He never Slumbers

Psalm 121:1-2 “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills,  from whence cometh my help.

                           My help cometh from the Lord,  Who made heaven and earth.”

As Christians where should we look for help?  There is only One who can really help us.

And our testimony should be:  “my help comes from the Lord…”

He is the creator and sustainer of heaven and earth.  

He rules and overrules in the affairs of men,  whether they acknowledge Him or not, for He is God, and there is none else.

Isaiah 45:22-23 “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth:  for I am God, and there is none else.

                               I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return,  That unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.”

Isaiah 50:7 “For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded:  therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.”

And how does He help us?  By a guidance in the Holy Spirit,  which keeps us from “being taken” in the devil’s traps.  And gives us courage to follow Him.

And if we are tripped up;  He keeps us from being “utterly cast down”.

Psalm 121:3-5a “He will not suffer thy foot to be moved;  He that keepeth thee will not slumber.

                            Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

                             The Lord is thy keeper:…”

He, who numbers the hairs of our head, will watch the steps that we take.

The illustration here is as children are watched by their parents; ever ready to intervene if needed.

And as sheep are watched by their Shepherd to protect, as well as guide into right paths.

He is called the Keeper of Israel…He guides and preserves those that are His.

(It also suggests that He fights for us: as David did against the lion and the bear. [1 Samuel 17:34-36])

Proverbs 3:23, 26 “Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.

                                   For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.”

Psalm 37:23-24 “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.

                                 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down:  for the Lord upholdeth him with His hand.”

God neither sleeps nor slumbers.

He neither sleeps at night….so we can.

Nor slumbers during the day….when it is time to work,  He is right there to help us.

The Keeper of Israel is a covenant Name of God.    When He looks at us,  He sees us in Christ, covered by His blood and righteous in Him.

His eye is ever toward the righteous.

Psalm 33:18 “Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear Him,  upon them that hope in His mercy;”

Psalm 121:7-8 “The Lord shall preserve thee from evil:  He shall preserve thy soul.

                            The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth,  and even for evermore.”

Three times in these two verses, it says:  preserve.     Preserve means to hedge about with thorns, so nothing can come in to harm.

He shall preserve from all evil.  From sin, the world, and the devil.  (“The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation…” 2 Peter 2:9)

He shall preserve thy soul.  With all its emotions, thoughts, and actions;  He shall keep us by His Spirit.  (1 Peter 1:5 “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to revealed in the last time.”)

He shall preserve thy going out and coming in.  Our every day life is here spoken of.  We go out of our prayer times to face the world and all that comes to us;  and we come in to seek Him for strengthening fellowship and love.

(John 10:9 “I am the door:  by Me if any man enter in,  he shall be saved,  and shall go in and out,  and find pasture.”)

The Lord our Keeper shall preserve “thee”.   It is always personal.  

He shall preserve you.  He shall preserve me.

Praise Him for all His wonderful works.

The Man with the Withered Hand.

Matthew 12:9-10 “And when he was departed thence,  he went into their synagogue: 

And behold, there was a man who had his hand withered.   And they asked him,  saying,  Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days?  That they might accuse him.”

Jesus had been on a teaching tour through the cities of Israel.  And now he was come to their synagogue.

The Pharisees had laid a trap for him,  in the appearance of a man with a withered hand.

To have a deformity in Israel, was to be disgraced, for it meant that sin was somewhere in the family of the person.  (They thought that this man had sinned, or someone in his family had sinned, and he was being punished for it.)

So the Pharisees asked a question, that they thought was pretty straight forward.

Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?

The Sabbath was the day of rest.  A day which should be spent in contemplating God, and His Word.   A day of fellowship with others of His people.

They were to do no work on the Sabbath, or it would be defiled.

But what is work,  and what is mercy?

Jesus points out the difference.

Matthew 12:11-12 “And he said unto them,  What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?

How much then is a man better that a sheep?  Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.”

Would you save your one sheep?   Your only sheep?   Are you not commanded in the ceremonial law,  to save a sheep, even of your neighbors? (Deuteronomy 22:4)

This is interesting.    Jesus does not say one out of a hundred.  Or a thousand.

