The Good Ground Hearer

1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

“If we walk in the light”.  We know that “light” means knowledge and understanding from the Holy Spirit, through the merits of Christ’s  sacrifice.  

We are to walk in that light, that the Holy Spirit gives us;  to be obedient to the light we have received.

Does that mean sinless perfection?  No, it does not!

What it does mean, is:  that you get honest with God,  in all your dealings with Him.

Prayer, Bible Study, witness, and worship.  You get honest with Him.

You, in fact, become a “good ground hearer”.

Matthew 13:23 “But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word,  and understandeth it;  which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth,  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

All that have the seed sown unto them, “hear” it.  It is what we do when we hear, that separates us in Christ’s sight.

“And understandeth it”.  The good ground hearer, understands the right of those claims made on his life by Christ;  and answers them with a life that is open to and receptive to Christ.

(If you think Christ has not made any claims to your life,  then you have not heard aright.   And you have not understood His claim as Lord and Savior.)

Mark 4:20 “And these are they which are sown on good ground;  such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit,  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

The good ground hearers are those individuals which:  when they hear the Word given to them,  they receive the Word.

They do not reject it,  or say, “that is for someone else”.

To receive is to do what that Word requires of them.

Luke 8:15 “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.”

Here we see the reason behind the good ground: honesty.

Our hearts are never good, in themselves:

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, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.”

But in Luke it says: “honest and good heart”.   That is the only way it is good.  We get honest with God and allow Him to search us and show us if there is anything we need to get straight with Him.

Then we can bring forth the fruit of the Spirit, and the fruit of the Christian; which is another Christian. (We are all called as witnesses of Christ’s life in our life)

This honest heart “keeps” the word.  It obeys, and perseveres in that obedience.   And in keeping it,  we are changed into His character:  His loving, kindness we can show.  His truth we can share.  His prayer for all,  we can follow.

Keeping the Word, shows God is true, and we stay with Him in all the trials that come up.

To understand the Word is to see Who speaks to me.  It is to know the reality of the creature before the Creator.  We understand that God is God, and does command me to follow Him, wherever He leads.

This is the first agreement in walking together in the light with Him.

Then we receive the Word, that we might be changed into “a vessel unto honor, sanctified,meet for the master’s use,  and prepared unto every good work.” (2 Timothy 2:21). In other words, bring forth fruit…some thirtyfold, some sixty, some a hundred.

Then,(and in the Christian life, there is always a “then”.  We are never to be stagnant; but always going on to more mature things.). 

Then, we “keep” the word.  As creature before the Creator, because we have learned that He does all things well…..

….so I’ll keep His Word, and with patience,  waiting on Him to bring to pass;  I’ll stand.

Doing what He says, bringing forth fruit….maybe not a hundredfold,  but I will bring forth fruit to His glory.

Thank you Heavenly Sower, for allowing Your Word to come to me.

Let it bring forth abundantly to You….in me, and through me.

Now According to the Faithful and True Witness 

Revelation 3:14 “And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write;  these things saith the Amen,  the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the Creation of God.”

I will say here, that we believe that we are called to this Laodicean age. In other words we believe that we are called to Awaken the church to God’s claims on their lives.  

As Christians, we are redeemed;  we belong to Him, therefore His Will should be the purpose of our lives.

(Yes, we believe that these letters each represent both a real church being written to;  and an age within the Church dispensation.

In each letter,  the church or the true believers is the focus—not the lost.  Jesus Christ is dictating these letters so they will know how He feels about their problems,  their tribulations, and their failures;  and what grace to get to deal with them.)

Thus saith the Amen.

Now, He alone can say this:  this means “Let it be,  Let it happen.”  He alone is the Affirmation and Confirmation of every Word of God.

We must say,  “If God wills.”  (James 4:13-15).  But He can say Amen, and it will be.

The Faithful and True Witness.  A witness just states what He sees and what He knows.

And what does Jesus see when He looks at Laodicea?

Revelation 3:15-16 “I know thy works,  that thou art neither cold or hot:  I would thou wert cold or hot.

                                   So then because thou art lukewarm,  and neither cold or hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth.”

(Indifference, or apathy to God, after He has done so much for us;  is the very worst state we can possibly be in. And if continued in, will result in being “spued out of His mouth”.

And the reason of our indifference?)

Revelation 3:17 “Because thou sayest,  I am rich, and increased with goods,  and have need of nothing;  and knowest not that thou art wretched,  and miserable,  and poor,  and blind, and naked:”

Because we say, that I am rich, and increased with goods.

This is grand of itself;   but it leads to:  “and have need of nothing”;  

not even God, anymore.

This attitude is: 

“I am saved, and for that I will praise You;    but let me have my place in this world with all of it’s goods.

Yes, I am rich with Your mercy for You have saved me, and I do not have to do anything but wait for heaven.

I am increased with goods,  for I can have heaven and earth;  both salvation and the world.

And have need of nothing:  so let me praise You,   and do what I want for now.”

But Jesus sees their true condition before Him, and says:  And knowest not!

Is it possible to be in such a state and not know it?  According to the Faithful and True Witness, it is;  and we Laodiceans, are.

We do not know that we are really wretched:  

This is a terrible word,  but Paul used it of himself when he was testifying of his battle with himself, his “old man”.

