Are we staying in the middle of the Way? 

Proverbs 30:7-9 “Two things have I required of Thee;  deny me them not before I die:

                Remove far from me vanity and lies;   Give me neither poverty or riches,  feed me with food convenient for me:

                Lest I be full, and deny Thee,  and say,  Who is the Lord?   Or lest I be poor, and steal,  and take the name of my God in vain.”

This “middle of the Way”, comes from my reading Pilgrims Progress.  

          It is when Christian is hurrying up the hill of Difficulty, and it is growing dark….and at the top he sees two lions;  one on either side of the Way!

          This sight frightens and stops Christian for a moment…..till the Porter of the House Beautiful (the local Church),  calls out to him:

          “Can’t you see they are chained….they can only come so far into the Way.  You will be safe….as long as you stay in the middle of the Way.”

            

And how often it is the same for us…..when circumstances frighten….because we were not prepared,….

…..or we have expected,…..since we have “climbed this hill of Difficulty”,…..that things will become easier…..

We get frightened….then stop.     

            It is good the Lord often calls out to us, through the Word, or a message, or a fellow Christian…..that we may see that the lions are chained.

(How grateful to the Lord Jesus for this!)

These verses are some I love.    They set the goal of my life on the right footing.

Giving God charge of what is in store for me….and petitioning (“required” here means “earnestly beseeching”) our Lord, that He keep us “in the middle of the Way.”

“Remove me far from vanity and lies”.      “Far from”,  is where we all should want to be, from the useless things of this world,….and that is what “vanity” is.

And from lies…..lies that I want to believe….or that are spread abroad about others,…or me.

Our Lord taught us to pray: (Matthew 6:13) “And lead us not into temptation”…..for He has made a way to escape, if we will seek it (1 Corinthians 10:13)……but when I fall into it…….

…..”but deliver us from evil”…..the evil one, the devil, and his tricks…..and the evil of coming under the influence of my fall.

Let me…

Not be rich….either in money, prestige, or success….so I won’t get proud and begin to think I do not need the Lord. (Luke 12:16-21)

Not be poor….either in money, friends, or spiritual experience….so I won’t envy others…..or be angry with You, Lord, and “take the name of my God in vain”.

This “take the name of my God in vain” (and notice is it “my God”)……does not mean swearing…..

……but in the Hebrew, means:  “accusing God of not being what His Name says He is”.    To accuse God’s mercy and love, of being false.

He is Merciful, Righteous, Glorious, Gracious, full of loving-kindness, and peace.

But when circumstances grow difficult…..trials come…..and we seem quite unable to meet them….we are poor, then….

…do we still feel the same way, toward the Lord?

My husband had taught a study on Galatians, and then began Philippians, once,……when our son….who was little at the time….

….said,  Dad, I like this study better than that other one.

….Really, why?

…..Because this one has happy people in it…the other one didn’t.

And he was right, though I had not seen it before,….like that…..

The Galatians were trying so hard to be superior Christians…..and had gotten tricked into thinking their own works…following the law…..would add to their value to the Lord. (Galatians 1:6-8)

The Philippians, on the other hand, 

(and I recommend, if you have not read it lately, to do so again!   Nine times, more than any other book in the New Testament, “rejoice” is used. Six times “joy” is used.)  

They were being persecuted, [Philippians 1:28-30],….yet only sought to be steadfast to the Lord Jesus Christ…..and they were joyful in it!

They were a poor church, yet sent an offering to Paul for his needs. (Philippians 4:15)

What a difference in the two books!

Listen to the epistle the Apostle wrote:

Philippians 1:9 “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;”

Philippians 1:25-26 “And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; 

              That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ  for me by my coming to you again.”

Philippians 3:1 “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord…..”

He tells them of the way he has walked….what the Lord has shown him:

Philippians 3:13-14 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended;  but this one thing I do,  forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 

              I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”

Paul loves them dearly, writing: 

Philippians 4:1 “Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord,  my dearly beloved.”

And then, in this epistle,  he clearly speaks of true contentment:

Philippians 4:11-12 “Not that I speak in respect of want:  for I have learned,  in whatsoever state I am,  therewith to be content.

                I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound:  everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.”

This is the same thing the writer of Proverbs was writing about…..but Paul adds a blessed reality of how we can do this:

Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Let us take His strength in righteousness, joy and peace…..and be content.

Here is the secret of contentment…..of being neither rich or poor…..but staying in the middle of the Way……

….”through Christ which strengtheneth me.” 

Our Way is before us,…..our life is always a next step with Jesus Christ.

Let us “stay in the middle of the Way”……

…..the lions are chained,  though they roar, and frighten….

…..stay with Him, and let Him give us the strength for what is ahead.

Eve, and Us 

1 Corinthians 12:27 “Now ye are the body of Christ,  and members in particular.”

As my daughter was giving a Sunday school lesson on Eve,  it struck me that Eve was taken out of Adam (his rib); and made a into a woman;……

……to be to him something he needed more….a partner….a helpmeet….a companion in all his life.

Genesis 2:21-22, 24 “And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam,  and he slept;  and He took one of his ribs,  and closed up the flesh instead thereof.