But one.

That is exactly the way He feels about us.  If He only came to save one,  He would have.

We are that one.   The man with the withered hand was that one.

He would save us, and He would save him.

So His question to the Pharisees was really: 

would you save the one sheep you own;   would you save your  livelihood?  

Or the livelihood of your neighbor?

He said the truth:  of course they would.

Therefore, since they would save your one sheep on the sabbath,   I will save this one man on the sabbath.

Also notice, the way He talked of the sheep:  “if it fall into a pit”.  Are we not also ready to fall into a pit, without His Salvation?

Christ’s answer showed God’s character.

The Sabbath was made for man to have rest with His God.  It is lawful, then to show mercy on the sabbath days.

Matthew 12:13 “Then saith he to the man,   Stretch forth thine hand.  And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.”

This man with the withered hand had heard enough to know that the mercy of God was being extended to him.  Did he believe it?  

To believe Jesus and obey would cost him something.   He would have to stretch out his hand for all to see his deformity.

It would cost him embarrassment.

(And how many of us would be stopped right here?)

It could also cost him the company of these people. 

To obey Jesus might be dangerous, as these people were influential.

So, here is the choice:  Jesus, and God’s mercy;  or his normal existence, but accepted by the religious rulers.

Which would he do?

“And he stretched it forth.”  

His choice was Jesus, and obedience.         For it,  he was healed.

But Jesus was also speaking to all who were there in the synagogue.   

He was  offering mercy to all those who heard Him:  including those Pharisees, if they would simply submit to the truth and believe in Him.

But they refused to believe Him.   They refused His healing their hearts.

Matthew 12:14 “Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.”

God’s mercy and salvation was refused by them that day.

Their choice was to keep the life and influence they had;  not to yield to the mercy offered.  

How much they lost by their choice!

Jesus talked of saving the “one sheep”,  because each of us are that one sheep.

He came to save us:  from the guilt of sin,  the power of sin, and one day from the presence of sin.

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Thankfulness

As Thanksgiving day approaches,  let us consider Who it is that gives to us of His fullness.

Romans 11:36 “For of Him, and through Him, and to Him,  are all things:  to Whom be glory forever. Amen.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 “Rejoice evermore.     Pray without ceasing.  

                                             In everything give thanks:  for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

                                             Quench not the Spirit.”

As Christians we are to seek God’s glory first.  We are to shine His light through us, and to witness of Him.

One of the most effective means of “spreading abroad” His light is to give thanks; to be thankful.

I was quite unaware of how much the Old Testament spoke of rejoicing with God, until I read the scriptures through.   It is amazing to see how much God wanted fellowship, even under the restraints of the law, with His own.

Leviticus 7:11-15 speaks of the peace offering.   

It was one big party with God.

You were to bring your peace offering when something good happened.   And you were to sacrifice part of the offering,  then eat the rest of the offering with your family, friends, and the priests.

It was to eaten the same day, unless it was for a vow,  then it could be eaten the second day, as well.

Moses in his instruction concerning their life in the land God gave them:

Deuteronomy 12:5, 7 “But unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put His name there,  even unto His habitation shall ye seek, and thither shalt thou come.

                                       And there ye shall eat before the Lord your God,  and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto,  ye and your households,  wherein the Lord thy God hath blessed thee.”

(Three times in this chapter, they are told to “rejoice” before  the Lord.  Deuteronomy 12:7, 12, 18)

                

The Psalms are full of praise, and glory to God.  Most of them are written by David, a man after God’s own heart.

Psalm 30:11-12 “Thou hast turned for me  my mourning into dancing:  Thou hast put off my sackcloth,  and girded me with gladness;

                              To the end that my glory may sing praise to Thee,  and not be silent.  O Lord my God,  I will give thanks unto Thee forever.”

Psalm 150:6 “Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.  Praise ye the Lord.”

Daniel was constant in his thanks to God,  even when it meant he might  be thrown into the lion’s den.

Daniel 6:10 “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed,  he went into his house, and his windows being opened in his chamber toward Jerusalem,  he kneeled upon his knees three times a day,  and prayed,  and gave thanks before his God,  as he did aforetime.”

