For…unto us…

Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”

Twice here in this verse alone, the prophet tells all who will hear, that it is “unto us”. The message of Christ is always personal…

….first He is seen as a child….in His humiliation. Leaving heaven to come here, as a babe….placing Himself into His Father’s hands for everything….being born of a woman,…born under the law, to honor it and fulfill it…honoring His Father in it. (Galatians 4:4-5)

Then He is seen as a Son, given……”unto us”…..(Matthew 3:16-17)…..

…He was “given”…..presented unto us as the Son of God, the Son of man….coming to manifest His Father’s Will toward us: in life, and in sacrifice for our sins….(again, “given”; as a sacrifice was)

The government of all is upon His shoulder: It was always so, for He is the Creator and Sustainer of all. (Psalm 24:1-2)

But in a new way,…..after His birth, life, sacrifice, and resurrection…….

…….the government is upon His shoulder,…..for God has given all authority and power into His hands, for the accomplishing of the complete Purpose for mankind:

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

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

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

And His name shall be called:

Wonderful….. “singularly marvelous”

Of course it should, for He was wonderful to do the Will of the Father, and come to earth to save me.

He is wonderful in all the long-suffering mercy and grace He pours upon us, by His merits….giving us His presence, HIs peace, and joy.

He will be wonderful in that day when He comes and takes the Kingdom of this world to Himself….making it a Kingdom of peace. (Isaiah 9:7)

And finally establishing the Eternal Kingdom for ever.

Counselor….

He knows the eternal counsels of the Godhead….and brings them to pass…..

Isaiah 46:10 “Declaring the end from the beginning; and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.”

He “worketh all things after the counsel of His Will” where our salvation is concerned. (Ephesians 1:11)

And as our personal Counselor (Psalm 16:7)…..He gives us the way to overcome…(Revelation 3:18)…in these last days.

The mighty God….

Psalm 24:8 “Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.”

His strength of character, and His strength of purpose….for He went through everything to accomplish completely the salvation of His people….defeating sin, and death

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

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

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

The everlasting Father….

He is God….the Trinity…..One with the Father, and the Holy Spirit….there is no separation, but in their offices to His people.

John 14:9 “….he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father;…”

John 10:30 “I and My Father are one.”

The Prince of Peace….

He was always Peace….in Him was no strife, ever…..eternal peace was His character.

Even now He brings peace to all who receive Him…….by His salvation, and by His Spirit….

Romans 5:1 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”

Ephesians 2:14,17 “For He is our peace, Who hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.”

One day….the whole of creation will know His peace….under His Kingdom…..

Hosea 2:18 “And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely

Isaiah 11:6 “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion shall eat straw like the ox.”

On a night full of the light of stars…..shepherds watched over their flocks…..and saw the dazzling light from a angel…..

……then they went and saw a greater Light….born “unto you”…

Luke 2:9-11 “And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”

Luke 2:15-17 “…Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.”

We think of this as the beginning…..when this was the center of all the Purpose of God.

From eternity past….God thought of us and our Salvation…..making a Covenant…a plan….a Purpose for each of us.

When we were born again,….we began our journey in that Purpose…..a Purpose which flowed from before times eternal (1 Timothy 1:9)……unto us…..through Christ Jesus.

And His Purpose flows on…..till all that He has said will be…..will be….with us….and all who will receive the Lord Jesus, Who was born….unto us.

As the multitude of heavenly hosts said, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.”

I have made thee a Watchman

Ezekiel 3:17 “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the Word at My mouth, and give them warning from Me.”

Every city in Israel had several watchmen. They would walk about the walls of the city at night….when everyone was asleep, and watch outside the walls for an enemy. If they saw an enemy coming, they were to give the alarm, so that the city would awaken and prepare for the battle.

Ezekiel was taken captive the second time Nebuchadnezzar came and took captives from Jerusalem.

He was of the priestly family, and called as a prophet to the people who had gone into captivity with him.

He had seen a marvelous vision of “the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of One that spake.” (Ezekiel 1:28)

God made Ezekiel a watchman to the house of Israel….to see all that the Lord showed him……and give them God’s Word….”a warning from Me”.

(I want to speak here about perseverance. It is spoken of only once in the scriptures: “….watching thereunto with all perseverance….”

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

We are to pray for our bothers and sisters in Christ…..and watch….with perseverance for them.

Perseverance means “to be earnest toward a thing, to be constantly diligent, to steadfastly attend to all the exercises, to adhere closely”

In other words…..our goal is to stick close to God and His Word to us, and stay there….watching for others in prayer.)

