The Seven sayings of Christ on the Cross

Luke 23:33:
“And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.”

Christ is now brought to the place of His greatest suffering. The beatings are past but the shame and desertion by God; death, and burial ahead.
But how does He meet them?

Luke 23:34 “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.
And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.”

The first thing He says on the Cross is: “Father, forgive them.”
He forgave them first. They did not ask for it; but He, as the greatest King, forgave the greatest debt, and He did it first.
The “them”, were those chief priests who tried Him and took Him to Pilate, the Jews who cried “Crucify Him”, and those who stood and mocked Him, even in His miserable suffering.
The people who refused to believe in Him, and the Gentiles, who under Pilate, beat and lead Him away; nailing Him to the Cross.(The Romans harshest type of death.)

As the mocking continues, the malefactors enter in. But then one speaks up for Christ:
Luke 23:40-42 “But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
And we indeed justly;…but this man hath done nothing amiss.
And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.”

Here, one is saved, by belief in the Lord; and one is not. For the second thing Jesus said on the cross was another word of forgiveness, and also blessing:

Luke 23:43 “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be. With me in paradise.”
Then, looking down Jesus saw His mother, and John, the beloved disciple, who was the only one who had followed Him from the Garden to the Cross. He, alone of the disciples, stood at the foot of the cross, ready to be arrested, if necessary, to stay close to Jesus.

So Jesus speaks the third sayings:

John 19:26 “When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!”

John 19:27 “Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.”

Here, Jesus sees to His mother, committing her into the hands of John, the beloved disciple.
She was to look on him as the son she lost.
He was to look on her as his mother, and take care of her, seeing to her in her old age.
This he did, and it is said, that she went with him on his preaching tours; that her bones are buried in the wall of Ephesus.

Six hours the sun had shone down upon all of this suffering.
Luke 23:44-45 “And it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.
The sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.”

The sun “was darkened”: The awful agony of the sin bearer, fulfilling the suffering of the wrath of God on our sin, was “darkened”. No one but God and Christ, could enter into this propitiation.
God darkened the sun, to show that this was not for view; no one would understand such suffering, and so, no one could truly view it in it’s terror. This suffering went on until He paid the price for all His.

In this time, Jesus spoke the fourth saying:
Matthew 27: 46 ” And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani ? That is to say, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
God forsaking Him was because of our sin; for God can not look upon sin, without wrath. And Jesus was “‘made sin for us”. (2 Corinthians 5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we may be made the righteousness of God in him.”)

The price paid, Jesus spoke the fifth saying:

John 19:28 “After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.”

They had offered him wine mingled with myrrh to deaden the pain, earlier; but He refused it. He would feel every moment of pain, that He would be able to pay the full debt of our sin.
Mark 15:23 “And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.”
But this time, they gave him vinegar.
John 19:29 “Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.”

Then, He spoke the sixth and seventh sayings:
John 19:30 ” When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.”

Luke 23:46 “And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, (That is He cried for all who would hear, to hear “It is finished”) he said, Father, into they hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.”

Jesus, having finished the work of Expiation, cried out; but then he gave his spirit unto the Father, in the last solemn moment before death.

Christ was our High Priest, who offered Himself as the Sacrifice for sin, for us. In every saying there was love, offered again and again, for those who would receive it.
He drained every drop of suffering for us. And died, was buried, and rose again to give us His Eternal Life.

Have you Settled Things with God?

In the garden of Getheseme, Christ Jesus “settled” with God that He would finish the work.
Matthew 26:38-40 “Then saith he (Jesus) unto them, my soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.
And he cometh unto the disciples and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?”

The life He lived was not a easy one. Holy and undefiled, He lived in a world which was corrupt, perverted, and in bondage.

But in the garden, Jesus was to face the hardest battle. Alone, He struggled with the upcoming pain, and humiliation (imagine having the power to destroy, or even change the mind of those who arrested and tried Him; yet having to be silent in defense.)

John 19:10-11 “Then sayest Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?
Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.”

