Grace,…and Noah.

God, is the God of all grace

1 Peter 5:10 “But the God of all grace, Who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered awhile, make you perfect (complete), stablish, strengthen, settle you.”

Grace is spoken of, for the first time, in Genesis.

It is seen in Noah. “He found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”

The world had become so wicked, that God saw that every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart was evil continually. “All flesh had corrupted his way…”

Romans 1:21, 23 “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.”

Men knew God, yet they chose to worship animals..

Adam had lived nine hundred and thirty years to tell to all his children of the Eden he knew, and the sin which drove him from it. Also to tell of the promise of a coming Savior. (Genesis 3:15)

Yet….”And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5)

“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8)……it was the grace of God, not the graces of Noah that God saw.

But notice it says, “Noah found grace”….as though he had been searching for it….grace is the unmerited favor of power….power, to help Noah live in, but not of, the world around him.

And he sought it from God… Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord…..for only The Lord can give grace.

This was a terrible time…sin had reached a height that could not be ignored….

Noah lived around it everyday…..

got married…..had three sons….and he felt the contamination surrounding himself and his family….

Then when the sin of man had reached it’s worst….God speaks of grace….

….grace given to Noah, for a special ministry and work.

Where grace comes, God is obeyed. For grace brings the creature to rely solely on the Creator.

Grace is the power of God to change men’s hearts…..and in the middle of the worst wickedness….Noah is just…speaking of his faith.

Genesis 6:9 “These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.”

A walk with God, means a walk against the ways of the world….and the people of the world….and their sin.

Hebrews 11:7 “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”

Faith and grace go together…..Faith shows us God, and keeps Him before us…..

….grace enables us to persevere…..under varying trials, mocking, and persecution.

Noah, even before he began to build the Ark….had set his heart against the opinion and actions of the rest of the world.

The ground of faith is on God’s Word….and Noah had heard Him…”being warned of God” (Hebrews 11:7)

He was going to hear and obey God….no matter what others did…..or thought about him, for doing so. That is faith.

For one hundred years, while the ark was being built,….and the animals (seven pairs of the clean animals, and the unclean animals by two….one pair) were being brought….

….Noah preached to those who would gather around, looking at this strange sight….a large boat on dry land….telling of the judgement of God to come…..and of something which had not yet happened…..rain.

(Till that time, a mist had come up and watered the ground. Genesis 2:4-6)

2 Peter 2:5 “And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;”

One thing I want to mention here,…..the people had turned from worship of God to the worship of animals…..

So God, had Noah, His servant…..bring all the animals,……following him….the man that follows God….toward the ark! The ark that God said would be built to save those that believed Him!

What a testimony of the worthlessness of worshipping these creatures!

What a showing of the real power of God to them all……if they had wanted to turn and believe.

Genesis 6:22 “Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.”

“Faith, if it hath not works is dead, being by itself” (James 2:17).

This faith believed God…..and prepared an ark,……gathered the animals,…..preached to those all around him as he went and did these things…..

…these were hard things….expensive things….yet, Noah did these hard things, by faith…in grace…

…..and in doing so, left a witness which condemned the rest of the world….

….but also won for him the blessing of God, and the peace of God, in it all.

Seven days before the rain began, God told Noah, to begin moving in the animals (Genesis 7:9)…..it took seven days.

On the seventh day…..the rain began:

Genesis 7:11, 13 “In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.”

In the selfsame day entered, Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;”

Everything was ready, and they had heard God say, “Come thou and all thy house into the ark;…” Genesis 7:1

There was just one door into the ark….and one window. (Genesis 6:16)

Now the door was wide open to get every thing in…..along with Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives.

It had begun to rain…..and I am sure, at the start of this, people became convinced of their judgement…..and started to run either higher in their buildings….or toward the ark….

But Noah did not shut the door…..the Lord did.

Genesis 7:16 “And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him:….

(In the beginning God had made male and female, man and woman….so now, God again stresses His Way, and has the animals go in two by two….and Noah and his wife, the sons with their wives, together, into the ark….the only place of safety, against God’s judgement.)

….and the Lord shut him in.”

The door had been opened to all who would come and repent and believe;…..but now the door was shut…..by the Lord….and would not be opened till the Lord gave the Word.

All outside became a watery grave….cries became quiet…..the rain was the only sound….till after forty days it stopped.

The ark continued to float and move at God’s Will for almost a year

But God’s grace continued on through it all.

