Thou art Worthy

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

For Thou hast created all things:  Jesus as the Son of God created all things by the Word of His mouth.   He is the Word. (John 1:1-3)

And Jesus as the Son of Man bought back all that was lost at the fall.

1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God,  and one mediator between God and men,  the man Christ Jesus;”

So what is there for me to consider about this?  

That I should know what His personal Pleasure for me is.

Not just where I am to go,  but how am I to get there?   What am I to become along the Way?

In all my days and all the circumstances of those days,  there must be a plan,  and a purpose to look to.

One thing I believe our ministry is to stress:  Above all else Jesus Christ requires obedience from His own.

1 Samuel 15:22 “And Samuel said,  Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,  as in obeying the voice of the Lord?    Behold,  to obey is better than sacrifice,  and to hearken  than the fat of rams.”

No amount of religious activity will ever take the place of Obedience.

For this act of placing yourself with him, and doing what He says now;  pleases Him most.

Human evil comes from Adam’s refusal to obey the one rule the Creator laid down.  (Sin is, in all its actions,  “I will not do what You say,  I will not be what You want me to be.”)

This was the cause of man’s fall into sin.   And the force behind it was the devil.

But now that we are redeemed;  we are redeemed for a purpose.  

And that purpose is to show forth His glory (the manifesting of His light and power) in our circumstances.

And obedience is the instrument by which this is accomplished.   

Will we be children of Adam,  and say no to God’s Will; refusing to obey?

Or will we be children of God, and say yes to His Purpose;  now.

For it always comes down to now.    

We are to bear fruit, as branches in the Vine.

Fruit,  more fruit, and much fruit.

(There are two kinds of fruit:  the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and the fruit of a Christian, which is another Christian by our witnessing, praying,  or soul winning)

John 15:1-2 “I am the true vine,  and My Father is the husbandman.      

Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away;  and every branch that beareth fruit;  He purgeth it,  that it may bring forth more fruit.”

John 15:5 “I am the vine,  ye are the branches,  he that abideth in Me,  and I in him,  the same bringeth forth much fruit;  for without Me ye can do nothing.”

We are all to bear fruit to God’s glory.   It is by abiding in Him, that we have His life flowing through us, to others.

But how do we “abide” in Him?

John 15:10 “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love;  even as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love.”

We abide by obeying His Word to us.

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.”

This is a great promise to those who have the “sap” (life of Christ) flowing through us.    By obeying His Word,  we may ask what we will (for we will His Will),  and it will be done unto us.

Not for us, or through us…..but unto us.  For our personal growth.

We have a lack?  Ask,  and it will be done unto us.

Christ created us for His pleasure:  the way we are is what He intended. 

(I can not tell you how many arguments I used to have with the Lord about “the way I am.”     If He had only made me less anxious;  or if I had a more sunny disposition,  etc.)

But here is where the “unto you” , comes in.   

God made me:  with the parents I had,  the circumstances I had to go through,  all things were made for His pleasure where I was concerned.

So…and here is the great part:   I can abide in Him,  and ask Him for the things I need to be different;   And He will do it unto me.

He is Worthy!  To be praised,  for we are offered the great privilege of abiding, obeying, and receiving from our great Lord Jesus Christ, personally.

Liberty of the Holy Spirit

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

Liberty of Spirit is to have the ability and will, to do the Will of God,  joyfully.

Philippians 2:12-13 “Wherefore,  by beloved,  as ye have always obeyed,  not as in my presence only,  but how 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.”

After being born again,  we are called to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This calling is personal, between the Lord and you, and has nothing to do with your work for Him, or your witness of Him. 

It is the beginning of a relationship.   

How far you take this relationship,  is as far as the Liberty of the Spirit is yours;  for it is based on love, not duty.

It is true, that all those that belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, are called to obey Him.

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

We stress obedience a lot for Christians,  but this Liberty of Spirit is found in those that love Him.

When we are born again,  the Spirit of God comes into our spirits and gives us light for darkness,  and a love,  however small, for God;  not an anger toward Him.