God had not forsaken Israel…

He gave them Jeremiah, still in Jerusalem….warning the people, there.

He gave them Daniel, in the palace….working for God’s people there…..in duty to the king, and in prayer, and testimony.

He gave them Ezekiel, among the working captives…..warning the people there.

What amazing grace to a people that were “rebellious” (Ezekiel 2:6).

(And His grace to us is no less than this….amazing)

But what was the enemy that Ezekiel was to watch for as a Watchman?

The enemy of……..complacency in their sin.

Ezekiel 3:11 “And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them. Thus saith the Lord God, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.”

You see, the people that were taken captive, were waiting for God to act on their behalf.

They wanted to believe, that since they were God’s chosen people, that He would have to deliver them…..no matter how they acted.

But that was a false belief……God will not act contrary to His Word….and He had warned them many times about their sin….of choosing the heathen’s ways and idols, over Him.

And so He had Ezekiel set down some basic instruction for His people. And Ezekiel was responsible to God, to tell them.

Would they hear it…..now that they were in captivity?

Or would they “forbear”…..fool themselves into believing that God will not rebuke and chasten their continuing sin.

(You see, their chief sin, was trying to be as the nations around them….in life, and in worship. Idolatry became the sin which destroyed them.

[And isn’t it the same with us…..we want to be like everyone else….want to fit in…..do not want to be different. But as Christians, we are always set apart to the Lord.]

Amos 3:1-2 “Hear this word that the Lord hath spoken against you….saying,

You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.”

God had brought them out of slavery in Egypt,….given them His law and His presence in the Tabernacle,….and brought them into a land that He had promised Abraham…..yet they turned away from Him, and toward the people and the gods of the nations around them.)

Ezekiel could not make them hear…..but he could speak God’s Words faithfully,…..and that he did.

“Give them warning…..from Me.”

To Ezekiel, God had said, there were two kinds of people: the wicked and the righteous.

Those that kept God’s statues (His Word)….the righteous.

And those that turn away from it and commit iniquity…..the wicked.

(Iniquity is doing anything unequal to the high calling given us by God.

It is knowing how to act,….what to do…..and refusing to follow that light.)

Ezekiel 18:20 “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.”

This was something new…..Israel was still Israel….but they were going into captivity….the nation as a nation, would not be for seventy years….now God was going to judge according to what each person knew……and did…….and with that knowledge alone.

The wicked, if they would hear,….could turn away from their iniquity….and when they do….they will not be judged by the evil that they did…..but by what they turn and do,….now.

Ezekiel 18:21-22 “But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.”

But if the righteous see the wicked, and think that they could “get by with what they do”……..and begin to follow after and do iniquity?

Ezekiel 18:24 “But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? all his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he that sinned, in them shall he die.”

God did not want to chasten His people……He would rather have them obedient and blessed….that is why He sent a Watchman…..Ezekiel, to warn them…..

Ezekiel 18:23, 30-31 “Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God: and not that he should return from his ways and live?”

….Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.

Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?”

This was the message that Ezekiel was to give to the captives in Babylon……turn and live…..”for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” (Ezekiel 18:31).

(I want to mention here that death is separation:

spiritual death is separation from God…..(Ephesians 2:1-3)

Physical death is the soul’s separation from the body….the soul going either to heaven or hell.)

Ezekiel 33:7 “So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at My mouth, and warn them from Me.”

As watchman, Ezekiel was to sound the warning to those Israelites….to awaken them to the enemy of their sin…….with God’s Word.

Israel was to go into captivity for seventy years (the number of the years of rest that the land was suppose to have….but they did not give it. Every seventh year, the land was to rest)…..and Ezekiel was sent to them….and he did…..warning them again and again.

Three times he gives them this message of warning…..turn and live: Ezekiel 3, 18, 33.

This last verse, ends God’s warning to them…..they know….will they turn and live; or will they forbear?

Now it is up to them:

“And when this cometh to pass,(lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.” (Ezekiel 33:33)

Beginning at Ezekiel 34, Ezekiel stops warning them…..(they have heard…..will they live….or die?)

…..and begins to speak God’s Word to those that have been a hinderance to Israel, or an enemy…..

……..and then to tell of His promises…..afterward.

For God is looking beyond….to the end of the seventy years,….and even beyond….giving those that would turn and live……His Word, in promise.

Ezekiel 36:24-27 “For I will take you from among the heathen,…..and will bring you into your own land.

Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: for all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.

And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgements, and do them.”

This was God’s Word to all who would hear…..turn….and live.

