Faith, the substance of things hoped for…

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

“Substance”…a setting under for support.    And surely our faith supports us in all our times of trials, prosperity, and long nights of illness or pain.   Faith gives us the confidence that God knows….we may not “feel” Him….the circumstances may almost seem to cover His Presence….but faith will make Him clear to us.

If we have this substance that is faith,….we will also evidence it.   Our lives will prove it.

Hebrews 11:1 (ASV) “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

Assurance has to do with quieting our hearts….it soothes our minds….and it braces our wills,  to do His Will.

This assurance will give us real convictions from the Holy Spirit that are ours…personally.

      No possessor of the faith once delivered to the saints,  will be long in the Way of God, before we have these convictions. 

     (Convictions used to be a common term….though I have not heard it much lately.   It means that the Holy Spirit gives us knowledge of those things which will harm us.   It may seem a big thing or a small thing….but if the Holy Spirit, through His Word, tells you that it is wrong for you….it is.

      1 Peter 5:8-9 “Be sober, be vigilant (watchful);  because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

      Whom resist steadfast   in the faith….”)

Faith acts as our eyes….it gives us sight of God in this situation.   

      Faith acts as our senses, as we travel through this dangerous world.    

      It gives us understanding for what we hear…and what people are really saying.  

      It gives us a taste for the things of God,  a love to feast and fellowship with Christ Jesus.  

      It gives us discernment…a smell for what is good and what is “rotten”.

Faith will command us….or will leave us to “feelings” and “reasons”….till we realize our lack, and yield to His Word to us.

      For faith and hope are always linked together.    They make it plain that God will do what He has said.

      Faith has been given unto us to show us the promises and precepts of God for ourselves.

2 Peter 1:1,4 “…to them that have obtained like precious faith with us   through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ:

      Whereby are given to us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

      Every promise God gives us is intended to be fulfilled….but a promise is only a promise until we obtain it…have it.   Are we seeking to have them fulfilled by faith?

      (there are some promises I have prayed for for years….still am, because I know that God in His time will complete them.  I have “mercy-drops”…but not the showers of blessing yet.

      There are some promises I must seek the means to receive….like the lepers going to the priest as Jesus said…even when they were not healed yet.   They were healed, as they went!  One saw the healing and came, fell on his face, and praised Jesus….and Jesus said,  “Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole”(spiritual and physically healing)…our God is so great! Luke 17:12-19

      And there are some promises that I have had fulfilled,…Praise God. He brought them to pass!  He is faithful to His Word!)

2 Peter 1:5-7 “And beside this, giving all diligence,  add to your faith…(that means we have it, and are to use it, to get these next blessings)…

….Virtue…which is literally force….the force and strength of the Holy Spirit in our spirit to strengthen us to step forth into our place in this world.

….Knowledge…as we rely on the Holy Spirit’s courage and strength, we will acquire knowledge of His power and ability to do….and to do through us.   He has promised Victory through faith,  1 John 5:4…stay after it, till you have it.

….Temperance…the ability to use from this world only what we need,  without grasping it for ourselves.   

….Patience…the ability to wait on God….and wait for others. 

    (How easy it is for us to become “frustrated” with the “slowness” of others.   After all, we know…shouldn’t they?   But as Paul wrote to the Romans about those gentiles and jews which, though Christians, were not as builded up in the faith as others.

    Romans 14:3-4 “Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth:  for God hath received him.

    Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? To his own Master he standeth or falleth.  Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.”    

     God is our Master….He will lead us on into more truth, if we will follow Him.  So He will with with others,  though we may certainly pray for them…and give them the truth.)

….godliness, brotherly kindness, charity (love)….as we use our faith, and the grace by the Holy Spirit to gain these blessings within our character and lives, we will be like Him showing love to our brothers and sisters in Christ….and to others in the world.   

     Love wasn’t placed in our hearts to stay….love isn’t love till you give it away.   Love to God first and foremost….then to the household of faith….then love which tells of Jesus, out into the world.

Faith is the active principle within us that guides our hearts and minds and wills to God….like a magnet drawn to metal….we will be drawn toward God’s Word and Will….and evidence HIs faith and grace to others.

This was the Son of God.

Sometimes I think that we do not truly recognize the influence of Christ’s purity and holiness in the lives of those He came into contact with.    

     We know He was rejected by most of the chief priests and rulers…but it is an amazing discovery that many believed on Him as the Son of God…even though they felt His influence but a little time.

One of these is the centurion of the men under Pilate, to take Jesus to His crucifixion.

