Are we possessing our personal possessions?

Joshua 18:2 “And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance.”

When the Israelites came across Jordan, they camped in Gilgal….as they did in the wilderness,  around the Tabernacle.

        For at least five years they warred with the main armies of the land to possess it for Israel.

They had fought fortress cities,  five kings and their armies,  four kings who had an army like the sand of the sea….they had fought and won….destroying their enemies which came against them,  taking their cities and land.

        Yet there was more land to possess….so the Lord told Joshua to divide the land between the tribes…and let them possess their own parcel…destroying the inhabitants…to cleanse the land.

        Then Joshua and the high priest divided the land among the tribes which came to get them…

….among them was the notable Caleb of Judah….”give me that mountain, whereof the Lord spake in that day.” (Joshua 14:12)

      Amazing man….faithful and brave.   At least eighty-five years old….he declared “..as yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me….if so be the Lord will be with me, that I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said.”

      The whole congregation went up to Shiloh and set up the Tabernacle there.  Now was everything set up for the nation of Israel….except…

      

But seven tribes still lingered in Gilgal.   They had grown comfortable there….and they were lazy about getting their inheritance.

Perhaps they did not want to get them without the other tribes help….perhaps they just liked being there….they were safe, why rock the boat?

Yet Joshua rebukes them with the question:

    “How long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the Lord God of your fathers hath given you?”

(And may I ask each of us….are we slack concerning some promise the Lord has given us?   Have we “fought” for it,  wrestling in prayer….asking, seeking, and knocking….to have what the Lord has set aside for us?)

Joshua sends them out of their comfort zone,  and three times Joshua tells them:

      “Go and walk through the land, and describe it, and come again to me that I may here cast lots for you before the Lord…”. (Joshua 18:4, 6, 8).  

       This was necessary….”Go”…no one tribe or family, was to be without their inheritance.

“Walk through the land”….see what the Lord has for you…and your heart will want to fight for it.

“I will cast lots for you”….the Lord would choose the inheritance of each….whether fields or hills….many enemies or few….the Lord will choose and the Lord will give it you.    

     Yes they would have to fight for it,  but the promise is sure.

(Until we get up out of where we are in our experience….and “walk” into what the Lord has for us….we are not going anywhere.   

       Like Israel, we may have great memories of the wonderful works the Lord has done for us….but what about now?  What about our personal promises?  What about the calling the Lord has for each of us?)

        

Israel was to stay at Gilgal….until the time appointed.  

        But then it was time to get up and live in the circumstances the Lord appointed for each.

        And Joshua was to see to it.

Joshua 18:10 “And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel…”

        Now they were to conquer and live in the inheritance the Lord had given them…personally.

       Although Gilgal was a wonderful place, where their foot became assured of God’s faithfulness….yet it was not their personal possession…for that,  they would have to leave behind the first steps….and go on with the Lord.

And what of us?

And we, too, have been assured of the faithfulness of God by the wonderful blessing of the Holy Spirit….our first real steps in the life of faith…

….we are born again, and we have the Holy Spirit within us….

       Ephesians 1:13-14 “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise,  

       Which is the earnest (downpayment) of our inheritance…”

And we certainly know that in heaven we will have an eternal inheritance, laid up for us:

1 Peter 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

      To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,”

       (Notice the personal “you”)

But we also have an inheritance to be possessed by us, by the power of the Holy Spirit within:

Colossians 1:10-12 “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 

       Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness;

       Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

       Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son:”

This inheritance of the saints in light….is the grace, and faith, and patience, and long-suffering, and joyfulness to walk worthy of our Lord day by day in our personal good works.

God has “delivered us from the power (authority)of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son: (under His authority)”

       Will we sit still….content to stay as we are?

       Or will we fight for our personal inheritance,  and receive all His promises to us?

       

The Strait Gate and the Narrow Way 

Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter ye in at the strait gate:  for wide is the gate,  and broad is the way,  that leadeth to destruction,  and many there be that go in thereat:

                    Because strait is the gate,  and narrow is the way,  which leadeth unto life,  and few there be that find it.”

Luke 13:24 “Strive to enter in at the strait gate:  for many, I say unto you,  will seek to enter in,  and shall not be able.”

“Strait” here means “narrow, with obstacles standing close about”. 

“Narrow” is a thin path.

Is Jesus trying to discourage people?  

No,  He is just telling the truth….for all of us have “turned everyone to his own way”. 

Isaiah 53:6 “All we like sheep have gone astray,   we have turned everyone to his own way;  and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

Now we must turn from that way, and seek to enter into His Way, which is Life.

Isn’t He the door….by Him, if we enter in, we will be saved?

Yes! Absolutely!    But getting to the door, or the “gate” as it is referenced here, is often the problem…..for we try and bring all that we are, with us.

This is not our possessions….but our old life,  old habits,  old way of doing things, our old way of seeing things.

Luke 18:25 “For it is easier for a camel to go through a needles eye,  than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

I use this verse….for it exemplifies that we need to set everything aside, to “enter in”.

In the old walled cities of Israel…..there were gates….wide and broad; which the caravans of camels and carts came in and out all day.  There were guards, it is true….but they seldom restricted the merchandise from coming in and out.

