The Faithful and True Witness

Revelation 3:14 “And unto the angel of the Laodiceans write; these things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.”

This is Jesus Christ.

He is seen here as the Amen: the only One who can say “Let it be.”

He is also seen as the beginning of the creation of God: before the Godhead created the world; God the Father and God the Son made an Everlasting Covenant,

(For they saw all that would happen to their Creation in the rebellion and fall of the devil, and the fall of Adam.

That Everlasting Covenant was the agreement that the Son of God would come as man,……in the fullness of time (Galatians 4:4-5),…..and pay the full ransom price for those that would be saved, that God the Father promised Him.)

Jesus Christ is also seen as the Faithful and True witness; and this is what we are going to deal with here.

(It is interesting to note: that in these three names of the Lord Jesus, it is His Word that is stressed.

In Amen, it is future. In the faithful and true witness, it is present. And in the beginning of the creation of God, it is past. All are His Word, for He is The Word. John 1:1-3)

Now a witness states the facts; nothing more.

He tells what He sees and what He knows to be true.

So Jesus tells us what He sees in this church; the last of the church ages before it is raptured. (taken up to heaven. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)

And what does the Lord see in His last church?

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

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

He sees that we are lukewarm. Neither cold or hot, but just natural body temperature.

If we were cold, we would see and feel the deadness of our spiritual life and do something about it.

If we were hot, we would be what He wants: zealous from “zeto” or boiling hot, and He would bless us.

But we are just normal body temperature, or lukewarm. We feel no coldness, so think we are alright….after all we will make it to heaven, won’t we? That’s what matters,…right?

But to the Lord, who is outside of this church, it is not alright.

It is all wrong.

For our religion is a relationship to Jesus Christ: a love relationship.

Yes, we come as sinners to a Savior, to be born again.

But then, after being born again, we begin a great journey: with Christ.

It is a journey of our lives, through trouble and blessing……in a love relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

And here, as the Faithful and True witness, Jesus Christ says,,….

“You are acting toward me as you were in your natural state: indifferent,……neither seeking Me,…..nor outwardly rejecting Me,….just indifferent to My words, and My call.

It is as if, you do not need to hear Me.”

And why are we indifferent?

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

Perhaps we have forgotten, that the riches that we have, are in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 3:16)

When He gives us promises, or experiences of success,……it is so we may bring them back and lay them at His feet in praise and thankfulness.

It is not to hang on to them, and make ourselves “rich” in our own eyes, or in the eyes of others.

We get to thinking, “We have need of nothing more. We know enough. We pray enough. We praise enough. We do enough.”

But when we do this, the spirituality we were gaining, turns to natural pride, and selfishness;…….we quench the Holy Spirit of God……for we have forgotten the basic principal of following the Lord:

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

And that following, is from here…..to heaven.

But when we refuse to follow Him, by denying ourselves,….

We are actually becoming “wretched” before God…..in a dire state….sickly, and weak. And the saddest part: we do not know this is happening…..for we are looking to ourselves, not the Lord.

And when this happens,……then all the rest happens, as well.

Miserable (how can you be joyful, without God’s active Presence)

Poor (for your true riches are in Christ: In Him is our portion)

Blind (when we refuse to see, we are blind)

Naked (the only “garment” of righteousness that is acceptable to God is Christ’s righteousness applied to us, and then worked out through us in willing obedience.)

What to do?

First, turn your eyes back to Jesus. And ask for sight.

2 Corinthians 4:6-7 “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”

Isaiah 45:22 “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.”

Second, look to yourselves, to repent (repent means to turn around. Since we are obviously going contrary to God, turn around and get in step with Him again.)

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

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

And all this begins with “hear My Voice”. (He is the Word! Halleluia, that He is still speaking to us!)

Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come into him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.”

This “door” that we open is the door of our lives. A life open to and receptive to Him.

Hear, and Live. Look to Him, and Live.

Our relationship to Jesus is our life as Christians.

How do we stand in it?

Thy Mercy, O Lord

Psalm 138:8 “The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth forever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.”

His mercy is a wonderful character of God.

Mercy is the kindness of God to those who are sinners.

God shows mercy for mankind in general, which includes: light, heat, rain/water, food. The external mercies for life.