Paul was a very religious Pharisee,  but he discovered from the Spirit of God, his covetousness.   

To covet is to “set the heart upon”.  [The Ten Commandments gives a whole list of things we are not to covet: from things for wealth, or sex, or goods, or things just better than we have.].  

When we set our hearts upon something, it takes over our emotions, our reason, and our wills (yes,  we become quite unwilling to listen to God, and quite willing to sin, to have this.)

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

Why did he say this?   Because he saw that even as a Christian, we have our old nature within us.

Romans 7:18 “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.”

Paul was having trouble with his old self.   He was trying to do what God wanted, but found that his trying often failed.  

Paul knew he was wretched.

So what did he do?    He sought freedom from self, by the Spirit of God.

Romans 8:2, 4 “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

                         That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us,  who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

Here was the answer to his wretchedness:  walking in the Spirit,  not in the flesh.

We Laodiceans are trying to do both:  be in Christ, and in the world for ourselves.

Christ Jesus plainly teaches that if you would be a follower of Christ you should deny yourself, pick up your cross [does that sound like something the world would like to be around?] and follow Him.

We are to lose our self-life,  to have our Christ- life (Matthew 16:24-26)

That is why the Faithful and True Witness says we are also:  

miserable [how many Christians today are unhappy, discontented],  

and poor [not rich in God’s grace by His Spirit, but barely getting by]

and blind [someone has said,  we are blind because we have our eyes shut, so we can not see ourselves as Christ sees us]

And naked [without the righteous acts which are those obediences to God, which separate us from the world, and give a “covering” of peace, and power]

This witness has been against us so far……..but our blessed Lord Jesus does not leave us (never!);    but counsels us, as our Advocate, with the best advice:

Revelations 3:18 “I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire,  that thou mayest be rich;  and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed,  and that the shame of thy nakedness  do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve,  that thou mayest see.”

When we “buy” from Jesus,  we are not buying salvation;  that is a free gift.

But when we are His,  we are to come to Him and get what we need.  He calls it “buying” here because we are to come with the attitude of getting real gain, real value.

(Remember the indifference?   To come with the knowledge of real lack;  and seek Him for His precious grace,  being obedient to His call;  then we “buy” from Him.)

He knows all and counsels us to get gold—true riches of His commanding presence and power in our lives. 

(Tried in the fire, is true gold with the dross or admixture burnt out, by the trials of standing with Him)

He counsels us to get white raiment, or the covering of righteous acts, so we will not be ashamed at His coming.

He counsels us to stop being blind, by getting honest (by the Holy Spirit’s help) with Him and with ourselves. 

As the Lord told me once:  that if any true Christian would get a good look at their own heart, they would want to do something about it immediately.  

Then Jesus says to His Laodicean church:

Revelation 3:19-20 “As many as I love,  I rebuke and chasten:  be zealous therefore, and repent.

                                   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.”

This is the fellowship of true family.  

And the power of His presence. (Psalm 23:5 “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:  Thou anointed my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”)

“I will come into him and will sup with him”….these two things, the Lord says He will do…..if we will repent and open our lives to Him,  again.

Do you hear Him today, calling you to repent of your lukewarmness to Him?

Then answer His voice:

To answer the call of Christ in this Laodicean age, requires not an answer of words at some altar;

But the answer of a life open to and receptive to Him.

None other will do.

He says, “I will”.      Will you?

Temptation

Luke 8:13 “They on the rock are they, which,  when they hear,  receive the word with joy;  and these have no root,  which for awhile believe,  and in time of temptation fall away.”

Here is described some who hear the Word of God;  and their hearts respond to it with joy!

They believe for awhile, for they receive the word, not just hear it.

This means that their hearts want Salvation.   They understand the promise of it, as well as what it demands of them.

They will to obey it, and go along great…..until something halts their progress.

That “something” is Temptation.

To tempt is to arouse to action or anger;  to induce to do something;  to persuade.

Temptation comes along and knocks at the door of your life.

Life might be treating you badly.  You might already be hurt, or angry, or discouraged (and this is a BIG one:  discouragement)

So the devil, our Adversary, who is behind each temptation, sends “Complaints” to speak to us.

Complaints comes and knocks at our door.  When we open to see who it is,  he says, “How many times are you going to put up with their ingratitude?”

“You deserve to have that position.  You work harder than anybody else!”

“They should never have said that about you.  You are so much nicer than they are.”

He says exactly what we want to hear.

Should you listen?  (First mistake.  Eve was tripped up by listening to the devil, she should have run away at the first suggestion out of his mouth)

Should you open to see exactly what “Complaints” is offering? 

Now if we are  “sober (serious about standing with Christ), 

and vigilant (watchful);  we can refuse Complaint’s suggestions.

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, devour is what the devil wants to do, with this Temptation.  To eat up every determination to do God’s Will.

(Believe me, every temptation we yield to;  weakens our faith.   If you would be strong in the faith,  flee temptation.)

Remember,  that is what it is: it is a Temptation,  no matter what name it comes knocking under.

If we listen,  and consider what Temptation is offering;  a foothold is made in your heart or your understanding.  And once there, they are twice as hard to resist.

