Experiencing God
Can you imagine how difficult it would be for one who has never tasted ice cream to simply read the recipe and describe to another, who also never tasted it, just how good it is? Ridiculous? Certainly it is. The only way one can describe the pleasure of a tasty dish is to experience the taste first.
In Romans 5:3 & 4, we read these words, "Knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope." Just as one can commit all manner of recipes to memory without ever knowing how they taste, so can we learn what God's Word says ABOUT many divine truths without ever experiencing them.
For instance, Jesus said, By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if you have love one for another. The love of God in the hearts and lives of his disciples will prove his Presence in their lives, but just knowing what the Bible says about that love will do nothing. Divine love must be experienced to be effective.In these verses we have just read in Romans, Paul describes the full circle of Christian living; Tribulation or trials, teach us patience, patience or waiting on the Lord results in experiencing His blessings, which experience, causes hope to blossom as we face further trials and testing, for we have learned by experience that patient waiting will bring about further experiences of His blessings, which will further increase our hope!
Christ taught not just abstract truths and ideas while here, but those Divine truths that he had personally proven in his own experiences. Prayer, personal righteousness, love of the truth, forgiveness of ones enemies, are all things which he personally had proven to be useful and workable as well. So can we today, experience in our lives, the truths of God's Word.
In Psalm 34:8 a challenge is made, "Oh taste and see that the Lord is Good; blessed is the man that trusteth in Him."
Salvation is a very definite experience. When Jesus said to Nicodemus "Ye must be born again" He spoke not of an abstract philosophy, but of a very real birth of the Spirit which can be experienced. Do you ask proof that it is real and can be experienced? I can tell you I have experienced it, and refer you to the testimony of multitudes of others who have experienced this new birth by coming in repentance to accept Christ by faith. But though you might be overwhelmed by the evidence, and convinced that such as experience is possible, the only way you will ever know the joy we feel and the peace that has now become ours is to accept the challenge of God, Taste and see that the Lord is Good! Men are constantly arguing about the way God saves sinful men, but the experiencing of the new birth ALWAYS settles the question for the individual.
Experience taught Moses that God meant what he said and was able to perform any thing he promised to do. Through all the plagues in Egypt, across the Red Sea, in his provisions for the necessities of the people in the wilderness, in his anger against those who doubted Him; in all these Moses had learned by experience, and his faith and hope grew as he saw more of the hand of the Lord.... but he soon forgot and disobeyed God by striking the rock.
The most beautiful and moving of all the Psalms are those in which the Psalmist sings of his own experiences. When he sang the song of the Lord, his shepherd, he sang not just of those things he had been taught but of those things he had experienced. When he faced Goliath in battle, he had faith that God would be with him, but that faith was not a blind unreasoning faith. With God's help he had already slain a bear and a lion to protect his flock. He knew by experience that God was his helper! When he had to flee from the face of Saul, the presence of his Lord was very real. He experienced then the companionship of a very real friend when all earthly friends had turned aside.
Paul had experienced many times in his service for the Lord, God's ability to protect and deliver. From the howling rioting mobs and the cunning craftiness of those who conspired secretly to take his life, God had delivered him, as well as from other times of peril, from storm, starvation, and imprisonment. AS he stood on the deck of the ship in Acts 27 it mattered not to him that everything looked hopeless to everyone else on board. He was able to say, based on a long life of experience, "I believe God, there shall be no loss of any man's life!" God had proven His ability in the past and that past experience now caused Paul to be filled with hope, even when all others were filled with hopeless despair.
After a person has experienced that very real event called the new birth, other grand experiences await him. In my record library is a recording of an old spiritual called, `I wouldn't take nothin' for my journey Now.' As I look back on the experiences I have had with Christ, they are truly priceless. The first time I stood before the church and made public profession of Christ as my Savior, and then when I followed my Lord in baptism at the hands of that dearly beloved aged brother that I look upon as my `father' in the ministry. Then there are all of God's provisions of material and spiritual blessings down through the years. All are memories of His fulfilled promises and answered prayers. Wonderful experiences, but experience teaches us that the best is yet ahead in the service of the Lord!
Every child of God can experience in their lives these wonderful happenings, as they serve the Lord. Sure, there will be trials and tribulations, but how else could we exercise that patience that brings about the experience of God's power and strength in our lives?
I would like to pose a direct question to you who are saved by the grace of God and know it.What are you experiencing in your life? Confusion perhaps as to how to serve God? We are told in 1 Corinthians 14 that God is not the author of confusion. Frustration? This is not one of the fruits of the Spirit promised to God's people. Fear? A disquieted spirit? Jesus said, `My peace I give unto you'. These things are not God's will for His own and yet all too many of His people do experience them instead of the love, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness, meekness and temperance that are the fruits of the Spirit. Why? Simply because these fruits grow and abound only in that heart and life that is committed to the service of God according to His Word and without reservation!
When the blessings fall from heaven,be it Sunday Morn or Night, those who find the greatest bounty are the ones whose hearts are right.
For, the cold, indifferent Christian with mind on worldly things,can't recognize real pleasures like the blessings heaven brings. Instead of yielding to the Spirit he can only criticize,Or, sit and make excuses,While others get the prize! Then while others are rejoicing, he mumbles and complains, and gets not a single blessing, while around, a shower rains!Now, if you're not enjoying services, try yielding Christ your heart,then when blessings fall from heaven You'll surely get your part! fcc
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Meeting God In Unexpected Places
Meeting God in Unexpected Places
or
Unexpected Encounters of the Ultimate Kind!
Amos 9:2,3 Though they dig into hell, thence shall my hand take them; Though they climb up into heaven, thence will I bring them down and though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence.