Matthew 5:45 “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”

But to His beloved Church,……His mercies are internal, and eternal, as well.

He brings them closer by His love and Care, by the mercy He gives. This mercy includes their Salvation:

Titus 3:5 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost”

(The first time “merciful” is used is with Lot, [Genesis 19:16] who was saved from the destruction with the rest of the wicked in Sodom and Gomorrah. “The Lord being merciful unto him”.)

The mercy of God lifts up the trembling sinner, so they can see God, in the face of Jesus Christ.

And brings comfort and knowledge of the character of God, to those who are following after…….seeking a closer relationship to God.

James 3:17 “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.”

God’s mercy completes (perfects) the work He has started within us;…….He will not desert us, because we fail Him;……..rather, in mercy, He sanctifies us……and preserves us by His Word, that we may be kept in the love of God.

Jude 20-21 “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

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

God’s grace holds us up,……in power.

God’s mercy puts His arm around us in love,…..and keeps us close to Him and His life for us.

We, who are called to follow Christ Jesus, are called to show mercy to others,……..because God has shown it to us:

Remember Jesus telling of the Good Samaritan?

Jesus was using this illustration to a lawyer who asked how he could have Eternal Life. (Luke 10:25).

He did this to “tempt Him”.

(Now, lawyers were those who were to know the scriptures, and interpret what they meant to the everyday life.)

When Jesus asked him,…….”What is written in the law?”

(This was often the way Jesus dealt with those that should have known God’s Word…..to take them back to what it really says.)

Quite confident in his answer; the lawyer said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy souls, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.”

(Perhaps if he had left the last part out,…….he could have walked away in pride,……..but putting that last part in there, about his neighbor,……made him responsible in a way that had to be shown outwardly.

In other words, did this lawyer really believe the scriptures…..was this the way to eternal life? Then he should love God and treat his neighbor as he treated himself.)

And Jesus made this clear to him when He said, “….this do, and thou shalt live.”

Automatically the lawyer tried to defend himself against what Jesus had just told him.

“So who is my neighbor?”

Jesus then tells of the Good Samaritan.

We know the story: The Samaritan was the only one, among three, who had stopped in a place where robbers were,…….to help a robbed and wounded man.

He also paid with his own money to keep him in the inn, and for care for him.

So, Jesus asks this lawyer: Which one was the neighbor to the man that fell among thieves?

In other words, ” Which man acted in God’s Way?”

Luke 10:37 “And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus, Go, and do thou likewise.”

The scriptures never say whether this lawyer got the message Jesus preached to him…..but we should. We should be merciful, for God is merciful to us.

And what a great and wonderful characteristic of God it is!

This is mercy: The kindness of God to us, who are sinners.

And this kindness, we should show to others,……as He did to us.

Psalm 138:8 “The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth forever: forsake not the works of Thine own hands.”

The Lord will complete my education in His school of life,

and bring me to have His likeness, by His mercy;

for His mercy endures, and lasts through my whole life experiences, and forever;

for He will never forsake His work in me.

To Learn Instruction

Proverbs 1:5 “A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding will attain unto wise counsels:”

Proverbs is a book where a father tells his son the best way to live…..get wisdom from God: live in reverence to the Lord.

Proverbs 4:11-12 “I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.

When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.”

Wisdom is that light from God that brings “fear” or reverence for the Lord to us.

For He is over all….

in knowledge (there is nothing that takes the Lord by surprise…for He sees the end from the beginning)…

in might (He is Almighty)….

In Purpose (for His purpose is from everlasting to everlasting….for us and everyone and everything)

God’s wisdom gives us His sight in the things we need….opening up for us the way to go, and encouraging us in His strength.

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

And so in Proverbs, we are encouraged to seek this wisdom from God for our lives.

To live our lives in the knowledge of Who He is….and that He will enable us by His wisdom….teaching us, not just how to live…..but to live the best life we can!

Proverbs 24:30-31 “I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;

And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.”

A passerby noticed a field, and then a vineyard….both had good soil, and could have gotten a harvest.

But the lazy man who owned them…did not use the advantages that he had.

He did not care for the plants…instead there was thorns (a picture of corruption and the curse Hebrews 6:7-8).

