Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven.”

Our speech does not save us…..our works do not save us…..Jesus Christ saves us,…

…but once we are saved, we are to do the will of God.

That is,…..we are to know it….and do it.

Matthew 7:16-17, 20 “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”

Here Jesus contrasts a good tree, and a corrupt tree.

The good tree…is one that brings forth fruit of righteousness

(righteousness is right living before God…..not in men’s estimation……but before God.)

Romans 6:22”But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life.”

Hebrews 12:11 “Now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, afterward it yeildeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”

Then there is the corrupt tree…..corrupt means rotten, spoiled.

(most of the Greek words when corrupt is used is warning of being spoiled….but here, it is already rotten….unable to produce righteousness….unable to bear fruit.)

Philippians 3:18-19 “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

Whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.”

Romans 16:17-18 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

For they are such that serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.”

The “belly” here, means “hollow”…..it is the inward hunger to be satisfied with things of this world.

John the Baptist had said, “ the axe is laid at the root of the tree….every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down….”

(For the contrast is “good trees” and “corrupt trees”.

What the tree is……the fruit is.)

And how do we become “good trees”?

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

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

We must enter in at the strait gate. “Strait” here means “narrow with obstacles placed around it.”

That sounds hard to see and to enter.

Jesus says that “few there be that find it”….so it takes a diligent and willing heart.

We need a Guide….and Jesus sends His Holy Spirit to guide us into this Way….as we yield to His convictions.

Because there are obstacles are there, around the strait gate….obstacles put there by the world, and the Adversary of our souls….

…..and there are many things that get our eye off looking for God’s Way….

…..bright and shining things…..

…..piles of the newest things…..

…..emotional things…..which can get our eyes off God’s Way.

Many see in this strait gate…..a reference to repentance….and the laying aside the things we carry….

….burdens, giving up sins, etc….

repentance….which is a change in our attitude toward our sin….(we do not love it any more….it has become a burden instead of a delight)…

….I believe that this burden gets taken care of at Calvary….it is rolled away forever, there.

And the power of our sins is dealt with by the Holy Spirit…after we are born again….by denying ourselves….and being obedient to Him.

(I have mentioned before about Pilgrim’s Progress….So much practical instruction for those going to the Celestial City….and one of the first lessons is:

Christian has left the city of Destruction for he has read in the best of Books that the soul that sinneth it shall die…..and he knows he has sinned….he realizes he has a burden of sin, that would carry him to the lowest hell….

But where is Salvation from his sin?

He meets Evangelist who tells him of the Way of salvation….

…and by the instruction of Evangelist has headed toward the little light at “yonder wicket gate”….

He still has a great burden on his back, which Evangelist says will come off at the right time. [it falls off at the cross and rolls into Christ’s tomb…never to be seen again]

So Christian is going toward the light, but he gets “muddied” by falling into the Slough of Despond….a place where all the muck of sins we have done gathers in our minds….

……but he still diligently struggles toward the light….and “Help” comes and gives him a hand out.

Back on the way to the light….he meets a very finely dressed “gentlemen”.

Mr WorldlyWiseman.

Seeing Christian….and he wasn’t a particularly inspiring sight with mud still clinging to him, and a burden on his back….

Mr. WorldlyWiseman asks him where is he going in such a state. And Christian tells him….and he laughs!

“Don’t believe it”. He exclaims…..”it is a way full of trouble…look at what it has already done to you. You are a mess!”

Christian feels like a mess….and the burden is heavy….so he says…”but I am going to the wicket gate to get this burden off”.

[Really!? is that what he is doing? Is not salvation from his sins the reason for his going?

But he already has his eyes off salvation,…..and onto simple relief from his burden…how easy it is to get our eyes off of Christ.]

Well, Mr WorldlyWiseman tells him of another way of getting rid of his burden….

…….from a man in the town of Morality……a few towns over from Destruction.

Christians would even be able to bring his family…..it was a nice town….they could live well, and everything would be fine.

[There are many “fine” places in the world…..that have nothing to do with God, or His Word. Places that can trap those who live in them…..because they are so fine. There is only One Way to Eternal life….and that is through the strait gate….up to the Cross of Christ. He is Eternal life….and none other.]

So Christian had listened to Mr WorldlyWiseman (first mistake).

Then he stops and thinks about the relief from his burden (second mistake).

Then he turns from the Way he was sent and starts to follow his advice….but then….[Praise God] he begins to think that the he will die if he goes further…..

….but he is too scared to go back….or forward….

…till by God’s grace, Evangelist comes by…

….and he asks Christian….”how can you be out of the Way, already?”

[and have not some of us done the same? Praise God for His deliverance!]