I mention all these, because I was struck by something in Romans:

Romans 1:20-21 “For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen,  being understood by the things that are made,  even His eternal power and Godhead,  so that they are without excuse:

                              Because that,  when they knew God,  they glorified Him not as God,  neither were thankful;    and became vain in their imaginations,  and their foolish heart was darkened.”

Vain imaginations and darkened hearts begin with unthankfulness to God.

It clearly says that they “knew” about God:  His power and His Godhead.  

But they refused that truth,  not wanting to be thankful to Him!

Christ Jesus said when He was here, talking to Nicodemus.

(And it is right after He says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”)

John 3:19 “And this is the condemnation,  that light is come into he world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”

Then He says,  for He came to show the Way to God,  always:

John 3:21 “But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”

Truth comes from God.   If we yield to it,  God works a work in us:  faith unto salvation. 

Praise and thankfulness is the result of yielding to the Spirit of God.  He gives us the fullness of praise.

Prayer and praise often goes together;  for fellowship with the Lord encourages our joy.

Colossians 4:2. “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;”

Philippians 4:4, 6 “Rejoice in the Lord always:  and again I say,  rejoice.

                                 Be careful for nothing;  but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving  let your requests be known unto God.”

                                    

Philippians 4:8 “Finally,  brethren,  whatsoever things are true,  

whatsoever things are honest,  

whatsoever things are just, 

whatsoever things are pure,  

whatsoever things are lovely,  

whatsoever things are of good report;  

if there be any virtue,  

and if there be any praise,  think on these things.”

Paul says, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

God’s will is always our privilege to do.

But the giving of thanks to our blessed God in the Trinity of His Persons,  is the strengthening of our bond with Him,   the encouraging of our faith,    fruitfulness in our life,    and a way to grow more in love with Him.

The Joy of the Lord

Nehemiah 8:10 “And he said unto them,  Go thy way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared:  for this day is holy unto our Lord:  neither be ye sorry;  for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

In other words, as they experienced this joy,  and yielded to this joy; they would be strengthened in His Might.

This is to “be strong in the Lord and the power of His Might.” (Ephesians 6:10)

The need was great for Israel.  They were back in the land, but enemies had and would keep trying to destroy their unity, and commitment to God’s Worship.

But here they had just had a service where the Law and books of Prophesy were read, and interpreted to the people.

They were excited to learn, but also saddened by the memory of their sin, which had sent them out of the land; and of the trouble they were having now.

There is a time to repent;  

and a time to rejoice in the goodness of God.

Now was their time to rejoice in the goodness of God.

We are called, as Christians, to have Christ’s Kingdom come with in our hearts and lives, now.

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

The inward Kingdom of Heaven is set up in the hearts of all who repent and believe the Gospel.

And that Kingdom is none other than:

Romans14:17 “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink;  but righteousness,  and peace,  and joy in the Holy Ghost.”

Now joy is a choice instrument that God uses to work in a believing soul.

Joy and Peace are the true criteria to judge ourselves, spiritually.

When we are right with God, we have peace with God, and ourselves.

Joy follows.

Joy is particularly designed by God to be a balance against the sufferings; inward and  out;  of our walk of faith.

It is meant to lift up the hands which hang down, and confirm the feeble knees (Hebrews 12:12).

There is a strengthening power in the joy of the Lord.

Therefore, whatever dampens our joy in the Lord,  hinders our holiness.

The Devil would “throw water” on our joy, so that he would spoil our enjoyment of the things God gives…and if he could,  the use of them too.  

When we get discouraged, or depressed,  we begin to let down our shield of faith.  The firey darts of the devil get through, when the shield is down.  We are wounded.

When we get like that, we need to be exhorted to do, as Israel was told:

Nehemiah 8:10 “And he said unto them,  Go thy way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Joy and Happiness are not the same.

Each springs from a totally different source.

Happiness comes from the situations around me.  It is measured by what is happening to me.   It is bound up in either the behavior of other people, to me;  or the circumstances in which I am.

Joy comes directly from the Spirit of the Living God.

