And there is no discharge in that war

Ecclesiastes 8:8 “There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit;  neither hath he power in the day of death:    and there is no discharge in that war;    neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.”

We are in the battle of the ages….the battle between God’s rule in obedience….and the devil’s rule in rebellion.

To see this clearly we must first consider two things:

The first being the Everlasting Covenant.    (Hallelujah!  Before anything was that has been or is….God saw all that was to be,  and made full provision for it….in Christ Jesus!)

The Everlasting Covenant

 (Hebrews 13:20 “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,”)

This covenant was between God the Father….who agreed to draw all the elect to God the Son (John 6:37)….

….God the Son agreed to come in the fullness of time, and become the Man, Christ Jesus and die for all the elect…shedding His blood for the atoning of their sin, the seal of the covenant.…and be raised the third day…returning to Heaven…(Matthew 17:22-23)

….and sending God the Holy Spirit to live in and fill those that recieve Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior…being in fact their Comforter. (John 14:16-17)

This is first,   for God is Almighty, and All-seeing.   He is never taken by surprise…never unprepared.

The second thing is the warfare…and how it happened:

So when God did create the beautiful earth (Genesis 1:1 “And God created the heavens and the earth.)

….and when there was the rebellion of Lucifer…He was not surprised or unable.

Isaiah 14:12-14 “How art thou fallen from heaven,  O Lucifer, son of the morning!  How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

        For thou hast said in thine heart,  I will ascend into heaven,   I will exalt my throne above the stars of God:   I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

       I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;  I will be like the most High.”

Lucifer who became the devil,  rebelled against God…and took one third of the angels with him.    

       (Matthew 25:41  this is his  prepared end…and I believe he fights to attain a better one.   He thinks that if he can defeat God’s plans enough, he will have things different than spoken of.)

      In this first battle, the earth became “without form and void”….under darkness,  till God spoke,  “Let there be light”….and recreated the earth.

This, was the beginning of the Warfare of the Ages.     

       For the devil, full of hatred for God,  sought to destroy God’s plans for man….to enslave him under the principle of rebellion….which is sin.

       And this he did,  darkening man’s spirit…making him dead to God (Ephesians 2:1-3, Romans 8:7)

Till,….God speaks “let there be light” in our lives…

      2 Corinthians 4:6 “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

 This is the warfare of obedience vs rebellion,   if we belong to Christ….and just what is our part in it, in these days?

Revelation 3:21 “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.”

To him that overcometh…even as I also overcame.    

       Now just what did the Lord Jesus overcome?      Every obstacle that stood in the Way of accomplishing His Father’s Will for His life.

He bowed before the Father to every limitation and to all restrictions.   Accepting as from the hand of the Father,  all that came to Him.

And that is the same for us….we must overcome every obstacle that stands in the way of our accomplishing the Lord’s Will for our lives.

[And remember we overcome in three ways:

       First,  by “He that is in you”  ( 1 John 4:4 “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them:  because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.”)

             We overcome those in the world, under the Adversary’s influence (called here, the spirit of the antichrist)….by the Holy Spirit who lifts up to us, Christ Jesus in our hearts.

       Second,  by faith   ( 1 John 5:4 “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world:  and this is the victory that overcometh the world,  even our faith.”)

             We overcome the world’s influence…it’s greed, anger, and seeking it’s own way…by the exercise of our faith,  we received at new birth.

       Third, by Christ’s blood   (Revelation 5:6,  Revelation 12:11 “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”

            We can plead the blood of the Lamb over us…and have protection against the Adversary.]

We must overcome!    The letters to the churches all end with “to him that overcometh”….which means that each Christian must overcome all the obstacles the world, the flesh, and the devil places in front of us….

….not in our own strength, or our own devotion….but through His Presence,  His faith,  HIs blood.    (Stop quenching the Spirit!….for it is He Who will comfort us in all our trials)

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

          Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

This is one of God’s eternal degrees….HIs Purpose from eternity past.

         The Way of Salvation clearly stressed:

                 By grace

                 Through faith

                 And that not of yourselves

                 Not of works.         

This is the way it is.

         Yet the rest of this eternal degree is in the tenth verse.

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His Workmanship,  created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

         We are His workmanship….and He doeth all things well.

Created in Christ Jesus unto good works.

Our warfare is in the accomplishing of those good works which God has before ordained,  for us to walk therein.

All provision has been made,  we have but to walk in them….overcoming by the Holy Spirit, faith, and His Blood.   

        And our walk with God is in our everyday things….simple obediences that we do by faith in Him and HIs Word.

These honor HIm most….just a simple walk with the Lord Jesus everyday….becoming His Will wherever we are.