The Spirit of God then uses the Word of God to awaken a desire within us to be holy.

There are two terms for holy in the Scriptures:   Holy when it speaks of God is His Nature of Sinlessness, and Integrity.  

Holy when it speaks of us as His followers, means that we are setting ourselves aside for His sacred use.   He can use us as He will, for His honor and glory.

Holiness comes from the determined will of the believer, to be a vessel unto honor, meet for the Master’s use. (2 Timothy2:21). This is not sinlessness,  but constant communion with Him,  who is Holiness.

This Liberty of the Spirit, is the same liberty you feel with your true friends.   There is nothing you can not tell, or hear, that would effect your friendship.  There is the feeling of acceptance, and power.  For who is not more powerful, with friends.

And the Holy Spirit empowers us in God’s Word,  God’s Grace, and God’s Will.

Fear is dealt with.

Anger is defused.

Self-pity is turned from.

Power is given, from within  us by the Holy Spirit; and received.

This is Liberty of the Spirit.   And so much more;  with that personal relationship with Him.

Do you want it?

Paul and Silas in Jail

A little background:

Paul and Silas were on a missionary trip, when Paul received a vision.

Acts 16:9 “And a vision appeared to Paul in the night;  There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.”

So they went “immediately”.   Once there, they went to  Philippi, which was the chief city.

There they stayed for several days, but on the Sabbath they went to the river side, and spoke to the women who had gathered to pray.

One woman was born again and baptized, and she opened her house to them, so they had a place to stay.

As they were going to prayer,  a demon possessed girl,  who could tell fortunes;  began to follow Paul and Silas,  crying out,  “These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation.”

This she did for several days.

Perhaps to some, this might seem good publicity.

But not to Paul,  who was grieved that the gospel was shouted about like a piece of meat.           The gospel is about Christ.

Yes, there is a “way of salvation”,  but cried out like that, made it seem cheap.  “Give me a coin and I will show you what to do.”

That was her line.

Not God’s.

So….Paul turned:

Acts 16:18 “And this she did many days.  But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit,   I command thee in the name of Jesus to come out of her.  And he came out the same hour.”

Her masters,  who got money from her predictions, were furious.

They grabbed Paul and Silas, and brought them before the magistrates, in the market.

With a false accusation, and no chance of defense;  Paul and Silas were given over to being beaten;  and jailed.

Acts 16:23-24 “And when they had laid many stripes upon them,  they cast them into prison,  charging the jailer to keep them safely:  

Who having received such a charge,  thrust them into the inner prison,  and made their feet fast in the stocks.”

Not at all a good result,  it would seem.  They were beaten and put into a filthy, small space with their feet in wooden stocks.

But…

Paul and Silas,  beaten and sore;  were not going to stop seeking God’s Will.

They had been sent there,  and so now they needed to know whether what Paul had done about this demonic girl was the right thing to do.

Or just his idea,  because he disliked what she said.

Acts 16:25 “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed,  and sang praises unto God:  and the prisoners heard them.”

First they prayed.  Maybe groaned more than prayed.  Yet God heard them.

When they had heard that it was God’s Will,  then they sang praises unto God.

There was no stifling the Holy Spirit, here.   They prayed,  then praised Him for these circumstances.   Power,  real power to praise rose within their hearts and spilled over into song.

They had preached to many people.   They had come to the place God sent them.  They had preached and led some to Christ Jesus.

And they had done what they should, about this girl.

This was still God’s Will;   Hallelujah!

Acts 16:26-27 “And suddenly there was a great earthquake,  so that the foundation of the prison were shaken:  and immediately all the doors were opened,  and everyone’s bands were loosed.

And the keeper of the prison wakening out of his sleep,  and seeing the doors open,  drew out his sword,  and would have killed himself,  supposing that the prisoners had been fled.”

The glory of God, and His power came down to them in that prison.

They sang.

There was an earthquake.   It opened all the doors. 

When the doors opened,  not one of the prisoners escaped!  They were all there.

But the real power was in their praise.   