Christian tells him what happened….

…..and Evangelist sharply corrects Christian….

….showing him the error of the speech of this WorldlyWiseman….”Anyone who leads you away from the light….or out of the way is an enemy of God.”

…..No one can take off your burden, except it fall off at the foot of the Cross.

Hebrews 10:38 “Now the just shall live by faith; but if any man draw back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him.”

Christian cries out, “Is there any hope that I may go back…seeing I have so soon departed from the Way?”

Evangelist tells Christian that there is forgiveness……and to beware those who would lead you to mistrust the Word….that anyone who seeks to do that, is an enemy of God’s good.

Then he sends him back….

……so Christian, with diligence, gets to the Wicket gate….and in the Wicket gate……and to the Cross where his burden falls off.)

There are many obstacles by and to the Strait gate. Some from others, some from the Adversary of our souls,…….and some from us getting our eyes off of the Light.

Not everyone that says, “Lord, Lord”….shall enter into the kingdom of heaven….

….but he that does the Will of My Father in heaven.

And it is the Father’s Will that we follow after Christ….and His Word….all the Way.

For strait is the gate that leads to Everlasting life…..and few there be that find it.

By their fruits you shall know them….

What sort of fruit are we bringing forth?

Believers, and the “big” men of the world

I believe wholeheartedly that we must become rooted and grounded in the Lord, Himself (Ephesians 3:17)…..in this age we are living in….

….we must learn to rely on Him…..to trust Him with our whole being….

…in spiritual things,….in reasonable or emotional things…..and with our physical well-being.

I am going to use David, the shepherd, as an example.

He kept his father’s sheep. Day and night, through cold and heat, and from wild beasts,….David watched for the well-being of the sheep.

David had been secretly anointed king of Israel, yet had left the working out of this promise to God.

He had gone back to the sheep….the flocks of his father, Jessie.

But one day, things change……forever for him….and through him, the nation of Israel….

…and all this comes from a very simple command from his father….nothing fancy, or dramatically…….just go bring food to his brothers who were in the army with Saul.

(Sometimes the way the Lord leads us may be step by step…..nothing fancy or dramatic….just guidance, which followed will help us in the most important decisions of our lives.)

Once there, David hears the challenge of one of the most “big” and powerful men of the world he lived in…..Goliath.

1 Samuel 17:4, 8, 10 “And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.

And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? Am not I a Philistine, and ye the servants of Saul? Choose you a man of you and let him come down to me.

And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.”

Goliath was a “champion”…..he was no novice, in the killing business.

He was a giant….approximately 10-11 feet tall.

He had a helmet of brass, and a coat of brass plates overlaid like scales of a fish,….he wore brass boots, and had a brass corselet around his neck….his spear was too large for most men to carry or put their hand around.

He was pretty much unconquerable,…..and he knew it.

This conversation was a mocking challenge….to Saul….to any Israelite who believed in their God,……Who was a Shield to protect their army.

David took this challenge very personally….for Goliath was attacking God….the Living and True God….not just His army.

No one else seem to mind Goliath’s mocking….nor the sneer in his voice as Goliath called on the “servants of Saul”….instead of the servants of the Living God.

But David did…..and asked immediately…

1 Samuel 17:26 “And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the Living God?”

This Philistine “reproached” them everyday… (forty days…1 Samuel 17:16)

“Reproach” here means “to pull off, strip of dignity, to disgrace”.

But David would not have Goliath continue…..so he looked for a way to see about defeating this giant….

So in front of Saul…

1 Samuel 17:32 “And David said to Saul, Let not man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”

And here we come to the second “big” man of David’s time…..the king Saul.

(As believers, we come into contact with all sorts of people.

There are believing friends,….

….out-right enemies…..

….and hypocrites…..many who are head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to human ability 1 Samuel 10:23-24.

Saul was that kind of man. Israel had wanted a king, like the other nations, that could lead them in and out of battle,….and Saul was head and shoulders taller than them all.

Yet, here, when the army is at a stalemate…..Saul does nothing. He is as afraid and dismayed as all Israel….1 Samuel 17:11.)

Saul’s belief in the God of Israel has always been just because he was a Hebrew…..not because he knew God personally.

(though for a time Saul was taught such knowledge through Samuel….but he never got to the point where he loved and obeyed God personally. 1 Samuel 15:22-23, 30 notice “thy God”)

But Saul does “believe” and trust in worldly means….and if David is determined to face this Philistine….

….he will give him the best in his kingdom…..his armor.

(Now as believers, we are to beware of using worldly means to gain spiritual battles….2 Corinthians 10:3-5……it does not work…and can entangle us in snares.)

