAGE OF SIN’S POWER AND PENALTY! In Revelation 1:5-6 the beloved John wrote: “To Him who loved us and washed us FROM OUR SINS IN HIS OWN BLOOD, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Dr. W.A. Criswell was one of my favorite preachers. He died, I believe, at the age of 92. He had pastored and preached so faithfully at First Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas, for over 60 years. [Don’t hold me to that time-line!]. In his “Expository Sermons on Revelation,” [Vol.1, pps.90-91], he told the story of a friend who was a retired Air Force Chaplain.

In one of our wars he was placed in field hospitals throughout the war. “He said that the doctors had a little secret sign by which they would tell the chaplains how long a boy would live. Three fingers meant he would live three minutes. Five fingers meant he would live five minutes. Ten fingers meant he had about ten minutes to live. If the doctor held up ten fingers twice, the boy would have about twenty minutes to live.”

He’d kneel by each young soldier and ask him, “Son, have you been saved? Do you know the Lord? In the forgiveness of your sins, have you trusted Jesus as your Savior and Lord?” And then he’d say, “I would talk to the boy: ‘Son, do you realize you are a sinner?’ And the boy would reply, ‘Yes, I realize I’m a sinner.’ And I would say, ‘Then, son, will you trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins?’”

Then he said, “I would have the boy pray and confess his sins to Jesus and ask Jesus to forgive his sins.” Dr. Criswell asked the chaplain, “What if the boy didn’t know how to pray?” The chaplain responded, “Then I would have the boy to pray after me, to follow the words as I said them.” And a Jewish boy? “Son, will you trust in your great Messiah, the Atoning Redeemer, who died for your sins? WILL YOU TRUST HIM?”

Dr. Criswell asked, “Did you have any to refuse?” The chaplain said: “NEVER!” He told Dr. Criswell, “I could not tell you the number of times I have seen the light of the glory of God upon the face of an American boy as he left us to be with the Lord!”

“Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour? Are YOU washed in the blood of the Lamb?”

Please digest Romans 6:3, 10-18, 22! Romans 6:3, “Or do you not know that as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” Verses 10-18, For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God…

Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts…

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 but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered…

And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness…Verse 22, But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.”

Sin wears and tears, makes weary, wilts lives, fills one with worries and anxieties; sin frustrates, fades away any semblance of good, fights against God! Sin blackens, bruises, desensitizes, paralyzes, pulverizes! Sin cripples, sickens, deadens, harms and makes hollow. Sin weakens and destroys, sin deceives and makes one deeper into spiritual destitution. Sin promises, but never delivers !

Oh, but JESUS!! He “washed us from our sins in His own blood!” Jesus cleans, frees, liberates, enlightens, purifies, makes new! Do you remember Andrae Crouch’s famous song?

“The blood that Jesus shed for me, ‘Way back on Calvary; The blood that gives me strength from day to day, It will never lose its power!”

THIRD, THE DEATH OF CHRIST JESUS WAS TO DELIVER US TO THE BLESSING AND JOY OF LIVING UNTO GOD, NOT UNTO OURSELVES! 2 Corinthians 5:15 states, “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.”

Do you remember the elders before God’s throne in Revelation 5:9 singing that “new song”? “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; For You were slain, and have REDEEMED US TO GOD by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” HEAR ME!!

It’s “cheap graced” if you want forgiveness of sins without fidelity unto God! It’s “phony faith” if you want forgiveness of sins and still live unto yourself! It’s a “hollow holding” of an empty belief system if we’re not RECONCILED TO GOD!

It’s no longer “business as usual” – it’s business in the supernatural realm of Holy God! It’s no longer “empty promises” – it’s the realm of the absolute faithfulness of our God in whom all His promises are “YES” in Christ Jesus!

Do you know and understand what is the universal bent of humanity? “Live for yourself, unto yourself, by yourself, in yourself.” That’s total “fleshliness,” consumed by the passion of “Me, My, Mine”…. And then before us there is “THE CROSS”!!

“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.”

FOURTH, THE DEATH OF CHRIST JESUS WAS THAT WE MIGHT LIVE IN HIM – IN THE SPIRIT! Come to Romans 8:1-6! “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh [or old sin nature!], but 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. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, GOD DID by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,…

That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit…

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit….

For to be carnally [fleshly] minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

To the church at Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 5:10), Paul stated it even more clearly: “who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, WE SHOULD LIVE TOGETHER WITH HIM!” My body is here – Christ Jesus is at the right hand of the Father, but in THE SPIRIT WE ARE ONE! It’s the Truth of “the vine and the branch.”

Follow John 15:4-5! “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

Major Ian Thomas, in his book, “The Saving Life of Christ,” [Zondervan, 1961, p13], wrote: “Christ did not die simply that you might be saved from a bad conscience, or even to remove the stain of past failure, but to “clear the decks” for divine action. You have been told that Christ died to save you. This is gloriously true in a very limited sense. In Romans 5:10 we read, “If, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, MUCH MORE, being reconciled, we shall be being saved by His Life. The Lord Jesus Christ therefore ministers to you in two distinct ways – He reconciles you to God by His death, and He saves you by His life.” “FOR TO ME TO LIVE IS CHRIST!!”

FIFTH, THE DEATH OF CHRIST JESUS WAS FOR THE PURPOSE OF GOD OF BIRTHING A NEW MAN! We WERE of the First Adam and his nature because of the Fall. But now we are of the Second Adam and His nature because of the Cross and Jesus’ resurrection from the dead! In Colossians 3:3-10 we find God’s unveiling process of a “new man.” It says: “For you died, 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. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them…

But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, AND HAVE PUT ON “THE NEW MAN” WHO IS RENEWED IN KNOWLEDGE according to the image of Him who created him.”

You are aware of your “old man” without Christ, but in Christ you are daily putting on the “new man”! In 2 Corinthians 5:17 we read, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a “new creation”; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

Jesus didn’t die that in Him you might remain the same “old man”! He didn’t die so you could maintain your allegiance to First Adam. The death of Jesus on the Cross was not impotent – keeping you the same in your sin, but just forgiven. The Cross was not for your comfort in the old man. Galatians 2:20-21 declares: “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 [body] I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me…I do not set aside or frustrate the grace of God.” Is that true of you in your profession of faith and allegiance to your Lord and Savior? And this leads us to our sixth understanding:

SIXTH, THE DEATH OF CHRIST JESUS WAS GOD’S PLAN OF AN OPEN DOOR OF MINISTRY THROUGH THE REDEEMED AS A PECULIAR PEOPLE ZEALOUS OF GOOD WORKS! Look with me at Ephesians 2:8-10! “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created IN CHRIST JESUS, for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” GLORY!

God looks upon the redeemed, the reconciled, the regenerated, and the released ones, saying, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Again, a quote of Major Ian Thomas in his book, “The Saving Life of Christ,” [Zondervan,pps.17,19], “How much more then can Jesus Christ do through you and through me? EVERYTHING! He is limited only by the measure of our availability to all that He makes available to us, for ‘in Him dwells all the fullness of the godhead bodily, and you are complete in Him.” [Colossians 2:9-10], but Major Thomas goes on:

“To be in Christ – that is redemption; but for Christ to be IN YOU – that is sanctification! To be in Christ – that makes you fit for heaven; but for Christ to be IN YOU – that makes you fit for earth! To be in Christ – that changes your Destination; but for Christ to be In You – that changes your destiny! The one makes heaven your home – the other makes this world His workshop!”

SEVENTH, THE DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST IS TO MAKE US A HOLY, ETERNAL GENERATION, REFLECTING GOD’S GLORY! In Ephesians 4:4-6 Paul wrote: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light…”

A chosen generation! A royal priesthood! A holy nation! His own special people! Yet far too often rather than a holy nation, His people appear at times a helpless generation; rather than a holy nation, at times they appear as a ‘hole-ly’ generation; rather than a holy nation, they portray at times a hopeless generation; holy or a ‘ho-hum’ generation? Holy or a humanized generation?

EIGHTH, THE DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST WAS TO REVEAL, NOT A LIFE WALKING ACCORDING TO THE FLESH, BUT A LIFE THAT WALKS IN THE SPIRIT OF HOLY GOD! In Romans 8:10-11 and 13-14 God unveils “Victorious Living” through the Holy Spirit! “And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is LIFE because of righteousness…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…Verses 13-14, For if you live according to the flesh [old sin nature] you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live.”

In Revelation 2 & 3, over and over, John said, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Do you ever wonder, ‘What was going on concerning the Spirit’s reminder: “I have a message for God’s people”?

It was Joel Blomquist who wrote it! Make it your own right now! “Heavenly Spirit, Gentle Spirit, O descend on us, we pray; Come, console us, and control us, Christ, most fair, to us portray…

Hear us pleading, interceding, You interpreter of love; With Your Fire, us inspire, Holy flame from God above…

Come to cheer us, You be near us, Kindle in us heaven’s love; Keep us burning, humble, yearning, Dwell in us, O heavenly Dove…

Pilgrims, strangers, ‘mid life’s dangers, We on You would ever depend; Spirit, tender, our Defender, Guide us, keep us to the end.”

Upon what are you depending in your walk with Christ? Flesh or Spirit?

NINTH, THE DEATH OF CHRIST JESUS WAS AND IS TO DESTROY THE POWER OF OUR ENEMY! Hebrews 2:14-15 says, “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, THYAT 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.”

Do you clearly understand that the only power Satan has over you is that which you willingly and voluntarily give to him? Carefully examine Colossians 2:13-15, “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 handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross… HAVING DISARMED PRINCIPALITIES AND POWERS, HE MADE A PUBLIC SPECTACLE OF THEM, TRIUMPHING OVER THEM IN IT.” That’s in and through the Cross Jesus won the victory over Satan’s principalities and powers!

Are you acquainted with Martin Luther’s words? “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.” [“Boo! Devil!”]

TENTH, THE DEATH OF JESUS WAS GOD’S OPENING THE DOOR TO US TO BE MADE ANEW INTO OUR LORD’S DIVINE IMAGE AND LIKENESS! It’s THROUGH THE CROSS! 2 Peter 1:4 declares, “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.” ESCAPED? Our corruptions, sinful affections and lusts, were nailed to the Cross, and IN CHRIST, WE ARE BEING TRANSFORMED INTO HIS LIKENESS AND IMAGE!

Do you remember the life-changing verse in Romans 8:29? “For whom God foreknew, He also predestined TO BE CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON, that He [Jesus] might be the first-born among many brethren.”

“Jesus, be Jesus in me, No longer me but Thee; Resurrection power, Fill me this hour, Jesus, be Jesus in me.”

It’s not much – God gave it, I wrote it, but it sums us up: “Darkened in sin, broken within, captured by choices I made; But He paid the price, a Self-sacrifice, and into the tomb was laid…

And up from the grave He arose, No power to hold by His foes; In His Resurrection is my benediction, the Blessing of Oneness and Completion.”

Charles Wesley was the writer – WOW! RECEIVE IT JOYFULLY! “And can it be that I should gain An interest in the Savior’s blood? Died He for me, who caused His pain? For me, who Him to death pursued? Amazing Love! How can it be That You, my God, shouldst die for me?…

He left His Father’s throne above, So free, so infinite His grace! Emptied Himself of all but love, And bled for Adam’s helpless race! It’s mercy all, immense and free, For, O my God, it found out me…

Long my imprisoned spirit lay Fast bound in sin and nature’s night. Your eye diffused a quickening ray: I woke – the dungeon flamed the light! My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed Thee…

No condemnation now I dread: Jesus and all in Him, is mine! Alive in Him, my living Head, and clothed in righteousness divine, Bold I approach the eternal throne, And claim the crown, through Christ my own…

Amazing love! How can it be That You, my God, should DIE FOR ME!” Amen?

CHAPTER SIX

THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST JESUS

Do you realize what “governmental rule” means to all of our lives in and across the entire world? Nations are blessed or cursed by what is in a ruler’s heart good or bad! Nations are blessed or cursed by its leaders – some dictators, tyrants, lawless perverts, communists, godless, demonic – while others are led by Godly, benevolent, God-inspired and God-led wise leaders!

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, what is in a man’s heart, what is sewn into the character of his life fabric, what is the spirit and nature of his life and world view, will of necessity translate, interpret, and determine the character of his years in a leadership role.

And families? Even the leadership of a father or mother, good or bad, paints the portrait of interpretation of family living.

Consider the ship that sails in our behalf in the war on terrorists – it has a commander. Consider that unit of special forces, Rangers, Green berets – they have a leader. Think about a classroom without a teacher!

But when it comes to the “Self-Life” most men have determined that there is no need of a Head in the Kingdom Rule of the heart outside of one’s self. And they determine, deny, undermine, put aside the only hope they have for now and for eternity.

In Mark 1:3 it tells us of “the voice crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT…” I can only ask: “Have YOU prepared the way of the Lord in your heart and home, and have YOU made His paths straight in your life?

Mark 13:8-14 is so powerful as it reveals the “servant spirit” of the King of kings and the Lord of lords! Peter said to Jesus, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”…

Simon Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, not my feet only, but also wash my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.”…

So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, FOR SO I AM. IF I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” As Josh MacDowell once said: “Is Jesus ‘Liar, Lunatic, or the Lord God’?”

As Paul introduced his letter to the “Romans,” he wrote in Romans 1:1-4, “Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God, which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our LORD, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.”

James Montgomery Boice, in the Foreward of John MacArthur’s “The Gospel According To Jesus Christ,” wrote: “Why is today’s church so weak? Why are we able to claim many conversions and enroll many church members but have less and less impact on our culture? Why are Christians indistinguishable from the world? Is it not that many are calling people Christians who are actually unregenerate? Is it not that many are settling for a “form of godliness but denying its power?” [2 Timothy 3:5]

And I would add, “Is it not because some claim allegiance to Christ apart from Lordship? Is it not because we’re culturally acclimated to “church-life” apart from surrender to Christ’s Sovereign rule and an unwillingness to follow His lead?” MacArthur, later, in his book, [p.54], wrote: “He [Jesus] came to save His people “from” their sin (Matthew 1:21), NOT TO CONFER IMMORTALITY ON PEOPLE IN BONDAGE TO WICKEDNESS.” So very, very true!

LET’S LOOK, FIRST, AT THE FOUNDATIONS OF CHRIST’S LORDSHIP!

• Christ’s Lordship over the human heart is SOVEREIGNLY DETERMINED: Acts 2:36 says, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that GOD has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” In the counsels of Eternity, even before our world began, Omniscient God and the Submissive Son, settled on “the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world,” and also settled was “Jesus IS Lord to the Glory of God the Father.” It was Almighty God who declared, “Jesus Christ IS LORD.” And whether or not I recognize it, bow before its truth, receive its work in my life, Jesus always has been and always will be Lord because of the Father’s Sovereign Declaration!
• Christ’s Lordship over the human heart is ROYALLY EARNED: Receive in your mind and heart Philippians 2:8-11! “And being found in appearance as a man, He [Jesus Christ] humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Who could ever look into the face of the Crucified Christ and say that His Lordship is not deserved? Who would ever dare say that the love of our Lord is undeserved when they carelessly think of Heaven’s Glory becoming Calvary’s sacrifice? But they do. Who could ever look upon His unrecognizable, massively wounded head, face, and body, the spear thrust through His side, and deny the beauty and blessing and worthiness of His Lordship and our outright, utmost, full devotion to the King of kings and Lord of lords?

• Christ’s Lordship over the human, earthly heart of man is HEAVENLY-LONGED-FOR: Receive Romans 14:9! “For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again that He might be Lord both of the dead and the living.” Listen to Oswald Sanders (?) in his book, “Christ Indwelling and Enthroned,” where he said, “there emerges the startling fact that the very purpose of His death and resurrection was not alone, that WE might be saved in the future from the agonies of Hell, but that HE might be exalted in the present as the Lord of [and over] our life.”

Do you understand? Even before you were, He knew you and wanted to be your Lord and Savior, even knowing you as you were and would become when birthed into a fleshly existence! “You didn’t choose Me; I chose YOU!” The very goal of His coming, the very purpose of His Incarnation, the very determination and desire of His sacrifice at the Cross, was the capturing of single and undisputed Lordship over the souls of men that He willingly and lovingly and for whose sakes He suffered and bled and died on the Cross to be Lord over all!

Do you really, really understand? It was and is the longing in Heaven’s heart – let Jesus be Lord! It’s the passion of the angelic chorus – let Jesus be Lord! It’s the WILL OF THE HOLY FATHER – let Jesus be Lord! It’s even the cry of the great cloud of witnesses gone before us – let Jesus be Lord!

Do you recall the Hebrews writer telling us to “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” WHO “for the joy set before Him endured the Cross…?”

“The joy set before Him?” Have you ever considered the thought that that “joy set before Him” was YOUR JUSTIFIED LIFE under His Lordship because you gave Him His rightful place in your heart? “My Lord to the Glory of God the Father,” and Jesus drinks the cup of Joy because of your repentance toward God and faith in Jesus’ finished work ‘At The Cross’?

• Christ’s Lordship over the human heart, sadly, is Faithlessly Denied by some: Come to Luke 19:11-14!**, Now as they heard these things, He [Jesus] spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately…

Therefore He said: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return…

So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas [about 3 months wages], and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’ But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’” Are you aware of the many who deny Jesus’ reign over their lives?

What did John tell us in John 1:6-11? There was a man sent from God whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of that 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 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.”

In Mark 5, a demon-possessed man was healed, and the city and country-side where the man was healed, (Get this!), Verse 17, “Then they began to plead with Jesus to depart from their region.”

But the sad truth is that there are multitudes who willingly accept His healing but want no part of the Healer and His Eternal Health! They are satisfied with expressions of some blessings on life but refuse His leadership – they’ll take the “savior” part but deny the “sovereign” principle and Person of Christ the Healer!

They will gladly appropriate benefits from the kingdom but refuse to “BOW” before the King! EXAMINE YOUR HEART! What is it you want from Christ? Partial benefits or Permanent Blessing? Acknowledgement or allegiance? Your way or His Way? Self on the throne or King Jesus Reigning Over Your Daily Life?

SECOND, LET’S EXAMINE THE FEATURES OF JESUS CHRIST’S LORDSHIP! I have no hesitation in writing: Jesus Christ IS the Supreme Spiritual Ruler over every man’s life; Jesus Christ had, has, and forever will be the Master, the Ruler, the Sovereign Deity over all men whether they bow before Him or not! In examining His Lordship, let me show you four areas of His watch-care over us:

• There is to be the walk of submission in the heart to Christ Jesus as “My Lord”! In 1 Peter 3:15, the New King James says: “sanctify the Lord God in your hearts” – another translation says, “set apart Christ as Lord.”

Adelaide A. Pollard and George C. Stebbins wrote the old hymn, “Have Thine Own Way, Lord.” The fourth verse of that hymn says: “Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! Hold o’er my being absolute sway! Fill with Thy Spirit Till all shall see Christ only, always, Living in me!”

• There is to be the walk of surrender of all I am and all I have! Acts 10:36 says, “The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ – HE IS LORD OF ALL.”

Do you remember Ananias and his wife Sapphira in Acts 5? Ananias sold a possession. Verses 2-5 says, “And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet…

But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down, and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things.”

• God’s Holy Word calls us all as true believers to the walk of unquestioning obedience! In Romans 1:5-6 we read, “Through Him [Christ Jesus] we have received grace and apostleship FOR OBEDIENCE TO THE FAITH among all nations for His name, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ.”

There is one powerful, convicting, convincing statement or question by Jesus in Luke 6:46 when our Lord and Savior asked, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?”

The Book of Malachi is worth the time of your reading over and over! But in Malachi 1:6 God spoke: “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am the Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is My reverence? Says the Lord of hosts to you priests who despise My name…”

• The Scriptures illumine the walk ‘in Christ’ of a dynamic, explosive disturbance! A rabbi becomes a preacher of the Gospel; a doctor becomes a missionary team member; fishermen lay down their nets and become fishers of men; sons and daughters face the wrath of fathers and mothers; fathers and mothers face the wrath of sons and daughters; rich men lay it all down at the feet of Jesus!

In Hebrews 11:32-40 we find testimonies of lives who experienced dynamic, explosive disturbances: “And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jepthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets;…

Who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens….

Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment….

They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented – of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth….

And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.”

THIRD, LET’S ALSO EXAMINE THE FIERY FORCE OF EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP! In 1 Corinthians 12:3 Paul wrote encouraging believers to be so aware of spiritual gifts, and especially the anointing of the Holy Spirit. He said: “Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.”

And then in 1 Corinthians 12:7 Paul illumines every true believer of the Spirit’s anointing on ALL of the servants of Christ! “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all…”

You do understand that every born-again believer is to know, receive, walk in, and be a poured out drink-offering all around his/her every step! In 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 Paul continued to enlighten all believers: “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

Don’t miss Luke 11:13 when Jesus said: “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” As a disciple of Christ Jesus, RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT’ anointing and ministry in and through your life!

FOURTH, SETTLE IT IN YOUR MIND AND HEART: THE FAITHFULNESS OF OUR FAITHFUL LORD NEVER FAILS OR FALLS SHORT! In Romans 10:12-13 Paul wrote: “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

When Paul wrote the church at Corinth, in 2 Corinthians 1:18-20, he really sealed confidence in God’s faithfulness! He said, “But as God is faithful, our word to you was not Yes and No. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us – by me, Silvanus, and Timothy – was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes. For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”

Just how awesome is that?!? Paul went on to say in verse 22 of 2 Corinthians 1, “who also sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” Our Lord never falters, fails, or fizzles out! He fulfills and fills full every true believer in the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! John said in Matthew 3:11, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He [Jesus] will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

As Paul was finishing his letter to the church at Rome, he said in Romans 13:14, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts,” and as a true believer, we die to the ‘flesh’ and yield to the Holy Spirit! He said in Ephesians 5:18, “…be filled with the Spirit,” yet, often, many believers are so filled with themselves, they never consider the Spirit-anointed, Spirit-filled life! This is why in Galatians 5:16 Paul said: “I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”

Again, to the church in Corinth, Paul wrote: 1 Corinthians 6:19, “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?” Did you receive it? “In Christ”, your body has become “the temple of the Holy Spirit!”

I believe with all my heart that one of the great needs of the church in these days is a new in-filling of the Mighty Holy Spirit! It’s time to glory in God’s power through His anointing of our lives in the very fullness of His Holy Spirit! It’s time to daily die to the old man and rejoice, not only in the new man, but the new man in-filled with the fullness of Holy Spirit power and anointing!

Yes, Pentecostal power is for every recipient of the Indwelling Christ! Ask Him!

CHAPTER SEVEN

HERE COMES THE LAMB OF GOD

I want you to look carefully at John 1:19-34 before continuing in this chapter. I want to lay a strong scriptural foundation to what you are about to read. After reading, I want you to put on your thinking cap. I want you to creatively capture a possibility of bondage, a prophetic promise of deliverance, a provision of an announcer, and a power of fulfilled presence. [Please read John 1:19-34!!]. Here it is:

“We’re Americans. The first and only people at this time to ever lived. But we live in bondage subject to the forces of spiritual darkness….Forces are demanding, demeaning, demoralizing, debilitating, and deceitful….

But the president of our nation has received a Word out of the heavenlies: One is coming who will prepare the Way for the Deliverer. Hold On to the Promise….”

It has been taught daily to the enslaved. Hope is on the horizon. The Deliverer is on the way. Victory is assured. A hundred years pass, five hundred years, and still the message is the same. It’s now a thousand years…

And all of a sudden, here’s this strange man. Dress is different – not a wool and polyester blended $500 suit but a garment of camel’s hair, and didn’t eat steak, tossed salad, and a baked potatoes but locust and wild honey. And he doesn’t have the local civic center rented but goes out to the country-side.

He doesn’t have a fancy name for a blazoned marquee but only “THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS,” and he cries out, “MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD. MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.”

And curious Americans begin leaving their busy life-styles and work places and go where this stranger is speaking. They go by the thousands and the thousands, And they hear him say:

“The One we’ve been looking for – He’s coming. The One we’ve been taught about, He’s coming. Our Deliverer, He’s coming. Our “Savior and Lord” – He’s coming!”

And those who have lived in the hope of their deliverance begin to congregate around this authoritative figure. Then, all of a sudden: “Behold, He’s Here!”

I personally cannot comprehend the full significance of their waiting faith, fluctuating emotions, highs and their lows of expectations, tests of generational training – “Hold on, don’t give up, wait, wait expectantly. The Deliverer will come. The Savior will come. The nation will be free. Wait, wait, wait, wait.”

In Malachi 4:5 God said, “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.” Israel knew that, the chosen people knew that, the people of God knew that. ELIJAH IS COMING.

Now, come to Luke 1:11-18! Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him…

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth…

For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb…

And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. “He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’” And Zacharias said to the angel, ‘How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.’”

Please study carefully John 1:19-23, 29! Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”…And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am

‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord,”’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” Verse 29, The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

As they stood on that mountain-top together (Genesis 22), Isaac asked his father Abraham, “where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” And Abraham said, Verse 8, “God will provide Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” What a powerful statement of saving faith!

Exodus 12:3 speaks of “a lamb for each household” – not prejudicial salvation! Acts 17:30 says, “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is nor declaring to men that all everywhere should repent.”

In Revelation 7:9 John said, “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no one could number, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and the Lamb…”

Then Revelation 21:27 speaks of those “whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” I want to be in the Lamb’s book of life! I want to ask YOU a question: Is there a book of “good intentions” there? Is the “good old boys” book there? Is the book of Mormons there? Is the book of those who ‘live by the golden rule’ there? Is there a Baptist book, Catholic book, Methodist book, Presbyterian book there? Is there a baptismal book there? Is there a book of conformational certificates there? Is there a book of “good deeds” there?

Another question: Micah 6:6-7 says, “With what shall I come to the Lord and bow myself before the God on high?…Does the Lord take delight in thousands of rams, in ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my first-born for my rebellious acts, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”

Can I tell you, some still do, and they remain in darkness. But there is a city of light, a heavenly place, and the Word says in Revelation 21:23-24, “the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb…and the nations shall walk by its light, and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it.” “IT’S LAMP IS WHAT?” THE LAMB OF GOD!!

• That’s the Incarnate Lord, Emmanuel, Who IS THE LAMB OF GOD 2) That’s the Eternal Son of God “Who loved me and gave Himself for me.” 3) That’s the Almighty one who was “Meek and Lowly in Heart” and was “Led as a Lamb to the slaughter.”

There’s an old English hymn that says this: “It is my sweetest comfort, Lord, and will forever be, To muse upon the gracious truth of Your humanity…

Oh joy! There sits in our flesh, upon a throne of light, One of a human mother born, in perfect Godhead bright!…

Forever God, forever man, My Jesus shall endure; And fixed on Him, My hope remains eternally secure.”

“HERE COMES THE LAMB OF GOD!!”

First, JESUS CHRIST COMES APPOINTEDLY: In the Messianic Fortieth Psalm, Verses 7-8, Jesus said, “Then I said, ‘Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me…I delight to do Your will, O My God; Your law is within My heart.” Then, in John 20:21 Jesus said, “…as the Father has sent Me…”, reminding us also in John 5:30, “…I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

Peter told us that we were redeemed, 1 Peter 1:19-20, with the precious blood of Christ,…Who verily was Foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times FOR YOU…!!”

Isn’t this what Paul was telling us in Romans 5:8? “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, CHRIST DIED FOR US.” Yes, that’s Christ dying just for YOU as if YOU were the only person to ever live, Past, Present, or Future!

Second, AS THE LAMB OF GOD, JESUS COMES WILLINGLY: Look with me at John 10:17-18! “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again…No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”

In the King James Version, Luke 9:51 says, “And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.” And that was to ‘party’ with His friends? No! He voluntarily went to Jerusalem to willingly die on the Cross in our place!

In Matthew 16:21-28 we see the truth about eternal “Kingdom Living” – and it has nothing to do with ‘palace partying’ but Personal participation in the Way of the Cross! It says:

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 Jesus 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 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 lose his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.”

I pray that you understand His will, His way, His wonder – and you find yourself laying down your life willingly for the glory of Christ Jesus!

Third, AS THE LAMB OF GOD, JESUS COMES SURELY. In Matthew 2:1-2 we read, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him.”

You do know that there are a minimum of 700 prophecies that relate to the coming of God’s “Promised Messiah”! And you know that Christ Jesus came ‘surely’ in the fullness of time, on God’s eternal, divine calendar, with Galatians 4:4 telling us, “But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman…”. He came surely verified in humanity’s historical records. He came surely on the Emmaus, Damascus, Bedford, Texas, roads!

“Surely?” You could say that, as a child of faith in Christ Jesus, that you were historically of the family of Abraham, but it would be meaningless if “Shiloh” had not come. You could say that you offered sacrifices every day, that you faithfully went to the tabernacle where there was an altar, an ark, an angelic mercy-seat and it would have been meaningless if we didn’t see the sign of Christ within it. You could say, “I AM AN ORTHODOX JEW,” and it would be a statement of vainness and emptiness if the Jewish ‘shadows’ were not completed by the very “Substance” of Christ Jesus!

Fourth, AS THE LAMB OF GOD, JESUS CHRIST COMES BLAMELESSLY. Exodus 12:5 informs us, “Your ‘lamb’ shall be an unblemished male…” Why? Because it was the portrayal of the FUTURE, SINLESS LAMB OF GOD WHO WOULD PAY THE PRICE, THE PENALTY OF OUR SINS!

Hebrews 4:15, speaking of Jesus, the Son of God, our great High Priest, says, “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are; yet without sin.”

What blame would you put upon Jesus? In John 8:46 Jesus boldly asked, “Which of you convicts Me of Sin?” He’s the Sinless Savior, the Spotless Lamb – the One who knew no sin! Peter told us in 1 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.”

Fifth, AS THE LAMB OF GOD, CHRIST JESUS COMES VICARIOUSLY AND PURPOSEFULLY IN OUR PLACE. There are two verses you must rest in that 1 John 3: 5-6 reveals to us. It says, “And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins: and in Him there is no sin…The Son of God appeared f or this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”

This is why Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, and us, 1 Corinthians 5:7, “For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us…”. And if He also came to destroy the works of the devil, how did it happen? In Hebrews 2:14-15, the author of Hebrews tells us, “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.” But you’re not sure that relates to you?

In I John 4:9 we read, “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.” And we are able to live through Him because WE WERE CRUCIFIED WITH HIM AT THE CROSS and recognizing our death there with Him, we accept His Resurrection Life through us! 1 Peter 2:24 says, “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.”

Sixth, ALSO JESUS CHRIST THE LAMB OF GOD CAME JUDICIALLY. In Isaiah 53: 10-11, the prophet of God tells us 700 years before Jesus’ birth, “Yet it pleased the Lord God to bruise Him [His own Son];He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities.” When at the Cross Jesus said, “It Is Finished,” it was and is finished! And most men are not ‘lost’ now because of their ‘sin’ but because of their unbelief! John 3:17 says, “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved!”

Seventh, CHRIST JESUS CAME SUFFICIENTLY AND VICTORIOUSLY. Hebrews 7:22-28 explains to us all: “…by so much more, Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant. Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. But he, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.”

Christ Jesus? “Able to save – save forever – save completely – save to the uttermost the one who is the furthest away from God!”

A Lamb was led to the slaughter and a sinner found salvation! A Lamb was led to the slaughter and lost sheep were found by the Shepherd! A Lamb was led to the slaughter and the incomplete were made complete! A Lamb was led to the slaughter and the empty were made full! A Lamb was led to the slaughter and the hungry found green pastures! A Lamb was led to the slaughter and losers became winners! A Lamb was led to the slaughter and the unrighteous were declared righteous! A Lamb was led to the slaughter and the valley of death became the Mountain-Top of availability to eternal life! A Lamb was led to the slaughter and the powerless were anointed with the oil of God’s Power! The Lamb was led to the slaughter and the empty cup of human existence found the never-ending stream of Living Water! A Lamb was led to the slaughter and the sheep captured by a wily wolf were set free! A Lamb was led to the slaughter and those who had lived in darkness were transferred and translated into the Kingdom of Light!

Spurgeon wrote: [Spurgeon’s Sermons, Memorial Library, Vol.5, p.313], “There is no case which the blood of Christ cannot meet; there is no sin which it cannot wash away. There is no multiplicity o0f sin which it cannot cleans, no aggravation of guilt which it cannot remove. You may be double-dyed like scarlet, you may have lain in the lye of your sins these seventy-years, but the blood of Christ can take out the stain. You may have blasphemed him almost as many times as you have breathed, you may have rejected him as often as you have heard his name; you may have broken his Sabbath, you may have denied his existence, you may have doubted his Godhead, you may have persecuted his servants, you may have trampled on his blood; but all this the blood can wash away. You may have committed whoredoms without number, nay, murder itself may have defiled your hands, but this fountain filled with blood can wash all the stains away. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from ALL sin. There is no sort of a man, there is no abortion of mankind; no demon in human shape that this blood cannot wash. Hell may have sought to make a paragon of in iniquity, it may have striven to put sin, and sin, and sin together, till it has made a monster in the shape of a man, a monster abhorred of mankind, but the blood of Christ can transform that monster. Magdalen’s seven devils it can cast out, the madness of the demoniac it can ease, the deep-seated leprosy it can cure, the wound of the maimed, yes, the lost limb it can restore. There is no spiritual disease which the Great Physician cannot heal. This is the great Catholican [universal in its range], the medicine for all diseases. No case can exceed its virtue, be it never so black or vile; all-sufficient blood…” Amen?

CHAPTER EIGHT

THE DECLARATION OF EXCLUSIVITY

In John 14:6 Jesus made an eternal declaration that shocks a lot of people across the modern world of today. He said: “I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Even as the beloved John opened his gospel, in John 1:14 he wrote: “And the Word 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.”

In the May 6, 2002, issue of “U.S. News & World Report,” is an article entitled “Faith In America.” After just reading the two previous verses opening this chapter, I knew you’d find the article interesting, sad, awakening, and challenging to your own mind and your own convictions.

The sub-title of the article says: “It’s (“Faith In America”) as important as ever, no matter what you believe.” Really? DOES IT MATTER WHAT “YOU” BELIEVE? In their poll among ‘Christians’ (?) in America, get this, ONLY 20% of Christians believed their faith was the only TRUE FAITH, which I see as ABSOLUTELY SHOCKING!!

Only 50% of the ‘Christians’ polled said they had experienced God’s Presence! Egon Mayer, sociologist at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, said in the article: “It’s not that Americans don’t believe anything; THEY BELIEVE EVERYTHING!”

I hate to tell you, but if Jesus were to come into our world today He would not find a warm welcome. Because of His “declaration of exclusivity” a religious world would stone Him, or try to crucify Him again, if He said “I’m the only Way back to Holy God!”

And His declaration confronts us all in the valley of decision: Are there many doors to God or only one? Is God a debtor to man’s religious inventions or is man debtor to God and God’s declarations?

Can we take different paths and all arrive at God’s door-step? Which brings us to examine Jesus and ask as Josh McDowell did in “Evidence That Demands A Verdict,” “Is Jesus Liar, Lunatic, or the Lord God?”

What did Jesus say, “No man comes to the Father but through Me”? Is it settled in your mind and heart? And do you understand man’s dilemma when HIS RELIGION IS VOID OF THE TRUTH OF CHRIST? With God’s help YOU must see the Truth:

You can be religious without being regenerated and Jesus says, “You MUST Be Born Again.” You can be awakened to conscience without being reborn in the Spirit. You can be Conscious of God without being Reconciled to God. You can even be “Christian in Culture’ without being captured or converted by Christ.

You can be knowledgeable of Truth without being kept by Him who is Truth. You can be a faithful devotee to the tenets of your chosen religion without being a faithful disciple of the Christ’s shed blood redemption.

You can be ambitious to be cloaked in the activities of a specific religion with no aim to be pleasing to God alone, because He says, “Why do you call Me, Lord, Lord…and do not do what I say?”

Good deeds do not necessarily mean God-like! Attendance of a mosque, temple, or church doesn’t necessarily mean the True Worship of God in Spirit and in Truth! Following a ‘prophet’ doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve found God or been led to God by that prophet.

The conflict of the ages has always been, “Is there more than one way to God, multiple doors and options, many windows,” OR IS CHRIST JESUS THE ONLY HOPE?” Is it what I do before God or what God has done in my behalf? Is it “grit” or grace? Is it the measuring of a man’s doing or The MERCY OF GOD WHICH IS FINISHED IN CHRIST?

Is it man’s precepts or THE PROMISED MESSIAH? Is it man’s demands of acceptability before God or God’s conditions of a Holy Alliance, repentance toward God and faith in the finished work of Christ at the Cross?

What are man’s opinions when we have historically the Revelation of God pertaining to a man’s Salvation? What are man’s attempts at ‘white-washing’ a blackened heart when the blood of Christ washes that heart as white as snow?

What are man’s buildings or temples in comparison to God telling man he becomes the True Temple through the very Habitation of God in the Spirit? What is some “light” if it’s not the True Light? What are moral principles without the Master’s Presence? What is an element of truth without the Evangel of Truth? What is direction but pointed in the wrong way away from the True God revealed in Christ and void of the divine destiny God authors through the only Lord and Savior?

Want is Strictness apart from Sanctification? What is regimentation without the true return to God through Christ alone? What are ‘traditions’ if they’re empty of the Triumphant Christ who rose from the dead? What is an earthly glory that fades away without the manifestation of the “Glory” of Christ’s presence that never dies?

What are devotions without the disciplines that reveal a true desire to unveil the only Savior and Lord of one’s life? What or who are authors of religious activity without THE Author and Finisher of a Saving Faith?

Would you dare compare hollowness with the Wholeness God desires? What is busyness compared to God’s desire for Birthing, Blessing, and Becoming? What are prayers that penetrate nothing when God desires prayer that lays hold of Him?

Do you remember Adam and Eve in the garden after the fall when they pieced fig-leaves together as they realized their nakedness? That’s “Fig-Leaf Religion” – man’s attempt at his own salvation!

But God, through the Cross of Christ, clothes us in His robes of righteousness, He dresses us in the garments of His salvation, He declares us worthy because of the winsomeness of Calvary’s Cross which has nothing to do with ‘religion’ but everything to do with the Revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Listen carefully – if the One, True Living God, who is the true source, the fountain out of which all the universe flows, the One who only is right and good and holy, and HE CHOOSES TO UNVEIL HIMSELF, HOW DOES HE DO IT?

Do you remember the angel’s message to Mary in Luke 1:34-35? Mary had asked how she could have a baby since she was a virgin and had known no man intimately. “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby born to you will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.” Another place, His name ? IMMANUEL – God in the flesh!! Which is why in John 14:6 Jesus EXCLUSIVELY declares, “I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but through Me.” Notice,

FIRST, THE EXCLUSIVE DECLARATION OF THE WAY! Jesus didn’t say “a way”, He said, “I AM THE WAY…” The exclusivity of opportunity! The Way what? Back to God, back to a holy relationship with a loving, caring God, who lost us because of our sin – separated, severed, disconnected from mighty God, lost and wandering away from “The Way”!

And notice, it’s not simply what He taught – it’s WHO HE IS! You understand, we’re all part of a deathly dilemma. Listen carefully: (NIV), Romans 5:12, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin…” AND WE KNOW IT! Sin and shame! Death and darkness! Separation because of our abandonment of God! And that choice of our life’s path led us down a trail of domination by the powers of darkness!

Ephesians 2:3 says of us without Christ, we “were by nature children of wrath, just as the others…” Romans 5:12 is clear and to the point, “…and in this way, death came to all men, BECAUSE ALL SINNED…”

Oh, and then notice what God did! Romans 8:3 says, “…God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful men to be a sin offering. And so He condemned sin in sinful men.” Paul so wanted all men to know the sad severing between lost men and loving God, and so, led by the Spirit, he illumined for us in Romans 3:24-25 the very heart of God: “…justified freely by His grace through the REDEMPTION that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in His shed blood.”

In Josh McDowell’s book, “Beyond Beliefs To Convictions,” [p.89[, we read: “That is what the Incarnation says to you – and to all of us. Despite your sin, Jesus VALUED YOU ENOUGH to die FOR YOU. His love for you is so great, He spread His arms the width of the cross and said, ‘I lay down My life for you.’” That’s Immanuel, God in flesh, and He came to be YOUR sin-sacrifice!

Do you remember John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness? Matthew 3:3, “…Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight…” Notice, “The WAY of the Lord,” the Way of the Lord God Almighty, the Way of the ONE TRUE AND LIVING AND LOVING God – “The Way of the Cross leads home!!”

There’s a story in the Old Testament about Abraham sending his servant to Abraham’s home-place to find a bride for his son Isaac, Genesis 24:27, the servant speaking, “…As for me, being ON THE WAY, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.” And he found Rebecca.

But for us, it’s not being ‘on the way,’ which is good, but being “in the Way”, [that’s Jesus!], is much better because Jesus is the Redeemer who by His own precious blood shed at the Cross, reconciles us to Holy God!