But at night,  when robbers and enemies were about….the gate was shut; and any caravan,….having missed the time…..would be stuck outside,….a easy prey for these bandits.  For the guards would not come out to fight for them.

If this happened, the only other recourse, was to empty every animal, and squeeze them through a door, which was set beside the gate for travelers at night.    One guard could easily hold the door if bandits or an enemy tried to come in.

This door was called the needle’s eye.   For no animal could come through it, carry all they had.   

(I know some people say that the Lord Jesus was telling a ridiculous joke….that He meant it for the impossible.   For He goes on to say….”The things that are impossible with men are possible with God.”  And it could be true….for Jesus was illustrating the impossibility of those that hold on to “my things”, to be saved.)

So let us see,  what we hold on to:

Our opinions,…..formed when we were under the influence of the world.

We often continue to see things the same way….and God wants us to see through His eyes…

Mark 6:34 “And Jesus,  when He came out,  saw much people,  and was moved with compassion toward them,  because they were as sheep not having a shepherd:  and He began to teach them many things.”

Mark 3:5 “And when He had looked round about on them in anger(on those who did not want Him to heal on the Sabbath)….being grieved because of the hardness of their hearts…”

We often hold on to alliances,….people we had the same interests with before,….but now?….which will we choose?

2 Corinthians 6:17-18”Wherefore come out from among them,  and be ye separate,  saith the Lord,  and touch not the unclean thing;  and I will receive you, 

               And will be a Father unto you,  and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”

We often hold on to habits…whether games, T.V., or being fans of a particular thing……

Habits of speech,  or a certain way we do things….all of these are formed when we were not born again….

And I must stress…….we should be willing to lay any of these things aside.   

Not that the Lord always asks us to…..but anything that will “weigh us down”, or burden our following Him…..you have to be willing to take off.  (Hebrews 12:1)

Matthew 10:37-38 “He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me:  and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

                    And he that taketh not his cross,  and followeth after Me,  is not worthy of Me.”

How much do you want Him in your life?    And how much of your life is yours…..and how much is His?

These are the things He was addressing in the broad way and the strait gate….our willingness to give Him all.

Proverbs 23:26 “My son,  give Me thine heart,  and let thine eyes observe My ways.”

Not that He gains by us….He is self-existent, eternal, Almighty.    But that the more we love Him,…..the more free we become from sin, self, and the world.

The more our heart grows with love for Him…the more it expands in light, peace, and joy.

It is for our benefit He asks us, as He asked Peter by Galilee….”Lovest thou Me more than these?”

It was not just his fellow fishermen, the Lord was asking about……but fishing,  the sea,  the old life…..”Do you love Me, Peter, more than all of them?”

Twice in the Psalms, David says, “my heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.” (Psalm 57:7,  Psalm 108:1).   Both times he is speaking of God’s mercy to him.

The “fixed” in these Psalms is “prepared”.     David had prepared his heart to receive mercy from God….and had run straight to His God, trusting Him, to receive it.

Psalm 57:1 “Be merciful unto me,  O God, be merciful unto me:  for my soul trusteth in Thee:  yea, in the shadow of Thy wings will I make my refuge,  until these calamities be overpassed.”

Let me ask….are we preparing our hearts to hear Him,….to follow Him,….to love Him?

To stand in the breach

Ezekiel 22:30-31 “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it:  but I found none.

           Therefore have I poured out Mine indignation upon them;  I have consumed them with 

the fire of My wrath:  their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God.”

To stand in the breach or gap, is to see the coming judgment that the Lord will bring….and pray that the Lord will work in power….and give repentance to that one.

          Or speak to warn others of HIs Word.   

Moses stood in the breach when Israel sinned with the golden calf:

           Psalm 106:23 “Therefore He said that He would destroy them,  had not Moses  HIs chosen stood before Him in the breach,  to turn away His wrath,  lest He should destroy them.”

Elisha stood in the breach when Samaria was besieged and in famine, and told the king what to do, and when the famine would be over.  ( 2 Kings 6:24-25, 6:32-7:1)

Amos twice prayed for Israel, and God “repented” the judgment he was going to do.

         (When it says that God “repents”…it means that God will consider the prayer of His servant, and not do the judgment He spoke of….and see if the people will repent.)

         Amos 7:(2), 5-6 “Then said I,  O Lord God, cease,  I beseech Thee:  by whom shall Jacob arise?  For he is small.

         The Lord repented for this:  This also shall not be, saith the Lord.”

But here, when Nebuchadrezzar was outside Jerusalem,  in siege….there was no one to stand in the gap, or breach.    The judgment that God had warned them of for many years…will come.

        (Isaiah, many years before it came, warned them of it:

Isaiah 30:13 “Wherefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall,  whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant.”)

Jeremiah was there in Jerusalem, when Nebuchadrezzar had come the two times before….and taken people and gold and silver.

        He had been preaching for years,  but they would not listen. 

        So the Lord told him three times to:      Pray not for this people….(Jer.7:16, 11:14, 14:11)

        Jeremiah 7:16 “Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry  nor prayer for them,  neither make intercession to Me:  for I will not hear thee.”