As the affairs of life press in around us we often forget that the hand of God can reach into every place and every situation. Yet, even though we are occupied with temporal matters, we must remember that we are apt to meet God in even the most unexpected places!
If we could only know in advance when and in what circumstances we would meet God it would be a simple thing to make preparation for the meeting. We have no way of knowing either the time or the circumstances, even though an eventual meeting with Him is inevitable for every person. Therefore the most sensible thing for anyone to do is to remain prepared at all times.
Wehave no way of knowing what may have been going through the mind of Moses as he wandered through the backside of Midian's desert with his father-in-law's sheep. We can be sure, however, that he was NOT there to keep a previously set appointment with the eternal I AM.
He was no stranger to God. Forty years earlier he had made a choice between enjoying the pleasures of Pharaoh's palace and enduring the affliction of God's people and that choice had led to his present exile. He knew that God had promised to use him and had tried to go ahead of God's time-table in the matter, and had only gotten himself in trouble with all concerned. Now, he is about to meet God in a new way. It is not the time or the place he might have chosen for the encounter but it IS at the point in his life which God chose.
Pharaoh too, soon had an unexpected face to face meeting with God. He had finally had to admit that the God of Moses was more powerful than the gods of Egypt and asked Moses to entreat God that the plague of locusts be removed. Soon his heart was hardened again however, and as he plunged headlong into the Red Sea opening, he had no thought of meeting God. Yet, in a few moments, the God who had sent the death angel into Egypt to smite the first born, had reached down to destroy him and all his army!
As Jacob fled from the face of his brother, Esau, he certainly didn't expect to meet God at night in an open field. Yet, as he laid his head that night, upon his pillow of stone, he learned that though he might flee in fear from men and from his responsibilities, he could NOT flee from the presence of God. I think it is especially striking that Jacob had two notable meetings with God. This one as he flees from his brother in fear and another as he returned many years later to face up to his brother and to accept the responsibilities which went with the birthright and blessing he had stolen from him. On this later occasion, Jacob's all-night wrestling match with the Lord ended with a great victory for Jacob. Not a victory by overcoming the Lord, for that is impossible, but a victory that came when his own strength was at last broken. From that day, his withered thigh was a constant reminder of his need to depend on the strength of the Lord and not upon his own power. He received a new source of strength on that occasion, as he was told, " As a prince, thou hast power with God and with man."
For those who know Christ as their savior, a great lesson is to be found in the life of this man. Though we may try to flee from God and from our responsibilities, He will not let us get away! His promise to never leave us nor forsake us is ours wherever we may go. He may reach out His hand to chastise us, but even then we can rejoice because "whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth." Then,as we turn again toward Him, we find Him waiting there for us. When our strength is broken or laid aside, we too, can find that He has a strength available to us which can enable us to do more than our own strength could ever hope to accomplish.
Saul of Tarsus became a prime example of one who meets God in unexpected places. As he left Jerusalem and headed one day for Damascus with hatred in his heart and curses on his lips, he certainly never thought to come face to face with Jesus before the day was over! Yet that was exactly what took place.
The meeting wasn't in a fine cathedral with carpeted floors, soft lights and music in the background. But there in the blazing mid-day, Mediterranean sun he fell into the dust and had the first of his many talks with Jesus! The journey from Jerusalem to Damascus is not a long one as trips go,but on this occasion it began in the kingdom of darkness and ended in the kingdom of God's dear Son!
The day of unexpected meetings is NOT over. Every man, woman, boy or girl IS going to meet Jesus some day. The Bible points this out in Philippians 2:10-11, `That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things in the earth and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.'
You may have had no intention at all of being confronted by God as you opened your eyes this morning. He may have been the farthest thing from your mind as you absently began your day. Yet if you have read these words to this point, God IS confronting you! You may not have planned it that way and you may not have expected God to bother with you today, but HERE HE IS!! Now, the question is, Will you turn him away or welcome Him?
Man not only comes face to face with God through the convicting power of the Holy Spirit in response to the Word of God, but he also meets him as the death angel comes to cut us off from the land of the living, for then, as Solomon tells us, "The soul returns to God, who gave it." It has happened on the battlefields of the world. It happens daily in accidents on the nations highways; In homes; factories; fields; or wherever men are found. There, the hand of God may suddenly reach. Neither the infant's crib, the high school class nor the old folks home are off limits to God!
Too,there are still many, who, like Jonah of old, try to flee from God's service. Today we usually call them `backsliders'. They have been saved and they know what God wants them to do, but there are other things they would rather be doing. Surely, Jonah didn't expect a voyage which began by ship to Tarshish to end by `whale's' belly to Ninevah, but he found to his sorrow what backsliders are still discovering: God's arm is long! You may have tried to leave God `back home' or you may have tried to abandon him somewhere along the way, but you may be sure that if you were really saved, then somewhere, sometime, when you least expect it, your storm and your `whale's belly' will be waiting for you!
If you had been a traveller approaching Jerusalem from the North or West almost 2000 years ago, it would have come as a complete surprise to you as the earth began to shake beneath your feet and the sky began to darken for no apparent reason. Yet, if you had turned your eyes toward the hill called Calvary, you would have seen the reason. If you had been close enough to hear, you may even have understood why, as the Roman officer cries, "Surely,this was the Son of God!" No one who was involved in the events that day expected things to turn out as they did, except Jesus. The spectators saw the lamb of God die for the sins of the whole world and heard the divine proclamation from the lips of Jesus, "It is finished." Both the thieves had begun the day expecting condemnation and death, but one of them ended the day in Paradise because he met Jesus and had cried out, "Lord,remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom."