The warning,

The work and preparation,

The moving of everything in,

The rain,

The new earth….one year later Noah and his family were told to….”Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons and thy son’s wives with thee. Bring forth with thee every living thing…” (Genesis 8:16-17)

And the first thing done by Noah, on this renewed earth, was an altar: “And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord;…and offered burnt offerings on the altar.” (Genesis 8:20)

Genesis 9:1 “And God blessed Noah….”.

This is the first time, since Adam was in Eden, before his sin…..that God is said to bless anyone.

The flood was not Noah’s idea….but he took his place in God’s Will for it.

The ark was not Noah’s design….but he did all God’s Will for it.

The animals were not Noah’s thought….but he went to wherever they were and brought them in, according to God’s Will.

The time to return to the earth was not Noah’s time….but he went out when God said, and built an altar of worship and thanksgiving.

Faith always shows us God….and keeps Him before us.

Where grace comes….God is obeyed.

And this same grace lives within each of our hearts, if we are born again by receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Not of works, lest any man should boast.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

This is how everyone is born again….by grace (the unmerited favor of God’s power)….through faith (given by the Holy Spirit to all who come to God in Christ Jesus).

And we are “His workmanship”….for His good works.

We have no flood ahead….or ark to build…..but we all have a world around us that we are to live in….but not of;

….and God’s Will to do.

Let us receive His grace….all we can get, and be obedient….today.

As it is in Heaven

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

First, let us consider that this is a prayer that our Lord Jesus taught for us to pray.

It is repeated in Luke 11:2 “And He said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.”

In Matthew, it is to the crowds which followed Him (so much so, that He had to sit on a mountain to be seen and heard)

But in Luke, it is only to His disciples,…..after one asked that He teach them to pray. They had seen Him pray many times….and here, He had just finished a time of prayer….so they asked Him to teach them a prayer.

The second thing to consider, is that in both places….it says, “in earth, as it is in Heaven.” In earth….in us; for it all comes down to His Will done….in me, as it is in Heaven.

(And how is it done in heaven? It is done immediately….with reverence and honor to the Lord! Psalm 103:20, 104:1-4. For the angels, there is no hesitation,…only immediate action!)

In us,….in earth….it is never in sinless perfection that we see the Lord’s Will done….but it is a willing subjection to our King Jesus.

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

And surely here, we deal with the issues of life…both for time and eternity. For we speak of the heart matter….diligent following after….which has to do with our personal relationship with the Lord.

As born again ones, we come to a relationship of creature to Creator….we must come to reverence Him.

Then it is as servant before His Master.

As disciple before His Lord.

And as friend with Friend.

As a creature….created to honor God, we have been given light…”the Light that lighteth every man” (John 1:9).

Everyone has a God-consciousness. They may refuse it….or they may yield to it….but this light within themselves, is the measure of their creature responsibility to God.

They know….therefore they can seek Him.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”

We will be judged by the Light we have been given and how we have used the grace offered.

(My husband once had a conversation with a missionary about accountability to God….and mentioned that in this country we are blessed with so many ways of hearing the Gospel. So much light is given out….T.V., radio programs, church services, and Bible studies. So many ways presented….that our accountability is high. Where the Gospel is banned, or barely given out….they are indeed accountable….but not so much as where you can hear the Gospel anytime, if you want to.”)

But as the saved creature before the Creator, we must recognize that we have been placed in a position to receive abundant Light….and abundant life and grace to shine that light forth!

We must enter into this, where our personal circumstances on this earth is concerned.

Psalm 145:1 “I will extol Thee, my God, O King; and I will bless Thy name for ever and ever.”

“Extol” here means to raise up…..we should raise up our God, our King….as a banner!

That all may see, then come and shelter under Him.

“In earth, as it is in Heaven.”

Servant to Master (Luke 17:7-10)

It is the servant’s duty to serve. To serve in the “fields” of our everyday life….but also to serve the Lord in our personal devotions and prayer times.

The full price of every soul to be saved, and the price of the work to bring them to the Lord….has already been paid by our Master.

We have but to be obedient…..letting Him do the rest.

But we must also serve Him, personally, by becoming molded into our Master’s image. We must be like Him, if we would serve completely…this takes personal fellowship and communion….as it is pictured feeding Him in the house.

“In earth, as it is in Heaven”

Disciple before His Lord. (Matthew 16:24-25)

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”

“Learn of Me”….and to learn of Him, we must come to the place of surrender to Him as Lord.

(Usually this comes once, and then worked out in many “agreements” with Him. Amos 3:3 “Can two walk together except they be agreed?” We agree that He knows best….that His Will will be done. Certainly there are many times we “reason” (Isaiah 1:18) with Him, but we come to agree with Him about whatever.)