Ezekiel’s wife

The book of Ezekiel is a magnificent book.   It shows forth God’s great mercy to a people who have refused His Word and His prophets….again and again.

Here in the land of Babylon,  in poor villages near the river Chebar,  a priest is called to be a watchman….to warn His people of the dangers of just sitting still in their sins,  or giving up on God.

“Give them warning….from Me.” (Ezekiel 3:17)

He tells them plainly,  if they want to return to the land,…then, get up out of their lethargy…and  return to God in heart and life.

Ezekiel 24:18 “So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.”

This is the only personal history we have of the prophet….about his wife.

       Having been called five years earlier, after being taken captive of Nebuchazzer to Babylon.  He has spoken again and again to warn the people that God will indeed do as He has warned and foretold.

      He would, through Nebuchazzer,…destroy Jerusalem,  and His Sanctuary, His Temple…because of their sin,  which He has shown them.

Being a servant of the Lord is often lonely, especially in times of declension and apostasy.

       And Ezekiel has told the people, faithfully,  the Lord’s Word about Judah and Jerusalem.

Yet….

…..they did not want to believe it….so refused the Word that Ezekiel speaks.

      Again and again they came to hear…..and heard,….but refused to believe God’s Word. 

And so God warns them that He would stop speaking to them….showing them the things that would shortly come to pass,….if….unless they begin to believe Him.

Ezekiel 20:1-3 “And it came to pass…that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and sat before me.

      Then came the Word of the Lord unto me, saying,

      Son of man, speak unto the elders….Thus saith the Lord God:   Are ye come to inquire of Me?   As I live, saith the Lord God,  I will not be inquired of you.”

God warned them of losing His Word….what a terrible judgment that would be….not to hear from their God.

Ezekiel 24:16 “Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke:  yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep,  neither shall they tears run down.”

That very morning,  Ezekiel had told the elders of his people that this day….this very day Nebuchazzer had set his army around Jerusalem to destroy it! (2 Kings 25:1)

      “…write thee the name of the day, even of this same day: the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this same day.”  (Ezekiel 24:1-2)

Yet how little they “heard” him!    

Had they cried unto the Lord for repentance…and then mercy?

       Had they cried unto the Lord for their children back in Jerusalem to repent?

They simply came…..listened….and left.   

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

(Covetousness here means “dishonest gain”.

Are our hearts yearning for God,  (Psalm 42:1 “As the hart panteth after the water brooks,  so panteth my soul after Thee, O God.)…are we thirsting for God…

….or are our hearts coveting the things of this world? )

Then, in the same evening,  Ezekiel’s wife dies….

….this is momentous!   

       For Ezekiel,  it means a more lonely time, for she was a companion in these trials and understood her husband’s ministry….

….for the Lord plainly says,  “…I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes…”

How comforting to have a help-meet,  a wife or husband who knows your work,  and is there for you,  in it!

Ezekiel had that….then,  the Lord took her away….with a stroke.   She died quickly,  without illness or violence.   The Lord took her.

Now we may think that this is cruel….but God’s ways are best.   Mercy comes to us in many ways….and if we yield to His mercy….even in pain…we are comforted and strengthened, within us.

     ( What a mercy he had her for a wife.    

What a mercy that they loved each other. 

      What a mercy that she did not suffer pain or hurt,   and that he was forewarned….and was there when she died.

       And what a mercy Ezekiel had God with him….bearing him up,  by telling him exactly what to do to make his wife’s death a part of the Biblical record,…

….and, in fact, a warning to the people of the captivity.

What a mercy…God took her….therefore she will be with all the saints till Ezekiel would join her.)

Ezekiel was not to mourn or lament for her.   He was not to go barefoot, nor eat the “bread of men”…the usual food that was brought to people when someone dies.

He was to get up,  dress himself…even his headdress,…and go about his business.  

        And he put all diligence, in doing it.   “…and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.” (Ezekiel 24:18)

Why?

Our life, as God’s people, should center around God and HIs Word…for our everyday lives….and for the extraordinary times of grief, trouble, and persecution.   

       He is our life….and though we are privileged to have others with us at times … .or to be with others at times….we are here at His appointing….for His pleasure and determination. 

Ezekiel 24:19 “And the people said unto me (Ezekiel),  Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so?”

The people must have known how much Ezekiel loved his wife….and came to comfort him…

….but Ezekiel was not mourning!  

What did that mean?

      And here is a interesting thought….they knew that he was a prophet,  because they knew that what he did,  he did by God’s commandment!

       So they asked him, since he was not mourning…what did that mean for them!

       Yet,  they would not get their lives straightened around….because of their covetousness!