Christ Jesus taught His disciples to pray:

Matthew 6:13 “And lead us not into temptation,  but deliver us from evil:  for thine is the kingdom,  and the power,  and the glory,  for ever.  Amen.”

There are two parts to dealing with Temptation:

1. “Lord, lead us not into temptation”.                                                                 Help me to keep asking for the help I need. To lean on You  to say and do only what I should.

James 1:19-20 “Wherefore,  my beloved brethren,  let every man be swift to hear (God),  slow to speak,  slow to wrath:

                            For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.”

2. “but, deliver us from evil”.                                                                                    For there is a way out of Temptation, once we are in it.

James 4:7-8 “Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  

                  Draw nigh to God,  and he will draw nigh to you, cleanse your hands ye sinners;  and purify your hearts ye double-minded.”

The first is submit to God:  confess your desire to listen and go along with Temptation, and confess your anger (or what ever the sin was).

This submission is a deliberate act of your will,  and the real Victory is in the submission.

Then resist the devil:  “The Lord rebuke thee.”  (We certainly can’t in our own power,  but in His name, we can.)

Then draw near to God, and He will draw near to you:  This is a military movement.  It is going back, to take cover in Christ Jesus, our Rock; and He will protect us, and fight for us in a special way.

Temptations are common to man. 

But we can be delivered from them:

1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man:  but God is faithful,  who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able;  but will with the temptation also make a way to escape,  that ye may be able to bear it.”

And God has promised a blessing for all those who endure.   Endure means that you stand with Christ Jesus;  and when the temptation is over, you are still standing with Jesus.

(You may fall.  But He has provided His forgiveness, and cleansing power to get us up and stand again with Him.)

James 1:12 “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation:  for when he is tried,  he shall receive the crown of life,  which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”

Diligence

Diligence is eager, earnest doing; till the job is done.

2 Kings 13:14 “And Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died.  And  Joash the king of Israel came down unto him,  and wept over his face,  and said,  O my father,  my father!  The chariot of Israel,  and the horsemen thereof.”

Elisha was a prophet of God to Israel.  He lived in a time of wickedness.  But there was still some which worshipped the Lord.  He would travel around and gather them and preach to them.  But now, after years of ministry to Israel,  Elisha is dying.

And the king of Israel came down to him,  to get some sorely needed help.

Assyria was their bitter enemy,  who had destroyed most of their army;  and had taken cities away from Israel.

Israel’s king was not godly;  he had followed the sins of Israel’s kings before him, and kept the worship of two golden idols.     

(Notice the wonderful names he calls Elisha!  Had he really thought that way,  this would not have been his last call,  but the first.)

God had not forsaken Israel, yet.

He had a remnant in Israel, under Elisha, called the sons of the prophets, who still followed Him.

But the king needed help, and what he was doing was not working.

So the king came down to get the help of Elisha.  Maybe Elisha would seek God and get deliverance for Israel.

2 Kings 13:15-17 “And Elisha said unto him,  Take bow and arrows.   And he took unto him bow and arrows.

                               And he said unto the king of Israel,  Put thy hand upon the bow.  And  he put his hand upon it:  and Elisha put his hands upon the king’s hands.

                                And he said,  Open the window eastward.  And he opened it.  Then Elisha said,  Shoot.  And he shot.  And he said,  The arrow of the Lord’s deliverance,  and the arrow of deliverance from Syria:  for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Apek,  till thou hast consumed them.”

Hurrah, a promise of deliverance!  And it was so simple.  Just shoot an arrow; a very manly, kingly thing to do! 

But wait;  God was not through with this king.  God was going to require subjection to His Word from this king.

2 Kings 13:18 “And he said,  Take the arrows.  And he took them.   And he said unto the king of Israel,  Smite upon the ground.    And he smote thrice,  and stayed.”

This was not very manly, or kingly;  and he had gotten the promise already.   What was he doing  hitting the ground?     

Well, he would humor the old guy,  but why do this, he could not see.

His lack of diligence (the eager, earnest doing, till complete) cost him.

One arrow shot, with his hands covered with the hands of the prophet, was enough for the promise of victory, from God.

(Wasn’t that what Elisha had been doing for the whole nation?  Covering them from complete judgement from God?)

But now,  something more was going to be required from the king and his nation.   Elisha was dying, and with him, a great deal of “covering” was gone.

Would the king subject himself to God’s Word and do what was humbling?

Would he pound the ground with the arrows, like he was fighting the Syrians because God said so?

Bending down and striking the ground? What good would that do?

Diligence is eager, earnest doing; till the job is done.

But the king had no real diligence.   He wanted promises from Elisha’s God, not instructions in perseverance.  

He had not come to finally submit to God,  but to get something from Him.

God was telling him to do something which seemed demeaning. 

The king had said the right words, he had finally come to the right place;  wasn’t that honor enough?

No.   Real honor to God is doing what He says, no matter how it looks.

Oh sure,  he would fight the battles which God would give him victory in;  but pound upon the ground in obedience to God’s Word?   

No,  that was not for him.    After all he was a king. 

(How often we are the same way.   We want promises:  which God is glad to give.   But to do the work of praying for them, and being obedient everyday for them;  we would rather not.   How soon our enthusiasm disappears!)