In earth, as it is in Heaven.

And then friend to Friend.

John 15:15 “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you.”

True friendship with the Lord Jesus Christ is abundant light. We know, because we have come to the place in our experience that the Lord by the Holy Spirit within, makes things clear.

Understanding and the knowledge of His Presence with us in peace and grace are like the Arm we hold on to. We have come to the place where we are in constant contact with Him….and where we seek to only know more.

In earth….in us….as it is in Heaven.

That is what we should pray….and that is what we can have.

In the very last verse of the fellowship book, John seeks to remind all Christians that anything which takes the place due to God in our lives….anything….is an idol.

Idols are not just images…..but any substitute for Him.

That first place in our lives belongs to Jesus.

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

Are we made whole?

Luke 5:17 “And it came to pass on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.”

This is quite a crowd of important religious men…..”and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.”

In other words….if they had sought it….if they had they asked…..The Lord Jesus would have “healed” them.

He would have made them “whole”, which is what this “heal” here means.

(And how many of us are not whole…..

……not completely healed from some sin,…some resentment,…some hurt…..

…..yet the Lord Jesus has this power to do so….and is more than willing to heal us….make us whole again.)

At the same time….there were four friends of a palsied man….who were seeking healing….that their friend would be made whole.

And when they could not get in to see Jesus, because there were so many at the door of the house He was in…….they tore the tiling off the roof, and let him down, for the palsied man was still in his sick bed!

The power of the Lord was present to heal these Pharisees and doctors, sitting right under the teaching of the Lord…..

…..but they did not ask, or seek for it.

But the palsied man…..who came by the help of his friends….was made whole.

For Jesus said:

Luke 5:20 “And when He saw their faith, He said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.”

This man was a sinner…..he needed to be wholly and completely healed….

…..from sin, from the disease,….

…..and from inability to do anything about these, himself.

The Lord Jesus healed him…….wholly.

Luke 5:24-25 “But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (He said unto the sick of the palsy,). I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.

And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed unto his own house, glorifying God.”

This sinner….healed wholly….did exactly as the Lord said….getting up! And going to his house…..glorifying God, for all He had done for him!

The others? What about the Pharisees and doctors?

Did they seek that same healing, then?

Luke 5:26 “And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things today.”

Why didn’t they reach out for this same healing?

They glorified God….they knew that this man was healed by God….so why not come and be healed….made whole…themselves?

Individually, I do not know…..but pride and the desire to “stay the course” in our spiritual life….especially if we are religious….often needs to be overcome….

….and it is the same for us….don’t let pride or anything hinder your coming to Christ….for anything.

….for remember, the power was there to heal them.

And at another time…..just as much power, as when He healed the palsied man….was present for those who wanted it…”He…healed them all.”

Luke 6:17-19 “….and a great multitude of the people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem,….which came to hear Him, and to be healed of their diseases;

And they were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed.

And the whole multitude sought to touch Him: for there went virtue out of Him, and healed them all.”

Plainly…..for today…..Jesus Christ has enough power to heal me….to make me whole…

….and He has enough power for you, as well.

Will you come to Christ and be made whole?

The Work of the Spirit of Truth

John 14:16-17 “And 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 can not receive; because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you; and shall be in you.”

The first work the Holy Spirit does in us, as Christians, is to come and be with us forever.

This is one of the greatest blessings we have.

God is with us, by His Holy Spirit, so that we are never alone, never deserted, never apart from His love and care for us.

John 14:26 “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

The next work the Holy Spirit does within us, is to teach us things:

He brings to mind the Word we have heard, reminding us of what Jesus has said to us;…..and telling us what we should do.

He teaches us about the circumstances around us; for He gives us His wisdom concerning the people and things of our days.

John 15:26-27 “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me;

And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.”

The Holy Spirit teaches us how to witness of Christ. We do this in two ways.

First, by our lives showing all we come into contact with, that we belong to Christ.

(There are many who will never get a glimpse of Jesus, except we show Him to them.)

Second, by our testimonies about what Christ has done for us.

The Holy Spirit gives us the words to say, and also the enablement to say them.

John 16:13-14 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.

He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine and shall show it unto you.”

The Spirit of truth will guide you into all truth…..

This is personal, private truth;….that which you need to know, each day.

How many things we could avoid, if we were more sensitive to Him, and what He is telling us?

And how much more we could have enjoyed other things, if we could have seen that this was what He wanted for us, at the time?

And He will show you things to come.

I’ve been warned by the Holy Spirit within, concerning certain circumstances that were coming up. Warned against being part of them; also warned about what to say.

