Without Reservation

And just what is a reservation?
It is the act of keeping back, or withholding. A limiting condition or making a exception.
This is what a reservation is.

Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I , but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me , and gave himself for me.”

We often speak of the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit, but we fail to mention the path to that power, lies beyond the Cross. Our cross.

We stress the fact that Jesus Cross has paid the full price for us ;
And let drop, that the only way for us to know the reality of HIs presence and power in our everyday lives, is to do what The Lord Jesus clearly stated:

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”

We must lose our self-life, if we will gain our Christ’s life. The presence and power of the Holy Spirit in our everyday lives comes as we, by our wills, deny our self-life. Then the Holy Spirit is not limited in our lives, and we can find our Christ lives, in this circumstance.

Galatians 2:20 (above)
No one is crucified until he no longer resists the Lord’s Will in anything.

This is not instant Obedience. But final Obedience.
Once this is done, we can expect the blessings He has for us.

But you cannot hold on to your life in yourself, and have that which He has for you.

There are no detours in this Way. It is always straight and narrow, before you.

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

They were all with one accord. The Lord’s accord. They were all in subjection to the Lord’s Will.
They were all individuals, saved by grace, gathered to see the Lord’s Will done in the Church….with each in there place in that meeting–praying, singing, speaking,–each to see that Christ was honored there. The motive of all their actions was love of Christ.
Is He not able to abundantly bring His Will to pass?
Certainly! But He seeks our willing cooperation with Him, in our lives.
He seeks that fellowship with us as Friend to friend.
Well, then, what is it that hinders us from having all this?
We simply have not met the conditions.

Our message is : Without Reservations.
And this we have plenty of. We need to get honest with God about our reservations; And be done with them.
There should be no open door behind us….so that we can go back to our old life.

But be committed wholly and fully to Him–without reservations.

The danger of anything less than a full and complete surrender is set forth in the example of Saul the 1st King of Israel.

1 Samuel 15:1-3 “Samuel also said unto Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid in wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.”

Here were clear instructions. All he had to do was what he was told.
But what happened?

1 Samuel 15:7-9 “And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt. And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep and of the oxen, and of the fatlings,and the lambs, and all that was good, and WOULD NOT utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.”

Was that what Saul was told to do?
The real danger of not being in subjection to the Word, is that you make it say things it just does not say.

1 Samuel 15:10-11 ” Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying , It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: FOR HE IS TURNED BACK FROM FOLLOWING ME, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the Lord all night”

If not subjection to God’s Word then you are choosing to turn your back on following the Lord. And God rejected Saul for this. Here is the final end of all who continue in having reservations.

1 Samuel15:13 ” And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord.”

What is this: But Saul’s version of the Lord’s Will? And what of us? Are we obeying the Lord’s Will for our lives…or our version of it? With all our reservations concerning it?

1 Samuel 15:14-15 “And Samuel said, What means then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen , to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.”

They have brought. The people have spared.
None of that made any difference…for they were Saul’s army; he should have been in charge; seeing to the Lord’s Will.

1 Samuel 15:17-21 “And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight , wast thou made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel? And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord? And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obey the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which SHOULD HAVE been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal.”

Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. And probably thought he had.

After all, what is wrong with a little trophy? I am a king, and all the kings do it! And surely God would be grateful for all those sacrifices?

Whenever we start to decide what is God’s Word to us, and what is not , we have become : TOO BIG in our own eyes.
When we say, this does not apply, or that does not apply to me; that may be fine for her or him, but it does not fit me and my life…I don’t have to do it.

When ever that happens, you have reservations. You are too big in your own eyes.

1 Samuel 15:22-23 “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. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”

There is nothing that will take the place of OBEDIENCE.
Not service!
Not sacrifice!
No matter what it costs you!
There was no honesty with Saul about his disobedience. No setting it right with God. He thought he had the right to CHANGE God’s Word to him, when it suited him.

Our message is : Without Reservation.

And this is what our life for the Lord should be…Without reservations.
We should be rid of our reservations about being obedient to God ,and His Word to us.

Nothing we can gain, by refusing to obey , will make up for what we will lose.

We are to lose our self-life, to gain our Christ’s life.
Or we will lose our Christ’s life, to gain what our reservations have placed above God:
Ambition.
Applause from others.
Success.
What are your reservations?
Isn’t it time you removed them?

Let Us Lay Aside Every Weight And the Sin that So Easily Besets Us.

Hebrews 12:1 “Wherefore, seeing we also are 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.”

Each of us, as Christians, have a race that is set before us, by Christ. We run, not to beat others, but to finish the race, to be crowned. (As Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:”)
And to finish the race we need to follow the course or way that is set before us. Not to detour here; or sit down there. But to finish the race.
Many things interfere with this “running”.

First, let us consider these weights.
Just what are they?

These weights are anything and everything, that hinders our spiritual growth.
External things that we can lay aside, as well as internal things that draw you off from following Christ and His course for you.
They should be laid aside.

To run well, you should not be burdened with anything.
Good things , as well as Bad things!
Anything that slows your progress, hinders your strength, or takes your eyes off the prize.

Most believe you can be saved, and then anything but lost. When the real truth is far from that.

Weights are things in which we have a choice: whether we carry them or not.
They are just not necessary for our race.

Some of our friendships may be weights.
Another weight we should learn to lay aside is failures:
Past failures, Present failures, Future failures.
We must confess our failures, but then we need to lay them aside.
And this you must do with real effort; Or the Adversary of our souls, the Devil, will burden you down until you are useless, for the work that is now.