2 Kings 13:19 “And the man of God was wroth with him,  and said,  Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times;  then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hast consumed it:  whereas now thou wilt smite Syria but thrice.”

Think of it!   Two or three more times, was all he had to do to get complete victory over his worst enemy!

But now,  he would have victory—as God promised;  but only three times.  

The amount of times he hit the ground.   

The effort he showed there,  would be the victories the Lord would give!

(Remember, this was only his hand on the arrows which were to strike the ground.)

How important our diligence is, in our walk with Jesus Christ.

Are we  like Joash here,  incomplete in what God has given us to do?

You could say he was not diligent   because of unbelief,   or not wanting to humble himself under the Word of God.

Or for a number of reasons;  but in the end,  God would not honor him more than he was willing to be diligent.

Proverbs 4:23 “Keep thy heart with all diligence;  for out of it are the issues of life.”

In other words,  with your own hands,  hold on to the emotions which come out of your heart, like the reins of a horse—so they will not run away with you.

The Lord will give us victory,  but the diligence to obey Him, comes from our hand.  

Do, and I will strength you.  

Speak, and I will give your words weight. 

Stand with Me, and I will encircle you with peace and courage.

We must take God at His Word, and diligently “keep” our hearts for Him.

When I was a Child

1 Corinthians 13:11 “When I was a child,  I spake as a child,  I understood as a child,  I thought as a child:  but when I became a man,  I put away childish things.”

“When I was a child”…this phrase suggest that these childish things have been “put away”;  that the writer here is remembering what the Lord showed him of the things that needed to be removed, that he might grow up into Christ.

The writer here is Paul.  It is hard to think that Paul was ever childish,  yet we have his testimony here, that even the mighty apostle had to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ.

(He was writing the Corinthian Church, who were childishly arguing over “who was who”.   “I am of Paul,  I of Apollos, I of Cephas,….is Christ divided?”  1 Corinthians 1:12-13a.  

This was silly, and Paul was writing them to correct their behavior;  to help them grow up into Christ.)

And how do we put away childish things?

By knowing the scriptures.

1 Peter 2:2 “As newborn babes,  desire the sincere milk of the Word,  that ye may grow thereby.”

It is as we are established in the Word of God, that we are able to know what the Lord is saying to us. 

As we read and listen to that Word, the power of the Spirit speaks to us; and He applies them to us. 

That power works in the heart.  It works understanding of the Word,  and then it works obedience to it,  so we will receive the blessing of it.

Peter ends his second epistle with this exhortation.

2 Peter 3:18 “But grow in grace,  and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and for ever.  Amen.”

David said:

Psalm 131:2 “Surely I have behaved and quieted myself,  as a child that is weaned of his mother:  my soul is even as a weaned child.”

Our hearts are naturally drawn to worldly things.

But by the grace of God,  the soul is “weaned” from the desire for them.

There are three things which the Apostle Paul says he “put away”.

I spake as a child: 

1 Corinthians 2:1-2,4-5 “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech, or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.

                                 For I determined not to know any thing among you,  save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

                                 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom,  but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

                                 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men,  but in the power of God.”

Paul did not speak in all the eloquence he could, so people would applaud him;  but spake in the power of the Holy Spirit, about Christ Jesus.

We are to do the same.   We are to show forth Christ Jesus.  Whether by testimony (about being born again,  or right up to the minute about what He has showed us for this situation.),  or by giving the gospel message of His salvation.

[This also has reference to talking to the Lord:  Our confessions should not be as children, “It got broke”;  but,  “I broke it, forgive me.”

When we need direction,  we should ask for it. 

When we need help,  we should turn to Him immediately, and not try and “cover up” our lack of knowledge, or struggle through]

I understood as a child: 

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

                                 That we henceforth be no more children,  tossed to and fro,  and carried about with every wind of doctrine,  by the sleight of men,  and cunning craftiness,  whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

                                  Speaking the truth in love,  may grow up unto Him in all things,  which is the head,  even Christ:”

Paul includes himself here;  for our “growing up” continues until we get to heaven.   We are babes,  children, then adults:  yet we continue to grow in grace, and get more understanding of Him, as we go along.

To have this understanding, we should work at being steadfast in His Word, and learning how to listen to His Spirit.   

We get distracted,  we hesitate,  we doubt.   

But the Spirit is willing to help us with light (knowledge),  insight (for the situation),  and  discernment (about people).

How important these are.  He knows,  and He will gladly tell us.

I thought (reasoned) as a child: 

Paul wrote about himself: 

Acts 26:9-11 “I verily thought with myself,  that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

                         Which thing I also did in Jerusalem:  and many of the saints did I shut up in prison,  having received authority from the chief priests;  and when they were put to death,  I gave my voice against them.

                          And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme;  and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.”

This is Paul’s testimony as to the persecution he lead, before being born again, against the church:   “I verily thought with myself…”.

He let his own emotions(anger), lead him into doing terrible things against the people of the Lord.

This is childish reasoning:  we react to our own feelings toward things.

[Of course, once the Lord struck him down and got his attention;  things were different.    

But, Paul had refused the testimony of Stephen about Christ; which began his downward spiral into violence against the Lord’s own.  

It was of God’s mercy and love that He did not forget about this man (or us:  Praise God for His mercy to me,  a thousand times over).   But His grace saved him!   And gave him the right way of thinking]

Let us, as Paul did, and every other Christian can:  “put away childish things.”