The owner didn’t even keep the wall which surrounded them in repair….so even the wild animals would be kept out.

(In scripture, our souls are compared to a field (Luke 8), and a vineyard (John 15) that we are to keep,….and bring forth fruit, for the Lord.)

Proverbs 24:32-34 “Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction.

Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

So shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth; and thy want as an armed man.”

Notice the passerby did not accuse the owner, but rather saw these as a lesson for himself.

If we are “lazy”, because we want to pamper the flesh: “a little sleep”, “a little slumber”, “a little folding of the hands”……all of these are….”a little”.

“A little”….the flesh says—a “little” sin, a “little” putting off till tomorrow what should be done today, a “little” ignoring the Holy Spirit to pray…..

All are “a little” but it results in poverty of spirit….a numbing of our hearts which can turn to hardness.

And it leads to dissatisfaction……

We think that to give in “a little” to ourselves, will give us satisfaction…..a little rest, a little anger, a little hurt,……but it is the opposite….it leads to uneasiness, in our Christian life.

That is not satisfaction, and contentment……which the Lord has for us.

1 Timothy 6:6 “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”

But the lesson did not end there: Our souls, as these fields and vineyards, can be improved……by diligence:

The thorns and nettles can be taken away and burned.

The wall….repaired….to keep out anything which destroys the fruit meant for the Lord.

2 Peter 1:5-8 “And besides this giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge;

And to knowledge, temperance;

And to temperance, patience;

And to patience, godliness;

And to godliness, brotherly kindness;

And to brotherly kindness, charity (love).

For if these things be in you and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Faith is given to us by God at new birth. To this, we add “virtue”, which is the “force” or power of the Holy Spirit within, by diligently yielding to Him.

If we are diligent in faith, the Holy Spirit empowers us for the rest……like the harvest of a field or vineyard.

James 1:5 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (does not correct); and it shall be given him.”

The Lord will not correct you for not knowing….for He wants you to ask.

He gives willingly, and largely….will we ask for His wisdom?

To Know the Lord

Hosea 6:3 “Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: His going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.”

“Then”.

This is time word: not before, but “then”.

“Then” what? We shall we know Lord, “If” we follow on to know the Lord.

This might seem like a revolving door. We will know, if we follow on to know.

But Jesus said the same thing when He was here:

John 8:31-32 “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in My words, then are ye My disciples indeed;

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Now these people believed on Him; but they were to continue in His word……..

Then they would know the truth,……and the truth would make them free. (Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. John 14:6)

You see, we are called to a walk with Jesus. That is taking each step, each day, each forward move: with Him.

And what does He promise those who “follow on”?

“His going forth (with us) is prepared as the morning;”

As certain as this old earth keeps turning, there will be sunrise tomorrow.

There may be clouds, or the day dark and dreary; but the sun will be there: prepared as the morning.

He knows everything that will come to us each day. He is there, preparing in us the grace we need to deal with each thing.

He will rise with us; hit the highway with us; go into our work place, or school with us; and all along the way He will:

“Come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain upon the earth.”

Rain in scripture speaks of His mercy:

This rain was essential for a good harvest in Israel.

You had to have the early rain to soften the ground; and the latter rain to grow the crops.

All this was by the mercy of God.

And He will come unto us: in the circumstances we are in now, today; and “rain” the blessing of grace and mercy for us. (He will be there; guide us, help us, and lift us up; in this time, whatever is going on.)

He wants us to know Him as Lord and Savior.

He wants us to know Him more each day: what He wills for us, and what He will do for us.

He has prepared each grace that we need; “prepared as the morning”—it is sure.

And He wants us to go with Him, into all our circumstances and relationships; and know more and more of Him: “to follow on to know”.

For “then”, we will know:

And let’s face it: knowing the Lord is: truth, life, and everything we will want.

He fills our hearts and lives with joy: “If” we continue in His word.

Deborah and Barak

Judges 5:1-2 “Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying,

Praise ye the Lord for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves.”

The story here is:

Israel is in the promised land, but they were often lazy, in conquering their inheritance. They often let the people of the land live among them…..this became a snare to them, for they began to follow the worship of the gods of these people.