God’s Word is given unto us, as well: we each are called to be a Watchman to our own souls…..

To Awaken…….we always need to wake up to our sins, and iniquities (anything unequal to our high calling in Christ Jesus).

Ephesians 5:14 “Wherefore He saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.”

To Warn….

Matthew 16:26 “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

To Encourage in promise:

Romans 8:16-17 “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together.”

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

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

Hebrews 13:5 “Let your conversation (walk of life) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

1 John 5:4 “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”

We are to hear His Word to us…..persevere in it,…..and then we are to….pass it on; by our life, by our testimony,….

……..”watching thereunto with perseverance and supplication for all saints”

Our God has given us so much….let us hear His Word, and use it.

Direction for our Christian Lives

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”

This trust is of the heart, not the head. Trust is the hanging onto Jesus Christ.

If we will acknowledge Him in all our ways…He will direct our paths.

And acknowledge here, means that we are to seek Him in everything concerning our lives.

Good things, bad things,….we are to “see” that Christ knows about it and about us, being in this situation.

Then, we are to tell Him about everything in it: our side, and wants concerning it; and the other side as well.

This is, again, for the heart: for this command shows if we love the Lord, and really want the Lord’s direction.

To have this direction aright, we must do this in everything, not just the big important things,……but the little everyday things, as well.

Because this is the fellowship that is offered us, as we go along with Jesus.

It is constant fellowship: And fellowship in the Greek means “a sharer, partnership”. Are we a partner with Christ in all we do?

We need to lean on Him:

We can “lean on our own understanding” pretty easily. We have intelligence, and we are here in the situation; who better to figure this out?

(We all know how this turns out.)

But to “lean” on the Lord Jesus is to trust Him.

Real direction comes to us by the Holy Spirit within us. That is a matter of the heart, again, not the head.

You ask for direction, then you hear His Voice.

Light comes.

You see what to do.

In your heart, you quickly remove anything that would hinder that light….

That Light brings the knowledge of what pleases Him in this situation; and you do it.

And you also know what displeases Him, and turn away from it.

The gift of wisdom is a great gift from the Lord.

He directs and helps us in our “path”.

Isaiah 43:19 “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”

There is no place or time He does not know, and does not make preparation for.

Isaiah 42:16 “And I will bring the blind by a way that they know not;

I will lead them in paths that they have not known:

I will make darkness light before them,

and crooked things straight.

These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.”

(Four times He says He “will”…….and promises to: “not forsake them”…..what more can we ask for our path?)

God sees to us,….our hearts…..our direction…..and to our path,…..as we acknowledge Him….Who He is….what He can do for us…..and His partnership with us……..in all the “ways” we go.

And He will not forsake us, ever.

He loves us with an everlasting love.

Jeremiah 31:3 “The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.”

Let us acknowledge Him in everything, everyday…..and let Him lead us.

Christ’s Birth: His Preparation and Protection

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

The Everlasting Covenant: Made in eternity past….through to the eternity future…for His people.

God in eternity past, made a covenant with His Son for the Salvation of a people for His glory.

That covenant stated that God the Father, would draw out a people to be saved;….

If God the Son would come to earth,…..be born as a man,…..live a sinless life, and die;……shedding His blood as a sacrifice for the sins of the people.

Paying their penalty for their sin.

The Son agreed; and the very first act of creation was the setting aside of a body for His Son.

Hebrews 10:5 “Wherefore, when He cometh into the world, He saith, Sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest not, but a body hast Thou prepared Me.”

(No animal sacrifice could take away sin; but they could point forward to the only effectual sacrifice of Jesus’ body and blood)

God was preparing everything for Christ’s coming as the Son of God/the Son of man, to earth for His Work of salvation.

Galatians 4:4-5 “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”

Under the Roman Empire with it’s government and roads, which was the access to send out the gospel news to the world; God said that it was time, and He sent Jesus Christ His Son, to redeem the world.

But how did he come?

As a baby, born of a virgin. Not as a man, as Adam had been created…..but a babe, helpless…..yet with the preparation, and protection of His Father, God:

Luke 1:26-27 “And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, named Nazareth.

To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.”

When there, the angel Gabriel told Mary that she was favored of God. That she would conceive in her womb, a son; which was to be the Son of God. (Luke 1:28-33)

But she was concerned: How could she? She was a virgin, and had not know a man.

So she asked the angel.

Luke 1:35 “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”

The angel Gabriel told her that the Holy Ghost would come upon her and deposit within her womb a child, which shall grow within her and be born: the Son of God.

That is how. Would she agree?