Whatever else you may have been planning for this day, why not make it a grand and glorious day to always remember by spending it with Jesus. It will change the whole course of your life!
or
Unexpected Encounters of the Ultimate Kind!
Amos 9:2,3 Though they dig into hell, thence shall my hand take them; Though they climb up into heaven, thence will I bring them down and though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence.
As the affairs of life press in around us we often forget that the hand of God can reach into every place and every situation. Yet, even though we are occupied with temporal matters, we must remember that we are apt to meet God in even the most unexpected places!
If we could only know in advance when and in what circumstances we would meet God it would be a simple thing to make preparation for the meeting. We have no way of knowing either the time or the circumstances, even though an eventual meeting with Him is inevitable for every person. Therefore the most sensible thing for anyone to do is to remain prepared at all times.
Wehave no way of knowing what may have been going through the mind of Moses as he wandered through the backside of Midian's desert with his father-in-law's sheep. We can be sure, however, that he was NOT there to keep a previously set appointment with the eternal I AM.
He was no stranger to God. Forty years earlier he had made a choice between enjoying the pleasures of Pharaoh's palace and enduring the affliction of God's people and that choice had led to his present exile. He knew that God had promised to use him and had tried to go ahead of God's time-table in the matter, and had only gotten himself in trouble with all concerned. Now, he is about to meet God in a new way. It is not the time or the place he might have chosen for the encounter but it IS at the point in his life which God chose.
Pharaoh too, soon had an unexpected face to face meeting with God. He had finally had to admit that the God of Moses was more powerful than the gods of Egypt and asked Moses to entreat God that the plague of locusts be removed. Soon his heart was hardened again however, and as he plunged headlong into the Red Sea opening, he had no thought of meeting God. Yet, in a few moments, the God who had sent the death angel into Egypt to smite the first born, had reached down to destroy him and all his army!
As Jacob fled from the face of his brother, Esau, he certainly didn't expect to meet God at night in an open field. Yet, as he laid his head that night, upon his pillow of stone, he learned that though he might flee in fear from men and from his responsibilities, he could NOT flee from the presence of God. I think it is especially striking that Jacob had two notable meetings with God. This one as he flees from his brother in fear and another as he returned many years later to face up to his brother and to accept the responsibilities which went with the birthright and blessing he had stolen from him. On this later occasion, Jacob's all-night wrestling match with the Lord ended with a great victory for Jacob. Not a victory by overcoming the Lord, for that is impossible, but a victory that came when his own strength was at last broken. From that day, his withered thigh was a constant reminder of his need to depend on the strength of the Lord and not upon his own power. He received a new source of strength on that occasion, as he was told, " As a prince, thou hast power with God and with man."
For those who know Christ as their savior, a great lesson is to be found in the life of this man. Though we may try to flee from God and from our responsibilities, He will not let us get away! His promise to never leave us nor forsake us is ours wherever we may go. He may reach out His hand to chastise us, but even then we can rejoice because "whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth." Then,as we turn again toward Him, we find Him waiting there for us. When our strength is broken or laid aside, we too, can find that He has a strength available to us which can enable us to do more than our own strength could ever hope to accomplish.
Saul of Tarsus became a prime example of one who meets God in unexpected places. As he left Jerusalem and headed one day for Damascus with hatred in his heart and curses on his lips, he certainly never thought to come face to face with Jesus before the day was over! Yet that was exactly what took place.
The meeting wasn't in a fine cathedral with carpeted floors, soft lights and music in the background. But there in the blazing mid-day, Mediterranean sun he fell into the dust and had the first of his many talks with Jesus! The journey from Jerusalem to Damascus is not a long one as trips go,but on this occasion it began in the kingdom of darkness and ended in the kingdom of God's dear Son!
The day of unexpected meetings is NOT over. Every man, woman, boy or girl IS going to meet Jesus some day. The Bible points this out in Philippians 2:10-11, `That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things in the earth and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.'
You may have had no intention at all of being confronted by God as you opened your eyes this morning. He may have been the farthest thing from your mind as you absently began your day. Yet if you have read these words to this point, God IS confronting you! You may not have planned it that way and you may not have expected God to bother with you today, but HERE HE IS!! Now, the question is, Will you turn him away or welcome Him?
Man not only comes face to face with God through the convicting power of the Holy Spirit in response to the Word of God, but he also meets him as the death angel comes to cut us off from the land of the living, for then, as Solomon tells us, "The soul returns to God, who gave it." It has happened on the battlefields of the world. It happens daily in accidents on the nations highways; In homes; factories; fields; or wherever men are found. There, the hand of God may suddenly reach. Neither the infant's crib, the high school class nor the old folks home are off limits to God!
Too,there are still many, who, like Jonah of old, try to flee from God's service. Today we usually call them `backsliders'. They have been saved and they know what God wants them to do, but there are other things they would rather be doing. Surely, Jonah didn't expect a voyage which began by ship to Tarshish to end by `whale's' belly to Ninevah, but he found to his sorrow what backsliders are still discovering: God's arm is long! You may have tried to leave God `back home' or you may have tried to abandon him somewhere along the way, but you may be sure that if you were really saved, then somewhere, sometime, when you least expect it, your storm and your `whale's belly' will be waiting for you!
If you had been a traveller approaching Jerusalem from the North or West almost 2000 years ago, it would have come as a complete surprise to you as the earth began to shake beneath your feet and the sky began to darken for no apparent reason. Yet, if you had turned your eyes toward the hill called Calvary, you would have seen the reason. If you had been close enough to hear, you may even have understood why, as the Roman officer cries, "Surely,this was the Son of God!" No one who was involved in the events that day expected things to turn out as they did, except Jesus. The spectators saw the lamb of God die for the sins of the whole world and heard the divine proclamation from the lips of Jesus, "It is finished." Both the thieves had begun the day expecting condemnation and death, but one of them ended the day in Paradise because he met Jesus and had cried out, "Lord,remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom."