SECOND, LOOK AT THE EXCLUSIVE DECLARATION OF THE “TRUTH” – THE EXCLUSIVITY OF OBSERVATION! What Jesus said certainly was truth, but when He said, “I AM THE TRUTH” it was not what He taught, BUT WHO HE IS! In John 15:22 Jesus said, “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now (because I’ve come) they have no excuse for their sin.” JESUS IS TRUTH… And THE TRUTH IS: There is only one Lamb whose shed blood washes away SIN and GUILT – the LAMB OF GOD, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST!

The Truth is, there is One Mediator between God and man – the God-Man, Jesus! The Truth is, there is only One Door into the heart of God – Jesus is that Door! The truth is, there is only One Bread that is truly the Spiritual Staff of Life that nourishes hungry souls – Jesus Christ is that Bread! The Truth is, there is only One Sacrifice that satisfies the offense of Holy God because of our sinfulness – the Sacrifice of Himself, the Son of God who became the Son of Man that sons of men might become sons of God!

Pontius Pilate, Roman governor of the area of Judea, is confronted by Christ Jesus as Jesus is brought to his court! John 18:33-38 says, Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?”…

Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”…

Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are you a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault at all.”

In another Gospel, Matthew 27:24, the Word says, “Pilate took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this person. You see to it.” NO! None of us are innocent of the blood of Christ Jesus – it was because of your sin and mine that Jesus died!

THIRD, EXAMINE THE EXCLUSIVE DECLARATION OF THE LIFE! THE EXCLUSIVITY OF OVERFLOW! In the Gospel of John, John 10:10, Jesus declared, and still declares: “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

Do you understand that, though we were born physically alive, we were birthed IN spiritual death! Roman 5:12 speaks the truth: “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, BECAUSE ALL SINNED…”

There is a famous India native living in the U.S.A today, a Christian, by the name of Ravi Zacharias, who in his teen years, began to deal with two realities of us all – SIN within him and DEATH within him. He knew the answer was not IN RELIGION BUT IN RELATIONSHIP – if we all are SEPARATED FROM GOD because of our sin nature and sins, and we experience DEATH in the inner man, WHERE DO WE FIND LIFE?… And all of a sudden he realized it wasn’t his search for God but God’s search for him. [Romans 5:8].

Jesus took our death on Himself that we might have His Life. Jesus took our unrighteousness on Himself that we might have His righteousness. Jesus took our curse on Himself that we might have His blessing. Jesus came to earth to a place called Calvary so we could through Him go to Heaven forever!

In Ephesians 4:14-15 Paul wrote, “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 –“

Pontius Pilate stood before a large crowd and said: “What then shall I do with Jesus which is called the Christ?” And in your mind and heart are two options: Crown Him as the King of your salvation OR “CRUCIFY HIM!!”

In 1 Timothy 4:1 Paul said, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.” What or Who do you choose?

CHAPTER NINE

THE COSTLINESS OF CHRIST’S CHOOSING

In Matthew 22:14 Jesus stated authoritatively, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” Have you resolved it in your heart by the Holy Word and Holy Spirit that you are the “chosen of God”? Sometimes I really wonder how many have seriously considered “The Costliness of Christ’s Choosing.”

In John 15:18-19 Jesus said, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you…If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, BUT I CHOSE YOU OUT OF THE WORLD, therefore the world hates you.”

I know nothing of the spiritual heritage of Walter Lippman, only that he was a Harvard graduate, a journalist, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize; but I came across a profound statement he once made: “No saint, no hero, no discoverer, no prophet, no leader ever did his work cheaply and easily, comfortable and painlessly, and no people was ever great which did not pass through the valley of the shadow of death on its way to greatness.” SO TRUE!

When David wanted to build an altar on the threshing floor of Araunah, Araunah wanted to give it to David, but in 2 Samuel 24:24 David responded, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God WITH THAT WHICH COSTS ME NOTHING.”

In Isaiah 43:10-11 God spoke: “You are My witnesses,” says the Lord, “And My servant WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN, that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I AM HE. Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me…I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no savior.”

God told Moses to tell the people, Deuteronomy 7:7-8, “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 of all peoples;…but BECAUSE THE LORD LOVES YOU, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers.” CHOSEN OF GOD! HOW AWESOME! Then came the SAD REPORTS! Judges 5:8, “They chose new gods; then there was war in the gates…”

So in Judges 10:14 God responded to their foolishness, “Go and cry out to the gods which you have CHOSEN; let them deliver you in your time of distress.” It seems as if it was getting to be really serious between God and a foolish people! Isaiah 65:11-12 says, “But you are those who forsake the Lord, Who forget My holy mountain, who prepare a table for God, and who furnish drink for men…Therefore I will number you for the sword, and you shall all bow down to the slaughter; Because when I called, you did not answer; when I spoke, you did not hear, But did evil before My eyes, AND CHOSE THAT IN WHICH I DID NOT DELIGHT.”

And please examine Isaiah 66:3b-4, the Lord says, “…Just as they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations, So I will choose their delusions, and bring their fears on them; Because, when I called, no one answered, when I spoke they did not hear; but they did evil before My eyes, and chose that in which I do not delight.”

Oh, but then we read in Psalm 65:4-5, “Blessed is the man YOU CHOOSE, and CAUSE TO APPROACH YOU, THAT he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Of Your holy temple…By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us, O God of our salvation, YOU WHO ARE THE CONFIDENCE OF ALL THE ENDS OF THE EARTH, and of the far-off seas…”

In Psalm 119:30 David said, “I HAVE CHOSEN THE WAY OF TRUTH; Your judgments I have laid before Me…” [What have you chosen as YOUR WAY OF LIFE?] Verse 173, “Let Your hand become My help, For I have chosen Your precepts.”

Do you remember Jesus’ words about counting the cost in Luke 14:28? “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it –“ THE COSTLINESS OF CHRIST’S CHOOSING”!!

FIRST, LET’S LOOK AT THE REDEMPTION OF OUR SOULS THAT IS COSTLY! Psalm 49:8 says clearly, “For the redemption of their souls is costly…” Does John 3:16 still move you? Does it send chills up and down your spine when you think about it? Does it cause you to praise Him faithfully?

James Thompson, in “The Great Argument,” wrote: “Christianity without the Cross is nothing. The Cross was the fitting close of a life of rejection, scorn, and defeat. But in no true sense have these ceased or changed. Jesus is still He whom man despises, and the rejected of men.” YET… “Jesus Paid It All, All to Him I owe, Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.” COSTLINESS?

1 Peter 1:18-19 says, “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers…BUT WITH THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST, AS OF A LAMB WITHOUT BLEMISH AND WITHOUT SPOT.”

SECOND, THE RELEASE OF HIS FULLNESS IS COSTLY! Numbers 17:5 says, “And it shall be that the rod of the man WHOM I CHOOSE WILL BLOSSOM…” But what if I paraphrase it to say, “And it shall be that THE MAN OF THE ROD, (THE MAN OF GOD’S APPOINTING AND GOD’S ANOINTING, THE MAN OF GOD’S DESIGNATED, DELEGATED AUTHORITY) whom I choose WILL BLOSSOM.”

It speaks of a “Coming Forth,” “Emerging,” “Birthing”!! Like that Lily pushing itself up through the stubborn sod! Like the “birth-pains” until Christ is FORMED IN US! I used to take our children to Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven, Florida to watch the glass-blowers – they’d apply the heat and blow into it forming and shaping the images of their minds. AND GOD APPLIES HIS HEAT TO US, TURNS UP THE ENERGY OF THE SPIRITUAL SON TO MELT US, MOLD US, SHAPE US INTO THE IMAGE OF HIS DEAR SON.

Oswald Chambers, (“My Utmost For His Highest,” p.270) wrote: “The hindrance in our spiritual life is that we will not be continually converted, there are [wadges] of obstinacy where our pride spits at the throne of God and says – I WON’T. We deify independence and willfulness and call them by the wrong name. What God looks on as obstinate weakness, we call strength. There are whole tracts of our lives which have not been brought into subjection yet, and it can only be done by this continuous conversion. Slowly but surely we can claim the whole territory for the Spirit of God.”

THIRD, THE RELOCATION OF THE PLACE OF WORSHIP IS COSTLY! Follow Deuteronomy 12 and verses 5, 18, 29-31! Verse 5 says, “But you shall seek the place where the Lord your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His dwelling place; and there you shall go.” Verse 18, “But you must eat them before the Lord your God in the place which the Lord your God chooses, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, and the Levite who is within your gates; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God in all to which you put your hands.”

Verses 29-31, “When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’..

You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.” [Deuteronomy 30:11-20 is very important that you read carefully in your Bible!]

Now, look with me at John 4:19-24! The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

David, after the death of his son, rose up to worship! Disciples, on a stormy sea in their boat, saw Jesus calm the waters and they rose up to worship. Paul, abandoned and left alone, rose up to worship because God stood with him. In 1 Corinthians 14:25 Paul told the church that when “the secrets of [a man’s] heart are revealed… [he’ll] fall down on his face, [and] worship God and report that God is truly among you.”

In Revelation 19:10 John heard the call to the marriage supper of the Lord, and “I fell at His feet to worship Him.” Then, in 2 Chronicles 7:3, we read, “When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshipped and praised the Lord…”

FOURTH, THE REALIZATION OF FAMILY DEVOTION IS COSTLY! Joshua 24:15 is so very, very clear: “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. BUT AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD.”

You do understand that every day families make choices as to where their devotion lies, what they will worship, or Who they will worship. There are those who are under the sway of “the gods which your fathers served”; there are those under the sway of “the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell”; there are those who manufacture their “objects of worship” – even altars to “the Unknown God.”

But then God calls, confronts, challenges: Genesis 18:19, “For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, THAT THE LORD MAY BRING TO ABRAHAM WHAT HE HAS SPOKEN TO HIM.”

What do you want for your family? What God has spoken or the futility of your’s and the world’s fleshliness? My wife and I pray the Fishers worship and bless Holy God to a 1000 generations!

FIFTH, THE RADICAL CHOICE OF WILLFUL SUFFERING IS COSTLY! In Hebrews 11:25 the author said, “choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin…”

Don’t ever forget or overlook 2 Timothy 3:10-12 when Paul encouraged Timothy, “But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance…persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, Iconium, at Lystra – what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me… Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus WILL SUFFER PERSECUTIONS.”

What do you think John 15:18-19 is about? YOU ARE GOING TO SUFFER IF YOU CHOOSE TO WALK WITH CHRIST!! “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, BUT I CHOSE YOU OUT OF THE WORLD, THEREFORE THE WORLD HATES YOU.”

What are many of the Psalms about? The suffering from opposition even at times from family, friends, and foes! You cannot please God and think the world around you is happy about it! John 16:33, Jesus is speaking: “…in the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” [Check Luke 6:20-26!].

SIXTH, THERE IS THE RESPLENDANT GLORY OF LEADERSHIP THAT IS COSTLY! Psalms 78:70-72 says, “He also chose David His servant, and took him from the sheepfolds, From following the ewes that had young He brought him, to shepherd Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance. So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.”

Three things I want to emphasize here: 1) Leadership is taken from its comfort zone to the crucible of human experiences. 2) Leadership is taken from the frying pan right into the fire. And 3) Leadership is taken, often, from its natural surroundings’ training to the dimension of the spiritual and the Eternal.

And I’m not simply talking about pastors and elders; nor fathers and mothers; but leadership in the world, on the job, as a part of community – even state, national, and worldwide leadership!

The great South African preacher of the past, Andrew Murray, wrote: “God has no more precious gift to a church or an age than a man who lives as the embodiment of God’s will and inspires those around him with the faith of what grace can do.”

Hebrews 5:4 says, “And no man takes this honor to himself, but he was called by God, just as Aaron was.” THE RESPLENDANT GLORY OF LEADERSHIP THAT IS COSTLY!

Abraham, called of God, “Get out of your country, from your family, and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you.” WHAT A COST! But he became the “father of many nations.” Moses, called of God, to return to a land of God-filled resistance and hostility at great COST! But he set a people free with “the blossoming rod of God.” How many early disciples were scattered abroad and faced martyrdom because of their faith! What a cost! But they turned the world upside down for the Glory of Christ!

It was Samuel Brengle who put it like this: [“Samuel Logan Brengle” by C.W. Hall, p.274], “The final estimate of men shows that history cares not an iota for the rank or title a man has borne, or the office he has held, but only the quality of his deeds and the character of his mind and heart.”

SEVENTH, LOOK AT THE RESPONSE OF A PEOPLE OR A NATION AS TO IT BEING BLESSED OR CURSED THAT IS COSTLY! Psalm 33:12 says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance.” But then examine Psalm 9:17! “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations THAT FORGET GOD!”

Isn’t it sad that people and nations never really or fully consider what it means for them to give God His rightful place in their lives? In Psalms 106:4-5 David prayed, “Remember mem O Lord, with THE FAVOR You have toward Your people. Oh, visit me with Your salvation, That I may see the benefit of Your chosen ones, That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, That I may glory with Your inheritance.”

In the June 25, 1993, edition of USA Today, Barbara Reynolds, a liberal columnist, wrote a very profound article on the lawlessness and lack of social order in too many of our cities. Listen: “Those murderous habits aren’t based solely on financial poverty, but on a bankrupt human spirit caused by an absence of the spirit of God. If it weren’t for the religious faithful [in cities and schools] life would be utterly hopeless…

The downward drag started in 1963 when the court kicked prayer out of public schools. Our moral foundation crumbled. Violent rap music, drugs, guns, and illicit sex leaped into the vacuum…

While I don’t want mandated prayers or Bible readings churning out robotic prayer warriors, you must find ways for schools and the workplace to implement values based on love, justice, and mercy, principles most religions adhere to…

My generation blew it by pushing God out of public life. UNDO THEIR MISTAKES. MANY LIVES DEPEND ON IT.”

Do you understand? It’s not a battle over values. It’s not a battle over philosophical debate. It’s not a battle over whose moral vision runs America, some or none. It’s not a battle over even the definition of “family”. The battle is WHO OR WHAT GOD DOES OUR NATION BOW BEFORE!

EIGHTH, LOOK AT THE REACH OF CHOSEN VESSELS TO BEAR HIS NAME THAT IS COSTLY! In Acts 9:15, “But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children. Verse 16, For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

In Hebrews 13:12-13 the writer said, “Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to Him outside the camp, BEARING HIS REPROACH.” REPROACH? “railed at, chided, taunted, defamed…”

Do you remember Moses in Hebrews 11:24-26? “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharoah’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer afflictions with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt.” WHAT DO YOU ESTEEM? What has your heart? What consumes the majority of your time and energy?

Moses “esteemed the reproach of Christ greater than the treasures of Egypt!” Do you remember Howard Carter’s discovery of King Tut’s tomb in 1922? All he saw was “the glint of gold.” It took them ten years to catalogue all that he discovered! Yet Moses walked away from it because “the reproach of Christ (was) greater riches than the treasures of Egypt.”

Are you a modern-day Pharoah sold out to modern-day Egypt? Are you a Paul to bear His name? Are you a fisher of men? Do you walk with beautiful feet? Are you His witness in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth?

NINTH, EXAMINE THE RECOGNITION OF ONE’S EMPTINESS APART FROM CHRIST THAT IS SO COSTLY! In I Corinthians 1:26-29 Paul talked about: “foolish”…weak…insignificant or lowly based…despised…NOTHINGS…!!” And that’s how God sees us apart from Christ and far too many live it out, never finding the only answer in Christ Jesus!

A number of years ago in Belle Chasse, Louisiana, a couple, on Valentine’s Day, had gone for a drive enjoying the beauty of a small forest of trees. Something caught their eyes shining in the trees. As they got out of the car and walked over they found a dead teenager hanging from a limb, a white bed-sheet wrapped tightly around his neck. There was a note, no names, addressed only to “Mom and Dad”. The note said: “I never did develop into a real person and I cannot tolerate the false and empty existence I have created. What frustrated me most in the last year was that I had built no ties to family or friends. There was nothing of lasting worth or value. I led a detached existence. I am a bomb of frustration and should never marry or have children. It is safest to defuse the bomb harmlessly now; simple create me as John Doe.” No one ever claimed him – he was buried as UNKNOWN.”

But what did Jesus say? “I AM COME that YOU may have life and to have it more abundantly.”

TENTH, DO YOU RELATE TO THE RENEWING OR REFINING OF THE CHOSEN ONES THAT IS SO COSTLY? In Colossians 3:12-13 Paul challenges us all: “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”

Chuck Swindoll, in “Come Before Winter,” [Christian Literature Crusade, Manila, 1985, p141], tells of a couple of men who worked alongside the inventor Thomas Edison. “Weary to the point of exasperation, one man sighed, ‘What a waste! We have tried no less than 700 experiments and NOTHING has worked. We are not a bit better off than when we started.’ With an optimistic twinkle in his eye, Edison quipped, ‘Oh, yes, we are! We now know 700 things that don’t work. We’re closer than we’ve ever been before.” With that, he rolled up his sleeves and plunged back in.

You may have had 700 failures, but do you know how close you are because you’ve been willing to count the cost! Philippians 1:6 [Amplified] says, “He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ – right up to the time of His return – developing (that good work) and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.”

In closing this chapter there are several things I want to highlight. Look at Isaiah 41:9-10! “You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth (Does that include you?), and called from its farthest regions, And said to you, ‘You are My servant, I HAVE CHOSEN YOU AND HAVE NOT CAST YOU AWAY (Has the Devil, have you told yourself, ‘He has cast me away?”). Fear not, FOR I AM WITH YOU; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

Oswald Chambers, (“My Utmost For His Highest,” p.238), wrote: “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 reached the sublime height where no one ever thinks of noticing you, ALL THAT IS NOTICED IS THAT THE POWER OF GOD COMES THROUGH YOU ALL THE TIME.”

What a cost of Christ’s choosing!! “Whatever you do, do all to the Glory of God!” T.O. Chisholm had it right! “Living for Jesus a life that is true, Striving to please Him in all that I do; Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free, This is the pathway of blessing for me….O Jesus, Lord, and Savior, I give myself to Thee, For Thou, in Thy atonement, didst give Yourself for me; I own no other Master, my heart shall be Your throne, My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for You alone.” Amen?

CHAPTER TEN

CHRIST JESUS – OUR FREEDOM

In John 8:31-32 we read, Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed 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.” Isn’t it absolutely amazing that Jesus says, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free,” and too many of God’s people live in BONDAGE?

I believe it’s why DL Moody needed to say, “A rumor will get half round the world before the truth has got its boots on.” There are the penitentiaries of life spiritually that can keep us living so enslaved with the chains of personal condemnation!

How many of us see our lives so cast in concrete that we cannot perceive a life fluid and free in the Spirit? How many of us see our lives as walled cities too high to leap over in a single-bound like Superman? How many of us have no dreams because we’re bound up in despair? How Many of us have no vision of the infinite because we’re locked up in the fear of failure and frustration majoring on our FINITENESS? How many do you know who are prisoners to the peril of earthly contentment, satisfied with something less than God’s expectations and EXALTED REMEDY? How many do you know who are spending counterfeit currencies in their life investment ending up detached, enslaved, isolated, and out of touch with eternal realities?

It was William Gladstone, great English statesman of the past who wrote: “I am convinced that the welfare of mankind does not depend on the State and the world of politics; THE REAL BATTLE IS BEING FOUGHT IN THE WORLD OF THOUGHT, where a deadly attack is made with great tenacity of purpose and over a wide field upon the greatest treasure of mankind, the belief in God and the Gospel of Christ.” SO VERY, VERY TRUE!

Why would the devil want you to know that there is eternal truth in Christ and that truth liberates you? Andrew Murray wrote: “God has no more precious gift to a church or an age than a man who lives as the embodiment of His will, and inspires those around him with the faith of what grace can do.”

Gordon Bridger, in “Keswick Gold,” (p.73, OM Publishing, PO Box 28, Waynesboro, Ga., USA, 1991), preached: “There is a Deliverer. I may be pessimistic about myself, but I’m very optimistic about what God has done, and can do, to change my nature, and to make me into the kind of person He wants me to be.”

THAT DELIVERER IS THE LORD JESUS CHRIST! Do you remember Jesus saying in Luke 18:41, ministering to the blind man sitting by the road begging? Jesus asked, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And the beggar said, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.”

If Jesus asked that of you or of all mankind spanning the globe, most would say, “That I may have the chains broken off from the things that enslave me life!” Do you understand? Bondage, enslavement, chains, and yes, blindness, spiritual blindness, that most ignore, but still burdened to the point God’s blessing cannot rest on that life! It’s a life nailed down in the circumstances and conditions to the point that that life cannot soar in the heavenlies!

Oswald Chambers wrote: [“My Utmost For His Highest,” p.240], “We are designed with a great capacity for God; and sin and our individuality are the things that keep us from getting at God.” How can we ‘get at God’ if we’re nailed down in sin and death? Notice:

CHRIST IS OUR FREEDOM FROM THAT DOGGED-HOUNDING OF THE SENSE OF SIN AND CONDEMNATION SO LIMITING DIVINE POTENTIAL! John 8:34-36 says, Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

The guilt of sin and the grit of condemnation will grind you into a powdery substance of despair, discontent, or dismay. But the grace of God through the shed blood of Christ washes you WHITE AS SNOW!

Romans 8:33-34 declares, “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? IT IS GOD WHO JUSTIFIES…Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.”

Do you remember it? Rest in it! “He breaks the power of canceled, He sets the prisoner free; His Blood can make the foulest clean; His Blood availed for me.”

Listen to Charles W. Koller, former president of the Northern Baptist Seminary in Chicago: “Let it be the concern of the Church to reveal the gravity of sin and the imperative need for repentance! In the sight of God there are no mild sinners, and sin does not come in pastel shades. Sin is disobedience, lawlessness, moral anarchy, such as would dethrone God if it could.” And the sad truth is sin separates and enslaves!

It’s not that SIN is a “hard bargain” – it doesn’t bargain, it battles, belittles, and bruises! But listen to Romans 6:17-18! “But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered…AND HAVING BEEN SET FREE FROM SIN, YOU BECAME SLAVES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

Now, receive the Word! You are either a slave to sin or you are a servant of God! John Piper, in “A Godward Life,” (p.153), wrote: “I could not go on without the cross. Why? Because periodically I discover surprising sinfulness in me that I did not know anything about. Without the cross to cover all that, I would despair because I am sure that in the folds of my heart there remains unknown corruption.” BUT REMEMBER, CALVARY COVERS IT ALL!

CHRIST IS OUR FREEDOM FROM SELF’S ENSLAVING HOLD. 2 Corinthians 5:17,15 declares for us: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW CREATION: old things have passed away; BEHOLD, all things have become new…Verse 15, 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.”

But there can be such a terrific battle that goes on! In Romans 7:18-19 Paul said, “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.”

Is that the end? Is there no hope? Is there no way to escape from the old self’s enslaving hold? Look at Romans 8:2! “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ has made me free from the law of sin and death.” And sadly too many Christians ‘camp’ in Romans 7 and never move on. They live with a “ball and chain” mentality as if they can never be free from the old life.

What does 2 Corinthians 5:15 say? Because Jesus died, those who live in Him no longer live for themselves! In the book, “Lives of Twelve Good Men,” Dean Burgon has a sketch of Dean Mansel, Christian philosopher of the past. There’s a powerful statement made about Mansel (Read carefully!), he “PROSTRATED HIS REASON BEFORE THE WORD OF GOD.”

Yet, how many regularly attend and bow down in the Temple of Self-Worship? Do you remember what Paul said to the Church at Galatia? (Galatians 5:13), “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh…”

CHRIST ALSO IS OUR FREEDOM FROM THE DISABILITY OF PERSONAL RULE TO THE ABILITY OF THE SOVEREIGN RULE AND REIGN OF CHRIST’S LORDSHIP! We read in Romans 14:7-9, “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself…For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s… FOR TO THIS END Christ died and rose and lived again, THAT HE MIGHT BE LORD OF BOTH THE DEAD AND THE LIVING.”

LORD? That’s one having full authority, ruler, to whom one’s service, worship, and obedience are due! It’s very simple! When Saul of Tarsus met Jesus on that Damascus road, what did he ask? “Lord, what would You have me to do?” Later Paul said, “For to me to live is Christ…” I want you to hear this with all your heart! A simple belief in the truth of the Gospel, divorced from a declaration of Christ’s Lordship over your life, is to give assent to an idea that is much, much less than SAVING FAITH!

In 2 Corinthians 4:5 the Word declares: “For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord.” John MacArthur wrote in “The Gospel According to Jesus,” (p.14 of the preface) – “I am, however, equally certain that no one can be saved who is either unwilling to obey Christ or consciously rebellious against the lordship of Christ. The MARK OF TRUE SALVATION is THAT IT ALWAYS PRODUCES A HEART THAT KNOWS AND FEELS ITS RESPONSIBILITY TO THE EVER-AWAKENING REALITY OF THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST.” Is Jesus your Lord to the Glory of God the Father?

CHRIST IS OUR FREEDOM FROM THE YOKES OF BONDAGE AND THE YANKS OF THE BATTLES WITH SATANIC ACTIVITY! Galatians 5:1 says, “Stand fast in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage!” Verse 7 adds, “You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?” I want you to read Hebrews 2:14-15 with an unending spirit of praise and thanksgiving because of what our Lord has accomplished for us who are in the Faith! It 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 thr5ough fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”

You must clearly understand that even though the yokes of bondage are real and the tanks of the battles with Satanic activity mushroom like an ash cloud over an erupting volcano, the ‘lion’ may roar, but at the Cross of Christ he was defanged!

Christ died, grasp this, surely that your sins might be washed whiter than snow, but He died that you might be free from the bondages and battles with the approaching forces and weapons of a spiritual pharaoh!

Ralph Turnbull, in “A Minister’s Obstacles,” (p.128), wrote: “When a man knows hi has been called by the Holy Spirit and has within him the assurance that nothing can shake that conviction, then he is fortified against that demon of discouragement.” Fortified? Are you? What about that demon of greed – that demon of ever-increasing wants?

What about that wild-fire demon of lust, of glandular idolatry, of the demon of rebellion to God’s laws of sexual purity, the demon of pornographic madness that’s involved even in church circles?

What about that bondage and battle with doubts and fears? Is that war raging about acceptance or rejection of your peer group? What about that dark cloud of depression, that demon of darkness that wants you hidden away behind closed doors, alone and lonely?

Do you know what Isaiah 61:3 says? “…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 not time to lie down – it’s time to rise up. It’s not time to give in – it’s time to rest in the Lord. It’s not time to bow down to the temptations of a modern world’s golden idols – it’s time to walk into that fiery furnace of Holy Presence! This isn’t cowering time – it’s crunch time because in Christ we’re more than conquerors! This isn’t cowardice time – but “brave-heart” time because “greater is He that is in us than (he) that is in the world.”

No wonder Paul said in Galatians 6:14, “But God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

And the evidence we’re in on it? Listen to Oswald Chambers in his “My Utmost For His Highest,” (p.266)! “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 spoiled for everything else but Him? The great privilege of discipleship is that I can sign on under His cross, and that means death to sin. Get alone with Jesus and either tell Him that at all costs you want to be identified with His death. Immediately you transact in confident faith in what our Lord did on the cross, a supernatural identification with His death takes place, and you will know with a knowledge that passes knowledge that your “old man” is crucified with Christ. The proof that your old man is crucified with Christ is the amazing ease with which the life of God in you enables you to obey the voice of Jesus.”

It was N.B. Herrell, sometime in the 20^th century, who wrote: “The Unveiled Christ.” It says:

“Once our blessed Christ of beauty Was veiled off from human view; But through suffering death and sorrow He has rent the veil in two…

Yes, He is with God, the Father, Interceding there for you; For He is the mighty conqueror, Since He rent the veil in two…

Holy angels bow before Him, Men of earth give praises due; For He is the well beloved, Since He rent the veil in two…

Throughout time and endless ages, Heights and depths of love so true; He alone can be the giver, Since He rent the veil in two…

O behold the man of sorrows, O behold Him in plain view, Lo! He is the mighty conqueror, Since He rent the veil in two, LO! He is the mighty conqueror, Since He rent the veil in two.” AMEN?

CHAPTER ELEVEN

THE REJOICINGS OF A KING

Jeremiah 10:10 tells us: “But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth will tremble, and the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.” Of course, you remember they were mocking Jesus when He was nailed to the Cross, but over His head they put a writing: “This Is Jesus The King Of The Jews.” And, of course, He was and still is – but also He is King over ALL! Even Pilate acknowledged “Jesus of Nazareth, The King of The Jews.” But I wonder: Have YOU crowned Him “King of My Heart”?

In Revelation 19:16 there is a picture of Christ, “The Word of God,” and it says of Him: And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS”! But when I come to Psalm 21:1, I see David describing himself as king saying, “The king shall have joy in Your strength, O Lord; and in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice.” The King of kings and the Lord of lords acknowledges every born-again believer a “king and priest”!

When I look at Psalm 21:1 am I simply reading a true historical testimony of what happened in King David’s life or is it also a picture book of what every disciple should experience in Christ? For instance, do YOU see yourself in Christ as a “king”? Have you been clothed in the robes of royalty and is there a symbolic crown of identity on your head?

1 Timothy 6:15, speaking of Jesus, says: “…He who is the blessed and only Potentate (Sovereign), the King of kings and Lord of lords.” King of kings? Is the Word speaking about you? In the Word of God, Revelation 1:6, speaking of those washed from their sins in Christ’s blood, “And has made us kings and priests to His God and Father…”

We’re going to be examining “The Rejoicings of a King”! Psalm 33:1-3 in the Living Bible says: “Let ALL the joys of the godly well up in praise to the Lord, for it is right to praise Him. Play joyous melodies of praise upon the lyre and on the harp. Compose new songs of praise to Him, accompanied skillfully on the harp; SING JOYFULLY.”

IN THE “REJOICINGS OF A KING” LET’S LOOK AT THE KINGLY REJOICING IN GOD’STRENGTH AND GOD’S SALVATION. That’s Psalm 21:1 again. “The king shall have joy in Your strength, O Lord; and in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!” I want you to come with me to Psalm 28:6-9 (“Living Bible”) – “Oh, praise the Lord, for He has listened to my pleadings! HE is my strength, my shield from every danger. I trusted in Him, and He helped me. Joy rises in my heart until I BURST OUT IN SONGS OF PRAISE TO HIM.. The Lord protects His people and gives victory to His anointed king. Defend Your people, Lord; defend and bless Your chosen ones. Lead them like a shepherd and carry them forever in Your arms.”

Again, in the “Living Bible”, look at Psalm 37:17, “…the strength of evil men shall be broken, BUT THE LORD TAKES CARE OF THOSE HE HAS FORGIVEN.” FORGIVEN? And you have no reason to sing? You’ve been taken care of BY GOD, and there is no song of praise and thanksgiving in your heart? Do you remember when David repented in Psalm 51? And one of his heart-cries was “Restore to me…THE JOY OF YOUR SALVATION…” Do you remember what Nehemiah said? Nehemiah 8:10, “don’t sorrow, because the joy of the Lord is your strength!”

Have you ever experienced the on-going victory of Jeremiah 15:16? “Your words 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.” When Jesus went before the Father in John 17 in His “high priestly prayer,” He prayed, (Verse 13), “But now I come to You (Father), and these things I speak in the world, THAT THEY MAY HAVE MY JOY FULFILLED IN THEMSELVES.”

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 – Yes 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’m telling you that nothing is more thrilling or fulfilling than experiencing for yourself God’s STRENGTH and God’s SALVATION. Psalm 5:11 says, “Make everyone REJOICE who puts his trust in you. Keep them shouting for joy because You are defending them. Fill all who love You with Your happiness.”

And then in Psalm 16:11, “You have let me experience the joys of life and the exquisite pleasures of Your own eternal presence.”

IN THE “REJOICINGS OF A KING” LET”S LOOK AT THE KINGLY REJOICING IN GOD’S FAITHFULNESS OF ANSWERED PRAYER! Psalm 21:2 says, “For You have given him his heart’s desire, everything he asks You for!”

Is Jesus a liar or the Lord-God? What did He say in Matthew 7:7-8? “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.”

Eliza Hickok put it like this: “I know not by what methods rare, But this I KNOW: GOD ANSWERS PRAYER. I know not if the blessing sought Will come in just the guise I thought. I leave my prayer to Him alone Whose will is wiser than my own.” G. Ashton Oldham said it even wiser and stronger: “Prayer is the chief agency and activity whereby men align themselves with God’s purpose. Prayer does no consist in battering the walls for personal benefits or the success of our plans. Rather it is the committing of ourselves for the carrying out of His purposes. It is a telephone call to headquarters for orders. It is not bending God’s will to ours, but our will to God’s. In prayer, we tap vast reservoirs of spiritual power whereby God can find fuller entrance into the hearts of men.”

You have answered prayers from God yet no reason to rejoice?

IN THE “KINGLY REJOICINGS” HOW ABOUT YOUR REJOICING IN GOD’S ROYAL BLESSINGS! Psalm 21:3 says, “You welcomed him to the throne with success and prosperity. You set a kingly crown o0f purest gold upon his head.”

Have you forgotten Ephesians 2:4-6? “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)…AND RAISED US UP TOGETHER, AND MADE US SIT TOGETHER IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES IN CHRIST JESUS.” Do you understand that blessing? “SEATED WITH CHRIST”! That’s in the Seat of Authority, in the Seat of Rest From A Finished Work, that’s in the Seat of Provision, the Seat of Identity, the Seat of Omniscience, the Seat of Overflowing Heavenly Blessings that never subside!

Psalm 24:5, in the Living Bible says, “They will receive God’s own goodness as their blessing from Him, planted in their lives by God Himself, their Savior.” Are you aware of “MY CUP RUNS OVER”? In Psalm 34:8 we read, “Oh, put God to the test and see how kind He is! See for yourself the way His mercies shower down on all who trust in Him.” Then Psalm 36:8 says, “You feed them with blessings from Your own table and let them drink from Your rivers of delight.” And you have no reason to rejoice in Christ Jesus? IN THE “KINGLY REJOICING” HAVE YOU BECOME FULLY AWARE OF GOD’S SHARING OF HIS FOREVER LIFE? Psalm 21:4 says, “He asked for a long, good life, and You have granted his request; the days of his life stretch on and on FOREVER.” How could it be otherwise?

We read in Deuteronomy 33:27, “The Eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms…” If God is ETERNAL and I’ve become One with Him, if God is Eternal and I’ve taken on His nature, what am I blessed with? HIS FOREVER LIFE!

Somehow have you missed or overlooked Jesus’ words in Mark 10:29-30? 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 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.” FOREVER LIFE -IN CHRIST JESUS! AND YOU HAVE NO REASON TO REJOICE?

IN THE “KINGLY REJOICING” EXAMINE GOD’S DISTINCTIVE USE OF OUR LIVES! Psalm 21:5 says, “You have given him fame and honor. You have clothed him with splendor and majesty.” Oh, and then in Psalm 25:10 we read, “And when we obey Him, every path He guides us on is fragrant with His lovingkindness and His truth.” What did it say? “…EVERY PATH “HE” guides us on…”! We didn’t CHOOSE to be used of God – HE CHOSE US!

In 1 Thessalonians 2:4 Paul said, “But as we have been APPROVED BY GOD to be entrusted with the Gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.” It was God who chose the pagan Abram. It was God, in the burning bust, who called Moses. It was God who set apart the prophets. It was God who chose the disciples. It was God who chose Paul.

And it is God who distinctively calls you and me out of this world and sets us apart unto Himself. And YOU have no reason to rejoice?

I AM THRILLED ALSO WHEN I SEE THE KINGLY REJOICING IN GOD”S ENDOWMENT OF ETERNAL BLESSING! Psalm 21:6a says, “For You have made him [the king] most blessed forever.” Come to Psalm 32:1-2, &10-11! “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute [charge his account with] iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit…

Verses 10-11, Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; but he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous; and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” Oh, and then Psalm 33:21 says, “For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have TRUSTED IN HIS HOLY NAME.” Have you?

IT GETS BETTER! THERE IS THE KINGLY REJOICING IN GOD’S GIFT OF THE UNQUENCHABLE JOY OF HIS EVER-ABIDING PRESENCE! Psalm 21:6b says, “You have made him exceedingly glad with Your presence.” Later, in Psalm 27:4 David wrote: “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty [delightfulness] of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.”

But have you witnessed “sons” leaving the Father’s holy presence, going with ‘rebel-prodigal-sons’ at the world’s pig-pens? And if you are one – YOU ARE NOT HIDING FROM GOD THERE! He sees you!

In Psalm 139:23-24 you find what ought to be the attitude of all believing hearts daily! “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.” Have you examined your attitudes lately concerning our “call” to abide in His Presence?

THE LAST VITAL POINT: THE KINGLY REJOICING IN GOD”S ABILITY TO KEEP US AND HOLD US! Psalm 21:7 tells us: “For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved [or show contempt toward God with his lips].”

Are you familiar with Psalm 37:25? It says, “I have been young and now I am old. And in all my years I have never seen the Lord forsake a man who loves Him; nor have I seen the children of the godly go hungry.”

Jude 1 identifies “Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James,” and then he closes out his epistle in verses 24-25 saying, “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, To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.”

And I cannot close Jude out without alerting you to the second part of Verse one when Jude wrote: “To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and “preserved” in Christ Jesus!” Praise God for His eternal preservation! Amen?

CHAPTER TWELVE

FOLLOWING CHRIST JESUS

The ultimate destiny of blessing of a man or a ministry depends upon his acceptance or rejection of the call of Christ Jesus, “FOLLOW ME.” Have you ever considered fully the significance of Christ Jesus to your life?

Jesus showed us the heart of Father-God. He unveiled the friendship of the Holy Spirit. He revealed a blessed life lived out under submission to Divine Sovereignty. He so amplified the Law and Life of Eternal Love revealed in the Glory of Servanthood. He solidly established Kingdom rule and authority. He displayed the reality of an everlasting hope…And He comes to you and me, saying, “Follow Me”!

“Follow Me”? That’s the Commander-In-Chief of the Heavenly Army who comes and calls to us: “ATTENTION!” It is the King of Spiritual Zion who has issued a royal decree: “Follow Me”! It is the Eternal Emperor with a call to share His Kingdom rule. It’s the Archbishop of our souls who wants to share His spiritual authority. The Author of Truth writes a ‘Living Epistle’ of our victory through Him. The Conqueror of death and hell reveals how through Him we overcome the same. The spiritual head of the Holy Council of Heaven wants us at the same table: “Follow Me.”

In 2 Peter 1:16 Peter said: “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…” Yet how many do you know who’ve been trapped and snared by “cunningly devised fables”? They’re not “Followers of Christ” but followers of deception. How sad!

Then in Ezekial 13:3 God speaks, “Woe to the foolish prophets, who FOLLOW THEIR OWN SPIRIT, and have seen nothing.” Judges 2:12 speaks of the children of Israel who “Forsook the Lord God of their fathers…and FOLLOWED OTHER GODS.” You’ll find in 2 Kings 13:2 where Joash “did evil in the sight of the Lord and followed the sins of Jeroboam who had made Israel to sin.”

Reflect upon the cry of the Coming Messiah in Isaiah 55:7, “Let the wicked forsake ‘his way’, and the unrighteous 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.” WHOSE WAY? FORSAKE MAN’S WAY! We read in Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” The wise man wrote in Proverbs 21:2, “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.”

Jeremiah understood what you’ve just read; he wrote in 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 own steps.” This is why in 1 Kings 18:21 Elijah cried out: “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, FOLLOW HIM; but if Baal, then follow him.” But the people answered him not a word. What’s your answer or your response to Holy God?

And here’s the King of Babylon! He always shows up! Ezekial 21:21-23, “For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the road, at the fork of the two roads, to use DIVINATION: he shakes the arrows, he consults the images, he looks at the liver…In his right hand is the divination for Jerusalem…And it will be to them like a false divination in the eyes of those who have sworn oaths with them; but he will bring their iniquity to remembrance, that they may be taken.”

There is a ‘gate’ of divination – but also there is a “Gate of Grace”! There is a ‘gate’ of death – but also there is a “Gate of Eternal Life”! What are YOU about to enter? In Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus said and says right now, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it…Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:21, “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that YOU SHOULD FOLLOW HIS STEPS…Verse 22, WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS GUILE FOUND IN HIS MOUTH, and then Verse 25, “For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls…” HAVE YOU? ARE YOU FOLLOWING CHRIST? Why “follow” Christ?

FOLLOW CHRIST BECAUSE WE KNOW HE IS THE ONLY WAY OF TRUE, BIBLICAL, LIFE-CHANGING SALVATION! Does John 14:6 bring our world to the valley of decision? Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. NO ONE comes to the Father except through Me.”

In Acts 4:12 we read of, yes, the boldness of Peter and John in front of the public, the priests, the “Sad-u-sees” – “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” In Exodus 12 you’ll learn of the Passover Lamb, ordained by Father-God, a “lamb without blemish and without spot.” That lamb was slain and the blood posted on the doorposts of their homes. And God said: “When I see the blood, I WILL PASS OVER…”!