This joy springs from the Presence of God in my life.   It is not dependent on people, places, or the situations in which I find myself;  but rather from the Presence of God with me in any circumstances. 

(And don’t we find it so, that knowing that the Lord is with us, is a great blessing…always.)

Joy is one of the attributes of God that He shares with us.  Joy runs like a river of goodwill, through His make-up.  And He wants to share that with us.

He is the God of all Joy.  

He is alive.  He is here.    That joy was the overflowing of power in the early Church.  

And that can be the experience of all who truly allow God’s peace to rule in your hearts.  When it does, joy follows. 

Colossians 3:15 “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”

Purpose and deep delight in the Lord, are the characteristics of such a person.

There is direction in our duties, no matter how ordinary.

There is purpose in every area of our lives;   for we are in harmony with the Holy Spirit within and that lifts me from the confusion and trouble of this world, to rest in the arms of the Lord.

This is to know the joy of the Lord, and it becomes a force in my life, to dispel darkness and despair;  to energize my life in my walk with God.

The joy of the Lord is our strength.  

We need it, and He has it for us.

The Leper

Mark 1:40 “And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him,    If thou wilt,  thou canst make me clean.”

The fact that Jesus healed many, was well known.  He had been preaching the Gospel of the kingdom of God. (Mark 1:15).  Wherever He went, He healed the sick, and diseased, as well. 

As He went, a leper came asking for cleansing.  “Lord,  if Thou wilt, Thou can make me clean”.

Jesus was moved with compassion.   Leprosy is a terrible disease.   How far along in the disease he was, is not said here;  but in Luke 5:8:

“And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city,  behold  a man full of leprosy;  who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying,   Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.”

This man was “full of leprosy”.    In other words, this man’s case was hopeless.  Leprosy starts as a “rising,(swelling), a scab, or bright spot” and continues till  “raw flesh” appears. (Leviticus 13:2, 14)

It destroys and eats away the flesh,  until fingers fall off, etc.   

Leprosy is like sin.  It begins small–a “swelling”.   Wherever it breaks out,  it puffs up the flesh.

But it is small–something you could ignore, if you choose to.  Till it needs a scab.

That means there has been a open sore.  It still could be small…but open,  open to the contaminants of the world.

And so it goes on,  eating up our flesh, destroying us;  unless it is cleansed.

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

Yet, this man cried for mercy from the Lord Jesus; and received it.

Not only the Word of Healing;  but Jesus “put forth his hand, and touched him”.

Mark 1:41-42 “And Jesus moved with compassion,  put forth his hand,  and touched him,  and saith unto him,    I will; be thou clean.

And as soon as he had spoken,  immediately the leprosy departed from him,  and he was cleansed.”

Isaiah 59:1 “Behold,  the Lord’s hand is not shortened,  that it can not save;  neither his ear heavy,  that it can not hear:”

This was compassion only the Son of Man/the Son of God, could do:  

Hebrews 4:15 “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities;  but was in all points tempted like as we are,  yet without sin.”

Jesus touched the leper, and gave His Word, “I will”.  That cleansed him.

Jesus heart reached out and touched him,  who should never be touched.

Jesus will  spoke the word, and he was cleansed.

But now the Lord wanted him to do what God required for the cleansing:

Mark 1:43-44 “And he straitly charged him,  and forthwith sent him away;

And saith unto him,   See thou say nothing to any man:  Go thy way,  show thyself to the priest,  and offer for thy cleansing those things that Moses commanded,  for a testimony unto them.”

We can not save ourselves from our sin.   We must come to Christ for that.

But we can be obedient to what He requires us,  afterward,  as a testimony to His Love and Word.

The leper was cleansed:

He came to the right person, and in the right way;  seeking mercy. 

And he was cleansed.

Then he went and did as Jesus required, as a testimony to Jesus as Healer, Savior, and Lord.

The Good Ground Hearer

1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

“If we walk in the light”.  We know that “light” means knowledge and understanding from the Holy Spirit, through the merits of Christ’s  sacrifice.  

We are to walk in that light, that the Holy Spirit gives us;  to be obedient to the light we have received.