(How great can be our entanglement in the world!   How much we want to hear only what is pleasing to us….instead of the corrections we need!    How easily we forget:

        “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children,   My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord,  nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him:

        For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.” Heb.12:5-6

The Lord corrects us that we might find our way back to His side. He comes, like a Shepherd and finds us….will we receive HIs Word?)

So Ezekiel told them….that Jerusalem and the Temple would be taken and destroyed.     Many killed…including many of their sons and daughters, which they thought were safe there!

And when this does happen…one year and a half later (2 Kings 25:2-4)….those parents in the captivity…will not be able to mourn or weep for the Temple…for which they pine now….

….or for their children.

Their captors would see to that….making them go out and labor just like every other day.

They would be unable to mourn…unable to cry for them.

I want to mention one more thing about this incident….

….Ezekiel was told not to speak any more to the people….till….someone would come from Jerusalem after the destruction….

…..and give the news of the city and the Temple being burnt…and the people killed, and taken away.

Ezekiel could not give them the Word of God anymore….till…they too, experienced this loss.

     Till…

….they experienced and knew that what God said through Ezekiel,  was true.

God has warned:

       Amos 8:11-12 “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land,  not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:

       And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the Word of the Lord, and shall not find it.”

And to a degree, I believe that this is true.    People are searching for the Truth….yet often refuse to believe the Word of God preached and taught.

Stop looking to any other consolation than Christ Jesus…..and read HIs Word again.   

       Seek the Holy Spirit’s understanding….pray for it,  for yourself…

…and for your family…and friends.

Ezekiel’s ministry was to a bunch of thankless and ungrateful people.  

    No!

Ezekiel’s ministry…(and everyone who is called)…is to the Lord!    And to the Lord,  he was obedient, even in this most personal loss.

For to will is present with me

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

This is the picture of Paul,  a man who has been saved,  and is finding out that within him are two principles:

         The flesh,  which has no good thing.   Our flesh, “old man”,  or old nature delights in sin.   It chooses the darkness and pulls us back into our old habits.   (He sees his “lust”  or covetousness. Romans 7:7)

        Then he sees the Principle of obedience by the Holy Spirit within our spirits,  which enlightens and guides us into yielding to God.

It is spoken of by….”for to will is present with me”!     How blessed,  that the Lord gives our wills the desire to will with Him when we are born again!

Yet it is the power to perform that which is good…or the acceptable will of God,  which is lacking.

That comes by yielding to the Holy Spirit within,….and becoming more and more under HIs control.

         He gives us the power of choice….not just the desire to do God’s Will….but the real power in our lives to say no to our sin, and self….

….and say yes to God’s direction and Word.

Romans 7:22 “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:”

        Here is a picture of a truly born again one.     They “delight” in the law of God!  

(there is only one “delight” in the New Testament…and it is here.    Delight means “to rejoice with oneself”.     It suggests a knowledge of ourselves….yet with a rejoicing that we can know and do the law of God!)

Here is where we need to be strengthened,…..in the inward man.   

       For in the Holy Spirit,…there is more than ample strength…when we learn to “yield”.

We stress “yield” often…..for it is a gentle term.   

      The Holy Spirit calls us to follow the Word we have just read, or the Word we have just heard preached, or taught…..and His call comes to us a dove….cooing to us.   

(Have you ever heard turtle doves cooing to each other?   It is not the caw of the crow,….nor is it even loud.    But the mate of the dove,  hears and answers…or comes.

       So the call of the Holy Spirit in our spirits when we hear HIs Word is like this gentle call….

…and since we are united to God by the Holy Spirit in our spirits….we answer or come.

       This is to yield….to submit in our wills and lives,  right then….or sometimes after a battle with our old nature….to come and to do what the Holy Spirit has shown us.)

When we are born again,  as children of God, we learn to yield to that inner unction,  that is the striving of the Holy Spirit in my spirit.

We learn to hear….and yield…rejoicing that we are one with Him…in all our days.

1 John 2:20 “But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.”

This is what Paul is setting forth in these verses….his experience in learning.

       At times rejoicing in the Holy Spirit…

…..and at times crying:

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

We (as Paul did) learn to thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord for HIs Spirit which lives in and enlivens us.

To be changed from the wretched “lust and covetousness” to “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

How?   He had learned….”….in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”   (Philippians 4:11-13)

Imagine….going from lust and covetousness about things in his life…even spiritual things….

….to contentment….in all things!

And whatever our sin is….we, too, can learn not to “lust after” in our flesh…but to be content with God’s Word and Will….in all things.

Victory in the Holy Spirit can be ours…..it happened to Paul.    He learned that he was “quickened” in the Holy Spirit….or given the power to live in Christ’s character or actions…

…as he yielded to the Spirit within.   

