Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”

“Direct” here is to “make straight, or right”, “to make prosperous”.

My husband received these verses years ago when praying about how to receive direction, for the work he was called to do at the time.

It is of the heart not the head….

…what this means is, that we have to want to hear what the Lord is telling us…..we have to incline our ear…..lean toward Him, so we can really hear what the Lord is saying to us.

Again, this is of the heart.

(Jeremiah 25:4 “And the Lord hath sent unto you all His servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear.”)

He told me the story of when he was first brought into the ministry of tract passing and soul winning….even before he was called to preach.

He was always praying for opportunities to be used…and as he prayed, he learned how to get guidance for this work…..to yield to the Holy Spirit’s promptings….where people was concerned, and for the words to say.

But after a while, when he prayed……the Lord would impress him, with this one person he should speak to….

….but he did not want to speak to this particular person.

Finally, the Lord told my husband…..this person….or none.

And that settled it…..he spoke to this man.

You see, we can not pick and choose…..who, or where, or how…..if we are to let the Lord direct us.

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”

But the real secret to this direction from the Holy Spirit for our walk (our conversation, our calling, our ministry, our life)….is:

To acknowledge Him…..in all our ways…..and then He will direct our paths.

But to have this direction aright, we must do this in everything,….

…..not just the big, important things….but the little, everyday things as well.

It is seeking Him in our “paths”…..it is our everyday walk that matters.

And that is where the “trust in the Lord” comes in.

Trust is hanging on to Jesus….to hold Him….and not to let Him go….for His felt Presence with us, by the Holy Spirit, is our power.

Acknowledge comes from the root word “know”….and that is what it is all about.

What do we know about our God….

….that is what we tell Him….and ask Him, in accordance to that knowledge, to do for us.

Examples:

David after his sin with Bathsheba….

….David cried for mercy…getting honest with God……for he knew God was merciful:

Psalm 51:1, 6 “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy loving-kindness: according unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

Behold, Thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part Thou shalt make me to know wisdom.”

Jeremiah’s lamentation when Josiah, the last godly king, died…and he knew that terrible judgement which would come on Jerusalem and Judah…

….for they had forsaken God,and His commandments……even while they pretended to attend the sacrifices:

Lamentations 3:16-17, 47 “He (God) hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, He hath covered me with ashes.

And Thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forget prosperity,

Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction.”

Here was the cry of the Lord’s prophet knowing what would come to His people….

…but He also knows God….so he prays….

Lamentations 3:48-50 “Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughters of my people.

My eye tricketh down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,

Till the Lord looked down, and behold from heaven.”

Lamentations 3:22-23, 25 “It is of the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.

They are new every morning, great is Thy faithfulness.

The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him.”

And then Peter:

Peter had denied the Lord three times….after he had said he would “lay down his life” for Jesus (John 13:37)

But then Peter is given the opportunity to confess and get forgiveness….

But the subject is not sin…..although that was there….but love.

John 21:15-17 “So when they had dined, Jesus saith unto Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me more than these? He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto him, Feed My Sheep.

He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me?

Peter was grieved because He said unto him the third time, Lovest thou Me?

And he said unto Him, Lord, Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love Thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed My Sheep.”

Why did Peter deny the Lord? Fear.

Why would Peter go on and do the Lord’s Will, feeding His lambs and sheep, now….against all that would come up? Love.

Love must be the motivating factor to our lives….love for Jesus. Peter would be empowered by the Holy Spirit when He was given on the day of Pentecost….but love must wave the banner over our lives.

“…And when He (Jesus) had spoken this, He saith unto him (Peter), Follow Me.” (John 21:19)

Peter must love the Lord (so must we)….if we are to “Trust in the Lord”….and get direction.

It must be love…..to trust and obey.

It is our privilege and duty to seek His direction in our paths….our everyday walk in this world….even when we have failed….

And He is more than willing to give it.

Let us….Trust in the Lord,….stop leaning on our own opinions….and since we know Him….and love Him….

…..let us go to Him in all our ways, and seek Him according to our knowledge of Him…..and He will guide us.

To reign in real life

Roman 5:17 “For if by one man’s offense (Adam’s sin), death reigned by one;

much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.”