Does that mean sinless perfection?  No, it does not!

What it does mean, is:  that you get honest with God,  in all your dealings with Him.

Prayer, Bible Study, witness, and worship.  You get honest with Him.

You, in fact, become a “good ground hearer”.

Matthew 13:23 “But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word,  and understandeth it;  which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth,  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

All that have the seed sown unto them, “hear” it.  It is what we do when we hear, that separates us in Christ’s sight.

“And understandeth it”.  The good ground hearer, understands the right of those claims made on his life by Christ;  and answers them with a life that is open to and receptive to Christ.

(If you think Christ has not made any claims to your life,  then you have not heard aright.   And you have not understood His claim as Lord and Savior.)

Mark 4:20 “And these are they which are sown on good ground;  such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit,  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

The good ground hearers are those individuals which:  when they hear the Word given to them,  they receive the Word.

They do not reject it,  or say, “that is for someone else”.

To receive is to do what that Word requires of them.

Luke 8:15 “But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.”

Here we see the reason behind the good ground: honesty.

Our hearts are never good, in themselves:

Jeremiah 17:9-10 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked:  who can know it?

I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.”

But in Luke it says: “honest and good heart”.   That is the only way it is good.  We get honest with God and allow Him to search us and show us if there is anything we need to get straight with Him.

Then we can bring forth the fruit of the Spirit, and the fruit of the Christian; which is another Christian. (We are all called as witnesses of Christ’s life in our life)

This honest heart “keeps” the word.  It obeys, and perseveres in that obedience.   And in keeping it,  we are changed into His character:  His loving, kindness we can show.  His truth we can share.  His prayer for all,  we can follow.

Keeping the Word, shows God is true, and we stay with Him in all the trials that come up.

To understand the Word is to see Who speaks to me.  It is to know the reality of the creature before the Creator.  We understand that God is God, and does command me to follow Him, wherever He leads.

This is the first agreement in walking together in the light with Him.

Then we receive the Word, that we might be changed into “a vessel unto honor, sanctified,meet for the master’s use,  and prepared unto every good work.” (2 Timothy 2:21). In other words, bring forth fruit…some thirtyfold, some sixty, some a hundred.

Then,(and in the Christian life, there is always a “then”.  We are never to be stagnant; but always going on to more mature things.). 

Then, we “keep” the word.  As creature before the Creator, because we have learned that He does all things well…..

….so I’ll keep His Word, and with patience,  waiting on Him to bring to pass;  I’ll stand.

Doing what He says, bringing forth fruit….maybe not a hundredfold,  but I will bring forth fruit to His glory.

Thank you Heavenly Sower, for allowing Your Word to come to me.

Let it bring forth abundantly to You….in me, and through me.

Now According to the Faithful and True Witness 

Revelation 3:14 “And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write;  these things saith the Amen,  the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the Creation of God.”

I will say here, that we believe that we are called to this Laodicean age. In other words we believe that we are called to Awaken the church to God’s claims on their lives.  

As Christians, we are redeemed;  we belong to Him, therefore His Will should be the purpose of our lives.

(Yes, we believe that these letters each represent both a real church being written to;  and an age within the Church dispensation.

In each letter,  the church or the true believers is the focus—not the lost.  Jesus Christ is dictating these letters so they will know how He feels about their problems,  their tribulations, and their failures;  and what grace to get to deal with them.)

Thus saith the Amen.

Now, He alone can say this:  this means “Let it be,  Let it happen.”  He alone is the Affirmation and Confirmation of every Word of God.

We must say,  “If God wills.”  (James 4:13-15).  But He can say Amen, and it will be.

The Faithful and True Witness.  A witness just states what He sees and what He knows.

And what does Jesus see when He looks at Laodicea?

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.”

(Indifference, or apathy to God, after He has done so much for us;  is the very worst state we can possibly be in. And if continued in, will result in being “spued out of His mouth”.

And the reason of our indifference?)

Revelation 3:17 “Because thou sayest,  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:”

Because we say, that I am rich, and increased with goods.

This is grand of itself;   but it leads to:  “and have need of nothing”;  

not even God, anymore.