She was engaged to Joseph. What would people think? What would he think?

Would she agree?

Luke 1:38. “And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to Thy word. And the angel departed from her.”

And so it happened: God saw to His Purpose, in every way….including Joseph.

Matthew 1:18-20 “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together; she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.

But while he thought on these things, Behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary, thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.”

So Joseph agreed. He arose, made her legally his wife; but knew her not intimately until her firstborn son was born: Jesus.

According to scripture, Christ was to be born in Bethlehem……so Israel was commanded by Cesar to go to the birthplace of their ancestral tribe.

God moving a foreign government to do His Will.

So Joseph and Mary, went to Bethlehem, the birthplace of David.

When getting there, the city was so packed with people; that there was no place for them to stay.

The owner of the inn told them they could go into the stable with the animals, only because Mary was going to give birth.

There in the stable, Jesus was born. He was placed in a manger; the feeding trough of the animals, along side the hay, to keep him warm.

God saw that people knew that His Son had been born:

Shepherds, first were told, and that by angels! Heavenly messengers were not sent to the Sanhedrin, or the Pharisees….but to shepherds.

(David had been a shepherd, and Christ is the good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd, and the Chief Shepherd)

Luke 2:8-12 “…there were in the same country shepherds…And, lo, the angel of the Lord came…and the glory of the Lord shone round about them;

And they were sore afraid.

And the angel of the Lord said….Fear not: for behold I bring you glad tidings of great joy,…….for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”

Wise men were sent to find this new King. They had seen His star, and followed it to Judah. They went to Jerusalem, the capital; thinking He would be found there.

But Jerusalem was not looking for the Messiah…..Herod was king…..and wanted to stay that way.

He had the scribes find out where the Christ should be born (Matthew 2:4-6)….and he informed the wise me.

Herod told them to find the king, and then come and tell him, so he could worship too….but he only wanted to kill the child, which had a legitimate claim to the throne.

It was only after leaving Jerusalem, and the court of Herod, that the wise men saw the star again. It led them to where Jesus was.

Matthew 2:10-12 “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.”

These heathen wise men…..spoken to of God in a dream, to protect Jesus.

With this wealth, Jesus, Joseph, and Mary was provided for in Egypt.

God told Joseph to get up and go to Egypt for the safety of Jesus. For Herod would seek to kill him. (Matthew 2:13-15)

Jesus would come back into Israel, a few years later, only after Herod died.

Jesus Christ was born to be the Lord and Savior of all who would come and receive Him.

HIs birth was prepared for, and seen to in every way.

Why wasn’t He born in a hotel room? Or with every luxury?

Because He came to save every person; not just the rich, or powerful, or poor, or trodden down.

He came to save to the uttermost…..all who will come to Him.

His Salvation is personal, and complete.

He asks you simply to, “Come”, and then “Follow”; For He, Himself leads us through our lives with peace with God, and guidance.

He never leaves us, nor forsakes us.

He has prepared for you, for me.

Will we agree and make room for Christ Jesus the Lord?

Grace,…and Noah

God, is the God of all grace

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Noah lived around it everyday…..

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What a testimony of the worthlessness of worshipping these creatures, that should have been.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

On the seventh day…..the rain began:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

….and the Lord shut him in.”

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

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

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

But God’s grace continued on through it all.

The warning,

The work and preparation,

The moving of everything in,

The rain,

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

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

Genesis 9:1 “And God blessed Noah….”.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Where grace comes….God is obeyed.

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

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

Not of works, lest any man should boast.

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

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

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

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

….and God’s Will to do.

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

Are we staying in the middle of the Way?

Proverbs 30:7-9 “Two things have I required of Thee; deny me them not before I die:

Remove far from me vanity and lies; Give me neither poverty or riches, feed me with food convenient for me:

Lest I be full, and deny Thee, and say, Who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.”

This “middle of the Way”, comes from my reading Pilgrims Progress.

It is when Christian is hurrying up the hill of Difficulty, and it is growing dark….that he sees two lions; one on either side of the Way!

This sight frightens and stops Christian for a moment…..till the Porter of the House Beautiful (the local Church), calls out to him:

“Can’t you see they are chained….they can only come so far into the Way. You will be safe….as long as you stay in the middle of the Way.”

And how often it is the same for us…..when circumstances frighten….because we were not prepared,….

…..or we have expected,…..since we have “climbed this hill of Difficulty”,…..that things will be easy…..

We get frightened….then stop.

It is good the Lord often calls out to us, through the Word, or a message, or a fellow Christian…..that we may see that the lions are chained.