It took beaten,  sad men, and turned them into praising, joyful peacemakers.

Acts 16:28-30 “But Paul cried with a loud voice,  saying,  Do thyself no harm:  for we are all here.

Then he called for a light,  and sprang in,  and came trembling,  and fell down before Paul and Silas.

And brought them out, and said,  Sirs,  what must I do to be saved?”

The power was also there for the jailer.  

He would have killed himself.  If those in his charge were missing,  Rome would have killed him.  But if he killed himself,  his family might be spared.

Acts 16:32-33 “And they spake unto him the word of the Lord,  and to all that were in his house.

And he took them the same hour of the night,  and washed their stripes;  and was baptized,  and all his, straightway.”

When the Holy Spirit is not quenched;  power is the result.  

Power for you, and through you, to others.

Paul and Silas were badly treated, jailed.

But both praised God for the opportunity to suffer for Him.

And by that praise,  power was given to bring other souls to Christ.

(It is amazing how God works through our bad circumstances,  for good.  But it was as they prayed and praised, that the circumstances changed)

The next day the magistrates told the keeper to let them go.

(This seems like a good time to get out of there quick!)

But Paul said,  No, for they have beaten us publicly, and we are Romans,  and now they want to let us go privately?    No,  let them come and let us out themselves.

(Romans had rights:  they could not be accused without a hearing,  or beaten, uncondemned.      Paul and Silas had been rushed into prison;  and beaten at the whim of these magistrates.)

Now Paul speaks, not in anger, but for justice.  He could have had these magistrates judged,  but instead required them simply to personally see to their release.

And they feared, and came themselves, and let them out.

God’s Power, for the Christian, is first in us, working joy and peace, and guidance. 

Then it is through us,  by the influence of the Holy Spirit, to others.

It is always to manifest Christ.

Blessed

Psalm 65:4 “Blessed is the man whom thou choosest,  and causest to approach unto thee,  that he may dwell in thy courts:  we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house,  even of thy holy temple.”

Blessed means twice happy!

God sees us blessed;   How do we see ourselves, in His work?

When He chooses us,  He causes us to draw near to Him.  Would we resist that drawing?

When I was first brought back into the right way, after wandering away from God;  I was in awe, that  He loved me enough to welcome me back.

My thought was to grow closer to Him.  Nearer, Nearer, I prayed.  That is what I want.

The song of Nearer My God to Thee,  seemed to play in my head, often.

“Even though it be a cross that raises me…”.  

The “pig pen” of the world I had experienced;  I wanted the “home” of closeness with God.

Blessed I was, and am, for God’s mercy to me.

This Psalm typifies God’s great arms.  Drawing us, even when we run away.

Calling us, even when we have refused before.

“We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house,”

For Christians, the closer we get to the Lord,  the more satisfied we are.  The further away from God,  the more opportunity for things to come in between us.   These cause barriers.

The barriers we place, between the Lord and ourselves, cause discontent.

And discontent is to be dissatisfied.

And when we are dissatisfied,  we start looking for other things.

There are many temptations in the world,  the best place to be safe is in the holy temple of fellowship and nearness to the Lord.

Blessed is the one who is close to the Lord.

Blessed, also, is the one who is given opportunity to get near to the Lord again.

Most blessed is the one who never looks for any other satisfaction,  than in Him.

Destroy your Wall

Song of Solomon 2:8-9 “The voice of my beloved!  Behold,  He cometh leaping upon the mountains;  skipping upon the hills.

                                           My beloved is like a roe or a young hart:  behold,  He standeth behind our wall,  He looketh forth at the windows,  showing Himself through the lattice.”

This maiden (a picture of a believer) is at home.  She is saved, and has had fellowship with the Lord.   Wonderful personal experiences in prayer, and communion.

She loves Him,  for she calls Him “my beloved”.

She hears Him speaking to her, but she is on the inside and He is standing, waiting,  on the outside.

Song of Solomon 2:10 “My beloved  spake,  and said unto me,   Rise up, my love, my fair one,  and come away.”

This is the reason He has called to her;  He wants her to come with Him and go on in the spiritual experiences of life.  