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Old things are passed away–behold all things are become new.
We have no excuse for carrying these old things around with us.
And by the Power of the Holy Spirit, all things are becoming new.
And to Him they are! What about you? Do you want to drop these old things–Do you want them passed away?
Well, if you do, God’s Power , by the Holy Spirit within, enables you to drop the burden of these things…to know the cleansing Power of His blood; and to also have a cleansed conscience.
Paul said (Acts 24:16) “And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offense toward God and toward men.”
This was the persecutor, who became the apostle.
This was the Pharisee, who became a servant of Christ.
Old things had passed away, New things were becoming new for Paul, everyday!
And his conscience had become new, too.

Another weight you should lay aside is old habits.
Things that are naturally your way of doing things:
“Now I can’t do that, because that is not the way I do things.”
“Now, wait a minute, Lord…if you want that done; it would be more reasonable to do this, this way. (My way)”

Another weight is time:
We think we have an endless supply of time to do what God has said.
We can change that habit–later.
We can witness to that friend–later.
We can pray for them–later.
But “later” usually never comes…and if it does, the Holy Spirit often has been quenched so the power for the work is gone.

And that is what we lack , the Power of the Holy Spirit in our everyday lives.
We often try and make up for it with uplifting services, or acts of charity. (There is nothing wrong with either).
But substituting emotional things , for the power of the Holy Spirit, robs us of Reality.
Instead, we are left going up and down , draining ourselves of real joy.
That weighs us down.

These weights are anything which slows our progress. Anything which unfits us for the discharge of our duty to God.
Anything which dulls the conscience , blunts the edge of our spiritual Appetite (our hungering and thirsting after righteousness), or chokes the Spirit of Prayer.
Things that tire us and depress us, so that our Christian Life is wearisome.

Hebrews 12:1 (above)
“So great a cloud of witnesses”!!
A witness gives facts—And these tell of GOD’s faithfulness; of what HE has done for them.
And what others have done by the faith given them by the Holy Spirit.
Old Testament saints did not have the light that we have. Yet they believed, and hoped and loved the Lord. Should not we, who have known Christ’s coming and His great sacrifice for us?

Hebrews 12:1 (above)
“And the sin which doth so easily beset us.”
Our Besetting Sin is a sin which we are most prone to; most sorely tempted with.
For some it is one thing , for another it is something else.
You might say, “Why does that tempt you? It doesn’t me!” And that is true.
But your besetting sin, might mean nothing to me.
“Beset” means to thwart, or block a racer in every direction.

But the real Besetting Sin is the sin of unbelief.
Because of this, we NEVER OBTAIN THE THINGS GOD GIVES US.
Hebrews 11:33 “Who thru faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained
Promises, stopped the mouths of lions, ”
“Obtain” means you have it in ACTUAL EXPERIENCE.

Now obtained promises!!
You maybe think that if God gave you a promise, that would be the end of it.
He will see you get it…..Maybe twist your arm till you have it?
But a promise is ONLY a promise; UNTIL YOU HAVE OBTAINED THAT WHICH IS PROMISED!

And you obtain them thru means.
With God the means to the end cannot be overlooked.
For there are always means to the obtaining of these Promises.
It can be the means of believing,(Believe ye that I am able to do this? Mat. 9:28)
It can be the means of praying (Ask, Seek, and Knock. Luke 11:9-10)
It can be the means of Obedience (Go show yourselves unto the priests. Luke 17:12-14)
With God the means to the end cannot be overlooked.

If HE has given you a promise, than lay aside the Besetting Sin of Unbelief; and seek His face by prayer and the Scriptures….and do so until you have obtained it!
UNTIL YOU HAVE IT IN ACTUAL POSSESSION.
When you have it, you will know it.

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.”
Here is a clear promise from the Word–about our weights and sins.
But to obtain this Promise we will have to do two things:
Resist the Devil !
And look very diligently for that way of escape !
For God is faithful , Who will not suffer you to be tempted above what you are able.

Here our Wills must be exercised . We must will with God by the New Nature through the Power of the Holy Spirit; Or will, with what the Devil offers us, through the Old Nature.

In our spirits, lives the Holy Spirit for us. Not just as a seal that we are Christians, like a stamp to get us into Heaven.
But He is God the Spirit, indwelling us for good….our good. He guides; He shows , by the Scriptures what Christ has and is saying to us; He enlightens; He gives joy, peace, strength, wisdom;
But He MUST BE YIELDED TO; WE MUST EXERCISE OUR WILLS TO WILL AFTER HIM.

The Devil, our Adversary, usually works, from without.
What we see….What we hear…..What companions we have….Where we go.

1 Corinthians 10:14 “Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.”
Anything that draws you off from GOD, could be considered an idol.
Anything that takes 1st place in your heart, could be considered an idol.
To whoever, or whatever, you give final obedience; that is to be considered your God.

Hebrews 12:1 “Wherefore, seeing we also are 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,”
Paul said about his race:
(1 Corinthians 9:26) “I therefore so run, not as uncertainly;…”
Paul knew his course. He was to preach the Gospel of Christ, crucified and risen; in every place he was told to go.
And Paul knew his God, that HE was faithful in all things.
Remember, from the 1st deliverance in a basket over the wall, from those who sought to kill him in Damascus (Acts 9:22-25)….to the end, when no one would stand with him before Caesar (2 Timothy 4:16-17) “Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me and strengthened me…”

We, too have a race to finish.
Are you weighed down with things of this life, or with your plans?
Have you laid aside the sin of unbelief?
This is not unbelief of Christ….but unbelief of what He will do for you.