(How grateful to the Lord Jesus for this!)

These verses are some I love. They set the goal of my life on the right footing.

Giving God charge of what is in store for me….and petitioning (“required” here means “earnestly beseeching”) our Lord, that He keep us “in the middle of the Way.”

“Remove me far from vanity and lies”. Far from, is where we all should want to be, from the useless things of this world,….and that is what “vanity” is.

And from lies…..lies that I want to believe….or that are spread abroad about others, or me.

Our Lord taught us to pray: (Matthew 6:13) “And lead us not into temptation”…..for He has made a way to escape, if we will seek it (1 Corinthians 10:13)……but when I fall into it…….

…..”but deliver us from evil”…..the evil one, the devil, and his tricks…..and the evil of coming under the influence of my fall.

Let me…

Not be rich….either in money, prestige, or success….so I won’t get proud and begin to think I do not need the Lord. (Luke 12:16-21)

Not be poor….either in money, friends, or spiritual experience….so I won’t envy others…..or be angry with You, Lord, and “take the name of my God in vain”.

This “take the name of my God in vain” (and notice is it “my God”)……does not mean swearing…..

……but in the Hebrew, means: “accusing God of not being what His Name says He is”. To accuse God’s mercy and love, of being false.

He is Merciful, Righteous, Glorious, Gracious, full of loving-kindness, and peace.

But when circumstances grow difficult…..trials come…..and we seem quite unable to meet them….we are poor, then….

…do we still feel the same way, toward the Lord?

I had given a study on Galatians, and then began Philippians, once,……when my son….who was little at the time….

….said, Dad, I like this study better than that other one.

….Really, why?

…..Because this one has happy people in it…the other one didn’t.

And he was right, though I had not seen it before,….like that…..

The Galatians were trying so hard to be superior Christians…..and had gotten tricked into thinking their own works…following the law…..would add to their value to the Lord. (Galatians 1:6-8)

The Philippians, on the other hand,

(and I recommend, if you have not read it lately, to do so again! Nine times, more than any other book in the New Testament, “rejoice” is used. Six times “joy” is used.)

…..were being persecuted, [Philippians 1:28-30],….yet only sought to be steadfast to the Lord Jesus Christ…..and they were joyful in it!

They were a poor church, yet sent an offering to Paul for his needs. (Philippians 4:15)

What a difference in the two books!

Listen to the epistle the Apostle wrote:

Philippians 1:9 “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;”

Philippians 1:25-26 “And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;

That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.”

Philippians 3:1 “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord…..”

He tells them of the way he has walked….what the Lord has shown him:

Philippians 3:13-14 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended; but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”

Paul loves them dearly, writing:

Philippians 4:1 “Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.”

And then, in this epistle, he clearly speaks of true contentment:

Philippians 4:11-12 “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.”

This is the same way the writer of Proverbs sought to live…..but Paul adds a blessed reality of how we can do this:

Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Here is the secret of contentment…..of being neither rich or poor…..but staying in the middle of the Way……

….”through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Our Way is before us,…..our life is always a next step with Jesus Christ.

Let us “stay in the middle of the Way”……the lions are chained, though they roar, and frighten….stay with Him, and let Him give us the strength for what is ahead.

The Wilderness of this World

Song of Solomon 3:6 “Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke,…?”

This world is often pictured as a “wilderness” in scripture….because there is nothing here for us, that satisfies.

There are many examples of being sent into the wilderness for testing; for this is what the wilderness is for believers….a place of testing:

The Israelites coming out of Egypt (Psalm 78:52, Psalm 95:8-9)

David, anointed king, but hiding from Saul (I Samuel 23:14), before he came to the throne;

John the Baptist before his ministry of repentance (Matthew 3:1, Mark 1:3)

The Lord Jesus, taken into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. (Matthew 4:1)

Though it is a place of temptation, yet it is also a place where He shows Himself as our Provider, and Protector,……..and brings us through.

How? By the guidance and power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Song of Solomon 3:6 “Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?”

This is a verse describing the believer and spouse of the King, coming out of the wilderness…..like pillars of smoke.

Smoke is easily dispersed…..a small breath will blow it here and there.

But here it is a Pillar…..a thing of strength and stability!

Joel 2:28-30 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out My Spirit.

And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.”

This is an amazing prophesy……think of it….the Holy Spirit, a Person of the Godhead….given to all who believe (“My people” verse 27)….indiscriminate of rank or age. Men and women…all who believe….

….to give the needed help to truly follow the Lord….no matter what job, or place you were in!