Romans 8:11, 13-14 “But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you,   He that raised up Christ from the dead   shall  also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you.

          For if ye live after the flesh,  ye shall die:  but if ye through the Spirit  do mortify the deeds of the body,  ye shall live.

          For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”

We are all new creatures in Christ….and that new nature should grow stronger and stronger….as we yield to the Holy Spirit within.  

          There often is a battle….but as we yield to the calling of the Holy Spirit, by the Word of God within….then the answer from our hearts and lives will be to lose our self-life….

…and to find our lives in Christ,  by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Victory and contentment in the Will of God can be ours, by yielding.    Will we?

The Brazen Laver 

Fellowship is a word of intimacy.   It means:  partnership,  participation, or social sharing between close companions.

What does this have to do with the brazen laver?   

Because it was at the Laver,  that the priests washed their hands and their feet before going into the Holy Place….the place which spoke of fellowship with God.

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

In the Holy Place the priests ministered at the altar of incense (picturing our prayers ascending to God)…

….or the table of shewbread (picturing our feeding on the Bread of Life—Christ Jesus)…

….the M’nough  was there….which they were to keep filled with oil, lest the light go out(and we are we to keep our lamps burning with the oil of the Holy Spirit in these days)

All those things, were things of partnership, participation or sharing with God….in other words they pictured the fellowship we should have with God in prayer and communion.

Fellowship, which could only be entered into by washing outside the Holy Place…..at the Laver.

(It is interesting to note,  that at the beginning of their ministry as priests, they were to be given a complete bath, and given the garments for their work.  This was not to be repeated!   It was a picture of our regeneration….being born again.   Exodus 29:4-5)

In our daily walk, as Christians, in this world,  we come into contact with trespasses and sins…..in our lives and in the lives of others….and we are in need of cleansing.

Exodus 30:18-19 “Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and it’s foot also of brass,  to wash withal:  and thou shalt put it between the Tabernacle of the congregation and the Altar,  and thou shalt put water therein.

                     For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat:”

So the Laver was put between the Altar, dealing with sin;  and  the Holy Place, speaking of fellowship.

The blood and sacrifice of the Altar deals with sin,  and the water of the Laver cleanses from defilements which working and walking in this world, brings us into contact with.

Their hands—their service;    and their feet—their walk;     was to be cleansed before fellowship with God could happen.

1 John 1:7, 9 “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light,  we have fellowship one with another,  and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.

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

Ephesians 5:25-26 “….Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it;

                     That He might sanctify and cleanse it  with the washing of water by the Word.”

The Brazen Laver represents Christ’s ability to meet every need we have…..for our continual cleansing.

The Laver was not silver or gold….but brass, which represents judgement. 

(The Lord judges His people according to the Word He has given them, and what they did with it.  Jesus is seen in Revelation 1:13-16 as having brass feet….judging the walk of His church.)

The Lord tells us, now, to judge ourselves in the water of the Word, that we might have fellowship with Him….in all our days through this world.

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

The priests were to wash their own hands and feet in the provision of the Laver and the water….that they might enter into the Holy Place and have the fellowship provided by the bread and in prayer.

Remember, fellowship is intimate partnership, participation, and social sharing between close companions.

Are we having this for ourselves?

Do we see ourselves as “with Christ” in all His works?

Peter learned a great lesson about this when Jesus was washing the disciples feet at the Last Supper:  

“Lord, doest Thou wash my feet?” Peter asked.

Jesus explained that this was one of those things that Peter might not understand now,  but would afterward…”

But Peter often jumped in, where he did not need to….

John 13:8 “Peter saith unto Him,  Thou shalt never wash my feet.   Jesus answered him,  If I wash thee not,  thou hast no part with me.”

Jesus did not say,  “in Me”,  but “with Me”.    “In Christ” has to do with Salvation…..”with Christ” has to do with fellowship and communion with Him.

Peter was saved….all he needed was his feet washed by Jesus….to have the fellowship and instruction which they had as they went to the garden of Gethsemane. (John 14-17 amazing chapters for Christians)

But again Peter jumped in….

John 13:9-11 “Simon Peter saith unto Him,   Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.

                      Jesus saith unto him,  He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet,  but is clean every whit:  and ye are clean,  but not all.

                      For He knew who should betray Him;  therefore said He,  Ye are not all clean.”

                        

Christ Jesus washed the disciples feet to show that fellowship with Him requires His cleansing….the cleansing of our walk before Him.

Again, I ask,  are we having this fellowship—this partnership, participation, and social sharing between Jesus and us?

Lovest thou Me more than these? 

