Marching Orders
We, as Christians, are on our way to Heaven. This world is not our home….but the place of our testing and growing in grace….and the place where we prove our devotion to Christ, by our obedience…and standing with Him.
The Lord has given us many promises in His Word that we may obtain them….to help us in our march to our inheritance in heaven (1 Peter 1:3-4)….are we obtaining them?
Hebrews 4:16 “Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
To obtain here, is “to get ahold of”. (“obtain” and “obtained” is spoken of ten times in Hebrews.)
Are we truly “getting ahold of” the many promises the Lord has given us, to help us in our days and nights?
Paul uses many terms identified with the Roman soldiers he was around (the armor is a good illustration)….and he uses them to illustrate that we are to stand and be watchful as we travel this world.
We are not to be entangled with the things around us….hard, sometimes when we are struggling with things.
But the admonition to….”be in the world, but not of the world”….is the way to walk. (John 17:11, Jesus was not of this world, and we are not of this world.)
Hebrews 10:35 “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.”
In the A.S.V. it says “your holy boldness”.
Confidence is “to pour forth assurance, frankness in speech and demeanor”.
Confidence is an acquired thing….for we gain confidence in Christ as we follow Him….for this confidence comes from the Holy Spirit within. (It is a strengthening influence in our daily walk….a constant looking to Him, Who is our life)
When we are confident in Christ Jesus our Lord, we speak about Him easily…and our walk takes on an air of worship, in all things, for we are seeking His glory in all things.
(We are not apologizing for Christ being our King, but instead glad to share His kingdom with others.)
We know His presence with us….and His Word is our light….
…..for we see the darkness around us, but we have the Light of life within us, and shining on our actions and thoughts to give clarity and understanding through the Word that we read and study, as to what to do.
Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that He that hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
Paul loved the Philippians…
…..the church was under persecution from the start.
Yet…
……and here is the beautiful and blessed result of confidence….theirs is the book most full of joy and encouragement.
Here Paul tells them: “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,….and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God, the Father.” (Phil. 2:10-11)
What a letter…
…..telling these that heard the name of Jesus cursed, and slandered…
…..who were tried and persecuted for His name’s sake…
……that at the mention of His name…all should finally acknowledge His Lordship!
Confidence….that the Lord will continue to work in us. And He uses the promises He gives us to bring His Word to pass in us and by us.
2 Peter 1:4 “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature (take on the Lord’s character), having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (to be in the world, but not of its character)
Hebrews 10:35 “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.”
What reward is there in being confident in Christ Jesus?
First, there is the reward in our hearts: for confidence leads to trust and obedience in life, and blessing in our prayer life.
Second, there is the reward of others being made aware of Christ, by our lives. True assurance of His Will….and a frankness or honesty in our speech and life…will show others that Christ Jesus is real to us.
Third, and maybe the most stressed here in Hebrews: that we might receive the promise.
Hebrews 10:36 “For ye have need of patience, that , after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.”
It is in the doing….that there is the receiving.
Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ:”
It does not say…might bless us….or maybe will bless us…but “hath blessed us”…in Christ.
Past tense, it is already done.
But how can I obtain…(and we are to obtain them)…..or get ahold of…all these blessings in Christ? Very simply:
Matthew 6:10 “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”
Our “marching orders” are to make sure that He rules in the kingdom of mansoul….in me….while we pass through this world.
And a good start to doing that is:
1 Thessalonians 5:19 “Quench not the Spirit.”
And the best way to stop stifling the Holy Spirit is:
1 Thessalonians 5:18 “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
Look at this: this is the will of God in Christ Jesus….giving thanks to Him for every thing.
This is bowing before Him as creature to Creator….worshiping Him as our King.
For as the Almighty, He could change all our circumstances.
But what He wants to change most….is us. Our deliverance should be in the circumstances…not out of them. Our joy should be in the will of God being fulfilled in us.
Ephesians 2:6 “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:”
Now this does not say “with Christ”….but “in Christ”.
We are seated in the heavenlies “in Christ”….and He is seated in me, here on earth.
Though we are traveling through this world….we are to be subjects of our King, Jesus Christ. We represent Him, here…..
…Praise God, He represents us, there….working within us and through us to the accomplishing of His Will in all things.
Let us “march on”….giving Him thanks for all things….growing in the grace and confidence in Him.
He is King….may we show that He reigns within each of us….and may we each fulfill His Will in the path He has for us.
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 