(These verses were quoted by Peter on the day of Pentecost, at the giving of the Holy Spirit to the Church,……and is to be fulfilled through out the Church Age….by His servants. Acts 2:16-19. I also personally believe, that there will be a further fulfillment of these verses by the servants of the Lord, who stand with Him in the Tribulation Period. Amazing Love, and grace of our Lord Jesus!)

This strength and stability, is all because of the Holy Spirit within us.

As we go along in our daily walk, and begin to hear His Voice….through the Word, and within us…..we learn to yield to His guidance.

We learn, that when He calls us to do something….it is not just for this time….but a lesson for our lives.

We learn to witness…..to pray….to trust when there is nothing that looks like it will turn out the way He said….to follow…..to battle….to keep our eyes on Him…..

…..but mostly, to believe Him. (Sometimes, because we are saved, we think….of course I believe the Lord….

…..but then, we doubt His Word, or hesitate at His Way of doing this or that.)

Our strength, knowledge, and power, comes from Him….but what binds our hearts and minds to Him is faith……the faith given by the Holy Spirit….

….and increased, as we obey Him.

We are smoke…..but empowered by Him….to stand.

And He brings us out of the wilderness wanderings…..into the promises He has for us.

Song of Solomon 3:6 “Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?”

This believer is perfumed with myrrh and frankincense.

(These are two of the gifts the wise men gave the Lord Jesus. Matthew 2:11)

Being in Christ, and following on with Him, the believer is perfumed with these scents as well….for the work He calls them to.

Myrrh speaks of death. Our attaining to life by the Lord’s death on the cross….and our uniting with Him, here in this world’s wilderness, by denying our self-life, that His life might be shown.

Colossians 1:27-28 “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”

Frankincense was the scent of kings. And we are scented also with this, for we are to be His Ambassadors…..speaking for King and country….to a lost world.

Corinthians 5:19-20 “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”

“With all powders of the Merchant.”

Our Lord is that Merchant

(Isaiah 55:1-2, Matthew 13:45-46 He is the Merchant, who sells—gives up all that He has….His life included….to buy, “redeem” us, the Church—the pearl of great price.)

All is from Him,……..yes, we must come to get what we need, but He has “all powders”…..everything we stand in need of.

And how do we travel….coming out of the wilderness of this world?

Song of Solomon 3:7-8 “Behold His bed, which is Solomon’s, three score valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel.

They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night.”

We “travel” in His palanquin. With the guards of peace, joy, hope, and love around us…..protecting us from…..”fear in the night”.

(I love this: God never says there are not things to fear…..but, will always send us strength to face them, or deliverance from their malice….within and without.)

By the Holy Spirit within, we are also protected without us.

There is no circumstance that comes to us…..He does not know about, or will not warn us of.

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

Are we coming out of the wilderness of this world’s system….with our Lord?

Yielding to the Holy Spirit within, are we growing in grace…..getting strength and stability from Him?

Are we seeing His Will done in our everyday things?

Colossians 1:13 “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.”

Spiritually we are translated by our Lord, when we are born again.

Practically, we are translated…..or brought through our wilderness, as we have His kingdom come within us…..showing His kingdom by us and through us.

Diligence

Diligence is eager, earnest doing;……till the job is done.

2 Kings 13:14 “And Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father! The chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.”

Elisha was a prophet of God to Israel. He lived in a time of wickedness. But there was still some which worshipped the Lord. He would travel around and gather them and preach to them. But now, after years of ministry to Israel, Elisha is dying.

And the king of Israel came down to him, to get some sorely needed help.

Assyria was their bitter enemy, who had destroyed most of their army; and had taken cities away from Israel.

Israel’s king was not godly; he had followed the sins of Israel’s kings before him, and kept the worship of two golden idols.

(Notice the wonderful names he calls Elisha! Had he really thought that way, this would not have been his last call,….but the first.)

God had not forsaken Israel,…….yet…..for God knows when enough is enough.

He had a remnant in Israel, under Elisha, called the sons of the prophets, who still followed Him.

But the king needed help, and what he was doing was not working.

So the king came down to get the help of Elisha. Maybe Elisha would seek God and get deliverance for Israel.

2 Kings 13:15-17 “And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows.

And he said unto the king of Israel, Put thy hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king’s hands.

And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the Lord’s deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Apek, till thou hast consumed them.”

Hurrah, a promise of deliverance! And it was so simple. Just shoot an arrow; a very manly, kingly thing to do!

But wait; God was not through with this king. God was going to require subjection to His Word, from this king.