Put them away, like we put old toys away;  to go on with older, more mature pursuits. 

How?  By the Word of God, spoken, read, and preached:  applied to us by His Holy Spirit, for our help.  

So let us grow up into Him,  and be all He wants for us.

The Means of Victory: Pray, Believe and Praise

2 Chronicles 20:1 “It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon,  and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.”

Now Jehoshaphat was a godly king of Judah.  

And so when he heard of their coming to war with them,  he feared;  but sought the Lord.

2 Chronicles 20:3 “ And Jehoshaphat feared,  and set himself to seek the Lord,  and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.”

He knew that his small country could not stand against the superior numbers and warriors of these three nations.

But He knew God could save them.

2 Chronicles 20:6, 12 “And said,  O Lord God of our fathers,  art thou not God in heaven?   And rulest  not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen?  And in thine hand is there not power and might,  so that none is able to withstand thee?

                    O our God,  wilt thou not judge them? For we have no might against this great company that cometh against us;    neither know we what to do:   but our eyes are upon thee.”

As they were praying and seeking God’s help;  the Holy Spirit gave them direction through one of the appointed singers, that stood seeking God.  

(2Chronicles 20:15-17)   “….Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude;  for the battle is not yours,  but God’s.

                                   Tomorrow go ye down against them:  behold,  they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook,  before the wilderness of Jeruel.

                                    Ye shall not need to fight in this battle:   set yourselves,  stand ye still,  and see the salvation of the Lord with you,  O Judah and Jerusalem:  fear not,  nor be dismayed;  tomorrow go out against them:  for the Lord will be with you.”

They knew they would have to go out and face the enemy;  but the Lord said He would be with them, and fight for them.  

They all started worshipping, and thanking God for it!

2 Chronicles 20:20-21 “And they rose early in the morning,  and went forth into the wilderness…: and as they went forth,  Jehoshaphat stood and said,  Hear me, O Judah,…;   Believe in the Lord your God,  so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.

                                  And when he had consulted with the people,  he appointed singers unto the Lord,  and that should praise the beauty of holiness,  as they went out before the army,  and to say,     Praise the Lord;  for His mercy endureth forever.”

Notice Jehoshaphat did not stay in Jerusalem,  but led his people.

Also notice,  when he had consulted with the people,  he appointed singers.  They all wanted to praise God,  even before the actual victory.

And what was the battle?

It was the Lord’s.   For He caused two of the armies to unite against the third army;  destroying it.

Then God caused them that were left to turn on each other!  

2 Chronicles 20:22-23 “And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord sent ambushments against…which were come against Judah;     and they were smitten.

                       For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir,  utterly to slay and destroy them:     and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of mount Seir,     everyone helped to destroy another.”

Judah did not have to fight at all!

2 Chronicles 20:24 “And when Judah came toward the watchtower in the wilderness,  they looked unto the multitude,   Behold,  they were dead bodies fallen to the earth,  and none escaped.”

Four days later,  after taking the spoil of the armies that came to destroy them,  they gathered in the same Valley.

They renamed it “Berachah”,  or Blessing.

2 Chronicles 20:26-28 “And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah;  for there they blessed the Lord:…

                                  Then they returned,…to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the Lord had made them to rejoice over their enemies.

                                   And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the Lord.”

Jehoshaphat was a godly king,  but even godly people have enemies.   

So God was sought after for His help,  and He was found of them.

We, too, can seek the Lord and His help when we are in fear of being overcome.

Whether by enemies,  troubles,  or fear itself.

We are to pray,  looking to Him for the help.

We are to believe Him.

And we are to praise Him for the help He sends.   Whatever way He sends it.

He is the means of Victory in our lives;  and He has appointed prayer and belief and praise to go before us into the battles we fight.

This is the Way

Isaiah 30:21 “And thine ear shall hear a word behind thee,  saying,   This is the way, walk ye in it,  when ye turn to the right hand,  or when ye turn to the left.”

To “walk” sets forth the fact of everyday living.

And we are to walk with Christ Jesus in our every day lives.

We often look for special days;  when spiritual reality,  for us, must come down to today, tomorrow, and the next day.   Each day, in it’s time.

There is where we need to be found faithful to Jesus.

There are so many people we come into contact with, that the Lord  has placed you around, at that time,  which have a need.

You may say, I can do nothing for them.   But…

You can shine your light of Jesus Christ,  that all that see it,  and may glorify your Father which is in heaven. 

Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men,  that they may see your good works,  and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

A word in due season:

Proverbs 15:23 “A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth:  and a word spoken in due season,  how good is it!”

This is a simple testimony, or verse, or explanation why you pray over your food,  or why you say, Praise God.

A word,  but in the right season, to bring forth fruit in that person’s life.

A word of prayer.  We can pray, when we can do nothing else.

Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing;  but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

1 Peter 3:15 “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts:  and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you,  with meekness and fear:”

We should be ready to speak about the Lord Jesus anytime.   That He is our Lord,    and what He has done for us.

This is the way,  walk ye in it.    We are not to run, or hide.   Simply walk with Him, and talk of Him with any we are told to.