But how to reign in real life?

We know that Christ reigns as Sovereign over all….

….and that in Him we reign as “a royal priesthood” 1 Peter 2:9….spiritually.

But how do we get that into our real life?….the life I live at home, at work, with friends,…

….in real life.

Paul wrote about his experience, after his conversion on the road to Damascus….

…..the battle Paul had with himself.

He said he saw in the Law, that he was covetous….

Paul had been a Pharisee, a very religious man…..knowing the scriptures well…but when he was born again….the Holy Spirit used that knowledge of the law….

….to “slay” (Romans 7:9, 11) in Paul some part of himself….his desire for self-glory.

He saw that no matter how he willed to do good in the things he was doing for God….that self sin was there….making his good works and obediences…..corrupt.

For it is our attitude toward the things we do that gives them value…..do we do them out of love for Christ….or out of love for Christ and myself (even a little)?

Romans 7:18-19 “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

For the good that I would, I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.”

This has been my experience….I will to be different….

….but how to do what is good, I find not.

I will to do Your Will, O Lord…..but every time I begin, I seem to trip over myself…

Lord, I am weary of all this covetousness…

…my mind looks for another way of doing Your will…

…my heart yearns for some praise for myself.

Paul cries out for deliverance from himself!….from his “body of death”

Romans 7:24 “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”

If there is anything that can be done about it….I want to do it!

The first step in deliverance from “the body of this death”…..is to admit complete defeat.

We could not defeat our sin…..Christ’s cross and sacrificial death does that.

And we can not defeat ourselves….Christ’s life through the Holy Spirit in us, does that.

Romans 7:25 “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind (my determination) I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh (my old nature) the law of sin.”

Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

(You will notice, that in Romans 7:7-25, which is Paul’s own testimony……”I” is mentioned thirty-one times.

But in Romans 8, the Spirit is mentioned nineteen times….and “I”, only twice.

It is interesting to note….that the Holy Spirit is only once named before this ….Romans 5:5 “….because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”

There Paul talks of conversion….being “justified by faith”…”though our Lord Jesus Christ” Romans 5:1-5.

But in Romans 7 and 8, Paul is speaking about the battle with self sins….the battle to bring everything we are, into subjection to Christ…..through the Spirit.

That is why “I” is prominent in Romans 7;…..and “the Spirit” is prominent in Romans 8…

….and why the connection between the two is Romans 7:25-8:1.

It is through Christ Jesus’ merit that the Holy Spirit is given! Praise God for His wonderful works!)

So how do we reign in “real life”?

We continue…..to receive the grace given….and yield to the Holy Spirit in our life.

But how do we cease or hinder this abundance of grace?

We quench the Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 5:19 “Quench not the Spirit”

Paul’s self-sin was quenching the Spirit….he was being defeated, because the power of Christ’s life, was being overshadowed by his desire for glory.

What are our self-sins? Well, the Spirit can have the victory over us, and them…and give us grace to live…abundant grace.

John 15:7 “If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”

If we are born again,…then we are abiding in Him….we are “in Christ Jesus”

And My words abide in you…..are we being obedient to the light we have received?

Are we doing His Words to us? Doing what we are told?

Then His Words should be abiding in us….

Then we can ask what we will,….this covers a lot….

…and it shall be done…

….unto us.

Not unto others, not unto circumstances,…..but unto us!

This is the life of the Vine entering into the branches…..peace in trouble….hope in times of darkness…joy in the face of anger….order in chaos….love to Christ in the face of persecution.

These are not from ourselves….

Where do we get these? From the overflow….the abundance of grace by the Holy Spirit! To abide….to live….in the Spirit of God.

1 Thessalonians 5:18-19 “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Quench not the Spirit.”

This gets right down into today….with all those I live with, work with, talk to, go to school with, or drive around….

Are you letting the Spirit reign in you?

Are you letting Christ’s Words abide….be worked out by obedience in you?

Later, Paul wrote to the Galatians

Galatians 2:20-21a “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: for the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.

I do not frustrate the grace of God:…”

Paul learned that he had to…..with all his learning, speech, direction, everything….he had to yield this day….this time to the Holy Spirit….and keep receiving His abundant grace.