2 Kings 13:18 “And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed.”

This was not very manly, or kingly; and he had gotten the promise already. What was he doing hitting the ground?

Well, he would humor the old guy, but why do this, he could not see.

His lack of diligence (the eager, earnest doing, till complete) cost him.

One arrow shot, with his hands covered with the hands of the prophet, was enough for the promise of victory, from God.

(Wasn’t that what Elisha had been doing for the whole nation? Covering them from complete judgement from God?)

But now, something more was going to be required from the king and his nation. Elisha was dying, and with him, a great deal of “covering” was gone.

Would the king subject himself to God’s Word and do what was humbling?

Would he pound the ground with the arrows, like he was fighting the Syrians because God said so?

Bending down and striking the ground? What good would that do?

Diligence is eager, earnest doing; till the job is done.

But the king had no real diligence. He wanted promises from Elisha’s God, not instructions in perseverance.

He had not come to finally submit to God, but to get something from Him.

God was telling him to do something which seemed demeaning.

The king had said the right words, he had finally come to the right place; wasn’t that honor enough?

No. Real honor to God is doing what He says, no matter how it looks.

Oh sure, he would fight the battles which God would give him victory in; but pound upon the ground with arrows, in obedience to God’s Word?

No, that was not for him. After all he was a king.

(How often we are the same way. We want promises: which God is glad to give. But to do the work of praying for them, and being obedient everyday for them; we would rather not. How soon our enthusiasm disappears!)

2 Kings 13:19 “And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hast consumed it: whereas now thou wilt smite Syria but thrice.”

Think of it! Two or three more times, was all he had to do, to get complete victory over his worst enemy!

But now, he would have victory—as God promised; but only three times.

The amount of times he hit the ground.

The effort he showed there, would be the victories the Lord would give!

(Remember, only his hand was on the arrows, which were to strike the ground.)

How important our diligence is, in our walk with Jesus Christ.

Are we like Joash here, incomplete in what God has given us to do?

You could say he was not diligent because of unbelief, or not wanting to humble himself under the Word of God.

Or for a number of reasons; but in the end, God would not honor him more than he was willing to be diligent.

What about us, as Christians?

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

In other words, with your own hands, hold on to the emotions which come out of your heart, like the reins of a horse—so they will not run away with you.

The Lord will give us victory, but the diligence to obey Him, comes from our hand.

Do, and I will strength you.

Speak, and I will give your words weight.

Stand with Me, and I will encircle you with peace and courage.

We must take God at His Word, and diligently “keep” our hearts for Him.

The Battle of the Ages: Christ must Reign

There are two principles at work in all the Universe.

God’s Principle of Obedience.

And the Principle of our Adversary, the devil; which is rebellion.

The battle of the ages, for me is: Who will rule in my life?

As Christians we can be obedient to God’s Will by the determination of my will to do it; and the power of the Holy Spirit within.

When we are, we are standing with God in the battle of the ages, for me.

2 Timothy 2:6 “The husbandman that laboreth must be first partaker of the fruits.”

This is the first verse the Lord gave me after He called me to preach.

He told me, that before He could require the Word that I preached to others; I must get it into my experience first.

The experience of Spiritual Life is always: first in me, then by me and then through me.

And His power is Life. Life flowing into me, and helping me in everything I do.

His power must be at work in me, before I can see this power used through me, in the calling God has given me to do.

He showed me these verses:

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (childish), but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;

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

We are not to use the world’s weapons to fight the Lord’s battles.

It is not a matter of “letting things go”; but forgiving from the heart.

Colossians 2:8 “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”

If I am to think God’s thoughts after Him, then His thoughts must prevail.

And for this to happen, our minds must be transformed by His grace; so that our natural and normal way we think, becomes Spiritual.

We are to pull down the strongholds.

These are strongholds of reasoning. They are the reasonings that prevent us from believing God, and acting on what we believe.

Like this:

“That is impossible. Yes, I know God is God…but He just won’t do that for me, even if I thought He would do it.”

Or…

“That person will never be saved. There is no use in witnessing to them; what good will it do?”

We are to pull these down, by our willed obedience, even when we do not see how God will do these things.

We are to cast down imaginations. Those flights of fancy which come across our minds.

We are not to give them credence, or continue in them.

We all have thoughts which come into our head: What would I do if….?

But it is what we do with our thoughts, that counts.

Do we bring them to the light of Jesus Christ, or go ahead and fly into fantasy?

And we are to destroy every barrier which is raised against the genuine knowledge of God.

And there are a lot of barriers.