New Testament relevance there? John 1:29 informs us all, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said: “Behold! THE LAMB OF GOD who takes away the sin of the world.” And you ask, “What is the Lamb of God all about?” In 1 Peter 2:24 Peter wrote: “who Himself bore our sins IN HIS OWN BODY ON THE TREE, THAT WE, Having died to sins might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed.” OH, and then in 1 Peter 3:18 Peter said: “For Christ [not Mohammed, not Buddha, not some ‘idol’ of a man’s creation!], also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might BRING US TO GOD, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.”

St. Thomas Aquinas wrote in his “Summa Theologica, II”, “If a man born among infidels and barbarians does what lies in his power God will reveal to him what is necessary for salvation, either by inward inspiration or by sending him a preacher of faith.” But one thing is for sure eternally: God’s Call has always been: “FOLLOW CHRIST JESUS.”

Do you remember Cornelius in Acts 10:2, “a devout man, and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always”? And you read, not only about Cornelius, but “all his household”! And when his household heard, they responded, and followed the Lord Jesus, were baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit! Even in Acts 8 we read of the Ethiopian eunuch who heard the Gospel, and responded having believed, “What hinders me from being baptized?” And he was!

Washington Gladden once wrote: “But what can mortal man do to secure his own salvation? Mortal man can do just what God bids him do. He can repent and believe. He can arise and follow Christ.” ARE YOU “FOLLOWING”?

WE FOLLOW CHRIST BECAUSE WE KNOW HIS VOICE! Come to John 10:2-5, 16, and 27! Verses 2-5 first: “But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out…

And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”

Verse 16, “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.”

Verse 27, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” Jesus said in John 6:63, “…The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”

In his book entitled “Mr. Jones, Meet the Master”, Peter Marshall said: “Give us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for, because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything.”

Follow the “visions” Jesus gave to His disciples: John 15:11, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” John 15:22, “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.” John 16:1, These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble.” John 16:4, “But these things I have spoken to you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.” John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me, you may have peace. In the would YOU WILL HAVE TRIBULATION; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Do you remember the two disciples on the Emmaeus Road? Luke 24:32, “And they said to one another, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?’”

It’s the voice of the stranger or the voice of the Savior! It’s the voice of the enemy or the voice of the Friend! It’s the voice of the powers of darkness or the voice of the Prince of Peace! It’s the voice of ‘the lie’ or the voice of the Truth! It’s the voice of the deceiver of the nations or the voice of the Lord of all nations! It’s the voice of the compromising church or the voice of the crucified, buried, and resurrected Christ! It’s the voice of crippled cultures or the voice of the conquering Christ! It’s the voice of the bondage-giver or the voice of the bondage-breaker! What did Samuel say? “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening!”

WE FOLLOW CHRIST BECAUSE OF THE BLESSINGS AND BENEFITS OF WHO HE IS, AND BECAUSE OF OUR FAITH IN HIM, WE SHARE HIS LIFE! John 10:10 says, “…I Am Come that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” I like what Reinhard Bonnke said in his book, “Evangelism By Fire,” (P.252): “In Christ, the least distinguished people CARRY KINGDOM STATUS…”

In 1 Peter 2:9-10 Peter said, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people…Who once were not a people BUT ARE NOW THE PEOPLE OF GOD.” What did Paul say to the Corinthian Church? 1 Corinthians 1:30, “BUT OF HIM (by God’s doing through Christ at the Cross!!) YOU ARE IN CHRIST JESUS, who became for us WISDOM FROM GOD, (Grace gives us THE MIND OF CHRIST!) – and RIGHTEOUSNESS (exchange of our filthy rags of righteousness for His PERFECT Righteousness), and SANCTIFICATION (set apart, not unto ourselves, but SET APART for the Glory of the One who loved us and gave Himself for us) and REDEMPTION (bought by the Blood!!). Our blessings and benefits?

• BECAUSE THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD: I shall not want (Psalm 23:1) and “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE, and I will dwell in the House of the Lord Forever.”
• BECAUSE THE LORD IS MY SAVIOR: I am “In Christ” – Ephesians 1! Blessed with every spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. (Verse 3). Chosen in Him, (Verse 4). Predestined to Sonship. (Verse 5). Made accepted in the Beloved. (Verse 6). Obtained an inheritance. (Verse 11). Sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise. (Verse 13). Made alive together with Christ. (Verse 2:5). Raised up and made to sit together in Heavenly Places. (Verse 2:6). His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus. (Verse 2:6). By His blood, brought near to God. (Verse 2;13). Having access by one Spirit TO THE FATHER. (Verse 2:18). “Fellow citizens with the saints and a member of the Household of God.” (Verse 2:15). “Built upon a sure foundation.” (Verse 2:20). “A habitation of God in the Spirit.” (Verse 2:22).
• BECAUSE JESUS IS OUR LORD and HE’S MY LORD: Hosea 6:3 says, He “lets us know…and brings us in to the knowledge of God.” John 17:3 says, “And this is ETERNAL LIFE, that they may know YOU, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
• BECAUSE I AM HIS: In John 8:12 Jesus said, “HE WHO FOLLOWS ME shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” God tells me in Isaiah 30:21, “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.”
• BECAUSE JESUS IS THE WAY: Proverbs 10:29 says, “The way of the Lord is strength for the upright.”
• BECAUSE JESUS IS THE WAY: Proverbs 12:28 says, “In the way of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death. [John 11:25-26}.
• John 12:26, “If anyone serves Me (says Christ Jesus), let him FOLLOW ME; and where I am, there My servant WILL BE ALSO.”
• Luke 1:79, “…GUIDES OUR FEET INTO THE WAY OF PEACE…”

IN FOLLOWING CHRIST, FOLLOWING ON WITH HIM UNVEILS FOR US THAT FOR WHICH HE LAID HOLD OF US! Paul said in Philippians 3:12, “Not that I 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.”

Do you remember what Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 16:19? “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed already in heaven.” That’s “PARTNERS IN ETERNAL PURPOSES!”

God has a Noah to build an ark. God has an Abraham to bless the nations. God has a Joseph to feed the hungry. God has a Moses to take them out. God has a Joshua to bring them in. God has a David to slay the giant. God has an Elisha to fill the cruse with oil. God has an Isaiah to reveal and announce the Messiah. God has a John the Baptist to make straight the way of the Lord. God has a Paul “to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Christ.” And Paul says: “I WAS NOT DISOBEDIENT TO THE HEAVENLY VISION!”

Christ Jesus is that Author and Finisher of our Faith! Almighty God Plans our Paths and our Purposes! “…the steps of a righteous made are made or ordered by the Lord…” OUR SAVIOR paints the portrait of the eternal blueprint of our lives!

2 Timothy 1:9-10a says, “[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 given to us in Christ Jesus before time began…BUT HAS NOW BEEN REVEALED BY THE APPEARING OF OUR SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST…”

REVEALED? Disciples – not simply church members. Witnesses – Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth! Ministers of reconciliation! Servants of the Most High God! Ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ! In Ephesians 1:11 we read, “…predestined according to the purpose of HIM who works all things according to the counsel of His Will…”

Leigh Mitchell Hodges, in his “Processional,” [1933], wrote: “Lord of the light, unfading from day to reborn day; God of the world brocading this planet’s nightly way; Master of Hope, and builder of life’s immortal span, Now, when the days bewilder, Thunder again to man!”

WE FOLLOW CHRIST JESUS BECAUSE FOLLOWING OUR SAVIOR OPENS THE DOOR TO DIVINE, SOVEREIGN LEADERSHIP! In Genesis 24:27 Abraham had sent his servant to find a bride for Isaac: “Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. AS FOR ME, being on the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brothers.”

It was “ON THE WAY” when Paul was “Forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the Word in Asia.” [Acts 16:6]. He went to Mysia and tried to go into Bithynia, “But the Spirit did not permit them.” (Verse 7).

Do you remember Israel’s journey in Exodus 13:21? “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.”

And in 2 Corinthians 2:14 we read, “But thanks be to God WHO ALWAYS LEADS US IN TRIUMPH IN CHRIST…!” God leads us, God always leads us, and God always leads us in triumph in Christ! Why would ANYONE ever want ‘My Way’ when they can walk God’s way?

WE FOLLOW CHRIST JESUS BECAUSE OF THE PRECIOUS PRIVILEGE OF INHERITING THE PROMISES! Hebrews 6:12 speaks of those who “do not become SLUGGISH [or LAZY], but imitate those who through faith and patience [or endurance] inherit the promises.”

In 2 Corinthians 1:20 Paul said, “For all the promises of God [IN CHRIST] are YES, and [IN CHRIST] AMEN, to the glory of God through us.” But do you really believe we’re going to have promises fulfilled if we’re not “In the Way”? Do you really believe we’re going to have promises fulfilled if we walk the road of rebellion? It’s those who imitate faith and endurance who are inheriting the promises of God’s Word!

WE FOLLOW CHRIST JESUS BECAUSE WE BECOME PARTICIPANTS IN GOD’S PLAN OF REDEMPTION! Didn’t Jesus say to us in Matthew 4:19, “FOLLOW ME, and I will make you fishers of men.” In Luke 4:18-19 Jesus also said, “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 brokenhearted, To preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed…To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” WE’VE HEARD THE LORD JESUS JUST NOW !! AND WE’RE NOT ON A TRIVIAL ERRAND BUT A HOLY MISSION!

Reinhard Bonnke in his book, “Evangelism By Fire,” [p.200], wrote: “Christians are not the hunted, but the hunters; not the attacked, but the attackers. We are God’s ‘STORM TROOPERS’, sent to release the hostages of hell. We are invading forces of the Lord!” Then, on page 208 of the same book, Bonnke said, “Salvation is not just an evangelist’s pet subject, it is the Lord’s principle work.”

I pray that you haven’t overlooked or skipped John 15:16 where Jesus said to ALL DISCIPLES, “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’S NOT ONLY THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT BUT THE FRUIT OF SOULS! In Acts 8:35 we read, “Then Phillip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.”

WE ALSO ARE TO FOLLOW CHRIST JESUS INDEPENDENTLY OF OTHERS! In John 21 Jesus had just signified by what death Peter would glorify God. Peter saw the disciple Jesus loved following, the one who had leaned on Jesus’ breast at the surgery – and then Peter asked who it was who would betray Jesus, and in Verse 21, Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, ‘But, Lord, what about this man?’” In Verse 22 Jesus responded, “If I will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? FOLLOW ME!”

Does your allegiance to Christ Jesus depend upon others or, if necessary, will YOU walk alone with Him? A thousand may fall away at your side or even ten thousand at your right hand. But, if necessary, will YOU walk alone? Elijah had had great victory at Mt. Carmel but faded with the phony threats of a Jezebel. So he hid in a cave. God came: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He responded, “I alone am left; and they seek to take my life!” And God said to him, “I have 7000 in Israel, Elijah, who’ve not bowed the knee to Baal. You’re not alone.” FOLLOW CHRIST JESUS! “If none will join me, still I will follow!”

FOLLOW CHRIST PASSIONATELY BECAUSE WE KNOW THE END RESULT! In Numbers 14:24 we read, “But My servant, Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him, and has followed Me fully, I WILL BRING INTO THE LAND WHERE HE WENT, AND HIS DESCENDANTS SHALL INHERIT IT.” But follow Numbers 32:11-12 and see the ‘other side of the coin’! “Surely none of the men who came up from Egypt, from 20 years old and above, shall see the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have not followed Me fully… except Caleb and Joshua…for THEY HAVE FOLLOWED ME FULLY.”

In Luke 5:11 we read about those who, “So when they had brought their boats to land, THEY FORSOOK ALL AND FOLLOWED JESUS.” And I thank God for the example of David who said in Psalm 63:8, “My soul follows hard after You…Your right hand upholds me!”

FOLLOW HARD AFTER CHRIST JESUS BECAUSE WE KNOW WE’RE NOT EXEMPT FROM WHIRLWINDS, STORMS, AND DARK CLOUDS IN LIFE’S JOURNEYS! Nahum 1:3b says, “…The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet.”

And follow carefully: Fiery furnaces are nothing more than ‘flashpoints’ of divine opportunity! Storms are occasions for Christ Jesus to arise and speak to you: “Peace be still!” Darkness may be “on the face of [YOUR] deep” – but the Spirit of God is hovering over the face of your dark waters! Psalm 18:9 says, “darkness [IS] under His feet.”

In Psalm 91:1 we read, “He who dwells in the secret places of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty…” Verse 2, “I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him, I trust.” Oh, and then we read in Luke 1:79, Jesus comes “to give LIGHT to those who sit in darkness.”

WE FOLLOW CHRIST JESUS IN A LIFE-CHANGING WALK OF OBEDIENCE BECAUSE WE KNOW HE IS LORD! Romans 14:9 says, “For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.” And as our Lord and Savior we receive His valuable confrontation! John 14:15, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

Michael de Montaigne wrote: “The first law that ever God gave to man was a law of obedience; it was a commandment pure and simple, wherein man had nothing to inquire after or to dispute, for as much as to obey is the proper off ice of a rational soul acknowledging a heavenly superior and benefactor. From obedience and submission spring all other virtues, as all sin does from self-opinion and self-will.”FOLLOW CHRIST JESUS BECAUSE IT IS THE OVERCOMING, ALL-CONQUERING WAY! 2 Corinthians 2:14 says, “Now thanks be to God who always leads un IN TRIUMPH IN CHRIST…” Then, in 2 Samuel 23:10, it speaks of Eleazer, “He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword. THE LORD BROUGHT ABOUT A GREAT VICTORY THAT DAY…” Then Verse 12 speaks of Shammah, “…he stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines, AND THE LORD BROUGHT ABOUT A GREAT VICTORY!” [Psalm 98:1, says, “…[God’s] right hand and His holy arm have gained Him THE VICTORY!”

The overcoming, all-conquering way? Romans 8:2 informs us all, “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” Oh, and then the Holy Word schools us: Revelation 12:11, “And they overcame Satan by the blood of the Lamb…” 1 John 5:4 challenges us, “And THIS is the VICTORY that overcomes the world…even our faith in Christ alone!”

The Lamb of God had opened one of the seals and one of the four living creatures told John: (Revelation 6:2), “Come and see,” “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.” What does Romans 8:37 say? “We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us!”

“IN CHRIST JESUS” you haven’t been clothed with rags of defeat – you were clothed with the robes of His eternal conquest! You’re not adorned with an attitude of loss – you’re adorned with an attitude of always triumphant! You’re not a loser – you’re a winner, you’re not the conquered – you’re the conquering, you’re not the constantly oppressed – you’re the constantly conquering; your mind and heart, washed in the blood of the Lamb, is not for darkness and depression – you are one with Him in Light and Everlasting joy, equipped with the armor of God that overcomes the ‘foreign foe’ called Satan!

“O Victory in Jesus, my Savior forever, He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood; He loved me ere I knew Him, and all my love is due Him, He plunged me to Victory beneath the cleansing flood!”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHRIST JESUS – THE ONE AND ONLY SAVIOR AND LORD

I want to introduce this chapter with three different Scriptures: First, Matthew 17:1-8, says to us: Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” When they lifted up their eyes, they SAW NO ONE “BUT JESUS ONLY.”

Acts 4:12 is the Second Verse I want to highlight: “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” The only name for man’s salvation? “JESUS ONLY!”

Third Verse of eternal significance: John 3:16, “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.”

“JESUS ONLY!” What powerful words! I don’t believe I’ve ever been more moved or touched so deeply than by those two words that jumped off the Word into my heart: “Jesus Only!”

What a powerful revelation! It’s what God had been saying all along through human history but also even before the foundation of the world! Colossians 1:15-20 says to us all: “He [Jesus Christ] 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 consists. 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.”

“JESUS ONLY!” What a powerful symphony of praise and adoration, what a powerful testimony of true faith, and what an awesome unveiling of true allegiance and personal dedication: “Jesus Only!” Romans 1:16 says: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” And Paul said later when he thought about his mission journeys: Romans 15:29, “But I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.”

But at the same time, I want to alert you, that the Transfiguration experience CAN BE DANGEROUS and cause us to detour from God’s main intention – 1) It’s not the symphony of Transfiguration that brings melody to your heart, but knowing the Composer and Conductor – “JESUS ONLY!”

• It’s not the bright lights of life after a death experience, but Fellowship with the Light of Life – “JESUS ONLY!”
• It’s not the blessed privilege of witnessing the presence of Godly men gone on, but the blessed privilege of union and communion with the Author of Saving Faith – “Jesus Only”!
• It’s not the number of multitudinous mountain-top experiences that heightens our spiritual growth, but the moments of having Truth sealed in our hearts – “Jesus Only!”
• It’s not even the willingness to build tabernacles unto His honor (even ‘good works’?), but the grace of forever living in the presence of “Jesus Only”!!

There are a few truths I really want to nail down for you concerning this awesome Truth: “Jesus Only”! FIRST, I WANT TO ALERT YOU TO THE POSSIBILITIES THAT ARE ALWAYS PRESENT WITH US IN THE MIDST OF TRANSFIGURATION EXPERIENCES: And the Word foundation? Matthew 18:20 tells us, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of her.”

Matthew 28:20 says: “As you’re going, be assured, I am always with you, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” What do you sense out of those two verses? I see: God in the midst of those who gather – God Present with those who “Go” out in His Name!

But you’re aware that many “profess” faith but sense nothing in their walks! There can be the “moving” of the Very Spirit of Almighty God – and nothing is felt, alerted to, or aware of! That’s Paul saying in 2 Timothy 3:5, “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof…”

There can be a miraculous out-pouring of Sovereign Providence, and nothing is received, Zip, Zero! In Matthew 13:54 we read, “And when He was come into His own country…” [Nazareth] – Verse 57, “they were offended in Jesus.” Verse 58, “And He did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.”

There can be the majestic nature of the ever-present Christ, but some are deluded by their devotion to the law and fleshly prophecies! “LAW” can be “symbols of sacrifice” without knowing the Sacrifice or the Adventist! Fleshly prophecies? Avenues of Advent but know nothing about the knowledge of Truth! “Ever learning,” but empty of Holy Presence! Learning, longing, but never “leaning on Jesus Only”!

There can be the ministry of Revelation magnified and yet personally refused! Look at John 8:32-37! Jesus said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”…

Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.”

Pharoah heard God’s Word through His servant Moses, and they saw God’s wonders, yet they refused to bow to God’s will. Do you think that still occurs today?

THE SECOND TRUTH I WANT YOU TO SEE IN THIS CHAPTER IS THE PRESENTATION OF GOD’S ANSWER TO MAN’S NEED! “JESUS ONLY”!!

• Jesus Only in calming the fears of man: Matthew 17:6 says, And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.” Have you ever been sore afraid? It may be because of the anxious present of out of control circumstances – and you’re falling apart and afraid. It could be because of a haunting past of hidden sin – and guilt “hurts” and builds “fear”. It could be because of what one senses of a fearful future, and they don’t know the One who holds their future in the palm of His hand; they’re afraid of a “future shock”! Familiar failure may come around again – economic collapse, personal depression, the certainty of death, even a ‘dark-aloneness’.

To his mouse-friend Robbie Burns wrote: “And forward, though I cannot see, I guess and fear.” But to His men Jesus proclaimed: “Take heart, it is I: have no fear.” “And Jesus came and touched them, and said, ‘Arise, and do not be afraid.’ And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no fear, but Jesus Only.”

• Jesus Only in covering the sin of man and granting forgiveness. Acts 13:38 says, “Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this Man, Jesus, is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins. A nationally known psychiatrist pronounced: “95% of the insanity of this country can be put down to the fact that at some crucial stage in the journey of life, the victims have refused the forgiveness of sin!”

Ephesians 1:7 declares: “In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” That’s through Jesus Only! What’s involved in receiving forgiveness?

CONFRONTATION! “Behold, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.”

CONFESSION! And that entails an awareness of one’s sin, sorrow for it, and a willful turning to Christ Jesus and repentance before Holy God!

CLEANSING! “Jesus breaks the power of canceled sin, He sets the prisoner free, His blood can make the foulest clean, His blood availed for me.”

• Jesus Only in creatively energizing man in the fields of service God calls us all to be involved in. Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

And, yes, we thank God for His indwelling and anointing Holy Spirit, but the Holy Word also declares in 1 Thessalonians 5:24, “Faithful is He that calls you, who also will do it.” It’s Jesus Only in the fullness of power and glory that empowers you to be a witness in this lost and dying world.

It’s Jesus Only in the fullness of His Indwelling Presence that molds you into a Godly man, a Godly husband, a Godly wife and mother. It’s Jesus Only in the faithfulness of His promise that finishes our faith journey and purpose in the daily walk. It’s Jesus Only in the fullness and force and finality of His blessing that “presents to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” So willfully let Him finish His intent in you and through you!

• Jesus Only in the only calling that fulfills a man and gives him eternal peaceI In 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 we read, “For the love of Christ constrains us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead…And that He died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them and rose again.” And He gloriously was raised by God from the dead that God might “reveal His Son in us!”

Dr. John Wesley White, former associate of Billy Graham, has a message entitled: “This One Thing I Do.” And it says so much about “the only calling that fulfills a man and gives him peace.” Dr. White said:

“This One Thing I Do – Vocationally!” He quoted John Osborne, English playwright from the play, “The Entertainer”: “Everybody’s tired, everybody’s standing about, loitering without any intent whatsoever, wanting to be picked up by whatever they may allow to happen to us next.”

What’s your “business”? I always appreciated so much the former All-Pro receiver for the Baltimore Colts. I heard Raymond share: “I make my living by playing Pro football, but my business in life is to serve the King of kings.” There’s an old Hymn that says: “I am a stranger here within a foreign land, My home is far away beyond the golden strand; Ambassadors to be of realms beyond the sea, I’m here on business for my King.” Dr. White also said:

“This One Thing I Do – Devotionally!” In Colossians 3:2 Paul challenges us all, “Set your affection on things above…where Christ sits on the right hand of God.” It’s an old song I grew up on that says: “There’s within my heart a melody – Jesus whispers sweet and low, ‘Fear not I am with you – Peace be still,’ in all of life’s ebb and flow. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus – Sweetest Name I know, Fills my every longing, Keeps me singing as I go.”

“This One Thing I Do – Mentally!” Philippians 2:5 is so very clear: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” And we know why: “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.” You “cannot serve two masters.” George Elliott once wrote: “What makes life dreary is absence of motive. What makes life complicated is multiplicity of motives; what makes life victorious is singleness of motive.” And if your life is absent of motive concerning Christ Jesus, then mentally self-motive is an empty chamber!

“This One Thing I Do – Morally!” It was George Bernard Shaw who once stated: “The trouble with Jesus Christ was that He had disciples.” But then I read Paul in Ephesians 4:17-24!…”This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,…

Having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness…

But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus; that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to deceitful lusts,…

And be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”

“This One Thing I Do – Materially!” Do you remember Jesus’ powerful Word? “For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?” In 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, 7-9, Paul so encourages us, yes, about our Lord’s example of “grace giving”.

“Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality…

For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints….

And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God…

Verses 7-9, But as you abound in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us – see that you abound in this grace also. I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others…

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.”

“This One Thing I Do – Ultimately! Philippians 3:20 says to us, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Missionary Jim Elliot, martyred by the Auca Indians, preached, wrote, lived, and reasoned soundly: “It is a beautiful thing to see a man give up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

In closing this chapter, many look up to H.G. Wells as one of the world’s great historians. When he was eleven years of age, he was already an angry young man. At that age, he shook his fist defiantly toward God exclaiming: “I hate God – if there is one. I hate Jesus Christ. I hate his church. I dedicate my life to the extermination of all these ideas.”

It is documented that on the occasion of his 71^st birthday Wells invited as his guests many of the outstanding historians of the West to come together and help him celebrate.

On that occasion and by his own admission stated: “I am an old man. I suspect in retrospect that the trouble with the likes of me, is that the ancient Nazarene, Jesus Christ, was too big for my small heart.”

If only he’d known, seen, received “Jesus Only”! He’d be singing right now, “What A Friend We Have In Jesus.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHRISTIAN DETERMINATIONS

I want you to come to the book of Judges, Chapter 2, where in Verse 8 we find that Joshua has died. Joshua was Moses’ replacement, chosen of God to lead Israel into the Land of Promise! And Israel became unfaithful. Follow the Word:

Judges 2:11-12, Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals; and they forsook the Lord God of their fathers…and followed other gods….provoking the Lord to anger… Verses 21-22, “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.”

Judges 3:7, 12-14, So the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God, and served the Baals and Asherahs. Verses 12-14, And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord. Then he gathered to himself the people of Ammon and Amalek, went and defeated Israel, and took possession of the City of Palms. So the children of Israel served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years.

Judges 4:1-4 says: When Ehud was dead, the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera…

And the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, for Jabin had nine hundred chariots of iron, and for twenty years he had harshly oppressed the children of Israel. Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was judging Israel at that time.

Deborah called Barak to go against the Canaanites with 10,000 men because God was going to deliver them into Israel’s hands. The victory was won, and in Judges 5, Deborah sang a song of praise like Moses. But sadly we learn that four and a half tribes didn’t show up for the battle! Look specifically at Verses 15b-16! “Among the divisions of Reuben there were great resolves of heart…Why did you sit among the sheepfolds to hear the pipings for the flock? The divisions of Reuben have great searchings of heart.” Oh, yes, great searchings of heart, thoughtful considerations of the mind, but empty of will and purpose and determination to fulfill the call of God through their lives. They went to the ‘sidelines,’ content to let someone else fight God’s battles!

Listen to Gary Inrig, in “Hearts of Iron, Feet of Clay,” [Moody Bible Institute, 1979, Chicago, p.79], “You can almost see the people meeting together, holding debates, passing resolutions, drilling the army. BUT IT NEVER WENT ANY FURTHER THAN THAT. They were emotionally stirred, their hearts were moved, but their feet never went. They stayed at home, listening to the shepherds piping their sheep, but they never heard the blast of the war trumpets. They were moved by SENTIMENT, but not to sacrifice.”

But follow Deborah in verse 9, “My heart is with the rulers of Israel, Who offered themselves willingly with the people. BLESS THE LORD!!” Notice, with Reuben, “great resolves of the heart,” but no action! And what is sentiment without sacrifice and action? What is a DECISION without GODLY DETERMINATION to see your resolve fulfilled? CHRISTIAN DETERMINATIONS!

In Psalm 119:59 we see the picture of both resolve and determination. It says, “I thought about my ways, and TURNED MY FEET TO God’s testimonies.” Oh, and then, in Acts 11:21-23 we read: And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord.” Determined! Purpose of heart!

In Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, the word ‘determined’ is defined as “ended, concluded, decided…fixed, settled, resolved… having a firm or fixed purpose, as a determined man… or manifesting a firm resolution.” And I thought, ‘how easy for the Reubens of God’s Kingdom to MANUFACTURE a resolution, and miss manifesting fulfillment of that firm resolution!

Henry Ward Beecher wrote: “There is not a heart but has its moments of longing, yearning for something better, nobler, holier than it knows now.” And yet for most men those moments are “fleeting” moments and they settle into the dull routine of simply trying to survive!

BUT NOT THE TRUE DISCIPLE OF JESUS! Shakespeare, in “Anthony and Cleopatra”, [Act V, sc 2, l.282], wrote: “I HAVE IMMORTAL LONGINGS IN ME.” Robert Southey updated Shakespeare, writing: “It is not for man to rest in absolute contentment – he is born to hopes and aspirations as the sparks fly upward, unless he has brutified his nature and quenched the spirit of immortality which is his portion.”

In “The Spanish Gypsy,” George Eliot wrote: “Strong souls live like fire-hearted suns; to spend their strength is FURTHEST STRIVING ACTION.” In following Christ Jesus, are you a “fire-hearted” son of God? Are you spent out in Christ-like determination to fulfill God’s will through your walk?

Luke 9:51 says, “Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that JESUS steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.” HE DETERMINED STEADFASTLY, RESOLUTELY TO GO TO JERUSALEM TO DIE ON THE CROSS!! In Luke 9:23 Jesus had said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” CHRISTIAN DETERMINATIONS?

DETERMINED THAT CHRIST JESUS ALONE IS MY LIFE! In Philippians 3:7-14 we read about what is the surpassing value of knowing Christ! “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.”

Did Paul say “I press…”? That’s pursuing, following hard after, given over to! “What things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.” – “I count all things loss for the excellency 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” – “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” In Philippians 1:21 Paul said, “For to me to LIVE IS CHRIST.”

What’s the determination about your life? I don’t know of a day, like now, wherein Paul’s words to Timothy were so prophetic! Follow 2 Timothy 3:1-7, “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, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!…

For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Tozer in his book, The Set of the Sail,” [Christian Publications, Camp Hill, Pa., 1986, p.109], speaks of “intellectual magpies with a tic” – lovers of “wisdom” rather than lovers of God! What’s the determination about your life? Earthly fame or maybe fleshly reputation? In John 5:44 we read, “How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?” Yes, what’s the determination of your life?

Tozer also said, “Seekers after nothing” – “the human vegetables who live by their glands and instincts.”

To the church at Corinth, Paul said, [1 Corinthians 1:29-31], “…that no flesh should glory in His presence…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.” There MUST BE that determination in your life – “CHRIST JESUS IS MY LIFE!”

Philippians 3:9-10 tells us, “…and be found in Him (Christ Jesus), 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…” And Because He Is My Life, The SECOND DETERMINATION?

DETERMINED WILLFULLY TO WALK WITH THOSE WHO WITH GOD AND WITH THE RESURRECTED CHRIST! In 2 Timothy 2:22 we read: “Flee also youthful lusts; but PURSUE (Press in, following hard after, given over to, fully surrendered to Jesus’ Lordship!) PURSUE righteousness, faith, love, peace WITH THOSE WHO CALL ON THE LORD OUT OF A PURE HEART.” Pure hearts? That’s those washed clean by the Blood of the Lamb. That’s those immersed in that precious fountain of the finished work At Calvary as Jesus willingly shed His blood. That’s those purchased by the Laid-Down Life of Jesus at the Cross!

Pure hearts? The Holy Family of God. The Body of Christ with each of us members in particular. That’s the “general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in Heaven…!” Please camp around Acts 2:40-47 for a while! “And with many other words he (Peter) testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them…

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common,…

And sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”

Oh, I tell you with all my heart, we ought to have, hold onto, and hallow devotion to the church Jesus loved and gave Himself for – Christ Jesus, through His crucifixion and resurrection, became the “first-born” of a new Family under the Fatherhood of Holy God! It’s called “the church”!

ALSO, DETERMINED, AS A CHOSEN COURSE OF LIFE, ETERNITY OVER TIME AND HEAVEN OVER EARTH! Colossians 3:1-3 enlightens us, “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.”

How many do you know who are totally submerged in the “here and now” and seldom, if ever, consider “God’s Eternal Tomorrow”? It’s so easy to be distracted because we are living in a real world, and much of it, if not most of it, has no interest in eternal things and finds Heaven on earth an illusion. So…the world distracts you with the curious, distracts you with the scattering of your thoughts rather than focused on “God’s things,” always disquieting the heart and mind in invisible wars most know nothing about, absorbing your interests in things temporal and not eternal, focusing us on the world around us and not the Kingdom of God!

Are you really aware of what’s going on in the true spiritual realm or the demonic? There’s “the whirl of the world” or “the winsomeness of the Kingdom of God – righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost!” There’s “the whirl of the world” or, yes, the tiredness, the frustrations, the disappointments, the un-fulfillment, what one calls “the familiar world of sinful human society which swells about and beneath us as the waters of the Flood once surged and churned around the ark of Noah.”

A swirling world is a world of massive UNBELIEF! It is a world of rebellious IMPENITENCE! It is a world of godless philosophies and morally deficient educations! It is a world of searches outside of us and below us – not eternal, divine intent of God for His Life within us, yet so beyond and above the majority of “fleshly – ruled” lives! That’s FLESH! SMELLY FLESH! DECADENT, FAITHLESS SURVIVAL MODE WITHOUT GOD’S BLESSING!

That’s the pumping up of “self-worship” that has no rich reservoir of reward, the cheapening of the life God so wanted to bless, the starving of the soul, hoping without the Hope, following the majority rule rather than the Master’s revelations, indulging the pleasures of the flesh rather than enriched in the eternal purposes of God.

How many do you know who do know that God has promised a “forever Life” but they’ve settled for the fleshly, failing, fleeting seconds of earthly time? How many do you know who have settled for an inglorious present when God has painted clearly for us a glorious future? We sadly don’t understand “the times,” and don’t fully comprehend the eternal purposes of God!

In Jeremiah 8:7 the Lord said to Jeremiah, “Even the stark in the heavens knows her appointed times; and the turtledove, the swift, and the swallow observe the time of their coming. BUT MY PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW THE JUDGMENT OF THE LORD!”

Where or what are YOUR “LIFE” issues, interests, or purposes? What guides or directs your time here or there? Now or then? Earth or Heaven? My interests or “those things which are above”? exposed by the ISSUE OF SELF or hidden with Christ in God?

It’s not only “covet earnestly the best gifts” but cover earnestly your life with a passion to honor Christ now and to live with Him forever!! Philippians 3:13-14 says, “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 of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

DETERMINED EXPANSIVELY THAT OUR LIFE’S PURSUIT IS GOOD, GODLY, AND NOT EVIL ALL THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES! Receive Galatians 1:10, “For do I now persuade men or God? Or do I speak to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ!” What did we read in Judges? Joshua died. He was a “type” of Jesus, but it’s not that Jesus is now dead but He can be DEAD TO ME AS FAR AS I’M CONCERNED, and I’ll do as I please!!

Examine carefully Judges 2:11, “Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals…” Judges 3:7, “So the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God…” Judges 3:12, “And the children of Israel AGAIN did evil in the sight of the Lord…”

In Judges 4 Israel was under the control of the Canaanites, sold by God into bondage because they did evil, but Judges 4:3 then tells us, “And the children of Israel cried out to the Lord…” Then came Deborah’s song in Judges 5 – and examine Verse 31! “Thus let all Your enemies perish, O Lord! But let those who love Him (God) BE LIKE THE SUN WHEN IT COMES OUT IN FULL STRENGTH.”

I want good and not evil to be the testimony of my life. I’m determined that my witness not be a flashing, burned-out meteor but a Blazing Sun! The “whosoever” for me becomes the “Will-Forever” choosing of God and His goodness and His graciousness! Yes, I am determined not only to be different from the crowd around me but distinctly marked out as a man of God! I don’t revel in evil – I’m repulsed by it. I don’t gravitate to the pig-pen any longer – I run from it into my Father’s arms.

“Choose you this day WHOM [and What] you’ll serve, but as for me and my house, we’ll serve the Lord God Almighty!!” How many Esaus do you know whose major, fatal flaw is moral complacency – they don’t or won’t hear the call of God for goodness because they are so content with evil?

DETERMINED SO TO LIVE THAT WE CHOOSE TO DIE EVERY DAY IN EVERY WAY! In 1 Corinthians 15:31 Paul said, “I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I DIE DAILY.” Do you understand ‘willful choice’ and ‘selfless determination? Listen, receive, abandon self fully to the liberating Word of God – Romans 6:6, “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we SHOULD NOT SERVE SIN.”

To the church at Galatia, (Galatians 5:24), Paul wrote: “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” For true disciples, it’s not the affections and lusts of the flesh but the Fruit of the Spirit! In 1 Peter 2:24 Peter said, “Who His own self bare 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.” It gets stronger! Choosing to die daily, determined not to be ruled by our old sin natures but ruled by Christ!!

2 Corinthians 4:11 says, “For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal life.” Then, in 2 Corinthians 5:15 the Apostle Paul wrote: “and Jesus died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but [LIVE] FOR HIM who died for them and rose again.”

Live for yourself and you’re an indoctrinated son of Adam; die to yourself and you’re an inspirational son of God! Live for yourself and you portray fallen humanity – superficial, unreal, unfulfilling, insincere; die to yourself and God paints a Master-Piece Portrait of the redeemed, transformed, real, fulfilling, serious and sincere about what really matters!

Receive Tozer’s words in “The Set of the Sail,” [pps 36-37], “The first step for any Christian who is seeking spiritual power is to accept his unique position as a son of heaven temporarily detained on earth, and begin to live as becomes a saint. The sharp line of demarcation between him and the world will appear at once – and the world will never quite forgive him. And the sons of earth will make him pay well for separation, but it is a price he will gladly pay for the privilege of walking in fruitfulness and power.” Live for yourself? That’s living powerless! Die to yourself daily for the glory of Christ? That’s both power and fruitfulness! 2 Corinthians 1:9 says, “Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.”

DETERMINED TO LIVE ALSO SO AS TO LIVE IN SUCH A WAY THAT OUR “LIVING EPISTLE” IS READ BY ALL MEN TO THE EXTENT OUR LIVES ARE BECOMING A SWEET-AROMA UNTO GOD! Come to 2 Corinthians 2:14-3:6, and you begin to know and understand of that which God’s Holy Word speaks!

2 Corinthians 2:14-17, “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. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing…

To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ…

2 Corinthians 3:1-6, Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men;…

Clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. And we have such trust through Christ toward God…

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

Do you know of which God speaks? Is there understanding springing up in your mind and heart? “The Fragrance of Christ” OR the smelly aroma of sinful flesh? A “cold-water-douser” OR a Fire-Builder in the souls of men? A diffuser of the fragrance of the foul-smell of sinfulness OR a diffuser of the fragrance of God’s knowledge in every place? A peddler of God’s Word out of insincerity OR a proclaimer of God’s Word out of the overflow of a blessed life? An insufficient minister of a covenant message out of the letter OR a supplying witness of the Redeemer’s Life in and through the witness of the Holy Spirit?

“I belong to Jesus,” “I’m a disciple of Jesus,” yet the witness is out of a dead faith, no wind, no fire – and one wonders if God is saying, “Be quiet – you’re doing more harm than good,” OR “He’s My Son In Whom I am well-pleased. It is fresh faith, the strong wind of the Spirit, and he/she is full of fire!”

Jim Cymbala wrote in “Fresh Faith,” (p.45), “The greatest Christian is not the one who has ACHIEVED the most but rather the one who has RECEIVED the most!” Sweet Aroma? “All He is, I AM!” It’s not us in the best effort of flesh – it’s Christ in us, through us! Oh, that YOU might hear someone say, “I’m so thankful to God for the life in Christ you have lived before me. You pointed me to Him!” And God shouts and the angels sing!

DETERMINED SO TO LIVE THAT OUR SOLD-OUT LIVES TO CHRIST AND HIS TRUTH WILL ALWAYS UNIQUELY CAUSE US TO BE KNOWN AS “TROUBLERS IN ISRAEL”! There are several Verses I want you to read in Acts 4. Verses 1-2, 18-20, and 23-31. Acts 4:1-2, Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

Acts 4:18-20, So 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 to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

Acts 4:23-31, And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had to say to them. So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them,…

Who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, and the people plot vain things? The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ.’…

For truly against Your Holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word,…

By stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” 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.”

You are either a son of compromise OR a son of sacrifice even of your very life for the Truth! You are either a prophet of Baal and Ashtoreth OR you shout the Truth as vocal as you can be. You are either silent about Truth and you let it perish in the streets OR you shout the Truth as vocal as you can be!

When Christ Jesus was here it was continuous deadly conflict over Truth, against the lies of the devil, and war over who reigns – Satan or God, flesh or the Spirit. All through history, God’s man, God’s woman, chose to be men and women of controversy. One author said: “They fought the devil to the death and kept the torch of truth burning for all succeeding generations.” [Tozer, p116].

DETERMINED SO TO LIVE AS TO DARE TO BE SO DIFFERENT AS TO BE RECOGNIZED AS ONE WHO HAS BEEN WITH JESUS! Acts 4:13 says, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”

Follow 2 Corinthians 10:12-18! 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…

We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us – a sphere which especially includes you. For we are not overextending ourselves (as though our authority did not extend to you), for it was to you that we came with the gospel of Christ;…

Not boasting of things beyond measure, that is, in other men’s labors, but having hope, that as your faith is increased, we shall be greatly enlarged by you in our sphere, to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man’s sphere of accomplishment….

But “he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.”

Our walks ‘in Christ’ are not to be “standardized” to fit in with the rest of the world, but “saved” and “set apart” lives to the honor of Christ alone! It’s not life conformed to the image of our own society, but life transformed into the likeness of Christ which makes you to be different. Nowhere does the Bible teach ‘uniformity’ among men, but only ‘unity’ among believers! Even in the Body of Christ we know there are “different members”. Nowhere in God’s brilliantly created galaxies of stars and planets do you find one just like the other! But we all are called to be “Christ-like”! Is that YOUR determination?

What is the testimony of your “faith-walk”? Dead, dull, cold and colorless orthodoxy? Limiting liberalism that suffocates and drowns one in a sea of unbelief? Or is it, “Christ in me, the hope of glory”? Be for certain, Paul was right: “I am crucified with Christ!” And His Life is extended!