                   And the rib,  which the Lord God had taken from man,  made He a woman,  and brought her unto the man.

                   Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother,  and shall cleave unto his wife:  and they shall be one flesh.”

And as born again believers, we are put back into Christ to be His bride, and friend, and helpmeet for Him and His work.

Romans 12:5 “So we, being many,  are one body in Christ,  and everyone members one of another.”

Revelation 19:7 “Let us be glad and rejoice,  and give honor to Him:  for the marriage of the Lamb is come,  and His wife hath made herself ready.”

We become members together of His mystical body, here on earth….showing Christ Jesus wherever we go.

1 Corinthians 12:12 “For as the body is one,  and hath many members and all the members of that one body,  being many,  are one body:  so also is Christ.”

Eve was made a separate person, to show that the personalities of man and woman, could unite…..in the work God called them to do.

Adam was as responsible for Eve, as he was his own body….to take care of her, guide and direct her (if he had done this, she would have turned away from the temptation of the devil…..to get his help), and love her as he would himself.

Ephesians 5:28 “So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies.  He that loveth his wife  loveth himself.”

So believers (each of us personally and together)…..is put into Christ’s mystical body to show that Christ has taken responsibility for us……to take care of,  guide and direct,  and love us…..as He does Himself.

And yet, we are separate personalities,  each fitted into their place in His body….to show that we can unite with our Lord…..in the work God has called us to do.

Ephesians 5:25-27, 29-30 “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church,  and gave Himself for it;

                    That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word,

                     That He might present to Himself a glorious church,  not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.

                      For no man ever yet hateth his own flesh;  but nourished and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

                      For we are members of His body,  of His flesh, and of His bones.”

There is a fullness in the Purpose of God……what Adam lost, by not fulfilling his duty, and yielding to sin….

……Christ has regained in power;  because He has paid my penalty and debt…..and has taken me into Himself in union (by faith and love)……

…..and more so…..for He has empowered me by His Holy Spirit to regain also, the place of helpmeet to Christ Jesus.

To speak for Him,…..to act for Him,…..

…..and He is the lover of my soul.   (“Set me as a seal upon Thine heart, as a seal unto Thine arm:…” Song of Solomon 8:6)

Eve was taken out of Adam, to become a different kind of support (the rib cage supports the back, and covers the inner organs).

She was to support him spiritually, by learning about and obeying God. (A faithful wife is a wonderful thing.)

She was to support him emotionally, by encouraging him to be God’s servant and friend. (Not tempting him to sin, as she had done.)

She was to support him physically, by being where she was suppose to be,…..not wandering off to look at a tree she knew was not to be eaten of.

We, believers, are put back into Christ, to become a new creature….all things should become new within us (2 Corinthians 5:17)….

That we should be to His praise and glory, in our lives….

That we should honor Him and His Word, in obedience….

That we should overcome by the faith He has placed within us….and  be one with Him.

John 17:21-23 “That they all may be one,  as Thou, Father, art in Me,  and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us:  that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me.

                  And the glory that Thou gavest Me  I have given unto them,  that they may be one,  even as We are one:

                 I in them,  and Thou in Me,  that they may be made perfect in one;  and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me,  and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me.”

  

Eve, and us.

God’s purpose lost in Eve…..and can be regained in us…..for we are in Him.

We are called to “come….in the unity of the faith”….

Ephesians 4:13, 15 “Till we all come in the unity of the faith,  and of the knowledge of the Son of God,  unto a perfect man,  unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:

                  But speaking the truth in love,  may grow up into Him in all things,  which is the head, even Christ:”

Will we come to Christ,  and fulfill the work as His helpmeet?

(Let me say here,  that if Adam had fulfilled his duty to Eve;  she would not have been at the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil….to be tempted of the devil.

And let me also declare, that the Lord will never forsake us….nor neglect His duty to us….who He loves.

He will never will He leave us….never will He let us go……but He will:

1 Thessalonians 5:24 “Faithful is He that calleth you,   Who also will do it.”)

What will you give in exchange for your soul?

Matthew 16:26 “For what is a man profited,  if he shall gain the whole world,  and lose his own soul?   Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

We know this is the summary of Christ’s call to follow Him. (Matthew 16:24-26)

It is a call He gave all…(Luke 9:23-25)

Here, the Lord Jesus puts into perspective the choice we truly make….Him or the world.

If you had everything, and lost your soul,  of what value could it be?

(Let us speak for a moment of losing our soul:  it is not just going to Hell and then the Lake of Fire….although that is the end result.

No.   We are in subjection, as mankind,……..to something.    

We do not rule our destiny….we can not…..for circumstances,  people,  times and seasons, and places are all factors we can not rule.

In fact,  we can not rule ourselves…..our souls,  our personalities.

We can be phony….pretending to like or love things we do not….for “profit” or advantage in the world.

We can “learn” to like things….making ourselves over in the image of someone we want to be like….but we can never be them….but just us—like them.

We can not, at times, subdue our anger, or our affections….both fly away where they want.

But we can,  as Jesus Christ said,  come and let Him rule in us.

If you refuse this…..as many people mistakenly think,   this liberty, is bondage….then the simple answer is:

You will be ruled by the world, the flesh or the devil.