The call is :”Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily besets us”

Are you ready to go on with Him in your race?

Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

Acts 9:1-9 “And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of he Lord, went unto the high priest,
And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.
And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.”

For how long had God been dealing with Saul, I don’t know.
Maybe from the time of John the Baptizer.
Surely, when hearing all the things that Jesus did: The Sermon on the Mount, the Parables, the miracles, and how many people were healed and cured from demon possession. Then there was His raising Lazarus.
All these things could not be done without God being with Him. He knew the scriptures and just how many Christ had fulfilled.
Whether he was in Jerusalem at the time of Christ’s crucifixion or not; he would have been well informed as a Pharisee, of what was going on.
As he later proclaimed: (Acts 26:26) “…for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner.”

And when he was at the execution of Stephen, he knew how wrong it was; and that Stephen’s calling on the Lord Jesus was right. But when Stephen forgave him, it made him exceeding mad against any of this Way.
“Who did he think he was, forgiving me? I have followed the law all my life…I am blameless.(Phil. 3:5-6). I don’t need forgiving. I’ll show everyone just how wrong these people ,of this Way, are. I’ll get them to give up this Christ, they trust in.”

So, men and women he carried off to prison, “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” (Acts 26:10-11)

The more God dealt with Saul, the madder he got.
As God told him on the road to Damascus; “…it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.”
The “pricks” here is, in the Greek, the goad. A sharp point on a long stick that was use to keep the ox moving forward.
God had been moving Saul forward to this meeting, since the day he decided that he would fight against what he knew was right.
Stephen had been right…those men and women he had imprisoned and forced to choose between Christ and their life, had been right.
But he refused to see it. God was saying, “This is for you”
And Saul was saying, “I’ll have no part in it. In fact, I will destroy it!”
And he had set out vigorously to do just that. How many had testified by their lives
That Jesus was the Son of God? How much of the light of God, he had refused?

Now that Jerusalem had been shaken…some Christians killed, others had scattered abroad. (Acts 8:4) “Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word.”
Saul wanted to go after others of this Way, and to throw them in prison, too, at Jerusalem.
Until….God had goaded him far enough, and then…Christ Jesus struck him down, manifested Himself to him in great light, and spoke.
At this place; the place God chose; Saul was given an ultimatum.
“Saul, Saul, you have been persecuting Me when you have struck out at My disciples. I am speaking to you now, plainly. Stop fighting against Me, for you cannot destroy
Me; but I can destroy you.”
Completely helpless, no more proud boasts of who he is or what he will do; nothing else he could do! But to yield or perish in his rebellion.
“Who art thou, Lord?” Here is a very good beginning…Saul calls Him, Lord.
He does not know His Name, but he knows He is Lord.

And Jesus introduces Himself: “I am Jesus”. He does not say anymore. No other name is needed.
Paul later declares, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God
The Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)
This caused this rebel to “tremble”. The one who had been exceedingly mad…now became exceedingly afraid.
And in fear, he said, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” Simply:
“What can I do to make myself ,or this outcome different? I had no intention of fighting against God; so tell me what I can do to rectify this foolishness.”

And God never leaves one who truly wants to know His Will, in doubt.
“Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.”

Don’t worry, Saul; you have placed yourself in my hands now…I will guide, and direct,
In My way.
And so He did.
Paul could say, (2 Cor. 2:11) “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.”
Paul knew that terror in full amount, for the light he sinned against was great.
(Therefore, I believe, God shown that light in full amount on Saul when God knocked him down. Acts 26:13 “…I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me…”)

Are we, too, being goaded into knowing “the terror of the Lord”, because He has been speaking unto us, and we are refusing to hear? He has been showing us light, and we have refused to look and see?
Well, if this happens, It should lead to; “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”

For what Christ Jesus wants for us, what His purpose for us is?
Is for us, as Saul here,to yield to Him and place ourselves in His hands and get His guidance.

To Walk in the Way of the LORD

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

Have you , Christian, ever heard His Voice?
Are you in the Way He has for you?

Have your ears ever heard that Word behind you saying this is the Way , walk ye in it?

This verse is about direction for your life.
He will not give us the 10th mile direction, when we are still in our 5th mile relationship.
We can not know to turn to the left or right, until we come to that place of turning.
And we must go on till we come to that place of turning.

Hosea 6:3 “THEN shall we know, If we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.”
Rain is always a sign of mercy. And God had the latter and former rains–those necessary rains–for His people; if they followed Him.
This is a promise that rings down thru the ages.
This is not for those who lack diligence to seek; or will not do the will of GOD, once they know it.
It is not: Tell me , Lord, what you want me to do, and then I will decide IF I want to do it.
He is NOT LORD , then.

But there is sure and certain mercy , for those who WILL follow onto know the LORD.

Jesus said the same thing when He was here:
John 7:17 ” If any of you really determines to do God’s will, then you will certainly know whether My teaching is from God or is merely My own.” (Living New Testament)

We can know what The Lord Jesus wants us to do. We can hear His Voice, speaking to us by the Holy Spirit within.
But we must come to the Place of deciding that we WILL DO HIS WILL.

Israel was VERY PIOUS with their mouth. But far away, in there hearts.
God said :
Hosea 10:2 “Their heart is divided…”

He called them:
Hosea 6:4 “O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? For your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away.”

In the morning, there are often clouds, looking as though they might bring rain; But as soon as the sun is up and warm; they disappear.
The dew gives moisture , but disappears as soon as the heat of the day comes.