I Will, will you?

This is God speaking, and when He says, “I will”, nothing can hinder Him, except what He allows.

And in His people, which should know and believe Him; He allows their unbelief to hinder His works.

And why does He allow this?

Hebrews 3:10,12 “Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their hearts, and they have not known My ways.

Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.”

For unbelief is departing from the living God….however that departing is….in heart, or in life.

The example I want to talk about is in Ezekiel.

Ezekiel is an interesting prophet. Exiled with many of Judah’s people in the second captivity under Nebuchadnezzar (there were three times people were taken away.), Ezekiel’s ministry was:

To tell the captives the reason of their captivity.

He tells them of their forsaking of God, and the terrible iniquity that was still going on in Judah and Jerusalem. He tells them that God will judge Judah, destroying the Temple, and the kingdom, because of their continued wickedness.

Ezekiel 33:28-29 “For I will lay the land most desolate, and the pomp of her strength shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, that none shall pass through. Then shall they know that I am the Lord, when I have laid the land most desolate, because of all their abominations which they have committed.”

And he encouraged the captives to accept the chastening of the Lord, and build houses and take care of their families.

To do the commandments of the Lord, till God was pleased to bring them back into the land.

For after God had chastened them, He would remember His covenant with Abraham, and bring them back.

Ezekiel 36:28 “And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be My people, and I will be your God.”

This is a great promise, for it deals not just with the outward inheritance, but the inward heart.

Ezekiel 36: 32-36 “Not for your sakes do I do this, saith the Lord God, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel.

Thus saith the Lord God; in the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded.

And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by.

And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the wastes and the desolate and ruined cities become fenced, and are inhabited.

Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord build the ruin places, and plant that that was desolate: I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it.”

“I have spoken it, and I will do it.” But it would not be for their sakes.

I was not a matter of merit. But God would do it, for His Word’s sake.

This should have caused the people to praise God, and pray and pray for it.

To get right with God, and seek the good of their brethren.

But what did they do?

Ezekiel 36:37 “Thus saith the Lord God; I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them,…”

They did nothing.

God had promised. He would do it. Great!

And then:

Forget about it, till we actually see it.

Unbelief abounded:

Not the “I don’t believe in God”, unbelief.

But the “I will believe, only when I see it”, unbelief.

For unbelief is departing from the living God.

Ezekiel spoke and warned them that God required righteousness from them. To do what they, as His people, should do, even in a foreign land.

Not for merit, but to show their belief in Him, as their God.

(Ezekiel 33:14-15 “…if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right;

If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statues of life, with out committing iniquity; he shall surely live,…”)

They could pine away, wishing for better days; Or turn from their sins of idolatry and rebellion against God’s dealings, and “live”.

Again, and again Ezekiel spoke to them; but they mocked him. Listening, but still refusing to “hear and obey.”

Ezekiel 33:31-32 “And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit thee before thee as My people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.

And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.”

God says, “I will”. And nothing can hinder God, but what He allows. And with His own people, who should know Him; He refuses to bless our unbelief (whatever kind it is).

He rebukes us to get our attention, so we will hear His Word to us.

He chastens us, to awaken us to the seriousness of our way. To draw us back into the right way.

Real life is in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior. It is by faith.

Hebrews 10:38 “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him.”

Now let me ask you: Which really lived? Ezekiel or the people who “pined” away in their sins?

Ezekiel’s way was hard. But God was with him.

What do you consider “life” to you? Life with Christ Jesus? Or life here and now?

God says, “I will”. Will we believe Him, and live?

Elisha and the cruse of Salt.

2 Kings 2:19 “And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is nought, and the ground barren.”

The city of Jericho was situated near the Jordan River; it was a beautiful city, but the spring water that watered the land was bitter and caused the crops to fail.

Jericho was rebuilt under a curse. (Joshua 6:26). I am only mentioning this because the world system we live in, is also under a curse.

One day there will be a new heaven and earth, but now we are called to live here for Christ Jesus.

To “build” here,……as though this was our final home, and not keep our hearts for Heaven,……will cause any Christian to be barren, and not produce the fruit of joy and peace in the soul.