She cannot grow much,  hiding behind the wall.   She must come out and go with Him, into the streets and byways.   The places where people need to hear her testimony and see her witness of Him.

But they are to go together.  So He calls to her to come,  come away.

She can see through the lattice at the windows that this is her Beloved.  She can hear His Voice, calling her.

So what hinders?

There is a wall between them,  made very plain in the verses.  “He standeth behind our wall”

It is our wall,  because the stones of it are those experiences with Christ that she has “stacked up”.

She has made a wall of what she knows,  what she has experienced with Christ;  so she can feel safe.

But that can not be.   It is not safety in the past experiences;  but in Christ.

It is not the knowledge about Christ,  it is Christ,  that makes life worth living.

And for that to happen,  every Christian needs to progress in their walk with Him.

Now, it may be personal things to pray for and see to.   Next,  it could be a calling to fulfill.  But where ever He leads,  it is always forward.

So He calls.   And calls again, telling about the beauty beyond the enclosure of the past (even though the past is wonderful…we can not live there.  We must go forward,  or we are stifled.)

Song of Solomon 2:11-13 “For, lo, the winter is past,  the rain is over and gone;

The flowers appear on the earth;  the time of the singing of birds is come,  and the voice of the turtle (dove) is heard in our land;

                                             The fig tree putteth forth her green figs,  and the vines with the tender grapes give a good smell.    Arise, my love, my fair one,  and come away.”

Here is the beauty of fruitfulness in our Christian life.

Here the sweetness, and song of all creation crying to “come out with Christ”.

He calls to her to come on with Him, to leap over mountains with Him.  

Impossible!

Yes,  mountains are impossible things in scripture;  yet as He leaps over them,  we can too…with Him.

He calls to her skip upon the hills,  with Him.   These hills are difficulties and trials, we face every day.

But how to destroy the wall?       Simply bring them before the Lord,  and place them at His feet.   Thanking Him for every blessing….   And then as Paul says:

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

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

Some of us do not like changes.   

We like things steady, and quite.

But when the Lord calls us to go,  we must decide whether it is the safety of our past experiences we will trust.

Or Jesus Christ.      

Do you hear Him calling you on, today?

The Rich Man in Hell 

I do not like to preach much about Hell.   I do not like to try and get people to heaven,  because they do not want to go to Hell.

Those that go to Heaven,  go there, not because they only wish to escape Hell,  but because Jesus Christ is there.  They go to Heaven to be with Him.

Hell is a real, horrible place.  Jesus told a story about a man that went there, and that is what we are preaching about:  the man in Hell.

Jesus had just been preaching about covetousness:

Luke 16:13 “No servant can serve two masters:  for either he will hate the one,  and love the other;  or else he will hold to the one,  and despise the other,  ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

The Pharisees did not like this kind of preaching, and “derided Him”.  They sneered at Him outright.  Many of them were rich, and they thought they could love their wealth,  and God, too.

So He told them this story:  “There was”,  so this man had been real,  and now was in Hell.

Luke 16:19-21 “There was a certain rich man,  which was clothed in purple and fine linen,  and fared sumptuously every day:  

                            And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus,  which was laid at his gate,  full of sores,  

                            And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table:  moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.”

He had been a rich man,  living well.  He had let Lazarus come and eat from the crumbs which fell from his table, with the dogs. (Lazarus, I believe, was a relative of this man,  for he came to his gate, and begged)

(I do not like this man,  but whether I like him or not,  it is God’s judgement that counts)

One day this rich man dies.  Prepared or not, it comes to all of us.  One day, our life here, with all it’s attending joys, and sorrows is over….and we are brought to our eternal “home” by belief or unbelief in God, and His Word.    (In the Old Testament, they were all looking forward to Christ, though the word of a Savior to come.  We now look back, because Christ Jesus has come)

Luke 16:23-24 “And in Hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torment,  and seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom.

                            And he cried and said,  Father Abraham,  have mercy on me,  and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue;  for I am tormented in this flame.”