(In the Bible, centurions are only spoken of in a good light!  Pretty amazing, if you consider their jobs!  Yet how many times we think….”this person could never be saved!”….yet, God is able)

Matthew 27:54 “Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying,  Truly this was the Son of God.”

Now I want to say here….that this man, who exclaimed his belief in Jesus as the Son of God…was also the man, along with those under him,  who mocked and beat Him…a few hours ago.

Matthew 27:27-31 “Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto Him the whole band of soldiers.

     And they stripped Him, and put on Him a scarlet robe.

     And when they had platted a crown of thorns, (look what efforts they made to hurt and mock Him!),  they put it upon His head, and a reed in His right hand: and they bowed the knee before Him, and mocked Him, saying,  Hail, King of the Jews!

    And they spit upon Him, and took the reed, and smote Him on the head.

    And after that they had mocked Him they took the robe off from Him, and put his own raiment on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.”

Their job was to lead Jesus out of the city,  and take Him to Golgotha (Calvary)….and nail Him to the cross.  

     Then they were to raise the cross, and watch Him die.  

     It was a terrible death, even normally….for these men would  internally strangle.  The weight of their own bodies would put bones out of joints….the sinews would stretch and tear.   

     As the blood would drop to the lowest part of the body,  and ooze out….the sufferer would become dry…His tongue cleaved to the top of HIs mouth.

Below Him,  this centurion and his soldiers gambled for HIs clothes.

Mark 15:24 “And when they had crucified Him, they parted His garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take.”   (Matthew 27:36 “And sitting down they watched Him there;”)

John 19:23-24 “Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, (they got Him up on the cross) took His garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also His coat:  now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.

     They said therefore among themselves,  Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be:  that the scripture might be fulfilled….”

They, like everyone else, were watching for HIm to die.   Then their job would be over.  

Hours pass,  they hear the mockings of the people….they hear them cry, “Come down and save yourself, if you are the Son of God.”   

     They, too, begin to mock Him…”And the soldiers also mocked Him, coming to Him, and offering Him vinegar (at a distance…to make Him, in HIs thirst, suffer more)…and saying,  If Thou be the king of the Jews, save Thyself.”

     Then they experience the darkness….for three hours…at a time in the day, it should have been bright light…

And when Christ Jesus has fulfilled everything….completely taking our sins on to Himself…

….and then, after three hours of darkness,  the cry,  “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”

After watching Him….hearing His words of forgiveness….and then this ear piercing cry…

….they are amazed when He cries one more thing:

    Luke 23:46 “And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, He said,  Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit:  and having said thus, He gave up the ghost.”

Mark 15:39 “And when the centurion, which stood over against Him, saw that He so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.”

This centurion believed.   Earlier, he had mocked, beaten, and gambled for His coat…but now,  after hearing and seeing these things….he believes on Jesus as the Son of God…and openly confesses it!

      1 John 2:23 “Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father, [but] he that acknowledged the Son hath the Father also.”

At the same time of Jesus’ cry, “ the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;”.

God was manifesting by outward signs,  the enormity of what had just transpired!   

     The sacrifice was made….to cleanse all who would believe on His Son, from their sins….the past was done away….nothing would remain the same!   

Luke 23:47 “Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying,  Certainly this was a righteous man.”   (God certainly “shook” this man)

1 John 2:28-29 “And now, little children, abide in Him; that , when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.

     If ye know that He is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him.”

The earth shook again,  three days later, when God raised His Son, Jesus Christ from the dead…

     Matthew 28:1-2, 5-6 “..as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week,….And, behold, there was a great earthquake:  for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it,…

     And the angel answered and said….Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

     He is not here:  for He is risen, as He said…”

This was the proof of God’s acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice…Christ arose!

Here was what Jesus had told them….He would rise again….the third day.

…and because He did,  we too, can have life eternal…in Him. 

And there will be another “shaking” when He comes again! (Hebrews 12:25-26,  Revelation 8:1,5; 16:18)

But for this centurion….life would never be the same.  He came from a mocker and cruel servant of Rome….to a believer and confessor of Jesus, the Son of God.

Lost

Luke 19:10 “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Lost….lost to God and to all HIs original intention for mankind.

“Up Calvary’s mountain one dreadful morn,

Walked Christ my Savior, weary and worn;

Facing for sinners death on the cross,

That He might save them from endless loss.” (Blessed Redeemer)

When Adam sinned…..God lost the whole creation. (Romans 8:22)

Mankind died. Adam was a murderer of millions of his children…from generation to generation…through his sin.

God lost the beautiful, fruitful creation….made to be a garden, where men and animals lived together in peaceful harmony….it gave thorns and thistles instead.