The men of Jericho, hearing that Elisha had been anointed by the Holy Spirit to be prophet after Elijah,……so they came to him, and asked that he would seek God for help, to heal the waters.

2 Kings 2:20 “And he said, Bring me a new cruse (jar) and put salt therein, and they brought it to him.”

Salt, we know is a preservative. It keeps bacteria and decay away.

[We, as Christians, are to be the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13).

We are to “preserve” it from evil…….the part we have influence in…..in our everyday circumstances,…..by manifesting the Lord Jesus’ character in the world.

We are to honor the Holy Spirit within us, and witness of Christ’s life.]

Elisha had agreed to ask God what He wanted done about Jericho’s water….

And he had received what to do…..using a jar full of salt.

But the healing of the waters, was not to cost the men of the city, nothing.

They were to buy a new cruse (jar) and the salt, and bring it to him.

It would have cost them little,….but they were to do it,…..willingly being obedient to God’s requirements.

When they did this, Elisha was instructed to:

2 Kings 2:21-22 “And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the Lord, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land.

So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake.”

The salt, itself, was not the healer. Nor was Elisha. But the Lord healed them.

The salt was the means God wanted used, and Elisha was the instrument the Lord used, for that time.

This is a picture of how we, as Christians, can be fruitful in this barren world.

The world looks good, the situation seems “pleasant”…….but without the “living water” of Christ….this world is barren….not bringing forth the fruit unto holiness….but only supplying death.

The Lord requires new, clean vessels;…..by being born again. (John 3:3)

And we need to be salt; the preserving power of the Holy Spirit working through us to a sad world. (Matthew 5:16)

That is simply doing what were told by God, and showing His character to those around us.

Then we can be the means and the instruments for “healing” in this world.

The waters were healed, not just for a day or two….but from then on.

They could have harvests of plenty.

God wants that for each life He saves: To bring forth the fruits of the Holy Spirit within (to have His joy and peace, even in this world); and to manifest His gospel without.

(Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance….”)

Appointed

Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement:”

By God’s appointment, every life shall end in fire:

For the Christian, it is the purifying fire of the Bema of Christ,….before we enter the eternity of Heaven:

1 Corinthians 3:13. “Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.”

For the unsaved, it is ultimately the Lake of Fire:

Revelation 20:13, 15 “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

[Matthew 25:41 “Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:”

Notice: God made the Lake of Fire for the devil and his angels. Not man. Man chooses to rebel against his Maker, and refuses the only Savior.]

God has appointed this day: it is not for anyone to know, when it is…

Acts 1:7 “And He said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power.”

But it is put into God’s appointment book; it will happen.

As John the Baptist warned those Pharisees and rulers that came to be seen, when John baptized in repentance:

Matthew 3:10-12 “And now also the axe is laid to the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

Whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat unto the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Yet they would not accept his word….or his baptism unto repentance….and so perished in their sins.

As Job said:

Job 23:14. “For He performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with Him.”

God performs the thing appointed.

For every Christian, this is a blessed fact.

Every trial, every person, every circumstance which is in the path that I am to take, following Him,……is appointed for me.

1 Thessalonians 3:3 “That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereinto.”

Paul was writing them about the persecution he was facing…..and that they were going through…

….God has put in the appointment book of each of us….certain trials….and troubles….and even persecutions….

…but we should not “be moved” (to shake or be disturbed) by them….

….instead Paul was praying…

1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 “And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:

To the end that He may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.”

So because God has appointed this day of judgement for each of us….

He would have us as His born again ones to receive the reward and crown He has for us.

In that day: He will purify us with fire.

Today: He wants to purify us by trials.

Faith must be tried to show us that it is there, and how much we have. That is the way we learn what God will do for us.

Micah 6:8-9 “He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

The Lord’s voice crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom shall see Thy name: hear ye the rod, and Who hath appointed it.”

[The rod here is the same as “Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23). They are given the Shepherd, both to correct the sheep…and protect them.]

Our path is one in which we deal with ourselves, and others.

We ask for mercy, and deal with others in mercy.

We ask for forgiveness, and forgive others.