As soon as there was any difficulty; Israel withered in there righteousness.

What God required was :
Hosea 6:6 “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”
He very plainly told them what they needed to do.

What of us? Have we been doing “all the right things”, but not the things God really wants us to do?
Have we been consistent in religious activities? But not in seeking the Lord about the resentments, and anger of our hearts?
And what is this…knowledge of God? Certainly, we should know ABOUT Him.
Certainly, we should know His Word.
But the knowledge of God , He wanted them to have was that personal relationship with Him, which brought their hearts and lives before God; Not just their sacrifices.
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.”
Are you walking in the “way” of the Lord?
Luke 18: 9 “And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others”
They trusted in themselves. They thought they knew what God wanted….and did it:
But they despised others.

Luke 18:10-14 “Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God , I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust , adulterers, or even as this publican.
I fast twice in a week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smite upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
I tell you, (Remember this is Jesus speaking) THIS man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalted himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted”

Interesting to note: The Pharisee stood and prayed thus WITH HIMSELF…..certainly God was not his object.

And he that humbleth himself ,SHALL BE exalted.
No man stands in the Presence of God in his own righteousness.

Justification is not by our righteous deeds. It is not ; “I do this for You , if You do this for me.”
Nor is it that you can pile up points against the day of need.
A lost man needs to be found, a sinner needs salvation.

And this salvation is also from the Power of sin, As well as the guilt of sin.
We are lost sinners, in need of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ .
Or we are saved sinners, in need of forgiveness, and cleansing from our sin, by our Lord Jesus Christ, daily.

Remember when we mentioned : “the heart is deceitful”. “And desperately wicked”?
Yet God said that “He searches the heart…to give to every man according to his ways”
Now, here is a “WAY” of God:

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.”

THE HEART IS “GOOD”, HERE; ONLY BECAUSE IT IS HONEST.
Come before God in honesty, and God will give you “according to your ways” of honesty. He will with the truth….give grace.

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

If you will get honest with God, you are planting your feet squarely into His Way, and He will give you grace.
The UNMERITED FAVOR OF POWER. It is unmerited, we do not earn it….it is by Christ’s Sacrifice that we can receive it.
The “favor” is POWER….power to meet the need…now.

Luke 8:16-18 “No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covers it with a vessel, or puts it under a bed; but sets it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light.
For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad. Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seems to have.”
Take heed: how ye hear!

Luke 8:4 ” And when MUCH PEOPLE were gathered together, and we’re come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable:”
There were much people who came to hear…but did they hear?

Luke 8:8 “And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, HE THAT HATH EARS TO HEAR, LET HIM HEAR.”
These were the ones to whom HE always spoke….those that had ears to hear.
Again, is Jesus speaking to you? Do you have ears that hear His Word to you?

“For whosever hath, to him SHALL be given.”
The more we have by the Holy Spirit within, the more we are going to be given. For the ones that “have”, are they that have heard and gotten honest with God , and received grace to do what they need to.

He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Proverbs 25:12 “As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.”
Here are those “hearing ears”, again. Obedient ears.
And we must always consider, as children of God, His correcting us; for to reprove, is to “back strike with words”. To get us back in the Way.

Hebrews 12:11 ” Now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, AFTERWARD it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”
AFTERWARD is a great word here….if we receive the correction, then afterwards we also receive the peaceable fruit of righteousness….The joy of fellowship restored…the mercy of sin forgiven….the grace and power of the Holy Spirit strengthening us to new steps.
How Great is our God….How loving He is to not let us go on in the wrong way of anger, bitterness and sin!!!

Proverbs 29:1 ” He, that being often reproved hardens his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy”

To Answer the Call of Christ
Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come into him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

We believe this is the Laodicean Age of the Church. It is the age in which Christ is standing outside the Church, knocking for entrance into His own house.
(Some believe that all the Churches described in Revelation 2 and 3, are in all the ages of the Church….if you do, then I would ask, prayerfully, that you would check to see if any of the things spoken of , to this Church, applies to you.)
And to answer the call of Christ in this Laodicean Age, requires not an answer of words, But an answer of a life, open to and receptive to Him.
It is by hearing His voice, we open our life’s door. How many who are Christians, are living a life closed to Him.
Come in and save…just keep Your hands off my time, my emotions, my thoughts, my money,…my, my ,my.
This is not a life open to Him.

And when you hear Him and open; it is also a life receptive to Him.
Receiving Who He is , as well as what He will do.
Receiving His corrections, as well as His blessings.
In other words…continuing to receive Him, and His Word.

He spoke about this when He was here on earth:
John 8:30-32 “As he (Jesus) spake these words, many believed on him. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

They believed on Him….except when they thought He was saying they did not know freedom…
John 8:33 “They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, ye shall be made free?”

So Jesus explains: freedom from sin.
John 8:34, 37
“Jesus answered them, Verily, Verily, I say unto you, whosoever committeth sin is a servant of sin.”
“I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, BECAUSE MY WORD HATH NO PLACE IN YOU.”
I capitalized, for emphasis, because it’s says they believed on Him.
There is a difference in believing in God, when we like what we hear.
And allowing God’s Word to have “place” or a place of honor, in us; when it is not what we like to hear.
This is the same as “a life, open to and receptive to Him.”