        He could continue to speak and warn,…but he could not pray.    What a solemn time had come for them!    

       ( For the prayers of God’s people are a medicine on the ills of the world.   

       We are like salt (Matthew 5:13) preserving….keeping in prayer and messages….from the putrid decay of rotting.

Let us not lose our effectiveness, by watering down Christ’s Words.)

These are examples of those the Lord called to pray…that the “breach” between God and His people might be filled by the prayers of HIs servants.

But what about now?  What would happen if we forget to pray….or can  not pray?  “…for the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”  (James 5:16)

And what a terrible breach sin makes….a gap between each and God. (Isaiah 59:2)…that nothing we can do, will mend.

      But Jesus Christ, the Son of God,  has come to stand in the breach for us.   

He has paid the price for our salvation…

…..paying all the penalty of our sin,…

…. paying all the  price of our sanctification…

….paying all the price of our home in heaven with Him.

He did this on the cross of Calvary….and was raised up the third day (1 Cor. 15:3-4)….and ascended back to heaven. (Acts 1:9, 2:31-33)

Have you received Christ Jesus the Lord as your personal Lord and Savior?  (John 1:12)  He will stand in the breach for you.

Christ Jesus has also asked us to “stand in the gap, or breach”….in prayer for others.

       What about our homes, neighbors, friends, church, nation?

How many do we know that are like a tottering wall, about ready to fall completely? (Ezk. 13:14)

How many do we know that have “holes” in their lives, by sin? (Isaiah 42:22-23)

How many do we know that have come to the place where God is saying to them: “My Spirit shall not always strive with man…” (Gen. 6:3)?

Christ Jesus has stood in the breach….and does stand in the breach of our sin before the Father (1 John 2:1)…as Mediator….pointing to HIs wounds and atoning sacrifice.

         We are to pray for others….intercede for them before His throne….for Christ’s sake.

          Jude 20-23 “But ye, beloved,  building up yourselves on your most holy faith,  praying in the Holy Ghost,

          Keep yourselves in the love of God,  looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

          And of some have compassion,  making a difference:

          And others  save with fear,  pulling them out of the fire;  hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.”

May the Lord bless our prayers….and our words….  

        Ephesians 6:18 “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

Stephen, the Church’s First Martyr 

Acts 6:3-5 “Wherefore brethren,  look ye out among you seven men of honest report,  full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom,  whom we may appoint over this business.

                       But we will give ourselves continually to prayer,  and to the ministry of the word. 

                       And the saying pleased the whole multitude:  and they chose Stephen,  a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Phillip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch;”

Here we meet Stephen, born again and willing to minister as he is called…for he is chosen to “serve tables”,  or as a deacon.

There had been a argument between the Grecian Christians and the Hebrew Christians about how the widows of each were being treated.  Some felt that the Grecian widows were not given the same treatment and food, as the others.

(Remember that the Christians, here, had given all to the apostles for the common good. Acts 4:34-35)

If this was to be overseen as it should be,  the apostles would have to leave preaching and teaching the gospel, to see to it.

That could not be….so they told the church there to pray and see who they could choose to deal with the business and practical part of the matters of the church…they became the deacons.

Stephen was one of these.  He was a man of faith and who was filled with the Holy Spirit.

He was not offended because he was given the task of seeing to the food distribution, or dealing with the strifes which come up between brethren.  

Faith sees God and deals with all, in the same light:  what does the Lord want done?

He looked on everything he did for the Lord as equally important.

Acts 6:8 “And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.”

       He also did miracles, whether these were of the practical nature of food,  or for illness, it does not say.

       But it does bring into the picture those who wanted to prove him wrong.  Notice they “disputed” with him,  not he with them.

       But they could not, for “they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.”

Acts 6:11-12 “Then they suborned men, which said,  We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses,  and against God.

                         And they stirred up the people,  and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him,  and caught him,  and brought him to the council.”

So here is Stephen before the council, accused falsely by jealous men.

(This council had spoken to Peter and John months earlier that they were not to speak in the name of Jesus,  and had beaten them and let them go,  but now….)

       He stands before them, in peace;  calm. 

      They  “saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.”   

       Simply, they could tell that he was filled with the Spirit of God, that he was not a blasphemer.

This should have told them that these accusations were false….but, let’s face it,  they wanted to believe the accusations.

Acts 7:1-2 “Then said the high priest,  Are these things so?      And he (Stephen)said,  Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken;  the God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham,  when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,”

In the next 52 verses, Stephen, by the wisdom of God,  showed again and again God’s choice of His people by grace,  not works.

 

God’s use of men who were not reckoned in men’s esteem, but chosen of God to go out,  to lead,  to save,  to build…

There was:

Abraham, to go out to a land that was given in promise, but which he never possessed….

Then Isaac who was circumcised…

Jacob, the younger son, chosen,  and his sons being brought into the covenant;  even though they sold their own brother, Joseph, into slavery…

Yet God saved them, and their whole family by the very man they were jealous of…

Moses’ birth and his rejection when he would have helped his people.  His flight into Midian and God’s call to the very one they refused:

Acts 7:35 “This Moses whom they refused saying,  Who made thee a ruler and a judge?  The same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the Angel which appeared to him in the bush.”