1 Samuel 17:38-39 “And Saul armed David with his armor, and he put a helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.

And David girded his sword upon his armor, and he assayed to go, for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.”

Now David, was going to yield to Saul….”he assayed to go”…..and go out with these….

…..but God’s wisdom reigned over him….

….and he, instead, he told Saul….”I cannot use these….I have not proved them in battle, like I have my sling and staff.”

And he took them off.

Many times we are given opportunities for God’s glory….but it is as important how we stand and fight….as well, as that we do.

As we all know…..Goliath fell under the weight of the Living God….using a simple stone,…a sling,….and a willing, believing servant.

But before they fought….David gave this testimony…

1 Samuel 17:45-47 “Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, Whom thou has defied.

This day will the Lord deliver thee into my hand;….that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and with spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

This is the believing obedience we need in these days….for don’t we face many “big” and powerful men who mock and refuse to believe our God?

David and Saul’s armor

David and Goliath

Both were “big” men in their time….

Saul’s armor had to be rejected because David had not proved it….it was not for him

Goliath was huge…..yet fell under the power of God, used through David, it is true….but in God’s name and by His power.

(Yes, we have an armor of God, but He has given it to us…..which is:

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might”….

……truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, with the Spirit’s help in the Word of God, and prayer. Ephesians 6:10-18)

We are not to use the methods of this world….that would be like fighting Goliath with a sword….against his sword and spear.

We are not to use the methods of someone else….they may give good advice….even believing in their advice….like Saul….but that will fail,….for we have not proved them…

….instead, we are to use the power of God’s might….what we have,…….in His Name….stand and be delivered.

Are we hiding behind our Wall, because we are afraid of the next step?

Song of Solomon 2:8-9 “The voice of my beloved! Behold, He cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.

My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, He standeth behind our wall, He looketh forth at the windows, showing Himself through the lattice.”

As we go on with God, we come to many places where we are given difficult problems to overcome….some harder than others.

Some are mountains of difficulty….impossible things for us, in our own strength, to overcome….

And some hills….not impossible, but hard going.

But, these are the experiences the Lord often calls us to. Not alone,…..but with Him. That is what is set forth in these verses.

The Lord is seen as a Roe or a Young Hart….ever vigorous, and ever victorious leaping over any obstacle for us,…..calling us…on with Him.

Seen through a window, with lattice over it. We know it is the Lord, for we heard His voice…went to the window, to see Him….but He is outside, ready to go on….but we are still behind our wall.

Song of Solomon 2:10 “My Beloved spake and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.”

This is personal…”said unto me”. He is not calling His church, but “His love, His fair one”; His personal call to you…..to come away.

But from what are we to come away?

We are to “come away” from “our wall”; for He has come and found that we are behind a wall.

I believe that this “wall” is our spiritual experience up-to-date. It separates us from the world….

…..but, when we continue to stay behind it, it can also separate us from going on with the Lord.

(It is wonderful to know how far we have come with Jesus; we can rejoice in what we have! But He is calling us on,…..to keep going with Him)

It is safe, here. I know I am saved….I go to church…I love the Lord.

I see those mountains up ahead…and they are too much for me.

I see those hills,…and when I think I could, maybe, go out and walk them….I worry about….what if I fall?

But Jesus calls again.

He has already shown me that He is able to surmount any of the obstacles that stand in our way…..He leaps mountains, and skips hills…..and He is asking me to do the same….in His strength, with Him.

Song of Solomon 2:11-14 “For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;

The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle(dove) is heard in our land;

The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, My love, My fair one, and come away.

O My dove, that art in the clefts of the Rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let Me see thy countenance, let Me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.”

The Lord shows that the winter conditions of the soul are past (I have heard His voice)…..new life is springing up (my heart is moved to answer His call)……now is the time to arise, and leave the good that I have, for the better He calls me to…..with Him.

What is this next step He is calling us to?

I know He is calling me to come out completely…to be seen as His, even in the difficult and impossible times of my life….to trust His might.

I know He is calling me to speak to Him more,…..and of Him.

Jesus calls us:

“Arise, My love, My fair one, My dove, and come away. Don’t be afraid, but come out from behind our wall,….trust Me, and come with Me,…into what is next.”

Naaman

2 Kings 5:1 “Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honorable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.”

Leprosy in scripture is a type of the deep depravity of sin in someone’s life….it is contagious to others (how many times bad friends influence thoughts?)…and

…how quickly it spreads to other parts of the body.

It strikes the rich and poor, and the strong and the weak….beginning like a small sore ( it seems nothing)….yet it grows, widening it’s influence…till fingers fall off and the body is destroyed.

Like sin, it “eats” away at you, until you are consumed.