DETERMINED SO TO LIVE THAT THE TERSTIMONY OF MY LIFE IS NOT FLESH BUT SPIRIT – THE SPIRIT OF GOD – HOLY GHOST MANIFESTATION AND EMPOWERMENT! In Zechariah 4:6 we read, “This is the word of the Lord for Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.”

If you knew the will of the Lord for your life, would you want to walk in it? In Ephesians 5:17-18 Paul instructed early believers, “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is…And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.” Is that clear to you? “Filled with, empowered by, guided and instructed by, truth illumined by, gifts given, understanding illumined in the Word by the Holy Spirit – but you’re too smart to need the Holy Spirit?

You’ll remember in Acts 19 Paul asked new Ephesian believers, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And sadly they knew nothing about receiving the Holy Spirit and giving Him His rightful place in their spiritual journeys. The same thing occurs today – and the Holy Spirit is ignored.

DETERMINED THAT WHATEVER I DO IT’S TO BE FOR THE GLORY OF GOD! Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” What an awesome determination! Do you realize how life-changing this determination is?

In Ephesians 3:20-21 Paul says to us: “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, ACCORDING TO THE POWER THAT WORKS IN US…TO HIM BE GLORY IN THE CHURCH BY CHRIST JESUS TO ALL GENERATIONS, FOREVER AND EVER. AMEN?” OR “SO BE IT!”

In word or in deed, whatever I do, I am to choose to honor Christ Jesus! I so want my life to be a testimony to Him of the Glory of God and the Fruit of the Spirit! My education to the glory of God! My life-calling and career to the glory of God. How I relate to my family and friends to the glory of God! Resolving disagreements to the glory of God!

How I spend my money to the glory of God! Choosing my marriage mate to the glory of God! Relating to the opposite sex in my date-life to the glory of God! How I spend my time to the glory of God! The words out of my mouth to the glory of God! Relating to my church to the glory of God! What I watch, what I read, to the glory of God! Facing any temptation to the glory of God! Fighting the fight of faith to the glory of God! Resisting Satan to the glory of God! Serving others to the glory of God! God’s Kingdom first to the glory of God!

Not to be ministered unto but to minister to the glory of God! Passionately hungering and thirsting for righteousness to the glory of God! Poured-out lives to the glory of God! A foot-washing spirit to the glory of God! The salt of the earth to the glory of God! Loving God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength to the glory of God!

“Father, We Love You, We worship and adore You, Glorify Your name in all the earth. Glorify Your Name, Glorify Your Name, Glorify Your Name in all the earth.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

DEPART…I KNOW YOU NOT

In Luke 13:22-30 we read: “And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. Then one said to Him, ‘Lord, are there few who are saved?’ And He said to them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying ,’Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.”

Do you understand how awakening and shocking and earth-shattering it will be for so many people to hear those spine-tingling words from the lips of Jesus, “Depart from Me, I never knew you”? Hear our Lord as you’ve never heard Him before. It is so sad that some men will carry the whole body of Christian, Biblical truth in their minds from boyhood to the grave without the slightest impact upon their character or aims. It has less influence upon them than learning one plus one equals two!

“Dead in trespasses and sins” is a foreign language they cannot or will not comprehend! “Separated from God” to them means you’re not American born! And sadly for some, “Born again the second time,” means you’ve joined a church not realizing church membership doesn’t make you a disciple of Jesus any more than owning a piano makes you a concert pianist.

In “Heartcry (for) Revival” (Life action Ministries, Issue 22, Winter 2003) George Whitfield preached: “I address those who deceive themselves with false hopes of salvation. Some, through the influence of a good education or other providential restraints, have not run into the same excess of riot as other men. They think, therefore, that they have no need to receive the Holy Ghost, but flatter themselves that they are really right with God. However, do you show it by bringing forth the fruit of the Spirit? Do you pray without ceasing? Do you not commit to sin? Have you overcome the world? And do you love your enemies and all mankind in the same manner as Jesus loved them? If not, although you may be civilized, yet you are not converted. No, you are yet in your sins.”

Do you realize how many men are esteemed in the eyes of fallen humanity, but in the sight of God they’re “whited sepulchers,” “Pharisaical perverts,” “barnyard manure whited by the fallen snow of self-righteousness” which is “as filthy rags”?

Jesus always sought to “win friends and influence people” didn’t HE? He was a “smooth-talkin’,” “back-slappin’” kind of guy wasn’t He? In Matthew 23:25,27 Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.”

And what is the problem, what is the dilemma? What has created such a vacuum in mankind that causes him to major on self-indulgences, pretense, dead men’s bones, and all uncleanness? C.S. Lewis put it like this: “A car is made to run on gasoline, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other.”

And that is why the incarnation is so awesome! That’s why, “Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the World,” is so amazing! That’s why “God proved His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us,” becomes so illuminating as to the heart, nature, and character of God Himself!

He wants to know us, receive us, forgive us, bless us, complete us, and use us for His glory and honor! Thomas A.Kempis wrote: “If we would endeavor, like men of courage, to stand in the battle, surely we would feel the favorable assistance of God from heaven. For He who gives us occasion to fight, to the end we may get the victory, is ready to succor those that fight manfully, and do trust in His grace.”

Yet Jesus had to sadly and sorrowfully say, “Depart from Me; I do not know you or where you are from.” HOW CAN THAT BE?

“Depart…I know you not” – BECAUSE OF THE ABSENCE OF REPENTANCE! If you’ve never heard this verse, you need to build the tabernacle of your life around it! 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

And what I hear and know through God’s Holy Word is that He wants none to perish but for all to repent. But does all repent? I’m afraid not. In Matthew 4:17, as Jesus began His public ministry, He was continually proclaiming a single message: “From that time, Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”

Acts 5:31-32 says, “Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses of these things and so also is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

Did you notice, “The gift of repentance?” Do you remember in Acts 11, after God had given the gift of the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles that Peter had to defend God’s grace? In Acts 11:17-18, God’s Word says, “If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God? When they learned these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, ‘then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.’”

A gift – a gift of God’s grace, a gift of the greatness of God’s heart! But the question is, why did Jesus say, “I know you not?” Because sadly, men settle for religious activity rather than the desire to be reborn! Men settle for beliefs that have nothing to do with a change of behavior! Men can be remorseful without a longing of being remade.

Albert Schweitzer once wrote, “The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives,” but the greater tragedy is a life that never begins to live in Christ because he’s so unaware of his spiritual state of death before Holy God!

And just as tragic is the misconception of Biblical repentance! W.E. Biederwolf wrote: “True repentance does not mean remorse. Repentance means giving up sin!” St. Ambrose wrote the same thing: “True repentance is to cease from sin.” William James said, “The best repentance is to get up and act for righteousness and forget that you ever had a relationship with sin.”

In Romans 6:3 Paul asks a vitally important question: “Or do you not know that as many of us were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” Of what death is he speaking? His death on the Cross? Look at Romans 6:10: “For the death that Jesus died, He died to sin once for all.” The death that Jesus died, He died “TO” sin. It was His death TO sin that made Him the acceptable sacrifice in His death “FOR” sin. And if I come to Christ with a repentant heart, I’m choosing to longer serve sin or my old sin nature but to be a servant of Christ and a partaker of His divine nature!

Here’s the question: In your heart is there an absence of repentance (“I never knew you?”) or the assimilation of that gift as a way of life until Christ is perfectly formed within you?

“DEPART…I KNOW YOU NOT,” BECAUSE OF THE AVOIDANCE OF RECONCILIATION! 2 Corinthians 5:15, 18-21 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…Verses 18-21, “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. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ.”

Someone anonymously wrote: “Our lives are a manifestation of what we think about God,” and, since there are those who don’t think about Him at all, their lives are a manifestation of emptiness, sham, hypocrisy, vainness and denial because to think about God would mean I have to ask, “How am I reconciled to Holy God?” So…they don’t ask!

But all mankind does get active about the “god” thing: 2 Corinthians 5:15 reveals the possibility of living for ourselves, becoming “god” unto ourselves! 2 Corinthians 10:12 reveals there are those who are “measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, (and) are not wise.”

Romans 1:21 says, “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.”

How many have you crossed paths with who insist that God should accept men on the basis of their best efforts, or the basis of the recitation of all their good deeds but are barren as to the divineness of God’s grace and mercy? Francois Fenelon wrote: “There is practically nothing that men do not prefer to God. A tiresome detail of business, an occupation utterly pernicious to health, the employment of time in ways one does not dare to mention, anything rather than God.”

I know you’re aware of it! Man is his own “star.” He’s the center of his attention, occupied body and soul with how to satisfy his sinful soul in his own indulgent fashion. He’s his own self-crowned wonder of his corrupt creation, marred clay without the Potter’s hands, calling himself a free and liberated man of his own destiny not knowing he’s bound in the chains of ownership of the title deed of his soul in the cruel hands of Satan, believing he’s the champion of fleshly conquest when in reality he’s confused chaos, in the mud and mire of uncertainty, the scandal of the ages – created by Holy God, granted free will, and man sinks to the state of total depravity – that’s life without God, a slave to the old sin nature, the court jester of Satan’s realm where no one laughs, only crying, pain, sorrow, sinfulness without God and without hope in himself, unfulfilled, incomplete, having missed the mark!

Horace Walpole once wrote: “What a dreadful thing it is for such a wicked little creature as man to have absolute power.” And his absoluteness of self-rule gets him nowhere! Paul was so right when he wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” Have you avoided or appropriated reconciliation with Holy God through Christ Jesus?

“DEPART, I KNOW YOU NOT” – BECAUSE OF THE AIMLESSNESS OF RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY! In L:uke 13:24 Jesus said, “STRIVE TO ENTER THE NARROW GATE…” and fallen man says, “No…we choose the broad ways!” The narrow gate is Jesus Himself – God’s divine prescription for the health of your soul! The narrow gate is Jesus Himself – “The Way, the Truth, and the Life,” and no man comes to God in any other way!

In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘

Lord, Lord,’ have we not prophesied in Your Name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in You name. And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you, you who practice lawlessness.’”

What a difference between religious activity and redemptive ministry! What a difference between pumping religious flesh and praising God! What a difference between dressing up a dead corpse and entering the narrow way to be reborn! What a difference between acts of fleshly penitence and the awesomeness of a living faith that pleases God! “Depart…I know you not.”

“Depart, I know you not” – BECAUSE THE TRUTH ABOUT FALLEN HUMANITY IS REJECTED! Luke 13:26-27 says, “…then you will begin to say, ‘we ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’”

You are aware that in that spiritual realm of democracy of the spiritually dead that all men are equal! Romans 3:23 says, “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:10 says, “…there is none righteous, no, not one..” In Isaiah 64:6 we read, “But we are all as unclean things, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags, and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away!”

In Proverbs 20:9 the wise man said, “Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sins?” It was the German theologian Soren Kierkegaard who wrote: “Not until man has become so utterly unhappy, or has grasped the woefulness of life so deeply that he is moved to say and mean it: ‘Life has no value – not till then is he able to make a bid for Christianity.’”

Blaine Paschal, in “Pensees V111,” was on target when he wrote: “The Christian religion teaches me two points – that there is a God whom man can know, and that their nature is so corrupt that they are unworthy of Him.”

Do you understand from verse 26 of Luke 13 that there are those who will tolerate Jesus to a point – eating and drinking in His presence and even willing to listen to Him teach – BUT, when it gets to confrontation as to their condition before Holy God, “workers of iniquity,” they’ll clap and applaud as they stand before Christ’s crucifixion!

“Mew, a sinner, a reprobate, a sin-blackened heart, needing to be saved? How ridiculous! Me? Needing to be born again? Needing to partake of a blood atonement? Needing a washed heart? How warped are those ill-informed Christians!” “DEPART…I KNOW YOU NOT.”

“DEPART, I KNOW YOU NOT” – BECAUSE OF RESISTANCE TO ONE’S APPOINTED TIME! Luke 19:41-44 , “Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘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 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.”

Each one of us has an appointed time, a day of visitation. We will either be prepared for it and embrace it, or ignorant of it and resist it. In Isaiah 10:3 God is asking, “And what will you do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from afar? To whom will you flee for help?”

I believe one of the saddest verses in all the Bible is Proverbs 1:23-24: “Turn at my rebuke, behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known My word unto you, because I have called, and you refused; I have stretched out My hand and no man regarded.”

How awesome this day is! Look with me at 2 Corinthians 6:2, “For God says, in an acceptable time I have heard you., and in the day od salvation I have helped you. Behold, now is the accepted time, Behold, now is the day of salvation.” And the author of Hebrews asks, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” What did Jesus say? “…and you did not know the time of your visitation.” Do you?

“DEPART…I KNOW YOU NOT” – BECAUSE OF SELF-WILL RATHER THAN DIVINE WILL! Jesus rebuked the inhabitants of Jerusalem for their rejection of God. In Luke 13:34-35 He cried out, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but YOU WERE NOT WILLING! SEE! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the times comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

“You were not willing!” Oh, they willed but not according to God’s will – they were willing to settle for self will!

A Mr. Herman wrote: “For one who rejects Christianity because he misunderstood it, ten reject it because they understand it too well – because they know it is a call to the selfless and sacrificial life.” Self-will? “I know you not.”

In Jeremiah 4:1 God said, “If you will return, O Israel, says the Lord…” If, if you, if you will, if you will return. Oswald Chambers, in “My Utmost For His Highest,” wrote: “The battle is lost or won in the secret places of the will before God. The Spirit of God apprehends me and I am obliged to get alone with God and fight the battle out before Him. Until this is done, I lose every time. The battle may take one minute or a year, that will depend on me, not on God; but it must be wrestled out alone before God, and I must resolutely go through the hell of a renunciation before God. Nothing has any power over the man who has fought out the battle before God and won there.”

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:15, “And Jesus died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”

In “Aids to Reflection; Aphorisms,” Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote: “He who begins by loving Christianity better than truth will proceed by loving his own sect or church better than Christianity, and end in loving himself better than all.”

Can you grasp that? Do you understand why Jesus will sadly say to some, “Depart, I know you not,” because they are so in love with themselves, so in love with self-rule and self-will that they truly shut out an impassioned Savior who loves them? They are so caught up in self that they are blind to the true Jesus! They are so caught in self-will they buy into a man-made gospel with no demands! They are so caught up in themselves they’re led by an unholy spirit rather than God’s Holy Spirit! Religious but not reborn, awakened but not regenerated, a “form of godliness” but denying the saving power of Jesus.

Around the kingdom but not in it, informed but not transformed, a lust for vindication without the “life” of eternal victory. Masked with religious talk without merger with the Redeemer’s truth of mercy, pretending to be so right when we’re so wrong. Promoting our sense of merit when we’re blind to our sorry mess before Holy God, singing the self-song, when we’re “sold unto sin.” Delirious with self-praise when in actuality we’re bound behind the door of personal destitution!

Again, Oswald Chambers wrote convincingly, “Beware of refusing to go to the funeral of your own independence.” Do you remember Paul’s defense before King Agrippa in Acts 26:27-28? “King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.” Then Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You almost persuade me to become a Christian.’” “Depart…I know you not.”

Are you a courageous Bible reader? I dare you! Read carefully Matthew 25:6-13. “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out and meet him!’ Then all the 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, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; 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.” “Depart…I know you not.”

Follow Luke 12:39-46 carefully: “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 where 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.” “Depart…I know you not.”

Now to Revelation 22:12-17. “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.’ Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. ‘I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Off-Spring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” Outsiders?

“Depart…I know you not.” “I’ve tried to be as good as I know how!” TOO LATE, “I know you not.” “I really meant to repent and to turn!” TOO LATE, “I know you not.”

“I was influenced by the wrong crowd!” TOO LATE, “I know you not.” “I only meant to sow a few wild oats!” TOO LATE, “I know you not.” “I stagnated, suffocated when I intended to soar with Christ!” TOO LATE, “I know you not.”

“I didn’t mean to play the fool with my soul!” TOO LATE, “I know you not.” “I heard Your voice calling – I thought I had time to play around!” TOO LATE, “I know you not.”

“I was captured by the spirit of this present world when I intended to walk Your Way!” TOO LATE, “I know you not.” “I meant to leave room for the things of the Spirit but I gave You no space!” TOO LATE, “I know you not.”

“I know I should have looked to you to be saved!” TOO LATE, “I know you not.” I only stopped my ears to your call for a short time…I didn’t mean it to be permanent!” TOO LATE, “I know you not.”

“I thought partial obedience was enough!” TOO LATE, “I know you not.” “I thought reading was heeding!” TOO LATE, “I know you not.” “I envisioned service without sacrifice.” TOO LATE, “I know you not.”

“I thought Christian attributes and experiences were the ‘in’ thing…I didn’t know abandoned unto Jesus alone!” TOO LATE, “I know you not.” “Loving the Lord with all your mind, heart, soul, and strength? I simply believed!” (So do the devils!) TOO LATE, “I know you not.”

“Let go? Lay hold? There was too much I couldn’t let go of and too much I held on to!” TOO LATE, “I know you not.” “My ruling passion was to be happy not holy, ambitious but not blessed!” TOO LAT, “I know you not.”

“I had an interest but what is this ‘identification’ thing?” TOO LATE, “I know you not.”

One of the great hymns of the church was written by Philip Bliss, entitled “Almost Persuaded.” He wrote: “Almost persuaded, now to believe; Almost persuaded, Christ to receive; Seems now some soul to say, “Go Spirit, go Thy way, some more convenient day, on Thee I’ll call.”

Almost persuaded, Come, come today, Almost persuaded, Turn not away; Jesus invites you here; angels are lingering near, Prayers rise from hearts so dear.

O wanderer, come! Almost persuaded, Harvest is past. Almost persuaded. Doom comes at last. “Almost” cannot avail, “Almost” is but to fail; Sad, sad that bitter wail – “Almost” but lost!”

“Depart…I know you not!”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

DENYING JESUS OR DENYING YOURSELF?

In Matthew 16:24 we read Jesus saying to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, and FOLLOW ME.” Do you realize how ‘foreign’ a concept is of ‘denying yourself’ to a self-serving world? A life that shuns the words of Jesus is a life that leads to a state of mind and condition void of God’s crown of glory. Rather than ‘deny himself’ far too many find it so easy to just deny the true, redemptive, saving, life-changing faith!

The word “deny”, according to “Strong’s,” is from a Greek word meaning, “to deny utterly, disown, or abstain” from , and that’s either from “self” or Jesus!

The first mention of “deny” is found in Joshua 24:27, “And Joshua said to all the people, ‘Behold, this stone shall be a witness to us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord which He spoke to us. It shall therefore be a witness to you, LEST YOU DENY YOUR GOD.’”

The last mention of “deny” is found in Jude 4, “For certain men have crept in unnoticed who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of God into licentiousness and DENY the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.”

In Revelation 2:12-13 the Lord of the Candlesticks says: “And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write: These things says he which has the sharp sword with two edges: I know your works, and where you dwell, even where Satan’s seat is: AND YOU HOLD FAST TO MY NAME, AND HAVE NOT DENIED MY FAITH…”

I know that “deny yourself” is certainly a pre-salvation step, but I also know that it is a Continuous Process on that spiritual pathway of BEING AND BECOMING.

Halford E. Luccock, a number of years ago, preached a message saying, “Christianity has grown soft, sentimental, saccharine; it has become too much FLUTE and not enough TRUMPET.” And I believe what he was saying was that Salvation doesn’t make us “tea-sippers” on a quiet, sunny Sunday afternoon, but “warriors” in the invisible war of the heavenlies that has Eternal consequences!

“DENY YOURSELF” – The self-assured individual is so truly empty even without his awareness of emptiness and proves himself of no worth or value to God! Have you ever heard someone boldly say, “I have no need of God; I’m not weak like you!”? But the ‘weak’ individual who is made strong in Christ? Though it is not his intent, Christ Jesus takes that “empty”, weak individual, and transform him/her into a strong witness of eternal significance in the glory-cloud of Mighty God! How does that happen?

THERE IS THE DENYING OF THE PHANTOM OF PERSONAL RIGHTEOUSNESS, WRAPPING OURSELVES IN THE ROBE OF DIVINE RIGHTEOUSNESS. Follow the boldness of confrontation of the prophet, Isaiah, in Isaiah 64:6! “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.”

Is that clear to you? What we call ‘personal righteousness’ God calls “filthy rags”! In Romans 3:21-22 we read, “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Christ Jesus, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference.” Paul really opens up one’s understanding when in Romans 5:17 he wrote, “For if by the one man’s offense [Adam] death reigned through the one, 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 see that there is a “reign of death” but also there is the “reign of Life in Christ”! Romans 5:21 then tells us, “so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” And it really doesn’t matter what a person or a religion declares – without Christ there is no hope! Religions of the world promote the ‘righteousnesses of the phantom of personal righteousness, religious righteousness, even national righteousness which is foreign to the grace and mercy of Christ Jesus!’

What did Paul amplify for us in Romans 6:13? “And do not present your members [bodily 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.” [And if I were to search for it diligently, I’d find it is to be my or our daily discipline!]. Jesus told us in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

What did Paul tell us in Romans 10:9-10? “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has 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.”

THERE IS THE DENYING OF THE PARALYSIS OF EARTHLY WISDOM AND ENTERING THE FULL RELEASE OF HEAVENLY WISDOM. Do you remember Paul talking to Timothy about the last days and how perilous times will come? And he warned Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:7 of those who are “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” [Does that sound a lot like numerous university professors today who are geniuses in ‘worldly deceptions’ because when God is denied or avoided they’ve exposed the blind minds and empty hearts!].

Jeremiah gives us God’s perspective on this when in Jeremiah 9:23-24 he quotes the Lord God Almighty! “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches…But let him who glories glory in this, THAT HE UNDERSTANDS AND KNOWS ME, that I AM the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight, says the Lord.”

I have no doubts at all that the next verse I want to share with you is a word that is ‘foreign’ to most folks who would describe themselves as ‘seekers’ or even the “finders” who ignore the very heart of Almighty God! Psalm 111:10 says: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

What is earthly wisdom with a doctoral degree if the soul is damned by God and He says, “Depart…I never knew you”? What is earthly wisdom without the Wisdom of the Word, the Counsel of the God-breathed, Spirit-Anointed, Holy Scriptures?

Follow carefully James 3:13-17! “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth…

This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, and demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.” You do understand that ‘hypocrites’ are actually “play-actors”!

THERE IS DENYING THE POROUS POWER OF SELF-DETERMINATION. In Isaiah 14:12-15 the prophet illumines us, “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.’”

Are you aware, whether vocalized or not, you sense in far too many rebels against Holy God, “I can do whatever God might ask me on my own,” when even Jesus Himself said: “the Son can do nothing of Himself…” (John 5:19). Have you heard it? “I can fulfill what God requires,” like the young man who said to Jesus, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” What did Jesus say to him? “Go sell what you have and give to the poor,” and the young man went away sorrowful because, to him, what he possessed was more important than God’s eternal plan for his life!

“I can understand without the Holy Spirit as my guide,” when Jesus declared the Holy Spirit would “guide us into all truth.” This is why Paul wrote in I Corinthians 2:11, “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? EVEN SO NO ONE KNOWS THE THINGS OF GOD EXCEPT THE SPIRIT OF GOD.” “I can say what God expects me to say,” when even Christ said: “I only say what I hear the Father saying.”

Follow this statement from the old Western Christian Advocate: “The most difficult thing that the good Lord has to deal with in the man of today is his sense of self-sufficiency. He is TOO PRONE to think he can get along pretty well without God.”

THERE MUST BE THE DENYING OF THE STRONG CONTROL OF SELF-WILL, SURRENDERING TO HOLY GOD’S DIVINE WILL. Look at Romans 12:1-2 which says: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 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 Alexander Maclaren once said: “All along the Christian course, there must be set up ALTARS TO GOD on which you sacrifice yourself, or you will never advance a step.” Do you think it might be why Paul said, “I take the sentence of death to myself daily that the resurrection life of Christ may be manifested in my mortal body”?

Jesus said in John 4:34, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me; and to finish His work.” Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, veiled in human form like us, bows before Holy God to say, “Not My will – but Your will be done.” There was a Gethsemane, and then the Cross! The challenge of the Word of God to every believer? 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; FOR THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD IN CHRICT JESUS FOR YOU.”

THERE MUST BE DENYING MENTAL MANIPULATION FOR THE MASTERY OF THE MASTER’S MIND UNDER THE ILLUMINATION AND GUIDANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. In 1 Corinthians 2:16 we read, “For ‘who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?’ BUT WE HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST.” That, my friend, is an eternal blessing of the grace of God!

We’re not to be programmed in our minds to think worldly, fleshly, or devilish thoughts – God blessed us with the mind of Christ – in Him YOU can think God’s thoughts!! Yet Paul, in 2 Corinthians 11:3 said, “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.”

The mind is the battlefield, and in 2 Corinthians 10:5 Paul tells us, “casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” Job made a covenant with his eyes – this is the time to make a covenant with our minds!

Do you see it? You’re either starving the fleshly mind and enriching your spiritual mind OR you’re starving the spiritual mind to feed your fleshly mind!

In “A Godward Life” John Piper quotes Colossians 3:2, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Then he said, “Jesus Christ is refreshing, but flight from Him into Christ-less leisure makes the soul parched. At first it may feel like freedom and fun to skimp on prayer and neglect the Word, but then we pay: shallowness, powerlessness, vulnerability to sin, preoccupation with trifles, superficial relationships, and a frightening loss of interest in worship and the things of the Spirit.” So true!

Do you understand the difference between a ‘starving mind’ and a “thriving Spirit”? The fleshly, wisest mind, void of God, is in reality a starving mind! And certainly it is a vain and empty heart!

ALSO, THERE MUST BE DENYING THE DRY BEDS OR DIRTY WATERS OF SELF-PROMOTION FOR THE RIVERS OF LIVING WATERS, HONORING AND GLORIFYING CHRIST. In John 7:37-39 Jesus tells us, “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 would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

Do you remember “Glory in the church?” When Paul said that he took the sentence of death to himself daily, do you have an inkling of what he was speaking about? We’re either pumping and promoting ourselves or we choose to glorify Christ! We’re either looking out for Number 1, (ourselves on the throne) or in our daily lives Crowning Jesus daily as King of our hearts and our homes!

Old Testament Scripture can be, and often is, a picture of what happens in some New Testament lives. Look at Genesis 26:15-18! “Now the Philistines had stopped up all the wells which his [Isaac’s] father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and they had filled them with earth. [Question! Are you aware of one filling the spiritual well of life in Christ with dirt?]…

And Abimilech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.’ Then Isaac departed from there and pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father…” You understand – the majority of times it’s the “foreigners” that fill the spiritual wells with “dirt” – protect your “WELL”, it’s so vital to blessing!

THERE MUST ALSO BE THE DENYING OF THE CRUTCH OF ACCEPTANCE AND APPROVAL OF MEN FOR THE CROWN OF OUR “ACCEPTANCE IN THE BELOVED”! Listen to Galatians 1:10! “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I WOULD NOT BE A BONDSERVANT OF CHRIST.” That verse is like a deadly hammer right above the nose!

What you just saw in Galatians is an illuminating and convicting statement like Paul made in Romans 2:29, “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.”

If the battles of life include acceptance or rejection, how do we win that war? Ephesians 1:6 says: “to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which HE MADE US ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED.”

Do you understand the “Rat Race” of rejection? Rejection – more rejection – greater rejection – deeper and wider rejection – and you find yourself in a never-ending cycle! That’s so wanting others’ acceptance, so there are those who will do anything to avoid rejection because that’s what they deem themselves worthy of rather than deeming themselves worthy because of Christ’s death on the Cross in their behalf but they just can’t accept that truth because they long for the praise of men more than the praise of God! But Isaiah 60:7 speaks of: “ascending with acceptance on My [God’s] altar, and I will glorify the house of My glory.” Are you crowned with acceptance that comes from God alone?

LASTLY, THERE MUST BE THE DENYING OF THE STRONG, UNSEEN CLASP WITH THE TEMPORARY SATISFACTION OF OUR SENSES FOR THE ETERNAL BLESSING OF GOD’S SPIRIT THROUGH US. 1 Timothy 5:6 says, “But she who lives in pleasure (or indulgence) IS DEAD WHILE SHE LIVES.” We read in Jeremiah 2:13, “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.”

Pascal said: “Let it not be imagined that the life of a good Christian must be a life of melancholy and gloominess; for he only resigns some pleasures to enjoy others infinitely better.”

The psalmist knew what he was talking about when in Psalm 84:10 he wrote: “For a day in Your courts [God] is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.” What’s your choice? Pleasing “Flesh” or “Blessed” in God’s Spirit? Your soul will either be a ‘soul-sense satisfaction’ or a “Blossoming Life in Christ”! It will be a choice of temporal indulgence or the eternally honoring of Holy God.

John Mason once wrote: “They that deny themselves for Christ, shall enjoy themselves in Christ.” But then Tolstoy said, [other side of the coin], “Everybody thinks of changing humanity and nobody thinks of changing himself.” In you, what needs to change, in you, what needs to be denied?

Here’s the challenging verse of the day, week, month, year, or lifetime: 2 Corinthians 1:9, “Yes, WE HAD THE SENTENCE OF DEATH IN OURSELVES THAT WE SHOULD NOT TRUST IN OURSELVES BUT IN GOD WHO RAISES THE DEAD.” Have YOU been “raised” or are you still entombed in your body of spiritual death?

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

BEGINNING LIFE ANEW – IN CHRIST JESUS

There is such a vast difference in hearing the tender cries at birth and the heart-breaking tears at a loved-one’s death, but what takes place between those two events is also common to all. It’s the experiences or conscious decisions made that impact us for the worse or for the better. There are those times, those momentous events, those life-altering choices and circumstances that cause us to ask, “can my life begin anew”? “Can my marriage, my ministry have a new start?”

We know about the “old man” or the “Old sin nature.” We know the difference between First Adam and Second Adam. We know the difference between the lost and the found, the blind and the seeing, the profane and the Holy. At least we should, and we know so on the basis of the unveiling and revealing of Holy Scriptures.

And if, all of a sudden, we find ourselves “diseased” soulishly and spiritually and understand and we sense we’re ‘at the point of death’, we don’t need untrained, unspiritual “experts” analyzing and prescribing for us what cannot help us. I don’t need a worldly mentality, worldly remedies, worldly values, or a worldly religion with a bottomless hole in the bucket! But we can look to God’s Holy Word and SEE “Beginning Life Anew” because that’s God’s specialty in and through Christ Jesus!

The impact upon our world around us happens, not because we offer them a low-powered brand of Christianity, a superficial, insincere, never validated brand, changing nothing or no one, but living before them the Divine Reality of “Beginning Life Anew” in the real and true experiences of life they live but a life in which they have no answers, but in our lives, in-filled by the Lord Jesus’ Holy Presence, we reveal “New life, “new Hope,” and a new identity!

If your “life” has become a mess, is it possible for God to transform it into His “Master-piece”? If your “walk” has been packed with bad choices that have left you devastated, distressed, defiled, disturbed, and defeated, a slave to your own sin, is it possible for God to raise you up to “winner,” “more than conqueror” status?

If the mail or letter of your life reads like a saga of sin and sordidness and sadness, is it possible for God to compose a symphony in your life of celebration, holiness, and joy? If your allegiances, loyalties, passions and pursuits, have been for anyone or anything but God, is it possible, because of God’s Sovereignty, unending love, and convicting transforming Holy Spirit, to capture our hearts and eternally change us into DEVOTED DISCIPLES OF CHRIST JESUS?

If the testimony you’ve manufactured about yourself has been nothing but dead-end streets going nowhere, is God about to bring you to an “about-face” and put you on the pilgrimage of the pathway of Eternal Life, Glory, and Blessing Forevermore?

Look at Revelation 21:1-7! Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea [separation]. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband…

And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away…”

Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.”

In Max Lucado’s book, “A Gentle Thunder,” he told the story of James Whitaker, a member of a famed, hand-picked crew who flew the B-17 Flying Fortress captained by Eddie Rickenbacher. It was October, 1942, and the Flying Fortress was reported “lost at sea”. Over the Pacific, out of radio range, the plane ran out of fuel and went down into the ocean. For 30 days, in 3 rafts, the 9 crewmen battled it all – fear, storms, tremendous waves that tossed them like toothpicks, sharks that rammed their little rafts bigger than the rafts, 8 days all food gone or water-soaked.

One morning after prayer and Bible study, Rickenbacher needed a nap. He pulled his brimmed captain’s hat over his eyes and leaned back. A sea gull landed on his head. The captain knew they had to have the bird to survive. He caught it, the crew ate it, and they even used the intestines as bait to fish. They survived.

In 1985 there was a reunion of the remaining crew members and/or their wives. Coreen Schwenk had been engaged to one crew member who didn’t survive but she went to the reunion anyway. But there she met the widow of James Whitaker.

Whitaker was an unbeliever. Even the crash and facing death hadn’t changed him. His widow said Whitaker was always irritated with one crew member who always read the Bible and prayed. Protests from Whitaker only encouraged John Bartak to be more faithful interceding for Whitaker. Lucado said, “Unknown to Whitaker, the soil of his heart was being plowed. It was one morning after a Bible reading that the sea gull landed on Captain Rickenbacher’s head…And at that moment Jim became a believer.”

We need to know that there is not a moment in our lives that passes without God’s knowledge and readiness to help us “Beginning Life Anew,” even if it’s a sea-gull landing on your head!

WE BEGIN LIFE ANEW WHEN WE COME TO THE DIVINE CONVICTION THAT THERE IS MORE GOD INTENDED THAN WHAT WE’VE FOUND ON OUR OWN! You know it, or you should, that apart from Christ Jesus we’re the First Adam, the Old Man of sin, the wandering sinner in directions away from God – worldly, fleshly, earth-bound, trying our best or living our worst, always coming up short or at least realizing the empty vacuum of our lives.

That means we are aliens to the Kingdom of God, strangers to the covenants of promise, without God and without hope in ourselves! But then we hear a Paul, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes…” Believes means to trust in, rely upon, adhere to!

We hear a prophetic John the Baptist declaring of Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world…” And you realize, ‘My sin in particular. It was FOR ME CHRIST JESUS DIED ON THAT CRUEL CROSS!” And you hear Jesus saying, “You MUST be born again…born of the Word of God and the Spirit of God!”

And it begins to dawn on you: “A NEW BIRTH!!” The bell of Truth rings powerfully and personally for YOU, 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a NEW CREATION; old things pass away, and all things become new.” “A NEW CREATION” – that’s me – I can be a new creation of God Almighty!

All of a sudden God’s vision for me expands: Revelation 2:17, “And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone A NEW NAME written which no one knows except him who receives it.”

Hear it with your hearts as well as your heads!! Psalm 40:2-3, “[The Lord] 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 HAS PUT A NEW SONG in my mouth – Praise to our God…”

My wife, Sue, remembers the “Old-Time Methodists.” When I claimed her for my own, “she WERE ONE”!! They used to preach about being “soundly converted,” but now some just want to make sure you go through ‘confirmation’ classes and then they CONFIRM you as a Methodist, whether you’ve been born again or not!! Even some “Baptists” just want to make sure you’ve “joined the church”, again, sadly, whether you’ve truly been born again or not. Have you been “soundly converted”?

WE MAY BEGIN LIFE ANEW WHEN IN THE MIDST OF GREAT SORROW WE KNOW IT’S THE TIME TO WORSHIP AND NOT TO WILT! Come with me to 2 Samuel 12:15-23, Then Nathan departed to his house. And the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it became ill. David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground…

So the elders of his house arose and went to him, to raise him up from the ground. But he would not, nor did he eat food with them. Then on the seventh day it came to pass that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead. For they said, “Indeed, while the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he would not heed our voice. How can we tell him that the child is dead? He may do some harm.”…

When David saw that his servants were whispering, David perceived that the child was dead. Therefore David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” And they said, “He is dead.” So David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed clothes; and he went into the house of the Lord and worshipped. Then he went to his own house; and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate…

Then his servants said to him, “What is this that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” And he said, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who can tell whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’…

But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”

With all my heart I pray that you clearly understand what was going on with David. He was a sorrowing father but something lifted his spirit and soul and he was able to go on. It’s not that Christians don’t sorrow! Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 4:13, “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep, LEST YOU SORROW AS OTHERS WHO HAVE NO HOPE.”

It was Saturday evening, January 5, 2002, at a banquet in Clearwater, Florida in honor of Dr. Bill Anderson who retired from Calvary Baptist Church, Clearwater, after twenty-six and a half years of ministry as pastor. It was Bill and Cookie, their 4 married children, 15 grandchildren, a few close friends, and church staff both former and present. It was a “roast and toast” time. A former staff member stood to tell what Bill had meant to him when 20 years before his 4-year old son had drowned. How tough and trying! 20 years later the tears still flowed freely. But he said, “I had such a hard time. I thought I was losing my mind, about to have a nervous breakdown, and so ashamed. I told that to Bill and he said, “You’re normal and natural. How else would you feel after your son drowned. But God will see you through.” And he did.

It’s not how you feel but what YOU WILL that matters! Christians aren’t sealed from sorrow with a spiritual spacesuit that protects us from sorrow. But we do overcome because we have the HOPE! We Overcome because we have the help of our Lord’s abiding presence! We overcome because we have the comfort of the Holy Spirit and comforting friends and family and because we have the promise of Almighty God of turning our mourning into dancing!

Dr. Robert deVries, after the death of his wife, left with 3 small children, wrote “Mourning Into Dancing”: “I should dance in God’s presence, they say, tho’ my heart is burdened with grief. I should revel in God’s mercy, they say, tho’ my life is shattered with pain…

My partner has died. This is the darkest night of my soul. Days and months press on. Evenings and mornings lumber past…

My grief is great; my soul cries out, “Why me, O God, why me?” “Not you, My child, Not you. Your spouse has died. Not you…I gave you LIFE. I gave you joy. I can give again. SABBATH. Rest now and begin again.”…

The sun burns brighter – so slightly brighter. THE PAIN OF THE GRAVE BECOMES THE POWER OF GRACE. Step by step, God works His miracle. “You shall dance again, my child. You shall dance again.” You, O God alone, can turn my mourning into dancing.” [Baker Books, Grand Rapids, Mich., 1998, p.8]

Philip Yancey, in “Where Is God When It Hurts,” [Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 1977, pps 73-74] wrote: “If God halted all tragedies which involved Christians, it would insulate us from complete identification with the world.” So very, very true! We are not intended by God to be insulated but poured-out drink offerings! Paul knew what he was talking about when he said in 1 Corinthians 15:54, “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

We don’t wilt when trouble comes – we worship. We’re not silenced because of death – we celebrate. We don’t pass out because of the heavy load of sorrow – we praise our ever-caring God. Why? “Yea, tho’ I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; YOUR ROD AND STAFF they comfort me…You make me to lie down in green pastures; You lead me beside the still waters…You restore my soul…”

In Hebrews 13:5 we read, God Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you…” In Billy Graham’s book, “Facing Death, “ [Word Books, Waco, 1987, pps.70-71], he tells of his wife’s little brother, Nelson Bell Jr., who died at the age of ten months, after an illness of 18 days, even though Ruth’s father was a medical doctor-missionary in China when her brother died. The year was 1925. Dr. Bell wrote a letter about Nelson Jr’s death:

“Virginia and I realized that he was going and we were with him alone when the end came. It was so sweet and peaceful, no struggle and no evidence of pain, just quietly leaving us and going back to Jesus…

His going has left an ache in our hearts and our arms feel very empty, but oh the joy of knowing he is safe. It has but drawn us closer to Him (Jesus) and given us a new tie and joy to look forward to in heaven. We would not have him back for we know it was His will that he should go. There is no repining, wishing we had used other medicines etc. We feel that everything that possibly could have been done was done. We had the joy of caring for him ourselves while he was sick and the memory is very sweet. He had been such a perfectly healthy baby, in some ways one of the best developed children I have ever seen and so full of life that he was a favorite with the foreigners and Chinese alike…

Virginia and I had the privilege of fixing him ourselves when he died, and then Virginia went to the Talbots where Rosa and Ruth were at school. She wanted to tell them herself, rather than have them hear the news through the Chinese. They were nearly heart-broken, but it was a wonderful opportunity to bring the great hope that is ours very close and plain to them…

We laid him to rest just at sunset and the service was such a sweet one and we pray was a blessing to the large number of Chinese friends who came. Virginia expressed my feelings exactly as we were leaving the cemetery when she said, “I have a song in my heart, but it is hard to keep the tears from my eyes.” At the grave we sang “Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow,” for this had made the wonderful hope of eternity doubly precious to us. Were it not for that HOPE we would not be here in China.”

Do you know why we overcome sorrow and begin life anew? In John 14:18 we hear from our Lord and Savior: “I (Jesus) will not leave you orphans; I WILL COME TO YOU.” Do you know why we overcome sorrow and begin life anew? Psalm 116:15 says, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the DEATH OF HIS SAINTS.”

You may lose your husband or your wife, your grandparents, your parents, your brother or sister, your closest friend, your pastor – but you’ll not let death bind you – you’ll let it free you to rest in Him, to worship and praise the name of your Savior and Lord who abolished death and brought life and immortality to LIGHT through the Gospel!

Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “I find the greatest thing in this world not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving. To reach the port of Heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind, and sometimes against it, but we sail, and not drift, nor live at anchor.”

I’LL NOT BE DRIVEN BY THE WIND OF SORROW, BUT REST IN THE WITNESS OF MY SAVIOR! I’LL NOT DRIFT FROM FELLOWSHIP BECAUSE OF SORROW, BUT DETERMINE IN FAITH TO CELEBRATE! I’LL NOT BE ANCHORED BY THE PAST BECAUSE OF SORROW, BUT ACCELERATE IN JOY BECAUSE OF MY FUTURE!

WE WILL BE “BEGINNING LIFE ANEW” WHEN OVERCOME BY FEAR BECAUSE WE SENSE, HEAR, AND KNOW THE VOICE OF DIVINE PRESENCE THROUGH GOD’S GIFT OF FAITH! In Genesis 3:10 Adam said, “I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself…” Yet in his garden of fear God was present!

It was Sarah who ‘laughed’ because God told Abraham she was to bear a son, and she denied to God and Abraham her laughter because she was afraid, but it was God solidly present who said, “Is anything too hard for God?”

Do you remember Jacob feeling so alone and afraid that dark night as he laid his head on that stone for a pillow? Then, he had a dream! Genesis 28:16-17, “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.”

Fear! The House of God because God specializes in transforming fear into Faith! Fear! The Gate of Heaven because God stands with fearing men! Psalm 3:6 says, “I will not be afraid of 10,000’s of people who have set themselves against me all around…” Why? Verse 8, Because, “Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah!” Blessing?

That’s Holy Presence with a heavy heart of fear! That’s Holy Presence when everything seems lost or in vain! Holy Presence when the dark cloud of fear wants to separate us from our confidence in God, and God uses that cloud as a stepping stone to us!

There’s never been a “foxhole of fear” where Holy God was not faithfully present! There’s never been a hospital waiting room filled with fear and anxiety where Holy God hasn’t taken up residence! There’s never been a frightful mind so filled with dreaded fears of all kinds where God hasn’t decided to set up His Holy abode of confidence and assurance! There’s never been a deep lake of loneliness and fear without the Mighty Ship of Holy Presence sailing with us – WE WILL NOT FEAR FOR GOD IS NEAR!

WE WILL BE “BEGINNING LIFE ANEW” WHEN STORMY TIMES ARE ALLOWED TO BECOME DIVINE OPPORTUNITIES! Come with me to Mark 4:35-41! On the same day, when evening had come, Jesus said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boast as He was. And other little boats were also with Him…

And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”…

Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

I don’t have to ask you if you know about “stormy times” or “stormy situations” or “stormy days” or “stormy events” that want to drown you! It’s a stormy day if you drop $3 million in the stock market like one man I used to know. It’s a stormy day if you discover your children want no part of the Faith you’ve imparted to them. It’s a stormy day if your marriage has become a “mess” and not a miracle! It’s a stormy day if your wife/husband walks out on you! It’s a stormy day if your son flies a plane into a tall building or a mountain-side! It’s a stormy day if your child drowns or is killed in an automobile accident!

It’s a stormy day if your husband-pilot’s plane goes down! It’s a stormy day if your son accidently shoots himself with a shotgun as he climbed through a fence while on a hunt! It’s a stormy day if there’s war and death and hatred and bitterness and anger! It’s a stormy day if you lose your job! It’s a stormy day if your pastor fails and falls away! It’s a stormy day when there’s a great financial depression! It’s a stormy day when your health has failed!

“Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

It’s been a number of years ago when my dear friend, Dr. Bill Anderson, had his retirement service from Calvary Baptist Church, Clearwater, Florida. Sue and I went to dinner with Bill and Addy after that event, and we began to share “war stories” at the table. Bill said, “Do you remember when Bailey Smith got in trouble for saying that God doesn’t hear the prayers of Jews? Well, I’ve been reaching out to Clearwater’s Jewish Rabbi, Peter, for a long time. He called me very upset. I told him, “Hold on, Peter, you see a Nazi under every rock. Your scripture even tells you why He doesn’t.” And Peter said, “Will you come to the Jewish Temple and tell my people that?”

Bill said, “I jumped at the opportunity. I gave them Isaiah 59 and told them that both Jew and Gentile have access to Father-God because of what Christ Jesus did at Calvary. After about an hour of questions and answers, I was leaving when this little old lady motioned for me to come over. As I did she pulled up her sleeve and showed me her arm with an A and four numbers. I said, ‘You were at Auchwitz! Tell me about it.’

She said, “My father, mother, brothers, and sisters, with some close friends were imprisoned there. I was 12 years of age. Each day we had a bowl of hot water with rottening cabbage once a day. It was so little we ate grass until the Germans caught on and began to shoot those who ate the grass. But one day I was so hungry I said that even if they kill me, I’m going to eat some grass. There was a small patch of green grass that I walked over to, bent over, and began to eat, when I heard the gun cock and I turned to see a soldier aiming at me. I looked toward heaven and said, “Oh God, please come help me.”

And between me and the soldier with cocked rifle there appeared Jesus Christ the Lord. The soldier became so frightened he put his rifle down and ran away. Ever since that day I’ve served Jesus Christ the Lord. Bill said, “What are you doing here?” She said, “I’m here to witness of God’s love and saving grace in sending Jesus Christ the Lord to Jews first and then to the Gentiles.” Bill responded, “What did the Rabbi say?” And she responded, “Oh, he said, why didn’t you call for Moses?”

She said, “I called on God for help and He sent Jesus Christ the Lord!!” Anna Kellerman was her name, and I’ll never forget her story of “Amazing Grace”! “God, do You not care that we’re perishing?” And He sent Jesus who ARISES, REBUKES your storms, and still says to the raging seas of life, “Peace, be still!”

“BEGINNING LIFE ANEW” ALSO WHEN MORAL FAILURE CALLS FOR MESSIAH’S FAITHFULNESS! Even in the midst of moral failure, or SIN as the Bible calls it, most people feed on intellectual absurdity and not divine truth, and they never see the consciences bothered or troubled by Godly conviction about what they’ve done or are presently doing. The phony attitude of far too many is, “If David got away with sin, so can I!”

But they know nothing of the heart, the heartaches, or the awful consequences that painted a dark side to his life incessantly. If you’ve had MORAL FAILURE, I want you to know our MESSIAH IS FAITHFUL! But His faithfulness is released personally because of one’s truly repentant heart! [Check out David’s prayer of repentance in Psalm 51!]. Proverbs 28:13 tells us, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes his sins WILL HAVE MERCY!!”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, in “The Children of the Lord’s Supper,” wrote: “For tis’ sweet to stammer one letter of the Eternal’s language – on earth it is called FORGIVENESS.”

It was A.W. Tozer, in his book, “The Set of The Sail,” [pps.19-20], who made two powerful statements I must share: “To offer a SINNER the gift of salvation based upon the work of Christ, while at the same time allowing him to retain the idea that the gift carries with it no moral implications, is to do him untold injury where it hurts him worst…To remit a man’s past without transforming his present is to violate the moral sincerity of his own heart. To that kind of thing God will have no part.”

“Moral sincerity” in a repentant one’s heart is evidenced by him/her finding the “mourner’s bench” where he/she seriously does business with God!

“BEGINNING LIFE ANEW” WHEN MINISTRY FAILURE BECOMES THE SPRINGBOARD TO DISCOVER OUR MASTER’S FULLNESS! And I’m not just talking about ‘pastors’ because we all are “priests and kings to God the Father!”

In Matthew 26, after Jesus had celebrated Passover with His disciples, Jesus said to them in verse 31, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night…” Verse 33, but Peter answered Jesus: “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.” Verse 34, And Jesus said to Peter, “Assuredly, I say to you, that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” He did – so, it’s over, right?

In Verse 75 “And Peter remembered the word of Jesus…So he went out and WEPT BITTERLY!” Then John 21 tells us of Jesus’ personal appearance to Peter after the Resurrection, and RESTORATION OCCURRED!

Do you remember Samson losing the ANOINTING? Oh, how tragic is that!?! He knew the fire – now there’s barely smoke! He knew the FULLNESS – now there’s emptiness! He knew the FRUITFULNESS – now he’s barren! He knew the deep ocean of Holy Ghost power – now he’s a dry creek-bed! The Philistines “put out his eyes, bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison!”

Oh, but follow Judges 16:28-30 and spring-boarded to renewal and restoration! 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!”…

And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars which supported the temple, and he braced himself against them, one on his right and the other on his left. Then Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” And he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he killed in his life.”

“BEGINNING LIFE ANEW” WHEN “PRIORITY” CONSUMPTION IS A CRASH RATHER THAN A CROWN AND CHRISTLIKE READJUSTMENTS AND REEVALUATIONS CAPTURE YOUR MIND AND HEART! There was a little booklet that came out many years ago entitled “The Tyranny of The Urgent.” Charles Hummel wrote it. [Intervarsity Press, 1967, p.4], One sentence sums it up: “Don’t let the urgent take the place of the IMPORTANT in your life.” But do you realize how many are consumed by what they deem “urgent things” and what is important between you and God is left undone?

In Ephesians 5:15-16 Paul wrote: “See then that you walk CIRCUMSPECTLY (carefully), not as fools but as wise men…redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Has that changed? I don’t think so – I perceive ‘the time’ today as worse than ever! Psalm 90:12 declares, “So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

Are you aware of how careless most people are about ‘numbering their days”? One older gentleman wrote: “I get up each morning, dust off my wits, Pick up the paper and read the obits. If my name is missing, I know I’m not dead, So I eat a good breakfast – and go back to bed.” No redeeming of the times in him!

It was Daniel who “purposed in his heart.” It was Paul “determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” It was Caleb who held on to the promise of his ‘mountain’ and wouldn’t be confused by a 45-year delay!

Again, I point you to A.W. Tozer in his writing, “The Set of the Sail.” “If any man will…let him follow Me,” Jesus says, and some will rise and go after Him, but others give no heed to His voice. So the gulf between man and man, between those who will and those who will not. Silently, terribly the work goes on, as each one decides whether he will hear or ignore the voice of invitation. Unknown to the world, perhaps unknown even to the individual, the work of separation takes place. Each hearer of the Voice must decide for himself, and he must decide on the basis of the evidence the message affords. There will be no thunder sound, no heavenly sign or light from Heaven. The Man (Jesus) is His own proof. The marks in His hands and feet are the insignia of His rank and office: He will not put Himself again on trial; He will not argue, but the morning of the judgment will confirm what men in the twilight have decided.”

Matthew 16:24, “If any man will come…” You’re the man or woman of destiny! “If any man or woman will come to “BEGIN LIFE ANEW;” Will to come or will not to come! A CHOICE IS MADE: YOUR choice! What or Whom do you choose?

In his “Poems That Preach,” John R.Rice shared the following from an unknown author: [Sword of the Lord Publishers, 1952, p18], “I had walked life’s path with an easy tread, Had followed where comfort and pleasure led…And then by chance in a quiet place – I MET MY MASTER FACE TO FACE.

With station and rank and wealth for my goal, Much thought for my body but none for my soul…I had entered to win this life’s mad race – WHEN I MET THE MASTER FACE TO FACE.

I had built my castles, reared them high, Till their towers had pierced the blue of the sky…I had sworn to rule with an iron mace – WHEN I MET MY MASTER FACE TO FACE.

I met Him and knew Him, and blushed to see That His eyes full of sorrow were fixed on me; And I faltered, and fell at His feet that day While my castles vanished and melted away.

Melted and vanished; and in their place I saw naught else but my Master’s face; And I cried aloud: “Oh, make me meet To follow the marks of Your wounded feet.”

My thought is now for the souls of men; I have lost my life to find it again Ever since alone in that holy place My Master and I stood face to face.”

And I say to you, “Look unto Christ Jesus, the true Author and Finisher of our Saving Faith!

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

AROUND JESUS: THE MEMORY OF MARY, THE ANOINTER

It always amazes me how there are those who so easily look down on others in their condescending pride and arrogance. The Pharisees were so upset that Jesus gave this ‘sinful woman’ His attention. According to Mark even the disciples “scolded” Jesus for allowing ‘this woman’ to lavish on Him a fragrant oil and waste it! Matthew says the disciples were indignant. What a sad commentary!

Do you know what the disciples were expressing? There are those who are really upset about “extravagance” poured out on Jesus. There are those who want whole-=hearted disciples to tone down their enthusiasm. There are those who would prefer you backslide to be in step with them and not embarrass them. For many, lukewarmness is a better testimony than “fire-hearted” allegiance.

There truly are those who look upon “sold-out disciples” as touched in the head, never made it to the top floor, a little crazy and certainly ‘fanatics’. A ‘fanatic’? One with great zeal and passion – when did that get colored as something bad?

What Mary did is something that we should consider as ‘off the mark,’ irresponsible, thoughtless, bordering on evil? In Mark 14:6 Jesus said, “She has done a good work for Me!”

Do you prefer to be measured by men or by Christ? Would you refer your detractors to write your biography or Jesus? Would you prefer Judas interpreting your actions or Jesus? How about man’s highest court or the Holy consciousness of God about what your life has been about? Do you prefer the frown of men or the smile of God?

You need to learn it if you haven’t already – all-out passion for Jesus will get you a ‘cold-shoulder.’ Hot-heartedness is an affront to half-heartedness. Spurgeon wrote: (Spurgeon’s Sermons, Memorial Library, Vol.16, p178), “You cannot commit a greater crime against some people than to be more useful than they are.” God’s call upon your life is the overflow of your love, your blessing, your service, your sacrifice for the King of kings, and you care not what others think whether they rain on your parade or condemn or even appreciate it. What you do unto Him is not for the judgment of men but the honor of God!

And what did Jesus say in Mark 14:9? “Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached IN THE WHOLE WORLD, what THIS WOMAN HAS DONE will also be told as a MEMORIAL TO HER.” She took that “alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard, broke the flask and poured it on Jesus’ head.” AND, it is to be TOLD ALL OVER THE WORLD AS A MEMORIAL TO HER!! What’s that about?

IT WAS, FIRST OF ALL, [without question!], A HEART MOTIVE OF UPLIFTING AND GLORIFYING CHRIST JESUS! Do you remember the birth of Jesus, how the angels came and with them a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God and saying, “Glory To God In The Highest…”? That’s the heavenly realm, with a heavenly hosts, and with angels praising God and giving Him “GLORY” for the birth of His Son.

But here, in Mark 14:6, Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me.” She wasn’t intimidated by the ‘religious crowd’ – she was inspired by Jesus. She wasn’t living her faith in a passive attitude – she actively and personally wanted to exalt Jesus Christ! Colossians 3:17 says, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

In Romans 15:6 Paul said, “that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This precious woman glorified Christ in her unselfish offering; she glorified Christ with a thankful heart; she glorified Christ with her very tears and hair; she glorified Christ as she kissed His feet and anointed them; she glorified Christ because she knew in Whom her only hope rested!

Examine romans 15:7 where Paul also said, “Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the Glory of God.” Do you see how practical and enlightening the Word of God is? It’s as if some who say they want to glorify Christ want some mystical, ethereal, celestial cloud to descend upon them – but God says, “Glorify Me?” Then, receive one another!

Even before the Cross, I believe this “sinful woman” knew the Savior. So with Paul, even before he was on the scene, she agreed: 1 Corinthians 6:20, “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” That’s acknowledgement of divine ownership!

Again, what did Paul say in the Romans 15:6 passage? “with one mind and one mouth GLORIFY GOD…” That’s walking and living in spiritual unity, in oneness, THE ONE BODY OF CHRIST GLORIFYING GOD!!

What did Jesus say in The Sermon On The Mount? Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Then in John 15:8 Jesus was so clear: “By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” FRUIT? “The fruit of the Spirit!!” FRUIT? What about the reproduction of ‘fruit-bearing’ in the souls of men? Listen to what Paul said to the Thessalonians who had come to Christ through his witness: 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20, “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?…For you are our glory and joy.”

Exalting and glorifying Christ Jesus? I love John Piper’s comment in “A Godward Life,” [p.22], when he said, “God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him.” Is Jesus your “all in all”? Is it, “For to me to live is Christ…?” Luke 7:37 says, “when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house…” “SHE KNEW!!” Hope in Christ alone. Love in Christ alone. Forgiveness in Christ alone! A future in Christ alone…And SHE comes to GLORIFY CHRIST!

IN THE SECOND PLACE, THIS IS A MEMORIAL WORLD-WIDE FOR A WOMAN WHO OUT OF LOVE WAS THANKING CHRIST FOR HIS PENDING DEATH ON THE CROSS! How do we know that? Look at Mark 14:8 where Jesus said, “She has done what she could. She has come BEFOREHAND to anoint My body for burial.” Before the fact there were those who rested in the sacrificial death of the Worthy Lamb – and they knew and understood that they were loved by God. Jesus said, “Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he was glad.” (John 8:56).

It was a slain animal whose blood was shed and skins from that slain animal became covering for their nakedness. Even Isaiah, writing 700 years before Christ’s birth, prophetically portrayed the Lamb of God, the Worthy Lamb, “led as a lamb to the slaughter,” (Isaiah 53:7), and according to Verse 5, “But He was wounded for our transgression, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” And this woman who was “a sinner” knew her plight and knew her hope! She knew God had made her, lost her, and bought her back at an enormous price, bought not with silver or gold, but with the precious blood of the Lamb of God.

You don’t see it in the natural realm but you know “the sinful woman” was building a beautiful “temple of love” and stone upon stone unfolds before us: “I love Him because He first loved me.” “I love Him because His sacrifice was in my behalf.” “I love Him because He closed the door on my past.” “I love Him because He promises His abiding Presence to walk with me.” “I love Him because He’s opened the door for me into His eternal home.” “I love Him because He closed the door for me to Hell where I was headed without Him.”

THIRD, NOTICE ALSO THIS MEMORIAL REVEALS A COMMITMENT TO THOROUGH, INTENSE, SACRIFICIAL PREPARATION, remembering her testimony, and encouraging our devotion. John reveals this significant understanding when in John 12:7 Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has KEPT THIS for the day of My burial.”

She “kept this.” She held it fast. She kept it close. She maintained it. She guarded it. She had her eye upon her gift to Jesus and nothing was going to spoil it. She “kept this”. What have YOU reserved that’s only for Jesus? What are you protecting and guarding as wholly reserved for the honor of Christ? What is locked away in your heart that is totally devoted to Christ alone?

I don’t know how long she’d made preparation for this historic ministry, but I tell you – it was no impulse, it was no afterthought, it was no sudden decision to do something for Jesus. I believe in some prior day, month, or year, this woman, in bondage to her sin, heard Jesus talk about His deliverance unto death, how they’d spit upon Him and scourge Him, and nail Him to a tree – all because of God’s love for – and even though He would die and be buried, He would RISE AGAIN – and she believed it, she responded to it, and she began to consider, plan, get ready to meet Him and pour out upon Him that flask of fragrant oil.

What’s the flask of fragrant oil that you’re keeping in the Name of Jesus? What are you holding onto to pour out on Him in an expression of overflowing love?

To Timothy, Paul said, (2 Timothy 1:13-14), “Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus…That good thing which was commanded to you, KEEP BY THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO DWELLS IN US.”

Revelation 3:8 says, “…you…have kept My Word, and have not denied My name.” Verse 10, says, “…you’ve kept My command to persevere…” Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:7, “…I’ve kept the faith.” To the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:20-21 Paul said, “I kept back nothing that was helpful…testifying to Jews and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.”

And this memorial? It was a commitment to thorough, intense, sacrificial preparation in honoring Jesus with our devotion – and it’s steadfastness undergirded by Sovereign Grace! Philippians 2:12-13 says we’re “working out our own salvation…(knowing)…it is God who is at work in (us), both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

It’s a strange word for far too many church-goers. It’s the word: devotion, devoted, dedicated, resolved, determined – here’s how Paul put it in 1 Corinthians 2:2, “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” And in our modern “information” society, nothing could be more important for every life in determining what or Who has your heart, where and why you take your next steps in investing your life for saving it or losing it. This woman “KEPT” her intention to HONOR the Lord Jesus Christ!

In closing this chapter, please notice: THIS IS A WORLD-WIDE MEMORIAL BECAUSE OF THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE COSTLINESS OF HER DEED! Several things you must see:

There was costliness in the gift she poured out. Look at Mark 14:3-5! “…a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke it and poured it in His head…But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, Why was this fragrant oil wasted?…For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor…”

Remember that instruction to David about erecting an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Arunah the Jebusite? Arunah wanted to give it to David, but listen to David’s response in 2 Samuel 24:24, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price: nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God WITH THAT WHICH COSTS ME NOTHING.”

There’s no doubt that Judas got involved, keeper of the disciples’ purse strings, penny-pincher, greedy, the one who sold his soul for 30 pieces of silver. Judas lived in the accusatory mood and couldn’t see love. Remember the woman who gave her last two mites? Two women – and even with those great sacrifices, they would tell you, it wasn’t enough.

Listen to Spurgeon as he preached on this subject and this particular truth of understanding the costliness: (Vol.16, Spurgeon’s Sermons, Memorial Library, p186), “…the glory of service to Christ is to serve Him with the best of the best! He deserves, if we serve Him with sermons, that we preach the best discourses mind can frame or tongue deliver; or if we serve Him with teaching in the class, He deserves that we teach in the tenderest fashion, and feed His lambs with the best of the grass; or if we serve Him with the pen, that we write not a line that may need to be erased; or if we served Him with money, that we give with liberality of the best we have, and much of it…”

But, oh, to give to Jesus freely, richly, whatever it is with which He has entrusted us, whether it be the minted coinage of the purse, or the living courage of a loving heart, gold or genius or words, or the labor of a loving hand, let us give our Well-Beloved the best we have, and He will call it beautiful! Mary’s gift was all for Him, and all for love, and it was done at great expense, and therefore it was beautiful. In other words, Jesus not only acknowledged it and accepted it, but ascribed to it a WORLD-WIDE MEMORIAL STATUS!

Jesus eternally remembers the heart of a sin-ladened woman forgiven by the master’s love. Jesus eternally remembers the confession of the thief on the Cross, “Remember me when You come into Your Kingdom,” and He does.

The Psalmist said, (Psalm 25:6), “Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses, For they are from of old.” And He does!! His mercies are new every morning.

In verse 7 the Psalmist said, “Remember not the sins of my youth…” And He doesn’t – they are in the sea of His forgetfulness, cast as far as the east is from the west!

And when this “sinful woman” came to Christ Jesus, it was at great cost – she laid everything down at the feet of Jesus! It was Martha Stockton who wrote the words to “Redeeming Love”:

“God loved the world of sinners lost and ruined by the fall; Salvation full, at highest cost, He offers free to all…

Even now by faith I claim Him mine, The risen Son of God; Redemption by His death I find, and cleansing through His blood…

Believing souls, rejoicing go, There shall to you be given; A glorious foretaste, here below, Of endless life in heaven…

With victory over Satan’s power My heart with rapture sings, I’ll triumph in the dying hour Through Christ, the King of kings.”

What a story!! “A sinful woman” through the grace of God has established in her name a singing, shouting, sensational memorial of one who looked only to Jesus!

Memory of Mary – the anointer! She anointed Jesus with her tears, with all she had, with her faith and trust, with her boldness to step in where angels fear to tread, with her love and selfless expressions, with her hope and trust and surrender…AND GOD HONORS HER FOR HER DEVOTION TO CHRIST JESUS!

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHRIST JESUS OR THE SELLING OF THE SOUL

If you dare repeat the title of this chapter, Christ Jesus Or The Selling Of The Soul, there is a chilling effect that grips your very being! And we have to ask, are there really people who’ve forfeited Christ and who’ve sold their souls?

I look at the Clintons, both Bill and Hillary, and see people who’ve sold their souls for political, fleshly, and financial gains. Being from Tennessee originally, I often wondered how Al Gore could so easily sell his soul!

I look at teen-agers on the streets all over America who’ve sold their bodies as well as their souls because they wanted free of parental control or parental abuse – and they reaped a whirlwind of terrible degradation.

I began to pastor churches in 1963, and in about 52 years of ministry, I’ve witnessed even pastors who ended up bankrupt in every respect because they sols themselves for a few moments of sexual pleasure.

Jesus asked a powerful, penetrating, and gripping question that ought to stop every man in his tracks when in Matthew 16:26 Jesus asked, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” He had told His disciples, and us, (Matthew 6:33), “Seek first the kingdom of God…”, but you realize there are those totally focused on the kingdom of self!

John said to Gaius in 3 John 2, “…I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, JUST AS YOUR SOUL PROSPERS.” God’s aim for us is “soul prosperity” but far too many live bankrupt lives because of the selling of the soul for that which does not produce God’s blessing.

In Isaiah 55:1-2 God spoke: “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price…Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your souls delight itself in abundance.” In You, is there soul abundance or soul deprivation and emptiness?

The ‘classic’ selling of the soul is found in Matthew 26:14-16, “Then one of the twelve, called Judas Ischariot, went to the chief priests…and said, What are you willing to give me if I deliver Jesus to you? And they counted out to him 30 pieces of silver…So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.”

In verses 47-50 there’s the follow-up: “And while He was still speaking, behold Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people… Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him…Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, ‘Greetings, Rabbi!’ And kissed Him…But Jesus said to him, ‘Friend, why have you come?’ Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him.” WHAT WILL A MAN GIVE IN EXCHANGE FOR HIS SOUL?

Notice, FIRST, THOSE WHO SELL THEIR “BIRTHRIGHT” FOR A “MESS OF POTTAGE.” That’s Esau, and we find his story in Genesis 25:29-34, “Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, (by the way, Jesus said, ‘the field is the world!’), and he was weary…(Worldliness always produces tiredness!!), And Esau said to Jacob, ‘Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.’ Therefore his name was called Edom…But Jacob said, ‘Sell me your birthright as of this day.’…And Esau said, ‘Look, I am about to die; so what is the birthright to me?’…Then Jacob said, ‘Swear to me as of this day.’ So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob… And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, AND WENT HIS WAY. Thus Esau despised his birthright.”

Let’s let the New Testament give us some insight on Esau. Hebrews 12:16 says, “…lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.” That word ‘profane’ means ‘godless.’

There’s no hesitation in saying that godlessness always produces tiredness, and men like Esau are always looking for a bigger hit to get the same satisfaction and end up EMPTY. He said he was ‘about to die,’ not from malnutrition, but because of the course and direction of his life.

Here he is: broad and brawny and brown of body from his outdoors’ style of life, but bent and broken and bitter and blinded in his soul toward the things of the spirit. THE SELLING OF THE SOUL!!

Here’s a “man’s man” with mythical spiritual measurements and hopes. Here’s a man of the smelling aromas of flesh that had captured his heart yet never satisfied. Here’s a man who looked to immediate satisfactions with no view of eternal blessings. Here’s a man who scoffed at “birthrights” as totally unimportant to his life bent toward death, even though he didn’t know it or couldn’t understand it. Here’s a man who would sell his soul for a moment of momentary pleasure. Here’s a man who chose the profane over the Holy. Here’s a man of the Nimrod mentality who was a hunter but had no passion to find God. Here’s a man who sold his soul for his hairy image with no ambition of holy inspiration. Jesus was right, Luke 14:11, “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

In Mark 8:35 Jesus said, “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the Gospel’s will save it.” Did you catch Esau’s path of life in Genesis 25:34? Having sold his birthright, eating and drinking because he was about to die, AROSE, “AND WENT HIS WAY.” Do you remember Proverbs 14:12? “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” If Esau heard, “This is the way, walk in it,” he’d say, “My way is the way and that’s where I’m walking,” and he sells his soul!

SECONDLY, CONSIDER THE SELLING OF THE SOUL THROUGH THE SINFUL SENSUOUSNESS OF SEXUAL IMMORALITY! I want to begin with the New Testament principle inspired by the Holy Spirit! It’s 1 Thessalonians 4:3, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality.”

Do you realize how foreign that is to the majority of American society who bow before the idols of sexual, immoral indulgence? In 1 Peter 2:11 Peter challenges us, “Beloved, I beg you, as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.” I love what John Piper said in “A Godward Life,” (p119), “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.”

If you don’t know how vulgar sexual immorality has become, you’re void of decency and Godly wisdom. You’re selling the soul for cheap moments and bad memories, and sometimes difficult, painful results. “Used goods,” “Second hand,” “Practice dummies,” are not good image builders but deflators. Sex offenders in any shape, form, or fashion become the enemies of God, because they violate holy covenants.

Come to Leviticus 18:20-30 for a wake-up call!! “Moreover you shall not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife, to defile yourself with her…And you shall not let any of your descendants pass through the fire to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of the Lord your God: I am the Lord…You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination…Nor shall you mate with any animal, to defile yourself with it. Nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it. It is perversion…Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you…For the land is defiled; therefore I visit the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land vomits out its inhabitants…You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among…(for all these abominations the men of the land have done, who were before you, and thus the land is defiled)… lest the land vomit you ought also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you…For whoever commits any of these abominations, the persons who commit them shall be cut off from among their people…Therefore you shall keep My ordinance, so that you do not commit any of these abominable customs which were committed before you, and that you do not defile yourselves by them; I am the Lord your God.”

There is either going to be “the selling of the soul” through sexual immorality or the dedication of the soul and body to the honor and glory of God. When it comes to decisions about sex, they should never be made by your glands but by your heads and your hearts!

I’m not here to condemn you if you’ve sold yourself short of the glory of God but to challenge you to repentance and faith because God sits on a throne of mercy. There is forgiveness – Samson found it after being sheared. David found it after his horrible fall, and though forgiven, lived with sad consequences the rest of his life. The woman with 5 husbands and living with another not her husband found forgiveness. BUT THEIR FAILURES SHOULD NEVER BE USED AS AN EXCUSE FOR YOUR FALLS! Forgiveness, mercy, and love is the language of God proven at Calvary!

Charles Colson, in his powerful book, “Loving God,” tells the story of Patti Awan as she poured her heart out to her congregation in suburban Washington. Now she’s a young Sunday School teacher, married to a great husband named Javy, and now with children. Hear what Patti had to say:

“Years ago a young girl sat crying on the floor of a New Jersey apartment, devastated by the news of a lab report. Unmarried and alone, she had just learned she was pregnant.” A hush fell over the assembly of believers; with flowing tears it didn’t take long for the church to realize who this young woman was – it was Patti Awan!

“I considered myself a Christian at the time,” she continued, ‘but I had found out about Christ while in the drug scene. After I learned about Him, I knew I wanted to commit myself to Him, but I couldn’t give up my old friends or my old habits. So I was drifting between two worlds – in one smoking dope every day and sleeping with the man who lived in the apartment below mine; in the other, going to church, witnessing to others, and working with the church youth group.’

“But being pregnant ripped through the hypocrisy of my double life. I had been meaning to ‘get right with God’ but I kept slipping back. Now I couldn’t live a nice, clean Christian life like all those church people.

“I felt the only answer was to wipe the slate clean. I would get an abortion; no one in the church would ever know. The clinic scheduled an abortion date. I was terrified, but my boyfriend was adamant. My sister was furious with me for being so stupid as to get pregnant. Finally, in desperation I wrote my parents. They were staunch Catholics, and I knew they would support me if I decided to have the baby. My mother called me: “If you don’t get an abortion, I don’t want to see you while you are pregnant. Your life will be ruined and you’ll deserve it.”

“I had always been desperately dependent on other people. But I knew this was one decision I had to make alone. I was looking out my bedroom window one night when I thought clearly for the first time in weeks. I realized I either believed Christianity or I didn’t believe it. And if I believed in Christ, then I couldn’t do this. God is real, I thought, even if I’ve never lived like He is.

“That decision was a point of no return. I put my faith in the God of the Bible, not the God I had made up in my head. I was still everything I didn’t want to be – pregnant, alone, deserted by family, and rejected by the one I had loved. Yet for the first time in my life I was really peaceful, because I knew for the first time I was being obedient.

“When I went to the obstetrician and told him of my decision to have the baby and why I had made that choice, he refused to charge me for pre-natal care and delivery. I confessed my double life to the church, and through the support of Christians was able to move away from my old friends to an apartment of my own. I began going to a Christian counseling agency and felt God leading me to give the baby up for adoption. “I had a beautiful baby girl and named her Sarah. She was placed with a childless Christian couple, and we all felt God’s hand in the decision.

“And so that’s why I praise God this evening. I thought in the depths of my despair that my life was ruined, but I knew I had to at least be obedient in taking responsibility for my sin. But today, because of that every despair and obedience, I have what I never thought I could – a godly husband and children of my own. But what matters more than anything is that what I was searching for so desperately before – peace with God.” [“Loving God,” Charles Colson, Zondervan Publishing House, 1987,1996, pps167-169].

THIRD, LOOK AT SOULS SOLD IN THE SERIOUSNESS OF LEADERSHIP REBELLION! There are two verses in Hebrews 13 I want you to study, and then we’ll journey to Numbers 16. Hebrews 13:7 says, “Remember those who rule (or lead) over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of your conduct.” Hebrews 13:17 then says, “Obey those who rule (or lead) over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.”

Those are two powerful, penetrating verses! But when it comes to true “pastoral leadership” always remember that the greatest among you is the servant of all. Biblical leadership is never tyrannical, dictatorial, bossy leadership, but one that is in front of the pack showing the servant spirit of Christ Jesus.

True servant leaders lead, speak the Word of God to you, leading out of the overflow of a living faith, watching out for your souls, knowing they must give an account of your follow-ship or failure to do so, which will be either with joy or with grief. You’re either a “profitable” follower or an “unprofitable” rebel. You’re either a submissive servant or rebellious ‘church boss’ who keeps a fellowship on the edge of explosive trouble. “Mutual submissiveness in the fear of God” is the call to both church leadership and church follow-ship which produces a sweet fellowship.

Swindoll, in “Come Before Winter,” (p.179), gives a word of encouragement to leaders. “Run hard as you set a new pace. Refuse to reduce your stride. Embrace quality and excellence and determination. WITHOUT FUDGING ONE INCH ON INTEGRITY AND HUMILITY push on…lead on. Ignore the “little” world of onlookers who are too petty to produce, too suspicious to affirm, too envious to acknowledge greatness. Go hard after your goal, get on with it!” In other words, pastors, never lose sight of the greatness of servanthood!

But what is you’re a follower who has determined no man will have oversight over you? What if you’ve determined, all are holy, and no Moses will lead you? What if, in your spiritual ignorance and immaturity, you oppose God-appointed, God-anointed leaders? YOU’RE IN THE PROCESS OF SELLING YOUR SOUL!

Come to Numbers 16, and in the first few verses look at Korah, Dathan, and Abiram as they RISE UP AGAINST MOSES! Verse 3, “You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?”

Men are never exalted, but Almighty God will surely elevate men to places of leadership that He chooses, and His people are to follow. Look carefully at Numbers 16:19-38! [Please read!!]. But look carefully at verse 38 where God Himself says, “these men who SINNED AGAINST THEIR OWN SOULS…shall be a sign to the children of Israel.” In 1 Chronicles 16:22 God gave a clear warning: “Do not touch My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm.” ‘Nuff said!’

LOOK AT ANOTHER MAJOR DIMENSION OF THE “SOUL-SELLERS”! IT’S THOSE WHO SELL THEIR SOULS TO THE IDOLS OF THEIR GOLD AND SILVER, so money-hungry they bow before the dollar sign rather than bow before Holy God! Come to Ezekial 7:19 and read carefully: “They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will be like refuse; their silver and gold will not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord; they WILL NOT SATISFY THEIR SOULS, nor fill their stomachs, because it became their STUMBLING BLOCK OF INIQUITY.”

Do you remember Jesus sharing the Parable of the Rich fool? It’s found in Luke 12 where in verse 15 Jesus said: “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” Yet how many do you know or have seen who bow before the idol of money? It consumes them, controls them, directs them, envelops them – “more, more, more! Give me more!”

Anonymously someone has written: “For those who seek the answer in homes, lands, and rings, WILL SOMEDAY FIND THAT EMPTY LIVES ARE JUST AS EMPTY FILLED WITH THINGS.” Read carefully Luke 12:16-21!! “Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully…And he thought to 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 all 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 with which you have provided?…So is he who lays up for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

The Bill Gates and Warren Buffets and Ted Turners of the world ought to turn their attention to the words of Jesus along with every other man who is RICH TOWARD HIMSELF and not rich toward God! They’ve sold their souls for what? [Read carefully Revelation 18:9-20 and repent now!!].

Come now to Ezekial 13 and see those who have SOLD THEIR SOULS FOR A SPIRIT OF DIVINATION! There is divine leadership, but sadly some substitute God’s leadership for the “diviners.” Do you know about which I speak? Look at Ezekial 13:18-23, “Thus says the Lord God, Woe to the women who sew magic charms on their sleeves and make veils for the heads of people of every height TO HUNT SOULS! Will you hunt the souls of My people, and keep yourselves alive?…And will you profane Me among My people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, killing people who should not die, and keeping people alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies?…Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against your magic charms by which you hunt souls like birds. I will tear them from your arms, and let the souls go, the souls you hunt like birds….I will also tear off your veils and deliver My people out of your hand, and they shall no longer be as prey in your hand. Then you shall know that I am the Lord…Because with lies you have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and you have strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that he does not turn from his wicked way to save his life…Therefore you shall no longer envision futility nor practice divination; for I will deliver My people out of your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

And some would say, “What an out-dated, irrelevant passage of Scripture. It doesn’t apply to our enlightened age.” And how wrong they are! I believe it was the summer of 1981 when Sue and I traveled to the island of Grenada to do a conference for the Windward Islands missionaries at the invitation of the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. In the host church I met a young man that I was intrigued by. The host missionary-pastor told me he had fled Houston, Texas, after being convicted of ties to the Houston Mafia, the youngest Supreme Court justice of Texas at the age of 32. U.S. authorities couldn’t touch him on Grenada and he was enrolled in medical school there. Later, in India, I told this story to a national leader who traveled often to Houston. Before this young man’s conversion, my India friend had been in his office, witnessing a “crystal ball” on his desk, and asking him about it. Every morning on the phone with his ‘enchanter’, as he gazed into the crystal ball, he was getting instructions about financial, judicial, and other matters. The young man later came to Christ, but after having fled to Grenada, needing another course from another island medical school, traveled there and was met by the FBI. He may still be in prison as far as I know.

So many across our world, including America, are trapped in the devilish activity of divination. They’re slaves to their magic charms, crystal balls, horoscopes, even to voices of the demons and don’t even know it.

But there are precious promises for deliverance for those who have sold their souls to ‘magical’ slavery. Listen to Psalm 124:7-8, “Our souls have escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth.”

Year after year, in India, 25 years of travel 5-6 trips a year, I personally witnessed those with AMULETS around their necks and wrists, wanting to be free, break off the amulet, call upon Jesus, and be instantly and dramatically and gloriously healed, delivered, and born-again! [Acts 19:11-20 tells of great victory over the spirit of divination!].

But notice also THE SELLING OF THE SOUL IN TURNING DEAF EARS TO THE ONLY HOPE FOR ETERNAL SALVATION! Examine Acts 3:22-26, “For Moses truly said to the fathers, The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. HIM YOU SHALL HEAR IN ALL THINGS, whatever He says to you…And it shall be THAT EVERY SOUL WHO WILL NOT HEAR THAT PROPHET shall be utterly destroyed from among the people…from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days…You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, And in your seed all the families of the earth are blessed…To you, first, God, having raised up His servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquity.”

There’s only one hope that saves, one way that opens the door to reconciliation with Holy God, One Savior and One Lamb whose shed blood washes us white as snow – that’s Jesus!! Hebrews 6:18 speaks of having strong consolation, “who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us…Verse 19, this hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil…Verse 20, where the forerunner has entered for us, Even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” But remember, the Word says, “Every soul that WILL NOT HEAR shall be destroyed.” It’s that Proverbs passage when God said, “I called, but you refused.”

Mohammed doesn’t SAVE – he indoctrinates and numbs souls to the love of God. Buddha doesn’t SAVE – he blinds. Confusius? He doesn’t SAVE – he confuses. Religion has never saved, never will – but the Blood Redemption of Christ Jesus transforms, regenerates, reconciles, renews a right relationship with Holy God. THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST JESUS IS GOOD NEWS not bad news; it’s GOOD NEWS – not sad news. It’s a message to shout to the world that they might at least hear their hope – yet there are those who will not hear.

Acts 4:12 is not untruth but the declaration of the only truth! “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” The only name? Christ Jesus! Lamb of God! John was right when in John 1:4 he said of Christ Jesus, “In Him was life, and the light was the light of men.” It’s why Jesus Himself said in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, AND THERE ARE MANY WHO GO IN BY IT…Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Here’s Paul’s word to the church at Rome, 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.” Did you hear it? To the church at Corinth and to you, Paul said, 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.” Hear – and respond!