This attitude is: 

“I am saved, and for that I will praise You;    but let me have my place in this world with all of it’s goods.

Yes, I am rich with Your mercy for You have saved me, and I do not have to do anything but wait for heaven.

I am increased with goods,  for I can have heaven and earth;  both salvation and the world.

And have need of nothing:  so let me praise You,   and do what I want for now.”

But Jesus sees their true condition before Him, and says:  And knowest not!

Is it possible to be in such a state and not know it?  According to the Faithful and True Witness, it is;  and we Laodiceans, are.

We do not know that we are really wretched:  

This is a terrible word,  but Paul used it of himself when he was testifying of his battle with himself, his “old man”.

Paul was a very religious Pharisee,  but he discovered from the Spirit of God, his covetousness.   

To covet is to “set the heart upon”.  [The Ten Commandments gives a whole list of things we are not to covet: from things for wealth, or sex, or goods, or things just better than we have.].  

When we set our hearts upon something, it takes over our emotions, our reason, and our wills (yes,  we become quite unwilling to listen to God, and quite willing to sin, to have this.)

Romans 7:24 “O wretched man that I am!  Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”

Why did he say this?   Because he saw that even as a Christian, we have our old nature within us.

Romans 7:18 “For I know that in me(that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me;  but how to perform that which is good I find not.”

Paul was having trouble with his old self.   He was trying to do what God wanted, but found that his trying often failed.  

Paul knew he was wretched.

So what did he do?    He sought freedom from self, by the Spirit of God.

Romans 8:2, 4 “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

                         That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us,  who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

Here was the answer to his wretchedness:  walking in the Spirit,  not in the flesh.

We Laodiceans are trying to do both:  be in Christ, and in the world for ourselves.

Christ Jesus plainly teaches that if you would be a follower of Christ you should deny yourself, pick up your cross [does that sound like something the world would like to be around?] and follow Him.

We are to lose our self-life,  to have our Christ- life (Matthew 16:24-26)

That is why the Faithful and True Witness says we are also:  

miserable [how many Christians today are unhappy, discontented],  

and poor [not rich in God’s grace by His Spirit, but barely getting by]

and blind [someone has said,  we are blind because we have our eyes shut, so we can not see ourselves as Christ sees us]

And naked [without the righteous acts which are those obediences to God, which separate us from the world, and give a “covering” of peace, and power]

This witness has been against us so far……..but our blessed Lord Jesus does not leave us (never!);    but counsels us, as our Advocate, with the best advice:

Revelations 3:18 “I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire,  that thou mayest be rich;  and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed,  and that the shame of thy nakedness  do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve,  that thou mayest see.”

When we “buy” from Jesus,  we are not buying salvation;  that is a free gift.

But when we are His,  we are to come to Him and get what we need.  He calls it “buying” here because we are to come with the attitude of getting real gain, real value.

(Remember the indifference?   To come with the knowledge of real lack;  and seek Him for His precious grace,  being obedient to His call;  then we “buy” from Him.)

He knows all and counsels us to get gold—true riches of His commanding presence and power in our lives. 

(Tried in the fire, is true gold with the dross or admixture burnt out, by the trials of standing with Him)

He counsels us to get white raiment, or the covering of righteous acts, so we will not be ashamed at His coming.

He counsels us to stop being blind, by getting honest (by the Holy Spirit’s help) with Him and with ourselves. 

As the Lord told me once:  that if any true Christian would get a good look at their own heart, they would want to do something about it immediately.  

Then Jesus says to His Laodicean church:

Revelation 3:19-20 “As many as I love,  I rebuke and chasten:  be zealous therefore, and repent.

                                   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 is the fellowship of true family.  

And the power of His presence. (Psalm 23:5 “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:  Thou anointed my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”)

“I will come into him and will sup with him”….these two things, the Lord says He will do…..if we will repent and open our lives to Him,  again.

Do you hear Him today, calling you to repent of your lukewarmness to Him?

Then answer His voice:

To answer the call of Christ in this Laodicean age, requires not an answer of words at some altar;

But the answer of a life open to and receptive to Him.

None other will do.