(Now there is a medical treatment for leprosy…but not then. Only God could cure from it.)

Naaman was a leper. Still he was a “mighty man of valor”, and head of the army of Syria.

God had purposed to use this army upon Israel…to show them their sin.

(I want to mention the reason for Naaman coming to Israel, to seek cleansing in a land that was an enemy.

A captive Israelite girl, and her testimony.

She was taken away in a raid on Israel…taken from her family, alone in a foreign land…yet we see her belief in God ….and she testifies of His power and His prophet, Elisha.

2 Kings 5:2-3)

So Naaman comes, with gold, silver and expensive clothes. All, what the world would consider wealth…to Elisha’s door.

2 Kings 5:9-10 “So Naaman came with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.”

And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.”

Here is this important person….waiting at the door of Elisha’s house. Waiting…waiting…

…then a someone comes out and simply gives him a message…

“Go wash in the Jordan seven times and you will be cleansed.”

(Very simple directions…amazingly simple. So is the gospel: “Whosoever believes on Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

“Confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God and you will be saved.” Romans 10:9-10)

2 Kings 5:11-12 “But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.

Are not…rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.”

How often we are the same!?

God’s way of doing things is so different than what we are expecting….or planned.

“Behold I thought that he would surely come out and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place…”

When you look at what Naaman thought….it seems almost funny. He wanted a show as well as healing!

But Elisha was not the miracle worker…..God was.

It was God’s Word, obeyed,…alone that would give the cure….and Elisha was making that perfectly clear.

Naaman would have to submit to the Word of the Lord to be cleansed.

So Naaman “turned”…and went away in a rage.

To turn from the Way…is dangerous…

…thankfully this man had kind servants.

2 Kings 5:13 “And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather than, when he said unto thee, Wash, and be clean?”

I rejoice in these servants!

How this shows the impact of…a word in due season!

They showed respect… “my father”…when speaking to him.

But they reminded him of what should be most important to him….his cleansing from leprosy…

…not his pride!

(Pride is a fearful thing. It can keep us from God’s Word and Will. For it places what we want…or the way we want things for ourselves or others, before anything else.

Many people are kept from salvation….because they do not want to submit to the Word of God. Even when their need is great…pride can push in, and “turn” them from the Truth.

How precious is a friend or a word to remind them of what is really important…the salvation of their souls.)

2 Kings 5:14 “Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.”

(“Then he went down”…a very telling word. He humbled himself..he went down…that God could raise him up. James 4:10)

Amazing miracle! A leper cured when he simply followed the Word of God.

How grateful he was!

Clean! Free from the terrible disease and wasting death, he would have had.

(And so is the freedom from sin by Christ’s salvation.

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

2 Kings 5:15-16 “And he (Naaman) returned to the man of God,….and came and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.

But he (Elisha) said, As the Lord liveth, before Whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused.”

Notice the difference in attitude. “thy servant “….Naaman was not there as one in charge, or as someone important, but as a servant.

Though he wanted to give a gift…

…yet he was not angry about Elisha refusing it. There was no pride….simply submission to God’s Will.

2 Kings 5:17-19a “And Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules’ burden of earth? For thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the Lord.

In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself…the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing.

And he (Elisha) said unto him, Go in peace….”

Here is the desire to worship only the Lord. Truly there was a cleansing of his heart was well as his disease.

Notice: “…the Lord pardon your servant..”. Twice.

Once, before he explained that as the king’s servant he would have to bow before the kings god, because he would be with the king.

And once at the end.

He then waited…

…and Elisha said….”Go in peace”. There was peace between Naaman and the Lord…amazing mercy and grace.

Salvation from a rebel against God and His Word and Will….to one who bows before the Lord Christ, and loves Him, is true salvation by grace.

And now the sad part of this (2Kings 5:20-27)….a servant of Elisha’s…Gehazi, felt that Naaman had gotten off without cost!

With greed in his heart, he seeks some of the wealth that Naaman had brought…a talent of silver and two changes of clothes.

And he uses Elisha’s name to get it!

As a servant of Elisha, and the Lord…he should have known the magnanimous provision of the Lord…but greed (like all sin) swells with in his heart and mind…and he runs after it, instead of turning to the Lord…or even to Elisha.

Nothing changes for Naaman, he is glad to help….not to buy his cleansing, as he thought to do…but as a fellow servant of the Lord.

Returning to the house, Gehazi tries to hide his sin….lying about it…but is first rebuked:

“Is it time to accept money and garments…and the things that they can buy? We will be at war…there will be famine….now is a time for prayer and preparing the hearts of our people…not for greedily seeking things for ourselves.”

Then the leprosy of Naaman is given to him.