Whatever else you may have been planning for this day, why not make it a grand and glorious day to always remember by spending it with Jesus. It will change the whole course of your life!
Hosannah To The King
Hosannah To The King
Luke gives us, in the 19th chapter of his gospel, the account of the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem as his personal ministry draws to a close. As our Lord makes his way down the western slope of the Mt. of Olives, descending toward the Brook Kedron, we are told,
Lu 19:37 "The whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen.
39 And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto Him, `Master, rebuke thy disciples.'
40 And he answered and said unto them, `I tell you that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out!'"
Let us consider briefly some of the thoughts contained in these verses and those that immediately follow.
My first thought is the contrast between this acclaiming of the King as he enters into Jerusalem and the crown of thorns he wears as he is led out a few days later to be crucified.
Our thoughts are also drawn to that glorious time in the future that is prefigured here when His feet shall again stand upon the Mount of Olives and He shall again enter into the City of David. Not with a multitude of disciples which will soon melt away, but with an innumerable company of redeemed, glorified saints. Not to receive a crown of thorns in mockery, but to be crowned King of Kings! Not to have a reed scepter scornfully placed into his hand, but a rod of iron with which he shall rule all nations!
We are made also to think of the words of the Pharisees, Master, rebuke thy disciples! How like the attitude of so many yet today! `It's all right to be a disciple but just keep quiet about it!' It's all right to discuss politics even if folks do get a little heated up about it. It shows that your are aware of the needs of your nation and community. It is acceptable to discuss movies, books and even sin and immorality if you don't come on too strong and condemn them outright. You can talk about anything under the sun and get as excited as you please about pollution, saving the wildlife or the environment; or even get worked up about the relative merits of professional athletes. But Don't Get Too Excited About Christ! or folks will think you are some kind of a freak. You might even offend them!
It is time for God's people to get excited! The King Is Coming! The church in Jerusalem did not grow and prosper through members who were so reserved that they never mentioned Christ except in their Church services and hymns! They went EVERY WHERE preaching the gospel! It was not by being secret disciples and keeping silent that the Apostles were able to `turn the world upside down' with their preaching,
Acts 17:6.
Of course, we would like to see huge numbers of souls saved and added to our churches, but it is not the statistical numbers that will be effective in his service. It is disciples who refuse to be silenced in their praise and testimony of the Lord!
The answer of Christ to this demand of the Pharisees, brings other thoughts to our mind. "I tell you that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out!" Would God,indeed COULD God, allow His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, go unacclaimed? He has never yet been left without a witness. When every thought and intent of mans hearts was only evil, he raised up Noah, a preacher of righteousness. When all nations were given to idolatry, God called Abram out of Ur. When Israel was hopelessly bound in Egyptian bondage, he sent Moses to set them free.Time and again when His people turned from Him, He sent prophets to remind them of Him and His goodness and of judgment to come.
But the question might be asked, did all these really preach Christ? The answer is given emphatically in Acts 10:43 "To him give all the prophets witness that through his name, whosoever believeth in him should have remission of sins!
Faith in Christ is the ONLY means of salvation now and it is the only means that ever has been provided. If man will have the righteousness of Christ imputed to him today, it must be done as with Abraham. Abraham believed God and IT (his belief) was counted unto him for righteousness! Rom.4:3; Gal.3:6
God has never left the world without a witness to His Son. David said that the heavens declare his glory. At his birth the angelic host sang his praises. During his personal ministry on earth his works and his words gave testimony to his heavenly character. John spoke of him, saying `And we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth!'
He said concerning the church he established while here, the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. We can follow his church down through the centuries, first by its marvelous growth as recorded in the book of Acts, then by the bloody footprints of saints through the persecution of the dark ages as men chose death rather than compromise the truth, and finally as the Gospel is still preached in all its power and simplicity today!
Christ was proclaimed on that day with `Hosannas' as King. Today we still proclaim him as King. He is coming soon and He will sit upon David's throne as King. He would sit as King of your life right now if you will only allow it.
One more thought would we get from this lesson. As he came near the city, He wept over it and said,"If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! But now they are hidden from thine eyes!"
He wept as he thought of the terrible destruction that was soon to come upon that great city. Their eyes were blind to the written prophecies and their ears were stopped so they couldn't hear the warnings. They worried, not about the things to come, but were concerned with having plenty and pleasure now! They were truly the NOW generation of 2000 years ago. If only they had known!
It is easy to make light of judgment and make jokes about Hell now, because it is not real to you yet. But just as the siege and destruction became real to those in Jerusalem as the armies of Titus laid it waste, so will the judgment of an almighty God no longer be a laughing matter to those who are caught in it.
There was still time for them to repent as Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem.
Friend, there is still time for you, too. This is your day. Won't you see the things that belong to your peace? Your only hope of peace with God lies in this One whom we now proclaim to you. Jesus Christ who died for your sins, was raised for our justification, reigns now in heaven making intercession for his own and is coming soon as King of kings and Lord of lords. Receive him now into your heart as your savior and as your King!
DO YOU LOVE ME?
Hear the words so softly spoken?
Let them fall on trembling heart.
Do you love me? says the Master,
Then from our eyes the tears must start.
As we think of hands so wounded
And flesh so bruised and torn,
Of lips so parched and thirsty,
and brow so pierced with thorns;
Then we see OUR hands so busy
with things so often vain,
and from our lips, instead of love
fall words that bring such pain.