Each time they did, God would send nations against them; stealing their harvests, and taking anything they wanted…..to wake them up to their disobedience. This was one such time…

Judges 4:2-3 “And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera…

And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.”

But, when Israel began to cry, the Lord began to move toward them with deliverance…

Judges 4:4, 6 “And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.

And she sent and called Barak……, and said unto him, Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?”

Here a judge of Israel….Deborah (also a prophetess), calls Barak to do his duty.

It seems God has already spoken to him about it…..but he has not gone.

So Deborah rebukes him (to correct with words to get the person back into God’s Way)……and tells him that it was time to go.

She also tells him what God has told her will happen;….if he does what he is told:

Judges 4:7 “And I (the Lord) will draw unto thee, to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand.”

Jabin was the king of Canaan, and his captain of his army was Sisera. They had chariots of iron….and

…..oppressed Israel for twenty years…..but now God was going to deliver Israel from them…..for “the children of Israel cried unto the Lord”.

Barak had hesitated when he had heard from God to do this…..it was an impossible task.

But now, when Deborah had called him, and given him a promise…..he should have shaken off the fear, and believed God.

(How often we are called to do the same….to cast off our fear [His grace is always ready to help us] and to believe God, and be obedient to His commands to us.

Yet we hesitate…..and the impossible, grows more impossible by the day.

What should we do?

Paul wrote the Corinth Church, which was to deal with a situation in the church which was ruining their witness; telling them to do it….and adding this:

1 Corinthians 16:13 “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.”

And in every situation, we should do the same….especially, if we have hesitated before.)

But Barak wanted a guarantee, of sorts….

Judges 4:8 “And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go.”

Deborah agrees…..but tells Barak: because you have obeyed in this way….the honor will not be yours….but a woman will have the honor.

(I must say here, that this is pretty childish and petty of Barak. Israel will suffer because he would not have his guarantee?

I believe that is the reason that God removed the honor from him.)

But he obeys. And he and the ten thousand men, and Deborah go up to mount Tabor.

(I must also add here, that the eagerness of the those that came with him is seen! In the song of Victory it is called “willingly offered themselves.”)

Sisera hears of this march, and eager to put down any who challenge them….goes out to battle.

The Battle:

Barak and the ten thousand are on the mount.

Sisera and nine hundred chariots….and thousands of men came up toward the mount.

To get there they had to cross the river Kishon.

Deborah tells Barak…….Now is the time: “Up, for this is the day in which the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: Is not the Lord gone out before thee?”

So while Barak and his ten thousand men come running down the mount…..God is slowing the chariots in the river….clogging up the advance toward the mount and in the confusion and ensuing fear…..

Barak and his men gain the victory.

Barak then goes after the chariots and the men in them…..for they begin to turn around and run….along with the army of Sisera.

Barak and his men chase them….destroying Sisera’s army as they go.

Sisera, who had been in one of the lead chariots, which had been clogged in the river….jumps out and runs away.

An interesting side-note is put right in the middle of this narrative (Judges 4:11):

“Heber the Kenite,…had severed himself from the Kenites,”……..evidently rejecting the Kenite religion and choosing to believe in the Living God of Israel.(2 Corinthians 6:17 “Come out from among them”.)

And as a shepherd….he pitched his tent at Kadesh….which was close to the coming battle.

And here we meet Jael….the wife of the Heber the Kenite, the shepherd. Sisera headed for her tent.

She saw Sisera coming, and he went in and lay down…….she told him to cover up and hide under a rug.

She gave him some milk to drink…..and he told her, to tell anyone who came,……that there was no one here.

He fell asleep,…….and then she took a tent nail and drove it through his temple.

Later Barak came and she showed him the mighty Sisera…..dead, by the hand of a woman.

The enemy was slain, not by Barak; who refused the honor…..but by a woman, converted to God, and who He could use.

Then sang Deborah and Barak, saying:

Judges 5:2-3, 21, 24, 31 “Praise ye the Lord for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves.

Hear, O ye kings, give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the Lord; I will sing praises to the Lord God of Israel.

The river of Kishon swept them away, the ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, Thou (Lord) hast trodden down strength.

Blessed above women shall Jael the wife Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be of women in the tent.