This is a simple request:  he is not asking for a gallon of water…just a drop.

But no,  it could not happen.    The gulf was too wide.

Abraham points out that he (the rich man) had made his choices.   He had “received thy good things”:   simply,  all the goods of his wealth,  he had taken (received) for himself.

Lazarus had “received”,  taken unto himself,  with no murmuring,  the evil things which had come to him, leaving all (including himself) in God’s hands.

[By the way,   the law of Moses said, “If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee,  thou shalt not harden thy heart,  nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:

But thou shalt open thy hand wide unto him,  and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need,…

Thou shalt surely give him,  and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him:  because that for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works,  and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto.”  (Deuteronomy 15:7-8,10)]

For this rich man the judgement was in.  There would be no mercy,  now.

Luke 16:27-28 “Then he said,  I pray thee therefore,  Father,  that thou wouldest  send him to my father’s house:  

                             For I have five brethren;  that he may testify unto them,  lest they also come into this place of torment.”

The rich man then asks that Lazarus be permitted to be raised from the dead, and go and preach unto the five remaining brothers he has alive,  so they might escape Hell.

Now I am going to ask the question:  did not this rich man have the “testimony” of the person of Lazarus day by day?

Wasn’t Lazarus and his acceptance of his situation seen by this rich man? 

Lazarus neither cursed him or flattered him for anything other than what the rich man allowed.    That was a testimony to the rich man.

What made him think his brothers would believe Lazarus?

Abraham says that they have the same Word of God all Israel has.  They should hear it,  and obey it;  then they would not come into Hell.

Luke 16:30 “And he said,  Nay, Father Abraham:  but if one went unto them from the dead,  they will repent.”

We think this way:  if some grand and unusual thing happened,  we would start really being more devoted to God and His Word.

Really?  Maybe for a while. 

It is the Word of God sunk deep into our hearts longings,  meeting the need, rebuking the sin, and bringing God’s claims upon us,  that leads us to Christ.

[this next verse is crucial]

Luke 16:31 “And he said unto him,  If they hear not Moses and the prophets,  neither will they be persuaded,  though one rose from the dead.”

Jesus would shortly rise from the dead.  And He was speaking directly to these puffed up Pharisees:  Hear the Word of God to you…let it sink in deep,  for when I am resurrected,  you will not believe that testimony to your own damnation, if you will not believe My Word to you now.

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

We are to hear it,  and recieve Christ;   then we will be saved by Christ Jesus our Lord.  (John 1:12)

The Path to Reality

Matthew 16:24-25 “Then said Jesus unto His disciples,  If any man will come after Me,  let him deny himself,  and take up his cross,  and follow me.

                                    For whosoever will save his life shall lose it:  and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it.”

To hear and answer the call of Christ is nothing unless somewhere along the line you have this reality.

The claims of Jesus, saying, “Deny yourself, pick up your cross—those things I allow into your life which cuts across your natural way of doing, of thinking, and acting.  This is to “follow Me”,  for I walked this way here on earth, too.  Doing only My Father’s Will…and nothing else.”

So many say they have surrendered to the Lord’s Will for their lives,  yet constantly fight against the “way” His Will is to be brought to pass, for their lives.

When the reality of it all is,  His Will includes doing it His Way.

The whole objective of denying yourself and bearing your cross,  is that you might lose your life in yourself (You say “no” to what you want to do, and “yes” to the Lord),

That you might find reality,  which is your life in Christ.

In Christ is the freedom from sin, self, and the world.  In Christ there is the liberty of walking in the light, which manifests God’s love, joy, and peace to us.

But in ourselves there is the shadows of bitterness,  anger,    distress,   ungratefulness,  and desire.

Let’s face it,  we are often overcome by one of these things within us.   

Yes, they are brought out by circumstances of our lives,  but the power of the Holy Spirit is in us,  will we not yield to Him, and deny our self-life?  

Letting His Life shine through ours?

We can either go back, and make ourselves of no account in the kingdom of God, 

Or we can truly lose all these things that make up our old life:  our way,  our rights (what right do we really have, if we belong to Christ?), and our preferences;  and let Jesus bring another child into the glory of God.