John 21:15-17 “So when they had dined, Jesus saith unto Simon Peter,   Simon, son of Jonah, lovest thou me more than these?  He saith unto him,  yea, Lord: thou knowest that I love thee.  He saith unto him,  Feed my lambs.

                   He saith to him a second time,  Simon, son of Jonah, lovest thou me?  He saith unto him,  yea,  Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.   He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

                    He saith unto him the third time,  Simon, son of Jonah, lovest thou me?  Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, loves thou me?   And he said unto him,  Lord, thou knowest all things;  thou knowest that I love thee.   Jesus saith unto him,  Feed my sheep.”

Love Me more than “these”, Peter?…..what were “these”.    “These” were the things of Peter’s life that he had gone back to……

(Jesus found them fishing, again catching nothing, when He invited them to “come and dine”).

      Peter had been afraid and denied the Lord,   and then been afraid that because of his denial, he had been turned out of being a disciple of the Lord……fear does bad things to us….but….

                    

Jesus restored Peter after his three denials……with three affirmations of love.

Jesus knew Peter loved him.  But there is a big difference in loving the Lord, as long as it is not going to cost me anything…

….or loving Jesus, even though it costs you everything to do so.

Peter fell into sin and denied the Lord, because he stood outside with those waiting to see what would happen….rather then go in with John to the palace and be there with Jesus during the judgement of the Sanhedrin.

Outside, neither with or against, is a dangerous place to be.   For surely someone or something will make you choose.   

And when you do; you may find, like Peter, you have just denied your Lord.

But Jesus knew Peter’s heart; and had made provision for it:

Luke 22:31-32 “And the Lord said,  Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

       But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not :  and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.”

The Lord has also made provision for us.

(1 Timothy2:5 As our Mediator He prays for us)……that we might be restored any time to Him and that we might go on and be used for Him……..Peter certainly was.

We, too, are asked, “Lovest thou Me?”

What does our heart answer…for Jesus knows if we love Him, by our obedience.

And He calls us to do it,   for His sake.  

The Christian walk is a love story–or should be.

Yes, in every relationship where our hearts are concerned, there are going to be arguments. 

(Some call these differences of opinion, some call them having a fit with God)

Even in the Old Testament times God wanted a love relationship with His people and asked them to:

Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together,  saith the Lord:  though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;  though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

He wanted them to come and talk to Him about what was between them.  

What reason had they for seeking idols?

What reason had they for refusing to understand His corrections?

Proverbs 1:23 “Turn you at My reproof: behold, I will pour out My Spirit unto you,  I will make known My words unto you.”

He was…and is ready…..always…..to give more understanding and grace by His Holy Spirit,  to us in any situation (yes, even the ones we are not suppose to be in…..to help us out of them)

His call to us , is always,  to come and go with Him,….because we love Him.

What about us?

Lovest thou Me more than these?

What kind of ears do we have?

Mark 4:23-25 “If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

            And He (Jesus) said unto them,  Take heed what ye hear.  With what measure ye mete,  it shall be measured unto you;  and unto you that hear shall more be given.

           For he that hath,  to him shall be given;  and he that hath not,  from him shall be taken even that which he hath.”

We must hear aright….for we are responsible for our hearing.   

Once we have heard,  we must act on our hearing.

Are we, in some way, trying to get around what we have heard the Lord say to us?

[Remember the scribe who asked “Who is my neighbor?”  

This man could speak about the two most important points of the Law….”to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, strength and mind, and to love thy neighbor as thyself”.

But when Jesus told him to do it…..then….he asked all sorts of questions, to look like he did not know, so he would not have to obey.  (Luke 10:25-29)]

If we fail to answer His claims on us….then we have not heard with hearing ears.   

(Matthew 11:15, 13:9, 13:43, Mark 4:9, 4:23, 7:16, Luke 8:8,14:35.  In all these verses Jesus says “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”)

Are our ears,  dull of hearing?  

Hebrews 5:11 “Of Whom we have many things to say,  and hard to be uttered,  seeing ye are dull of hearing.”

They weren’t “hard of hearing”…..but dull.   It was their spiritual understanding that was not working….for times were hard for them….and they became like children again….wanting only to be comforted….not encouraged to grow,  in the faith.

The writer of Hebrews was setting forth some wonderful aspects of our Lord’s ministry as High Priest in Heaven for us…..

……but the people he was writing were not as “grown up” in the grace of God as they should have been…

…they should have been teachers,…

…..but were still acting as babes in Christ….needing the milk of the Word…instead of being able to go on in the harder, more blessed things.

What the Lord asks from each of His own,  is…..”a life open to and receptive to Him” (Revelation 3:20)

Without this, we shall never succeed by faith,  in the pilgrim life.  