We ask for help, and pray for help for others.

(Giving it in comfort, and encouragement, as we can)

Our path is one which follows our Lord,………”to walk humbly with our God”, in the many “appointments” He has made for us…

….including the appointment of the day of judgement.

We agree with Him in this path, leaning on Him and His Word to us, to see us through in safety……And in joy…

…that we might hear, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”

He has appointed for me, and for you. Let us receive a full reward (2 John 8), and enter into all He has for us: both here,….and there.

The Elder Brother

Luke 15:25-26 “Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing.

And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.”

Here is the elder brother of the Prodigal, doing what he always does….coming in from the field after seeing to the work there.

This he had done many times since his younger brother had left.

As the eldest son, he had been given the first two-thirds of the inheritance; while his younger brother had taken his one-third and left (to squander it).

But what he had not realized was, that when the Father divided his living among them (Luke 15:12)…

…..it was a legal transaction that transferred all the substance, authority, and wealth to them.

So when the younger left with his….everything (2/3 of the estate), was now his, to do what he wanted with.

The elder son was lord of the manor…..his Father was nothing more than an honored guest in his house.

(Yes, he was to honor and to see to him as long as he lived….but the place, house, money, and servants, etc. was his….with all the legal standing of this position.

He could do what he wanted with all of it.)

But the elder son never saw or possessed this……..and that was because he never really knew his Father, and his goodness.

He still saw things as they had always been….a son just doing his chores.

There was no enjoyment of his inheritance….no enjoyment or fellowship between him and his Father….just the duty, somehow to gain……something.

(that is the intangible “something”, because we should not do our duty for gain; but for love’s sake)

But sadly, he had everything….and never enjoyed it.

I am emphasizing this, because there are a lot of Christians the same way.

We have an inheritance…..yes, it will be complete in heaven….but, we have the earnest of that inheritance, now….in the Person of the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 1:13-14)

We have “all spiritual blessings” in Christ, waiting for us to get them down here in our practical life. (Ephesians 1:3)

We have the fruit of the Spirit to enjoy….and the ability to fellowship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Do we really know this? What are we doing about it?

Or are we like the elder brother, who never really knew his Father….so did not know the enjoyment of the life he (or we) have been given.

(The Prodigal, though a mess and a failure….losing so much of his life on riotous living in the world….yet he, at least, knew his Father, and knew he would be given a place (even as a servant)…..if he returned to Him.

When he did, the Father ran out to meet him, for he had been “dead” to all the life he should have had, till he returned. Luke 15:32)

But the Father also “came out and entreated” the elder brother.

When the elder brother found out the younger was home, and the Father had killed the fatted calf for him (something that was reserved for honored guests and special occasions)….

He was angry…

Luke 15:28-30 “And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his Father out, and entreated him.

And he answering said to his Father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment; and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:

But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.”

Now you might think, having heard this….that he had good reason to be angry.

No, he did not. He could have had a party with his friends, anytime he wanted….with a kid, or the fatted calf, if he wanted.

But sadly, he did not know this.

He thought he was a servant….not a son.

He thought his inheritance rested in his merit….how hard he worked, and obedient he had been.

“I never transgressed Thy commandments….even though I grudgingly did them for merit”.

Is this obedience?…..

…….maybe to the letter….not to the heart of them.

For the heart of any commandment, or direction from the Lord is to guide you into greater enjoyment of the life of God, in you.

“I deserve better than You have given me”…

…..what?!

He did not even know or use……what the Father had given him.

“I deserve better than You have given the prodigal”….

……But, the Father said……you had it….all the time…to have and use, anytime!

No, his inheritance (and ours) rests in the fact that we are sons of God, not in our merits.

The Father had come out, and “entreated” him. He earnestly beseeched, implored, begged him to come on in, and party with them.

How this shows the desire of the Father’s heart for His sons….to have them fellowshipping with Him.

Luke 15:31 “And He said unto His son, Son, thou art ever with Me, and all that I have is thine.”

All that Christ obtained for us, in His death and resurrection, are laid up for us…..not just for the by-and-by….but for now, to own and use.