The world’s thoughts will be yours. 

You will always be frustrated,  because your way is not being done.

The devil will trick you into real bondage of some sort.

You have lost your soul…..and you are not in Hell,  yet.

There is still hope…..you can come to Christ Jesus, and let Him bring you into His kingdom.)

Jesus asked,  “Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Many things in this world, say,  “Don’t worry about your soul’s well being….after all your young….or after all your intelligent….or after all you go to church.”

Matthew Henry said in his commentary on the Bible:   “If your religion is worth anything,   It is worth everything.”

Christ says we must lose….to gain Him.

We must “Come”……leave where you are…….and then,  “Follow”.

Colossians 1:10-13 “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing,  being fruitful unto every good work,  and increasing in the knowledge of God;

             Strengthened with all might,  according to His glorious power,  unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness;

             Giving thanks unto the Father,  which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

             Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness,  and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.”

This is what is promised all who come to Christ….who are born again:

Being fruitful…..increasing in the knowledge of God….strengthened with all might….with joyfulness….partakers of the inheritance….delivered from the power of darkness….translated into the kingdom of His dear Son.

It is in the walk we have with Christ….bringing all that we are and have, step by step, and placing it under His control.

By a deliberate act of the will….placing all things at His disposal.   

Here, Lord is my anger….I am mad and feeling it worsen….But it not just the anger….it is my resentment toward these people,…..my frustration at the lack of appreciation,….my frustration to You, even.

(By this time,  when I pray,  I am usually agreeing with the Lord, and giving up the feelings….they are not worth having anything come between me and Jesus.)

Now, Lord, I am sick….I am full of grief….I am weary,  so weary….

What ever it is,  it is….

…..and must be dealt with by bringing it all….Yes,  bringing it all to Christ….to be delivered from this darkness….and no longer under the influence of the Adversary……into Light.

As Christians, we have the ability to bring ourselves into subjection, by the Holy Spirit’s power within us….by our deliberate act of our will.

(I remember my husband talking to a man who was having some difficulties,….and he said:

“I just need more of God in my life.”    

Now, he thought that sounded good….and praying for him, the Lord said to him,  “What that man needs is a whole lot less of himself.”

God showed him, that He was there for that man….and His power was there for that man….but the man was not letting Him rule……

….pray for that.

And how many times the Lord has reminded us about this….for ourselves.)

Matthew 16:26 “For what is a man profited,  if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?   Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Jesus tells all who will follow Him…..it will be the world….or Me.

Which will it be?

Real Spirituality begins when we take our place before our God, our Maker.

Romans 9:19-20 “Thou wilt say them unto Me,  Why doth He yet find fault?  For who hath resisted His Will?

       Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God?  Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it,  Why hast Thou made me thus?”

“Why have You made me thus?   If You had not made me as I am,  I would not have these problems….it is Your fault, I am as I am.”

(I told this to the Lord once……I was so angry about the mess my life was in!                                Even though I had been born in a “Christian” family….had gone to church….yet there was an anger in my life….from hurts and resentments I refused to deal with.

Down through the ages,  we have wondered why God made us the way we am.

Or in this time,…..or in these circumstances.

(And are we not seeing this more and more….people refusing God’s Way of life for them?)

When that is exactly what He did….He made me for now….for the time I am in,  to manifest to this age…….our God.

That is the purpose of every man.

Revelation 4:11 “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.”

(This is a marvelous verse….for it pictures the Raptured church in heaven.   And what do they praise the Lord for first?    That He created all things for His pleasure.   His Will is best for all His creation…especially me!)

He has created all things, and placed them….for His glory.

All things means all things.   He says,  “…yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.”   

Romans 3:19 “Now we know that what things soever the law saith,  it saith to them that are under the law:  that every mouth may be stopped,  and all the world may be come guilty before God.”

Here is the last word….that every mouth may be stopped:

No more alibis

No more excuses

No more reasons why we did…..or did not do.

But every mouth will be stopped.

Now there are two ways that this happens:

For the lost, it happens at the White Throne judgement….every knee shall bow to Christ Jesus,   at the mention of His name.    Every sin will be read, and there will be no “talking back”…no excuses…just silence….as the Judge of all the earth gives the verdict….”depart from Me, ye workers of iniquity.”

For the saved,  it happens when we realize we are sinners…..lost….without hope in this world. 

Our mouths are stopped….we see we can give no excuse for our actions…against God and others.

But once we stop….and come to Christ,  Who alone can save us….and become born again….

…….then the Lord opens our mouths to speak His Word.

When Job had this experience, he spoke plainly of it:

Job had served the purpose of God in his wealth and prosperity;….as well as in his poverty and want.

He spoken a lot of words….good words….

….until the Lord showed Himself to him….then….

Job 40:1, 4 “Moreover the Lord answered Job, and said,     Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct Him?   He that reproveth God, let him answer it.

        The Job answered the Lord,  and said,   Behold,  I am vile;  what shall I answer Thee?  I will lay my hand upon my mouth.”

It is quite one thing to…know about God….even a great deal.

And another thing to….know God.