Let the words then sink in yielded heart
and search out fault and sin
Do you love me, says the Master,
more than love of praise of men?
Do you love me says the Master,
It doesn't matter what you say
If you return just HALF His love
you'll follow ALL the way!
fcc
Luke gives us, in the 19th chapter of his gospel, the account of the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem as his personal ministry draws to a close. As our Lord makes his way down the western slope of the Mt. of Olives, descending toward the Brook Kedron, we are told,
Lu 19:37 "The whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen.
39 And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto Him, `Master, rebuke thy disciples.'
40 And he answered and said unto them, `I tell you that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out!'"
Let us consider briefly some of the thoughts contained in these verses and those that immediately follow.
My first thought is the contrast between this acclaiming of the King as he enters into Jerusalem and the crown of thorns he wears as he is led out a few days later to be crucified.
Our thoughts are also drawn to that glorious time in the future that is prefigured here when His feet shall again stand upon the Mount of Olives and He shall again enter into the City of David. Not with a multitude of disciples which will soon melt away, but with an innumerable company of redeemed, glorified saints. Not to receive a crown of thorns in mockery, but to be crowned King of Kings! Not to have a reed scepter scornfully placed into his hand, but a rod of iron with which he shall rule all nations!
We are made also to think of the words of the Pharisees, Master, rebuke thy disciples! How like the attitude of so many yet today! `It's all right to be a disciple but just keep quiet about it!' It's all right to discuss politics even if folks do get a little heated up about it. It shows that your are aware of the needs of your nation and community. It is acceptable to discuss movies, books and even sin and immorality if you don't come on too strong and condemn them outright. You can talk about anything under the sun and get as excited as you please about pollution, saving the wildlife or the environment; or even get worked up about the relative merits of professional athletes. But Don't Get Too Excited About Christ! or folks will think you are some kind of a freak. You might even offend them!
It is time for God's people to get excited! The King Is Coming! The church in Jerusalem did not grow and prosper through members who were so reserved that they never mentioned Christ except in their Church services and hymns! They went EVERY WHERE preaching the gospel! It was not by being secret disciples and keeping silent that the Apostles were able to `turn the world upside down' with their preaching,
Acts 17:6.
Of course, we would like to see huge numbers of souls saved and added to our churches, but it is not the statistical numbers that will be effective in his service. It is disciples who refuse to be silenced in their praise and testimony of the Lord!
The answer of Christ to this demand of the Pharisees, brings other thoughts to our mind. "I tell you that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out!" Would God,indeed COULD God, allow His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, go unacclaimed? He has never yet been left without a witness. When every thought and intent of mans hearts was only evil, he raised up Noah, a preacher of righteousness. When all nations were given to idolatry, God called Abram out of Ur. When Israel was hopelessly bound in Egyptian bondage, he sent Moses to set them free.Time and again when His people turned from Him, He sent prophets to remind them of Him and His goodness and of judgment to come.
But the question might be asked, did all these really preach Christ? The answer is given emphatically in Acts 10:43 "To him give all the prophets witness that through his name, whosoever believeth in him should have remission of sins!
Faith in Christ is the ONLY means of salvation now and it is the only means that ever has been provided. If man will have the righteousness of Christ imputed to him today, it must be done as with Abraham. Abraham believed God and IT (his belief) was counted unto him for righteousness! Rom.4:3; Gal.3:6
God has never left the world without a witness to His Son. David said that the heavens declare his glory. At his birth the angelic host sang his praises. During his personal ministry on earth his works and his words gave testimony to his heavenly character. John spoke of him, saying `And we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth!'
He said concerning the church he established while here, the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. We can follow his church down through the centuries, first by its marvelous growth as recorded in the book of Acts, then by the bloody footprints of saints through the persecution of the dark ages as men chose death rather than compromise the truth, and finally as the Gospel is still preached in all its power and simplicity today!
Christ was proclaimed on that day with `Hosannas' as King. Today we still proclaim him as King. He is coming soon and He will sit upon David's throne as King. He would sit as King of your life right now if you will only allow it.
One more thought would we get from this lesson. As he came near the city, He wept over it and said,"If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! But now they are hidden from thine eyes!"
He wept as he thought of the terrible destruction that was soon to come upon that great city. Their eyes were blind to the written prophecies and their ears were stopped so they couldn't hear the warnings. They worried, not about the things to come, but were concerned with having plenty and pleasure now! They were truly the NOW generation of 2000 years ago. If only they had known!
It is easy to make light of judgment and make jokes about Hell now, because it is not real to you yet. But just as the siege and destruction became real to those in Jerusalem as the armies of Titus laid it waste, so will the judgment of an almighty God no longer be a laughing matter to those who are caught in it.
There was still time for them to repent as Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem.
Friend, there is still time for you, too. This is your day. Won't you see the things that belong to your peace? Your only hope of peace with God lies in this One whom we now proclaim to you. Jesus Christ who died for your sins, was raised for our justification, reigns now in heaven making intercession for his own and is coming soon as King of kings and Lord of lords. Receive him now into your heart as your savior and as your King!
DO YOU LOVE ME?
Hear the words so softly spoken?
Let them fall on trembling heart.
Do you love me? says the Master,
Then from our eyes the tears must start.
As we think of hands so wounded
And flesh so bruised and torn,
Of lips so parched and thirsty,
and brow so pierced with thorns;
Then we see OUR hands so busy
with things so often vain,
and from our lips, instead of love
fall words that bring such pain.
Let the words then sink in yielded heart
and search out fault and sin
Do you love me, says the Master,
more than love of praise of men?
Do you love me says the Master,
It doesn't matter what you say
If you return just HALF His love
you'll follow ALL the way!