He will guide us to turn to the left hand or to the right hand:  to speak, pray, or witness of our Lord Jesus Christ;  for He is right there with us.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Humbling

Daniel 4:1-3 “Nebuchadnezzar the king unto all people,  nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth,    Peace be multiplied unto you.

                        I thought it good to show the signs and wonders that the High God hath wrought toward me.

                        How great are His signs!  And how mighty are His wonders!  His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,  and His dominion is from generation to generation.”

Here is the story of God against a powerful…maybe the most powerful ruler of the times.

And of course, God wins.   The stories of God’s victories are all around us,  but we do not get news flashes about them.

So in the Scriptures, God has set aside a record of His humbling of a heathen world-ruler.  

Not by mighty armies,  or by high intellect;  but by the will and word of God.

Why is this important? 

Because God still rules, and “He does according to His will in the army of heaven and in the inhabitants of the earth…”

How we yield to that fact shows our subjection to the True King of Kings, and Lord of Lords,  Jesus Christ.

Daniel 4:4-5 “I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house and flourishing in my palace:

                         I saw a dream which made me afraid,  and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.”

It seems funny that someone so powerful would feel afraid by a dream,  but many believed that they were signs of things to come. 

This time he was right.

So he calls for all his wise men, and astrologers; but they could not tell him what the dream meant. 

Then Daniel came in and the king told him the dream. 

(Daniel had made known another dream to him before.  Daniel had given all the glory to the “God in heaven that reveals the secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be…” Daniel 2:28)

So Daniel heard what the dream meant:

Daniel 4:20, 22-23, 25 “This tree that thou sawest,  which grew,  and was strong, whose height reached unto the heavens,  and the sight thereof to all the earth;

                                     It is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong:  for thy greatness is grown,  and reacheth unto the heaven, and thy dominion unto. the end of the earth.

                                     And whereas the king saw a watcher and a holy one coming down from heaven,  and saying,  Hew the tree down,  and destroy it;  yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth,  even with a band of iron and brass,  in the tender grass of the field;  and let be wet with the dew of heaven,  and let his portion be with the beasts of the field,  till seven times pass over him.

                                   …till thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men,  and giveth to whomsoever He will.”

Daniel gives the interpretation:

The tree is you.   You have grown so powerful that the whole world is under some part of your influence.  But….because you think that you have done all this,  there will come a time that God will make you out of your mind, and you will be as a beast…till…”thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will.” (Daniel 4:25-26)

Daniel also tries to give the king some counsel:

“Break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor;  if it may be a lengthening of thy days.” (Daniel 4:27)

But pride (whether of person, or of accomplishments) is a great sin.

“Who hath made thee to differ?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). 

Simply, is not all that we have from the Lord?  If He gives beauty, or ability, or opportunity?   Is it not all from Him?   

[Does not God give to us from His wealth? What we do with what we have been given, is important—even if you do not believe in God…He takes note.]

Daniel’s counsel suggests that Nebuchadnezzar did nothing about the cruelty of the victors over the conquered people.

The lives of many destroyed, or changed at a whim.

But now the question is:  would he change?

The next verse says it all. 

Daniel 4:28 “All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar.”

May I say here, that though many have reformed their actions;  real change comes from God, within the person.

Nebuchadnezzar was given time to come to God.  A year,  twelve whole months…but then:

Daniel 4:29-31 “At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon.   

                            The king spake, and said,  Is not this great Babylon,  that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power,  and the honor of my majesty?

                             While the word was in the king’s mouth,  there fell a voice from heaven, saying,  O king Nebuchadnezzar,  to thee it is spoken;  the kingdom is departed from thee.”

We must remember that Nebuchadnezzar is telling the whole world about his experience!   Pretty amazing that he would do so;  and that he would include the details of his sin, and what God did to him:

Daniel 4:33 “And they shall drive thee from men,  and thy dwelling shall be with the beast of the field:  they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen,  and seven times shall pass over thee,  until that thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men,  and giveth it to whomsoever He will.”

He was driven out, a mad man!  He ate grass… till seven times—a complete time for him to get a taste of God’s power and kingdom over all;  and repent.

But,  then….how great a time-word…when repentance is spoken of:

Daniel 4:34-36 “And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven,  and mine understanding returned unto me,  and I blessed the Most High and I praised and honored Him that liveth forever,  Whose dominion is an everlasting dominion,  and His kingdom is from generation to generation:

                            And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing:  and He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven,  and among the inhabitants of the earth:  and none can stay His hand,  or say unto Him,  What doest Thou?

                             At the same time my reason returned unto me;  and for the glory of my kingdom,  mine honor and brightness,  returned unto me;  and my counselors and my lords sought unto me;  and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me.”

Nebuchadnezzar was a great king….but it was God’s purpose that he be so.  

He was at the head of his army.  He led into battle, and overpowered other great nations.  He  built his country into a great world power.  He built a beautiful city.  [Babylon’s hanging gardens was one of the world’s wonders]

So when Nebuchadnezzar was told that all he did was only because God allowed it to happen!?

He heard,  but refused to submit.  

It is a hard thing to submit to,  especially when we would like to get at least part of the credit.

But when Nebuchadnezzar did submit to God, then….”I lifted up mine eyes unto heaven”….mine understanding returned unto me”….”my reason returned unto me;”.