But mankind lost the most….as the song says…..”endless loss” is our portion on this earth, without the salvation that comes through Jesus Christ.

This loss is seen and felt by all. For so many people are “looking for something” to satisfy and to give their life meaning.

But without Christ…..our life is just living a lie. We try and cover our “endless loss” by doing, and going, and keeping, and accumulating, and seeking…..but when we are in the quiet moments…..we know that our hearts grow older, but are not satisfied.

Ephesians 2:1 “And you hath He quickened (made alive), who were dead in trespasses and sins;”

[This second chapter in Ephesians stresses the death that we were and had because of Adam’s sin, again and again:

……we were dead in trespasses and sins (verse 1)….we walked according to this world as children of disobedience (verse 2)….we were children of wrath (verse 3)….we were dead in sins (verse 5)….we had no hope (verse 12)….we were far off (verse 13)….we were strangers and foreigners (verse 19).

All of these stress an impassable gulf between us and God….our heart’s rest.

All these stress that though we may be alive for many, many years….though we may experience many things….we are just waiting the ultimate death,…..

………without Christ Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

But this second chapter in Ephesians also tells us that:

Ephesians 2:4-5 “But God, Who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us,

Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)”.

To all those who receive Him as Lord and Savior]

Jesus Christ asked us plainly when He was here….

Luke 9:25 “For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?”

To the unsaved, Jesus asks…..

How could you better yourself, if you were made the ruler of the whole world….but then, only had endless loss of yourself….your true self in Christ…your purpose…dying day by day, away from Me….till eternal separation in Hell is your “gain”?

And the Lord Jesus spoke even to those who followed Him:

How could you gain anything more from the world? Beware lest you lose your way and become useless in your life’s purpose.

The answer to man’s “loss” is of course believing on Jesus Christ….following Him….and continuing to follow Him.

For with every step we take with Christ…….we find….

….we find everlasting life….He quickens us (Eph.2:5)…

….we find that we belong to the family of God….

Ephesians 2:19 “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God;”

….we find our walk, and a work…and are molded into HIs character….and how much we “find” in Him in this!

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

…..we find the Spirit of God indwelling us, giving us the blessings of His love worked in us….HIs joy and peace in many situations….His goodness, etc. (Galatians 5:22-23)

…..we find Him….more and more of Him satisfying every part of us.

Ephesians 3:18-19 “May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.”

Luke 9:23 “And He said to them all, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

Jesus never said there would not be a cost to follow Him…..only that life is what He is offering….eternal life with Him, here through this world’s scene….and on, into eternity.

Eternal life? Or endless loss?

Christ Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. And we are all lost to God,….till He saves us.

Precious

1 Peter 2:7 “Unto you therefore which believe He is precious:…”

Precious means “valuable, dear, beloved”.

Let us consider the Value of Christ.

To God, Christ is the foreordained Beloved Son, given for the world.

He is Creator and Sustainer of all things.

(Hebrews 1:2-3 “Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son,…by Whom also He made the worlds;…and upholding all things by the word of His power…”)

To God’s glory, Christ was promised, came, and fulfilled all HIs Will for the atonement of sins, the redemption of mankind and creation, and the defeat of all enemies of God…sin, the devil, death.

To God the Father, Christ HIs Son….is dear, most beloved (John 3:16-17)….

….yet He “spared not HIs own Son” (Romans 8:32) when our sin was laid upon Him, on the cross.

Not one part of our punishment was “spared” Christ…..that we might become “precious” to God, in Christ. That God might become our Father.

1 Peter 1:18-19 “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:”

Christ is the “Stone, a precious corner Stone” of His Church.

Isaiah 28:16 “Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.”

He is our Precious corner-stone. And as we are in Him, we are lively stones…builded up in HIs spiritual house. And Peter says to those who have tasted that the Lord is “gracious”.

(This grace is not the grace that saves…Eph. 2:8-9,….

….but the grace which comes to us day by day from the Lord….and enables us to stand against the wiles of the devil….and have joy and peace, even in the trials and suffering of our way, from here to heaven.)

1 Peter 2:3-5 “If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

To Whom coming, as unto a Living Stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,

Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”

(Have we so tasted that our Lord is gracious day by day?)

Then comes the blessed statement:

1 Peter 1:17 “Unto you therefore which believe He is precious:…”

And He is! He is the value of my life.

Through Jesus, we have received….”like precious faith” (2 Peter 1:1)…..and His divine power (grace) hath given unto us all things that works in our life for godliness….