“He shall glorify Me”, the Lord Jesus said.

As I die to self’s demands, the Holy Spirit lifts up Christ in me. He glorifies Christ by this.

For He shall receive of Mine, and show it unto you. It is His Spirit within us, making all the things of Christ real to us.

The Work of the Spirit of Truth is to guide us into all truth concerning God….concerning ourselves,….concerning the situations of our lives.

He lives within us, giving us the reality of the truth of God.

He enlightens us, so we can know where to go, and how to go. And with the enlightenment, He gives us power to live the life we have been given to do.

And He shows us Christ.

Again and Again and Again, the Holy Spirit brings to our minds and hearts, our dear Lord Jesus, His love, and His peace.

He shows us Christ, as our example, and encourages us to follow Him.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth….He will open up the light of truth to us…shall we yield to Him?

The Battle of the Ages

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.”

The battle of the ages rages all around us, and we all,….aware or unaware….are part of it.

The battle of the ages is that battle between God and evil….

….it is a battle that God knew would come when He first decided to create.

The Godhead saw by their omniscience the rebellion of Lucifer and the fall of one third of the angels with him.

They saw a perfect earth turned to chaos:

Genesis 1:1-2 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

Complete destruction of it’s original beauty and perfectness,….then re-creation.

They saw the fall of man and the evil that flowed out, after that…..and the necessity of the flood….yet saved, by grace Noah and his family.

Genesis 6:7-8 “And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth;….

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”

They saw the call of Abraham and the establishing of a Jewish Nation….and their failure to follow Him and His Laws.

They saw me and you….our birth, our call….and our twists and turns in the Way God wants us to walk.

They saw when we followed the world to our hurt….and They saw the price Christ would pay to get us back.

They saw our spiritual steps till now…..

…and they see our end.

And at the beginning of it all….the Godhead saw all these things….yet…

..decided to save us:

God the Father would draw us to God the Son.

God the Son would….at the fullness of time to become the Man Christ Jesus and pay the full price of our salvation.

And God the Holy Spirit would become the indwelling agency of His Eternal life to us day by day….for all eternity.

We are either for God….or against Him…..

….there is no neutral ground….before the Throne of God….

…for that is where we all will be….one day.

For Christians….the Throne of God is a throne of mercy and grace:

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

For unbelievers….the Throne of God is the place they will be judged….for all those things done….in their rejection of Christ….

Revelations 20:11-12 “And I saw a great white Throne, and Him that sat on it , from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

(What an terrible thought….no place before Him, now….no place in His mercy or long-suffering love, now!)

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”

What we must understand, is that the battle is a spiritual battle….yet fought in spirit, soul and body.

Romans 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service.

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.”

The body is the Temple of the Lord, for God, in the person of the Holy Spirit indwells us.

People believe that the spiritual life is only in the spirit….they think they can ignore the body.

But the body is an extension of the spirit and soul:

The feet for walking at His direction,

The hands to work HIs Way,

The tongue to speak for Him,

The ear to hear HIs Words,

The eye to look at everything, under His control.

This is how the body…the whole life finds itself under the kingdom of Christ…..we are to bring our body to the Holy Spirit and deny ourselves….

…for our eyes and ears affect the heart.

So when our eyes wander, or our ears are tuned to the world…we have allowed an occasion to the Adversary of our souls…and he has already gained a small victory.

The attack is against our affections, our reasons, our thought life, our anger—past and present, and what we believe.

The attack is,….for the sole purpose of getting us to give up on God…..to forsake His Will and way for us….

….to defeat the Lord’s Will in our lives.

Here in Romans, the mercies of God (the kindness of God to sinners)…call us to offer up our bodies in love to the Holy Spirit….that we might be free.

True freedom is to be free from sin.

What a burden sin is! How it strangles to death!

We are not to be conformed to the world…..or “the age” we find ourselves in.

(Has anyone noticed the sadness, the anger in the world? Or the frantic seeking for entertainment for the moment….afraid of what’s next?)

We can be transformed…..amazing word….from the natural inclination of “the age”.

We have had our part in it,…..yet again mercy comes with “renewing”….

…producing a order and attitude….in our lives…

….this is the reign of Christ through our bodies.

(This is not just refreshment and strength….but the actual saving us…and the real giving of another temperament for our lives, altogether.)

This is what the Everlasting Covenant was for:

Hebrews 13:20-21 “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant.

Make you perfect (complete) in every good work to do His Will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to Whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

This “every good work”…is within us producing the fruit of the Holy Spirit…

…and through us…to a world still lost in the burden of sin.