Job 42:5-6 “I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear;  but now mine eye seeth Thee:  

          Wherefore I abhor myself,  and repent in dust and ashes.”

This is taking our place before our Maker.   

He speaks, and I listen.

He decides, and I do.

That day Job knew God as His Creator and Sustainer.    And Job repented and bowed.   

        But then Job got up, forgave his “friends”…who had criticized everything he went through…

….and went on with the life God gave him…as a witness to God.

        Every time we know God more personally,  we will see ourselves more clearly….and marvel of marvels….we will in our humbling, be exalted to a more spiritual life in Him.

Of One Accord 

Acts 5:12 “And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch.”

(Solomon’s porch was just off the main temple area.  It was where the first church often met.)

“With one accord.”  Here is the real power of this verse.

It means to be gathered to the Lord, Himself.   

         We are not come together for the  preaching,  or for the music,  or for the company….although there is nothing wrong with good preaching,  music,  or fellowship of company….

….but to be of one accord….

…..Christ has to be the reason we come together.

Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Gathered together in His Name,  there He is in the midst.

To be gathered together in His Name….is to be impelled of the Holy Spirit.  

You are there because He has sent you there….and you want to be no where else.

(Years ago, my husband knew a man that came every Sunday,…..but confided in my husband that he would rather be home watching the games on T.V.

        My husband looked at him….and told him that he might be better off if he did….for if the heart is not in the “coming”…..that coldness spills out into the life and service.  [Sometime we can never really see our lostness when we are hiding in a church.]

       My husband had been praying for this man,  and had wondered….after all this time,  why there seemed to be no spiritual growth.   He tried dealing with this man….showing him the wonderful things of Christ….but…

       He often said the right words….but the light of the eyes and heart did not seem to be in what he was saying.

       Several years past, and this man finally stayed home.   He went from one thing to another…..trying the “happiness” of the world.   

There are always those….like Demas….who go along awhile….yet finally leave….”having loved this present world”.   

….for they would rather leave Christ than give up their loves, or plans.)

“With one accord”

Your whole body, soul and spirit longs to be where the children of God are gathered….to be there for Christ,….and for His Purpose.  

That is God’s Purpose and it becomes your Purpose.

That is to be of one accord.

The Vulgar Latin word for “accord” meant….”to be heart to heart with”.

This was the way the first church met.

All would be heart to heart with the Lord…having HIs heart’s desire for this situation.

That gave a power to the services….for the Lord’s Will being done has real practical power in it….and when it is done with all the heart….there is blessing and power.

We say they were on fire for the Lord…. the love they felt for Him overcame every fear and concern.

They were forgiven and wanted to continue in the fellowship and joy of that peace with God….and with their fellow believers.

Love  in scripture is willed…..it is the willed tendency of the heart after Someone….Christ.

      That love is practical….and the first place it is shown is in our obedience to Him…..heart obedience.

Acts 5:32 “And we are His witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God has given to them that obey Him.”

With His accord you are “heart to heart” with Him…..and this is what He wants….

….your heart so wrapped up in Him, that slight differences with people,  or changes in circumstances,  will not be a concern….or take our eyes off of Him.

This is, of course, between each believer and the Lord….but it is felt in the corporate ministry….and in the world. (Acts 4:13)

Song of Solomon 2:15 “Take us the foxes,  the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.”

      

When you take care of these little foxes…those little strifes, or desires, or hinderances in your hearts affection…..then…

…you have fellowship with Him…in a new way.

And when that fellowship continues….you will begin to know His accord,…as you are removing all that hinders this from being so.

         And by many acts of the will you become heart to heart with Him…..of one accord….with the love and power that it brings.

The man with the withered hand 

I am going to speak about a poor soul….a man with a withered right hand….a man shunned in the normal life of the Israelites, yet who yields to Jesus command….even though it puts him and his infirmity,   in the spotlight….

Luke 6:6-7 “And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that He entered into the synagogue and taught:  and there was a man whose right hand was withered.

       And the scribes and Pharisees watched Him, whether He would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against Him.

       But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand,    Rise up, and stand forth in the midst.   And he arose and stood forth.”

To have a deformity….a withered hand….in Israel, usually meant that someone in your family had sinned….you, or your parents.

       It was something to hide or keep covered.

       That this man wanted to hear the scriptures, and have fellowship with God and HIs people,  is apparent…..for though he might be looked down upon….he was gathered to the place of worship,…anyway.

       He was in the back of the men gathered….for Jesus said, “stand forth”

Jesus had come to their synagogue to teach….and He did.  

He knew what was in the heart of each man there.   Whether they were there to hear Him….or the Word….

…or merely to find an occasion to trip Him up.

“But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand,   Rise up, and stand forth in the midst.   And he arose and stood forth.”    

This would have been putting a spotlight on his deformity….

….yet he did it.   First standing,….then stepping out before everyone….”in the midst”.

This is faith.  For faith sees God, and believes Him.

Then Jesus did something unusual…..He did not speak to the man….He did nothing where he was concerned….at first…

….He just left him in the midst of everyone….a spectacle….or so it might have seemed.

But again, I must stress here…..faith sees God.   This man saw God in Christ, which separated him from many others here in this synagogue….