Stephen told of when Israel, made a golden calf.

And even when they were brought in by Joshua, to the promised land,  they turned to idols. 

He told of David as king, fighting their battles,  desiring to build a house for God,  but God chose Solomon to do it.

Yet,  Stephen shows exactly what Solomon said after he dedicated it:

1 Kings 8:23, 27 “And he said,  Lord God of Israel,  there is no God like Thee, in heaven above,  or on the earth beneath,  who keepest covenant in mercy with Thy servants that walk before Thee with all their heart:  

                              But will God indeed dwell on the earth?  Behold,  the heaven and heaven of heavens can not contain Thee;  how much less this house that I have builded?”

Simply:  the Most High dwells not in temples made with hands, but in the love and devotion of His people’s hearts.

Stephen wanted his brethren to remember their God, not their heritage.

He had not blasphemed Moses or the Law,  but was a servant of the Lord of both,  Jesus Christ.

So the conclusion of his message? 

God’s grace had chosen them as His people.   

God’s grace had chosen and sent men to save and lead them, into all God wanted for them.

But how did the people react?

Which of the prophets had not been persecuted by their fathers, which had told them of the Messiah to come?

All this is leading toward one goal….that Jesus was the Messiah, Who had come to show the way into the Kingdom of God, by Himself, as their King.

He was the One whom all the prophets spoke.

He was the One to whom all the other of God’s choices, pointed.

What would they do with Him now,  that He was risen and manifested by the Holy Ghost among them?

      Stephen wanted his brethren to see that God was even then dealing with them.

      He wanted them to acknowledge God’s Son…..Jesus, Whom  they betrayed and murdered…and that He is now at the right hand of God, the place of power.

The Spirit of God was leading many  in Jerusalem to salvation…..God was giving them another sign of His love to them. 

Would they hear it?

(How many today, hang on to tradition;  even Christian tradition, rather than being gathered to the Lord God, Himself.)

Yet even as Stephen spoke,  he sensed in the Spirit the hardening of their hearts….

So he openly rebukes it, and faithfully deals with them for their rebellion against the “Just One”.

The name: Just One, implies Christ Jesus’s holiness and righteousness.  He did not deserve to be crucified.    He deserved to be King, both of His people and the world.

        He was and is the Just One,  and the justifier of all who come to Him….for by His worthy sacrifice He saves us.

Romans 5:8-9 “But God commendeth His love toward us,  in that,  while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

                            Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.”

The outcome?

Their history they listened to;    but the rebuke, which might lead them to repentance and true salvation……they refused,…and in great anger.

Acts 7:54 “When they heard these things,  they were cut to the heart,  and they gnashed on him with their teeth.”

“Cut to the heart”

Stephen’s rebuke (rebuke means “back striking them into the right way”.  It is never pleasant to be rebuked….but to those who “hear it”….it gives life.)

Stephen’s rebuke opened to them the state of their own hearts,  like a knife.

       And instead of letting it heal them, like a surgeon;  they let it unleash the anger within…which quickly turned to hatred of God’s servant.

He was unaffected for himself;  but totally immersed in the Will of God, for them.

God then blessed him with more of the Spirit of God, and a vision:

Acts 7:55-56 “But he,  being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven,  and saw the glory of God,  and Jesus standing on the right hand of God.

                          And said,  Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.”

The council would not hear….stopping their ears, they dragged him out, and stoned him…as though that could stop his witness….No! (Remember Saul/Paul was witnessing all of this)

Acts 7:59-60 “And they stoned Stephen,  calling upon God,  and saying,  Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

                          And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice,   Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.  And when he had said this,  he fell asleep.”

Stephen, with the same ruling peace (Philippians 4:7) with which he began;  he ends, looking unto Jesus for himself…

“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”   Acknowledging before all, that the Lord Jesus Christ was the Son of God,  and risen, in heaven.

And then,  in the character of Jesus, he forgives those that stoned him.

“Lay not this sin” (yes, he called it what it was; but still asks…) 

“Lay not this sin to their charge.”

“He fell asleep”.   You see, when Christians die,  they are said to fall asleep.  For they close their eyes here, and in the next second,  open them in heaven.

Stephen was the first of the churches martyrs,  but not the last. 

Many have died,  looking to Jesus the same way.

Because He is the Son of God…because He lives,  we do and will live eternally, too.

My joy….your joy

John 15:11 “These things have I spoken unto you,  that My joy might remain in you,   and that your joy might be full.”

Let us talk of Christ’s joy, here….and our joy.

First I want to mention that joy in scripture is of the Holy Spirit.   It is not happiness…nor is it dependent on people, places or things. 

           It is entirely a lifting of the spirit of man, by the Holy Spirit of God…into a place apart from circumstances, or troubles….and it is a feeling of buoyancy…we cannot be drowned by what is going on, for we are upheld by God.

I also want to mention that Christ Jesus was a very joyful man.  

       It is true He was grieved by the hardness of hearts.  He was often weary….

……but the message He came to give (“Wist ye not that I must be about My Father’s business?”  Luke 2:46-49)…He gave in joy.   

         He was joyful in prayer,  He was joyful in service,  and He was joyful in the fellowship with HIs disciples.