He says, “I will”.      Will you?

Temptation

Luke 8:13 “They on the rock are they, which,  when they hear,  receive the word with joy;  and these have no root,  which for awhile believe,  and in time of temptation fall away.”

Here is described some who hear the Word of God;  and their hearts respond to it with joy!

They believe for awhile, for they receive the word, not just hear it.

This means that their hearts want Salvation.   They understand the promise of it, as well as what it demands of them.

They will to obey it, and go along great…..until something halts their progress.

That “something” is Temptation.

To tempt is to arouse to action or anger;  to induce to do something;  to persuade.

Temptation comes along and knocks at the door of your life.

Life might be treating you badly.  You might already be hurt, or angry, or discouraged (and this is a BIG one:  discouragement)

So the devil, our Adversary, who is behind each temptation, sends “Complaints” to speak to us.

Complaints comes and knocks at our door.  When we open to see who it is,  he says, “How many times are you going to put up with their ingratitude?”

“You deserve to have that position.  You work harder than anybody else!”

“They should never have said that about you.  You are so much nicer than they are.”

He says exactly what we want to hear.

Should you listen?  (First mistake.  Eve was tripped up by listening to the devil, she should have run away at the first suggestion out of his mouth)

Should you open to see exactly what “Complaints” is offering? 

Now if we are  “sober (serious about standing with Christ), 

and vigilant (watchful);  we can refuse Complaint’s suggestions.

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

Because, devour is what the devil wants to do, with this Temptation.  To eat up every determination to do God’s Will.

(Believe me, every temptation we yield to;  weakens our faith.   If you would be strong in the faith,  flee temptation.)

Remember,  that is what it is: it is a Temptation,  no matter what name it comes knocking under.

If we listen,  and consider what Temptation is offering;  a foothold is made in your heart or your understanding.  And once there, they are twice as hard to resist.

Christ Jesus taught His disciples to pray:

Matthew 6:13 “And lead us not into temptation,  but deliver us from evil:  for thine is the kingdom,  and the power,  and the glory,  for ever.  Amen.”

There are two parts to dealing with Temptation:

1. “Lord, lead us not into temptation”.                                                                 Help me to keep asking for the help I need. To lean on You  to say and do only what I should.

James 1:19-20 “Wherefore,  my beloved brethren,  let every man be swift to hear (God),  slow to speak,  slow to wrath:

                            For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.”

2. “but, deliver us from evil”.                                                                                    For there is a way out of Temptation, once we are in it.

James 4:7-8 “Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  

                  Draw nigh to God,  and he will draw nigh to you, cleanse your hands ye sinners;  and purify your hearts ye double-minded.”

The first is submit to God:  confess your desire to listen and go along with Temptation, and confess your anger (or what ever the sin was).

This submission is a deliberate act of your will,  and the real Victory is in the submission.

Then resist the devil:  “The Lord rebuke thee.”  (We certainly can’t in our own power,  but in His name, we can.)

Then draw near to God, and He will draw near to you:  This is a military movement.  It is going back, to take cover in Christ Jesus, our Rock; and He will protect us, and fight for us in a special way.

Temptations are common to man. 

But we can be delivered from them:

1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man:  but God is faithful,  who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able;  but will with the temptation also make a way to escape,  that ye may be able to bear it.”

And God has promised a blessing for all those who endure.   Endure means that you stand with Christ Jesus;  and when the temptation is over, you are still standing with Jesus.

(You may fall.  But He has provided His forgiveness, and cleansing power to get us up and stand again with Him.)

James 1:12 “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation:  for when he is tried,  he shall receive the crown of life,  which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”

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.

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 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, this was only his hand 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.

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.

When I was a Child

1 Corinthians 13:11 “When I was a child,  I spake as a child,  I understood as a child,  I thought as a child:  but when I became a man,  I put away childish things.”

“When I was a child”…this phrase suggest that these childish things have been “put away”;  that the writer here is remembering what the Lord showed him of the things that needed to be removed, that he might grow up into Christ.

The writer here is Paul.  It is hard to think that Paul was ever childish,  yet we have his testimony here, that even the mighty apostle had to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ.