For some, who submit to God’s Word….there is cleansing, mercy and peace…

…no matter what the background.

For others, who refuse God’s Will and Word…

…for jealousy, greed, or pride…sin will ultimately eat them up…unless they turn and repent.

Let us rejoice in the simplicity of the gospel message:

Jesus Christ came to seek and to save

all who will come to Him.

Romans 10:9-10 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

The Greatest Need for our day is a return to First Principles

Matthew 16:24 “Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.”

The very first principle for all who would follow Jesus, is the message of the cross—our personal cross.

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.”

We will never have what Christ Jesus has for us in reality, unless we will deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him….

Bearing our cross to the place where we no longer resist His Will in anything….(This is not sinless perfection, but it is final obedience….you will obey what He wills.)

And He sits enthroned in our hearts, and lives.

What is our personal cross? This deals with our wills.

First, it is something you can say “no” to; for it is “whosoever will”, “ if any man will”.

Second, it is personal. My cross is not your cross, and visa-versa.

Third, it is any thing in God’s Will that crosses our wills; or brings up resentment and a feeling of wanting to run away from it.

[I usually feel a bristling in me. And as soon as I do, I know I need to talk to the Lord about this….

“I am not liking Your Will, for whatever reason, but I surrender right now, and ask that Your blessed Holy Spirit will help me, not just do this for Your sake, but change my attitude about it.”]

When we come to the willed decision that Christ is going to rule our lives; then Jesus calls us on to a more intimate calling:

Matthew 16:25 “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: And whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it.”

This deals with our personality: that which is truly us.

You see, from children to grown-ups, we take on the mannerisms and habits and attitudes of the world around us.

What this call deals with is: Jesus freeing us from these entanglements; and giving us liberty to be us….the true us, He created.

He redeemed and saved us…not someone we think we would like to be like.

This is to “lose our lives in ourselves”.

We believe, our souls are the seat of our personality. We are unique, no two are exactly alike.

We believe also, that our souls are the most precious thing to God in all of His Creation….for Christ Jesus paid the Atonement price to save them.

When we are freed and under the liberty of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17-18), only then do we find our life in Christ.

As we continue to deny our self-life (our attitudes, our way of thinking things out, our affections, our reactions),…..so we may find our life in Christ.

Christ deals with us in His own way.

(I knew a child, that every time he became scared…..he would get angry. This was a “mechanism” he used, to cover his fear.

He would yell, he would stomp,….not for the reasons his parents thought, but because he was really scared.

Once they saw that, they were able to deal with him…..not as a brat, having a fit….but as a scared kid……trying to act tough. And that changed everything.)

You see it is only as we get past the “covers” of our attitudes,……that we can deal with the real issues.

Then our attitudes change.

We walk by faith and not by sight.

We “learn, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content” (Philippians 4:11). We learn discernment…what is good for us, and what is not.

And we gain confidence in our walk with God. We know…

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

It is ever an onward walk with Christ….more and more of Him in us, freeing us from every sin and iniquity (anything unequal to your high calling in Christ Jesus)….

….till we are complete: there are no half measures with God.

Free from the bondage and influences of the world, and sin;

Obedient—having our obediences up-to-date;

Surrounded by His peace (Philippians 4:7), practically…..we are at peace with God, with the circumstances….and even, at peace with ourselves.

Rooted and grounded in His love (Ephesians 3:17).

He wants us to be fully free, and fully His.

Will we begin to “follow Him”, by denying ourselves and picking up our cross (those things of His Will that cross what we want,….how we think…..how we feel)…….till we no longer resist His Will in anything.

Then going on to lose “our life”, that we might truly be who He has created us to be….finding our life and purpose….in Christ Jesus.

Why must we lose our self-life?

Matthew 16:25 “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it.”

Why must we lose our self-life?

Does not God love me? so why does God want me to change?

Sure, I can give up my sin….the bad things, but why “me”?

Would true love to Christ, ask such a question?

The “me” we give up….is not our true personality…..that is saved and brought into complete subjection to Christ, by His Spirit.

The “me” we give up…..is our way of doing things, our attitudes picked up from the world, our narrowness of self…..which always looks for “what will this do for me”.

When I first heard of denying myself, and losing my self-life…..frankly I thought that it would be easy.

After all, I am saved….I want the Lord’s Will…

…..that is all there is to it, right?

….but did I really want His Will? Do I really want to have His life, instead of mine?

Yes, actually I did….

…..and through this process, I learned that.

It is one of the wonderful things that comes from it.

So many,….like I did…..

…..think they have surrendered to the Lord’s Will for their lives, yet constantly reject the Way, that Will is to be brought to pass.