Last of all in this chapter on THE SELLING OF THE SOUL: WHAT ABOUT THOSE WHO DRAW NEAR BUT THEN DRIFT BACK TO DESTRUCTION? That’s Hebrews 10:38-39, “Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone DRAWS BACK, My soul has no pleasure in him…But we are not those who draw back to perdition, but of those who BELIEVE (and keep on believing!) to the saving of the soul.”

It’s the sad story of King Agrippa who heard the vibrant testimony of Paul’s conversion. He heard the Gospel and then said, (Acts 26:28), “Paul, you ALMOST persuade me to become a Christian.” ALMOST…BUT LOST!! How very, very sad. Agrippa sold his soul. Have you?

P.P. Bliss wrote this long-forgotten hymn: “Almost persuaded” now to believe; “Almost persuaded” Christ to receive; Seems now some soul to say, ‘Go, Spirit, go Thy way, Some more convenient day on Thee I’ll call..

“Almost persuaded,” come, come today; “Almost persuaded” turn not away; Jesus invites you here, Angels are lingering near, Prayers rise from hearts so dear, O wanderer come…

“Almost persuaded” harvest is past! “Almost persuaded” doom comes at last! “Almost” cannot avail; “Almost” is but to fail! Sad, sad, that bitter wail – “Almost” – but lost!” Came close – but drew back! Drew near – but turned away! Considered – then rejected God’s gracious invitation! It was John Piper who said, “When a man is wrapped up in himself, he makes a pretty small package!”

I don’t want to be a small package – I want to be wrapped up in God’s Bigness! It’s not to be, “almost” – but fully persuaded and fully surrendered! In “Come Before Winter,” (p208), Swindoll said: “We need to hear the voice of the Ringmaster as He raises His hand to stop the band: ‘We interrupt this program to bring all of you a reminder that the world in which you live is not the whole world, but only a very small part of the world FOR WHICH I DIED.’” Small world for you – or BIG GOD?

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHRIST JESUS’ FREEING OF THE GUILTY

Matthew 27:15-26 doesn’t seem to show us Christ Jesus’ “Freeing of the Guilty”! It says: “Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas…

Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy. While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.”…

But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They said, “Barabbas!” Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!”…

Then the governor said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!” When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.”…

And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children.” Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.”

The year was 1829. The scene is a federal courtroom. Two men, Wilson and Porter, had been convicted of robbing the U.S. mails, and received a sentence of death by hanging. But just three weeks before the time was set for George Wilson’s execution, he received a pardon by then President Andrew Jackson. Listen to Wilson’s response! He refused the pardon! The Supreme Court of the U.S. became involved and the court gave its decision: “a pardon is a deed, to the validity of which delivery is essential. AND DELIVERY IS NOT COMPLETE WITHOUT ACCEPTANCE. It may then be rejected by the person to whom it is tendered; and if it is rejected, we have discovered no power in this court to force it upon him.”

It was because of Jesus that Barabbas, a murderer, was released from prison. You and I and every person on the face of God’s earth has received a pardon through the substitutionary death of the Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary’s Cross, but…”DELIVERY IS NOT COMPLETE WITHOUT ACCEPTANCE.”

John 3:16 says, “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.” But the 18^th verse of John 3 also says, “He that believes not is condemned.”

Look with me at Mark 15:15, “So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified.” Pilate, wanting to content the defiant, the unbelievers, the rebellious, frees a murderer, scourges Jesus with 39 lashes, and turns Him over to an angry mob to be crucified.

Pilate had asked, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” And they said to him, “Let Him be crucified!” And every man, woman, and child, past, present, and future will be called to answer that question, “What will YOU DO with Jesus who is called Christ?” “DELIVERY IS NOT COMPLETE WITHOUT ACCEPTANCE!”

The verdict on all mankind? Guilty! “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” not because of what we’ve done but who we are: First Adfam, Fallen Humanity, Born In Sin, Debtors To God, Alienated and Separated, Void in the Inner Man of Holy Presence, Fully “Flesh”, estranged from Christ, strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope in and of ourselves, without God in the world, “old man,” who has given place to the devil, darkness residers, cave dwellers hidden away from Eternal Purpose, dwellers in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, created for God’s pleasure and praise but living unto self-will, self-rule, self-pleasure, aimless in this world, absent of divine intent…uncircumcised in the heart, sold souls, incomplete, unfulfilled, a huge vacuum in the heart, devoid of understanding of the good, acceptable and perfect will of God, sin-ravaged, sensual pleasure consumed, devil-controlled because of the title deed to your life he was given, subject to his bondage and fearing death, a slave to sin and its passions and perversions…don’t know God, does not obey the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, a life-messenger and example of the mystery of lawlessness, guided by unrighteous deception, fornicators, adulterers, homosexuals, liars, perjurers, profane, unholy, enslaved to youthful lusts, forms of godliness but deny the “real thing,” learning but refusing to come to the knowledge of the Truth…covenant breakers, law breakers, vow breakers, home breakers, heart breakers, professing to know God but in works denying Him, bloodless in belief, religious but not reconciled or regenerated or redeemed or renewed…professors without possession, insulters of the Spirit of grace, self-seekers in the heart and mind, guided by a wisdom that is earthly, sensual, and demonic, a capability of the worst of the worst, a design of even evilness IN THE HEART, a bent away from God not toward Him, “LOST,”:

Wrong is right, bad is good, evil is entertaining rather than deathly, dark is light, curse is cool, sin is acceptable, hypocrisy is HIP, black is white…Walking both sides of the street is normal with one foot in Heaven and the other in Hell, abortion is normal in my culture of death, adultery is acceptable in a ME, MY, MINE GENERATION… Sexual immorality is not immoral – it’s a free choice of a free society that does as it pleases, self-will is sensible in a self-seeking society… And God’s estimation of me? – who cares? What matters is the discipline of self-determination in my God-less world… Spiritually blind toward God is not a bad thing – I see what I want to see…The absence of fences is brilliant – I don’t want anything or anyone telling me what to do or not to do…

Why is that? “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God!” Proverbs 20:9 says, Who can say, “I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?” The prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 53:6 wrote: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way…” Then, the beloved John wrote in 1 John 1:8, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” Then again, I Isaiah 64:6 we read: “But we all are as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness is as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

On the foundation of these Biblical truths there are several vital truths that must pierce our minds and hearts if the story of Barabbas comes alive for us:

FIRST, I MUST SEE MYSELF AS “THE BEAST” AND UNDERSTAND ONLY THE “BEAUTY OF CHRIST” AND HIS KISS OF REDEEMING LOVE BRINGING ME TO TRANSFORMING FREEDOM! Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont wrote that powerful mythical story entitled, “Beauty and the Beast.” And I know some will react to it, “We’re not beastly,” and I can only say, “God, open our eyes to ourselves, to what we’re really like without You.” Remember the story?

“Now Beauty feared that she had caused his death. She ran throughout the palace, sobbing loudly. After searching everywhere, she recalled her dream and ran into the garden toward the canal, where she had seen him in her sleep. There she found the poor Beast stretched out unconscious. She thought he was dead. Without concern for his horrifying looks, she threw herself on his body and felt his heart beating. So she fetched some water from the canal and threw it on his face…

Beast opened his eyes and said, “You forgot your promise, Beauty. The grief I fel;t upon having lost you made me decide to fast to death. But I shall not die content since I have the pleasure of seeing you one more time…

“No, my dear Beast, you shall not die,” said Beauty. “You will live to become my husband. I give you my hand, and I swear that I belong only to you from this moment on. Alas! I thought that I only felt friendship for you, but the torment I am feeling makes me realize that I cannot live without you.”

Beauty had scarcely uttered these words when the castle radiated with light. Fireworks and music announced a feast. These attractions did not hold her attention, though. She returned her gaze to her dear Beast, whose dangerous condition made her tremble. How great was her surprise when she discovered that the Beast had disappeared, and at her feet was a prince more handsome than EROS himself, who thanked her for putting an end to his enchantment.”

I know that millions go on in their ‘beastliness’ never knowing the transformation that comes from “the kiss of Christ,” but there are those who know, “God demonstrates His own love for us, in that, while we were yet ‘sinners’ Christ died for us,” and through God’s transforming grace, we become saints!

What did I say? I MUST SEE MYSELF AS “THE BEAST” AND UNDERSTAND ONLY THE BEAUTY OF CHRIST BRINGS TRANSFORMING FREEDOM! “All have sinned…” That’s me! “Christ frees and forgives…” – that’s the Gospel, the “good news,” the message of God’s eternal hope in and through Christ alone!

In Luke 7:30-35 we learn the second truth that liberates: “Christ Jesus – THE FRIEND OF SINNERS!!” To the Pharisees it was a derogatory term, but to sinners it’s their deliverance and healing of an eternal disease! “But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by Him…And the Lord said, To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like?…They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying, ‘We played the flute for you, And you did not dance, we mourned to you, and you did not weep.’…For John the Baptist came neither eating nor drinking wine, and you say, He has a demon…The Son of Man has come eating, and drinking, and you say, Look. A glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!…But wisdom is justified by all her children.’

Next event? Look at it – it’s Luke 7:37!! “And behold, a woman 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 fragrant oil.”

Why? Because being a sinner and knowing it, she discovered that Jesus is THE FRIEND OF SINNERS. In Luke 7:48 Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” And the Pharisee’s response? Verse 49, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” That’s Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, That’s Messiah, divinely appointed by God to show His love for sinners. Luke 19:10 then declares, Jesus speaking, “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Matthew 20:28 says, “Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.” In the beginning of earthly time, following the Fall, with a broken heart – God knowing He must judge sin, provided an ark of safety – it was the prophetic sign of the coming safety found in the Savior, Jesus Christ, friend of sinners!

Romans 5:19 says, “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.” “Friend of Sinners!”

Jesus Had To Go To Samaria – because there was a sinful woman who needed a loving Savior. There was another woman, caught in adultery – the Pharisees would stone her, Jesus forgave her. There was a persecutor of the church, a hater of Christ’s teachings, chiefest of sinners – but he met Christ, friend of sinners, on the Damascus Road and his life was changed. Peter denied Him, but Jesus loved Peter – He’s the friend of sinners. The disciples forsook Jesus, but Jesus loved His own – He’s the Friend of Sinners! Our world, our kind, our constituency, our family, our fellow citizens of the kingdom of darkness, crucified Jesus – but He’s the Friend of Sinners!

True friends are forgiving, true friends are faithful, true friends are forceful coming to stand beside us and help us, true friends are FULL of blessings and want to share them, true faithful friends are always able to be found – they don’t hide from us, go their separate ways; no, true friends are of the nature and character of Christ Himself, “The Friend of Sinners.”

THE THIRD TRUTH I WANT YOU TO SEE IS THE TRUE FRIEND WHO BRINGS TRUE FREEDOM! If there were no Jesus, there would be a dead Barabbas! Can you imagine that scene two thousand years ago? Here’s Barabbas, behind bars, chained to his conviction, guilty of murder and sedition, under a death sentence.

But someone came to him, “Barabbas, get your things together – you’ve been freed!” Barabbas responds, “What do you mean free? I’m under the sentence of death!” And the jailer responded, “Someone named Jesus is going to die in your place. You’re free!” The prison doors were opened and the guilty man walked out free never to face that same conviction and sentence of death ever again!

In John 8:31-32 Jesus said, “If you ABIDE IN MY WORD (forgiven, free, fulfilled, finished product complete in Christ lacking nothing!), you are My disciples indeed…And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

The prophet Isaiah unveiled for Barabbas and us the liberating work of Christ, Isaiah 61:1, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me (the Messiah); because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he has sent ME to bind up the brokenhearted, TO PROCLAIM LIBERTY TO THE CAPTIVES, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.” GLORY!! FREEDOM!! Romans 8:2, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”

FREEDOM!! Romans 8:21, “Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”

FREEDOM!! Hebrews 2:14 tells us we’re to be free from the control of Satan, and verse 15 says free from the “fear of death (who) were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”

FREEDOM!! From aimlessness, headed toward nothing, because (Philippians 1:21), “For to me to LIVE is Christ.”

FREEDOM!! 1 Peter 1:3 says we’re free from hopelessness! “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.”

FREEDOM!! “Free from the law, O happy condition, Jesus has bled and there is remission.”

FREEDOM!! In bondage to the elements of this fallen world, we’ve come out of slavery to its passions to BE sons and daughters of God Almighty!

FREEDOM!! Debtors, chained, behind prison bars of our own making, but Jesus opened the prison doors, called His own sheep by name, and led them out.

And Paul challenges us in Galatians 5:1, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which CHRIST HAS MADE US FREE, and do not be entangled with a yoke of bondage.”

Julia Ward Howe, in the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” nailed it: “In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me;…

As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free, While God is marching on.”

George Gordon, Lord Byron, in “Sacred Songs, Sound the Loud Timbrel,” wrote: “Sound the loud timbrel o’er Egypt’s dark sea! Jehovah has triumphed – His people are free.”

What about the “free” Barabbas? I wonder if he heard Paul’s exhortation to the Galatians? (5:13), “For you, brethren, HAVE BEEN CALLED TO LIBERTY; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

LAST TRUTH IN THIS CHAPTER – BARABBAS IS FREE, CHRIST HAS DIED ON THE CROSS OF CALVARY – IS THE CROSS THE CONTINUAL FOCUS OF BARABBAS’ FREEDOM OR A FORGOTTEN MEMORY? It’s five years later – has Barabbas found himself back at the Cross reflectively considering Jesus’ substitutionary sacrifice? Ten years later, forty years later – as Barabbas comes to his death-bed, is the Cross of Christ upon his mind and heart?

I rejoice in John Piper’s statement in “A Godward Life,” (p153), “I could not go on without the Cross. Why? Because periodically I discover surprising sinfulness in me that I did not know anything about. Without the Cross to cover all that, I would despair because I am sure that in the folds of my heart there remains unknown corruption.”

Remembering the Cross? Psalm 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

Remembering the Cross? 1 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.”

Remembering the Cross? Isaiah 53:5, “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.”

Did Barabbas forget? Could we forget? Isaac Watts was so moved by his reflection upon the Cross, he wrote these words: “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 away, It’s all that I can do!…

At the Cross, At the Cross, where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day!” AMEN?

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHRIST JESUS, AND THE FAME OF THE PRIVILEGED

Three verses I want us to read before we examine Christ Jesus, and the Fame of the Privileged: Matthew 27:32, “Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His Cross.”

Mark 15:21, “Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His Cross.”

Luke 23:26, “Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the Cross that he might bear it after Jesus.”

The Cambridge Biographical Encyclopedia, about 1300 pages long, with a short paragraph on the world’s famous people, including political figures, religious leaders, Nobel prize-winners, the Pulitzer prize winners for journalism, sports heroes, like Hammerin’ Hank Aaron, or a Bill Gates catalogued as a computer genius, or South African Nelson Mandela, our 35^th president John F. Kennedy, France’s Napoleon Bonaparte, the popes, the caliphs, the Dalai Lamas, the archbishops, presidents, Supreme Court justices – BUT NO SIMON OF CYRENE!

Is that name familiar to you? Does it even spur any interest? Simon, a Hellenistic Jew, from Cyrene, on the north coast of Africa. Many Cyrenes had come to Jerusalem and established a settlement, no doubt to further their religious education, to establish business contacts, and to build businesses themselves. Simon may have been one of the attendants at the feast, (Acts 2:10), the time period of the celebration of Passover. You know from New Testament History and the Gospels that Jesus had been betrayed by Judas Ischariot, betrayed with a kiss at the price of 30 pieces of silver.

Jesus was arrested, led to the Sanhedrin, where false witnesses unjustly accused Him. Peter denied Him three times. The disciples had fled in fear.

Then as morning came the chief priests and elders plotted to put Jesus to death. They bound Him and led Him away to Pontius Pilate, Roman governor of Judea.

Judas hanged himself out of deep remorse but not one sign of repentance in his heart. “Are You the King of the Jews?” they asked, and Jesus responded, “It is as you say.” Because of the feast they were celebrating, the governor had the authority to release one prisoner. Pilate asked, “Barabbas or Jesus?” And the multitudes cried out, “Release Barabbas – CRUCIFY JESUS!!” “Release Barabbas – CRUCIFY JESUS!!” “Why? What evil has He done?” “Let Him be crucified!!”

An eternal question was asked by Pilate, not only to those gathered around him in the “judgment hall,” but to every one of us – “WHAT THEN WILL YOU DO WITH JESUS WHO IS CALLED CHRIST?”

And you wonder if through his jail-cell Barabbas was a part of that vocal crowd crying out “Crucify Him – Crucify Him!” Jesus was “scourged” – that’s 39 lashes – and Isaiah 52:14 says, “…So His appearance was marred more than any man. And His form more than the sons of men.” Jesus was totally unrecognizable because of the beatings! Jesus was brutalized!

Then they stripped Him naked, put a scarlet robe around Him, twisted that crown of thorns on His head, then put a reed in His hand as a scepter, and mocked Him, “King of the Jews,” “King of the Jews.”

They spat upon Him, struck Him, stripped Him again and led Him away to be crucified. Do you understand? He’s been sleepless, He’s been accused and abused, scourged beyond recognition, suffering few of us could even begin to comprehend – and as He struggled with carrying the Cross, He collapsed.

Then, Matthew 27:32 says, “Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His Cross.” Next stop? Golgatha – “place of the skull,” no doubt a reference to the place of death, and Simon of Cyrene bore the Cross for Jesus.

Do you remember what Mark said as he told the story in Mark 15:21? Simon, “the father of Alexander and Rufus,” two well-known men in the early church. I have no doubts that as Simon bore the Cross for Christ that he saw Jesus die on the Cross for him and became a follower and a faithful father! William Barclay, in his Matthew commentary, stated, (p404), “That which to Simon had seemed his day of shame became his day of shining glory!”

We’ll check the “infamous” in a few moments – but now, put it down in your forever memory, that day in Simon of Cyrene’s life became the day he was lifted to the immortal peak of fame throughout the ages and eternity – Simon bore the Cross for Christ!

Look with me, FIRST, AT THE “INFAMOUS” IN LIGHT OF THE CROSS OF CHRIST JESUS! “Infamous?” The Random House Collegiate Dictionary defines it as shamefully bad, disreputable, notorious, disgraceful, scandalous, heinous. And who would that describe?

What about the religious crowd who for the sake of their traditions crucified Him who IS TRUTH? That’s the High Priest, the chief priests, the elders, the grass-roots’ laity in bondage to what they believed rather than captives of how they behaved or what they were in the inner man!

In Matthew 15:7-9 Jesus, trying to win friends and influence people, being meek and mild, syrupy sweet to gain followers said of that religious crowd, “Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: 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.” In verse 3 Jesus had clearly said, “you transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition.”

What was going on with the religious crowd? They are those who so easily substitute “inward reality” for “outward trivialities,” who would “twist truth” for personal application and satisfaction that had nothing to do with redemption, and from “The Gospel of Done” they settled for selfishly conceived “do’s and don’ts”!

The religious crowd is active but not actualized in Christ! The religious crowd are “fig-leaf” gatherers like Adam and Eve in the Garden finding their own way to cover their nakedness. The religious crowd majors on “flesh” and not on “spirit” and have no understanding of Kingdom Living. Romans 14:17 says, “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.”

The religious crowds are blind to Christ and open to criminals. The religious crowds kill true prophets and bow at the feet of false prophets. The religious crowds are slaves not servants and don’t even know it. Peter nailed it in 2 Peter 2:19, “While they promise liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.”

Religion has never redeemed and regenerated sinful souls – it’s only the relationship of one to the Worthy Lamb that transforms and reconciles to Holy God. What about the political crowd who for the sake of their own positions and prominence assent to our Lord Lord’s crucifixion? Do you not remember Psalm 2:1-3? “Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing?…The kings of the earth themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord and against His anointed, saying, LET US BREAK THE BONDS IN PIECES AND CAST AWAY THEIR CORDS FROM US.”

It is the height of extreme arrogance and utter stupidity for a nation to say that faith and God have no place in the political process. Psalm 9:17 is clear, “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” But then Psalm 33:12 says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord…”

Herod, Pontius Pilate, empires like Rome rise and fall because Holy God is in control. Politicians are blessed or cursed on the sole premise alone of devotion or lack of it to the King of kings and Lord of lords! Pilate sought to wash his hands of responsibility for the crucifixion of Jesus but one’s relationship to Jesus has nothing to do with one’s “hands” and everything to do with the HEART!

What about the street people, the soldiers, the merchants along the streets that led to Golgatha? Were they also vocal or silent? Did they raise their hands in “yes” votes or use those hands, “Stop, Stop. This is wrong.” You know what they did – vocal or silent they were just as guilty and just as infamous. Revelation 19 tells us about the “merchants” who saw their riches go by the wayside because that was what they worshipped. The citizens of a Christless society watch as “the fruit (their) souls longed for has gone” (away)!!

Soldiers who gambled, women warped in their hearts, youth sold out to themselves – all stand guilty before a loving Savior. And what about you and yours and me and mine? What about the citizenry in every nation and continent? Infamous people who because of their inherited and participatory sin natures voted ‘yes’ for the death of Christ. It was because of you, and me, that Jesus died on the Cross. Don’t blame Pilate – look at yourself! Don’t blame the soldiers – look at yourself! Don’t blame the Sanhedrin – look at yourself! Don’t blame Rome – look at yourself! Don’t blame the Jews – look at yourself! Please get this – if you were the only person who ever lived, past, present, or future, in your sinful state, you alone would have voted for Christ Jesus’ death, and because of His love for you, Jesus would have willingly gone to the Cross for you alone – “No man takes My Life from Me – I willingly lay it down!” (Luke 5:32).

SECONDLY, PLEASE LOOK WITH ME AT “THE FAME” THAT COMES TO ONE, LIKE SIMON THE CYRENE, WHO CHOOSES TO BEAR THE CROSS!! Simon’s physical picture of “bearing the Cross” is the spiritual destiny of followers of Christ. In Luke 9:23 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.”

One bears the Cross as a testimony of reconciliation to God: Ephesians 2:16 says, “And that He (Jesus) might reconcile…to God in one body through the Cross…” In 2 Corinthians 5:19 Paul wrote: “that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them…”

Through the shed blood of the Worthy Lamb of God the debit page of one’s life in the Lamb’s Book of Life was cleared, washed clean, declared worthy, righteous, and one is reconciled to God! One, then, bears the Cross as a testimony of a NEW IDENTITY. 2 Corinthians 5:15 declares, “and He (Jesus) died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”

New identity? All that needs to be known is that YOU are a “follower of the Way.” Paul said, “It’s no longer I that live but Christ lives in me.” I may be an American by citizenry but I’m a disciple of Jesus by conversion to His Resurrected Life Eternal! I may be a musician by choice but I’m a disciple of Jesus by calling, conversion, and consecration. Again, Paul said, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”

One bears the Cross as a TESTIMONY OF A NEW WAY OF LIFE WITH NEW HOPES! 2 Corinthians 4:10-11 says, “always carrying about in the body, the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the Life of Jesus 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.”

One bears the Cross as a TESTIMONY OF THE ONLY THING ONE HAS TO BOAST ABOUT OR GLORY IN! Galatians 6:14 says, “But God forbid that I should boast except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Some boast in their wealth and riches. Some boast or glory in their degrees. Some boast in their athletic prowess and strength of body. Some boast in their carefree, reckless, debased lifestyles. I glory only in Christ Jesus and His Cross!

One bears the Cross as a TESTIMONY OF WILLINGNESS TO SUFFER FOR CHRIST AND HIS HONOR. Acts 5:41 says, “So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.

The writer of Hebrews said, (Hebrews 2:9), “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.” And He followed up by saying that the captain of our salvation, through suffering, was “bringing many sons to glory.” And bearing the Cross we willingly “go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach.”

It’s not simply a medal worn around the neck but the mercy of God birthed in the heart. It’s not a picture of something that happened to Christ 2000 years ago only – it’s the fresh painting of selfless lives now living to honor Christ Jesus. Is the oil paint wet and fresh upon your life today as you bear the Cross? Which brings us to the third truth:

WHAT APPEARS TO BE SHAMEFULNESS AMONG MEN IS ALWAYS TRANSFORMING BY GOD HIMSELF INTO ETERNAL BLESSEDNESS AND GLORY!! Did you know that no Roman citizen could ever be put to death by crucifixion because they saw it as TOO SHAMEFUL? Servanthood by the masses of men is seen as nothing more than shameful slavery, yet Jesus said, “I didn’t come to be served, but to serve and give My life a ransom for many.”

Look at Philippians 2:5-11, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God…But made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men…And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the Cross…Therefore God also has highly exalted Him, and given Him the name which is above every name…that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth…and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

LET THIS MIND BE IN YOU – MAKE YOURSELF OF NO REPUTATION – HUMBLE YOURSELF – BE A FOOTWASHER, WASHING MEN’S FEET LIKE CHRIST – TAKE THAT SENTENCE OF DEATH TO YOURSELF – BE THE SERVANT OF OTHERS – GOD CALLS IT “THE WAY OF GREATNESS” – and around you they’ll laugh, they’ll scoff, they’ll ridicule, they’ll persecute, they’ll speak falsely, they’ll even spit upon you with their foul words – BUT GOD?

Your SHAME becomes HIS GAME – and you win! Your SCARS become HIS STARS – and you shine! Your CURSES become HIS BLESSINGS – and you glory! Your INSULTS become HIS NEW NAMES – and you rejoice! Your WOUNDS become HIS KISSES – and you’re healed! Your EMPTYING becomes HIS FILLING – and you’re FULL! Your HUMBLING becomes HIS EXALTING – and He raises you up! Your REJECTION becomes HIS ACCEPTANCE – and your identity is sealed! Your DENIAL becomes HIS DEFINITION – and you’re known by men and angels! Your SUFFERING becomes HIS BADGE OF HONOR – and you’re standing in God’s HALL OF FAME!

Elizabeth Clephane wrote a moving hymn of dedication: “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…

Upon that Cross of Jesus mine eyes 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…

I take, O Cross, your 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!”

She and Simon the Cyrene knew “Christ Jesus and the Fame of Privilege”!!

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CHRIST JESUS, AND THE BLESSING OF THE ACCUSERS

Come with me to Luke 23:33-34. “And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him (Jesus), and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left…Then Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do…And they divided His garments and cast lots.”

Jesus was denied three times by Peter when the big fisherman had said he’d die with Christ. Jesus’ disciples forsook Him and fled and hid. Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. The chief priests, the elders, the Sanhedrin sought false witnesses against Him. He was accused of blasphemy.

They spat on His face, they beat Him, others struck Him with the palms of their hands. They chose Barabbas, a murderer and a seditionist, to be released and cried out boisterously, “Crucify Jesus!” They scourged and flogged Him with 39 lashes with a stranded whip of leather, sharp glass, and razor-like pieces of steel so brutalizing that He was beyond recognition.

The soldiers in the garrison stripped Him naked, they put a scarlet robe around Him, they twisted a crown of thorns on His head, and put a reed in His hand as a scepter to mock Him…”Hail, King of the Jews,” as they knelt before Him in ridicule. They took off the robe and paraded Him through the streets naked again as they led Him to be crucified. AND HE WAS – brutally crucified, an act so horrendous no Roman citizen could ever be crucified.

The rulers taunted Him, “He saved others,” as they sneered, “let Him save Himself if He is the Son of God!” And they laughed. The soldiers gambled for His garments. The crowds taunted Him. The rulers belittled Him. Then they pierced His side with a spear and immediately out flowed blood and water. (A broken heart?). But before He died, He said, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do.” THE BLESSINGS OF THE ACCUSERS!

I want you to come with me to Psalm 22 and see this prophetic heart-cry of the Messiah and see an eternally vital truth: especially verses 21, 24, 30-31:

Verse 21, “Save Me from the lion’s mouth And from the horns of the wild oxen!” Verse 24, “For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from Him; But when He cried to Him, He heard.” Verses 30-31, “A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation…They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, That He has done this.”

Oh, how I want you to see that God heard and answered the prayer of Jesus, and His accusers have a blessing that is to be appropriated. In Deuteronomy 30:19 God spoke, “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and a curse; therefore – choose life, that both you and your descendants may live…”

And when you look at the Cross, what do you see? You see life or death, blessing or a curse, and the decision rests in your heart, in your will, and in your own free choice! If you don’t believe it’s the will of God to bless you, it’s because of a blinded mind, a self-determining lifestyle, and a total ignorance of the Word, Will, and Way of God. Listen: Genesis 49:25-26, “By the God of your father who will help you, And by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessing of the deep that lies beneath blessings of the breast and of the womb…The blessings of your father have excelled the blessings of my ancestors, up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills…”

Peter said he didn’t want God’s children living under a curse: (1 Peter 3:9), “returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.” Which leads us to the first truth in this chapter I want you to see:

I WANT YOU TO SEE, KNOW, UNDERSTAND, AND REJOICE IN THE HEART OF THE SPIRIT, THE NATURE, THE CHARACTER, THE GOD-LIKENESS OF THE ONE WHO PASSIONATELY LONGS FOR “YOU” TO BE FORGIVEN AND TO WALK IN THE BLESSING! In Luke, as Jesus was dying on the Cross, He looked around at His tormentors and said, “Father, forgive them,” and it is not a sad delusion, an out-of-character remark. It was not because they’d given Jesus a mind-altering drug. It was not because He wanted to be God-like when He wasn’t. WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET!

It is not that He’s able to share ‘some’ truth – HE IS TRUTH! It is not that He does merciful things – HE IS MERCY! It is not that He’s capable of doing loving things – HE IS LOVE! And it is not that He can express an act of forgiving – HE IS FORGIVENESS!

Come to Mark 2:3-11 and see what is revealed: “Then they came to Jesus, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men…And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was… So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”…And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts…”Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”…But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His Spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?…Which is easier to say to the paralytic…”Your sins are forgiven you,” or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk?’ But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins” – He said to the paralytic…I say to you, Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house!”

How awesome! “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” But that you (doubters) may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins – “RISE UP AND WALK!” And he did! Why didn’t Jesus raise him up first? Because Jesus knows the greatest dilemma any man faces, the greatest paralysis that holds us down, the biggest noose around our necks, is sin and guilt!

And I say to you A FORGIVEN MAN IS BLESSED whether he’s paralyzed or not! God IS forgiveness and wants you to walk in it! What does Romans 5:8 say? “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

“Demonstrates?” The KJV says, “commendeth,” or “to introduce, to EXHIBIT,” which means to clearly UNVEIL for man’s understanding the very heart of God. “Demonstrates” is a present tense verb in Greek which means “God demonstrates AND HE KEEPS ON DEMONSTRATING HIS LOVE FOR US!”

Christ “DIED” for us…is a past tense verb. It happened historically 2000 years ago. Listen to 1 Peter 3:18!! “Christ also suffered ONCE for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.” “Father, forgive them…” Jesus alone unveils the heart of God. “For God so loved the world…” BC – “before Christ” AD – “in the year of our Lord.”

It is the eternal hope of God that a past event, “Christ died,” brings a present reality of understanding of the grace, the greatness, and the guarantee of God who passionately longs for you to be forgiven and reconciled to Him!

What is, “we love Him because He first loved us,” if not an illumining of our own minds and hearts about the nature of the God we serve! Can you even begin to comprehend what the life of that paralytic was like after Jesus forgave him and raised him up? What did he think about God? What was his new walk all about? What consumed him as he thought about Jesus “who is God and forgives sin?”

In 1 Samuel 10:26 there’s a verse that says, “Saul also went to his house in Gibeah; and the valiant men whose hearts GOD HAD TOUCHED went with him.” God is not some absentee landlord. God is not an uncaring, unavailable Ruler. God isn’t lounging on a cloud somewhere in a distant universe beyond our reach. Samuel said, “the valiant men whose hearts God had touched!” That’s God’s nature, that’s God’s Spirit, that’s God’s awesome longing…that’s His divine intent – they didn’t just hear God; they didn’t have some mysterious, foggy cloud resting upon them; they were not touched by some illusive spirit – it says, “the valiant men whose hearts GOD HAD TOUCHED!”

Do you understand? The paralytic could have settled into “a pity party;” he could have settled for a bath in a tub of bitterness; he could have closed the door, shut the blinds, and rotted in darkness.

But I believe he heard his four friends, “We’re taking you to see Jesus; He’s healed the sick, cast out demons, called men to follow Him; He said, ‘When you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen God!” He’s the Healer, He raises the dead, He gives men hope, He’s the mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, the government is upon His shoulders, He’s the Savior, Promised Messiah, Worthy Lamb, He gives new hope, new meaning, new purpose, new direction, new power to sustain a life of faith. We’re going to see Jesus, and we’re taking you!”

SECONDLY, LOOK AT THE PRICELESS, PRINCELY, PRESENT PARDON THAT IS AVAILABLE! Verse 35, Luke 23, “And the people stood looking on.” Jesus had just prayed to the Father, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And what we’re hearing is the heart of God concerning fallen man’s redemption and reconciliation to Holy God. What we’re hearing is the heart of God for man’s restoration to His eternal intent! And His remedy makes that possible!

What we’re hearing is that as Jesus died on the Cross, we died with Him, and the opening door to Resurrection Living is divine forgiveness and Jesus was paying the price for it! What did Peter say? 1 Peter 1:18-21, “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers…but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot…He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you…who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and your hope are in God.”

Have you grasped it? Before God created us He knew about the Fall! Before He created us He knew about the separation! And before we were even born God took the initiative to provide a way of escape for us. God planned YOUR redemption before the world began. God strategized and implemented your pardon before the world’s beginning. Receive 2 Corinthians 5:19! “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.”

The word of reconciliation? There is PARDON? For whom? Reconciling the world of fallen humanity, the world of sinners, the world of pagans, the world of idolaters, the world of unbelievers, the world of atheists and agnostics, the world of sorcerers, the world of the immoral, the world of the spiritually blind, even the world that hates God! There’s pardon – God does not impute their trespasses to the ledger sheets of their lives!! Listen so very, very carefully to 1 John 2:2, “And He (Jesus) Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” How awesome! NO LIMITED ATONEMENT!

Does that mean all are saved? Of course not because we’re going to see in a few moments a pardon can be accepted or rejected, truly acknowledged or flatly denied, gladly rejoicing in or vehemently opposed to! Do you understand “UNIVERSAL OPPORTUNITY”?

In Romans 10:12 Paul wrote, “For there is no difference between the Jews and the Greeks; for the same Lord over all IS RICH UNTO ALL THAT CALL UPON HIM.” Which is why God spoke through the wise man of Proverbs (1:24), “Because I have called and you refused, I have stretched out My hand and no one regarded.” “I called – you refused.”

Jesus is no liar! In Luke 11:10 He said, “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” If you haven’t learned it yet you need to know that God is no respecter of persons. His pardon is available to all!

Consider it – a pardon to pastors, a pardon for criminals, a pardon for Miss Americas, a pardon for prostitutes, a pardon for popes, a pardon for the former Usama bin Ladens, a pardon for kings, a pardon for the homeless, a pardon for an FDR, a pardon for a Hitler, a pardon for an Ollie North, a pardon for a Genghis Khan, a pardon for Mother Teresa, a pardon for Molly Ivans, a pardon for Constantine, a pardon for a Ted Kennedy, a pardon for an Abraham Lincoln, a pardon for a Michael Moore, a pardon for a Laura Bush, a pardon for a Bette Midler, a pardon for the straights, a pardon for the gays, a pardon for professing Christians, a pardon for the Hindus, a pardon for TD Jakes, a pardon for a Jesse Jackson, a pardon for a Bill Gates, a pardon for Condelezza Rice, a pardon for the broke and broken of the world. But… it’s “Whosoever WILL may come…!”

But then we have to see the last truth in this passage: A PRESENT PARDON PURCHASED BY THE SAVIOR’S BLOOD CAN BE ACCEPTED OR REJECTED! Come to Luke 23:48-49, “And the whole crowd who came together at that sight, seeing what had been done, beat their breasts and returned…But all His acquaintances and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.”

A crowd walked away – the crowd had fixed their eyes on Jesus. Some were sorry – some were saved. Some were drawn – some were repelled. Some were doubt-filled – some were totally trusting. Some were converted – some were simply curious. Some were believers – some were unbelievers. Some came to the “Light” – some were held back by their darkness. Some were willing to count all things lost for the sake of knowing Christ – some were contented to hold on to what they had and who they were.

Do you remember the rich young ruler who asked about inheriting eternal life? Jesus said to him, (Luke 18:22), “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me…” But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich. He rejected his pardon because his heart bowed faithfully to his idol of greed!

Acceptance or rejection! Naomi said to Ruth, (Ruth 1:15), “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” And what did Ruth say? “Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after 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>” Acceptance or rejection!

Life-style of Ruth or life-style of Orpah? Life-style of Jesus or life-style of the rich young ruler? After hearing Paul’s testimony, King Agrippa said, “Paul, you almost persuaded me to be a Christian.” Almost, but lost! What did Joshua say? “Choose you this day whom you will serve! As for me and my house we’ll serve the Lord.”

Sad, sad verse in John 6:66 which says, “From that time many of His disciples went back and WALKED WITH JESUS NO MORE.” And then Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” And Peter responded, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

It was Peter Drucker who said, “A decision is a judgment. It is a choice between alternatives.” And that is so true…a choice between alternatives: life or death, blessing or the curse, Christ or the corruption of the self-life, heaven or hell, meaninglessness or eternal purpose, on God’s side or the Devil’s, reborn or religious, same-old-same-old or a new passion…

The temporal or the eternal, Babylon or New Jerusalem, darkness or “Light”, the dying ember of me or the Bright and Morning Star, fleshly hollowness or a faithful hero of Christ Jesus, super sinner or super saint, lord of my own life and my own kingdom or servant of Resurrection Life and the Kingdom of God, restrained in my own selfish affections or released loving God with all my mind, heart, soul, and strength…?”

It was Spurgeon who said, “Forgiven sin is better than accumulated wealth,” which is why Jesus stated in Matthew 16:26, “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?”

The pardon – accepted or rejected? The pardon – received or refused?

The pardon – sins remitted or sin the noose around your neck? The pardon – declared as righteous as Christ or continuing to live under the cloud of your own unrighteousness?

The pardon – freedom from bondage or still a slave to your old sin nature? The pardon – forgiveness or guilt?

The pardon – oneness with God or separation from Him? The pardon – whiteness through the blood of the Lamb or the blackness of heart my sin produces?

The pardon – escaping final judgment or enveloped by fear of the day appointed that I cannot escape? The pardon – serenity and soundness in Christ or sorrowfulness with the Judas’?

The pardon – redeemed, reconciled, regenerated by God or the rebel by heart with the Devil and his angels?

The pardon – the riches of God’s grace or the accumulated indebtedness and fraud of the unbelievers? The pardon – new creation in Christ or ‘same-old’ First Adam?

The pardon – saint or sinner? Servant or slave, realization or devastation? Transformation or the same rotting flesh?

The pardon – marriage to God or divorce from God? Complete in Christ or short in self? Restored relationship with God through Christ or a total relational breakdown?

The pardon – raised up to be seated with Christ in heavenly places or because of my extreme selfishness put down to reserved seats in Hell?

Listen to Isaiah 55:7, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous 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.”

Micah 7:18 says, “Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage.” 1 John 1:9 says it all: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

AND YOU’VE GOT A BETTER OFFER, A BETTER REMEDY, A BETTER SALVATION? WAKE UP BEFORE IT’S EVERLASTINGLY TOO LATE!!

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

“CHRIST JESUS – KING JESUS”

Three passages I want to use to lay a strong Foundation: Isaiah 9:6-7, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. 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.”

Luke 23:33 says, “And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.”

Revelation 19:11-16, “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war…His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself…He was clothed with a white robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God…And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses…Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God…And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

You realize that those most responsible for nailing Jesus to the Cross were the religious people of the day. They were the “well-informed.” When wise men from the east came to Jerusalem asking “Where is He that is born King of the Jews?”, the chief priests told Herod the Scriptures foretold of one born in Bethlehem, He was to be the Governor, and rule the people of Israel.

And because they didn’t want Jesus to be the King of their hearts, homes, and lives, there were some who refused to acknowledge His Kingship. Others just simply ignored His Kingly Life. Some thought that to remain ignorant about the Nazarene was a state of bliss but became Hell’s burden.

But then the active enemies made their move: “People say Jesus is a King. King Jesus, that’s it. King Jesus, and certainly He ought to be identified as head of a royal family. He ought to have a royal insignia, He ought to be branded, and they tore off His clothes, and with cat-tail whips, cut His back to shreds and called Him, “King Jesus!”

“As the King, He ought to have a crown!” And from the thorny plants of the landscape, they platted a crown, and pressed it down upon the brow of Heaven’s King; they crowned Him King Jesus, and blood flowed from His tender cheeks. “The King of Israel – we ought to give Him a testimony of allegiance,” and from their vile, dirty, sinful mouths, was hurled profane insults, wretched resentment, and cruel hatred. They spat upon Him.

“He’s a King, and He ought to be viewed by His subjects.” So they took a heavy cross, laid it upon Jesus, and led Him out into the streets: “He, bearing His own cross went forth to the place called Calvary.”