….He gives us “exceeding great and precious promises” (2 Peter1:4)….that we might be enabled to be like Him…”partakers of the divine nature”…escaping the pollution that is in the world through lust.

[Think pollution of air and water. We breathe, the air may seem fine, but there are particles of things which may cause illness. We drink water, and within the water their may be chemicals or germs which will hurt. So we are in the world….and it is a beautiful and wonderful world….but there are also many things which defile us, as we walk through it…..

…..and so we are warned of them. But that alone would not be enough….so, God, through Christ, has given us His Word…..His precious promises to escape these “pollutants”.]

Peter writes, after many years of ministry of the precious trial of faith. (1 Peter 1:7). For we are called to trials…..to strengthen and encourage our faith and dependency on our Lord Jesus….for He is not only our example in this…..but our courage, our strength, our peace and joy.

The Psalmist, when he saw that God saw him in every way….and his situation….exclaimed in joy and hope!

Psalm 139:17 “How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!”

And surely we can say the same. He sees, He knows, He thinks of us always….and in His thoughts of us, are the means and ways to bring us through. He is gracious!

He is Precious!

So we are called to go forth in our everyday days…..and shine His light….sow HIs gospel seed…..proclaim that He is Precious:

Psalm 126:6 “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bring his sheaves with him.”

John 4:35 “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.”

Our lives show Christ Jesus. Are we showing how precious to us, He is?

The Potter, and the Clay

Jeremiah 18:5-6 “Then the word of the Lord came to me saying,

O house of Israel, can not I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord, Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.”

Paul says the same thing in:

Romans 9:20-21 “Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?

Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?”

This is not our bodies; yes, they are all different, but God is speaking of molding our souls. God has used every experience of our lives to shape our souls.

Our souls are that which makes us unique. They are a gift from God that no other creature has.

Genesis 2:7 “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

The soul is the apartment of self-consciousness. It is where our personality is. There, our individual character is formed, and rules our thought life, our emotions, our will, our conscience, and our social interactions.

When we are born again, we are given the blessed privilege of having the Holy Spirit come and dwell with us, for Christ said He would not leave us comfortless, He would come unto us.

John 14:16-18 “I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;

Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”

As Christians, Paul is saying that as God’s “clay”, we need to accept what we are,

how we are,

and even, where we are,

and then be reconciled to Him, in them.

How much of our discontent lies in this.

God wants to make us a vessel unto honor, and has given us His Spirit to enable and mold us:

2 Timothy 2:20-21 “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth, and some to honor, and some to dishonor.

If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.”

To move forward with God, you must be in your place before Him. To know that He is there with us, because He loves us.

So many people say, “God knows best”;……yet doubt every time trouble comes.

They are anxious, burdened, and worried.

(Haven’t we all experienced this doubt?)

But we are called to “possess our souls”….our souls are our mind, heart, and will….which make up our personality.

Luke 21:19 “In your patience, possess ye your souls.”

We are to gain, by subjection to the Holy Spirit, real power over our affections:

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

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

Our thoughts:

1 Peter 1:13 “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;”

And wills:

John 7:17 “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whither it be of God, or whither I speak of myself.”

There is always trouble here, in this world; but as you submit to the Holy Spirit, the influence of the trouble is less, and less.

His power to help, strengthen, and encourage is more and more.

He is the Potter, we are the clay.

Submitting to Him we have liberty, and begin to have the fruit of the Spirit working in us and through 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.”

Let us yield; or give in; or submit; or surrender; all terms which mean that for us,…we choose Christ…..and Christ will choose for my life.

To be Saved Spirit, Soul and Body

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

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

Sanctification is when we are “set aside to sacred use”; to God’s use.

We are sanctified by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; for in their purpose and Will for us, they are One….

“Sanctified by God the Father…” (Jude 1)

“Sanctified in Christ Jesus…” (1 Corinthians 1:2)

“Through sanctification of the Spirit…” (1 Peter 1:2)

Sanctification is done by God and us, cooperating together…….by us yielding to the Holy Spirit’s “artea” or force within….as He manifests the Will of God to us.

Now the very God of Peace sanctify you wholly.

We can not be at odds with God in anything and know this peace. This peace is not judicial (the peace between us and God we get, when we are born again: Romans 5:1)…….but this is personal peace….the peace that garrisons our hearts. (Philippians 4:7)

And this sanctification begins with our spirits. We bring ourselves into subjection to the Holy Spirit, which indwells our spirit.

You yield to the Holy Spirit within…..and when you do, you are empowered to do.

He manifests a “force” within us.

Luke 9:54-56 “And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt Thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elijah did?