We are truly in this Battle of the Ages…are we standing with Christ Jesus?

Grace and Peace be multiplied

2 Peter 1:1-2 “Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have attained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ:

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God , and of Jesus our Lord,”

“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you”. Peter is writing, considering that he will soon be martyred. And because of the persecution that the church will be under soon.

(Peter was writing in the apostolic age of the church….the church to Ephesus in Revelation is this church. There was beginning, even then, to be error and apostasy…..”thou hast lost thy first love”.

….But soon the age of Smyrna…the time of throwing Christians to the lions in Rome…would come upon them. And so Peter calls them to see the blessings that are in Christ….the importance for every Christian to grow in grace and peace…by growing in knowledge (experience with Christ).

Peter is praying for them that Christ’s grace and peace abound….or be multiplied to them. And telling them how it will be:

It is “through the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord”.

This is, of course, personal, experiential knowledge of God. That He is our God.

Have you ever thought of that term: God. It means Sovereign…over all. It means All powerful. It means Gracious, Merciful, and Holy.

But what does it mean to us? When I think of God, I think of when Jesus said….”I ascend to My Father, and Your Father; and My God, and your God.” John 20:17

He chose me,….

…..and when I was born again, I chose Him.

He is my God. Over all….the world…and my circumstances.

And He wants us to know Him.

They that know their God shall do exploits (Daniel 11:32)

And through the knowledge of “Jesus our Lord”.

Do you know Jesus as Savior, only? Or as Lord?

And what knowledge are we to gain?

2 Peter 1:3 “According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue:”. Notice how many times Peter stresses “knowledge of Him”.

It is knowledge through His Word;

2 Peter 1:4 “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

How important reading the Bible everyday is, for it’s guidance and help. (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

But it is laying hold on them for our everyday lives that counts. As we dare….be bold…and act in accordance to what these promises for us are….then we really “grow” in Christ. We begin to show HIs nature….His character…and have the reality of those promises.

How can we best know how to pray? Listen to the prayers of those written of here, in the scriptures.

(It is amazing that Jesus prayed all night many times….yet the prayers we have recorded are prayers He taught the disciples (Matthew 6:10-13, Luke 11:2-4)….and the two prayers of subjection to His Father:

Matthew 11:25-26 “…I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in Thy sight.”

And of course the prayers in the garden….”Not Mine will, but Thine be done.” What a lesson in these prayers!)

Knowledge of what He wants to do for us, today, in the very circumstances we are in; with the very people we are called to be around.

(Read Ephesians 6:1-9 for an exhortation in practical life in our homes and jobs!)

Knowledge of His peaceful, powerful, and encouraging Presence. What a blessing it is!

Psalm 3:5 “I laid me down and slept; I awake; for the Lord sustained me.”

Philippians 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to HIs riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

And knowledge of what we need to put aside as we grow in grace,…..what we need to cast off.

2 Peter 1:9-10 “But he that lacketh these things is blind,…

(and Peter has just named the works of the Holy Spirit’s power within us, as we give all diligence to grow…[virtue or the force of the Holy Spirit, knowledge, self-control, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, love]…..

…..so if we lack these things being worked in us…we have become blinded by the world in some respect)

…and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for it ye do these things, ye shall never fall:”

“Fall” here means to trip, to err, to offend, to sin. It does not mean to fall away.

And here is the prayer of Peter. That, because I am going away, I will not be here to warn you….then seek to know your God, and Jesus Christ more. Much trouble is coming to the church….be strong in the Lord.

(And isn’t the church facing these very things again today in this age?)

True knowledge is experiencing victory. For the more we experience Christ…the more like Him we become.

2 Peter 1:11 “For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Heaven is the Father’s house….and every believer, weak or strong, is welcome with the same title and love.

But the everlasting kingdom is one of reward….which is based on our devotion to Christ Jesus. (Paul stresses this in: 1 Cor. 13:1-3 2 John 8 “Look to yourselves, that ye lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.”)

Peter calls them to use the knowledge that they have….and grow in more knowledge of God and Christ Jesus….that will multiply unto themselves the blessings of grace and peace….which they and we….sorely need.

The Garden of our Souls

Song of Solomon 4:12 “A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.”

It is in the garden of our souls, that we have the personal relationship to Jesus. He considers us:

“My sister”, Because in Him, we are of the family of God.

“My spouse”, Because He wants that love relationship with us.

In the beginning, after being born again, a believer is like a piece of uncultivated ground;…..formerly hard and unyielding;…..which has now been dedicated to the Lord.