Such as the barrier of:

“I can’t read the Bible, because it is too complicated. I just do not understand everything there. I just let others explain it.

But I am not really sure they are right either.”

This is a barrier which the Holy Spirit can easily destroy. He can give you understanding and light for your path, through the Word of God.

You may not understand in the original language.

But you will understand what the Holy Spirit tells you. He speaks clearly.

“Taking captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

This is stop thinking angry thoughts; stop wanting to be angry, because we want to be right…or are right; and others do not agree. (Tell the Lord everything…and He will set it right with you.)

This is to start thinking that the awful neighbor is not to be hated, but to be prayed for; or ignored. To be at peace with them.

All our thoughts should lead us to Christ; It is really siding with Jesus about what comes into our heads; And staying with Him, through it all.

This is never easy; that is why the Lord calls it a “battle”. But it can be won. The victory is assured….in Christ.

1 John 5:4-5 “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?”

For the Son of God is able to save to the uttermost. (Hebrews 7:25)

The Battle of the Ages has been going on through all time.

God is Victor.

Will we enter into His victory for ourselves, by the deliberate acts of our will?

Will we give Him all praise, by using all He gives us to make Him King in our lives?

Faith, Grace, Love, Peace, Joy: All are ours in Christ Jesus.

We are to follow Him into our place before Him, and keep following Him.

It is the way to make Him King—of us.

He will reign in us; that we may walk through this life in victory.

Are we reigning in our real life, through Christ Jesus?

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

But how do we do this?

As Christians, we are given the Holy Spirit to reign within us.

I’m sure all of you have heard, that in our hearts and lives there is a throne, where someone must rule.

And a footstool, where someone must serve.

For the natural man, the throne is occupied by themselves. They rule in their lives.

For the Christian, the throne should be occupied by Christ, through the Holy Spirit within. He should rule.

He should rule within us, and through us as we yield to Him. This is “reigning in life”—our life.

This is the same as Ambassadors. Ambassadors are still servants of their countries, but can and do speak for their country. They have been given authority because of their loyalty and service to their government.

For the child of God, our government is the Kingdom of Christ which should be within us.

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

Our country is Heaven, and we are children of God. Christ represents us before the Throne of God, as our Mediator. And we represent Him, on earth, in our day to day lives.

It is the Holy Spirit we are to yield to, daily. Giving thanks for all things.

And it is in our everyday life we serve Him most. By being His servants: finding out His will, and being obedient to it.

Romans 5:1-2 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

We have access granted us, to come boldly to the Throne of grace for our needs.

We have access by faith, into this grace.

Wherein we stand.

Real help to be and do, is here. For this grace is an enabling grace.

We can rejoice in hope.

(Have you ever noticed how many times in Scripture, the words rejoice and joy are mentioned? Our lives are to be joyful ones. We are to mourn that we so often fail Him. But when forgiveness comes, we are to “get up, wash our face, and go on” with Him.)

This hope is a faculty of the Holy Spirit. It is not, “I hope, I hope so”; but the confident expectation that God will do what He said.

It is hope, because we have not yet received what God has promised; but we expect God will do so, for us.

Romans 5:3-4 “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also; knowing tribulation worketh patience;

And patience, experience, and experience, hope:”

Now, Lord, you must be mistaken! Surely, there is nothing to glory in when we are troubled. (These tribulations here are trials.)

But there is. It is a wonderful paradox of life that we, as children of God, may glory in the trials of the day.

Faith must be tried, to prove it to be real.

How many rejoice in the thought of Heaven, but not in the thought of Christ as Lord?

So our faith will be tried, to see if we will stand in the grace given (And grace is the unmerited favor of power), and stand with Him…..each day.

Patience is acquired as we do stand. (And patience is a very misunderstood grace, I think.)

Patience helps us to wait in hope. (It helps me in traffic, in grocery lines, and yes, in doctor’s offices.)

Patience is that virtue that knows……God knows what is going on and that He is seeing to it;…….even if we can not see Him doing it now.

These will increase our experiences with the Lord. How wonderful to know what He will do for me.

(We have heard and read of what He will do for others, but how great to know what He will do for us.

As Joshua said, “…and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you,…” Joshua 23:14

And we, too, should know this is so, for us…..”not one thing hath failed…. all are come to pass unto you.”)

Which will increase our hope, for future promises and blessings.

Romans 5:5 “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”

Faith believes.

Hope enjoys those things that God has prepared for us, for we know His love and faithfulness to us.

It is “taste and see” that the Lord is gracious. (Psalm 34:8)

This is reigning in our real life….for we are reigning with Him, in it.