But He turned, and rebuked them and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.

For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.”

Jesus turned to his disciples, and said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are manifesting. For it is not what I will to do…..for I came to save men, not destroy them.”

The spirit they were showing, was the spirit of anger and revenge. They wanted to “show them”, for rejecting Jesus, and them.

But Jesus said, that it was not the Spirit He would show…..and walked away.

Let us talk of the spirit we show, and how the Lord wants us to be, by the power of the Holy Spirit:

A proud and haughty spirit…..which is surprisingly easy for us to manifest…..we can even be proud that we are born again!

James 4:6 “But He giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith, God resisteth the proud, but give grace to the humble.”

A fence-sitting spirit….we go this way, then that way,….letting circumstances rule us….and our conduct….not God’s Spirit.

Proverbs 25:28 “He that no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls.”

We are responsible to rule our own spirit, by keeping the walls of separation from the world…..up.

An unforgiving spirit….how hard it is to let go of hurt and anger…..until the Lord helps us.

Matthew 18:35 “So likewise shall My Heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses.”

We must through the power of the Holy Spirit, forgive from our hearts….and know we have forgiven. To forgive is to not feel the influence of the hurt or insult any more.

The spirit of faithlessness and unbelief:

To start well, and backslide….to come to some temptation which is too strong for us….. unless we give it to the Lord, and get the victory,…..in Him.

Hebrews 3:12 “Take heed brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.”

2 Timothy 4:10 “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world,….”

And a broken spirit, which the Lord will not despise

Psalm 51:17 “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite spirit, O God, Thou wilt not despise.”

The Soul is next:

The Lord Jesus taught that those that truly follow Him, must lose their “life” in themselves,…..in order to gain it….in Him.

We must lose our own way of reasoning and looking at things…..and then….we can begin to value things from an entirely different viewpoint…..His.

The will is dealt with by denying ourselves: saying no to our attitudes and thoughts and going with the Lord in His.

Luke 9:23-24 “And He said to them all, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for My sake, the same shall save it.”

In this, the mind and heart is also dealt with….till our minds are “renewed”,…….so we want to think about things the way the Lord does…

Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.”

And our hearts are brought out from the prison of worldly lusts (I want this, and I want this now)….to the open sunshine of His love….

Jude 21 “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”

1 John 5:21 “Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.”

This requires honesty between the Lord and us….but…

…..when this happens our souls quiet ourselves under the loss of anything it formerly loved, and lives….peacefully and joyfully….upon God, and His grace.

Yet these are not separate from our body…..they are seen in our body. The facial expressions we use….the reactions to comments, and to people.

All these are seen in our body.

And our body is to be the temple of the Holy Ghost.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “What! Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own.

For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

2 Corinthians 4:8-10 “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed: we are perplexed, but not in despair,

Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.”

We manifest through our bodies….which we are to give to God,….His character.

Here is where the ordinary living comes in.

As an old preacher once wrote:

“We may enjoy the heavenly things now and again…..or we can elevate the ordinary things we do, each day.

Doing each act as a sacrifice to the Lord….whether sleeping or waking,…..working or resting,….whether with others or by myself; I am walking with the Lord, and all I do, is for Him.”

Sanctification is to set ourselves aside to sacred use….to be used by God anywhere or any how.

And we only set ourselves aside, as we yield to God’s influence, by the Holy Spirit, His Word, and His working:

Philippians 2:12-15 “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling:

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

Do all things without murmurings and disputings.

That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;”

Shining as His lights in this world…..is HIs use of us.

We are taken from darkness, and given light.

Then we are to shine all the light we have, in a world which is in darkness.

What a purpose we have!

And we accomplish it by letting God sanctify us….yielding to Him….and letting His life be manifested,…..in us.

(There have been a lot of verses, and a lot set forth here…..but I wanted to show that the “so great salvation” which God prepared for us, is extensive.

He saves to the uttermost, all who come to Him.

And for those who keep coming to Him…..for that is what true believing does….keeps coming to the Only One Who can do anything about me…..then He leads us on, and I believe, He will continue to, through all eternity….more, more of our blessed Lord.)

The Mountains we are Called To

Song of Solomon 4:8 “Come with Me from Lebanon, my spouse, with Me from Lebanon: Look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions den, from the mountains of the leopards.”

Mountains in scripture speak of insurmountable problems….things we can never handle on our own.

But the scriptures also show that God’s people are people of the mountains. (Lot choosing the plain, but Abraham on the mountain. Genesis 13:10, 14-15)

And in this beautiful song, which speaks of the believer (in the maiden) being drawn to a personal relationship with Christ (the shepherd-king);….there are mountains….several mountains.