…so he stayed put,  waiting….in faith.

(How often we feel that Christ is going to do something for us….and we feel His love, and gladly “step forth”….but then there is a wait.   

      Do we begin to doubt His love?  Do we begin to “wobble” in our obedience?  Will we “back away” from the Lord’s command?)

….instead Jesus turned and spoke to the scribes and Pharisees.   

Luke 6:9 “Then said Jesus unto them,  I will ask you one thing;….”

Jesus broke right through to the truth.   He asked them to answer….with the truth.

“…Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil?   To save life, or to destroy it?”

Then Jesus turned and looked at each man there….

…not in anger,…..but sadness.   

     Saddened by the hardness of their hearts. There was no love of God….or man within them!

(In Matthew. 12:11-12….Jesus says,  “What man shall there be among you,  that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it and lift it out?

         How much then  is a man better than a sheep?   Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.”)

….then Jesus finally spoke to the man with the withered hand…”Stretch forth thy hand.”

Luke 6:10 “And looking round about upon then all, He said unto the man,  Stretch forth thy hand.   And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other.”

         

When God asks us to cooperate with Him,….

….we must first believe Him….this man had;….

….then we must obey Him.

This is an amazing healing….and one we can have, for it was by HIs Word alone that this man was healed….both spiritually and physically.

       For Jesus did not touch him.   It does not say Jesus came close to him.

Jesus spoke….

….it was His Word,  first to the man, to give him faith in Him (Romans 10:17)…”rise up and stand forth”…making him trust in Jesus…

…then HIs Word to the man for obedience to Him….faith, if it be true faith, always leads to obedience.   For what kind of faith would believe, but not obey?

And that man’s faith and obedience was honored….his hand was made whole as the other.

Jesus speaks to us, today, as well……giving faith in Himself….and encouraging our faith in Him.

And He speaks to us, today….commanding us to obey, that we might be “a spectacle “ (1 Corinthians 4:9)……for He shows Himself strong in us….in salvation,  in healing, and in joy and peace….

….are we hearing what He is saying to us?   Are we having what He is calling us to?

What are we facing today…..and in what are we “infirm”? (Not up to the task,  not able to do.)

Well, He is.  

And His Word of faith and instruction still comes to us, today.  

Let us stand forth with Him;  and trust and obey.

     

Amos;  and our calling

Amos 7:14-15 “Then answered Amos,  and said to Amaziah,   I was no prophet,  neither was I a prophet’s son  but I was a herdsman,  and a gatherer of sycamore fruit: (wild figs)

                            And the Lord took me as I followed the flock,  and the Lord said unto me,   Go prophesy unto My people Israel.”

He was not a prophet or a prophet’s son,  but called from being a shepherd and gathering wild figs,   he was called to preach repentance to Israel, that they might remember their Shepherd, and bring forth fruit to God.

Israel and Judah had separated.   In Jerusalem was the temple.  And the king of Israel was afraid that Israel would go back to Judah to worship at the Temple.

So he set up two idols to worship.  He told them that these were just a representation of God;  but he lied to them.

Israel apostatized.   They had begun to worship the idols which were calves.  

 This was great sin.  God is a jealous God, and so He sent them prophets to rebuke the king, the people,  and this sin.  

But the practice stuck.  They refused to be healed of it.  And so finally, after many years;  God was going to send Israel into captivity.   

And to a terrible people: cruel and vicious;  the Assyrians.

But before He did,  He sent Amos to call them to repentance, and to tell them what was going to happen if they refused to hear,…..this last time.

Amos 3:1-2 “Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you,  O children of Israel,  against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt,  saying, 

                       You only have I known of all the families of the earth:  therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.”

It was because Israel knew the Lord, He was God,  that He was going to punish them for turning away from Him.  They had seen His works,  they had been given His Word,  and they knew He was the real God.

Light brings responsibility.     When we know to do good and do it not,  that is sin. (James 4:17)

(When sinners stand before God, in their judgement day….it will be what they did with the knowledge of Christ and His Word to them.

They may say we never heard…..but the knowledge of God has gone throughout the earth….in creation, in preaching, in Bibles.)

When sin is added to sin,…..it is spitting in the face of God.   

He is long-suffering, and merciful;  but He knows when enough is enough.  

He decides when drastic measures are called for.  It is to bring all who will hear His Words, to return to Him.

They knew that what they were doing was against God’s Commandments and laws;  yet they continued in them,  because they thought they could get by with it.

             

                              

                                      So Amos came up to Israel, and preached repentance to the people,…..and at Bethel. (This was one of the places where the idols were, and one of the palaces of the king.)

Amos 7:1-3 “Thus hath the Lord God showed unto me;  and,  behold,  He formed grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth;…

                        And it came to pass,  that when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land,  then I said,  O Lord God,  forgive,  I beseech Thee: by whom shall Jacob arise?  For he is small.

                        The Lord repented for this:  It shall not be,  saith the Lord.”

                       

First, God was going to send grasshoppers to eat the grass to feed the flocks.   But at Amos prayer,  God “repented” or stopped His judgement, so that all would not be destroyed.

(This show us how important our prayers are.   The Lord hears the prayers of the righteous,  and many times it is our prayers that change a situation for good.)