So let all Thine enemies perish, O Lord: but let them that love Him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might.

And the land had rest forty years.”

We are called, as the Lord’s servants, to be obedient…..and by faith to overcome…….overcome anything which stands in the way of us doing God’s Will.

Whether that be fear, weakness, doubt, or anything…..He will honor us, if we will honor Him and obey.

To “willingly offer” ourselves to stand with Him in the battles of our life….this is what He asks.

Our Place before God

Judges 7:19, 21 “So Gideon and the three hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch (about midnight to two in the morning); and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and break the pitchers that were in their hands.

And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.”

This is, of course, Gideon and his three hundred men….all with lamps hidden in the pitchers, with trumpets, and swords….coming and standing around the Midian camp. They were spread out around it, for the camp of Midian was great.

So each man being in his place was important. The breaking of the pitchers, and their shouting….in the stillness of the night; and the sudden lights all around them…..would have terrified the Midianites….thinking that many armies were surrounding them.

If there had been one Israelite out of place….there would have been a gap; and the Midianites would have surely taken advantage of that weakness.

But every man was in their place….and the victory was won.

Paul says about our place in the mystical body of Christ (for we are in Him, and He is in us)…..

1 Corinthians 12:12, 16-18 “For as the body is one, and hath many members and all the members of that one body being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

But now hath God set the members everyone of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him.”

We, as Christians, are part of the body of Christ. We each have a place in the fulfilling of the ministry of Christ, to the world.

Now hearing Christ, and seeing Christ, and yes….smelling out the things that are “good” or “rotten”….in spiritual discernment….are all equally important to the Lord.

All, are for the ministry of Christ,….through us….to the Church (and of course that includes our families)……and to the world.

But we can only do our part of this great Work….if we are in our place.

And that comes down to being in our place…..in each situation.

The hard part, for any who want the Lord’s Will, is finding our

p in each situation.

Sometimes we ask…..Now?……here?…..with these people?

There are so many examples of the fact that we have a place before the Lord…..which He wants us to fill….and as we are there…..He will bless us:

Abraham and his prayer for Sodom (where Lot was).

His prayer went from….If “there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt Thou also destroy and spare not the place for the fifty…? Then forty-five, forty, thirty,…..

To: If “ten shall be found there.

And He (God) said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.”

Of course we know that Lot, his wife, four daughters—two were married, were there….That is eight….if there had only been two more righteous….the city might have been spared….by Abraham’s prayer.

(Yet God sent angels to get Lot and his family out)

Abraham had been in subjection to God…..and had been in his place, praying for the righteous,……but,….allowing God to do what is best. (Genesis 18:17-33)

David, a young man, sent to bring provisions to his brothers in Saul’s army…..hears the taunts of Goliath…..and in faith, asks why they have not been met…..after all, “who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

So David volunteers “to go and fight”. But he refuses Saul’s armor….for he “had not proved them”…but instead, he takes what he knows….a sling and stones.

David was in his place……with the weapons he had defended his flock of sheep with (1 Samuel 17)….and led in victory.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego had pretty high jobs……yet risked them……and their lives, instead of bowing down to Nebuchadnezzar’s image.

They were in their place before God….and God blessed them for it. (Daniel 3) Saving their lives…..being with them in the furnace….and giving them a great testimony before this heathen monarch.

And in the New Testament:

The woman taken in adultery. One by one the men that accused her, left, under the Words of Jesus. “Let him, who is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”

But she stayed, even when they were gone….she could have tried to sneak out….but she subjected herself to God, in Christ Jesus….and stayed…..to hear His judgement….and in her place, received forgiveness. (John 8:3-11)

The apostles after the resurrection, were told to stay in Jerusalem till the power of the Holy Spirit was given.

The city had crucified Jesus, and they had been afraid.

But they subjected themselves to Christ, and waited…..till they got the power and Presence of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:4-5, 2:1-4) And won 3000 to Christ, the first day.

Ananias, a Christian in Damascus, (who surely would have been arrested by Saul/Paul, a few days earlier) was told to go and pray for him.

He asked God, to be sure He wanted this done…..but subjected himself to God, and went…..and was the first to receive Saul/ Paul, the great apostle, as a brother in Christ. (Acts 9:10-17)

(There are lots of others. Each finding their place to stand before God, in this world.)