(He was writing the Corinthian Church, who were childishly arguing over “who was who”.   “I am of Paul,  I of Apollos, I of Cephas,….is Christ divided?”  1 Corinthians 1:12-13a.  

This was silly, and Paul was writing them to correct their behavior;  to help them grow up into Christ.)

And how do we put away childish things?

By knowing the scriptures.

1 Peter 2:2 “As newborn babes,  desire the sincere milk of the Word,  that ye may grow thereby.”

It is as we are established in the Word of God, that we are able to know what the Lord is saying to us. 

As we read and listen to that Word, the power of the Spirit speaks to us; and He applies them to us. 

That power works in the heart.  It works understanding of the Word,  and then it works obedience to it,  so we will receive the blessing of it.

Peter ends his second epistle with this exhortation.

2 Peter 3:18 “But grow in grace,  and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and for ever.  Amen.”

David said:

Psalm 131:2 “Surely I have behaved and quieted myself,  as a child that is weaned of his mother:  my soul is even as a weaned child.”

Our hearts are naturally drawn to worldly things.

But by the grace of God,  the soul is “weaned” from the desire for them.

There are three things which the Apostle Paul says he “put away”.

I spake as a child: 

1 Corinthians 2:1-2,4-5 “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech, or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.

                                 For I determined not to know any thing among you,  save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

                                 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom,  but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

                                 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men,  but in the power of God.”

Paul did not speak in all the eloquence he could, so people would applaud him;  but spake in the power of the Holy Spirit, about Christ Jesus.

We are to do the same.   We are to show forth Christ Jesus.  Whether by testimony (about being born again,  or right up to the minute about what He has showed us for this situation.),  or by giving the gospel message of His salvation.

[This also has reference to talking to the Lord:  Our confessions should not be as children, “It got broke”;  but,  “I broke it, forgive me.”

When we need direction,  we should ask for it. 

When we need help,  we should turn to Him immediately, and not try and “cover up” our lack of knowledge, or struggle through]

I understood as a child: 

Ephesians 4:13-15 “Till we all come in the unity of faith,  and of the knowledge of Son of God,  unto a perfect man,  and the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:

                                 That we henceforth be no more children,  tossed to and fro,  and carried about with every wind of doctrine,  by the sleight of men,  and cunning craftiness,  whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

                                  Speaking the truth in love,  may grow up unto Him in all things,  which is the head,  even Christ:”

Paul includes himself here;  for our “growing up” continues until we get to heaven.   We are babes,  children, then adults:  yet we continue to grow in grace, and get more understanding of Him, as we go along.

To have this understanding, we should work at being steadfast in His Word, and learning how to listen to His Spirit.   

We get distracted,  we hesitate,  we doubt.   

But the Spirit is willing to help us with light (knowledge),  insight (for the situation),  and  discernment (about people).

How important these are.  He knows,  and He will gladly tell us.

I thought (reasoned) as a child: 

Paul wrote about himself: 

Acts 26:9-11 “I verily thought with myself,  that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

                         Which thing I also did in Jerusalem:  and many of the saints did I shut up in prison,  having received authority from the chief priests;  and when they were put to death,  I gave my voice against them.

                          And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme;  and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.”

This is Paul’s testimony as to the persecution he lead, before being born again, against the church:   “I verily thought with myself…”.

He let his own emotions(anger), lead him into doing terrible things against the people of the Lord.

This is childish reasoning:  we react to our own feelings toward things.

[Of course, once the Lord struck him down and got his attention;  things were different.    

But, Paul had refused the testimony of Stephen about Christ; which began his downward spiral into violence against the Lord’s own.  

It was of God’s mercy and love that He did not forget about this man (or us:  Praise God for His mercy to me,  a thousand times over).   But His grace saved him!   And gave him the right way of thinking]

Let us, as Paul did, and every other Christian can:  “put away childish things.”

Put them away, like we put old toys away;  to go on with older, more mature pursuits. 

How?  By the Word of God, spoken, read, and preached:  applied to us by His Holy Spirit, for our help.  

So let us grow up into Him,  and be all He wants for us.