Second, God sent scorching heat to lay waste the waters that they counted on.

But again Amos prayed for them, and God halted the judgement that way.

But the third time, The Lord showed Amos a plumb line. (A plumb line is a line with a weight on the bottom to hold it down straight.)

Amos 7:7-8 “Thus He showed me,  and, behold,  the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumb line,  with a plumb line in His hand.

                        And the Lord said unto me,  Amos,  what seest thou?  And I said,  A plumb line,   Then said the Lord,  Behold,  I have a set a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel:  I will not again pass by them any more:”

God would put a plumb line in the midst of His people.   If they would “straighten out” their lives by turning back to Him, they would be spared.

But those who refused, and remained “crooked”,  would fall as a wall which leans.

And how did God want them to repent?

First to return unto Him.

Amos 5:4 “For thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel,  Seek ye Me,  and ye shall live:”

                      

Second, The Lord wanted them to treat the poor with dignity, and fairness.

Amos 8:4-6 “Hear this,  O ye that swallow the needy,  even to make the poor of the land to fail, 

                       Saying,  When will the new moon be gone,  that we may sell corn? And the sabbath,  that we may set forth wheat,  making the ephah (like a bushel) small,  and the shekel (their money) great,  and falsifying the balances by deceit?

                        That we may buy the poor for silver,  and the needy for a pair of shoes;  yea,  and sell the refuse of the wheat?”

(And do we not see this in our time, as well?)

The title of this is Amos; and our calling.

As Christians,  we too, are called to our family, our friends, our church, and our nation:  to pray for and to seek their good.   

And the greatest good we can pray for,……is for them to know and love The Lord, and to treat others as they want to be treated,  with dignity and respect.

Under the idolatry of Israel,  many were destroyed spiritually,  long before God sent them out of their land, in judgement.

He sent prophets to preach His Words,….  and chastening circumstances so they would see His hand.

Finally, He sent them out of the good land, to sift them as wheat:

Amos 9:9-10 “For, lo,  I will command,  and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations,  like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.

                         All the sinners of My people shall die by the sword,  which say,  The evil shall not over take  or prevent us.”

But even as Amos left Israel to return to being a shepherd,  he heard a promise:

God would not utterly forsake His people.   

They would have to go through terrible trouble to finally learn the lesson He would have easily taught them,  had they listened and turned to Him.

But…

“In that day will I raise up….and I will build…saith the Lord that does this.  I will bring again…and I will plant.  (Amos 9:11-15)

The Lord sent Amos to preach repentance to “all who will” hear.

And we are all called to witness to our Lord Jesus Christ.   To let our lights so shine that all may see our good works and glorify our Father which is in heaven…..

…..and repent…..and turn to the Lord.

Finally,

Ephesians 6:10 “Finally,  my brethren,  be strong in the Lord,  and in the power of His might.”

Finally….

Paul had begun this letter to the church in Ephesus, with:

Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,  Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:”

Ephesians 2:6 “And hath raised us up together,  and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:”

Paul told of all the spiritual blessings that are ours….in the heavenlies….in Christ…

….as we are in Christ Jesus,…..those spiritual blessings can flow down to us, here on earth….

……and the means of getting those blessings to flow down….is to give Christ complete charge of our lives, as King. (Matthew 6:10)

He represents us up there before God the Father…so we are seated “in Him” in the heavenlies before God, too.

And we represent Him down here before the world…..and He is “in us” here before every person we meet with.

This is a great blessing….the Presence of God within us…..and those spiritual blessings, He has won for us.

The blessing of the Holy Spirit’s power within us (Eph. 1:13-14)

The blessing of understanding, and power (Eph. 1:18-20)

The blessing of quickening….both for salvation, and against sin. (Eph. 2:1-5)

The blessing of the works we are to walk in. (Eph. 2:10)

The blessing of letting the Gentiles into the church. (Eph.2:19)

The blessing of being rooted and grounded in Christ’s love (Eph.3:17)

The blessing of grace given in His measure…to us personally (Eph. 4:7)

Then after Paul speaks of all the blessings Christ has won for us…..those that should be coming down to us, in our every day life….

….he speaks of the practical life we are to live….as children, parents, workers, and employers.

Christianity is very practical.   Eternal life is not for heaven alone…..but for the life we live now.

The Lord never intended us to be saved,…..and then wait for heaven to know His love or peace or joy or mercy or grace…..but, to have them now in active fellowship and communion with Him.

That is why the blessed Holy Spirit lives within us….to bring down to us all that Christ has won for us….and that we will use in obedience to Him.

Then…..”Finally, my brethren”…..

Paul is summing up his thoughts for this beloved church….by showing them another blessing….the blessing of the armor of God.

Armor (Greek “panoply”) is a covering for warfare.

And here, he states, it covers our “loins”….or the pivotal power of our body….the place of real power of our movement……our will.

And our will,  needs to be covered by the truth…otherwise our will go this way and that….without purpose.

Our armor covers our chest….our heart and affections…..with righteousness.

(Righteousness is being right with God.)