We have a place to stand in…..today.

We don’t know who we shall meet, or how things will go…..but He does….and He has our place prepared, standing with Him…….that we might manifest our light to the world.

Let us submit ourselves to be used….where He places us today….and have His blessing in us…..and for His glory.

Paul’s Practical Preaching

Paul had begun this last bit of Romans, not with more doctrine, but with the practical.

How we are to live in this world, as Christians; belonging to Christ.

In Romans 12:1-2, Paul shows that presenting your bodies to God, and refusing to be conformed to the world, will strengthen you to find and do the will of God in your life.

Romans 12:3 “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”

Paul was saying that God has given every man, by His Holy Spirit, a “measure” of faith and grace.

(We can, as Peter said in 2 Peter 1:5 “…add to your faith…”. This will increase our measure, so we “grow in grace”. We learn to use what we have, by the Holy Spirit’s instruction, and are given more.)

Our “measure” is given to us; so we should not be proud that we know something, but instead, we should use that measure of faith to:

Romans 12:6-18: “…according to the grace that is given…” we are to do the work God has given us to do.

Let love be true, and not phony:….turn away from evil……love the good.

Be kind to one another,…..preferring the fellowship of believers.

Working hard to do our job, because we serve the Lord in it.

Yield to the joy of the Spirit, and be steadfast in the trials of the day.

Pray always.

Minister to the needs of others, as you are told: both spiritual and temporal.

Bless those who seek our hurt. Do not seek revenge.

Be honest. And try and live at peace with all men.

How can we do these things?

They seem impossible!

And in our own strength, they are. But God has given, with the measure of faith….a Leader to show us how and when to do….but also to give us the grace and inclination to do….He has given us His Holy Spirit.

We must go back to:

Romans 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, wholly, 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.”

You see, it all starts with giving ourselves to God. It says “bodies”, here; to illustrate how we need to yield to the Holy Spirit within.

The Lord Jesus was given a body to come to earth and suffer and die, and be raised again…..in His body.

But the Holy Ghost, the Comforter,…..has come to earth, without a body….but instead to indwell and empower our bodies (which include our spirit, soul, and body).

Paul is saying here, that we are to “present”…..which in the Greek means to “stand by, to be at hand, to offer something intangible (our friendship, ourselves)” to God the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit will then take our offering, and work with us to perform the will of God, and to mold us into the likeness of Christ’s character.

Our hands need to be His; not doing things which they should not.

Our feet need to be His; not going places we should stay out of.

Our mouths need to be His; not saying unkind things or lying.

We could go on,……but you see the reason Paul said this.

We need to give ourselves, inside and out, to the Holy Spirit; so we are no longer under our own management….but fully yielded to Him.

But thankfully when we do: we are “transformed” (changed) in motive ,…..in the inner most thoughts and attitudes of my being.

And then given power to “prove” His Will…..by doing it.

How good and acceptable it is in our lives!

He wants us to get “our measure” of all we need,…..to live the life He has for us.

A life of goodness and power.

Will we present our bodies to Him?

Do we have sure footing?

Ephesians 6:15 “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;”

The Roman hobnail sandal’s were made of leather….coming all the way up the calf. They had very small spikes on the bottom for gripping the ground when in march or battle.

And these describe what Paul says is the Gospel of peace.

In the Christian life, we need sure footing.

If we are to walk and resist the Adversary of our souls,…….that solid footing is provided in the Gospel of peace.

There is a place of rest, and peace of mind, for every Christian.

It is God’s hiding place for every believer…..

Psalm 32:7 “Thou art my hiding place; Thou shalt preserve me from trouble;

Thou shalt compass me about with psalms and deliverance. Selah.

Psalm 119:114 “Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in Thy Word.”

Isaiah 32:2 “And a Man shall be a hiding place from the wind, and covert from the tempest; and as rivers of water in a dry place, as a shadow of a great Rock in a weary land.”

If we do not learn to depend upon the promises of God, and receive His peace……..then we will not have sure footing to be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

The devil will knock us off balance,…..with accusations of past sins, or doubt,……and we will be on the ground, before we know it.