Surely, the Lord would not care if I do this…..this way…after all, it gets His Will done….

….when the reality of it all is, His Will is certainly HIs Way.

How many problems could we avoid, if we would be more attentive to the Lord’s way of doing things.

The whole objective in the Lord’s call to deny ourselves and pick up our cross…..the reality of it….is

……that we might lose our life in ourself….

And even that is not the end….although it is an amazing freedom from the narrowness of self….

….but the end is…..that we might find our life in Christ, which is liberty of the Spirit in all our days.

This losing our self-life is a step by step process of giving over to Christ…..my habits, my ways, and my opinions….and taking on His character….His ways….His thoughts…

…His gentleness,….no one was more gentle than Christ.

I am not talking about “wishy-washy, it is ok” stuff.

I am talking about bending down….and reaching out to those who suffered…and drawing them out to a belief in Him.

(The leper, the man at the pool of Bethesda..John 5:6-8, the Samaritan woman, the demon possessed living in tombs..Mark 5:2-15)

…His boldness in the face of evil.

Twice, driving out the money sellers in the Temple.

Accusing those that did not want Him to heal on the Sabbath of hypocrisy because they would pull one of their sheep out of a pit on this day.

Standing face to face with the mob and Judas, who came to arrest Him,….unlawfully.

…His truth.

He never excused sin…..He forgave it.

…His prayer life.

Many nights alone, all night with His Heavenly Father in prayer.

Praying for Peter when the devil would “sift him as wheat”

…His ministry of warning all that the kingdom of God is come.

Christ came to die…..but He was not silent…..nor did He do nothing, but wait His time.

He “fulfilled all righteousness”….in a world of sin, hatred, and illness.

We, too, need to fulfill all the righteousness we are called to.

And the only way to really finish our work….is to become conformed to Christ, and His character.

To lose our life….we need to come to the place that we see:

It is not Christ for me……unless Christ is formed in me.

That it is not our life we are living…..but an extension of His life, in my circumstances….to His honor.

This can only be by love. The willed tendency of our heart to yield, to give, to be completely His.

To love Him with all our heart, mind, soul, will….this is to lose our lives in our selves…..so we can find His life rising in us.

We will be what we will to be:

Romans 6:16 “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whither of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”

Will is our whole being active. Our minds are in it, our emotions are there, and our wills are the force within each person, which says, “I will do this.”

In this verse, “yield” is the action word.

Here, in Romans (Romans 6:13,16,19) it means: “to be at hand or ready to aid”.

It is a picture of a servant who is at the side of the master, ready to assist in any way.

(As David’s servants said to him,…

2 Samuel 15:15 “And the king’s servants said unto the king, Behold, thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall appoint.”)

For as Christians, we have our blessed new nature which was placed within us at new birth. But we also have our old nature which would led us away from God. That makes the struggle (Galatians 5:16-17) we often feel within ourselves.

We forget, sometimes, that we are servants. (Some people think that they can rule their own destiny, but it is a false premise.)

We are all ruled by something, or Someone. For Christians, we should be ruled by Jesus Christ: His Will and His Word.

And this is what Paul is setting forth here:

We are servants of sin,….we choose some sort of sin,….and are under the power of that sin.

Or,

We are servants of righteousness,…..choosing to be obedient to the new life,……Christ’s life within.

And the way to choose His life, or righteousness; is to yield.

We yield to obedience to Him.

We must ask ourselves: Is Jesus Christ really necessary to me? Or could I get along without Him in my life?

Jesus Christ could change anything! But He desires most to change us into His likeness, and character.

He has given us our wills, and He has chosen that we must “yield” or be ready to give Him all the aid He requires to bring His Will to pass in, by and through me.

He would have us to be His servants and become the persons He will mold us into.

He wants heart-servants. Those that love Him.

Those that love to be with Him, in fellowship and in the work. (For He has a work of witness for all of us).

And to do this, we must exercise our wills, and be ready to do whatsoever the Lord says.

Are we demanding the Lord prove Himself to us?

Jesus had been performing His ministry for about the three years….it would soon lead to the cross of our salvation.

From the first, His message was that the kingdom of God is at hand. (Matthew 4:17)

What does “at hand” mean? It means that it is close enough….that if you want it, you can reach out in faith and receive it.

Luke 17:20-21 “And when He was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, He answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

Neither shall they say, Lo here! Or Lo there! For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”

They “demanded”…..a term that includes anger, pride, and imagined authority.

They demanded Him to speak….to say something to them, right then……about the kingdom of God, which He was calling men to.

It was not that they wanted this information to enlighten their hearts to believe….no….for their hearts were “far” from Him.

They demanded….