We should walk before Him in spirit and truth….listening to His Holy Spirit within us….and getting honest in the things He shows us.

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

This is to know the things that the Lord is requiring of us,  and then do them.

We should know when things are not quite right….and by the Holy Spirit, we should take the effort to set it right.

1 John 2:20 “But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye shall know all things.”  

Though it is not within man to direct his steps….yet it is within God to do it.

Philippians 3:15 “Let us therefore,  as many be perfect (complete…up-to-date in their walk) be thus minded:  and if in anything ye be otherwise minded,  God shall reveal even this unto you.”

God shall reveal this to you….

Psalm 78:1 “Give ear, O my people, to My law: incline your ears to the words of My mouth.”

“Incline” means to lean over to hear…..to really want to hear what the Lord is saying to us.

Do we want to hear Him?

Where there is no sense of our lack….there will be no reaching forth to the further purpose of God for us. (2 Peter 1:9-10)

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

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

But in our acknowledged weakness,  we are made strong.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 “And He said unto me,   My grace is sufficient for thee:  for My strength is made perfect in weakness.   Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities (my weakness) that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

             Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches , in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake:  for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

Paul heard the Lord speak to him, about his “weakness” (his eyes were often blurry,  because of a disease he had…and he often had a hard time reading or writing.)

Paul need direction for everything….he asked for it,  waited on the Lord for it, and praised the Lord for all that He gave him.

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

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

If we acknowledge Him….He shall direct our paths.

Do we have ears to hear?

Well, He is speaking….Let us incline toward Him and His Word …and hear

“For unto you that hear shall more be given”.

Now According to the Faithful and True Witness 

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

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

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

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

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

Thus saith the Amen.

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

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

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

And what does Jesus see when He looks at Laodicea?

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

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

(Indifference to God, after He has done so much for us;  is the very worst state we can possibly be in. 

And if continued in, will result in being “spued out of His mouth”.)

And the reason of our indifference?

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

Because we say, that I am rich, and increased with goods….and our attitude is 

I “have need of nothing”….not even God’s direction,  anymore.

This attitude is: 

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

……for I can have heaven and earth;  both salvation and the world…..

and do what I want for now.”

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

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

We do not know that we are really wretched:  

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

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

To covet is to “set the heart upon”. 

(When we set our hearts upon something, it takes over our emotions, our reason, and our wills…..we even become unwilling to listen to God,…to have this thing.)

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

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

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

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

Paul knew he was wretched.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

     miserable…..how many Christians today are unhappy, discontented.

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

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

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

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

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

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

But when we are His,  we are to come to Him and get what we need.  

He calls it “buying” here because we are to come with the attitude of getting real gain, real value.

To come with the knowledge of our lack;  and seek Him for His precious grace,  being obedient to His call;….this is to “buy” from Him.

He knows all and counsels us to get gold—gold always speaks of God.   So we are to get the true riches of His commanding presence and power in our lives. 

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

He counsels us to get white raiment, or the covering of righteous acts, so we will not be ashamed at His coming. (2 John 8-9)

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

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

Then Jesus says to His Laodicean church:

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

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

This is fellowship…

And the power of His presence. 

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

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

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

Then answer His voice:

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

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

None other will do.

He says, “I will”.      Will you?

Marching Orders

We, as Christians, are on our way to Heaven.   This world is not our home….but  the place of our testing and growing in grace….and the place where we prove our devotion to Christ, by our obedience…and standing with Him.

The Lord has given us many promises in His Word that we may obtain them….to help us in our march to our inheritance in heaven (1 Peter 1:3-4)….are we obtaining them?

Hebrews 4:16 “Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

To obtain here, is “to get ahold of”.  (“obtain” and “obtained” is spoken of ten times in Hebrews.)

Are we truly “getting ahold of” the many promises the Lord has given us, to help us in our days and nights?

Paul uses many terms identified with the Roman soldiers he was around (the armor is a good illustration)….and he uses them to illustrate that we are to stand and be watchful as we travel this world.

       We are not to be entangled with the things around us….hard,  sometimes when we are struggling with things.

       But the admonition to….”be in the world, but not of the world”….is the way to walk. (John 17:11,  Jesus was not of this world,  and we are not of this world.)

Hebrews 10:35 “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.”

      In the A.S.V. it says “your holy boldness”.  

 Confidence is “to pour forth assurance,  frankness in speech and demeanor”.    

Confidence is an acquired thing….for we gain confidence in Christ as we follow Him….for this confidence comes from the Holy Spirit within.   (It is a strengthening influence in our daily walk….a constant looking to Him, Who is our life)

     When we are confident in Christ Jesus our Lord,  we speak about Him easily…and our walk takes on an air of worship, in all things, for we are seeking His glory in all things.  