He struggled with the fact that Judas betrayed Him, and His disciples couldn’t stay awake.
He struggled with the fact that the very people He came in love to; had rejected Him and His Word about the Kingdom of God.
He struggled, knowing the beatings, both by Romans, and Israelites, He would be subject to; the crown of thorns being pushed into His head in cruel mockery. He was a King, but refused to show it.
He struggled most: with the awful fact that on the cross He would be deserted by His Father, who had always been with Him.
For all our wicked sin, was placed upon Him; as our substitute. All God’s wrath, which should have been placed upon our heads for our sins, was placed on His.

Yet at Gethesemne, He settled the matter. He had come to do these very things, so He had to do them; but it was settled there, that He would do them. For they were the Father’s Will. And that is what He wanted.
And He did all His Father’s Will, even unto death.

So we must “settle it”, that we will stand in the place God has for us, and do His Will.

1Peter 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, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”

He will help us, by His grace; which is the unmerited favor of power. He is the God of ALL grace, so He has enough for us.
He can help us in suffering: to endure, making us “perfect”, which means complete.
He can stablish, giving us the firm foundation of His love, and peace in all the circumstances of our lives.(And how much we need His peace in our days!)
He can strengthen us, for out of weakness we can be made strong, to will and to do His will.
He can “settle” us; which is to make the way for the rest of our lives into a path that is plainly seen and give us power to walk in it.

Christ settled things in the Garden; the fear and amazement was there. All that came after, was just the doing.

We, too, can settle things with God; so that we can do His Will, without fear, by grace; in confidence, that He will be with us, and empower us by His grace for all that we face.

The Path of the Just

Proverbs 4:18 “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.”

When the sun first begins to break the sky begins to be light. Then the sun comes up, and in the east, the light comes streaming.
But there are shadows, for the light shows all that stands in the way of complete light.

Song of Solomon 4:6 “Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.”

Until the day break, and the shadows flee away. When the shadows are gone, then there is nothing between us and the Son of God, our Light source.

Our Lord, here, is inviting us to come with Him further into the Light of His love, so even the shadows “flee” away.

Now shadows are not the thing itself, but the impress of it. But it is in darkness.

What this means is that the sin itself has been taken care of:
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.”

But the influence of the sin or the resentment because of the consequences of the sin are still there. These are the shadows.
They are darkness, but not the substance of sin.

Many people are confused about this.
They think that if the sin is confessed, and they know they are forgiven; then all the other emotions concerning the sin, are gone to.

Suppose you have a habit of lying: you have hurt your family, people at work, etc. by your habit.
Then you are given real light about this, and you confess it. (Perhaps you say, why would we need light about lying. Surely everyone knows it’s wrong. Maybe they know in a general sense, but the offense of lying when it lays upon YOUR heart, is an eye opener.
Then it is not just “wrong, because God says so”; but then it is wrong, because you have placed the value of your family, friends, and co-workers in contempt. You have spit upon them, in order to cover yourself up.)

But even though you have confessed your sin, and asked God to cleanse you from the desire and habit of lying; the reason for it is still there to face everyday.
These are the shadows, the image of the sin, though not the sin.
The trouble with Shadows is that the influence of our Adversary, the Devil can be felt through them.

But how do we deal with shadows?
First, it is the work of the Spirit of God within you to show you what needs to be dealt with, and what needs to be put away with past things.
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.”

This requires us to be in subjection to the Holy Spirit, for He asks you to be obedient to the Light He gives in these matters.

The mountain of myrrh: myrrh symbolizes death in the scriptures. And it is a mountain of myrrh, we are invited to come to, because it takes a great deal of denying self to set these things right.
It is a hill of Frankincense, because it takes very little of the Power of God to deal with these things, once we have denied ourself.

A child of the Light, confesses the fault, and the attitude; when the Holy Spirit shows it. They have the “good and honest heart”; it is “good” only because it is honest.
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.”

A child of the darkness says, “Oh, I can explain that away; I did that because of them, or that circumstance; it was a small thing, anyway. It was not like the really bad things I used to do. It is really their fault.”