John 15:11 “These things have I spoken unto you,  that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”

“My joy”….. Jesus’ Word is joy. 

         They had heard HIs Words and declared (John 6:68) “…Thou hast the words of eternal life.”

John 17:13 “And now come I to Thee;  and these things I speak in the world, that they (the disciples, and us) might have My joy fulfilled in themselves.”

This is how we have His joy….we have HIs Word:   “Sanctify them through Thy truth:  Thy Word is truth.” (John 17:17)

Many used to read the gospel of John first,  after conversion.   

         (And here is our first experience with HIs joy and our joy….we know the joy of redemption!

“I am saved!”  

          “I was lost to God, sold under sin, a servant of the devil….but now I am redeemed!   Bought back by a price Jesus Christ paid for me!”)

          Here, in the book of John… they meet the Lord through the eyes of John the Baptist, and in the many people He came into contact with as Christ Jesus,  the Son of God.

          Here they hear HIs Words as the Truth, the Light, the Way, the Resurrection and the Life, the Bread of Life.

         Here they hear His very intimate discourse right before He is taken and killed,  as He and His disciples walk to Gethsemane.

John 20:31 “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through HIs name.”

These Words,  read personally,  bring His joy to us, by the Holy Spirit within….for it is a fruit of the Spirit, which is worked out in us…through HIs Word.

We need His joy….HIs buoyancy in all our lives.    But it is easy to lose,  when we begin to look at the waves of our circumstances….instead of keeping our eyes upon HIm. (Matthew 14:28-31)

Our joy to be full:  

       We have joy by the Holy Spirit,  but to keep it is a great help in our  lives….and to have our joy “full”…is great riches.

John 16:24 “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My name:  ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”

       Our joy is to be “full”…as we spend time in prayer with our Heavenly Father.   

Our joy may be “full”…as we fellowship with fellow believers over the things of God. (1 John 1:3-4)

         2 John 12 “…but I trust to come to you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.”

That your joy might be “full”….

….Jesus Christ wants us to experience the fullness of the joy He had…. in our own lives.   He wants us to have HIs kingdom in us. (Luke 17:20-21)

Romans 14:17 “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink;  but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”

        This is the kingdom of Jesus Christ in our souls….are we having it?    Are we experiencing these things:   righteousness…..peace….joy.   

        They are all by the Holy Ghost….again, are we having these things?

Joy is a choice flower that grows in the garden of the soul of a believer.   His joy can only remain in us, when it is received and submitted to by us…personally…in the kingdom of Mansoul.

         “…for behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21)

Colossians 3:16-17 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

          And whatsoever ye do in word or deed,  do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.”

And this brings us back to asking in Jesus’ name.   

        Let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly….that we may know,  what we are to do in word or deed….and then ask for that joy….that our joy might be “full”.

       (When something is full….we may think there is no more room….but the next thing is “running over” [Luke 6:38]….and that running over is out to others.

       Our joy can affect others.)

But the real message of these verses is:   Jesus Christ came to save us.   To bring us into HIs Kingdom….within us, now….of righteousness,  peace,  and joy.     His joy….given to us in HIs Word, and Will…that our joy might be full.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly….again,  will we?

Amos 3:8 “The lion hath roared,  who will not fear?   The Lord God hath spoken,  who can but prophesy?”

Amos begins his prophesy with the Lord’s Voice….as a roar from Zion…to the peoples round about His Jerusalem (Amos 1:2)…and it is the roar of the Victor.

           Amos 1:2 “And he said,  The Lord will roar from Zion, and utter HIs Voice from Jerusalem;  and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither.”

           Jeremiah 25:30-31 “….The Lord shall roar from on high, and utter HIs Voice from His holy habitation;  He shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes,  against all the inhabitants of the earth.

           A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth;  for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations,  He will plead with all flesh;  He will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the Lord.”

God’s Voice is a special manifestation of Himself.   His Voice first spoke in the re-creation of the earth…”Let there be light: and there was light”.  (Genesis 1:3)

God’s Voice spoke through Christ Jesus about the re-creation of us,….”Marvel not that I said unto thee,   Ye must be born again.”  (John 3:7)  

         “…he that heareth My Word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life,  and shall not come into condemnation;  but is passed from death unto life.” (John 5:24)

“The lion hath roared, who will not fear?”

There are two kinds of fear in the Bible.    

           The fear of the Lord:

Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom:  and the knowledge of the Holy is understanding.”

           (In Proverbs, the fear of the Lord is a prominent part of the message there:

      Prov.1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge:…

      Prov.3:7 “…fear the Lord, and depart from evil.”

      Prov.8:13 “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy…”

      Prov. 10:27 “The fear of the Lord prolongeth days:…”

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

      Prov.14:27 “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.”

      Prov. 15:16 “Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith.”

      Prov.15:33 “The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom:….”

      Prov. 16:6 “…by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.”

      Prov.19:23 “The fear of the Lord tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied;….”

      Prov.22:4 “By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honor and life.”

      Prov.23:17 “Let not thine heart envy sinners:  but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.”)

           This fear is reverential awe….it places us  on our faces before our God  in love, trust, and surrender to His Will.   