By the time this call comes to the believer, he has followed the Lord and learned to come out from the wall of our past experience, and go on. (Song of Solomon 2:8-10)

But, though hesitant at first, the believer has come….and found more of that relationship power…..for the believer has found more of Christ.

But now, the call comes to “come with Me” to the peaks of Lebanon. (“From” here, means to look from)

There are three peaks the Lord is calling us to experience with Him…always with Him….

Amana: means “confirmation”. It is a word related to “Amen”….”let it be done”

(Only He can say Amen to anything….for only He can speak, and it will be done…although we may join His Amen with ours…aligning ourselves with Him.)

He is the Amen….and from this peak….as we follow Him….we can see His view point on the things below.

For God sees us in Christ, and as we are in Christ….all the things that come to us, are purposed….either for blessing or correction.

Trials are to be seen as from Christ’s hand. Christ as our Teacher leads us into lessons we could not learn in other circumstances.

Corrections are to seen as sent in love, to bring us back to Him.

These are high things….heady things, which we need His Arm to steady us, as we climb up.

As we climb up, we begin to put the things of our circumstances, into perspective…..His perspective.

Amen, Lord, this is Your will, so I will do it.

Shenir: means “pointed word or saying”; as in the Sword of the Spirit….our armor…(Ephesians 6:17)

This peak speaks about our warfare against the wiles of the devil.

Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

But, as we climb this peak with the Lord Jesus, we begin to be given His “pointed word” which we can use against our adversary.

Up on this peak, the Lord gives us a view of how the adversary is trying to trick us….we see more clearly the things which might trip us up.

Thank you Lord for this sight ahead…and for Your Word to use in the battles coming up.

Hermon: means “abrupt”…or “destruction “…..like an unseen cliff at the end of the way.

That is what our sin had brought us to: destruction;…….but remember, we are with Jesus, our Savior. We have come with Him.

And on this peak, we see the Victory of the Cross of Christ in a fuller way.

1 Corinthians 15:55-57 “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

His salvation is a complete one: over the curse of sin in every way….. in us by the power by His grace.

Death brought on by sin is separation from God for eternity….but we are not separated, but with Him.

And therefore the sting or terror of death is gone……..as Christians, we fall asleep (Acts 7:60),….we close our eyes here, and open them in heaven.

And in seeing these, we can enter into the joy of them.

But beside these wonderful peaks…..there is danger, for we are traveling through this world, still.

There are….”The lions dens, the mountains of the leopards”.

In our walk with Jesus, there are enemies, which we will have to meet for our work and walk.

Lions roar…..they frighten and terrify, to throw us off guard, and into panic.

Leopards are tremendously strong, carrying their prey, and devouring them.

And the closer you grow to the Lord,……the more the enemy will fight.

But the Lord is with us…..and He has brought us up on these peaks to give us His view point…..

….and with that view point, we become enabled:

With His Will…..Amen….He can say, “Let it be done”, for the things ahead.

With His Word….the sword of the Spirit….to use against the tricks which come against us.

With His Victory….there is no destruction for us….death is to fall asleep. The body may be in a grave, but we are not. We will be with Christ in heaven.

These mountain peaks the Lord calls His believers to. They are high, and sometimes dangerous….but they are with Him.

“Come with Me.”

Really determining to do His Will

John 7:17 “If any man will do His Will, he shall know of the doctrine, whither it be of God, or whither I speak of myself.”

Let us consider what “to will” means.

The will is the whole man active…..the will alone, does not rule the person….for it is brought into subjection to our thoughts (our reasons, and attitudes) and to our hearts (our emotions and feelings).

Both of these push and pull the will into doing things.

But when we will something….we become wholly active….and begin do it.

The Lord often spoke to the will…..especially to His disciples (those that follow Him)….”If any man will, let him…” (Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34-35, Luke 9:23); but He was speaking to the whole man….”Let the heart want to….the mind take hold of My Words….and the will move you, to follow Me.”

If any man will do His Will…..the Living New Testament says, “If any man really determines to do His Will…”….

…that is to “will” to do.

Thus, you prove His Will by doing it. When you have really determined to do God’s Will, then when you hear His Word…..you will know what He wants you to do.

And you will know whither it is of God, or your own idea…..He will not leave you in darkness….but will give you light for your walk.

John 8:12 “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

The creature must find that resting place…..and that resting place is in the Will of the Creator….in the light and knowledge of it.

It is not the “success” or “failure” of any given task…..but was it what the Lord wanted?