[This is like the prodigal,  “When he came to himself”.  Luke 15:17-18]

Most people do not like to think of the damage sin does to our minds.  The ideas it gives, or the murderous thoughts,  or the imaginations it leads into:  but sin destroys and corrupts every good thing it can.  

We think of “bad attitudes”, or “being illogical”,  but sin twists the truth.

Only when we submit to God as we should, does the truth begin to be seen.

And when we apply that truth to our hearts and lives:  we find our minds leaving  anger, imaginations, and despair;  to find peace, gentleness, mercy and joy.  For ourselves, and others.

Daniel 4:37 “Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honor the King of heaven,  all Whose works are truth,  and His way judgement:  and those that walk in pride He is able to abase.”

Here he praises God!   For bringing him into submission!

May we all come to the place where we too are submitting to God, and His purpose.   

Leaving the pride of life (1 John2:16),  and entering into the fullness of the Spirit.

In joy and peace, going on with Him….in praise.

Overthrowing the Moneychangers

John 2:13-16 “And the Jews Passover was at hand,  and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, 

And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves,  and the changers of money sitting:

And when he had made a scourge of small cords,  he drove them out of the temple,  and the sheep,  and the oxen;  and poured out the changers money,  and overthrew their tables;  

And said unto them that sold doves,   Take these things hence;  make not my Father’s house a house of merchandise.”

This is the first of three Passovers, which Jesus attends to fulfill His work, after He was baptized of John the Baptist.

He came with no fanfare,  but walked into the temple, fulfilling God’s commandment.

There He finds those men which had been allowed to go into the outer court of the temple, to sell their wares.

This would be very convenient.  (And how many times we give into the convenient way of doing God’s Will;  not His way).  

If you had traveled from a far distance, you could not bring a proper sacrifice with you.  It would certainly be damaged by the time you got to Jerusalem. Which would not be acceptable. (Deuteronomy 17:1)

So, you would need to buy one there.   Certainly at an exorbitant rate!

The priests had an arrangement with the sellers.  (Most likely getting some of the money they charged to the visitors.). And so at the time of the Passover, the outer court was turned into a market place.

When Jesus came, and saw it;  He drove out the sellers, and reminded all  that the temple was God’s house.   It was not to be a house of merchandise. 

John 2:17 “And his disciples remembered that it was written,  The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.”

This was the first public rebuking of the Priests, and authorities.  It was for His Father’s glory, and they should have easily submitted, if they wanted God’s glory.  

But believing in God’s Law, in general;  and being corrected by it, are two different things.  It requires heart submission, to God. 

Paul said of them, later:

Romans 2:21-23 “Thou therefore which teaches another,  teaches thou not thyself?  Thou that teaches a man should not steal, dost thou steal?

Thou that sayest that a man should not commit adultery,  dost thou commit adultery?

Thou that abhorrest idols,  dost thou commit sacrilege?

Thou that makest thy boast of the law,  through breaking the law dishonorest thou God?”

Jesus had ministered with others, and had done miracles;  but this was the first time He publicly showed His authority:

He not only demanded the removal of that which was defiling His Father’s House;  He drove them out!

He spoke with Power, and used His power to cleanse the Temple!  None had done, as He was doing.

There were three years of the ministry of Jesus:

It is not certain when the priests went back to the arrangement of selling in the temple  court;  but in the third year of His ministry, He came again to Jerusalem.

This time He came with fanfare….if anyone wanted to really see and receive their Messiah;  here he was:  according to prophesy.  (Zechariah 9:9)

Matthew 21:6-11 “And his disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them,

And brought the ass,  and the colt,  and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.

And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way;  others cut down branches from the trees and strewed them in the way.

And the multitudes that went before,  and that followed,  cried,  saying,  Hosanna to the Son of David:   Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord;  Hosanna in the highest.

And when he was come into Jerusalem,  all the city was moved,  saying,  Who is this?

And the multitude said,   This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.”

By this time He was recognized,  as the one who did many miracles, throughout the land.   Not so long ago He had raised Lazarus from the dead.   For all these things, the crowds in Jerusalem praised Him.

There were many who believed on Him as the Messiah;  but the crowds were looking for miracles,  for healing,  for a show.  (Were they who praised here,  crying “Crucify Him”,  in a few days?)

Matthew 21:12-14 “And Jesus went into the temple of God,  and cast out all of them that sold and bought in the temple,  and overthrew the changers of the money changers,  and the seats of them that sold doves,

And said unto them,  it is written,   My house shall be called a house of prayer;  but ye have made it a den of thieves.

And the blind, and the lame, came to him in the temple;  and he healed them.”

When He came the first time, He said, “My Father’s House”.   Here it is called the temple of God, still. (Later He will say, “your house is left unto you desolate”. Matthew 23:37-38)

But here, in front of all,  He said “My house”.   Showing clearly that He is the Messiah, that was to come, and restore the hearts of Israel to God. (Isaiah 56:7)

But the leaders refused.  There was no subjection to His claims.

He did teach and heal those who came to him,  but when it was evening;  he left Jerusalem.  

Matthew 21:15 “And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did,  and the children crying in the temple,  and saying,   Hosanna to the Son of David;  they were sore displeased.”