Hebrews 13:20-21 “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
This perfection is to attain to that which you were brought into being for.
It is to see completed the work started within you, when you were born again; And the only way we see it completed is by cooperating with God in our sanctification.
And it is “through the blood of the everlasting covenant”
For the Everlasting Covenant is the agreement that God, the Father and God, the Son and God, the Holy Spirit made before times eternal concerning the Salvation, and sanctification of His People.
God the Father agreed to draw a people to Christ (John 6:44-45, 65)
God the Son agreed to come in the fullness of time and become the Man, Christ Jesus and pay the penalty for sin for His people. (John 6:37, John 10:9, 11)
God the Holy Spirit agreed to dwell with us as our Comforter (John 14:16, Ephesians 1:13-14, 2 Thessalonians 2:13)
Each has a part in our perfection/completion. ( You were always in His thoughts and Purposes.)
Our part in this “life open to and receptive to Him” is:
Let nothin come between you and your Lord.

Amos 3:3 “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”
These agreements with our Lord, and they are individual agreements; they are not the same for me as they are for you. (He may deal with me about my temper, I have mentioned this in a earlier blog; and He may deal with you about your temper. But it is individual, and not a general bandage that can be put on every sore.)
We walk before Him as individuals–not that we should be individualistic, but that is His choice to walk and talk with us personally.
And we are to agree with Him. The word in the Hebrew “agreed” is to “fix upon”. It is a determination on my part to stay with Christ, to yield to Christ, to make my steps conformed to His…because I love Him. For “fix upon” speaks of the will, mind and heart.
Let us yield to God’s work within us and determine to follow Him whithersoever He goes.

Every now and then we will place a small note about people of faith in the Bible.

Abel:
Hebrews 11:4 “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice then Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.”

Very few verses describe Abel. But they all describe a man of faith; faith in action.

When God drove out Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden, because they had sinned; He placed at the east gate, a Cherubim with a flaming sword, to keep the way of the tree of life. (Genesis 3:24) They could no longer enjoy the paradise of the garden, nor eat of the tree of life, but they could come to that gate and offer sacrifices. This was the only way God could be found of man, now.

To Abel, this was a sign that God still wanted to have fellowship with man; with him.
There was, at the outside of that gate, a place to seek God. Not to trespass, but to worship. And this is where Abel came.
Genesis 4:3-4 ” And in the process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering.”
Here we see Abel coming in “the process of time” or in the Hebrew ” at the end of days”…. Perhaps, it suggests the day of rest on the seventh day(Sabbath).
Worship is counting God worthy all that we have, and all that we are. And Abel wants to come to worship God.
Faith must be present in worship. You must believe that God is, and that HE is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Abel did. He believed God. That God was holy and he was a sinner; that in order for him to come to God, a sacrifice of an animal needed to be presented.

This he learned by his parents, telling their children about their sinning. Then before God drove them out of Eden, how God slew animals to take their “coats of skins” to clothe their nakedness. The sacrifice to cover their sin, would have to die, to be offered.

So Abel did what was required. He brought the best that he could: (Genesis 4:4) “of the firstlings of the flock and the fat thereof.”

And because Abel sought God in faith, and obedience; God “had respect unto Abel and to his offering.”
This stress two answers: “unto Abel” was an answer of peace between God and him.
“To his offering” , acceptance. I believe by fire, for Hebrews said “he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts.”
God manifested Abel’s righteousness by burning it up to Himself.
(Of course, it is the first type of Christ’s sacrifice: The Lamb of God.
John 1:29 “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”)

Abel is an amazing witness of faith. With so little light as to God’s plans for man; but the knowledge that He could be sought….Able did seek Him.

(Of course some will say Cain sought, too. And I would argue that God did not think so. He might have been seeking appreciation for his own ability, but he was not seeking God. God plainly told Cain “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.” Do the offering required, is to come and seek Me. If you don’t do what is required, then the sin, the offering was to cover, is right at your doorstep ready to come in and rule over you.
I believe the sin of pride was what Cain should have come to God about. Why else bring a sacrifice of his own work and sweat? But instead of sin being covered by the sacrifice…it ruled over him , and caused him to kill his own brother.)

Abel is also a witness of the drawing power of God in faith. Sin is a terrible ruler of our lives. (And I am not just talking about the horrible sins everyone instantly recognizes). It refuses to relinquish it’s power. That power must be broken by the power of God. And that is only by the cleansing blood of Christ…or for Abel, faith in the blood of the sacrifice of the lamb.
What Abel’s sin was, doesn’t matter, for it was covered by his offering. Hebrews 11:4 “…he obtained witness that he was righteous”.

Faith seeks after God, to have fellowship with Him; because it gives the knowledge of the emptiness of our lives without Him.
Faith leads us to seek God in His way.
Faith in Christ’s offering gives us peace with God, covers our sin, and makes us righteous in Him.

Our Blog is sent out with our hope that it will remind, instruct, and encourage Christians in God’s Word.
And we pray for God to speak to you from them….”to attend the reading, and preaching of His Word”. To help, encourage, enlighten the path that we are walking in.

The Voice of God.
Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

It is not reading , or seeing,(although that may be the means); but “hearing” the word of God, that increases our faith.
If we do not “hear” His Word to us personally, then the scriptures, and messages, and even personal testimonies, will do us little good.
They may make us more knowledgable, it is true. Unfortunately, unless the knowledge becomes personal to us; to lead us closer to Christ; it just bounces around in our head.
But, if we “hear” His Word to us personally,(and this can be though Scriptures, messages, and personal testimonies) then the Holy Spirit uses it like a double-edged sword….to divide in us, what is of Him and what is of us.