We begin to allow Him to transform us into a beautiful garden.

This is something that is the same for each believer, as to the final result…..but very different for each, as to the means God uses.

In a garden, you do not plant things at random. There is order,…..although the order may differ in your garden, then in mine.

For some gardens, the beautiful flowers, and bushes may take center stage; whereas in another, berries, or trees of nuts and fruits. In another, vegetables are top priority.

But each is a garden producing fruit for the Gardener.

This is to come to the place where we are willing, whole heartedly working for the pleasure and Will of God.

When we have determined this (it is in the will, willing with the Holy Spirit within),…..we begin to see Him build a “wall” around us; for we are become a “garden enclosed”,…..which includes in it a spring shut up, a fountain sealed for use in the garden.

The “spring shut up”, is the Holy Spirit within.

Isaiah 58:11 “And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.”

The Holy Spirit is not given to us, so we can “show off” to others.

But He is “shut up” to us, so we can experience His power in our lives, to bring us into subjection to Christ;……and so we can have His peace in the world we walk in.

The “fountain sealed”, is the precious blood of Christ, whereby we are forgiven and cleansed.

Zechariah 13:1 “In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanliness.”

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The fountain is sealed here, because it is speaking of the personal salvation and cleansing of this love one….me, you.

Christ’s forgiveness and cleansing is open to all who come to Him…..but then, in a personal sense….it is made “enclosed” or intimate for that one who comes.

We are made for the Lord’s pleasure. Our beauty of character, and faithful works, are for His joy.

Song of Solomon 4:16 “Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.”

The north wind can be chilling, and frosty.

The south wind is mild, and warm.

As we are tilled, and weeded….as the seasons come and go…..we can come to see that the Gardener has worked in us the fruit of the Spirit;…..and taught us to use His grace.

So, no matter the circumstances: favorable or not,……we will learn that we do not have to be influenced…by them.

Instead, we can simply use them to the Lord’s advantage.

We can come to the place, where real prosperity, Spiritual Prosperity, does not rest upon external circumstances.

No, it rests upon the internal life of Christ within us. The inner man of the heart; the relationship with Christ.

We can grow in any situation, when we come to this.

We are totally dependent upon God, and being filled with His grace in each situation.

We are looking, in a special way, to the Holy Spirit, to accomplish His purpose in everything.

There is no difficulty in adjusting to any circumstance. This is pretty amazing, since most of us do not like change. (Some say they do, if they make the change……But if it is thrust upon them, that is different.)

Philippians 4:11-13 “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

I know how to be abased, (very hard, without the Holy Spirit’s help) and I know how to abound (not if we let it go to our heads): every where in all things I am instructed (not just told, but empowered so we can learn) both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

It is “through Christ”. He saves, He makes me His own, He teaches by the Holy Spirit, He furnishes all the grace, and holds me up in His own hand.

We are His garden. We are “in Christ”, and it is “through Christ” that we live.

The Christian life is not easy; not so much because of the circumstances we are in;……..but because we do not have in our experience the lessons we need.

Is it because we will not go through them?

Or is it because we do not know all that Christ has for us?

Christ’s invitation to “learn of Me” still holds true.

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls:

For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”

Adam

Romans 5:18-19 “Therefore, as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of One the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One shall many be made righteous.”

The “corruption” (2 Peter 1:4) that we inherit from our first parents, is a great evil….for it is the source of all our personal sins.

We choose our personal sins….but the internal corruption (nature of sin) came through Adam.

Adam was made in the image of God…..and God pronounced him “very good”(Genesis 1:31).

Adam was indwelt by the Holy Spirit….and fully capable, by the Holy Spirit’s enabling to discharge his responsibility to God.

God made Adam upright (Ecclesiastes 7:29)…..which means that Adam had intelligence, and purity.

His body was strong and sound.

His soul was focused on the will of God.

His spirit was enlightened by the Spirit of God.

His circumstances were wonderful…..living in a beautiful garden….where God had made him ruler, under Him (Genesis 1:26) of all things….animals included.

He had everything he needed, and wanted…..

….and there was only one thing in which God tested his faithfulness….and obedience….

…..The tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

That was the only requirement for Adam….he was not to eat of it.

Therefore the test for Adam….was whether he would change his glorious life with God….

….for a life of independence from his Creator.

To do so…..(and God told him so Genesis 2:16-17)…..would be rebellion of the worst kind….

….for it would be…..trying to be like God Himself….

…..trying to throw God off His throne….and be god over himself….to choose to have, what God said he should not have.

Would he try and be independent of God…..to puff up himself….by an act of disobedience to God?