(We are not apologizing for Christ being our King, but instead glad to share His kingdom with others.)

We know His presence with us….and His Word is our light….

…..for we see the darkness around us,  but we have the Light of life within us, and shining on our actions and thoughts to give clarity and understanding through the Word that we read and study,  as to what to do.

Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that He that hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

Paul loved the Philippians…

…..the church was under persecution from the start.

     Yet…

……and here is the beautiful and blessed result of confidence….theirs is the book most full of joy and encouragement.

Here Paul tells them:  “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,….and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God, the Father.” (Phil. 2:10-11)

What a letter…

…..telling these that heard the name of Jesus cursed, and slandered…

…..who were tried and persecuted for His name’s sake…

……that at the mention of His name…all should finally acknowledge His Lordship!

Confidence….that the Lord will continue to work in us.  And He uses the promises He gives us to bring His Word to pass in us and by us.  

     2 Peter 1:4 “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature (take on the Lord’s character), having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”  (to be in the world, but not of its character)

Hebrews 10:35 “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.”

What reward is there in being confident in Christ Jesus?    

      First, there is the reward in our hearts:  for confidence leads to trust and obedience in life,  and blessing in our prayer life.

      Second, there is the reward of others being made aware of Christ, by our lives.   True assurance of His Will….and a frankness or honesty in our speech and life…will show others that Christ Jesus is real to us.   

     Third, and maybe the most stressed here in Hebrews:  that we might receive the promise.   

Hebrews 10:36 “For ye have need of patience, that , after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.”

It is in the doing….that there is the receiving.

Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,  who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ:”

It does not say…might bless us….or maybe will bless us…but “hath blessed us”…in Christ.

        Past tense,  it is already done.

But how can I obtain…(and we are to obtain them)…..or get ahold of…all these blessings in Christ?   Very simply:

        Matthew 6:10 “Thy kingdom come.    Thy will be done in earth,  as it is in heaven.”

Our “marching orders”  are to make sure that He rules in the kingdom of mansoul….in me….while we pass through this world.

       And a good start to doing that is:

1 Thessalonians 5:19 “Quench not the Spirit.”

      And the best way to stop stifling the Holy Spirit is:

1 Thessalonians 5:18 “In every thing give thanks:  for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Look at this:   this is the will of God in Christ Jesus….giving thanks to Him for every thing.

    This is bowing before Him as creature to Creator….worshiping  Him as our King.

For as the Almighty,  He could change all our circumstances.

But what He wants to change most….is us.     Our deliverance should be in the circumstances…not out of them.    Our joy should be in the will of God being fulfilled in us.

Ephesians 2:6 “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:”

      Now this does not say “with Christ”….but “in Christ”.

We are seated in the heavenlies “in Christ”….and He is seated in me,  here on earth.

Though we are traveling through this world….we are to be subjects of our King, Jesus Christ.   We represent Him, here…..

…Praise God,  He represents us,  there….working within us and through us to the accomplishing of His Will in all things.

Let us “march on”….giving Him thanks for all things….growing in the grace and confidence in Him.   

He is King….may we show that He reigns within each of us….and may we each fulfill His Will in the path He has for us.

Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?

1 Samuel 15:1-3 “Samuel also said unto Saul,  The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over His people….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 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.”

To “hearken” in scripture means “to hear intelligently, so you understand what to do, and do it”.

“Hearken, Saul.   Hear what the Lord wants done by you….who are at the head of My army….hear, and complete the task,…for Me.”

Saul had not asked to be king….as a matter of fact, he hid from it at first. (1 Samuel 10:21-24)

     But now that he was king…..he liked it.   The power over the army…the prestige and praise….this was a pretty great job!   He was finally “somebody”!

Amalek was the people that attacked after the water was given from the Rock.  But they did not stop with that….for they had been defeated that day.

      So they came up and would kill the ones who were in the back….the weakest who could not keep up, in sneak attacks….

….and the Lord promised He would not forget what they had done.

Deuteronomy 25:17-19 “Remember what Amalek did unto thee…

       How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary: and he  feared not God.

       Therefore it shall be, when the Lord thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies….that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven;  thou shalt not forget it.”

Now this task was  assigned to Saul…..for the Lord.   

It was not because Saul thought it a good idea….

…but because the Lord keeps His Word….He sent Saul to destroy Amalek.

But Saul did not destroy Amalek….he took a “trophy” captive….the king…Agag.

     And he let the people take the best of the animals as spoil.   Some, it is true for a sacrifice to the Lord….but a lot…just for them.