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and it is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
When we “hear” the Voice of God in our spirits, our faith is increased, and we believe to obedience. (It is interesting to note how many times the Lord Jesus exhorts the people to “hear.” Eight times He cries out : “he that hath ears to hear, let him hear”; in the gospels.)
This can be the reality of our walk with Christ Jesus.
Our Adversary, the Devil, as a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8), would frighten or tempt us away from following the Lord.
He tries to get you to concentrate on the circumstances surrounding some problem:
To look at what others are saying about this situation; Or to see things the way the world looks at them, or the results that could come from it.
But this is to seek a remedy for the symptoms of our disease, only.
When what we need is the Physician of our souls to speak to us and give us directions; for the problem itself.

As an example we will talk about Samuel.( 1 Samuel 1:11, 20-28) As a child, given to the Lord by his Mother, Hannah. She had asked for him from the Lord, and had given him to the Lord, and he became a helper to Eli, who was the High Priest. Eli was old and his eyes were growing dim, so Samuel would help him.
One night as they lay in the Holy Place, to “order the lamp”(Exodus 27:21), so the light would not go out; the Lord called Samuel.
Samuel, who had not heard God’s Voice before, thought it was Eli calling him.(Maybe he needed for him to go get something). So he went to Eli, “Here am I”. But Eli , half asleep said, “What? Go back to sleep, I did not call you”. Twice more this happened, Until, Eli realized that the Lord was calling Samuel.
(Two things to notice: Samuel’s diligence. To keep going to Eli, when he thought he called him.
And that Eli must have realized that the Lord speaking to Samuel, and not to him, was something important. And Eli wanted to encourage any who the Lord had called.)

1 Samuel 3:7-10 “Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord revealed unto him. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child. Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if He call thee that thou shalt say, speak Lord; for thy servant heareth.
So Samuel went and laid down in his place. And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.”
Samuel was uncertain of the results; Yet certain of the instructions; So when called again, Samuel answered, “Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth”
Samuel hadn’t chosen God; God had chosen Samuel, as He chooses all His servants; By calling them to hear and obey Him.
But then Samuel, having heard what the Lord told him, he also chose to obey.
1 Samuel 3:16, 18
“The Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here am I.”
“And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the Lord: let him do what seemth him good.”

God called Samuel to His light. So, God calls us to the light of His Word…to hear His Voice.
In the situations of our lives,(yes, I use this phrase a lot, because Christianity is very practical…it is for where we live), He wants to guide us in them, through them, in His Light, by His Voice.
How He speaks to us, matters not. He speaks to us through His Word. He speaks to us through gentle or strong impression. But He does speak. He is not silent.
He will show us His Will.
John 7:17 (Living New Testament) “If any man really determines to do His will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it be of God or whether it is merely my own.”

Hosea 6:3 “Then shall we know, if we follow on the know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.”

Hebrews 13:5, 8
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.”
All these verses speak about God’s faithfulness to us.
Let us, will to hear Him; and will to Obey Him, and His Word to us.
He is still calling His servants on, to follow Him.

Will you come to the light He is shining for you in His Word?
And say, Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth?
Will you obey His call to follow Him ?
You may not know what is ahead; But you can know, He has prepared every step for you in it….with Him.

The LORDSHIP of CHRIST

John 14: 21 “He that hath my commandments, and keeps them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”

What a tremendous promise!!!
How much do we have this?

Yes, we are born again. But do we obey His Word to us?
To make Christ, LORD;
there can be no outstanding disobedience.
No place where you are running the show.

Matthew 16:24 “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.”

I preach on this a lot. There is no place, or time, where we can disregard this verse…..IF WE ARE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST.
Disciple simply means that you are under the discipline of a certain Master….or that you accept and help to spread the teaching of your Master.

You must deny yourself , take up your cross, and follow HIM.
This is between you and your Lord. You do not bear a cross in a crowd, nor do others bear it for you.
Each is called to bear their own cross.

The “Cross” for each of us is really individual. It is what cuts across our wills. We will to do one thing….and Jesus wants us to do another. The Lord’s will cuts across our will.
What will we choose?
Will we “deny ourself” and choose the “cross” of Christ’s Will? And Follow Him, just like He denied Himself and always chose the Father’s Will?

Then we can go on in our experience with Christ and :
Matthew 16:25 “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.”
Refuse the Cross, try to save your Life, and be certain you will lose it.

This is where your habits and characteristics are concerned. What makes you , you.
(I have always had a temper….now you can control it. That can be natural , and have nothing to do with the Holy Spirit. But when the Lord dealt with me about it…He said that EVERY TIME I’M MAD, I’M WRONG.
But, Lord, some time I’m RIGHT!!!
No, every time you get mad—you’re wrong. So, to deny myself, and lose my life in myself; Every time I start to get mad–even when the reason is right; I stop, and deny myself, and ask The Lord for help to deal with the situation the way He wants)
(I have also had a habit of asking “why?” Why this ,Lord? Why that , Lord? This went on and on, until the Lord dealt with me about my asking Him “Why”. HE dealt with me rather severely….until it began to “hurt” when I would even think “Why?” I learned that it was NOT my business to ask “Why?” About the circumstances of my life, but to surrender them, And myself , to do what He wants about them!)
To lose your self life , really…it must be for Jesus Sake.
He must be our REASON for living.
We are born…we had no choice, there. We are, and can not be annihilated. We will exist for eternity–somewhere. And in our life , we choose our friends, our work ,and what is important to us.
But now we are also born again.
And that places a whole new range of choices before us. And the 1st choice is always, Who will choose for us? Who’s Will, will we follow?
Will we continue in our natural way of thinking, and choose ?
Or will we “deny ourselves” and let Jesus choose for us?