You can not have both your life, and Christ’s life being manifest through you.

One will be seen,  the other will be denied.  Which will it be, Christian?

This is a process, and it is one where every area of your life is touched: your past, your future, your plans, the way you think, your way of doing things.

But, I must stress,  and this is important:  This is between you and your Lord.

No one can intrude here.  

It comes down to:  “Not my will,  but thine”, everyday.

If you do,  you will come to the place in your experience with God,  where you are no longer resisting His Will in anything.   Therefore God’s power is flowing through you, unhindered.

Are you ready for Christ to lead you into a closer relationship with Him?

He said, “ If” any man will come after Me.

So it is not forced.   It must be a love relationship.  Nothing will make the way easier, than the growing knowledge of His love to you.

The question is:  will you come after Christ Jesus, by denying yourself, picking up your cross and following Him?

It’s your life,  what will you do with it?  Keep it for yourself?  Or Follow Him?

Let Us Lay Aside Every Weight

Hebrews 12:1 “Wherefore, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses,  let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that doth so easily beset us,  and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,”

If we were running in a race,  and wanted to finish it, that we might win;    we would remove every weight from our pockets, every backpack, every jacket;  all that would catch the air, or hinder our running.

This is a long distance race which is being spoken of here in Hebrews;  and we need all patience and endurance to finish it.  Therefore,  we are called upon to remove what would weight us down.

Just what are these weights?

These weights are anything and everything that hinders us spiritually.

They are external things that we can drop or “lay aside”. (Certain relationships are weights, going to certain places can hinder us,  and past failures and thinking of them all the time.  These are weights,  which slow us down.).

To run well you should not be burdened with anything.            And we are called to run the race laid before us.

We are called to walk with God. (Colossians 2:6).   

And run our race. (Philippians 2:16)

The two are different:

The walking speaks of the quiet conversation you have as you walk with a friend, day by day.   This is our Christian life.

The running speaks of our work,  which we are all called to finish.           If you’re a Christian,  you are in the race.   God has given you a “work, or calling” to do.  

(There are many callings:  as a witness of Jesus Christ, as a prayer warrior, as a preacher of the Word,  as a teacher of the Word, etc.)

Finish it, and you have the reward and honor He has waiting for you, for being devoted to Him. (Well done, thou good and faithful servant.  Matthew 25:21)

But God does not save us, without giving us the Holy Spirit to enable us for anything He calls us to.  

It is not:  You are saved,  now do something for Me.

But:  You are saved,  now let me do through you.        I in you, and you in Me.  That is the way we will finish…together.

Paul spoke to the Galatians about this very thing:

Galatians 5:7 “Ye did run well;  who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth?”

Men had come to Galatia, to the church there,  saying that being Christians was O.K.,    but if you really want to be somebody to God,  you have to follow the Mosaic Law, as well. 

Then you will be super-great Christians.  (Not true)

No, Paul says.  You are being weighed down with old traditions,  which were laid aside in Christ’s crucifixion, and resurrection.

Don’t be hindered in the race.  But finish your course. 

Doing the good works that  God has ordained or made full provision for;  for you.  (Ephesians 2:10)

We should all seek the Lord that He might show us,  what are the weights which hinder our running.   And as He does, let us lay them aside, and go on to “finish our race”.

Hebrews 12:1-2 “Wherefore, seeing we are also compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses,  let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us,  and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

                              Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith:  Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross,  despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Anything from the Holy Spirit will not burden you down, for “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty”.  (2 Corinthians 3:17)

Let us lay aside our weights which hinder us;  and look to Jesus, Who began a good work in us, and Who will finish it. 

Life

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death;  but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Eternal life is a condition of life now,  and for all eternity.  It is not just heaven,  though that is our home.  

It is freedom from the guilt of sin, and the power of sin.  It is Christ’s life (His will and character) being lived out in our life now, and for eternity.