….because they wanted to “see” something from Him….and if He did not do as they wanted…..and show them….a time….or a place….or a action,….then they were right in rejecting Him.

Jesus Christ did, in fact, answer them….but not as they “demanded”, but as always….in truth.

“….He answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation (or with outward show):

Neither shall they say, Lo here! Or, Lo there! For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”

Notice the word, “said”.

They had demanded…..and “He answered them”….that would have been enough…

…but it was if the Holy Spirit wanted to emphasize the peace and calm that Jesus had in the face of His adversaries….”He answered them and said”.

Not shouted….not pointed out…not anything, but “said”.

“Take My Word, or leave it…..I am the Truth, and My Word is truth….

….My kingdom is not for pomp and show,…..but for righteousness, and peace and joy.

Right now, it is at hand….if you will “behold” it….

….right now, I, the king, am within your midst…

….and My kingdom is to be set up within you….

It is a kingdom which comes in power…..in your soul and life.”

God’s glory is not something that is “flash and bang”….but it is something that changes…lives, from the heart….outward.

But this they did not want….

…they could perform the outward commandment….to the letter….

…but refused the inward love and devotion to God.

Notice, also, He said….” For behold”.

This “behold” is in the imperative sense.

In order for them to “see” the kingdom….they would have to….absolutely, have to see….the King, Jesus Christ.

But instead of “beholding” Him, or understanding the kingdom of God….they demanded He prove Himself, and His Word.

Sad…..but how many of us do the same.

My question to all of us, Christians, is…..

Are we demanding an answer from the Lord about His call to His kingdom, for ourselves?

Are we saying: Prove that you will do this for me, if I give you my heart.

Have we gotten past the bargaining table (I’ll do this, if You do that, Lord)…..to just be devoted servants of the Lord Jesus Christ?

And this is of our hearts…..and in our hearts.

The kingdom of God is:

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

Righteousness is, of course, right standing with God, which comes from Christ’s righteousness…..so that we may come into His Presence.

But it is also right living….a change in our thoughts, attitudes, actions, and yes, words.

For as His righteousness is applied to us….it transforms our hearts in thanksgiving.

Peace….peace with God, yes….but also a peace with ourselves, and with others.

Though the Pharisees grieved Jesus, yet He kept speaking to them….informing them of the Way to life.

This is a peace which settles down into our whole being….a peace which walks in Christ’s steps….and leads others there, by the same example.

Joy….a truly choice and uplifting characteristic of Jesus. Joy is not in the circumstances….but in the Presence of God, in our life.

He is with us,…amazing, powerful, and encouraging….again, no matter the circumstances.

“….He answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

Neither shall they say, Lo here! Or Lo there! For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”

This is still His message….will we receive His kingdom….within us? Will we receive Christ Jesus as our King?

And when we do…….we will have righteousness, peace, and joy.

When you go to war or battle

Deuteronomy 20:1 “When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the Lord thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.”

In order to have what the Lord had for Israel, in the land God gave them…..there would be battles.

(And so with us, as Christians….we have to stand and hold the ground the Lord has won for us….and that includes battles with our spiritual enemies.

Ephesians 6:10-12 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.

Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”)

Deuteronomy 20:2-5 “And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people,

And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel,….let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them;

For the Lord your God is He that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.”

The first thing is to recognize that God is going with them…..and still their hearts and minds against fear and the desire to give up….or compromise with the enemy.

(Romans 8:37 “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved them.”)

As Christians, we have been told to Stand.

Ephesians 6:13 “Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

Stand is a military term….it means to hold our ground. Christ has been Victor….and has given us an inheritance in Himself…this is the ground we hold.

He has given us our calling and ministry….He has given us the fruits of the Spirit….we are to manifest Him as our Lord.

And we are to stand against the wiles of the devil.

But….God makes provision for those who are fearful and faint-hearted:

Deuteronomy 20:8 “And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and faint hearted? Let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart.”

This was practical, in a very important way….if this person went into battle with this fear…he would make the men around him fearful as well….

…which could lead to defeat, in that section of fighting…or even to lose the whole battle.

Our emotions are contagious…we can strengthen….and we can weaken those around us with our attitude.

The person who does not trust God and tries to bluff their way through a trial…pretending to trust Him….pretending things will be alright…can be tripped up,….or may get through, but get no joy.

To be built up in the faith, we need to exercise our faith in Him…and not give way to self. Faith sees God…even in trembling.

(Paul in trouble…but not in distress 2 Corinthians 4:8)

To say “I’ll do this…we’ll see what happens”…..is not the Way God leads.

Trust is hanging on to God and His Word…not because you are courageous, but because God is with you.