To find our Christ Life is to find our natural opinions, giving way to Christ’s ; and finding also the power to live them.
Can you turn the other cheek….Can you love the members of Christ’s body….Can you forgive…Can you diligently stand against the wiles of the Devil….Can you hold on until the end? And most important, Can you do it out of love for the Lord Jesus?

In our self life….no.    For the motive for our self life is us. Even when we do good, it is for a reason to improve, show off, or gain for self.
In our Christ life , the Holy Spirit supplies these “graces”. Or fruits.

Galatians 5: 22-24. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts”
So to “find” your Christ Life, you must lose your self life.

This is a process. Where you and the Lord “walk” together every day. Where He shows you this attitude that needs denying; Or that habit that needs changing.
Amos 3:3 “Can two walk together, except they be agreed.”
This agreement is with the Lord.

It is always, IF ANY MAN WILL. It is our wills He deals with. They are the makers of action.
Our minds understand information.
Our hearts feel emotion.
But Jesus deals with neither, here.
He deals with our wills. To will after Him.

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

Could you value something, Anything, more that your Soul?
Is there anything on this Earth that could possibly be of more value that your Eternal Soul?
Well, if there is, then you will lose your Christ Life for it.
You see, when you are born again…you learn the Value of your Soul…..Christ died for it.
He gave up all His glory in Heaven, to come and save it.
He became a man; that as man –the perfect man–He might fulfill the Law of God , that He might be the perfect sacrifice to take away our sins…..that we might have peace with God, and life thru His Name.

The Value of our souls to God is great…for He gave His Son to die to save them.
When we are born again, the value of our soul before God is clearly seen.

Now, it can become “blurred” by life and circumstance….but the truth is there.

So, again Christ asks. “What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

The Water of Life
Revelation 22:17 “And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come. Let him that hears say, come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”

John 7:37-39 “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried,
Saying,   If any man thirst, come unto me, and drink. He that believes on me, as
The Scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this
Spake he of the Spirit, which they which believe on him should receive: for the Holy Spirit was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified)”

Water in Scripture speaks of the Holly Spirit; Cleansing and purifying, refreshing and encouraging.

In the beginning in Eden there was one river divided into four; “to water the garden”–the place God made for man. (Genesis 2:10-14)

In the end, one of the last things Jesus tells John in the Revelation is:
“…and whosoever will let him take the water of life freely”

Water is a necessity in our life; and it is a symbol of the necessity of the Holy Spirit’s
Influence in the life of the believer, usually through the Word of God.

Since, as Christians, we too are journeying thru the “wilderness” of this world; one of
The best examples of our need of the water of life is Israel; and the five instances of water; given them in the wilderness wanderings.
The first was Marah:
Having come miraculously through the Red Sea; God brings His people three days into the wilderness and proves them.

Would they look to Him, since they had seen both the Passover Night’s results and
The Red Sea Victory?
Exodus 15: 22-24. “So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur, and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no
Water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah,
For they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people
Murmured against Moses, saying , What shall we drink?”

Three days and the two million Israelites were going dry. Further problems: when the water was reached, it was bitter or harmful to drink.
How often it is the case with us , we look for continued good, because we have had a special blessing; but then, trouble/difficulties.
And it often seems to get worse. We feel the Lord is not hearing us–the waters are bitter.

What do we do? Cry to the Lord in complaint or in submission?
Exodus 15:25-26 “And he cried unto the LORD; and the Lord showed him a tree, which
When he cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: There He made for them
A statute and an ordinance, and there He proved them. And said, If thou will diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in
His sight, and wilt give ear unto His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will
Put none of these diseases upon thee, which I brought upon the Egyptians: for I
Am the LORD that healeth thee.”

Moses was dry , too; but there was not murmuring from him–only seeking the Lord
For direction. This is faith in action. The Holy Spirit often uses “bitter waters” to
Stir up our faith to seek and trust the Lord.
Israel shows, that to most of them; He was not a God to trust and obey: but
Only to complain to because they do not have what they think they should have.

Still, and this is very blessed; The Lord gave instruction to them all–with promise.
If you will hear and obey My voice and Word; I will keep you from all that I judged
Egypt with;
And then He gives them a new name whereby they could call on Him: I am the Lord
That Heals you.

The second water was Elim:
Exodus 15:27 “And they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water, and
Three score and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters.”

Here were twelve wells. One for each tribe.
Fullness for each individual believer is set forth here in Elim.
Usually when our faith is proved; whether we are corrected or not; a blessing is given afterwards. To show us what God wants to give if we will follow Him in faith.

The third water was Rephidim:
Exodus 17:1-6 “And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the
Wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD,
And pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink.
Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? Wherefore do ye tempt
The Lord? And the people thirsted there for water, and the people murmured against
Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to
Kill us and our children, and our cattle with thirst? And Moses cried unto the LORD
Saying, What shall I do unto this people? They be almost ready to stone me.
And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee the elders of Israel; and thy rod , with which thou smotest the river, take in thy hand and
Go. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shall
Smite the rock; and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink.
And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.”

This was the water given from the smitten rock; it was right before Mt. Sinai, where
The Law was given.
This shows that God gives the Spirit. To encourage and help us with the Word that
He gives.
(1 Corinthians 10:4 “And did all drink this same spiritual drink; for they drank of that
Spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”)
But how do we receive Him and His Word? The Israelites went on to Sinai: some feared God; and others (and , yes, they were few), went on and worshipped.