           The fear of the Lord will keep us grounded in the Truth,  to see things in their right order.   “Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”  (Ecc.12:13)

(We must remember that the judgment against all mankind is:  “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Romans 3:18)

           The second is the fear of man:

Proverbs 29:25 “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.”

           This fear will cause people to do what they wouldn’t normally do, looking around to see the reaction of men…. or it will cause people to seek revenge,  or lead them to  tremble and give up. (“….fear hath torment” 1 John 4:18)…and how much this fear is used by the world, the flesh, and the devil.

The fear of the Lord will come to all who seek to know Him….aright.

           If we can shake our fist in the face of God, and say,  even by our actions:  “I will not”…

…then it is certain that we have not the beginning of wisdom,…

…nor do we have the reality, which is the fear of the Lord.

He is Sovereign!   And all things work….and will work,   to His Sovereign determination (Rev. 

4:11…”pleasure” is determination, there

And all things means all things!

This is fact….but it is what we do with this fact,  that makes the difference in our lives.

          We would change this….or we would change that.    He would change us into His likeness….and this begins with the fear of the Lord.    

          Us, coming to the place where we cry out,…”Oh, woe is me!  I am undone!   And then raise our heads, and look up to Christ…and praise His name for letting us be near Him in any way!”

Reverence for Who He is …and surrender to what He has and will do!

Amos 3:6 “Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid?   Shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?”

      “Shall a trumpet be blown in the city and the people not be afraid?”    

The trumpets were to awaken the people….to gather them,  especially in times of war or trouble…or for repentance.

We are to make sure our “trumpet sounds” are clear.    That we speak plainly and clearly to people about Christ Jesus our Lord.

        1 Corinthians 14:8 “For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?”

We need to be clear in our words and actions that we stand with the Lord.

      “Shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?”

Nothing just happens.   

       All is under the Sovereign eye of God.    What He wills,  will certainly be….both in blessing and in judgment…

….what He allows, He will control…even the evil of the times, He is making to work for His glory,  for He calls us to separate ourselves from it,  and show that we are His…

       Romans 6:17-18 “But God be thanked,  that ye were the servants of sin,  but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 

       Being then made free from sin,  ye became the servants of righteousness.”

Amos 3:3,8 “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”

        The lion hath roared,  who will not fear?   The Lord God hath spoken,  who can but prophesy?”

In the Bible, to prophesy is to tell God’s people what is on HIs mind for now.    Did the prophets also tell of future events?  Yes,  but the main theme of every prophet…

…..was to be God’s mouthpiece to remind and tell His people,   what they were refusing to hear….through HIs Word.

Let us hear HIs Voice to us…in these last days of the church age:

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

Does He say this in other scriptures?   Yes,  many.   But here, in these last days of the church….His called out ones….

….He speaks to us as the Amen….the only One who can say…”Let it be!”   And it will be!

He speaks to us as the Faithful and True Witness….who tells us how we are,  so that we can repent….and have a blessing at HIs coming…instead of suffer loss. 

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

      We have come so far….will we turn back….or stop?   Let us seek to Him and get His Witness against us…and repent…and be fully blessed.

He speaks to us as the beginning of the creation of God….for God’s thoughts of salvation for us were before He created anything else.

      And so He created a body for Christ, before anything else was (Hebrews 10:5)

      His body was prepared for His coming as the Man Christ Jesus…. that He might come and save us at the fulness of the time.

His Voice is not yet the trumpet call of “Come up hither” in the Rapture….but the Voice of the lion who is roaring….that HIs church might be awakened,….to come to Him….and fear Him.

All Authority…All Power

Matthew 28:18-20 ASV “And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying,  All authority hath been given unto Me in heaven and on earth.

               Go ye, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

               Teaching them to observe all things, whatsoever I commanded you,  and lo,  I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”

Matthew 28:18 KJV “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying,   All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.”

Authority has the meaning of competency, mastery, freedom to do….and so does power here.

When was Jesus given all authority, all power?

               Well, He had it in Eternity past….for He is the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity.   (John 1:1-2, Philippians 2:6)

               He had all authority as the Son of Man,  to do and be the perfect man….to become the perfect sacrifice. (Luke 5:24, John 10:17-18)

              He had all authority as the Lamb of God, to call for angels to save Him (Matt. 26:52-54),  or to come down from the cross….if He willed.    But He subjected His authority to His Father’s Will.

              He has all authority as our Savior and Mediator,…for this is the authority and power spoken of in these last verses of Matthew…which He had won by His Victory on the cross. (Colossians 1:15-19)

              It is the authority and power He has for us, as His servants which He is speaking about.  

Colossians 1:10-11 “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

             Strengthened with all might,   according to His glorious power,   unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness;

He is saying, “ I am risen….and ascending to heaven;  where I will be at the right hand of God, interceding for you and the work I am calling you to do.

              Do not be afraid,  I have all authority over all and anything you come up against. 

              I have all power to make your words heard in the heart of those you preach and teach to.   So lead them to Me to be born again….then baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

              Make disciples… by teaching them  to observe what I have said to you.”

(Observe here has a wide meaning….it means to keep, guard from loss…to fulfill.