Be a child of the Light, and when the Holy Spirit convicts you of wrong; confess it, and God will deal with what is wrong.

These shadows that remain, are shadows only; but they are there and the influence of the the Adversary can be felt through them.
They are there because of the choices we have made, true; but we can also make choices which remove them, by coming more into the Light.

Shadows do not exist in light
Proverbs 4:18 “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.”

We are to go to the high noon of Light with Christ Jesus. Most do not; choosing, instead to stay in the shadowy existence of the fear of the truth.
But don’t.
God’s Light shows truth, yes, and when we see the reasons of our actions, it gives us the ability to deal with what is really behind the: “why we did what we did”.

Let’s face it, we all have REASONS we act the way we do. But have you dealt with the reasons? Or just the actions?

True Light; the Light of Life, deals with both. It frees you from both the sin and the reason of the sin.
And gives you joy.
John 16:24 “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”

Joy is one of the grandest attributes of God, himself.
Joy is not dependent upon the people or events around me.(That is happiness, which has to do with how things or people treat us.)
Joy springs from the presence of God in my life, for He is the abundant power of good, and peace.

Enthusiasm and deep delight is seen in the one who receives God’s joy.
There is direction in their lives; and purpose, even in the little things. For they are enjoying the Presence of God everywhere.

In this, we know the purifying of the Holy Spirit, assuring me that I am right with God.
I am made right with others,
And, importantly, I know that I all is well between me and myself. (How many things come from the disappointment we have about ourselves? How many times have we hated what we have done, but refused to look at it? How many times have we hidden our hurt behind a phony face of ridicule?)
These all can be brought out into the Light; AND PUT BEHIND US. WE CAN BE FREE FROM THEM.

The Joy of the Lord can become a force in my life.
It is a great light, illuminating the whole of my being; dispelling the darkness, and despair that dominates so often. He has it for us, in His Light.
The shadows do flee away in the Light of the Lord.

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”. 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; but it was 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.

Luke 21:19 “In your patience possess ye your souls”

This sounds odd: surely, we have our souls, don’t we?
But do you? Are you a person who has an uncontrollable temper?
Do you have a habit you can not give up?
Do you let your feelings “get the better of you”?
Anytime we, as Christians, let something else but God rule in our hearts, minds and wills; we do not “possess” our souls; they are being influenced by the World, the flesh or old nature which fights against God, or the Devil.

Our souls are our personality; mind, heart, and will are it’s faculties.
What we think, influences our personality. (How often what we hear and see around us in the world, shapes our way of thinking about certain things.)
What we feel, influences our personality. (Hurt feelings, unforgiving anger, or inappropriate affections; all are part of the world around us, and often get into our hearts as well.)
What we will really influences our personality; for our wills are the whole of us active.
From an early age, we decide what we will, whether we can carry out our decisions, or not.
“I will do this, no matter what you think.” “I won’t, even if you want me to.” These are often what we say within ourselves, building up resentments; instead of yielding to authority. And yes, this includes God’s Authority.
When we are born again, then our wills are beginning to be trained to yield to God; because the power of the Holy Spirit is within us, helping us to yield.

Then we can truly “possess” our souls, and free them from the constraints of sin and self, and the effects of the World system around us, and the tricks of our Adversary, the Devil.

Every faculty of our souls is brought into subjection to His Will and Way for us.
2 Peter 1:5-8 “Beside this, giving all diligence (to will with the Holy Spirit), add to your faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge;
And to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness;
And to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity.
For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

By the faith given us when we are born again, we are to acquire the Artea or power of the Holy Spirit by learning to yield to Him; which will give us knowledge of what He will do in us and for us; which will help us to be moderate in all our dealings, and help us to learn patience.
Then we will begin to have the Family resemblance, and act as the Lord would want us to; first toward our brothers and sisters in Christ by love, and then in all our dealings in the world in which we live.
This will give us the fruit of the Spirit, and the fruit of a Christian (Another Christian).