It is given us by Christ….it is His righteousness that we are clothed with….but for the armor,  it is also our righteousness….our seeing that we are kept right before God….our sins confessed….our obediences up-to-date. (1 John 1:9)

Our armor covers our feet….our movements in this world.   

And they are to be in peace.   This is to go with God’s peace firmly in place….not in fear….resting upon the promises of God….and then we will not slip. (John 14:27)

Our armor includes our shield….a moveable piece which can help….for extra covering against the “fiery darts of the wicked”.

This is our faith…..true faith overcomes. (1 John 5:4)

Faith stops those suggestions which “fly” at us….in our minds….and those emotions which come to us in our hearts….

….with the internal knowledge of God.   Faith puts God in front of us…and if God be for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31-32)

Our armor….our covering for warfare…includes covering for our minds….the helmet of salvation.

Our Salvation is a complete one……God saves every part of us. 

He firmly places over our thought life a covering….to keep us safe from every panic and imaginations which suggest that God is not able. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

Our armor gives us a weapon….it is the Word of God….it is like a sword in our hand….to use against the wiles (tricks, and flattery) of the devil.

The Word of God divides false from true….and shows us God’s Way to go. (Psalm 119:11,36-37)

Our armor is prayer…..and how many times has our prayer saved us, when we are under attack!   Remember, God answers prayer because we believe Him….not because we say all the right words.  (Peter when he was drowning…”Lord, save me.” Matthew 14:30)

A soldier does not put on his armor,  after going into the battle….but a soldier puts his armor on….knowing the coming battle, and is prepared.

God has given us in Christ Jesus….by His Spirit, many blessings.

God has given us instruction as….how to live….

…..whether we are son, or daughter, father or mother,  wife or husband,  employee or employer….God has showed us that we are to think of each other in light of what Christ has done for us…..

….not what we or they have done.

And,  finally….God has supplied His power to cover us…

….with truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and His Word…and prayer…

….as a covering for us in the battle which we are in, here on earth.

Are we discovering all that Christ has for us?

The God of Peace

Isaiah 26:3 “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.”

At least six times in the New Testament, God is called the God of Peace.

(Romans 15:33, Romans 16:20,  Philippians 4:9,  1 Thessalonians 5:23,  2 Thessalonians 3:16 [here it is said “Lord of peace”], Hebrews 13:20)

Christ Jesus, Himself is the source of our peace.

We are not given peace by self effort….but it is given by the Holy Spirit as we “stay” ourselves on Him.

Perfect peace of mind……and freedom from the gripping hand of “cares”;….can only be known only as we learn to commit all our ways to Him.

“Cares” grab ahold of us, and say:  “You need to do something about this!”

“Mind” here is the imagination;   which can think of all kinds of thoughts about the things that…will happen….could happen……the “what ifs” of the situation.

1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon Him;  for He careth for you.”

Casting,….it is a energetic action….we are not to think of them awhile, then think about giving them to the Lord…

…no, we are to cast them upon Him….He is able….He has seen to these cares and worries already….and will see to them in us, through us, and by us…

…..for He cares for us. (this is a term for “taking care of us”)

Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), and He demonstrated this so marvelously on the cross.

1 Peter 2:23 “ Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again;  when He suffered, He threatened not;  but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously:”

The first part of the verse, is what He did before the Sanhedrin, Pilate, the soldiers, and on the cross….here was His obedience…

..He reviled not…He threatened not.

And it was because…He “committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously.”

He did this at Gethsemane,  when the thoughts of the shame and defilement of the cross came fast and furious…each,  an attack against Him.

Matthew 26:38-39 “Then saith He (Jesus) unto them,  My soul is exceeding sorrowful,  even unto death:  tarry ye here,  and watch with Me.

              And He went a little further,  and fell on His face,  and prayed,  saying,  O My Father,  if it be possible,  let this cup pass from Me:  nevertheless,  not as I will,  but as Thou wilt.”

But His answered these attacks on His peace,  with:  “Not as I will,  but as Thou wilt.”

This should be our stand, as well….when the attacks of concern, worry, doubt, and panic come against us.  

We, too, should commit ourselves to God, for all that will come to us…and let the peace of God guard us….keeping our hearts and minds.

1 Peter 4:19 “Wherefore,  let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well doing,  as unto a faithful Creator.”

He created us for a purpose,  we need to submit to that purpose,   for today…..not my will, but thine be done…and be obedient…for this is the “way of peace”…

Isaiah 48:17-18 “Thus saith the Lord,   Thy redeemer,   the Holy One of Israel;  I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit (by My teaching),   which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.

               O that thou hadst hearkened to My commandments!  Then had thy peace been as a river,  and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:”

Obeying His Word….we will be lead into His peace.

The listening and obedient ear knows true peace….for it knows the Voice of the God of Peace….and follows Him.

We are called to Pay the Price,  for what we Have 

Once, years ago, my husband was holding meetings in another church.  Every night people were coming forward,  confessing sins,  and surrendering their lives to Christ….

….yet….after a while…he thought there would be more outreach for Christ.

People who open up their lives to Christ usually want to share their joy with others….

…but,  later in the evening meetings,  the same people would come forward,….mostly for the same things.

         “What was the reason?”  he asked the Lord. 