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FAITH LOOKS TO ITS FULFILLMENT
Text: Heb 11:22 By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.
Scripture readings: Gen 50:24 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto theland which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
Gen 50:25 And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, Godwill surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.
Gen50:26 So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and theyembalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
Exo 13:19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.
I. Faith in the future is essential for a child of God.
1 Cor 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of allmen most miserable.
A Death held O.T. Saints prisoners of hope.
Zec 9:12 Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee;
B. Yet that hope gave them courage.
Job 19:26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my
flesh shall I see God:
Isa 33:17 Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold
the land that is very far off.
C. Death now FREES US!
2 Cor 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
Remember the freedom felt in salvation? Multiply it. Free from ALL constraints. Time, lust, pain, sorrow, etc.
D. This Hope and Assurance gives meaning to present service.
II. Our Hope is based upon the FACT of the resurrection of Christ.
Acts 17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
Let others be concerned with the lord of the underworld and the powers of death, we have the Prince of Life!
Acts 3:15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.
III. This truth is so important that God used many ways to teach it.
A. Sheaf of Firstfruits.
B. Feast of Tabernacles.
C Even Joseph's burial in Shechem wasn't the end of the story!
Josh 24:32 And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.
Buried with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob;
Mat 22:32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God ofJacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
Mat 8:11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
Conclusion; Consider the joyous departure from the land of toil and sorrow.
Text: Heb 11:22 By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.
Scripture readings: Gen 50:24 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto theland which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
Gen 50:25 And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, Godwill surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.
Gen50:26 So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and theyembalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
Exo 13:19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.
I. Faith in the future is essential for a child of God.
1 Cor 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of allmen most miserable.
A Death held O.T. Saints prisoners of hope.
Zec 9:12 Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee;
B. Yet that hope gave them courage.
Job 19:26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my
flesh shall I see God:
Isa 33:17 Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold
the land that is very far off.
C. Death now FREES US!
2 Cor 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
Remember the freedom felt in salvation? Multiply it. Free from ALL constraints. Time, lust, pain, sorrow, etc.
D. This Hope and Assurance gives meaning to present service.
II. Our Hope is based upon the FACT of the resurrection of Christ.
Acts 17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
Let others be concerned with the lord of the underworld and the powers of death, we have the Prince of Life!
Acts 3:15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.
III. This truth is so important that God used many ways to teach it.
A. Sheaf of Firstfruits.
B. Feast of Tabernacles.
C Even Joseph's burial in Shechem wasn't the end of the story!
Josh 24:32 And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.
Buried with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob;
Mat 22:32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God ofJacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
Mat 8:11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
Conclusion; Consider the joyous departure from the land of toil and sorrow.
Heartfelt Religion
After spending some time walking and talking with Jesus on the road to Emmaus, two of his disciples discussed the experience;
Luke 24:32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
These disciples had been saved for some time; they had sat under the teaching of Jesus and had witnessed his miracles but something was wrong. Before Jesus had joined them in their Sunday stroll, they had been walking along and commiserating with themselves in abject despondency. Their following of Christ hadn't turned out the way they had hoped. Instead of seeing him drive out the hated Romans and establishing a kingdom in which they had hoped to share, they had seen him cruelly crucified.
Sure, they had been told that He had risen from the grave, but that seemed to them to be just idle prattle from some of the emotional women. They looked at their own dashed hopes and were dejected.
Their condition was a perfect analogy of what many experience today. The happy, joyous, zeal of the new convert soon fades away as the reality of an unfriendly world closes in. They had been talking about Jesus but that hadn't brought about any contentment.
How often do Christians spend hours discussing their church, church problems, their fellow church members, the preacher. The talk usually follows the same general pattern as it did on the road to Emmaus; They weren't discussing the hope and promises of the Lord but rather their disappointment that things hadn't turned out as they had expected! Sure, they knew the angels had proclaimed Him to be alive, that some of the disciples claimed to have seen him and that Jesus had promised to rise from the dead, but they were still sad, Why? For the same reason that many today are not happy even though they might be preoccupied with church and religion.
Their hearts did not burn within them until they quit talking ABOUT Christ and began to walk WITH Him and letting Him speak to them! This is the secret of real, heartfelt religion. It is a personal, everyday relationship with Christ. Studying the Bible is essential to, but not sufficient alone, to bring about this happiness. What IS crucial, is seeing Christ in the Word and in fellowshipping Him in our daily walk.
Lest someone get the idea that I am saying it doesn't matter WHAT you believe and that heart felt religion is based on emotion alone, let me hasten to say, "It DOES INDEED” matter what you believe!"Happiness in Christian service comes from His presence with us. He can only be present and walk with us in Truth. He will accept, bless and walk, only with those of our labors that are done according to Truth. It is for this reason that we place so much emphasis on the study of the Scripture. Just remember that Bible study and discussion is not to be an end in itself, but only the means to an end. The end result should be our walking and fellowshipping with Christ and only then will our hearts be made to burn within us!
Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
These were the words of the apostle Paul as he set forthhis life plan. Remember, we are discussing heartfelt religion. Where Christ is, his presence WILL be felt and manifested. As it was with the apostle, so it will be with us; When Christ is alive in us, his presence will be made known.
Is it important that we feel Christ in our hearts? Jesus said, "for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh."(Mat 12:34).
Our thoughts and our conversations are filled with that which saturates our hearts. For this reason we need to allow Christ and His promises and hopes to gorge our hearts.
Too often we are satisfied with being partial Christian. By this, I mean that sometimes, we might dedicate our minds to learning about God, while other times we attempt to find satisfaction in doing things FOR God, while others seem to seek satisfaction in merely working up an emotional fervor.
The full and complete Christian is the one in whom the Word of Christ dwells.
Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in allwisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
In obedience then, to this Word, he presents his body a living sacrifice. Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
He doesn't become a 'do-gooder' whose every action seems to scream, "Hey, everybody, look at me. I'm a dedicated Christian!"He IS one in whom Christ is seen daily in the things he does and in those things he refuses to do. As a result of this daily walk with Christ according to the instructions of the Word, his heart in lifted up in joy that can only come from Christ.
1 John 3:21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
Heartfelt religion is not a phenomenon to be relegated to the past era of 'brush arbor revivals', nor is it to be understood by clinically investigating its cause and effect. It is a real, present day experience available to those who truly know Christ as their savior and are willing to walk with him in their daily life.
The entire outlook and attitude of the two disciples was altered after this encounter with Christ. No longer was their conversation of broken dreams and failures but rather they talked of the joy of communing with the Lord.
Luke tells us that the name of one of these men was Cleophas. John records the fact that it was the wife of this man who was present at both the crucifixion and the burial. She was one of those who discovered the empty tomb. No longer does he have to depend upon his wife's account for he has personally been with Jesus! He has experienced it for himself!
REVIVE ME
Lift me, Lord and make me rise
And live above my fears.
Make me know the joys of Christ
Though seen through veil of tears.
Make my spirit soar aloft
By humbling me, and then,
Help me shun all evil,
But love all souls in sin.
Deliver in temptation
And make me know the rest
that's only found IN service;
Help me give my best.
Then Lord, If I should falter
Humble me, and then
Show me Christ through veil of tears
Revive me once again!
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FAITH LOOKS TO ITS FULFILLMENT
Song;This world is not my home--
Text:Heb 11:22 By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of thedeparting of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerninghis bones.
Scripturereadings; Gen 50:24 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: andGod will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto theland which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
Gen50:25 And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, Godwill surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.
Gen50:26 So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and theyembalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
Exo13:19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he hadstraitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visityou; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.
I.Faith in the future is essential for a child of God.
1Cor 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of allmen most miserable.
A.Death held O.T. Saints prisoners of hope. Zec 9:12 Turn you tothe strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare thatI will render double unto thee;
B.Yet that hope gave them courage.
Job19:26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in myflesh shall I see God:
Isa33:17 Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall beholdthe land that is very far off.
C.Death now FREES US! 2 Cor 5:8 We are confident, I say, andwilling rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with theLord.
Rememberthe freedom felt in salvation? Multiply it. Free from ALLconstraints. Time, lust, pain, sorrow, etc.
D.This Hope and Assurance gives meaning to present service.
II.Our Hope is based upon the FACT of the resurrection of Christ.
Acts17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judgethe world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereofhe hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him fromthe dead.
Let others be concerned with the lord of the underworld and thepowers of death, we have the Prince of Life! Acts 3:15 And killedthe Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof weare witnesses.
III.This truth is so important that God used many ways to teach it.
A.Sheaf of Firstfruits.
B.Feast of Tabernacles.
C.Even Joseph's burial in Shecham wasn't the end of the story!
Josh24:32 And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel broughtup out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground whichJacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for anhundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of thechildren of Joseph.
Buriedwith Abraham, Isaac and Jacob;
Mat22:32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God ofJacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
Mat8:11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east andwest, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in thekingdom of heaven.
Conclusion;Consider the joyous departure from the land of toil and sorrow.
posted by Freddie Creel 27.3.04 0 comments
GOING A NEW WAY WITH THE LORD
Exo 14:15 And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me?speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:
Josh 3:4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about twothousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may knowthe way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this wayheretofore.
Exo 33:14 And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will givethee rest.
LIKE A LITTLE SHIP
It's almost gone; short hours now,
This year will soon be past.
'Twill be, like other yesterdays,
Laid to rest at last.
For those who used it well, it goes
Like a little ship set sail
O'er waters peaceful and serene,
Not fearing stormy gale.
It glides toward time's horizon,
Then disappears from view.
We check its cargo, left behind,
Of blessings, quite a few.
Then, even as we watch, it seems
A ship with sails so white,
Drops anchor in the harbor
On this New Years' Night!
We wonder at its' cargo,
Piled high upon its' deck;
And, will it leave still bright and clean,
or, a pitiful old wreck?
Its' cargo is a marvel.
Each package is a day,
To hold what YOU put in it.
It holds whate'er YOU SAY!
fcc
Illustration; The wagon train pauses at the foot of the imposing mountains. Theguide warns of hard trails ahead but passable. The people look southto the broad, easy path of the plains and go that way, not realizingthat the Valley of Death lies that way.
I. The command, "Go forward." Milling around and murmuring will accomplish nothing.
A. A few of the ways God's people need to forge ahead.
1.With an ever widening vision. Even to becoming leaders in the work.
2.In greater fields of service. Allow new laborers to have room to work.Strive to be better at what you do.
3.Go forward in study and knowledge.
4.In witnessing and soul winning.
5.GO FORWARD WILLINGLY!
II. The Caution. "Ye have not gone this way heretofore."
A. New days bring new dangers. Satan is continually coming up with new ways to trap God's people.
1 Pet 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
B. New opportunities to serve bring with them the possibility of failure.
1Cor 2:3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
C. A New Path. But Christ is our Scout who knows the trail!
Heb 6:19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
Heb 6:20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest forever after the order of Melchisedec.
Heb12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
III. The Promise. "My presence shall GO with you!" [Note; the promise is conditional upon GOING!]
A. The promise of his presence always follows the obedience to the command.
Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
B. Five times God promises, "I'll never leave you nor forsake you."
At other times his promise comes by inspiration through others.
1.Promise to Jacob in Bethel.