The Lord wants us to “possess” our souls. Become free from the influences of the world, the flesh, and the Devil; and be who He has created us to be.

The Light that lighteth every man.

John 1:9 “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man which cometh into the world.”

Inside every man there is the place of the knowledge of God. It is the spirit of man, a gift given by God to man, when he was first created.

Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”
God is: God the Father, God the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit: a Trinity.

Genesis 2:7 “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

God formed man of the dust of the ground: his body.
And breathed into his nostrils the breath of life: giving him his spirit by the Holy Spirit (the breath of life).
And man became a living soul: a living personality was the result; mind, heart, and will.
Man, created in the image of God, is Spirit, Soul, and Body: a Triunity.

Then, at the first, man’s spirit was Lighted by the Holy Spirit, for fellowship with God.

When Man fell by sin, the Holy Spirit left his spirit, and man’s spirit became darkened, but not destroyed.
The impress of the Light of Life was still there, so there was a knowledge of God; but a hinderance also was there: sin.

Romans 1:21 “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.”

Sin hardens the heart and mind against the Light, because it wants to stay in the darkness, and hide.

John 3:20 “For everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.”

Ephesians 4:18 “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated by the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:”

Since the fall of man, we have, because of sin; missed the mark (or purpose) for which we were created.
Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

We have all sinned; we are all sinners; we have all come short of the glory of God.

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

We as sinners, have earned the wages of death; the death which is the separation from God.
The question is will we continue in this death, through all eternity? Or will be receive the gift of God, by the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ?

“But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. This eternal life is a condition of life, now; not just for eternity.
Certainly, those who receive Christ Jesus as Lord, and Savior, will go to Heaven which is the abode of God, but the eternal life He offers is for us now.
He gives us light and life now, for the darkness and death we have lived in.(Ephesians 2:1-3)

At the time of regeneration; when we are born again (John 3:7); the Holy Spirit comes back into our spirits and gives us faith, and Light, and Life.

The Holy Spirit, within our spirits, then begins to bring our spirits into subjection to the Lord Jesus Christ, and His Word to us; for our lives. He does this by showing us God’s Will, and influencing our hearts and minds to will after God’s Will. This brings us from being babes in Christ, to grown up children of God.

But we must yield to the Lord’s Will, to have this “growing up” process to continue. This increases our Light.
Our wills are the determining factor:
Philippians 2:13 “for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
He works within us, that we might know His Will and Do His Will. That His Light will grow within us, and that we might be blessed of God.

The Lord wants to bless us.
How much do we want to be blessed?

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

When we are asleep, spiritually, our senses are dull. We don’t hear clearly. Our eyes are closed, not seeing what is going on.
That is why Paul, here, exhorts the Ephesians to “walk as children of light.”
(Ephesians 5:8)
Light is a great benefit for those who are growing sleepy in their walk as Christians.
It is like opening the curtain to let the sunshine come in, in the morning.
It makes you want to get up and get busy!

Darkness, on the other hand, tends to make us sleepy.
So with the darkness which comes to us spiritually. We are lulled to sleep. We begin to talk a great deal about “rest”, becoming discontent with the work we have been given for the Lord.
We look for ways to do God’s will quickly, or for a more “easier way” of walking with the Lord; for we do not want to take the action required to come to the light….for then our slothful sin will be seen.

So Paul calls on every Christian to “Awake”.
Awake, and arise; and Christ shall give you light.
Light to see what you need to do to get out of the darkness.
Light to see the world, as it is.
Light to see that Christ is worth the loss of everything.

Then Paul writes:
Ephesians 5:15 “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.”
Circumspectly means there will be light for the path, we are to keep our eyes on the path, that we don’t get tripped up.

Awake, and walk wisely. For Christ shall give us light.

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, but saddened by the memory of their sin, which had sent them out of the land.

Their is a time to repent; and a time to rejoice in the goodness of God.
Now was the 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 a considerable help, not only to inward holiness, but also to outward holiness.
It strengthens our hands, to go on working in faith, and to labor in love.
It helps us to fight the good fight of faith; to lay hold on eternal life.