And the Lord said,  “They will not pay the price for what they have.    I have heard their confessions….I have heard them as they commit this and that part of their life to Me….

…..but when they get up from the altar….

….they will not hold the ground I have given them in their lives….

…..for surrender to me will bring attacks from the Adversary.”

          From then on, my husband not only sought to preach about sanctification…..but also about the warfare which comes from following the Lord whole-heartedly.

Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the whole armor of God,  that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (tricks) of the devil”

To stand in this scripture, is to hold on to the promises, and gifts, and callings….the grace and hope, that the Lord has won on the cross for us……against the temptations and tricks the world and the devil throw against us.

Our Strength is in the Lord,…..not in our surrender…..but we must stand with Him.

It is true, that when we are born again…..we do not possess all that He has for us.

We have the Holy Spirit as our Comforter and Guide, and faith as a gift…..and so we have the ability to “grow in grace and the knowledge of God”.

But we have to grow.

What is it to grow in grace?…..well, we can go from grace to grace by using the ability and power you have been given.   God will give us as much as we use….not as much as we want.

And what is it to grow in the knowledge of God?….it is to read, and seek understanding of His Word.   

To use that understanding to come to Him and say,….

“Lord, I see you want me to be patient amid trials (Romans 5:3).   I am not….I panic, I get frustrated,  I grumble….forgive me.

Please show me, blessed Holy Spirit, how to be this way….and work this patience within me.”      

His Word gives knowledge in light…..and the experience He leads you in gives you knowledge in love. 

Luke 8:5, 11 “A sower went out to sow his seed:  and as he sowed,  some fell by the wayside;  and was trodden down,  and the fowls of the air devoured it.

           Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God.”

In this day, we tend to play down His Word as our authority….and play up our “right” to obey it or not.

But once we have heard God’s Word….we are saved or condemned….by what we do about it….

1 Peter 1:23 “Being born again,  not of corruptible seed,  but of incorruptible,  by the Word of God,  which liveth and abideth forever.”

This “seed” has been spread everywhere….as Christ told His disciples to do.

Luke 8:12 “Those by the wayside are they that hear; then cometh the devil,  and taketh away the word out of their hearts,  lest they should believe and be saved.” (2 Timothy 2:26)

I have always thought of these “wayside hearers” to be the religious-hardened.   Those that barely hear the Word in their ears,  before rejecting it for themselves.

But….

The Bible plainly says,  the Word was sown “in their hearts”……how is this possible?…..with this outcome?

First let me explain that the Word is never for our ears,…alone.

If that were the case,  it would be like documents filed in our mind,  for later….mostly forgotten about.

No,  the Word is always through the ears….to the heart.  

There must be a response to the Word….not just an emotional response,….but a turning toward, and a holding onto.

So how was this Word in their hearts…..yet “devoured” by the Adversary?

(he is pictured as “the fowls of the air”.   Notice the term, “devoured”….as in 

1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant;  because your adversary the devil,  as a roaring lion,  walketh about,  seeking whom he may devour:”)

Because,….it is “trodden down”….then it is taken away by the devil.

When we receive the Word of God to us,  we can do two things:  hold on to it….or throw it down.

(My husband used the illustration of the Word as pieces of paper….and his pocket on his shirt as his heart.

      The Word comes into the heart….but, oh, that does not mean anything for me…..now….and the paper (word) is taken from the pocket (heart) and tossed on the floor.

      Oh, that Word is good, I should probably pray about that…..later….and the paper slides out of the pocket on to the floor.

       We may have a number of “reasons” that the Word is not held on to….and obeyed…..but the Word always ends up on the floor.

      And my husband is walking all over them!   Illustrating the way we “trod them down”….

……..if we do not hold and obey them.)

When we receive God’s Word to us…..and it does not matter how it comes….through a message,  the scriptures, through someone’s testimony….however it comes,…

….we must hold on to it….surrendering right then to that Word….

…….using it on ourselves, in honesty with God….for it is His Word to us.

Luke 8:8, 15 “And other fell on good ground,  and sprang up,  and bear fruit a hundredfold.   And when He had said these things,  He cried,  He that hath ears to hear,  let him hear.

          But that on the good ground are they,  which in an honest and good heart,  having heard the Word,  keep it,  and bring forth fruit with patience.”

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 try the reins (will),  even to give every man according to his ways,  and according to the fruit of his doings.”

If we keep God’s Word,  in honesty (which shows it is a “good heart”),  then the fruit of the Spirit will begin to manifest itself…first in us:

Love for the Lord and His Word…

Joy…that exuberance, which comes from His presence within 

Peace..a settled union with God’s Will

Then the fruit of the Spirit without, to others…both of the household of faith and not:

Long-suffering or patience with others.

Gentleness or showing others Christ as we would children.

Goodness or kindness especially to those who do not show kindness to us.

Faith…that faith that stands with Christ in the world. (Jude 3)

Meekness….or keeping ourselves in our humble place before God..whether in success or failure.

Temperance…to be moderate or hang on with a loose hand all our worldly goods.

The price we pay, for what Christ has won for us…..and it is all of Him….but the price He asks us to pay….is to stand with Him in everything…

…will we?