After all, He was the Messiah,  that meant they would have to submit to Him.   This they had refused to do;  and  still refused.  

Their hearts were full of themselves.   They had a good thing going here.   They were in charge of the money,  gifts, and offerings, given to the Lord.

They had influence and power.   They had place.   

And they did not want the Messiah coming along,  and ruining it for them.

(How sad to refuse salvation because of things!  How often have we felt  the same about our plans, and position?    I know I have.  We think,  “If we yield to God, and do His Will;  how will that effect us?”  

When the Lord pointed it out to me,  I confessed my sin;  for how awful for me to think this way, after all He has done for me!)

The next day, when He comes back into Jerusalem, to the temple to teach;  the chief priests send people to prove Him wrong.  Then they could accuse Him of something.

But He knew their tricks,  and confused them. 

Then He spoke to them, directly:

Matthew 21:31-32 “….Jesus saith unto them,  Verily I say unto you,  that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.   

For John came unto you in the way of righteousness,  and ye believed him not;  but the publicans and the harlots believed him:    and ye,  when ye had seen it,  repented not afterward,  that ye might believe him.”

Here is the crux of the whole matter:  “ye repented not afterward, that ye might believe”.    He had given them time to repent,  to come and believe Him.  But though they heard Him many times (and acknowledged His answers),  yet their hearts would not yield.

John the Baptist had come, preaching repentance;  to prepare for the Messiah.  

The Son of God had come, preaching the kingdom of God was at hand.  Would they hear and enter in?

Isaiah 65:2 “I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people,  which walked in a way that was not good,  after their own thoughts;”

We seldom understand the grip that the world has on us; until we see it next to Jesus.

Repentance is changing our minds and hearts about God; then changing our actions toward Him.

Once we fought against Him:  His will and our subjection to Him.

But when we repent:  we give in.  He will be our Lord and Savior.  

He will command in this holy temple of my body (1 Corinthians 3:16 “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”),  and I will yield to Him.

Repentance toward God, and faith to our Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 20:21)

For Christ Jesus is still saving His people.  He cleanses us that we might be His dwelling place here on earth.

May the God of Peace Sanctify you Wholly

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly;  and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

                                             Faithful is He who calleth you, who also will do it.”

Sanctification is the process where God and you work together to set aside everything in your life, to God.

It can, of course, begin by committing your life to Him;  but it is worked out by the day by day “agreements” with the Holy Spirit.

Amos 3:3 “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”

It is amazing how many times in scripture, our life with God is talked about as a “walk”, “path”, or “way”!  

For me, I always picture (maybe because we are) two older people, holding hands;  out, enjoying the scenery and enjoying each other’s company.

But if you have had a argument,  that walk is not very pleasant.  

That is why sanctification is to be a complete work:  spirit, soul and body.

The Holy Spirit “turns on a light” within us when we are born again;  and makes us to see things in His light.

When we do,  He speaks to us about those things which need removing, cleansing, or changed.  And He shows us the way to do it:  often using scripture to do so.

Removing: Ephesians 4:22-24 “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man,  which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;  

                                                       And be renewed the spirit of your mind;  

and that ye put on the new man,  which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”

We are to “put off”, like an wet coat, our old habits.  If we continue to “wear” them, they will make us spiritually “sick”.   So the Spirit will tell us:  “lay this aside.”

Cleansing: 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.”

He not only forgives us,  but cleanses our conscience, and our desires; as we ask Him to.

Changed: 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 “Now the Lord is that Spirit:  and where the Spirit of the Lord is,  there is liberty.

                                           But we all,  with open face beholding as in a glass (mirror) the glory of the Lord,  are changed into the same image from glory to glory,  even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

As we see the Lord:  who He is,  what He did for us,   and what He is willing to do in us;    we yield to that image He gives us…yielding to the power of the Spirit within us; and are changed, more and more into His character.

It is a gentle call, like the cooing of a dove:  which He is often pictured as in the scriptures. (Matthew 3:16)

It is God that sanctifies us; yet we are called to yield to Him in His work, in us.

Philippians 2:12-13 “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed,  not as in my presence only,  but now much more in my absence,  work out your own salvation with fear and trembling:

                                   For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.”

He works within;  but we are to take those graces (the unmerited favor of power) and work them out in our lives.

(The word “lives” is correct, but general;   so for specifics:     For He sends the grace we need, sometimes, as we need it;  

sometimes, ahead of time to give us security in the situations we are in; 

sometimes, it has been there,   unused,   till  a particular time:  then we know we have what we need!   

His grace is amazing!)

But notice it is the God of peace which does this sanctifying.

When  He gives a specific Name for Himself,  it is to show us the specific power He is using.

His peace is what He promises us….in this world we live in….to help us be sanctified to Him.

John 14:26-27 “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost,  whom the Father will send in My name,  He shall teach you all things,  and bring all things to your remembrance,  whatsoever I have said unto you.

                            Peace I leave with you,  My peace I give unto you:  not as the world giveth,  give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you,  that in Me ye might have peace.   In the world ye shall tribulation:  but be of good cheer,  I have overcome the world.”

Our God  sends His Holy Spirit into us;   to stay with us through all the changes: failures, and victories.   Giving us peace, as we walk with Him.