             The disciples (and us) are to teach those that are born again, to read and guard the Word of God to them….and then put it in practice in their lives.)

Then Jesus, with all authority and power…. gives a Word so wonderful.   A Word which has been fulfilled in each believer’s life:

            “…and, lo,  I AM with you alway, even unto the end of the world.  Amen.”

When Moses was before the burning bush….which burned, yet was not consumed….God said His name was I AM that I AM.    Moses was to tell Israel, that the great I AM was come to deliver them.    And He did.

            Here in Matthew, Jesus says I AM with you alway.    Jesus is the great I AM.   Burning within our hearts….yet not consuming us….but using us to manifest His light, and grace.   

           He came down to deliver us….and He did, giving all who come to Him full salvation and eternal life.      

But He also dwells with us….alway, even unto the end of the world….for us when we die and go to heaven.   And when He makes a new earth and a new heaven, wherein dwelleth righteousness.(2 Peter 3:13)

All authority and all power is in HIs hands…

          One day all will hear and know this authority for themselves…

1 Corinthians 15:24-25 “Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father;  when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

          For He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet.”

Today, we are given the privilege to speak to all….of  His Kingdom, which can come within  their hearts….

         It is a Kingdom of love and light….with Jesus Christ reigning in the life of all who come to Him.

They made me the keeper of the Vineyards, but mine own Vineyard have I not kept

Song of Solomon 1:6 “….they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.”

In Scripture, there are three gardens of note: 

The first, is the garden of Eden…..

…a paradise that God had made for man to live in,  and have fellowship with Him.

There man (Adam and Eve) were rulers under God…..over the garden itself, and the animals, and their circumstances.  

They were cared for, and caring for the garden for Him….and in the evening, were having fellowship with God.

They only had one…..just one….law that they were to obey,….

…..but in everything else they had abundance.

But here, in this garden, the upright man threw off the law of God, and rebelled…..he sinned,…and through Adam’s sin, we all became sinners, separated from God…

….”dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1)….from which we would never have the Purpose God created us for.

They were thrown out of this paradise garden,  into a world of “the sweat of thy brow”…..never to return.

The last garden is the garden of Gethsemane…..

….a garden which Jesus Christ often went to, when He was by Jerusalem….to pray.

He went the night He was betrayed,….falling down on the ground to seek HIs Father’s company…..and final Will….before the great work of expiation (taking away the sin of His people)…….and propitiation (the appeasing of God’s Holy wrath and anger )…….by His sacrifice,  would be done.

Jesus came as man,  bowing before His Heavenly Father,…..seeking HIs Will.

This was the opposite of Adam…..who rejected God’s Will.

Here in this last garden, Jesus Christ, replaced……in man (Himself…and from Him to everyone who comes to Him, and becomes “in Christ”)the Way to Paradise….by fellowship and submission to God.

He opened up the way to God the Father in HIs prayer of….”not my will, but thine be done”.

He made the garden bring forth the choicest fruits of purity, holiness, and sacrificial love…..by His prayer there.

And He did it for us.

The second garden is the garden of our souls….for we all grow something in our soul’s garden.

         It may be the  place of thistles and thorns (Hebrews 6:7-8)….

…and for the lost, that is all they can bring forth.

          Or it is a place of flowers, fruit trees, and the place God will walk with us again.

Song of Solomon 4:12, 16, 5:1 “A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse;….

Let my Beloved come into HIs garden, and eat HIs pleasant fruits.

         I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse:….”

This garden of our soul is tilled and planted and seen to by the Great Husbandman,  God our Heavenly Father…..for His Son’s sake.

But we are called to tend to it, as well.    It is a garden “inclosed”…..for the Lord Himself to enjoy….not to be trampled on by another.

We are not to be so busy with the affairs of this life,  or the work of others, that we will forget to tend our own garden for Him…

…for it is there that we are to learn of Him, have fellowship and the company of God, and rule there.

         (You say,  “no one can rule their own circumstances”…..and it is true.   But we can rule our response and actions to circumstances.   We can rule for Him in all that comes to us.)

How do we look to Him in the garden of our soul?

        Through prayer, and our devotions.

        Through asking, seeking, and knocking.

        Through Obedience to His commands.

Song of Solomon 4:13-14 “Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,

        Spikenard and saffron;  calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:”

Here is abundance….pomegranates with the juice and sweet seeds.

….camphire, a henna plant used for dyeing….spikenard, made into the ointment Mary poured on Jesus,….saffron….calamus and cinnamon, both rod spices….

(showing that God sees to every need,  every hunger and thirst,  every grace and help, in every way.)

Sometimes we cry out:

       “They made me the keeper of the vineyards”……”but mine own vineyard, I have not kept.”         

“I am so busy seeing to everything in my life….how can I have this personal relationship with God?”

       Set aside time…..five minutes, even.  “Let my Beloved come into His garden” should be our prayer.

       Bow our heads, as Christ did,….and seek Him and surrender to His Will.

Have you given Him time today? If you do, you will certainly…

…and bring forth fruit to God…for His pleasure.

2 Corinthians 5:7 “(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

True sight requires two things.   Eyes that see,  and light to be able to see.