(I am asking all of these in questions…..for, as Christians, with the Holy Spirit within us….we are presented with the same questions:

Will we throw off our subjection to Christ….to choose what God says we should not have….and lose His blessing?

Will we be faithful and obedient…..or rebel against His Word and Will?

This is our life:

We have been given the Holy Spirit….and the garden of our soul’s to “dress and keep” for Him.

We have been given dominion…..under Christ….to rule ourselves in our circumstances…..to live the life of faith, which sees God first….but are we doing so…..in practical life?

Have we sought out the tree of the knowledge of good and evil…..and thought about “tasting” it’s fruit again?)

Had Adam continued to be faithful to His Creator and God….by refusing to eat of the tree of good and evil….even though Eve offered it to him….

….he would have remained as ruler in Eden….

……instead he sentenced all future generations to sin, illness, death.

He “fell”…..it is a term used for being on a high plan……and tumbling down to the very bottom….Hell.

Adam looked at the fruit in Eve’s hand…..and was not ignorant of the consequences.

God had told him death would be his reward for such willful rebellion.

Adam knew what death was…..it was the opposite of life with God….

…but he chose to be independent of God….to close His eyes to God’s Word….

….which had always been a source of comfort, and goodness to him….

…..and when he did….he sinned….and he lost the Holy Spirit….

….and his spirit became darkened.

He lost his dominion over anything….and became a scared creature hiding in the trees….grabbing anything to cover themselves from the eyes of He Who sees everything.

Spiritual death came instantly…..physical death came years later…..but Adam died everyday he remained.

Adam was prominent in the first three chapters….but after he was driven out of Eden….he was named in only three instances….

….for the birth of Cain….so like his father…a murderer….

….and for the birth of Seth….from which Christ came…

….and to tell of the years of his life….”and he died” (Genesis 5:1-5)

Adam, though he was made upright….was given a nature that could turn from God and by choice….change his glory to shame.

Adam’s sons and daughters….all of humanity….also has a choice to make:

God, or the knowledge of good and evil?

(If you thought I was going to say: heaven or hell…..not so.

Though God tells of those as the final places of residence for all of Adam’s children…….yet, God never speaks of our chose…..in those terms.

He speaks in the terms: Life or Death?

You see, we can come to Christ Jesus, and receive His life…..Eternal life:

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

Or,…..we can refuse His Word, and rebel against Christ Jesus, and die:

John 3:16,18 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”)

Adam existed nine hundred and thirty years….almost a millennial…..but he never really “lived” after sinning.

He was the father of all humanity….but condemned each and everyone….

…..to sin: hurt….illness….death.

Sin is a great evil…..all humanity was damned for it.

Yet Christ’s righteousness is a great blessing….for all who believe on Him are saved for it.

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

What will we choose?

God’s life through Christ Jesus the Lord?

Or….

A life of existence only, without God….till death?

Adam

Romans 5:18-19 “Therefore, as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of One the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One shall many be made righteous.”

The “corruption” (2 Peter 1:4) that we inherit from our first parents, is a great evil….for it is the source of all our personal sins.

We choose our personal sins….but the internal corruption (nature of sin) came through Adam.

Adam was made in the image of God…..and God pronounced him “very good”(Genesis 1:31).

Adam was indwelt by the Holy Spirit….and fully capable, by the Holy Spirit’s enabling to discharge his responsibility to God.

God made Adam upright (Ecclesiastes 7:29)…..which means that Adam had intelligence, and purity.

His body was strong and sound.

His soul was focused on the will of God.

His spirit was enlightened by the Spirit of God.

His circumstances were wonderful…..living in a beautiful garden….where God had made him ruler, under Him (Genesis 1:26) of all things….animals included.

He had everything he needed, and wanted…..

….and there was only one thing in which God tested his faithfulness….and obedience….

…..The tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

That was the only requirement for Adam….he was not to eat of it.

Therefore the test for Adam….was whether he would change his glorious life with God….

….for a life of independence from his Creator.

To do so…..(and God told him so Genesis 2:16-17)…..would be rebellion of the worst kind….

….for it would be…..trying to be like God Himself….

…..trying to throw God off His throne….and be god over himself….to choose to have, what God said he should not have.

Would he try and be independent of God…..to puff up himself….by an act of disobedience to God?

(I am asking all of these in questions…..for, as Christians, with the Holy Spirit within us….we are presented with the same questions:

Will we throw off our subjection to Christ….to choose what God says we should not have….and lose His blessing?

Will we be faithful and obedient…..or rebel against His Word and Will?