Hebrews 4:9-11 “There remainth therefore a rest for the people of God.

For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His.

Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.”

We “labor” by willing it.

And that “rest” is in the Will of God. It is a peace of being…..by the Holy Spirit….no matter the outward circumstances; because we are uniting with the Almighty.

We can live a productive life, in the world; a successful life; a kind life;….all of which is good….

But God wants us to live a restful life in Him….in His Word….in His Will.

That “rest” is of the spirit, soul and body……looking to Jesus Christ for help, and sustaining grace….because the enemy of that peace in Him…..is unbelief.

Unbelief is not some little sin…..it is the worst of all sins….it crucified the Lord of Glory.

It says: I do not trust You, Lord….I am scared.

It says: Surely, this is something even You, Lord, can not see to.

It says: I do not see You doing anything, therefore You won’t.

Unbelief says a lot of things to our hearts and minds….it can lead us away from God quite quickly…..into imaginations of panic, or anger, or hurt…

But when unbelief comes….telling us all, what God can not do….we need to quickly say:

“I believe….help Thou my unbelief” (Mark 9:24)

…..and then hold on to the Word of God.

Hebrews 4:12 “For the Word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

This is an amazing verse….The Word of God (yes, read, spoken, and heard) is quick: It acts now, making a difference to all who will hear it.

Is powerful: for it works within us to enlighten the situation, and encourage, and tell us what to do,….or what God will do.

Is sharper than any two edged sword: the Word “cuts”…separates the spirit, and what the Holy Spirit is impressing us…..

…..and the soul, what we feel, and think of the situation.

It shows us what we are really thinking…..what we are really feeling.

(How many times have you thought…..”It’s Ok….I can deal with this hurt”.

Then you hear a message,….read a devotion….or speak to a Christian concerning some scripture:

And, “bam”…..you know you have not gotten this healed.

But then, this Word can show you how to get it restored.

[There are many verses which show His healing: spiritually, mentally, physically. Psalm 147:3, Isaiah 53:5, Malachi 4:2, 1 Peter 2:24. And sometimes, it is healing of our whole being.])

This requires us to hear His Word….and be honest with Him about what He is saying to us. (Luke 8:15)

But the quick, powerful, sharp Word of God will be that guide we need, to get the “rest”, here, the Lord has for us….in the knowledge of His Will.

It will show us what His Will is, that we may “really determine”….or “will to do His Will”,…

….that we may know that we have done His Will….no matter the outcome, and be at rest in believing obedience to Him.

A Victorious Christian should not feel resentment.

Let us consider what resentment is….and who it is against.

If we are a Christian….and belong to Christ, everything that comes to us is through His hand. He permits it…either for our learning, to draw out our faith in Him….or for our correction, to awaken to His claims on our life….or for our blessing, for every time we grow closer to Him, it is a blessing.

So we need to see first what resentment is:

Resentment is spoken in the scriptures as “bitterness”

Hebrews 12:15 “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.”

This was spoken of Esau. He sold his birthright easily enough, he never cared for it. But when it came time to acknowledging Jacob with the birthright…..he refused and hated him for obtaining it. He never let this resentment go….and it continued in his descendants, the Edomites toward Israel….till they were destroyed.

Peter told Simon, the sorcerer, when he pretended to be converted….and then tried to buy the gift of the Holy Spirit to make himself important…Acts 8:22-23….”Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.

For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.”

(The story is an interesting one. A revival was going on in Samaria, where Simon was “Somebody”….For they thought he was from God.

But when Jesus Christ was preached, and people were truly saved, they realized that he had fooled them.

But then Simon “believed”, and followed Phillip around, seeing the healing and miracles that he did in Jesus name. Then when the Holy Spirit was given by Peter coming and laying on of his hands….he felt he could regain his power….and sought to buy it.

The object of his affection wasn’t God’s glory but his own glory….because at the root of his heart….there was bitterness or resentment that Christ Jesus had replaced him with the people!)

Resentment then has to do with us….our place in the world, our place or position in our own thoughts:

Why did they do this to me?

Why should they have this, and not me? Why am I always the one to give in to this person’s way?

Why? Why? Why?

But all these “whys” have to do with the way people or God is treating me…..in other words, resentment has to do with our self-life.

My husband once was preaching on this verse in Hebrews and told a story on himself:

When he first came back into the Way with the Lord, and the Lord was dealing with him about people at work…about the church he was to attend…and about being called to preach….he kept asking God, “Why”.

Every time the Lord would deal with him, about this question…..”It is not for you to know why I tell you to do something….but for you to obey.”