Worry, anxiety, trouble, or fear……meet all these with a promise from His Word.

One that you can get a hold of……and that can get a hold of you, by the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit’s assurance of Christ’s Word is very important.

The Bible is full of promises….which we can claim.

But one given by the Spirit to our spirit in the midst of trouble or battle, is precious. And must be held on to.

The Lord wants to garrison or guard you about with peace….His peace.

Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God which passeth understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

This is of the Holy Spirit….not something we do, but what He does within us…..so that we can get our “footing” in this situation.

John 14:26-27 “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.

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

But we must will with Him, for the battle rages around our minds, hearts and wills.

It says, “Let not”….”neither let it”.

These are acts of our will. We are staying hidden in His peace. (This is not presumption: for we have His Word. Nor is it indifference: for we will do anything the Lord wants done concerning the matter.)

Therefore, when we will with Him, letting Him do as He wills, in His time, in His way….then the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, will teach us (again and again, if need be) about His peace….and surround us with it…….and keep us till we receive the promise.

The Holy Spirit will garrison, or guard us….with His peace.

John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me.”

Peace comes to us by the Holy Spirit…..and it is that assurance that God knows our situation…..and He has a plan of deliverance for it.

That is the sure-footing that we need in this world…..God’s Spirit helping us “dig in” and “hold on” to God’s Word….till we get the promise.

Manasseh

Manasseh was one of the Bible’s worst persons: he was a king, born into luxury and position.

Loved of his father, Hezekiah, who was a Godly king.

As a matter of fact, years before, when Hezekiah was going to die; he prayed that he might live. That God would extend his life.

He had no son, and wanted to have an heir, before he died.

Manasseh was the result.

From the first, he departed from the ways of his father. And forsook the worship of God, for idols.

The pleasures of this life was all he was interested in;……that, and leading others into the same sin.

2 Kings 21:1-2 “Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign,…

And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.”

2 Kings 21:6 “And he made his sons pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger.”

He destroyed those who spoke out against him, and became worse and worse in “having his own way”.

2 Chronicles 33:10. “And the Lord spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken.”

How often it is, that sin leads to more sin. We can begin by getting angry, and the next minute, we can be thinking about getting even.

We can begin by speeding, and end up endangering others.

Sin is addictive; that is why we need our Savior, Jesus Christ, to save us from it. (Matthew 1:21)

The blood that Manasseh shed, (it is supposed that he killed Isaiah for preaching against him) and the idols he worshipped, brought the curse of God onto the nation of Judah.

2 Kings 21:16 “Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end unto another; besides his sin where with he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.”

2 Kings 21:11-12 “Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols:

Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle.”

Yet….

And this is amazing grace….Manasseh repented.

2 Chronicles 33:11-12 “Wherefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.

And when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,”

To “humble ourselves” in the Hebrew is to “bend the knee” or submit to God.

This is what Manasseh had never done. He had not submitted to anyone or anything.

No matter what image he had brought and set up; there was always something else to seek after.

For none of them satisfied Manasseh’s real desire.

He had used power to do what he wanted, when he wanted, as he wanted; no matter who got hurt in the process. (Remember he sacrificed his own children.)

God, the true God,…..was to be sought, heard, and obeyed;…..not refused and rebelled against. And there is usually a time limit to our rebellion: either repentance….or destruction.

God knows how to bring down a person’s pride.

And how to finally awaken the person to His claims,…….upon the life He gave us.

(For some, it comes in rebukes: to back-strike with words, to get them into the way of life.

For some, it comes in chastening: things happen that would not have happened had we heard His rebuke….sometimes to others we love…..sometimes to ourselves.

All so that we will not continue our mad dash toward death.

For Manasseh….nothing affected him,…….until he was afflicted.)

2 Chronicles 33:13 “And prayed unto Him: and was entreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom.

Then Manasseh knew that the Lord He was God.”

Repentance brought him to the place he needed to be: saved from his sins by belief in God.

And brought him to his kingdom again. This time he was in subjection to God, bringing back the worship of God to Judah; whereby saving many of his people.

2 Chronicles 33:15-16 “And he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the Lord, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the Lord, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city.

And he repaired the altar of the Lord, and sacrificed thereon peace offerings and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel.”