Moses, in his last message to Israel, stressed to them where their blessings came from:  the Lord thy God.  He is called life, because by loving and obeying Him, they have what true life consists of: love, duty, honor, and blessings.  These are in Him, and no where else.

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you,  that I have set before you life and death,  blessing and cursing:  therefore choose life,  that both thou and thy seed may live:

                                           That thou mayest love the Lord thy God,  and that thou mayest obey His voice,  and that thou mayest cleave unto Him:  for He is thy life,  and the length of thy days:…”

Even in Old Testament times, under the law, many found that nearness to the Lord, was where true happiness lies.   

Psalm 36:7, 9 “How excellent is Thy lovingkindness,  O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings.

                           For with Thee is the fountain of life:  in Thy light shall we see light.”

Proverbs 8:35 “For whoso findeth Me findeth life,  and shall obtain favor of the Lord.”

Near God, there is life,  light, and favor.

All that makes life worth living, is in God.

Luke 12:15 “And He said unto them,  Take heed,  and beware of covetousness:  for man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”

When Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to earth, He warned men that the “abundance of things” which we possess do not make real life.

We can make them the focus of our lives,  and be hindered from entering into real life;  or we can find our lives in Him. 

Mark 10:24 “…But Jesus answereth again,  and saith unto them,   Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!”

When we are born of our parents, we are given time.      Our heart beats and pumps blood to all the parts of our body, and we are set on a path of growth and development.

When we are born again, by the Holy Spirit of God, by grace through faith, not of works (Ephesians 2:8-9);  but by the marvelous working of His power within us (Titus 3:5-7):      The same heart beats within us, and the same blood flows through our veins;  but the motive of our life is changed.  

We are, in fact, given life….Christ’s life within us.

John 17:3 “And this is life eternal, that they may know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou hast sent.”

John 1:4 “In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.”

Eternal Life is a condition of life.  For us, it begins the moment we are born again, and never ends.  

It fills the time we have here on earth with joy, and peace in believing.

It fills our days with fellowship with Christ.

It gives us purpose, and a duty to fulfill.

It makes us enjoy the days we have here, and look forward to the everlasting, beyond.

Are there trials, and troubles?  Yes,  for we are still learning and growing in grace;  we are still in the world of woe.

(I am a cancer survivor.  There is pain,  there is worry,  there is the questions which plague us:  Why me?    But up against all of these;  There is Jesus, the King.   He conquerors all.  

I may have my cancer come back.  But I will not die until He says,  “Come up hither.”

With Jesus,  it is not a bandage;  it is life….real life which is in us,  now;  and forever)

And it is overcoming life;  which is what we are to do:   Overcome by faith.

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

This “good cheer” here,  is boldness.  We are to boldly trust Jesus.  

Boldly live the life He has for us.  

Boldly speak His Word.  

 And (mostly) boldly hang on to Him,  who is our life….though the whole world pulls against us.

The Battle of Ai, and Achan

Joshua 7:1 “But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing:  for Achan the son of Carmi,….of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing:  and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel.

They had just come through the Jordan River at flood time, on dry ground; by a miracle of God.

They had their first convert to the God of Israel, in Rahab.

Then they fought their first battle at Jericho.  By faith the walls came down, and they went in and won.

Now, at little proud, and self-confident, Joshua sends men to Ai, a small city close to Jericho, to spy it out.    But he does not ask God what to do next. (Big mistake!)

They were to possess the land God had given them,  so his thinking was right;  but there was a problem within the ranks of Israel,  which stopped all blessings to them,   till it was dealt with.

Which he would have known,    if he had asked.

When we begin to lean on our own understanding;  then we are lighting our path with our own spark,  expecting God to honor our own plans.

Joshua 7:5-6 “And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men:  for they chased them before the gate…, wherefore the hearts of the people melted,  and became as water.

                         And Joshua rent his clothes,  and fell to the earth upon his face before the Ark of the Lord until the evening,  he and the elders of Israel, put dust upon their heads.”

All of a sudden, coming before the Lord was very important! 