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 wicked one get through, when the shield is down.

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 world 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 will be, or 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, which He shares with us. Joy runs like a sparkling river of great goodwill, through His make-up. He is the God of all Joy. He is alive. He is here.
That joy was the dynamic of 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.”
Enthusiasm and deep delight in the Lord, are the characteristics of such a person.
There is direction in their duties, no matter how mundane or menial.
There is purpose in every area of their lives.
The Holy Spirit assures me that I am right with God, and because of that, an assurance that all is well even between me and myself, comes into my spirit.

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.

Take us the Foxes

Song of Solomon 2:15 “Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.”

The Song of Solomon shows the personal relationship between the Lord Jesus and the believer (seen as the maiden).

He had, at the beginning of the second chapter, called to her to “come away”.
Song of Solomon 2:8, 10 “The voice of my beloved! Behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.
My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.”

He was calling her to come away from the enclosure she had stayed in. She had come into His banqueting house in the first chapter, and had wanted to stay.
But, the Lord Jesus always calls us on to new and better things; though they may prove harder things.

This He does now. “Come away”, He says; but it is always “Come away with Me”.

But He did not just call; He also showed Himself to her, though He was on the outside of the wall which separated them, and she was inside, still. (Song of Solomon 2:9)

He had come, in power, leaping on the mountains of difficult things in life; and skipping on the hills of little problems which come up.
He was showing her that to “come away” with Him, was to go along in the path He chose, and since He would be with her; His power would be as well.

Then He ends the call, for she had hesitated (and hesitation is always the enemy of obedience. It causes us to check and see if there is another way; or another time) with the call to “take us the foxes”.

Song of Solomon 2:15 “Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.”

The Lord Jesus is saying to His beloved believer: Let us work at those things which hinder your fruit bearing together.
They are “little” foxes; which come in through the fence anywhere, and eat the tender blossoms of grapes. (Big foxes will eat on the fruit of the grapes, but the little foxes nip in the bud, whole clusters of grapes in one single bite, because it is still in the blossom stage.)
But if these “little foxes” are not seen to; then there will be none, to very little, fruit.

So Jesus says “Let us see to them, together”.

These “little foxes” are the natural way we do things. Instead of relying on the Holy Spirit, we “think things out” and come to a “conclusion”. We often do them, by choice, automatically. They are the natural us, and it takes effort to set them aside, and seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance and help.

Instead of seeking for joy and peace, we seek “happiness”, which is fleeting and deals with what is going on with US. (Joy comes from knowing the Presence of God in my life, and it does not rely on circumstances.)

Instead of following close to Christ, we rely on the experience we had Sunday, yesterday, even this morning. Those experiences are good, but not when Christ is calling you on to what is next.

Real fruit comes from the Holy Spirit within. There is the fruit of the Spirit, in our lives:
Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

And there is the fruit of a Christian, which is another Christian; for we are all called as witnesses of Christ Jesus:
Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

But to bring forth the fruit of the Spirit, we need to “take us the foxes, the little foxes, which spoil the vines.”

Christ is calling all His people to a more personal relationship with Him:
Come away with Me.
Let us take care of these hindering influences in your life together.

What a way lies before us: Come with Me, and let us tackle these mountains of difficulties, and hills of troubles in your life, with Me, says Jesus.

Faith: what it is and what it does.

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Substance is Reality. It makes real the things of God, to us.
We have so many virtual things. Things which speak to our imagination or feelings.
But faith is not virtual, but real.

It is the attribute of God which is imparted to us by the Holy Spirit, when we are born again.

The substance which is faith, is Reality. It is actual. It makes a difference within us, and for us.
And our lives should “evidence” that substance, if we have faith.
“Evidence” shows forth the change that is happening to us.

As Jesus said: John 3:7-8 ” Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou nearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”

Simply, you see the effects of the wind, or what it moves; but not the wind itself.
So it everyone that is born again. You see the effects of the new birth; not the birth itself.