“King Jesus is His name! We ought to have an audience, we ought to be introduced.” So they stood before Him, raised their hands in superficial salutes, came down upon His face with brutal slaps, and then unsympathetically pulled beard from His face and yanked unmercifully at His hair.

As they arrived at Calvary – Golgotha – place of the skull, they said, “As King of Israel He ought to be royally dressed,” so they stripped Jesus naked, stark naked, to the gaze of immodest, unchaste, sin-clouded men.

“King?” “He ought to have a throne!” So they nailed Jesus to a cross. “King? He ought to be blessed with companions complimentary of His heavenly office.” They nailed Jesus to the tree, raised Him up, and then on either side of Him hung two thieves! They took the Lily of the Valley and set Him between poison ivy! They took the Rose of Sharon and put Him in the midst of a godless garden! They raised Him up to die! They wanted to put an end to Christ Jesus, but they didn’t know He’s Alpha and Omega, eternal beginning, eternal end!! Above His head they raised a sign, “King of the Jews;” they raised it high. For them it was not a lift to prominence and preeminence, but the laugh of perverted, paralyzed hearts and minds.

It was not honor bestowed but dishonor bared from the hearts of callous men. There was no design to share His glory, but to scorn Him as He faced the grave. It was not in their hearts to alleviate His pain and shame of crucifixion, but an attempt to add to His disgrace.

“This is Jesus – The King? This is Jesus – the King of the Jews?” And down the hill called Mt. Calvary rolled sounds of laughing mockery and taunts — King of the Jews, King of the Jews…more laughter and derision!! Yet from ungodly men, unbelieving minds, unwilling hearts, raised over the head of Jesus was and is Eternity’s greatest Truth, “THIS IS THE KING – KING JESUS IS HIS NAME!!”

He may have been uncrowned in their lives, but He’s still the King. He may have been rejected by them, but He still reigns. He may have been ridiculed by a heartless crowd, but He’s still King of God’s created order both now and forever! It may have been a maligning in their mean, malicious hearts and minds, but the Song of the Ages is still being sung, “The Majesty and Magnificence of the Master, Jesus Christ, Who Is King of kings and Lord of lords!”

Notice, FIRST, CHRIST JESUS HAS ALWAYS BEEN KING!! Genesis 1:26 says, “Let US make man in our image…and let them have dominion over..the earth.” Before there was a Kingdom as we know it, there was THE KING! Before there were citizens, His rule had been eternally established!

What did John say? John 1:1-4, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the WORD WAS GOD…He was in the beginning with God…All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made…In Him was life, the life was the light of men.” Doesn’t it absolutely amaze you that one like John is entrusted with the Truth of the ages? Led by God’s Holy Spirit John majored on the Man who IS the message! And it’s out of ETERTNITY!

In Colossians 1:17 Paul told the church at Colossae, “…He is before all things..” Then through John again, (John 8:58), Jesus said unto them, “verily, verily I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM!” Not the Mormon heresy that they teach, “As man is, God was; as God is, so man may become.” No, a thousand times, No! Hebrews 7:3 says of Jesus, “…having neither beginning of days, nor end of life…He abides continually.” Always has been – always will be!

To the Father, John 17:5, Jesus prayed, “And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own self with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” Without a doubt, Jesus IS “the same yesterday, and today, and forever!!”

SECOND, JESUS IS THE KING OF PROPHECY AND PROMISE!! Come to Genesis 49:10, “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, UNTIL SHILOH COMES; and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be.”

God gave Moses that call of leading His people to the Promised Land. And in Exodus 32:34 God gave a promise, “behold, My Angel shall go before you.” I truly believe that’s Christ Jesus! And if you don’t know about the Bright and Morning Star, Numbers 24:17 tells you, “…there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel…”

Look at Deuteronomy 18:15, “The Lord your God will raise up unto you a Prophet from your midst, of your brethren, like unto Me, and unto Him you shall hearken.” Isaiah the prophet made it even clearer, Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulders; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”

Abraham declared, “The King Is Coming!” Moses declared, “The King Is Coming!” Samuel declared, “The King Is Coming!” David declared, “The King of Kings Is Coming!” Jeremiah declared, “The King Is Coming!” Micah declared, “The King Is Coming!” Isaiah declared, “The King Is Coming!”

Do you realize it? Seven hundred years before Christ’s birth, God opened Isaiah’s eyes to see not only The Suffering Servant wounded for our transgressions willfully, but saw also the “government upon His shoulders.” He saw Him, King of kings and Lord of lords!

It was Josh Macdowell who told of an MIT mathematics professor who was asked to calculate what the odds were for one man to fulfill only eight of the four hundred prophecies in the Old Testament. If you didn’t know, Christ Jesus fulfilled all four hundred of them! But one person meeting only eight? The professor calculated and found it to be one in ten to the seventeenth power! That’s a 10 with 17 zeroes after it!! Jesus is King of prophecy and promise!

But also notice Christ Jesus was “Kingly” in His birth! Matthew 2:1-2 says, “…wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is He that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him!”

It was a Kingly birth because it was God-ordained and God-implanted. It was a Kingly birth because it was Angel-announced. It was a Kingly birth because it was Holy Spirit – conceived. It was a Kingly birth because it was Star-directed. It was a Kingly birth because it was shepherd-praised. It was a Kingly birth because it was “wise-men-confirmed”!

Jesus wasn’t born to someday maybe be a king – He was Born A King! He wasn’t born to eventually earn a crown – He was born the King! He wasn’t born to possibly wrest the rule from ungodly men – He was BORN King of kings! “WHERE IS HE THAT IS BORN KING OF THE JEWS?”

Also Jesus is “King of the Calendar”: B.C. doesn’t mean before Columbus! B.C. doesn’t mean before Confucius! B.C. calendar dated means “before Christ!” A.D. doesn’t mean in the Age of Aquarius. It doesn’t mean in the Age of the Survival of the fittest! A.D. means “In The Year Of Our Lord!”

Job understood it, Job 24:1, “…the times are not hidden from the Almighty.” David understood, Psalm 31:15, “My times are in Your hand…” Paul knew the King of the calendar: Acts 17:26, “…He has determined the times BEFORE appointed, and the bounds of their habitation.”

What does the hymn say? “I need You every hour, stay Thou near by…Tempations lose their power, When You are nigh.” Manuel Scott, great Negro preacher, shared a slave’s prayer he found: “Father, I thank You for last night’s lying down, And this morning’s rising; I thank You, That my bed was not my cooling board, And my cover was not my winding sheet; I thank You, for You touched me with a finger of love, And bidding my golden moments to roll on…a little while longer.” Are your times in the Savior’s hands?

Jesus is King of the physical universe! Look at your New Testament! He takes a stormy sea, speaks to it, and it becomes a sea of glass. He touches the raging winds and they become sweet, cool breezes upon His sacred brow. He faces matchless mountains and moves them. He faces uncrossable rivers and walks on them. He speaks to rocks and there flows streams of living waters. He takes water and turns it into the ruddy red fruit of the vine. He’s got the whole world in His hands – He’s King Jesus!

He is also King of all precious truth: Only 12 years of age, but He stood in the Holy Temple to confound the wisest of Jerusalem’s leaders. It wasn’t long into His public ministry before multitudes were crying out, “No Man ever spoke like that.”

In Mark 1:27, “And they were all AMAZED, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, ‘what new thing is this? What new doctrine is this? He speaks as One having authority, and not as the scribes!!”

In John 18:37 Pilate said unto Jesus, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say I am a King. To this end was I born, and for this cause I came into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said, “What is truth?” And you know don’t you? John 14:6 declares, Jesus speaking, “I am the Truth!” Jesus, the King of Truth! God says, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him.” Have you heard Him? Have you answered? Have you responded? Have you received Him? Have you crowned Him King of your heart and home?

Jesus is also King over SIN!! He came without sin. 2 Corinthians 5:21 declares, “God made Him to be sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.” We all in our fleshly lives were shameless sinners, but Christ who had no sin, took our sin upon Himself, and we received by grace the Righteousness of God credited to our account! The angel said, “You shall call His name Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins.” At the Cross Jesus was fully immersed in our sinfulness, His blood was shed, and the covenant between Jesus and the Father, made the washing of all sin fully available to any man! He truly is: “Able to save to the uttermost (the one the furtherest away from God) who come to God through Him. Paul said to the church at Galatia, (1:4), “He gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of God…”

Bonhoeffer, martyred German Christian, from prison, (Letters and Papers From Prison, p164) wrote: “Only a suffering God can help!” And he spoke of Christ Jesus, King of kings who suffered for our sins! Have YOU crowned Him King over YOUR sins?

Jesus is KING OVER LIFE: John 10:10, Jesus speaking, “I am come that they might have LIFE and that abundantly…” “Amazing sight the Savior stands and knocks at every door…Ten thousand blessings in His hand, to satisfy the poor.”

I tell you, you are poor in life if you’re trying to live without the Lord Jesus Christ! You are spiritually bankrupt in life if you’re living apart from Jesus! It’s a deprived life if He’s not King of your heart and your home! 2 Corinthians 8:9 says, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might be rich.” He’s rich in grace, rich in generosity, rich in gratitude, rich in gentleness, rich in goodness, rich in the Gathering Together of God’s family, rich in great joy, rich in forgiveness, rich in a Godly, eternal hope!

Jesus is KING OVER DEATH: 1 Corinthians 15:25-26 clearly says, “For He MUST REIGN, till He has put all enemies under His feet…The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” In verse 55 Paul asks, “O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?” “Up from the grave He arose With a mighty triumph over His foes. He arose a victor from the dark domain, And He lives forever with His saints to reign. He arose, He arose, Hallelujah! Christ AROSE!!…Death cannot keep his prey…Jesus my Savior! He tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord!”

Jesus is the King who waits to be crowned in your repentant heart!! “that at the name of Jesus, every knee would bow, every tongue confess that Jesus is King, to the glory of God the Father!!” Charles Howard, (Evangelism, 1962, p90), preached: “Life is so hideously incomplete without the Kingship of Jesus. The flowers would be as incomplete without their color and fragrance. The retina of the eye would be as incomplete without its light. The lung without its breath, the artery without its blood, the book without its pages, the sea without its water, the body without its life.” It is so right to make Jesus King of your repentant heart!

In the midst of World War 11 there came a great American Love Story. A soldier in the battlefield in Europe had a lovely sweetheart back home. He was from the West. She was from the East. They corresponded as often as the censers allowed letters through. There came a time when she stopped receiving letters. There had been no news of his death or that he’d been wounded. She was very upset, uptight, waiting, wondering. Then one day a letter came in a strange handwriting. Anxiously she opened it and read: “Dear Nelly, you’ll not recognize this handwriting because another is writing it for me. I wanted to write you oftener than I have. I wanted to write this letter before to tell you something. Nelly, one of those awful days on the battlefield I lost both arms. The one that is writing this letter to you knows that I can’t write because I have no arms or hands with which to write. But I want you to know that I love you more than I loved you when we kissed good-by two years ago. But I cannot hold you to your promise to marry me, an armless man, so I release you from your promise to be my wife.” She read the letter again and again. What did she do? What would any Christ-like, loving, young lady do? She caught the first train she could catch that would take her to the VA hospital where he was located. Hurriedly she made her way to the hospital that held and was helping her soldier boy home from the war. She found out his bed-number and excitedly made her way through aisle and cots until she came to where he was. She knelt beside him, put her arms around him, her sweetheart, and said, “Oh, Tom, you’re mine, you’re mine. And I love you, and I’ll be your right arm and I’ll be your left arm until death do us part.”

How I pray that as you heard or read this, that you’re saying, “King Jesus, here are my hands since Yours were nailed to the Cross for me. Here are my feet to carry you where you want to go. Here’s my tongue to testify of the tenderness of Your love for a loveless world. Here’s me. Take me. “Lord, lift me up and let me stand, By faith, on heaven’s tableland…A higher plane than I have found, Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

What does this all mean? 1) There is to be a DECISION OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT – “That at the name of Jesus, King Jesus, every knee is to bow…” 2) There is the DUTY OF ACCEPTANCE – “and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father, and 3) There must be a DECLARATION OF ALLEGIANCE – “that they which live should live no longer unto themselves but unto Him who loved them and gave Himself for them.”

Revelation 11:15 says, “And the seventh angel sounded: and there were great voices in heaven saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, of our Christ: and He shall reign forever and ever.”

Luke 1:33 says, “…And of His kingdom there shall be no end…”

“Crown Him with many crowns, The Lamb upon His throne…Hark how the heavenly anthem drowns All music but its own! Awake, my soul, and sing of Him who died for thee; And hail Him as your matchless King, throughout eternity.” AMEN?

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

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 2:6-7, 9-10, “As you therefore have 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…Vss 9-10, 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.”

1 John 4:17c, “…because as He is, so are we in this world.”

These are amazing revelations about OUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST!! Sadly however many have never come into the fullness of God’s unveiling of who we are in Christ. Please, don’t misunderstand, I rejoice that our sins are forgiven and that we’re going to Heaven someday [OR Heaven coming down, with our new life in Christ fitted for His honor and praise!], but what about in between?

There is a marvelous message we need to hear, to learn, to celebrate about…and a destiny and walk we must fulfill!

We were the old man…Now, we are the New Man in Christ! We once were “lost”…But now, we’re found! We were of the old sin nature…But now we are partakers 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 as to divine intent…but now we’re purpose-filled! We were sons of the devil…but now we’re sons of God! “Jesus and Me!!” What did Paul say? “We are complete in Christ, LACKING NOTHING!”

LOOK FIRST AT OUR “LIFE”: John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I (Christ Jesus) have come that they might have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Rather than death which I was walking in, Christ Jesus gives me LIFE – that which is of the Spirit, is abundant, and is eternal!

Rather than rejection, Christ Jesus gives me acceptance! Rather than separation from God, Jesus gives me Oneness! Rather than the bitter consequences, He gives me the forever sweet!

Rather than spiritual poverty, He gives me riches in His grace! Rather than meaninglessness, He gives me the Life of Purpose, Eternal Purpose! Rather than my weakness, He gives me His strength!

Rather than my doubts, He gives me His certain Faith! Rather than my downfalls, He gives Me His uplifting, even into the Eternal realm!

Rather than my lost-ness, He gives me His found-ness! Rather than my fears, Jesus gives me His confidence! Rather than my loss, Christ Jesus gives me His gain!

Rather than my trash, He gives me His treasures! Rather than my sinfulness, 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 AND character! Rather than my guilt, He gives me an eternal pardon! Rather than my curse, Jesus grants me His eternal blessing!

Rather than my nothingness, He gives me His inheritance, granting me the status of “joint-heir”! 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, Christ Jesus gives me His aliveness together in the Godhead! Rather than my aloneness, Jesus gives me togetherness in the unity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit!

Rather than my hopelessness, He gives to me the Eternal Hope! Rather than my disappointment in who I am, He gives me satisfaction in who He is! Rather than my troubles, He gives me His peace that passes all understanding!

Rather than my decaying building, Christ makes me the Holy Temple of His Presence! Rather than my oldness like a discarded garment, He gives to me the confidence of my completion in Him!

Rather than the rotting fruit of my sinfulness, He gives me the fruit of His everlasting righteousness! Rather than my orphan state in the spiritual realm He makes me an adopted son of Holy 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 Everlasting Kingdom!

Rather than my discontentment with my life as it is in the fleshly nature of fallen humanity, He grants me 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 and in Him! 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 a 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 faithfulness or my faithlessness, He tells me the One who calls me IS FAITHFUL AND WILL FINISH WHAT HE STARTS IN ME!

Rather than my sense of fleshly fears 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, God Almighty assures me He stands with me and will strengthen me and, yes, guard my soul commitment to Him!

Rather than my sense of a surrounding and siege of the Enemy, Christ Jesus assures me that I am held in God’s arms of Holy Love! Rather than fear because of life’s temptations, the Lord Jesus assures me there’s mercy and grace present at His throne!

Listen to 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 ETERNAL” He’s given us!

In 2 Corinthians 5:15 Paul wrote: “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 your percentage of righteousness? 50%, 65%, 30%, or maybe 75%? Terrible answers!! NO!! 100% righteous because “As Jesus is…So am I!!” 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 Christ in me!

SECOND, CHRIST JESUS IS MY LOVE! Come to 1 John 4:8-10, 19…Follow carefully! “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…v19, 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 declaration and interpretation of a Loving Savior! That’s the symphony of praise sung by both men and angels: “GOD IS LOVE!” Look at Creation – and you see God who IS LOVE! Look at the Cross – 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 so clearly declares, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” And how do some so easily avoid or ignore Jeremiah 31:3? “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!

Receive 1 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!” Oh, and then 1 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!!

THIRD, JESUS IS MY LIGHT! John 8:12, “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” and “nighttime.” It’s as if our world, our lives are like a divided street…right down the middle!! Over here is darkness – over here 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 tells us, Jesus Himself speaking TO US: “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, As He Is – so are we! “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…”

CALLED TO BE ILLUMINATING LIGHTS IN OUR LIFE IN CHRIST IN THE MIDST OF A PARALYZING DARKNESS! Where there’s darkness, we must go because Light penetrates darkness and DISPELS IT!

Darkness is prohibitive of seeing! But when the Light shines people see things they never saw before or never knew they 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 is birthed. Darkness will get one into ditches you didn’t even know were there, but Light shows that Highway of Holiness fully lit by Christ Jesus! Darkness is for the powers of darkness, but Light will chase them away!

FOURTH, JESUS IS MY LIBERTY! Colossians 1:13 says, “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 (NKJ), “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…”

Hebrews 2:14-16 tells us, “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, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again in a yoke of bondage.” John 8:31-32 says, “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, about sixty years ago, on athletic scholarship for football, I had a teammate named Bill Green, big tackle from, I believe, Temple, Texas. He told me once of his pilot-brother who flew cargo planes during the Second World War.

On an 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 72 mules in 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 planes 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 Himilayan 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 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 our 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 brokenhearted, 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, Andrae 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.” AMEN?

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

KNOWING GOD – THROUGH CHRIST JESUS, OUR LORD AND SAVIOR

One of the most enlightening passages in all of scripture is found in John 17:3 where Jesus said, “And this is eternal life, that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

As the Apostle Paul walked through the streets of Athens his spirit was provoked within him as he observed the city full of idols. Preaching to a crowd of intellectuals gathered at Mars Hill, he said that as he was observing their objects of worship he came upon an altar inscribed, “To An Unknown God.” Paul then boldly announced, “I proclaim to you the God you do not know!”

You can know Him! He desires for men to know Him. He wants us to know Him intimately and personally, it is life changing – “It is eternal life”! In Psalm 98:2 the declaration is clear, “The Lord has made known His salvation; He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations.” Psalm 9:16 says, “The Lord has made Himself known.”

In spite of God’s desire to be known, Paul declared Him to be “The Unknown God.” To the church at Corinth Paul said, “the world through its wisdom did not come to know God.” 1 John 3:1 says, “the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.” Romans 1:18-21 shows us that man can know God and that his lack of knowledge concerning God is inexcusable. Paul wrote, “that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them…they are without excuse!”

What is it that prevents us from knowing Him? In Romans 3:10-11, & 23 Paul reveals the answer to that question: “As it is written, there is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” It causes me to wonder, what would Paul have to say to us if he visited our cities and chur5ches? Upon examining our objects of worship he would say the same thing to us that he said to the religious intellectuals in Athens? “I PROCLAIM TO YOU THE GOD YOU DO NOT KNOW!”

In Galatians 4:8-11 Paul reveals the tragedy of a man coming to the knowledge of God and then turning back to the very things that prevented him from knowing God to begin with. “However, at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.”

Many people have come to know God and turned back; they allow worthless, elemental things to lead them astray. Many have come to know the Covenant-keeping God, yet have not followed the example of Abraham in driving away the vultures from the Covenant-carcass (Genesis 15:11). Paul spoke of this in Romans 1 saying, “even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God…they exchanged the truth of God for a lie!”

Throughout the New Testament we are warned not to follow in the same example of disobedience that is recorded for us in the history of the nation of Israel. In Hosea 8:1-3 the Lord said, “Put the trumpet to your lips! Like an eagle, the enemy comes against the house of the Lord; because they have transgressed My Covenant, and rebelled against My law. They cry out to Me, ‘My God, we of Israel know You!’ But Israel has rejected the good; the enemy will pursue him.”

The Lord spoke to Israel through the prophet Isaiah saying in Isaiah 1:2-3, “Sons I have reared and brought up, but they have revolted against Me. An ox knows its owner, and a donkey its master’s manger, but ISRAEL DOES NOT KNOW, MY PEOPLE DO NOT UNDERSTAND.”

His people are no different today. We have the “practical atheists” filling churches every Sunday in large numbers. Paul said in Titus 1:16, “they profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.” Just as God warned His people through the mouth of His prophets in the Old Covenant, He is warning His people of the New Covenant. His trumpet is sounding forth today also! Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica, “the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God AND to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.” [2 Thessalonians 1:7-9].

It is an awesome scriptural truth that many walk with Jesus and yet never know Him. They have an awareness of who He is, they know about Him, but never come to truly know Him. Many have witnessed His miracle-working power, and yet have never allowed that power to change their heart6s; in fact, many deny the power of God CAN change their hearts. They do not know Him. Paul describes these people in 2 Timothy 3:7 saying they are “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

This truth is demonstrated in the life of Phillip, one of the twelve apostles. After ministering with the Lord for over three years and being taught directly by Jesus Himself, on the night of the Lord’s arrest he said to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus responded with a rebuke, “Have I been so long with you, and yet, you have not come to know Me, Phillip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father.”

There is, on the other hand, that gracious Word of Hope! Paul declares in 2 Timothy 1:12, “I know whom I have believed.” GLORY!! WE CAN KNOW HIM!

[The Word of God has much to say on the subject of Knowing God – Through Christ Jesus – Our Lord! And space will not allow an exhaustive coverage of each point. But I encourage you to follow through in your Bible and allow the Holy Spirit to minister to you through His Word as you look up each reference.]. Notice,

KNOWING GOD THROUGH CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD AND SAVIOR RESULTS IN A CHANGED, CONVERTED LIFE! 1 John 5:20 teaches that “the Son of God has come, and HAS GIVEN US UNDERSTANDING, in order that we might know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the True God and Eternal Life.” Verse 11 of that same chapter tells us that the witness of God is this, “that God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son.”

“We have known the darkness, but Christ is our Light.” Paul said in Ephesians 5:8, “you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light.” We must come to the light and allow our hearts to be exposed and purified by it.

“We have known ‘the lie’” handed down to us from the garden of Eden, that man can sin and not die. God is still saying to us that “the wages of sin is death,” and the devil is still saying, “you surely shall not die.” The result of our believing Satan’s lie was death. Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:1, “you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you formerly walked.” Life in Christ is freedom from the penalty and power of sin that separated us from Holy God. We can now come to the provision of His victory over sin and be baptized into His death – the death to sin – Romans 6:10. The light becomes brighter and the glory of our God becomes clearer as the veil is removed from our faces.

“We have known the errors of unprincipled men,” the philosophies and empty deceptions according to the tradition of men. The wisdom that comes not from above but that which is earthly, natural, and demonic, and we were enslaved by it. But in Christ there is the wisdom that comes from above that is pure, peaceable, gentle, full of mercy – “the truth that liberates” – “You shall KNOW THE TRUTH, AND THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE.” It frees us to KNOW HIM!

“We have known the gods of this world,” the gods of our own making that we bowed down to. Rather than knowing the One True God, like Israel we have “sacrificed to demons who were not God, to gods whom they have not known, new gods who came lately, whom your fathers did not know,” Deuteronomy 32:17. But the law of God thunders in our ears saying, “You shall have NO OTHER GODS besides Me;” and so we come to Christ who has the “preeminence” and He leads us to the eternal, loving, caring, merciful Father! “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God be glory and honor both now and forever, AMEN!” (1 Timothy 1:17).

“We have known the deception of self-improvement,” the ‘success motivation’ syndrome that promotes the very ‘flesh’ God condemned on the Cross! Now we’ve come to understand through the sacrifice of Christ Jesus that “in my flesh dwells no good thing.” Self-improvement is an affront to God’s Word and sin against the Savior, for ‘man at his best is worthy only of the cross!’ Paul said in Philippians 1:21, “for to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” – that hasn’t changed even in our affluent, educated, modern world.

“We have known selfishness and self-centeredness, but knowing Him is to deny one’s self, take up the Cross, and follow Him.” Paul exhorts us in Philippians 2:3-4 to “do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” Jesus became our example of this selfless life. Paul continued in verses 5-8 saying, “have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, being made in the likeness of men, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death.”

“We have known what it means to hoard – but God gives.” We take notice of His love for us and we learn of His heart, His nature, and His character. He so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. His character is to give extravagantly and sacrificially. Jesus related this aspect of the Father in Matthew 7:11, saying, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him?”

As we learn of the Father’s heart to give, our hearts begin to take on the very same desire. Paul wrote of the first century churches in Asia saying, “they gave of their own accord, begging us with much entreaty for the favor of participation in the support of the saints.” (2 Corinthians 8:3-4). The principle of hard work to provide our own basic needs and to share in the needs of others is revealed throughout the Scriptures. In Ephesians 4:28 Paul tells us to “labor, performing with (our) own hands what is good, in order that (we) may have something to share with him who has need.” God loves a generous, cheerful giver!

“We have known the ways that seem right to us but always end in death.” But there is another way, God’s Way, the Ancient Path. Isaiah speaks of that ancient path as the Highway of Holiness – “A highway will be there, a roadway, and it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, but it will be for him who walks that way, and fools will not wander on it.” (Isaiah 35:8).

Moses cried out to the Lord in Exodus 33:13, “Now, therefore, I pray, God, if I have found favor in Your sight (and through the blood of Jesus we have found favor with God), LET ME KNOW YOUR WAYS THAT I MAY KNOW YOU.”

Knowing God is not only discerning His ways, but also walking in them. In Hebrews 3:10 the Lord reveals His problem with His people Israel, saying, “Therefore I was angry with this generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their hearts, and did not know My ways.’” In Amos 3:3 we are asked how two can walk together unless they are in agreement! Enoch is an example for us of a man who walked in agreement with God, and the Scripture simply says, “he was no more, for God took him up.” Why? According to Hebrews 11:5, “for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up ‘he was pleasing to God’! He committed himself to walk in the ways of God and his life so pleased God that God wanted his continual fellowship. And that’s God’s desire for each of us.

“We have known compromise – a divided heart” – trying to walk with Jesus and be a friend of the world at the same time. James warns us that “whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” [James 4:4]. He calls this kind of a person a “double-minded” man and says, “let not that man expect he will receive anything from the Lord.” Knowing God is knowing Him as Lord, as Master, as Ruler, as Savior of my heart – and, He is either Lord of all or not Lord at all!

KNOWING GOD THROUGH CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD IS ALSO THROUGH THE “LIFE-FLOW” OF THE HOLY SPIRIT! Knowing God is through the life-flow of the Holy Spirit and not simply an acknowledgement and assent to certain historical facts and doctrines. 1 John 4:12 says, “No one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.” Paul tells us that the natural mind cannot accept the things of the Spirit of God because they are ‘spiritually appraised.’ In Romans 8 he tells us that the Spirit of God bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God and that all who are being led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God. Knowing God is life in His Spirit! (See also 1 Corinthians 2:1-16, Galatians 5:13-25).

KNOWING GOD THROUGH CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD BIRTHS A HEART THAT SEEKS TO KNOW GOD’S TRUTH! Knowing God is through a heart that loves and seeks to know the truth of God through His servants and through His Word. Paul told Timothy that the church is to be “the pillar and support of the truth.” John tells us in 1 John 4:6 how to discern the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. “We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” In 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 Paul warns us about the destruction that will come upon those who “did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved…who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.”

A love for the truth will bring with it a discernment to recognize God’s servants. Malachi 3:18 tells us that there will come again a time when “you will distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.” John the Baptist reveals a key identifying mark of God’s servants, “for He whom God has sent speaks the words of God,” John 3:34. In Jeremiah 23:22 the Lord proclaimed to Israel, “if they had stood in My council, then they would have announced My words to My people, and would have turned them back from their evil way and from the evil of their deeds.”

There is no life in man’s opinions or rationalizations about the Word of God. The Lord goes on to say in Jeremiah 23, “what does straw (man’s words) have in common with grain (God’s Word)?” It is His Word that is spirit and life. (See James 1:18-25, 1 Thessalonians 2:1-13, Acts 17:11, 1 Peter 1:23-25).

KNOWING GOD THROUGH CHRIST JESUS BIRTHS AND ENLIVENS IN THE MIND AND HEART NEW COVENANT LIVING! Hebrews 8:11 says, “they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen, and everyone his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord’ for they shall all know me, from the least to the greatest of them.” If we seek to understand the fulfillment of that verse by the context in which it was written, we find in verses 6-10 that it is through the “new and better covenant” between the Lord and His people which was instituted by the blood of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 9:11-14 and verse 26 tells us it is the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ that opens spiritually blind eyes to see and know God! It was “by the sacrifice of Himself.” There is no greater truth that will bring us to the knowledge and understanding of God than God having proved His love for us “in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us!” Glory! (See also Ephesians 1:7-9, 2:12-13, Revelation 5:5-14.).

KNOWING GOD IN AND THROUGH CHRIST JESUS IS LEARNING TO REST IN HIS ABILITY – NOT OUR BEST EFFORTS! In 2 Timothy 2:12 Paul proclaimed, “I Know that He is Able!” And we must come to the understanding that He is Sovereign; it is He who causes us to be born again, it is He who saves us through His blood redemption, and it is He who changes us from the old man of sin into the “New Life in Christy”! We receive, “He who began a good work in you WILL perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” We must know with Paul, that “it is God who is at work within you both to will and to work His good pleasure.”

There is the reality of examining ourselves as Paul instructs in 2 Corinthians 13:5, but eyes that are fixed only on self in morbid introspection will never come to fullness of victory in Jesus! Instead of continual self-examination, Hebrews tells us to “fix our eyes of Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” HE IS ABLE!

*Able to deliver – Daniel 3:17-18; * Able to cause dead stones to become His children – Luke 3:8; *Able to fulfill every promise – Romans 4:19-21; *Able to make grace abound – 2 Corinthians 9:8; *Able to do above all we ask or think – Ephesians 3:20; *Able to subdue all things – Philippians 3:21; *Able to guard what I’ve entrusted to Him – 2 Timothy 1:12; *Able to save to the uttermost – Hebrews 7:25; *Able to keep you from falling – Jude 24!

KNOWING GOD BECAUSE OF THE LOVE, GRACE, AND MERCY OF CHRIST INSTILLS IN THE REDEEMED LIFE THE POSSESSING OF OUR VESSELS FOR HIS HONOR! Knowing God is to possess my vessel for His honor and praise, “not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God,” but in “sanctification and honor.” “This is the will of God, your sanctification.” 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5. (See also Ephesians 5:1-10). In 2 Timothy 2:19-26 we find what it means to possess our vessel (or life). Some vessels are vessels of honor and other vessels are of dishonor. My life may possess earthly things that defile, or as Paul states, “if a man cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, and useful to the Master.” Because I want to honor Him, I cleanse my life by forsaking that which does not honor my Lord. (See also Hebrews 12:14; 2 Thessalonians 2:13, Romans 6:19-23).

According to Daniel 11:32 “the people who know their God will display strength and take action!” That is 3-fold:

*The strength and action of “occupying” – Luke 19:13 *The strength and action of “overcoming” – Revelation 2:1-7 *The strength and action of “offering” – 2 Corinthians 2:14 & 3:6.

Jesus instructs us in Matthew 5:13-16 that we are “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world.” What does it mean that we are to occupy? Very simply, we demonstrate our faith in the Lord by the way we live our lives in the world. Our lives are to be lights in the midst of darkness. Jesus explains this in verse 16, “let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” We also see this in Paul’s comments concerning our witness to the natural Jews. In Romans 11:11-14 he says that “salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.” But have we? Have we so demonstrated the power and presence of Almighty God that they cannot help but recognize that He is in our midst? Are our lives causing the world to take notice of our God? What is it they should be seeing in us that will cause them to want what we have? It is the overcoming life, the very fruit of the Spirit, and the Lord Jesus’ abiding presence! Throughout the Scriptures we have the testimony of mighty men of God that the world had to take notice of. There is Joseph who despite his unfavorable circumstances in life, remained faithful to God’s ways. He was exalted to the number two position of power in the Egyptians empire. There is Daniel, who remained faithful to God’s ways and whose abilities were so far superior to his contemporaries that he became a ruler in Babylon. Did either compromise God’s ways to attain positions of prominence? Hardly, both suffered greatly and yet remained steadfast in faith. The fruit of our lives, the development of our God-given abilities for His glory, our homes, families, and churches should be causing the world to take notice that we have been with Jesus.

The offering is our life – presented as a living sacrifice, holy and blameless before God. As we do this, the Spirit of God continues to consume the sacrifices of our lives on the altar of service to Him, and as Paul said in 2 Corinthians 2:14, “the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him” manifests through us for others to see.

KNOWING GOD IS TO KNOW AND APPLY THE LOVE OF CHRIST IN DAILY LIVING. Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:17-19 that we are to be “rooted and grounded in love…to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” It is a love that produces single-minded devotion to Him.

In 1 John 2:4-6 we see the kind of life that this devotion produces. John said, “The one who says, ‘I have come to know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him; the one who says he abides in Him ought Himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” HOW DID CHRIST JESUS WALK? Totally devoted to the Father in love! (See also John 8:28-29, 5:19, 30, 20-29; Luke 2:51-52; Hebrews 5:7-9; 1 Samuel 15:22-23.).

KNOWING GOD IS AS A UNION OF MAN AND WOMAN IN MARRIAGE. In Hebrews 2:19-20 the Lord said, “And I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in lovingkindness and compassion. And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, THEN YOU WILL KNOW THE LORD.” Scripture reveals that His love for us is like the love shared between a husband and wife on their wedding day. Our love for Him is to be filled with the excitement and joy and devotion of a bride that has made herself ready for her husband, adorned with beauty – and our beauty is to be the beauty of holiness.

Marriage symbolizes the deep love shared between the Lord and His people, the intimacy that is shared between lovers. When the Lord was crucified and buried, Mary Magdalene was at the grave to mourn His death. As she stood at the tomb weeping, two angels appeared to her and asked her why she was weeping. Mary responded, “Because they have taken my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” John 20:14 says that “when she had said this, she turned around, and beheld Jesus standing there, and DID NOT KNOW THAT IT WAS JESUS.” She saw Him, but thought He was the gardener. Then Jesus spoke to her and she heard – she heard in a way she never heard before. Something eternally dramatic happened! I don’t know all that took place, but I know that Mary “knew” Him in a way she had never known Him before. It may be what Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:16, “Therefore from now on we recognize no man according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.”

This same thing happened to Job who, although he knew the Lord as Redeemer, was able to say to the Lord, “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You; therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes.” This is the promise that God has for His people. The Lord said in Jeremiah 24:7 “I will give them ‘a heart to know Me,’ for I am the Lord; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.” That’s what it means t6o have the intimate relationship with Him depicted in the symbol of marriage – “To know Him, and to love Him with the whole heart.”

Betrothed – in Spirit, not the flesh! Promised unto Him as a pure virgin and not as a bride with a dirty wedding gown! Engaged to Him on the grounds of heavenly living not worldly compromises! He says the betrothal is “in righteousness and in justice, in lovingkindness and in compassion, (it is) in faithfulness.”

How many people today know Him only according to the flesh? Their knowledge of Him consists only in accumulated facts about His life on this earth, yet beyond that they do not perceive or understand that He is alive today! He is the Reigning King of kings and Lord of lords! In 2 Corinthians 11:2-3 Paul warns us, “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and the purity of devotion to Christ.” This marriage relationship is one of purity and deep devotion. In Revelation 17:14 we find who is with the Lamb in the heavenly places as He wages war against the enemy – “they are the called, the chosen, and the faithful.”

KNOWING GOD THROUGH CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD IS TO PRESS ON UNTIL THE PROMISE BECOMES COMPLETED REALITY! What is the promise? He has promised to change us – that we will be like Him, conformed to His image. In 1 John 3:1-4 we are told that “when He appears WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM…and everyone who HAS THIS HOPE fixed on Him, purifies himself, just as He is pure.”

Our blessed hope is not only the bodily return of Jesus to this earth, it is that those “whom God foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son.” In 2 Corinthians 3:18 Paul says that as we come to the mirror of God’s Word and behold the glory of the Lord, we “are being transformed into the very same image.”

In that process of change that has been promised to every disciple that must be kept as a goal, not content with anything less than conformity to Him. Paul speaks of groaning over our present condition, buffeting our body and making it our slave. In Philippians 3:12-14 he describes this walk of pressing on, saying, “not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I PRESS ON in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus…forgetting what lies behind and REACHING FORWARD FOR WHAT LIES AHEAD, I PRESSON TOWARD THE GOAL for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Hosea tells us “let us know, let us press on to know the Lord. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; and, He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth.” (See also Hosea 6:4-6).

That is the Christian Life – pressing on to know the Lord and He will come to us! Jesus promised that very thing in John 14:21, 23. “He who has My Commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself 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.”

KNOWING GOD THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD IS FOLLOWING THE SHEPHERD WHEREVER HE LEADS. We KNOW His voice! Revelation 14:4 tells us of those who are worshipping the Lamb before His throne, and they are “the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.” In John 10 the Lord describes Himself as the Good Shepherd who “puts forth all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.” In verse 27 he continues, saying, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”

In Matthew 7 Jesus revealed a wise man and a foolish man by saying that the wise man hears His words and acts upon them, but the foolish man hears His words and does not act upon them. It is not enough just to hear His voice. Many people today assume that because they hear good preaching or because they study the Bible that they are His sheep, but notice how Jesus defined His sheep: 1) My sheep hear My voice, and 2) they follow Me.

Sadly the message spoken to God’s people through Zephaniah is as relevant today as when it was first spoken. In chapter 3:1-2 he cried out, “Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the tyrannical city! She heeded no voice; she accepted no instruction. She did not trust in the Lord; she did not draw near to her God.” (Read on through Verse 17!). We find in the New Testament that the Lord visits a church that has closed its doors to Him, and Jesus says to that church, in Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and I will dine with him, and he with Me.”

He desires to speak to us, to personally instruct us in His ways, to lead us in the paths of righteousness. He is that Shepherd of Psalm 23 who promises peace in the midst of the storm for those who follow after Him. He tells us in Jeremiah 33:3, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”

KNOWING GOD THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD IS TO LEARN, YES, GOD IS A GOD OF JUDGMENT! God is a consuming fire and the wicked will not go unpunished! Oh, but then Hebrews 10:30 reminds us, “we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay,’ And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’” He does not want His people to forget that it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Peter tells us that judgment begins “with the household of God.” There has never been a time during God’s dealings with mankind that He has ever tolerated, hidden His eyes from, or allowed wickedness to go unpunished even in His own people. In 1 Peter 4:18 we gain an insight to the seriousness of God’s judgment when Peter says, “if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner?” Jude reminds us in verse 5, “that the Lord, AFTER SAVING A PEOPLE out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe (obey).” Peter reminds us of God’s impartial judgment upon sin throughout the history of mankind, saying that “He did not spare the angels when they sinned.” And “He did not spare the ancient world…(but) brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly.” He also “condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ages, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly thereafter.” Peter’s point is that in remembering all of these events, we must keep in mind, “the Lord knows how to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment.” (See also Romans 2:2-11, Luke 19:12-27, Joshua 23:8-16, James 4:4-10.).

KNOWING GOD THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD IS KNOWING THAT GOD IS FOR ME! David said in Psalm 56:9, “This I know that God is for me!” Are you aware that there are many church members today who do not understand that God is for them? How do I know that? I was one of them even as a pastor for over twelve years!

During the summer of 1973 I was with a group of 16 pastors at a conference in Georgia. I didn’t know what was happening in my life, everything was coming apart inside of me and I needed help. I needed Him! In a glorious moment the presence of the Lord filled that circle of pastors and I withdrew from that circle cringing at the thought of Holy God seeing my unholy life. For the first time in my life I felt His Holy touch, His Holy hug. His presence took me into His loving arms and said, “Farrell Fisher, I am for you! It’s going to be alright. TOGETHER we’re coming to VICTORY!” I found out that although I had known about Him, I didn’t know Him.

If only YOU’LL hear His voice saying to you, “I AM FOR YOU!” We must know with certainty what Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2:4 that God “desires all men (including YOU!) to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Peter tells us that He “is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but IS PATIENT TOWARD YOU, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

In Ezekial 18:23 God asks, “Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked…No…rather that he should turn from his ways and live!” Then in verses 30-32 our Lord asks, “For why will you die, oh house of Israel?” Today He is asking us, “Why will you die, oh insecure one…why will you die, oh lonely one…why will you die, oh one who thinks no one cares…I CARE!” He does! Do you really know the God who proved His love for you in that while you were still a sinner Christ died in your place, in your behalf?

“THIS IS ETERNAL LIFE, THAT THEY MAY KNOW YOU, GOD!” DO YOU?