But notice that the Lord makes Joshua wait.  It was not till eventide,  the time of the evening sacrifice, that Joshua’s prayer was answered.

Joshua 7:7-9 “And Joshua said,  Alas,  O Lord God,  wherefore hast Thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites,  to destroy us?  Would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!

                         O Lord, what shall I say,  when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!

                          For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it,  and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth:  and what wilt Thou do unto Thy great name?”

Here is Joshua, before the Lord, complaining.  

Why had He had brought them over Jordan?

Should they have been content to stay out of the Promised Land?  

Did the Lord mean to kill them?   

What would happen when the other cities that they were suppose to conquer hear about this defeat?     Oh no,  Oh no!

Joshua 7:10-12 “And the Lord said unto Joshua,   Get thee up;  wherefore liest thou upon thy face?

                             Israel hath sinned,  and they have also transgressed my covenant which I have commanded them:  for they have even taken of the accursed thing,  and have also stolen,  and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.

                             Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies,  but turned their backs before their enemies,  because they were accursed:  neither will I be with you anymore,  except ye destroy the accursed from among you.”

(Joshua could have seen to this before going against Ai,  if he had simply asked the Lord for guidance.  

How often, our own self-confidence gets us into difficulties we never should have been in….but we did not wait for God’s direction.)

But the Lord paid no attention to Joshua’s whining.   No,  He got right to the point:  Get up off your face Joshua, and see to the problem.

I have brought you here,  but I will not be with you in battle,  till you see to the person who stole from the treasury devoted to My Tabernacle.           He stole it, and hid it in his stuff.

His family saw him, hiding it; yet said nothing.       Deal with it.

So he did as the Lord said:

Tribe by tribe came before the Tabernacle and the Lord showed him the tribe of Judah.

Family by family of Judah came before the Lord, till at last Achan was shown to be the thief, his family knowing it.

Joshua 7:19-21 “And Joshua said unto Achan,   My son give, I pray thee,  glory to the Lord God of Israel,  and make confession unto Him;  and tell me now what thou hast done;  hide it not from me.

                              And Achan answered Joshua,  and said,  Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel,  and thus and thus have I done:  

                              When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonian garment,  and two hundred shekels of silver,  and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight,  then I coveted them,  and took them;  and behold they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent,  and the silver under it.”

Confession was made,  but sadly it did no good.  Men had died for his sin.  He had not confessed because of love to God,  but because he was already found out. 

Achan and the gold and the Babylonian garment, and the silver,  and all that he had was to be killed.  Notice,  The Lord did not take back the gold, silver or garment…it was destroyed with the thief.

(I believe, if Achan had just repented sooner,  taking the stolen stuff to Joshua, and the priest;  he could have saved his family.    

Lust of this world is a terrible thing.       Lust is:  I want this, and I want it now.   What ever “it” is.)

The wedge of gold represents opulent wealth.

The Babylonian garment represents vanity: how we look before others.

The silver represents spending money.  Lots of spending money.

Each was a temptation.

And Achan found himself overcome by greed, and pride;  instead of being in his place in the battle, and overcoming in faith.

After Joshua and Israel remove the accursed thing;  They went on to win at Ai.

Joshua did not rely on his own judgement,  but only did what the Lord said, and won.

Joshua 8:1-2 “And the Lord said unto Joshua,  Fear not, neither be thou dismayed:  take all the people of war with thee,  and arise,  go up to Ai: see, I have given unto thy hand the king of Ai,  and his people,  and his city,  and his land:

                         And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto to Jericho and her king:  only the spoil thereof,  and the cattle thereof,  shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves:…”

The spoil from Jericho,  their first battle, was to be given to the Lord completely.      (We should always put the Lord first)

But the spoil from the second battle:  gold, cattle, silver, etc.  was to be divided up between all Israel.  

If Achan had only trusted God and waited;  all that he stole, he could have had with blessing.

When we mistrust God,  and begin to think that He is not giving us what we want;  we need to remember:  He should always be first,  for He loved us first (1 John 4:19)

And that when it is time,  He will see to giving us everything, He has for us.