It is in Christ….but we are in Christ. (“In Whom also we have obtained an inheritance…” Ephesians 1:11)

Ephesians 1:3, 7-9, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

In Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace.

Wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;

Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself: “

1 John 3:1 “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:….”

We have our inheritance now….what will we do with it?

The Lord Jesus will not knock down your heart’s door….

Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come into him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.”

What is “sup” here?

It is fellowship……..the Creator with His creature, the Lord with His disciple, the Master with His servant.

But there is no real fellowship, if there is not an open door to our lives.

Fellowship means shared conversation….as with a partner, or companion who is traveling with you.

To sit before Jesus and hear His parables would be amazing….

To sit at Jesus feet, and listen to Him is wonderful…..

But to sit with Jesus in conversation, and life…..is “sup”…..for we are opening up ourselves and our life to Him, in everything.

A life open to and receptive to Him.

The Lord will not knock down the door to our hearts, and come in….

….nor will He force us into a fellowship that we do not desire;

All this rest with our “want to”…..do we want to have shared conversations with Christ Jesus, our Lord,…….about everything?

You will never have the love relationship that He wants for us, until the Holy Spirit has created within you this “want to”.

Luke 19:1 “And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho,”

Notice that Jesus was just passing through…..He was not staying, or even preaching….He was passing through.

He had just healed the blind man, at the outskirts of Jericho (Luke 18:41-43)…..

….and He was headed to Jerusalem (Luke 18:31).

Jesus was in His last weeks, before He was to be crucified…..He was going to Jerusalem…..

…but all along the way….He saves…..all who “want to”

Luke 19:2-4 “And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.

And he sought to see Jesus who He was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.

And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him: for he was to pass that way.”

Here was “want to”……for Zacchaeus does everything he can to see Jesus.

Notice the verse says, “….he sought to see Jesus who He was…”

Jesus’ fame had spread all over the land….and Zacchaeus wanted to know what real godly goodness and power looked like.

Zacchaeus was a publican…..a tax collector….who made himself rich from the taxes he collected for Rome, from his own people.

Tax collectors were hated,…..I probably would have felt the same way about someone who was acting for the those that oppressed the people….and Zacchaeus was “chief” among them.

But Zacchaeus had a longing…..which turned into opportunity, when Jesus came through his city.

So with as much diligence and effort as this little man had,…

…….he climbed up into a tree so that he might see this man that was suppose to be the Messiah, the Son of God….

….and then something unexpected happened…

Luke 19:5. “And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.”

What!?

Here is an invitation to “sup”……to fellowship with Jesus….in Zacchaeus own house…

Why?

Jesus was passing through….yet stayed because Zacchaeus wanted to see……and know Him.

(He will do the same with anyone who wants to fellowship with Him…..He will stay and “abide”….another term of fellowship and partnership.)

Jesus’ invitation given…..there are two distinct reactions:

Joy for Zacchaeus……”he made haste and came down and received Him joyfully”

Murmuring for the people who saw…….”He is gone to be a guest with a man that is a sinner.”

They were following their leaders attitude….even after all the miracles and Words from the Lord Jesus….they still murmured when mercy was shown someone they considered unworthy…

Jesus had explained, at the beginning of His ministry to the Pharisees…..

“They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Matthew 9:11-13)

That is why Jesus Christ came to earth…..to save sinners…..for He will save all who will come to Him.

Zacchaeus had….”put himself in the way of righteousness”

Luke 19:8-10 “And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord;

Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor;

and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.

For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Under the law, if a man defrauded another Israelite, they would have to restore the value of what was taken,….plus a fifth part of the value…..

……but Zacchaeus restored…..not according to law….

….but according to his love for his Savior….”fourfold”.

Jesus continued on to Jerusalem….

Luke 19:28 “And when He had thus spoken, He went before, ascending up to Jerusalem.”

There He would come in to praises and shouts of…..”Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord…” (Matthew 21:9)

And a week later….He would be given a cross…..to shouts of…..”Crucify Him, crucify Him.” (Luke 23:21)…..

He came to “knock and speak” to His people……and now He “knocks and speaks” to His Church….

…but…He will not knock our heart’s door down.

He offers fellowship….have we heard Him….do we have this longing…this “want to”…..to know Him in this way?