Again and again, my husband would catch himself starting to ask, Why?

And again and again the Lord’s Words….”Not my Will, but Thine be done” would come to him.

It began to hurt every time he thought “why”…..and finally he settled things with the Lord…..he came as God’s servant, and simply told Him that he would obey….he would be in the place that God chose, with the people God chose, and doing the work God chose.

His heart came to the place of rest, and the bitterness….resentment….was gone.

And it is the same with each of us….

….when we see that we resent this or that….whatever it is, and for what cause or reason….we must deal with it by going to the Lord and laying it all out to Him.

“Lord, I resent this….and I want to deal with it….please show me the whole root of this, and I submit to You in it. Remove the bitterness, and resentment that is here….for I give it, and myself…and my place in this, to You.”

He will have the Victory over us….He will lead us as One with Him in our everyday things….and we can know the amazing liberty from the burden of bitterness and resentment.

A Victorious Christian should not feel resentment….for we have left the world’s accolades….and our desire for being first….and given ourselves to be the servants of the Most High.

He rules and overrules….and though we face many problems….and though the nights are dark, and the enemies are many….yet we rest in the Sovereign Pleasure of the Lord Jesus Christ….and yield in thanksgiving to the blessings He has for me,….for us.

His Fulness

John 1:16 “And of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.”

As born again ones, we….”and of HIs fulness have all we received”.

It is “of His fulness”….which suggests out of the fulness of God….His Word, His merits, His ability, His character, His strength, His love….comes to us.

We have the Holy Spirit within.

We are babes in Christ….but as we grow in grace, we learn to trust His grace….and are filled with Him to the capacity we are emptied of self. (Eph. 5:18)…

….and as we continue to yield to the Holy Spirit within….we will continue to be filled….even to overflowing.

Romans 5:17 (Williams Version) “For if by one man’s offense, death reigned thru that one, to a much greater degree will those who continue to receive the overflow of His unmerited favor and HIs gift of right standing with Himself, reign in real life through One, Jesus Christ.”

Romans 5:17 (KJV) “For if by one man’s offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by One, Jesus Christ.”

In Christ Jesus, it is “to a much greater degree”. We will receive more….and can continue to receive more….than what we lost in Adam (and we lost a lot).

This “overflow” of grace….is the same, as the promise of “abundant life”…

John 10:10 “….I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

There are two things here: life in Christ, and abundant life in Christ. And Jesus Christ said He had come to give both to His sheep.

It is the Creator, giving of Himself to the creature…God, giving of Himself to you.

We are to experience this overflow of grace (the unmerited favor of power).

The more you use the grace given…and remember it is “grace for grace”…the more you acquire grace.

Grace is not just for salvation….but it is the ability we need to see us from being born again to heaven. We are not to stumble along….but we are to:

Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

This we are to do….have our strength, renewed. (Renewed means changed)

Whether we will mount up with wings as eagles…seemingly flying over our circumstances in attitude and obedience.

Or we will run, focusing on the Lord’s Way before us….yielding to His stamina to finish our race.

Or we will walk with Him, in our day by day situations….in perseverance….no matter what comes up.

“Of His fulness have we all received”. Notice, it is we all. Not one Christian is exempt from this fulness.

They may be “Little-faith”. Or they may be “Great-grace”…but they have received…”of His fulness”.

And we are called to “continue to receive the overflow”.

How? Let me ask you…..how did you first believe?

Simply, the power of the Holy Spirit worked in you the desire for salvation. “For by grace are we saved”…..So it is with His fulness.

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.”

The grace we received from Christ changes us into “the same image”….or the image (character) of Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Even as by the Holy Spirit, Who creates within us the desire to grow up. From babes in Christ, feeding on the milk of the Word…..to flying, running, walking with God.

We experience the good will of God toward us, and the good work of God in us….keeping us to “continue to receive the overflow” of HIs grace…..His fulness.

It is not that we earn these things, but that we continue to receive them…..with open face….open hearts toward Him.

Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ (John 1:17)…and as we see ourselves in that glass (mirror James 1:22-25)……facing the truth about ourselves, “grace for grace” will be applied.

How much ability do we need? To that extent….God’s grace is given….every time.

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.”

Again, “in the face of Jesus Christ”. As we behold Him in eyes of faith, we are changed….by grace….into the same image….

….and that light can shine out through us.

His fulness….all that He has done….and all that the Lord Jesus Christ is….as Creator, Savior, Lord, King, Mediator,….

….all that He is….is shone us as we behold Him….and as we yield to the Holy Spirit, He changes us into the same character…..by grace.