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

CHRIST JESUS AND GOD’S ETERNAL PURPOSE FULFILLED

Of course, Holy God clearly understood, before the world had been created, that created mankind would “fall away” and find themselves in need of, yes, salvation, restoration, and ‘blood redemption’ whether they fully understood it or not! And in His Holy Word we learned of “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world,” because Holy God, filled with amazing love and grace, destined His Son to be our Savior, Redeemer, Master, and Lord!

And then, in Luke 15:10, Jesus tells us, “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” How awesome is that when you see “angels” rejoicing over ‘one sinner’ who repents! Does it awaken in you personally the awareness of angelic awe and holy rejoicing when a “lost” man is found and a “sin-bound” heart is washed clean by the blood of the Lamb of God? “There’s joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

In Charles Spurgeon’s collection of “Spurgeon’s Sermons,” [Memorial Library, Vol.6, p.49], the passionate preacher wrote: “Strange that though leagues of distance lie between the finite creature and the infinite Creator, yet there are links that unite us both!” And I see it as the angels rejoice over a redeemed life! And I’m convinced that happened because of the angels’ presence near and around the very throne of God – and as He rejoiced, so the angels’ broke forth in “Praise and adoration” of the amazing grace of God!

In 1 Peter 3:12 Peter quoted the psalmist in Psalm 34:15, “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears open to their cry.” God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, and God’s angelic army rejoice as they see His eternal intent coming to fruition even in one man!

Are you aware of God’s nearness to YOU as He begins that stirring of your heart and mind to turn you away from darkness to light, from “lost-ness” to being found by Him, from His directional turning of your life from a sea of despair to the ocean of His mercy and grace? He knows YOU by name, and longs for you to “know Him and the power of His resurrection and, yes, the fellowship of His sufferings”!

“Saints” are the redeemed, Washed in His blood, God over-seeing your saving from the flood; Resurrection from the dead to ‘new life’ in His Son, God has ordained you be joined to the Savior, raised from the dead to Heaven’s favor!…

“Saints” will know pain and, yes, subject to distresses, as Jesus Himself suffered pain and heart-ache, because the people He loved whipped His body, and led Him to Calvary to pay the price of their very sin and ours included, as from His body the blood flowed unceasing till Divine Life paid the full price, releasing, sinners forgiven, new saints ordained, as they see His death and their death not in vain!

“Saints” are the army of Heaven’s Great King, disciplined by the Cross to announce to others His forever reign, Enthroned in Heaven, and before Him we bow, knowing His Word faithfully tells us how, as children of faith, a part of God’s race, we take our place in the front-line of battle, assured of victory won because of God’s eternal Son!

Christ Jesus And God’s Eternal Purpose Fulfilled? That’s “the Preeminence of Christ Jesus!” Christ Jesus IS King of kings and Lord of lords! And this is why Isaiah wrote 700 years before His birth in Bethlehem, Isaiah 55:6-7, “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous 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.”

But you do understand that “returning to the Lord” to find abundant pardon goes against the grain of mindless, clueless, ‘all-sufficient’ natural men who have no need of redemptive grace and mercy – they’ve determined “best effort” is normal and natural! Yet, the Holy Word of God still declares, and always will, because we clearly understand, receive, rest in the eternal truth that God Almighty loved us and gave Himself for us through Christ Jesus only!

You saw it in the introduction as I showed you Random House’s Collegiate Dictionary the definition of “preeminence”: “eminent above or before all others; superior, surpassing”…Syn. “distinguished, peerless, supreme”. And that’s Christ Jesus! Do you remember also Isaiah’s prophetic word in Isaiah 7:14? “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel “ – which literally means “God With Us”! In the 9^th Chapter of Isaiah, the prophet tells us in verses 6-7, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. 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 Davis 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.” God Himself will usher in the Kingdom-rule of Christ Jesus!

EXAMINING CHRIST JESUS AND GOD’S ETERNAL PURPOSE FULFILLED THROUGH HIM, NOTICE, FIRST, THE PREEMINENCE OF CHRIST JESUS IN THE FACT THAT CHRIST JESUS IS GOD AS WELL AS MAN! Just how clear and to the point is Matthew 1:21 which says, “And she [Mary] will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated ‘God with us.’”

Dr. Luke really puts ‘intellectual’ (?) doctors in their place when he tells us all in Luke 1:26-35, Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary…

And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was…

Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David…

And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” [She WAS, Yes, a virgin!] And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” Always has been, always is, and forever will be!

In Matthew did we learn there that the One Mary birthed would be called, Immanuel, meaning “God With Us”? Ten thousand times, “YES”!! God’s Holy Word doesn’t need approval of the world-wide “Doctors’ Association” as to the truth of the birth of Immanuel! He always was, always is, and forever will be “God With Us”!

Examine Hebrews 1:1-4! “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and THE EXPRESS IMAGE OF HIS PERSON, and upholding all things by the word of Hid power, when He had BY HIMSELF purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.”

How awesome is that?!? “He (Jesus Christ) has obtained a more excellent name than they!! Immanuel – “God With Us”! Messiah – Promised Messiah, the Word of God, True Light, Lamb of God, Savior, Lord, Master of all Life, Son of Man, Son of God, Giver of Living Water, “I am the Light of the world,” “I am the bread of life,” “I am the living bread,” “I am the One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.” “Before Abraham was, I AM.” “I am the door…,” “I am the good shepherd,” “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.” “The foot-washing Savior and Lord,” “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” “I am the true vine…”…

Christ of the Cross, Christ of the empty tomb, Christ seated at the right hand of the Father, Christ attended by angels, Christ who took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses, Christ the Lord over demons and the devil, Christ the ‘sea-calmer,’ Christ the Healer, Christ who is Lord – not to be served but to serve and give His life a ransom for many, Christ who gives “eternal rest,” Christ, the Son of Man, who is Lord of the Sabbath, Christ Jesus the King of kings and Lord of lords reigning in His blood-bought Kingdom even now!

THE PREEMINENCE OF CHRIST JESUS? HE’S THE GOD-MAN WHO KNEW NO SIN! How bold and breath-taking do you find 2 Corinthians 5:21? “For He [God] made Him [Christ Jesus] WHO KNEW NO SIN to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Romans 1:24-32 explains man’s dilemma without God in his life – it says, “Therefore God also gave them up [fallen mankind!] 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”! which is the Devil’s “lie,” Satan’s ‘sham’ of fleshly indulgence without penalty!], and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature…

Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due…

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,…

Backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteousness of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.”

And to turn, not to the false wisdom of fallen men, but to turn to the true wisdom of God’s Holy Word, is to learn eternal truth: Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The God-Man who knew no sin? Examine Romans 6:10!! “For the death that He [Christ Jesus] died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives TO GOD!” “Sinless Savior for our sin He died, Sinless Savior who took our place, Sinless Savior birthed a new race, Free from the bondage, released to New Life, gone forever is fleshly strife, Sinless Savior Head of the new people, Disciples are their new names as forever they rest in His eternal fame!” The God-Man who knew no sin!

THE PREEMINENCE OF CHRIST JESUS? HE’S “GOD IN FLESH” WHO ALWAYS WAS, ALWAYS IS, AND FOREVER WILL BE! Do you remember Jesus’ prayer in John 17? Examine with me the first three verses: Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may also glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. AND THIS IS ETERNAL LIFE, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

Remember, the prophetic name given to the Savior of the world was “Immanuel,” or “God With Us”!! And “Immanuel” always was, always is, and forever will be! To be “in Him” through repentance toward God and faith in the finished work of Christ at the Cross is to be blessed with Holy Presence and Holy Purpose that never dies – and also remember, it was God Himself who said: “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased!” Taking in Christ is to take in His forever presence that is always with you, in you, and forever will be day by day as you die to yourself and yield to His forever, abiding presence!

THE PREEMINENCE OF CHRIST JESUS? JESUS WAS AND TRULY IS OUR ETERNAL MIND AND HEART READER! If Jesus knew the very heart of the Pharisees, do you sense He reads our minds and hearts as believers? In Luke 16:15 Jesus said of the “legalists”, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”

Are you aware of how easy it is for professing believers to stray, to wander, or to fall away from the faith? And God doesn’t care? Oh, Yes, He cares – and having read our minds and hearts, He’ll move in on us with great compassion and conviction! In 2 Timothy 2:15-22 Paul challenges every young disciple: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth…

But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some…

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.’ But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor…

Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” [But for you, you’ve convinced yourself or deceived by the devil himself, that Jesus has “covered” you, and you can do as you please in the flesh?]. Jesus knows us and will affirm or deny us as to whether or not we are truly His!

THE PREEMINENCE OF CHRIST JESUS? CHRIST JESUS HAS THE POWER TO HEAL, FREE, AND CHANGE MEN’S MINDS AND HEARTS! Don’t you absolutely love and deeply appreciate the openness of Paul about his own journey of faith and how he came to full, absolute, total surrender to the Lordship of Christ Jesus? In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 he wrote: “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure…

Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me…

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

That’s “strong in Christ,” “strong in the Word and the Spirit,” “strong, yes, in self-determination to be through with myself, fully yielded to ALL Christ Jesus is and wants us to receive from Him! And what about “strong in God’s ultimate intention” for each disciple fully surrendered to our Lord and Savior?

I’m convinced this is why the Spirit of God so inspired Paul in Galatians 1:15-16a, “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…” Are you fully yielded to all Jesus is and desires to be through you? Daily, do you choose to die, that the resurrection life of Christ may be manifested in and through your mortal body? Are YOU, having been reconciled to God through Christ, “being saved by His life”?

Or, failing to know truth, are you unaware that Christ Jesus “reads” the mail of your mind and heart daily?

THE PREEMINENCE OF CHRIST JESUS? HE BOLDLY DECLARED HIS TRUE IDENTITY IN AND WITH FATHER-GOD AND THE HOLY SPIRIT. In John 10:24-30 we read: Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do you keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me…

But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand…

My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I AND MY FATHER ARE ONE.”

As Josh MacDowell once said, “Jesus is either a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord God!” I pray you come down with the eternal Truth! “I and My Father are One!”

In Jesus’ prayer to Father-God in John 17:11 He prayed: “Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.”

Do you remember Peter praising God the Father? 1 Peter 1:3 says, “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…” Peter knew God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit,” and they were, they are, and they forever will be “the Three in One”!

THE PREEMINENCE OF CHRIST JESUS? HE IS THE GREAT “I AM”! In John 11:25 Jesus said to Martha, “I AM the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.”

Do you remember Jesus’ conflict with the Jews in John 8:56-58? “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” Then the Jews said to Jesus, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

Just how bold and blessed do you find Christ Jesus when He said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

And our Lord and Savior clearly understood His mission – in John 8:28-30 we read, Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.” [Have YOU believed?}.

Historically, it was first the ‘religious’ Jews who refused to believe in their “Promised Messiah.” Jesus told some of the unbelieving Jews in John 8:42, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.” He told them a little later, John 10:37-38, “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” He said: “The Father is in Me, and I in Him,” meaning, “We are One and the Same! To receive Me is to receive the Father. To reject Me is to reject the God you claim to believe!”

It was Philip Doddridge and Lowell Mason who about 200 years ago wrote the words to the old hymn entitled “Baptized into Our Savior’s Death.” It says: “Baptized into our Savior’s death, Our souls to sin must die; With Christ our Lord we live anew, With Christ ascend on high…

There by His Father’s side He sits, Enthroned divinely fair; Yet own Himself our Brother still, And our forerunner there…

Rise from these earthly trifles, rise On wings of faith and love; Above, our choicest treasure lies, And be our hearts above…

Let not earth’s pleasures draw us down; Lord, give us strength to rise, And through Your strong, attractive power, At last to gain the prize.”

It was Paul, in Philippians 3:13-14, who challenges us: “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.”

Upward call of God in Christ Jesus or the downward pull of the world, the flesh, and the devil, to the darkness of eternal separation from the God of love, mercy, and grace?

In Philippians 2:9-11 the Holy Word challenges us: “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD, TO THE GLORY OF GOD THE FATHER.” Yes, Glorious Name!!

It’s time to bow before Him, it’s time for personal brokenness to come to full fruition, and for Christ Jesus to be exalted in every heart and home as King of kings and Lord of lords, our Redeemer, our Reconciler, our Savior, our Resurrection Life and Hope!

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

CHRIST JESUS: NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES

I want to begin this closing chapter by sharing Psalm 72:7 – 17, but, first, Verse 19 which says: “And blessed be His glorious name forever. And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen.”

The whole chapter is, as my New King James entitles it, the “Glory and Universality of the Messiah’s Reign”! Verses 7-17 tells us, “In His days (Messiah’s days”) the righteous shall flourish, and the abundance of peace, until the moon is no more. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth….

Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him, and His enemies will lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles will bring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts. Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; all nations shall serve Him…

For He will deliver the needy when he cries, the poor also, and him who has no helper. He will spare the poor and needy, and will save the souls of the needy. He will redeem their life from oppression and violence; and precious shall be their blood in His sight…

And He shall live; and the gold of Sheba will be given to Him; prayer also will be made for Him continually, and daily He shall be praised. There will be an abundance of grain in the earth, on the top of the mountains; its fruit shall wave like Lebanon; and those of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth…

His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in Him; All nations shall call Him blessed.”

Do you believe that “all nations” today are calling Jesus “blessed”? Do you believe that “all men” today are bowing before Christ Jesus, honoring Him as “King of kings and Lord of lords”? Sorry…but I don’t think so! And my personal observation, after 78 full years of life on this earth, is that I’m not even sure most of the church worldwide even recognizes the need of evangelistic “flourishing”, reaching out in His name to share redemptive faith and hope! And, if you’re unfamiliar with the Holy Word, you need to know that even ‘fleshly’ religious people build tabernacles, temples, buildings, with no comprehension that “in Christ” every disciple of redemptive faith has become the “true temple” God is interested in by putting His anointing on that, yes, spiritual temple built by His love, grace, and mercy!

The Resurrected Jesus, yes, still comes to the “church,” but never in a compromising fashion, accepting both the best and the worst from those who at least ‘profess’ faith in Him – but He comes to the unfaithful as “judge” of their professing faith? Did the Lord actually say, Revelation 2:16, “Repent, or else I will come to you quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth”? And with that same sword that He wields against the unfaithful, He exercises it to defend and stand up for those the Bible calls ‘faithful disciples”!

In Romans 10:1-3 Paul assures both physical Israel and all unbelievers of their need of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He wrote, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is THAT THEY MAY BE SAVED. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and SEEKING TO ESTABLISH THEIR OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.”

Isn’t there a verse that speaks about “fearfulness has seized the hypocrites”? A hypocrite is a “play-actor”! Is it impossible, or a reality, that many “play” the “church-game” very well! But nothing and no one is hidden from the eye of our Lord! He sees, He knows, and, yes, He judges every “professing” believer, saved or an imitator!

Revelation 2:13 is very clear to me that our Lord and Savior has and holds to the desire of intimate personal relations with every believer! John quotes the ‘angel of the church in Pergamos.’ “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.” But the “church” in this century, several thousand years later is exempt from devilish interference?

Did Jesus say, “you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith…”? Have YOU ever considered, examined the Word, or received through the Spirit the eternal danger of one denying the truth of the Holy Word? We just read Jesus speaking of those who “hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith!”

But then there are those who are sadly influenced by “peer pressure”, like the parents of the young man who received His sight from Jesus. The Pharisees asked the parents, “Born blind – but now he sees? How did it happen?’ They responded, (John 9:20-21), “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself.” Oh, and then Verse 22 says, “His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He [Jesus] was the Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.”

Shunning the name of Christ, shunning the Truth of Christ, shunning the cross of Christ, because of “peer pressure”, assures one is not worthy to bear the Name of Christ! But beyond “peer pressure” many refuse bear His name, vocalize His Truth, proclaim His saving grace, because one has been immersed in false teachings, introduced to false philosophies, educated by the godless whether families or ‘familiar spirits’ (called “demons”) or worldly, highly educated professors in schools or universities who’ve determined they are smarter than God Himself!

Colossians 2:8 is so very clear: “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.”

“Peer pressure,” “false philosophies,” but then there is also “godless living” because of a cold, dead heart to the reality of our Ever-Present Holy Father, as one celebrates moral failure over Heaven-made success! It’s like the old Frank Sinatra song, “I did it my way,” – and “your God has no right to my life!” And, usually, bitterly, they walk away from the God of Calvary’s Cross! No death to fornication, uncleanness, passions, evil desires, covetousness, anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language, lying! The “godless” love their fallen, enslaved, demonized ‘death-styles’! The unrighteous pleasures of sin have truly captured their hearts and minds, and they feel right at home with their “chains” and “bars” of personal enslavements!

“Out and out denial” is another measurement of falseness in human lives alienated and separated from Holy God. It’s like Pharoah saying to Moses and Aaron in Exodus 5:2, And Pharoah said, “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.”

Do you remember Job’s discourse on ‘wicked men’? Job 21:15, “Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? And what profit do we have if we pray to Him?” If Jesus says, “He who is not with Me is against Me,” do you understand the willful blindness and out and out denial of King Christ Jesus unveils one’s eternal position of opposition to the King of kings and Lord of lords? And some willfully position themselves in a worldly army of unbelievers with no concerns for “eternal crowns,” even the Lord’s bestowal of His “crown of glory.”

But, the “Name above all names”? There is no doubt in my mind that it comes by one’s Renewing of his/her mind! Acts 17:11 says, “These were more fair-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.”

This is why Paul wrote in Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed “by the renewing of your mind,” that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” “Transformed?” That’s “squeezed” or “pressed into a mold,” and of course that mold is Christ Jesus!

Are you aware that “true faith,” “saving faith,” redemptive faith, is certainly based upon receiving the words of Christ Jesus, the only Savior and Lord? In John 6:51-56 Jesus said, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”…

The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?” 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. 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.” Is that clear to you? Tell me about your spiritual diet!

The “Name above all names”? Beyond “the renewing of the Mind” is the open declaration of full surrender of allegiance, yes, at all times, regardless of the price or cost! Paul described himself in 1 Corinthians 4:10 as a “fool for Christ’s sake!”

In Philippians 2:5-11 Paul wrote about “the humbled and exalted Christ”! He said: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men…

And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, THAT AT THE NAME OF JESUS EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

The “Name above all names”? Examine the Priceless Preciousness of His Name! I so love Isaiah 9:6-7! “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. 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.” And God has, is, and forever will be establishing the “kingdom of Christ”!

Are you aware of the angel appearing to Joseph in a dream with the word that Mary, GET THIS!!, Matthew 1:23, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God With Us.”!! At the Name of Jesus have YOU truly bowed with the angels to worship Him?

Examine, yes, The Power of Christ Jesus’ Name! Christ Jesus IS “King of kings and Lord of lords”!! The angel who announced Christ’s birth to Mary also told her in Luke 1:32-33, “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” What else did the angel tell Mary? Look at Matthew 1:21, “Mary, you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” How powerful is that?

Carefully examine and search the Word of God thoroughly for understanding “The Preeminence of Christ Jesus’ Name!” Does Revelation define Him as “Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end”?

Preeminence? In Christ Jesus is the eternal ability, through His shed blood, to grant forgiveness of your sins, to accept us “just-as-if-we’d-never-sinned”, to declare us 100% holy and righteous, totally able to raise us up and sit us around the throne of His eternal Kingdom rule! Glory!

I love what Charles Spurgeon once preached in England: “He [Jesus] saves us from the punishment of sin because ‘the chastisement of our peace was upon Him.’ He died as a victim in our stead. He saves us from the power of sin by His Spirit, and by faith in His death: we overcome sin by the blood of the Lamb.”

Peter and John had been arrested and were brought before the Sanhedrin to answer, “By what power or by what name have you done this?” They confessed, [Verses 10-12, Acts 4], “Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands before you whole. This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone. Nor is there salvation in any other, FOR THERE IS NO OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN GIVEN AMONG MEN BY WHICH WE MUST BE SAVED!!”

Preeminence? That’s Jesus Christ who lives out His identity in unchanging demonstration of His eternal purpose and plan – in fact the author of Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 1:1-3 and verse 8 the following eternal Word: “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;…

Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…Verse 8, [Don’t miss this! Never take it lightly!], But to the Son He (GOD) says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom!” And Jesus’ Kingdom-rule, yes, is forever and ever!

Preeminence? I pray that YOU are not a part of those who look upon true disciples of Jesus as the “nit-wits”, but that you are a part of “the nitty-gritty” spiritual family of faith and loyalty who truly live under the Banner of Christ’s Cross with your daily blood pressure beating “faithfully and regularly” because it IS the heart of Christ in you because you KNOW your first heart died with Christ at Calvary! YOU KNOW “blessed hope” and “eternal assurance” because your life is based upon “JESUS ONLY”!

Preeminence? Master, Savior, Ruler, Liberator, Propitiation, Lamb of God, Promised Messiah who came and comes to set the captives free! And having professed and claimed Him as our Savior and Lord by the conviction of the Holy Spirit, as true disciples of the Lamb of God, we walk in ministry daily under the divine anointing of the Holy Spirit to honor Him in our walks through life daily and forever!

Preeminence? Holy God calls us out, Holy God sets us apart, Holy God anoints us with the River of Living Water, with the authority of His Holy Word, and with His resurrection, holy presence in us, our hope of glory that never changes! “Jesus Only” is God’s faithfulness for your daily and eternally provision of “Victory In Jesus” always!

I was reading Spurgeon’s Sermons recently from his Memorial Library, [Vol. 19, p.52], as he shared an old Christian legend concerning Ignatius, “that Ignatius never spoke without mentioning the name of Jesus whom he loved. His speech seemed saturated with love to his Lord, and when he died the name of Jesus was found to be stamped on his heart. It may not have been so literally, but no doubt it was true spiritually.” And I would ask you: What name is clearly stamped on your heart?

That speaks to me of “dependence,” of “destiny,” of “determination,” of “desire,” and of, yes, “discipline”! Yesterday, was Jesus Lord of your life; today, is Jesus Lord of your life; tomorrow and forever, will Jesus be the explanation to Holy God at the throne of Judgment of the reason you were able to live an overcoming, victorious, Christ-honoring life?

Paul closed his 1 Corinthians letter in Chapter 16, Verses 13-14, saying, “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that YOUR DO be done with love.”

And I say to you, what YOU DO is to be done in Christ’s love because He first loved YOU and gave Himself as God’s sacrifice on the Cross to demonstrate His eternal love for you as if you were the only person to ever live! AMEN?

CONCLUSION

This has been an awesome journey of adventure into the reaching in to the life and ministry of Christ Jesus, Yes, His preeminence, and our desperate need of Him in our lives, homes, churches, businesses, schools, universities, with the spiritual ambition and eternal desire of truly being the children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you [we] are to shine as lights in a darkened world, holding fast the word of life, so that we all may rejoice in the day of Christ that we have not run in vain or labored in vain.

Because we are “in Christ,” having been redeemed by the blood of the Lord, crowned Him King of our hearts and King of our homes, therefore, “our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. [Philippians 3:20-21].

How’s the “journey,” the “walk,” the “pressing in” and the “heavenly transformation”? I hope you clearly understand the need of your daily sentence of death to yourself that His Resurrected Life fills your daily walk with Him guiding, leading, inspiring, motivating, mastering your life and walk and testimony to His own glory and praise and honor! THAT, my friends, is a good and godly desire! Be blessed, J. Farrell Fisher

BY: J.FARRELL FISHER, APRIL 8-10, 2017

Sacred, holy marriage is not unpredictable but assured because the Christian commitment is in the ‘spirit of Christ’ who laid His life down for all, not the few! “God so loved THE WORLD that He gave His only begotten Son!” Giving in marriage Sacred, holy marriage is not unpredictable but assured because the Christian, yielding to, clinging to, devoted to, is not a ‘sacred vow’ one makes “if everything goes well or goes ‘my way’”!

There are interesting Verses in Matthew 18:3-4 when Jesus said to His new disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

But is there “the kingdom of marriage” planned, instituted, and blessed by Almighty God with the clear understanding of marriages’ predictability of unending love as man and wife, before Holy God, who consecrate themselves and their marriage to Him and to each other?

Oh, but then in Matthew 18:4 God identifies why for some THERE IS “the unpredictability of love”! “Therefore whoever humbles himself (herself) as this little child IS the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Are there those who do NOT humble themselves before God, “in marriages”, because ‘self-rule, fleshly desires, and warped biblical understandings let the flesh do as it pleases’?

I’ve often wondered, over my 80 years of life, having lost my family at the age of three, taken by my mother to live with her parents, my grandparents, from age three to twelve. But then my mother married again and took me to live with her and my step-dad. And I lived day by day filled with doubt if I’d truly be loved in the spirit of Christ’s ‘predictable love’ –“I’ll never leave you nor forsake you”! And His predictable love never faltered or failed, faithfully released through my grandparents, their two daughters, one six years older than me, the younger only two years older than me – and they were stout witnesses on His unending love and grace and mercy!

And, of course, in a world of ‘free will’, men and women sometimes live with, yes, the ‘unpredictability of love’ because they choose to be ‘lord’ over their own destinies! What did Jesus say in Matthew 18:3? “…unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Of course, the question of the here and now is, is there “the kingdom of heaven in marriage, and do I or we enter it with or without that assurance that Holy God will bless, oversee, and fulfill His promises to us and through us, as we stand true to our ‘sacred vows’”?

I really find it interesting and informative to read Paul saying in Galatians 4:19, “My little children, for whom I labor in birth (pains?) again until Christ is formed in you.” Just as in the spiritual realm of babyhood in Christ, children in Christ, youth in Christ, and adulthood in Christ, is it true in marriage, that there is a path and pilgrimage in the journey that, yes, REQUIRES patience, steadfastness, and heavenly glee over every new step of maturing as we “grow in grace” in ‘marital blessing’ and ‘marital fulfillment’, and ‘marital pleasure’?

But some step into the holy ground of marriage with only ‘my will, my pleasure as I define it, my desire for what I want in my marriage’, not the good, acceptable, or perfect will of God!

Reading through Jeremiah recently, I saw in Jeremiah 4:1 a very powerful word from God that I believe relates not only to national blessing in submitting wholly to God’s will, but, yes, even in marriage! God spoke through the prophet saying, “If you will return, O Israel,” says the Lord, “Return to Me; and if you will put away your abominations out of My sight, THEN YOU SHALL NOT BE MOVED.”

Is it possible that in marriage some “CHOOSE” to fall away from the very Spirit of Sovereign God and choose to live by the ‘best’ and the ‘worst’ of fallen flesh rather than the Word, the will, and the Spirit of God Himself, experiencing not, ‘shall not be moved’, but seeing the foundation of biblical faith in marriage ignored, denied, or overlooked and ‘moved away’ from true devotion to one another? And Jeremiah 4:2 then says, “And you shall swear, ‘The Lord lives,’ in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness,” with God then saying, “The nations (including the sovereign nation of marriage’?) SHALL BLESS THEMSELVES IN HIM, AND IN HIM THEY SHALL ‘GLORY’.”

I love Oswald Chambers’ word in his book, “My Utmost For His Highest”, (p.269), when he said, “The battle is lost or won in the secret places of the will before God, never first in the external world ( world of the flesh- control rather than Spirit or Word controlled! JFF). The Spirit of God apprehends me and I am obliged to get alone with God and fight the battle out before Him. Until this is done, I lose every time (barring divine will and Spirit and glorifying ‘flesh’ and ‘selfishness’ even in the sacredness of marriage! JFF). The battle may take one minute or a year, that will depend on me, not on God; but it must be wrestled out alone before God, and I must RESOLUTELY go through the hell of a renunciation (of ‘selfishness’ in one’s marriage JFF) before God. Nothing has any power over the man (and I say his marriage! JFF) who has fought out the battle before God and won there.” ( But don’t you find Chambers’ words very strange across the marriage world of the U.S.A. today?)

In the Chicago Tribune, Heidi Stevens, Contact Reporter of Tribune Newspapers said: “With more Americans than ever saying ‘I Don’t’ to marriage, it’s time to reinvent the institution.” In her October 7, 2014 article she said: “Fewer Americans are married than ever before, and a growing percentage are happy to stay unhitched.” She went on:

“A Pew Research Center analysis of 2012 census data found that one in five adults age 25 and older – roughly 42 million people – have never been married, meaning the United States is made up of a historically high number of single people. (In 1960 by comparison just one in 10 adults 25 and older had never been hitched).”

In her article she quoted Susan Pease Gadoua, licensed therapist and co-author of “The New ‘I Do’: Reshaping Marriage For Sceptics, Realists, and Rebels.” (Seal Press). She said: “Analysts cite such factors as the rising median age for first marriages, an increased acceptance of cohabitation, and difficult economic times for the increase in singles. But our views of marriage – an institution celebrated and sanctified in every real from the spiritual to the retail – are changing too. When analyzing the census figures, Pew researchers asked people how valuable marriage is for society at large. A full 50 per cent of respondents said society is ‘just as well off if people have other priorities’.” That, my friend, is a shocking observation!

But, do YOU believe “marriage” is a sacred institution, a strong center of witness to the glory of God, in a marriage where both husband and wife live together to honor and glorify Him in and through their holy marriage? The day a husband and wife say, “I Do”, that’s the day, in that present moment and every day to follow, when mutually they agree, “We’re united together to glorify Him in our marriage!” There is an interesting, convicting, awakening Word in Hebrews 13:4, when the author, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote: “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed, undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.”

And don’t you find it so enlightening to continue in Hebrews 13:5-6 when the author wrote: “Let your conduct (in marriage?) be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say:

‘THE LORD IS MY (OUR?) HELPER; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” Or, maybe, ‘What can my mate do to me to obliterate ABIDING LOVE, SOVEREIGN OVERSIGHT, AND FAITHFUL PROVISION OF WHAT IT TAKES TO HONOR HIM THROUGH YOUR MARRIAGE IN YOUR, YES, SERVANT SPIRIT”? Didn’t Christ Jesus say, “I didn’t come to be served but to serve and to give My life as a ransom for the many”?

It was just today that I heard Roberta Flack’s singing of the song “EVER I SAW YOUR FACE” (by Evan Mccoll by way of THE ROYAL NETWORK INC.). I have chosen to change the words from her chosen male love to the LOVE of the Glory and Honor of God through His redemptive work by Christ on Calvary’s Cross. My edited words?

“The first time I saw Your face, I thought the Son rose in (or through Your eyes). And the moon and stars were the gifts You gave, To the dark and endless, eternal skies.

The first time I ever kissed Your (hand) I felt the earth move in my heart! Like the trembling heart of a captive bird That was there at the time you COMMENDED AND COMMANDED Your love to me.

And the first time I ever “rested” in You I felt Your heart so one in mine, And I knew Your joy would fill the earth and last forever, my greatest love…

The first time ever I saw Your face, Your face, Your face…I knew I was covered by Your grace!” Amen?

I feel led to share a letter my wife Sue wrote to her mother, probably 10-15 years before her mother died. The mother, having read the letter, gave it to Sue’s sister, Amy Rodgers, probably to alert the younger daughter of her sister’s ‘radical’ views of New Testament ‘discipleship’ –( unsure of why Virginia did that). But…Sue wrote:

Dear Mother, I sure hope you are better! Margaret (the one who drove me to the doctor), called me yesterday and Jamie, her oldest daughter has bronchial pneumonia. When Stan (our second son) had pneumonia when he was a child, they took a smear of mucous from his nose to determine the kind of medicine to use. Did they do that with you?

The Millers (the judge from Oklahoma) and their two children came back through and spent Saturday night with us, so they could go to the Bible Study at Thomas Baird’s Sunday morning (Thomas being a lead attorney in his law firm and co-elder with Farrell in our fellowship in Belton). And Susan and Ted Owenby to go with us, too. (They had left at 5a.m.). Farrell had smoked a turkey Saturday and I made dressing and fixed green beans and new potatoes, and triffle for dessert. So we had that Saturday night with the Millers and Sunday noon again with the Millers and Owenbys. The Millers left Sunday afternoon and the Owenbys left Tuesday afternoon.

So I spent yesterday cleaning house to get ready for the Bible study group last night. And Farrell studied, cleaned the carpet in the trailer, and started building a sidewalk up from the steps to the back gate. He built a frame and dug up all the grass and leveled it off. And he’s going to lay flat stones and concrete.

Our garden is doing great. We will have a lot of yellow squash by this weekend and we have lots of tomatoes about the size of grapes and lots more blooms. The beans, cucumbers, peppers, and zucchini squash have lots of blooms, too. And we got some onions yesterday, and should start getting potatoes next week. The okra is coming along, but needs more hot weather. And we have lots and lots of greens!

Farrell and I saw the dermatologist Tuesday and we look like we’ve been in a fight and both lost! He burned off places on Farrell’s face and arms. He then cut off and burned off moles on my neck, chest and mid-drift. And then removed a lot of the whiteheads between my brows. We are a sight!

Stan and LeAnn are coming down for Monday and Tuesday and Zach is going to stay with us until Friday. Farrell is supposed to preach at a church in Dallas Sunday the 21^st, so we’ll take him back with us, and spend the weekend up there. We are supposed to leave for Montana with Vaughn and Joyce Baird.

We are looking forward to the trip, but dread those long days of riding. But we really want to see that part of the country. I just have to figure out how to take a “tee-tee pot” or wear adult diapers!

Mother, I enjoyed having you here so much. And you have a home here where you would be welcome and loved if you ever want it or need it.

I know that what we are all about (in the “faith-realm”) is a real puzzle to you, and I wish I could help you understand. You think that we are against everything and critical of everything and everybody. And I am so sorry it comes across that way. I want to give you a simple illustration. If you were driving down a road and discovered the bridge was out and that if anyone went over it, it would mean certain death. Wouldn’t you flag cars down and do all you could to warn the drivers of the danger ahead? Now you might look a little crazy out in the middle of the road flapping your arms and screaming, and some folks might choose to go right on by you, as they discuss that crazy person out in the road. And they might even roll up their windows and lock their car doors “to protect themselves” from the nut in the road.

Well, the bridge is out – it has been out for a long time, and we are the “nuts” out in the road, warning of the washed-out bridge of true, redemptive faith in and through Christ alone! And we aren’t alone, though sometimes it seems like it! It is happening all over this country and the other countries we have visited. People are meeting in homes, barns, gyms, store fronts etc. sharing their lives, studying God’s Word, weeping over and praying for the church (not only ‘criticizing’ as some say, but exposing extreme errors in their ‘faith’)! Some we stand with are so hungry for “GOD” and “REALITY OF THE TRUE FAITH” that they refuse to play the religious ‘games’ any longer. They refuse to close their eyes and stick their heads in the sand and say something is working that does not work – call it powerful when it is weak and helpless, call it alive when it is dead, and has been dead for years! Paul said that in his day and beyond men would have a “form” of Godliness, but denying its power. A form of Godliness is not Godliness! But it causes great deception and gives a false ease and a false peace. I heard a homosexual on the news the other day, dying of aids, saying it would soon be over and he would be in heaven. Yet the Scripture is real blunt and says NO homosexuals will be in heaven. But the churches say “God is love” and we must love and we must not criticize and judge. Most churches won’t dare tell anyone they are going to Hell, so the homosexuals and lesbians, most of them without true repentance and life- change through Christ’s shed blood, die and go to Hell “thinking” they are going to heaven. That is not love if one denies God’s Truth! Denying Truth is rebellion to God and His Word. So they shake their fists in God’s face and saying His way and Truth isn’t right, “we have a right to be what WE want!” But the “bridge of Truth” is still out for many and they go over the self-determined brink and perish in Hell!

We saw it experientially for years and then began to see it in the Holy Word, Old and New Testament. It didn’t sneak up on God! The prophets of old prophesied about the declining, compromising, ‘flesh-approving’ churches! Proverbs calls her “the strange woman, the whore, the harlot” – claiming to be married to the Lord and in bed with the world, the flesh, and the devil, and with sin and every evil thing.

Look at Colossians 3:5-10. In Verse 5 Paul said that immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire and greed are all idolatry! My, my, I thought for years that idols were only in foreign countries. Then, I think it is in Romans, that Paul said that there are demons behind every idol, and that, when you participate in what God hates, you are actually worshipping demons.

The condition of the homes and children and youth of many ‘church’ parents is evidence enough! But the condition of our whole country screams out that “the church is dying or dead already”! The upsurge of Satan worship is the result of the absence of God in too many churches – no power, no truth, no help – only a ‘form of godliness’!

A law enforcement officer on the news the other night, said that he did not believe it would be an exaggeration that witchcraft and Satan worship is practiced in every town in America, and animal sacrifices and possibly human sacrifices (babies particularly!) are performed in all of their gatherings! And the poor, big, rich, weak, dead churches are “totally helpless” to do anything about it (or just don’t want to!). They don’t even believe in demons – that is not for the ‘sophisticated’, well-educated, cultured people (which Jesus was not!). Many do not even believe there is a devil or a hell.

Well, I didn’t mean to turn this into a sermon. And I know I can’t make you see anything – only God and His Word can – I pray He will. I know we look strange. As time goes on it will be more exaggerated. We aren’t a part of this world system, and we feel our job is to call people out, to Him and His Word! It can’t be cleaned up, straightened up, or rehabilitated. The Bible calls Satan the ‘god’ of this world. So, it has to be forsaken. And in most cases many churches have become a part of the natural world – in fact, if you are honest you can’t tell the difference. So our emphasis is on the only True God who is powerful and mighty to set men free from the power and bondage of sin and to give them clean hands and pure hearts – without which they/we will not see God.

Jesus wept over Jerusalem and said, “Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem – who stoned the prophets…” And then when Jesus told the Jews they didn’t know God and that they were worshipping Satan, they shut Him up, too, imprisoned Him, then crucified Him! And history repeats itself, always. I think it was Will Rogers who said, “If there is no God, nothing matters. If there is a God, nothing else matters!” Hence the magnificent obsession and possession.

We Love You, Sue and Farrell…..P.S. I’ve included a statement by Martin Luther that we ran across some years ago. His statement? “I WAS BORN TO FIGHT DEVILS AND FACTIONS. IT IS MY BUSINESS TO REMOVE OBSTRUCTIONS, TO CUT DOWN THORNS, TO FILL UP QUAGMIRES, AND TO OPEN AND MAKE STRAIGHT PATHS. BUT IF I MUST HAVE SOME FAILING LET ME RATHER SPEAK THE TRUTH WITH TOO GREAT SEVERITY THAN ONCE TO ACT THE HYPOCRITE AND CONCEAL THE TRUTH.”

What you’ve just read is a powerful love letter from a daughter to her mother that she personally and passionately loved and longed for her to understand what following Christ truly means!

If Hebrews was meant to speak to those around Jesus’ day who had the prophetic letters of the Old Testament, swore by them, but failed to see “Christ in them as the hope of glory” can church folk today, many, not all, “refuse Him who speaks”, even Jesus Himself? In Hebrews 12:25-29 we read:

“See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, ‘Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.’ Now this, ‘Yet once more’, indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, (Old Testament Judaism and a man-made temple?), as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.

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. For our God is a consuming fire. (That’s Christ Jesus!).”

In Psalm 25:12-15 we find, not the unpredictability of love, but its grace and assurance! It says: “Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him shall He (God) teach in the way which He chooses. He himself shall dwell in prosperity, and his descendants shall inherit the earth. The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him (honor and reverences Him first in their lives!), and He will show them His covenant. My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for He shall pluck my feet out of the net.” (Sad to say, there are some who don’t even know they are trapped in the world and its religious system, in their ‘flesh’ allegiance!).

Whether kingdoms of the world or the ‘kingdoms of marriage’, before Holy God IS there an accounting to take place by Him? What did God say to the ‘pretending’ nation of Israel who crucified the Christ, the Promised Messiah? In Matthew 21:43-44 Jesus spoke! “Therefore, I say to you (Israel), the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this stone (the Rock of Christ?) will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”

How many marriages do you know of, whether one or both partners in the marriage were “ground to powder” because they had no desire, no insight, no agreement with the purpose of God for the relationship, even after ‘holy vows’ and/or holy pledges before Him?

Elsewhere in Matthew 21:33-42 plus Verse 43, examine it related to “the kingdom of marriage”! Jesus said: “Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to the vinedresser and went into a far country. Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.

Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son. But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance’. So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?” They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.”

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?’” [How “marvelous” do YOU find the work of God’s Sovereign Grace through Christ?].

Verse 43-44 is so important! “Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” Can you relate these last eleven verses to ‘the kingdom of marriage’? In your ‘kingdom of marriage’, tell me about “the fruit of it” that reveals the honoring, the uplifting, and the glorifying of Christ through your relationship to your mate! Remember, Jesus said, “I didn’t come to be served but to serve and to give My life as a ransom for many.”

Is ‘the stone’ of your marriage relationship evidence of the fruit of the Spirit of Christ, serving, or do flesh-masters insist on their way or the highway? Are you aware that many in the marriage relationship avoid it being ‘mastered by the Master’, satisfied to make it “a den of thieves”?

God, help us in America to witness the revival, renewal, and reclaiming of Your ordained way to honor You! Amen?