Enlightenment from the Scriptures, only comes through the Holy Spirit. None can “see” God in the true beauty of Holiness, except by the Holy Spirit. (1 Chronicles 16:29, 1Chronicles 20:21)

None can enjoy His commandments (to them), except by the Holy Spirit’s workings.

Israel refused to obey the Lord again and again; and afterwards, when they came to
The Promised Land, refused to go in.

They were then sent out to wander in the wilderness till all the first generation which
Came from Egypt were almost dead. Then they headed back to the Land; some,
Dieing; others learning from the corrections sent.

The fourth water was from the rock which was to be spoken to:
Numbers 20: 1-11 ” Then came the children of Israel…into the desert of Zin…and the abode in Kadesh;…And there was no water for the congregation: And
They gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. And the people…spake, saying,…And why have ye brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?…And Moses and Aaron
Went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the Tabernacle of the
Congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the LORD appeared
Unto them. And the LORD spake unto Moses saying, Take the rod, and gather the
Assembly together, thou and thy brother Aaron, and speak ye unto the rock before
Their eyes, and it shall give forth its water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water
Out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation…drink.
And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as He commanded him. And Moses
And Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, And he said unto them, Hear now ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? And
Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water
Came out abundantly, and the congregation drank,…”

Here the second generation of Israelites were going back; near the entering of the Land again;
But no water.
How often have we had barren times: in service, in devotions, in prayer?
We are as “dry” and ready, it would seem to us, to “perish”.
Why have You brought us this way, Lord?
This generation needed to learn the sufficiency of their God. So…
Moses was told to “speak” to the Rock ( a symbol of Christ in Heaven, where our
Prayers for help come and are answered. And how are they answered? By help,
Instruction, and grace through the Holy Spirit abiding in us.)
Moses failed; in anger he struck the Rock (Not that we can boast that we have not done the same thing in our angry prayers at times.)
But God gave water in grace to His People.
It appears, here, God was not really angry with the congregation. Instead He was testing this second generation. He was ready to teach them a lesson about the
Relationship they were to have with Him.
In a few months they were going to cross the Jordan and possess the Land.
And how would that be done?
By “speaking” to Him; getting direction from Him and being obedient by faith.

What a lesson God wanted to teach! What a lesson we all need to learn.

The fifth water was at Beer:
Numbers 21:16-18 ” And from thence they went to Beer. This is the well
Whereof the Lord spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them
Water. Israel sang this song, Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it: the princes digged the well, the nobles of the people digged it , by the direction of the lawgiver, with
Their staves…”
The princes and nobles of the people were gathered and told to “dig” a well with the
Staff that was in their hand!
An amazing moment; when the leaders of the people were giving water from the
well to the people, by their own actions. This was not through Moses, but through the Leaders of the people

God was showing them how He would provide for them and their families, through their obedience.
It is a blessed thing when the Lord shows us how we can be a blessing under the
Holy Spirit’s influence and power to others.

Right after this, this second generation entered into their first battle and won!

Numbers 21:23-24 “And Sihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his border:
But Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the
Wilderness: And he came to Jahaz and fought against Israel. And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land…”

How many lessons does the Lord try and teach us?
How many times has He given more of the Holy Spirit’s grace and influence to us; and What have we done with it.
The first generation used none of the lessons, instructions and blessings
They were as these:
2 Timothy 3:7 “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

The second generation was corrected often; Victories and failures, both–but they
Took the land promised them, possessed their possessions, however imperfectly.

What of us? What are we doing with the Waters of Life offered us?

The Prophet Agabus
Acts 20 : 10. “And as we tarried there many days , there came down from Judea a certain prophet , named Agabus.”

1). Here was a prophet, doing a little fore telling that nobody wanted to hear about.

2)Acts 21:11 “And when he was come unto us, he took Paul’s girdles, and bound his own hands and feet, and said , Thus saith the Holy Ghost, so shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owns this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.”
Thus saith the Holy Ghost.
Informing all within the range of his voice that sure and certain things would be brought to pass.

3) Here, look at what I’m doing. Bound his own hands and feet.
See, this is what they shall do!

4)Acts 21:12. “And when we heard these things, both we and they of that place besought him (Paul) not to go up to Jerusalem.”
Isn’t this just the way we are, all wrapped up in the realm of time?
Not looking to Eternity or even to what the LORD would require; But to what they feared,        Or Wanted?

5)Acts 21:13-14 “Then Paul answered , What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? For I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased , saying , The will of the Lord be done.”
The will of the Lord be done…..this was Paul’s main reason for his existence.

6) But how long does it take us, before we come around to “ceasing” our own arguments, or tears, Or fears…about a thing?

7)Agabus spoke by the Holy Ghost his message of warning. Not to dissuade “the man”,      But to inform and prepare.

8) Acts11:28-29 ” And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judea:”

Both mentions of this man have him foretelling events that must come to pass.
This time it was in order that relief might be sent to the Home Church in Judea.

9) If we will hear the Holy Spirit’s warnings , whether through His Word in Scripture, a message, or conversation with other believers.
The Holy Spirit will warn us of things to come up in our experience,

John 16:13 ” Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear , that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.”

Paul was warned…he took notice of, wanting the Lord’s Will done, and was prepared.
The Church was warned…took notice of and sent relief to the Church in Judea.

10) When we are given warning, or exhortation, or instruction; we should take notice and get prepared….
That we might , as Paul, ” for I am ready(for what will happen)…for the name of the Lord Jesus”