We naturally fight against God; as our King.
Romans 8:7 “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.”

You might say: “No, I don’t. I go to Church, and I am active in the ministries for charity, etc.”
But those “good” works are as the Pharisees of old–unless you love God in the doing of them.
(Doing to be seen or approved of men, does not count with God.)
Matthew 6:5 “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogue and in the corners of the street, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.”

Only works done out of love to Christ, count with God. (1 Corinthians 13)

Which brings us back to “enmity to God”. If you have a fit every time the command of God speaks to your heart, then your “natural” self is showing.

You can “tithe all that you have”, (Luke 18:12); but if you do it to get something from God: you won’t.

Faith, on the other hand, brings all things down from God, to you.
Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

True faith makes real every promise given, except those for a future date. (And even these we may taste of right now, though we can not experience them fully.)

Faith pleases God, because 1) it is from God.
2)Because it makes the heart love Him, and the mind trust God.

Remember, faith given us by the Holy Spirit at new birth, makes real the things of God.
Once we are born again, we receive a new nature.
Our “flesh”, or old nature is not eradicated; but it is instead, brought into subjection to God, and His Word, by the Holy Spirit using faith. (Galatians 5:16)

Faith is the most powerful of the graces God gives us; for it gives sight to our spiritual eyes, so we can see the truth.
It gives understanding to our ears, so we can hear what is truly being said, both by God and men.
And it moves or influences our hearts to love and obey Christ.

By faith we, as His children, walk from here to heaven, with Him.

Faith is not: “I hope so, or I think so, or I wish so”; but faith knows, in the only way True knowledge comes: Personally by the Holy Spirit from God directly to you.

It makes His Presence real to us, His commands powerful in our lives, and His Will is our best way to go. His Holy Spirit our blessed companion, who guides us into more faith as we go along.

By faith Abel, Noah, Abraham, etc. did exploits, which manifested God to the generation in which they lived. For it is promised in Daniel: “…but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” (Daniel 11:32).
Faith makes us know our God, Who He is, and what He will do for us.

What exploits should we do in the generation in which we live?

Hebrews 11:33-34 “Who through faith subdued kingdoms, and wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.
Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.”

Through faith in God, ordinary believers, by their obedience, did great things.
Again, what great things are we called to do by faith, through the power of the Holy Spirit?

“Subdue Kingdoms, Obtain Promises, and Stop the mouths of Lions.”

Subdue Kingdoms: That is, we are to bring, by exercising our faith in obedience, all other domineering influences in our lives, under the control of Christ Jesus our Lord.
Whether this is our besetting sin, our habits, or other people’s influence; we are to subdue them all to Christ and His Word.

Obtain Promises: To “obtain”, is to get the promise into your practical life. (You may have a promise for your ministry, your personal health, or your work; but if you are not. experiencing those promises, you have not obtained them)
It is not “claim them” only, but to have them really for what they were given for.
You might have the assurance they will come,(blessed assurance-a foretaste of the reality); but until they do come, they are not obtained.
(I have obtained promises by prayer–some prayed for a long time. Other promises, I have had to do the obedience commanded. For as I did, the power was given. [Luke 17:14])

Stop the mouths of Lions: These lions are NOT the ones Daniel was saved from; but the roaring lions of the Adversary, the Devil.
1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the Devil as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”
Roaring, they seek to frighten you from following the Lord Jesus.
Walking about, seeking whom he may devour. In other words, seeking those who are not walking in God’s Light.

Our means of doing this is:
1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you.”
1 Peter 5:9 ” Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”

We cast ourselves, by faith, on God’s Care; And we resist by faith the fear, and stay in God’s Way for us.

“Have faith in God.” Jesus said, when He was here. (Mark 11:22). And so we should. He is our all in all. He gives us His Holy Spirit to guide, and comfort us; and His faith to bring us into all He has for us.

Do you have the reality, which is the true faith of God in your life?

If you are not truly born again, the invitation to come to Christ is still going out.
John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

When you are born again, it comes by yielding to the Holy Spirit, and walking in the Light of His love.