I wholeheartedly believe, that true trust in Christ, costs us something. We are not robots….but people whose hearts and minds can be fearful.

Yet the cost, is in denying ourselves and getting honest with the Lord….and letting Him give us peace to trust Him.

(There is a Story of WW1 soldier who was in the trenches. He had to climb up three sets of ladders to get out on the No-man’s land in between the lines.

Yet as he climbed each rung with men before him and behind…he prayed. His body was shaking as he got to climb up that last ladder….and he would say, “That’s okay body…you just shake. If you knew where I was taking you…you would really be shaking.”

Years later as a preacher, he would tell his congregation that story and say.

“We may shake and tremble….but make no mistake…if we will with God, we will go where He leads, and fulfill the duty He calls us to.”)

For us Christians, we are called to stand. But it is always a stand with Christ. And if we can’t trust Him, we can give in to being…“fearful and faint-hearted”…ready to give up.

Stand is a military term….it means to hold our ground. Christ has been Victor….and has given us an inheritance in Himself.

And the battle for it…is in holding onto His Word…in believing obedience.

Are we standing on it? Are we encouraging others to trust the Lord?

There will be battles….let us get honest with the Lord about the way we feel….and let Him take away our fear….or panic, or dread….and replace it with trust.

Trust that He is with us….in the battle…to bring us through.

Blessing and Cursing

Deuteronomy 11:26-29, 32 “Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;

A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day:

And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.

And it shall come to pass, when the Lord thy God hath brought thee in unto the land whither thou goest to possess it, that thou shalt put the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal.

And ye shall observe to do all the statutes and judgments which I set before you this day.”

This was what the Lord had commanded Moses to tell Israel, on the far side of Jordan; right before he died.

Now Israel had come in to Canaan by crossing Jordan…..been circumcised (for during the time in the wilderness, they were not),…

…held the first Passover since Egypt,…

…and taken and destroyed Jericho, and Ai.

Then,…..though there was hardly any land that was theirs….

……they believed God and went to Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim…..all of them….all Israel went up to the place appointed.

Here the blessings and the cursing was to be read before all the people.

Joshua 8:30-34 “Then Joshua built an altar unto the Lord God of Israel in mount Ebal,

As Moses the servant of the Lord commanded the children of Israel,…..an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lifted up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the Lord, and sacrificed peace offerings.

And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel.

And all Israel,…..stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord,….half of them over against mount Gerizim, and half of them over against mount Ebal;…..

And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursing, according to all that is written in the book of the law.”

Here on mount Gerizim, they were to read aloud the blessings God would perform if they were obedient….in the land He was giving them.

(Deuteronomy 28:1-14, it is a beautiful record of prosperity, and fruitfulness to themselves, each other, and the nations around them, in their obedience and devotion to the Lord their God.)

Here on mount Ebal, they were to read aloud the cursing, God would perform if they were rebellious and disobedient.

(Deuteronomy 28:15-68; it is a terrible record of people gotten “fat” or comfortable in their lives, so that they forget God and His goodness….coming under the hand of idol worship, famine, diseases, and then their enemies…all because they forgot and forsake God:

Deuteronomy 28:47 “Because thou servest not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;”)

It is a beautiful thing to see Joshua so diligent and eager to perform this duty, which Moses commanded them to do.

And there, on mount Ebal (where the curse was read) they sacrificed burnt offerings,….offerings for sin, and whole burnt offerings, showing they were completely His.

There they sacrificed peace offerings, showing that they celebrated the peace they had with God….even before their enemies.

It was a spiritual seal on the land God gave them.

It was to show that God’s Law and commandments were now to rule in this land.

All would hear about it, and know these Israelites were different…(in the middle of the conquest of the land, they were claiming it in the name of God, and His Principles)….

….their God was different….He was letting everyone know that He would be honored in this land.

Joshua wrote the words of the law upon the stones he used for the altar, so all could read….and remember them.

This honoring God’s Word, would have taken a whole day, at least; maybe more, for all of them went.

Their camp was at Gilgal, yet they were at Mt. Ebal and Gerizim.

The enemies could have come up against the women, children, as well as the troops among them….

….but according to God’s Word, they went up and honored the Lord…and His law, here in Canaan….

…….and God honored and protected them.

God has set before each man by His Word the blessings in His Son, Jesus Christ….

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

….and the cursing by refusing Him.

Mark 16:15-16 “And He (Jesus) said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature:

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; and he that believeth not shall be damned.”

They are written plainly for all who will read and see….to come to Him.

And we Christians, as Joshua, are to be diligent in our duty of manifesting the Word….

….even in the midst of our battles….we are to honor the Lord’s Word….that they might be seen and heard of all.