The Lord spoke to Samuel….”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.”

“He is turned back from following Me”…..this disobedience is of the heart,  not just of the actions.

This made Samuel sad….but he would speak to Saul for God, one last time….and he did.

1 Samuel 15:16-17 “And Samuel said unto Saul,  Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this night.   And he said unto him,  Say on.

           And Samuel said,  When thou wast little in thine own sight,  wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel?”

“When thou was little in thine own sight.”

How much is said here.

      When you had no personal plans or ambitions….then it mattered not what was to be done,…..only that it was God’s Will.

(But it is when we set above God’s Word, and decide what is “better”.   We stifle the Holy Spirit.   

      “No, this can not be the way to do it.   Surely God would not care about this or that.”)

And that is what Saul thought…..God would not care about a king taking a king as a trophy…..but it was….”evil in the sight of the Lord?” (1 Samuel 15:19)

Then Saul tried bargaining with Samuel and God…..the people brought these animals for sacrifice….surely God would like that!

And then Samuel said…..

…(I believe ever so sadly….for he had hopes that Saul would be able to lead Israel in obedience….teaching them to follow the Lord, as a nation….but Saul never did.)

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.”

Remember,  Saul was told to “hearken”…to hear intelligently so you understand what you are to do,  and do it.

Saul had heard….with his ears what he was to do.

        But his heart had not “understood” the importance of God’s Word.

        Saul let his reasoning, and his heart’s desire overrule God’s Will.

(All our religious activities….no matter what they cost….are of no value, without obedience.)

1 Samuel 15:23 “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.”

To be rebellious about God’s Will is as bad as practicing witchcraft, and to be stubborn, is as worshipping idols.

Where there is a divided heart….where we think we can have God’s Will and our own….there is danger.  For God may let us have our will….what danger that is!

(We think we can never lose out…but we are warned:  

        2 John 8 “Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.”

        This has nothing to do with salvation….that is a free gift.    But it has to do with our joy and peace here,…..and our reward in heaven.  For we receive a reward for those things we have done out of love to the Lord.)

I believe the truth of God is only revealed to us, as Christians,….personally….by obedience.

       It is by our full committal to HIs Truth, that we know it.  And by full committal I mean…actually doing it.

John 7:17 LNT “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.”

Are we “hearkening to the voice of His Word”?    

The God of Peace.

God is a God of peace in two ways…..

…in HIs very attributes He is peace….nothing “ruffles” Him….nothing takes Him by surprise….

….all things move forward…at His time and at His decree.

God is also a God of peace….to us, who have been born again….for we are in Christ Jesus.

    First, He can be at peace with us, because of His Son’s life, sacrifice, resurrection, and ascension in power.

    Second He sets our hearts right, practically….giving us peace by His Holy Spirit from sin and self.

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.”

I love the book of Hebrews…

(I once taught a Sunday school class in it for two years…..Hebrews has amazing lessons which are written to  to a weak and wobbly people.    But aren’t we weak and wobbly at times?   That is why it was so amazing….every lesson dealing with something the devil uses to trick or “shake” us.)

….it starts out with Christ in the Heavens….having come and “spoken” to us of HIs Father God….drawing our eyes up to heaven where Christ sits at the right hand of God in all power…for us.

….and ends…calling each of us to “let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach.”

….and then Paul prays to the God of peace….

….Who raised Jesus from the death of perfect sacrifice….and accepted His blood in payment for our sin…

….that the mighty God of peace….would “make you”….mold and shape us…that our outward obediences would be in love to Him (perfect means complete; and nothing is complete without love to Him)

…and that inwardly, we would be molded into His character….through Jesus Christ.   

Let me tell you about the power of Christ’s life…..for this whole book is a praise to Him:

      He came….and manifested HIs Father.

      He came….as very God and very Man,  under the angels….to elevate us into the Presence and Peace of God.

      He came….as a High Priest to sacrifice Himself to God….not under Aaron’s priesthood,  but under Melchisedec.

      He came and ascended, and is now before the throne of God….for us. (Hebrews 9:11-12)

      He came that we might come before God…..by Him (Hebrews 10:19-20)

      

Then the writer warns….we who have received Christ….must live by faith in Him, and “hold on”,….and gives examples of those who did, by faith.

Then the writer says…

       

Hebrews 12:2-4 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; Who for the enjoy that was set before Him endured the cross despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

        For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself,  lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

        Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.”

This world is in chaos….and we too,  are often affected.    But, praise God, He is peace….and bids us receive His peace and stand with Him.

God is a God of Peace to us,  because of Christ.

     In Christ’s life we have all things we need.

     Hallelujah what a Savior!