This is our life:

We have been given the Holy Spirit….and the garden of our soul’s to “dress and keep” for Him.

We have been given dominion…..under Christ….to rule ourselves in our circumstances…..to live the life of faith, which sees God first….but are we doing so…..in practical life?

Have we sought out the tree of the knowledge of good and evil…..and thought about “tasting” it’s fruit again?)

Had Adam continued to be faithful to His Creator and God….by refusing to eat of the tree of good and evil….even though Eve offered it to him….

….he would have remained as ruler in Eden….

……instead he sentenced all future generations to sin, illness, death.

He “fell”…..it is a term used for being on a high plan……and tumbling down to the very bottom….Hell.

Adam looked at the fruit in Eve’s hand…..and was not ignorant of the consequences.

God had told him death would be his reward for such willful rebellion.

Adam knew what death was…..it was the opposite of life with God….

…but he chose to be independent of God….to close His eyes to God’s Word….

….which had always been a source of comfort, and goodness to him….

…..and when he did….he sinned….and he lost the Holy Spirit….

….and his spirit became darkened.

He lost his dominion over anything….and became a scared creature hiding in the trees….grabbing anything to cover themselves from the eyes of He Who sees everything.

Spiritual death came instantly…..physical death came years later…..but Adam died everyday he remained.

Adam was prominent in the first three chapters….but after he was driven out of Eden….he was named in only three instances….

….for the birth of Cain….so like his father…a murderer….

….and for the birth of Seth….from which Christ came…

….and to tell of the years of his life….”and he died” (Genesis 5:1-5)

Adam, though he was made upright….was given a nature that could turn from God and by choice….change his glory to shame.

Adam’s sons and daughters….all of humanity….also has a choice to make:

God, or the knowledge of good and evil?

(If you thought I was going to say: heaven or hell…..not so.

Though God tells of those as the final places of residence for all of Adam’s children…….yet, God never speaks of our chose…..in those terms.

He speaks in the terms: Life or Death?

You see, we can come to Christ Jesus, and receive His life…..Eternal life:

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

Or,…..we can refuse His Word, and rebel against Christ Jesus, and die:

John 3:16,18 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”)

Adam existed nine hundred and thirty years….almost a millennial…..but he never really “lived” after sinning.

He was the father of all humanity….but condemned each and everyone….

…..to sin: hurt….illness….death.

Sin is a great evil…..all humanity was damned for it.

Yet Christ’s righteousness is a great blessing….for all who believe on Him are saved for it.

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

What will we choose?

God’s life through Christ Jesus the Lord?

Or….

A life of existence only, without God….till death?

The Perilous times of the Last days

2 Timothy 3:1 “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.”

This “last days” is not the Tribulation Period, but the last days of the Church Age, which is spoken of here.

And why are they perilous? In the Greek, “perilous” means to reduce strength, dangerous.

Anytime we are not at full strength to resist the Devil, or combat the temptations of the world; we are in a perilous situation.

And this is a warning for the Church.

2 Timothy 3:2-5 “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good.

Traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God;

Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”

Paul was warning that there would come into the Church, those who would fit right into the times; but who would not be righteous with God; for they will deny the power of God in their lives…..to rule and change them.

They will refuse subjection to authority; though they may praise it in reguard to others.

The real telling description of these people, is that they are “lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.”

“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof”

We all know about forms. We fill numbers of them out when we send away for something. Our Taxes. For Schools. Etc.

So we know that a form, filled out, gives a lot of information…….which could just be false.

Here, this is expressed, as a form of godliness.

They have filled in all the blanks. Said all the right things, to be accepted, but they are all false;…..for they “deny” the Power of God, in their own lives.

To deny is to refuse.

They refuse to submit to that power, and receive it, for they don’t really want it or Him.

Luke 5:17 “There came to pass on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which are come out of every town of Galilee, and Judea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.”

But they were not healed. Those Pharisees and doctors came to hear Jesus, and after hearing Jesus, and seeing a miracle,……they left the very same men.

They could have been healed of their unbelief, but they refused.

Perilous times will come. If fact, are here.

And we, as Christians, need to strengthen ourselves in God’s Word for the days ahead.

We need to regain the personal relationship we once had with the Lord Jesus.

God is Almighty. He has promised to save us to the uttermost.

Hebrews 7:25 “Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.”

Christ’s intercession before the Throne of God, for us…..brings us boldness to come into His presence (Hebrews 4:16)……and brings blessings down to us (Ephesians 1:3).

Let us receive His Power for our lives. Let us submit to Him….for He will heal….for He is Able.