Gen 28:15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
2.To the people as they prepare to posses the land .
Deu 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORDthy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
3.To Joshua as their leader.
Deu 31:8 And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
4.To Joshua as he receives his commission.
Josh 1:5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
5. David's assurance to Solomon as he prepares him for the work ahead
1Chr 28:20 And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.
6.The prophecy of his presence with his people today.
Isa 42:16 And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew 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.
7.Even in material blessings to the individual who serves God!
Heb 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Heb 13:6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
This assurance has enabled God's people to continue in the face of all adversity down through the ages even when all hope seemed gone!.Abraham and Israel, in Egyptian captivity; Peter in prison and Paul in every situation, even aboard a sinking ship. Martyrs, missionaries, churches and individual children of God.
IV. A New Way lies ahead.
There are 365 peaks to climb and perhaps as many valleys to traverse. Will you walk this path alone or will you claim Jesus as your companion? Choose others and you might find that when the path gets rough you are walking it alone but choose Him and have as yourcompanion, not only Him but all others who love him and his Word!
Exo 14:15 And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me?speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:
Josh 3:4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about twothousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may knowthe way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this wayheretofore.
Exo 33:14 And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will givethee rest.
LIKE A LITTLE SHIP
It's almost gone; short hours now,
This year will soon be past.
'Twill be, like other yesterdays,
Laid to rest at last.
For those who used it well, it goes
Like a little ship set sail
O'er waters peaceful and serene,
Not fearing stormy gale.
It glides toward time's horizon,
Then disappears from view.
We check its cargo, left behind,
Of blessings, quite a few.
Then, even as we watch, it seems
A ship with sails so white,
Drops anchor in the harbor
On this New Years' Night!
We wonder at its' cargo,
Piled high upon its' deck;
And, will it leave still bright and clean,
or, a pitiful old wreck?
Its' cargo is a marvel.
Each package is a day,
To hold what YOU put in it.
It holds whate'er YOU SAY!
fcc
Illustration; The wagon train pauses at the foot of the imposing mountains. Theguide warns of hard trails ahead but passable. The people look southto the broad, easy path of the plains and go that way, not realizingthat the Valley of Death lies that way.
I. The command, "Go forward." Milling around and murmuring will accomplish nothing.
A. A few of the ways God's people need to forge ahead.
1.With an ever widening vision. Even to becoming leaders in the work.
2.In greater fields of service. Allow new laborers to have room to work.Strive to be better at what you do.
3.Go forward in study and knowledge.
4.In witnessing and soul winning.
5.GO FORWARD WILLINGLY!
II. The Caution. "Ye have not gone this way heretofore."
A. New days bring new dangers. Satan is continually coming up with new ways to trap God's people.
1 Pet 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
B. New opportunities to serve bring with them the possibility of failure.
1Cor 2:3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
C. A New Path. But Christ is our Scout who knows the trail!
Heb 6:19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
Heb 6:20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest forever after the order of Melchisedec.
Heb12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
III. The Promise. "My presence shall GO with you!" [Note; the promise is conditional upon GOING!]
A. The promise of his presence always follows the obedience to the command.
Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
B. Five times God promises, "I'll never leave you nor forsake you."
At other times his promise comes by inspiration through others.
1.Promise to Jacob in Bethel.
Gen 28:15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
2.To the people as they prepare to posses the land .
Deu 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORDthy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
3.To Joshua as their leader.
Deu 31:8 And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
4.To Joshua as he receives his commission.
Josh 1:5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
5. David's assurance to Solomon as he prepares him for the work ahead
1Chr 28:20 And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.
6.The prophecy of his presence with his people today.
Isa 42:16 And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew 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.
7.Even in material blessings to the individual who serves God!
Heb 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Heb 13:6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
This assurance has enabled God's people to continue in the face of all adversity down through the ages even when all hope seemed gone!.Abraham and Israel, in Egyptian captivity; Peter in prison and Paul in every situation, even aboard a sinking ship. Martyrs, missionaries, churches and individual children of God.
IV. A New Way lies ahead.
There are 365 peaks to climb and perhaps as many valleys to traverse. Will you walk this path alone or will you claim Jesus as your companion? Choose others and you might find that when the path gets rough you are walking it alone but choose Him and have as yourcompanion, not only Him but all others who love him and his Word!
Fellowship In The Truth
I The Truth and its value as expressed in II John.
1.The Basis for Fellowship = TRUTH
2 John 1:1 The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;
II. Fellowship’s Reason; TRUTH
2.For the truth's sake,which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.
III.Fellowship's Power; (peace in unity) Grace, mercy and peace. In TRUTH.
3.Grace be with you,mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
IV.Fellowship's Walk: TRUTH
4. I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.
This must be a walk in the light;
I Jno.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.
V.Fellowship's greatest TRUTH: LOVE
5. And now I beseech thee,lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.
VI. Daily TRUTH of fellowship - Walk in it!
6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That,as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
VII. No fellowship with UNTRUTH!
7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ,hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
11.For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
I The Truth and its value as expressed in II John.
1.The Basis for Fellowship = TRUTH
2 John 1:1 The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;
II. Fellowship’s Reason; TRUTH
2.For the truth's sake,which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.
III.Fellowship's Power; (peace in unity) Grace, mercy and peace. In TRUTH.
3.Grace be with you,mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
IV.Fellowship's Walk: TRUTH
4. I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.
This must be a walk in the light;
I Jno.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.
V.Fellowship's greatest TRUTH: LOVE
5. And now I beseech thee,lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.
VI. Daily TRUTH of fellowship - Walk in it!
6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That,as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
VII. No fellowship with UNTRUTH!
7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ,hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
11.For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
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