Peace offerings! Because he had found peace with God. (So can we. Romans 5:1-2)

Thank offerings! Because he had finally found true satisfaction in God.

James writes:

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

Grace is the unmerited favor of power in our lives, by Jesus Christ our Lord.

He has power for us: everyday power to live for Him, and enjoy the peace and joy, He only can give.

And power to save and deliver us from the worst sins.

He can save to the uttermost those that call upon Him, and come to Him….He did Manasseh.

Subjection to God

“Subjection” means that you bring your whole being under the authority and power of someone or something else.

As Christians, we should be in subjection to God. Notice, it says…”you bring yourself under the authority and power”.

This is an act of our will…..willing with God….willingly.

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

A victorious Christian should not feel resentment. So, at any time we are feeling resentful, we are not victorious.

There is no such thing as effortless Christianity…..for we are called to a walk, and a work, for each of us.

We are called to:

Shelter under the Blood (Exodus 12:5-7, 13)

“Rise up and come away” with Christ (Song of Solomon 2:10)

To “follow Me (Jesus), and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19)

To “giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue…knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. (2 Peter 1:5-8)

To “Stand, and having done all to stand”. (Ephesians 6:13)

To “finish my course” (Acts 20:24)

These are things which we are to follow Christ into….but there are things that hinder that following……and resentments is a big one.

(In Hebrews 13:15 it is called “root of bitterness”. Resentment means that you have been hurt or offended…..and kept it in your heart.)

In our everyday situations, there are so many things which come at us…….unexpectedly.

Sudden losses, or words said….which can not be unsaid, or flashes of anger for slights, or sadness.

Everyday there is a time in our walk with Christ, that we can have the victory,….or not.

(I know some people do not like to say “have the victory”, because they think it stresses that we are to “go out and gain the victory”.

No, Christ won the victory for us on Calvary….and in His resurrection He bore our names on His hands and stands before the Father, as Mediator for us.

But….we are to enter into that victory. He has it for us….but are we getting it into our day to day lives? Remember that victory is by faith, and faith always sees God in any situation.)

The way we enter into faith’s victory……is by subjection.

[Proverbs 21:29 “A wicked man hardeneth his face: but as for the upright, he directeth his way.”

What this means is:

the wicked man (those who will not consider and submit to God in their lives) will make their hearts as stones. They will not forgive, they will not show mercy, they write the wrongs done them in the stones of their hearts….and will not forget.

But the upright (those who seek God and His way) will direct their hearts to do what God wants about these things;…and not let their emotions rule.]

Subjection is taking our place in any given situation….before God, Who is there. When we do, joy and victory are offered…..will we enter into it?

Resentful thoughts must be “taken captive” to the obedience of Christ. This is not just doing, because we “have to”……but doing for Christ sake.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;)

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”

If we are to remain quiet….we do so.

If we are to say something…we do so.

The Way we go in our lives, becomes simply obeying Christ….and leaving the results….and the consequences in His hands.

And how does this deal with resentment?

Simply, by removing the reason we have them.

If Christ is in control….and we are His servants, doing as He wills….then whatever other people say or do, is between them and God….not them and me.

If we keep resentments away from our thoughts, and hearts…..we have a great victory….and joy!

And if we already have resentments against someone or something;….we are to come in honesty…..telling God everything….our side and theirs….and about our hurt, and anger, and…..even about the fact we do not want to forgive.

We are not only to tell Him,…..but listen to what He says….asking for grace—great grace—to set these resentments, and bitterness, right.

That is right: in you…..with God…..with yourself….and with the situation and person, as the Lord requires.

We think of great acts of might, or power, in doing God’s Will…….when God thinks of our subjection to Him and His Will…..in love, yielding to His grace within…..and having the victory in our everyday lives….to His glory.

1 Thessalonians 5:18-19 “In everything give thanks: for this is the Will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Quench not the Spirit.”

If we would be in subjection to God, we must obey Him…..and receive from His hand all that comes to us…..because we want to obey.

And we should thank Him…..in everything.

I have tried to make it a habit….that when I ask for something….I also praise Him for what He has already done.

It gives me balance….I am taking my eyes off of what I want, and onto Who He is, and what He has done.

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