As our eyes see things in front of us,  and transpose them into our minds in pictures….so faith, which looks to God,  sees HIm….and transposes Him and His character into our hearts, minds and wills….as we yield to the Light shone.

2 Corinthians 3:18 “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

Honesty is essential to spiritual growth.   We must come to the Light,  and stay in the Light,  and obey the Light.

         Remember the woman taken in adultery….she was the only one to stay before the Lord, and hear His judgment….the others left.  (John 8:1-12)  She also was the only one to be forgiven.

We need to get honest with God, and with ourselves.

        And the Word of God,  His scriptures, are our mirror to look into,  and the Holy Spirit is the Light to shine on us,  to show us how we are, and what we are doing.

James 1:22-25 “But be ye doers of the Word,  and not hearers only,  deceiving your own selves.

         For if any be a hearer of the Word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

         For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

         But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty,  and continueth therein,  he being not a forgetful hearer,  but a doer of the word, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”

What is it that this man looks into….and continues therein?    The perfect law of liberty….or the Word of God.

Notice it calls the Word,  the perfect law of liberty.    

         Many people who have not much experience with the greatness and goodness in the scriptures,  might disagree.         They might say that there are too many rules,  too many requirements to be a source of liberty.

But true spiritual freedom comes with our moving further and further away from sin, and its power…..and closer and closer to Christ Jesus our Lord.

        And the greatest means of doing this,  is the Word of God.   Reading it and praying over it,  to get the sweetness from it.

Psalm 119:18 “Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law.

        I am a stranger in the earth:  hide not Thy commandments from me.”

How many times we feel a “stranger in the earth”…..not sure of where we are heading,  or what we are to be doing about it.

We need the doctrine that drops like rain.

Deuteronomy 32:2 “My doctrine shall drop as the rain,  My speech shall distil as the dew,  as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:”

Rain in scripture is from the Lord.   The Lord promised the early rain and the latter rain for crops and refreshing in Israel. (Hosea 6:3)

And so He promises His Word for accomplishing what He pleases.

Isaiah 55:10-11 “For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither,  but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud,  that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

        So shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth:  it shall not return unto Me void,  but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

When we see by faith the Lord….then His likeness is impressed upon our consciousness….and we are “changed into the same image”.   

        His character is implanted within us by the Holy Spirit at new birth….but this “changing”  is by seeing the light of His character, and yielding to it…at the moment we see it,  so that we are made (molded) into HIs example, then.

Faith is our spiritual eyes to see what God’s Will is. 

       Faith reflects what it sees in the Lord, back into our minds and hearts…

……and the  Word of God enlightens our Way, giving a cleansing and refreshing effect by “the washing of the water by the Word.” (Ephesians 5:25-27)

For we walk by faith, not by sight…means that we keep ourselves in the Light of His Word,

…..and keep ourselves  ever looking to Christ Jesus,   yielding  to the change the Lord will make by His cleansing from sin, and self…

….and by the refreshing rain of doctrine,  by the understanding given by His Holy Spirit.

Rain 

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.”

Christ Jesus, when He comes to us by the influence of the Holy Spirit, is like a shower of rain, to a dry and thirsty ground.

When we are without Jesus in our lives, our hearts are hard, and nothing seems to soften them or make an impression on them.

(We may feel many emotions….which come and go….bring thoughts to lift or depress…..but our hearts are not softened by them….only used like a sponge….fluid in and out….never becoming the fruitful garden full of beauty and usefulness to the Lord.)

When we are born again….the Holy Spirit comes within us…..like a gentle rain, He softens us…..to feel the impressions of the Word of God for our lives.

But when we fall into sin after becoming Christians,(and sadly this can happen)…..we can again become “hardened”.     

So we need to turn to Him again, and pray for showers of His mercy and grace to come to us, and soften our hearts in repentance,  and cleansing in His blood.

Wherever Christ comes,  the rain of the Holy Spirit and of grace, comes to our souls;…..and we are turned into a well watered land.  

Fruitful and beautiful, for we drink Him in;…..and by His Spirit’s influence, we are changed little by little,  into His character.

As rain is a free gift of God to the earth……to poor and rich alike, the rain falls.

So Christ is offered to all who will receive Him.

The rain is most necessary to all the parts of the plants:  roots, trunk, branches,  leaves, and blossom.

So Christ is necessary to every part of us:  our understanding,  our will, our emotions, and our memories.

        He strengthens us in good things, and enlivens us as we grow.  

        He increases our peace, and love for Him and others.  

        He preserves us within, by His Spirit; and without, by HIs Word.

As rain sometimes comes amid thunderstorms, as well as the gentle warm rain;  so  Christ comes to us to warn us, as well as to encourage us.

As rain satisfies the dry earth,  so Christ comes and satisfies us.

He gives us the fruit of His Spirit within us.

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love,  joy,  peace,  longsuffering, gentleness,  goodness,  faith.

                                  Meekness,  temperance:  against such there is no law.”

Psalm 16:11 “Thou wilt show me the path of life:  in Thy presence is fullness of joy;  at Thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore.”

If we follow on to know the Lord,…..He will come unto us as the rain,  the former and latter rain,  upon the dryness of our souls.