We must always keep in mind, Who it is, that is speaking to us…..and what He is able to do….

Will we answer His call to “abide” with Him in our house….joyfully?……to “sup” with Him continually in our lives?

How much we need this of Christ Jesus….will we open the door to our lives….as we opened the door to our hearts…..and have that fellowship?

‘A life open to and receptive to Him.

Jeremiah 5:22 “Fear ye not Me? Saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at My presence,

which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it:

and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?”

For several days, as I am looking for other verses….I keep turning past this one..

My husband and I have never preached on it….

….and it seems odd to have it “stick out”….

…….for Jeremiah is full of this type of conversation between the Lord and his faithful prophet, about Jerusalem and Judah.

Jeremiah, God’s prophet, is seen many times….shaking his head in disbelief….at the stubbornness of Judah and Jerusalem to hear the truth……to turn again to the Lord….to mend their ways.

How many times in this book does Jeremiah prophesy against his own people because of their failure to honor the Lord God,…..Who had chosen, called, lead and blessed them so many times?

Jeremiah 5:1 “Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgement (does honest dealing), that seeketh the truth (who wants to know what is really My Word); and I will pardon it (Jerusalem).”

The very place of the temple….and it’s sacrifices….is also the very place where the fear of the Lord was refused.

Jeremiah 5:23-24 “But this people hath a revolting and rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone.

Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth rain,…”

For that reason, they were always running after some other gods to fear, instead of the Lord God.

Jeremiah 5:3 “O Lord, are not Thine eyes upon the truth?

Thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved;

Thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction:

they have made their faces harder than a rock;

they have refused to return.”

Just what is….”the fear of the Lord”?

We can probably all think of the verse:

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom….” (Proverbs 1:7)

We know this means to reverence Him….it is not “I am afraid”…..but rather a concern for anything in my life that will dishonor our God, because of His great love to us….and our love to Him.

In other words, the fear of the Lord comes from worship and love.

And why does He want us to fear Him?

Because when we fear the Lord, we do not fear others…

Reverence and awe of God, puts us into our rightful position before Him…..and before others.

We are not afraid of speaking the truth, for we fear God….not man.

Proverbs 14:26-27 “In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and His children shall have a place of refuge.

The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.”

Psalm 31:19-20 “Oh how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee; which Thou hast wrought for them that trust in Thee before the sons of men!

Thou shalt hide them in secret of Thy presence from the pride of man: Thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.”

Because those that fear Him are ever before His eyes….He has promised to….

Psalm 34:7-9 “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them.

O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.

O fear the Lord, ye His saints: for there is no want to them that fear Him.”

Because in the end…..all knowledge,…

…..all our searching for place and honor,……and every delight we can have in this world……

……in the end….it will only matter if we feared the Lord.

Everything else will fade, wrinkle, and be blown away.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”

(This was from one of the richest men on earth….Solomon.)

To fear the Lord is to obey Him with diligence……desiring nothing that will injure HIs honor………it is to bring all that is our life,……and place it in His capable hands and leave it there….

…for there our treasure is….with Him.

…for He is the Lord of all.

Jeremiah 5:22 “Fear ye not Me? Saith the Lord; will ye not tremble at My presence….”

Jeremiah 7:28 “But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the Lord their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.”

Isaiah 57:11 “And of whom hast thou be afraid of or feared, that thou hast lied, and hast not remembered Me, nor laid it to thy heart? Have not I held My peace even of old, and thou fearest Me not?”

(I must admit to being afraid these last few months….not of corona virus….

….and not of the political scene (altho sometimes it makes me sad)….

….but of the terrible lack of……the desire to see and hear the truth in our country.

No, I am not talking of my “truth”…..or the “truth” someone else speaks…..but the real Truth…..which is God, and His Word.

In all the chaos of life…..what or Who do we look to? Who or what do we believe? Who or what do we trust in?)

God is truth. How much have we been seeking Him?

John 1:17 “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”

Nothing places the Truth squarely in front of us more than the fear of the Lord.

He is the truth.

He does not change…..His faithfulness is eternal….His Word is everlasting….His Power is untouchable.

Jeremiah 5:22 “Fear ye Me not? Saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at My presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?”

In scripture, the sea is often a picture of the chaos of humanity….both in a good sense and bad: (Isaiah 57:20-21, Isaiah 60:5)….

….seemingly placid on top……it can be in turmoil underneath.

Warm at the surface, when warmed by the sun…..it is freezing cold, beneath.

Yet the sea is at the bidding of God….always.

Storm, wind, tide, and tidal wave…..all obey the fiat of the Master’s Voice and Will.

A patch of sand keeps the waves, except when He bids it pass over it….and then it returns submissively, into it’s place, afterward.

Again, the fear of the Lord is our reverence of Him….it is not “I am afraid”…..but rather a concern for anything in my life that will dishonor our God, because of His great love to us….and our love to Him.

And when we fear Him…..He places peace within, which is like the cleft of the Rock…..the storm may roar around, but we are safe in Him….in His Truth, and grace.

The Brazen Laver

It is the maintaining of fellowship with Christ, that we wish to speak of.

And one of the examples of this, is:

Exodus 30:18-20 “Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein.

For Aaron and his sons shall wash there hands and there feet thereat:

When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the Lord:”

The brazen Laver was made for cleansing.

It was set just outside the door of the Holy Place, in the court of the tabernacle. This was in the natural sunlight.

Both the priests, and people could be in this court; but the people could not minister at the altar or the laver; only the priests could.

When Aaron and his sons were given for the service of the priesthood, they were brought to the laver and given a bath by Moses; once.

Exodus 29:4, 9 “And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall wash them with water.

And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priest office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons.”

This pictures our regeneration; when we are born again. It was never repeated.

They and their decedents, were priests from then on.

So with us. When we are born again, we are forever His children.

1 Peter 2:9 “But ye are chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light:”

But as priests, they would minister, by sacrifice, at the brazen altar. There, the sacrifices for sin and peace would be given.

Their hands would be bloody, and their feet would be dirty from walking on the bare ground.

So, they were commanded to come to the Laver to wash both their hands and feet, before they went into the Holy Place to burn incense at the golden altar, or light the lamp (M’nourah).

This, they were to do every time they went into the Holy Place.

The Holy Place signified fellowship with God:

the golden altar and the burning incense showed the prayer which ascends to God

(the fire to burn came from the brazen altar everyday, tying Christ sacrifice and our prayers together)…..

…the table of shewbread showed forth the sufficiency of God for our needs….

…and the lampstand showed forth God as the only light for our work.

All showed forth fellowship with God.

But before they could go in and have this fellowship, they must wash at the brazen laver.

The Laver, like everything else in the Tabernacle speaks of Christ’s sufficiency to meet our every need; for the priests could not enter the Holy Place, without washing there.

The Laver was there, but they had to wash in the water that it provided.

As Christians, we need daily cleansing from the defilements of the way we walk through,……if we are to maintain our fellowship with God.

In our walk, we constantly have dealings with those who are dead in trespasses and sins;……and their influence defiles us.

(You can not go very many places without hearing cursing, filthy references, or anger. How much anger is about.)

In honesty, we are also aware of the blemishes of our service (which speak of our hands), and the failures of our walk (our feet).

We obey; but we often hesitate. (as though we were ashamed of Christ)

Or we don’t do what God wants us to do, as He wants. (We have good reasons, we think.)

These do not interfere with our standing as Christians. We are still born again.

But it does interfere with our communion and fellowship, with God. (For every time we step back from God, we are further away from His help)

Ephesians 5:26 “That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.”

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Christ Jesus has made a way for us to come and wash, and be cleansed……..according to His Word.

Do we want that fellowship and communion which enlivens us?

Will we go to the Word of God and judge our ways before Him?….cleanse our hands and our feet?

1 Corinthians 11:31 “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.”

Water is also to invigorate.

And the Word of God gives us comfort and refreshing.

It revives our spirits.

It makes us feel whole, and clean again. Ready for the next moment, the next day.

Revelation 22:17 “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”

He offers His life “freely”, to us…..will we come and be cleansed and have that light and fellowship He has for us, today?

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 latter…..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?