Houma Bible Study Notes: Salvation History #4

I can think of no other character in the scriptures that communicate the Biblical thought of faithfulness like Joseph. Yes, we could also consider God’s servant Job, and it would certainly be appropriate to do so; however, even Job is recorded to have engaged in some complaints, but not Joseph. Surely, Joseph complained. After all, he was human, and all humans complain. Personally, I feel certain that there were moments in his life, as he endured the seemingly undeserved trials, that he became frustrated and complained, but that is mere speculation on my part for I have not found evidence recorded in scripture that states that he did.

Yet, Joseph endured hostility from his own and from those of the world. He was persecuted for righteousness sake. There are rabbinical teachings that suggest Joseph a type of Messiah. If David is a type of the Messianic King that Israel awaited, Joseph is a type of the Messiah that suffered. Looking backwards, it’s easy to see that God was preparing His people to understand that Messiah would suffer at the hands of the wicked. Three specific passages that contain information alluding to this truth are found in Psalm 22, Isaiah 53 and Zechariah chapter 12. The Psalm written 1,000 years in advance mentions his hands and feet being pierced. Isaiah explains that He bore our transgressions, that He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and that by his stripes we are healed. While Jews may argue that these scriptures do not refer to Jesus, the Holy Spirit through Peter validates God’s truth (1Peter 2:24).

We find in Joseph a uniqueness when compared to all of his brothers in that he is the firstborn of Jacob and Rachel, the wife of Jacob’s affection. The scripture plainly states that he was favored above his brethren by his father, so much that his father made him a special coat of many colors. Joseph had a dream that revealed that his family would bow down to him. The revelation of this dream enraged his brothers with jealousy and hostility; ultimately, stripping him of the honor that was given him from his father and throwing him into a pit.

Matters only worsen when his brothers conspire to sell him as a slave for a few pieces of silver, he is betrayed and treated with the utmost contempt. These parts of the story are so reminiscent of Jesus, the suffering servant described in Psalms, Isaiah and Zechariah. The fact that his brother Judah sold him for 20 pieces of silver and that Judas sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver is amazing by itself, but add to that the fact that Judas is a variation of the Hebrew name Judah and the circumstance becomes undeniably prophetic.  Trials and suffering will continue for Joseph. Nevertheless, God’s favor and the hand of His blessing will remain on his servant’s life through the whole process.

The testing of God is so prevalent throughout the pages of this story. From the pit, to Potipher’s house, and from Potipher’s house to the prison and from the prison to the palace, Joseph is tested every step of the way. Behind the scenes, there is a providential string that ties his purpose to Messiah, which ties his purpose to the life of New Testament believers.

This is one of those stories, like Job that make little sense to our minds early in our walk with God. Sometimes, these type of stories may even alarm the new convert into thinking, “Why would God allow such atrocities to happen to these men who loved Him so much and were faithful to Him to begin with?”

This question provides a springboard for thinking through the scriptures. Trial, tribulation and testing are repeatedly found throughout the pages of God’s word: Because of the fall, Adam worked the ground with sweat on his brow, Abraham tarried for the promised seed, Jacob toiled for years before he became Israel in God’s eyes, Moses struggled with the people, David, anointed as king, hid in the cave of Adullam, Solomon wrote about the process of the trial in Ecclesiastes:

Ecclesiastes 1:12-14 12 I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.

This theme of struggling and contention will continue in the lives of all humans until the new heavens and the new earth, but only believers have the availability to understand the meaning of all this. Jesus said:

John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

The letter to the Hebrews reminds us that earth is not the home or final destination of the people of God. Furthermore, true followers of God cling to the promises and word of God whether or not, they see the promises manifested in their lives currently:

Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

The words of the preacher [Solomon] must resonate in the hearts of true believers. Born again believers have the Spirit of God living in them, as they approach the scriptures without guile, the Spirit speaks to their yielded hearts and reveals this ancient truth—this earth is not their home. They must embrace deep within that they are pilgrims on a journey in a strange and foreign land and always moving towards the celestial city. Refusing to cling to this ancient Biblical truth, will result in exasperation. The seedling of the gospel that quickly sprang to life will be vulnerable to the scorching of the sun (Matt 13:20,21). The parable never reveals what the stones in the ground specifically were that prevented the root. Instead, it just lets us know that there were stones in the soil that prevented the root from venturing down and when the persecution came, there was no way for the seedling to receive enough nourishment to be sustained—it withered and died.

In these times of trial, the unlearned journeyman is tempted to go against God and His word. He or she will find themselves weary on the battlefield of life and the memories of Egypt (the old life) will begin to whisper their name, promising a welcome home party that will, in reality result in self incarceration.

Solomon, the preacher pondered life through jaded eyes, a man who had yielded to disobedience, taken foreign wives and built altars for their gods; thereby, inviting the gods of their nativity upon the soil that belonged to Yahweh. Should it be surprising that his perception of life would be so pessimistic towards the end? Even still, the preacher came to a rightful conclusion:

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

Within the stories of Job and Joseph, the pages drip with revelation of a world that is hostile towards the people of God; yet, whispering in the tragedy is the voice of triumph. The narrative of God urges the character and reader alike to forge forward in spite of the pain providing hope that the truth of God’s word is the map towards the destination of God’s will. The treasure searching heart can find meaning for trial and tribulation within the lives of these men. The focus here is Joseph, but let’s glean at least a thought about Job.

The scripture reports Job as a perfect and upright man. The meaning is that he walked with God. His heart’s desire was to please God. He craved moral integrity. If he knew it was wrong, he didn’t do it. If he needed help, he cried out to God. He was a man that loved the Lord. If we were not given revelation, we would be like Job and face trials in such a way that they would have no meaning. One day, we would believe that we were doing right and living for God, and the next day, it would seem that God had forsaken us and left us as a play toy for Satan to torture. Instead, God invites us backstage into the trial of Job, and we learn that there is something larger taking place upon this terrestrial world than human eyes can see. God is waging battle against spiritual entities, and somehow, He’s choosing to engage the battle through the lives of earthlings that are willing to partner with Him in this ancient war.

The trial ensues this way. I imagine it’s a day like any other in the life of Job. The providence of God’s blessing hand is upon him. The sun is shining and pillowy clouds glide across the sky. As Job walks adjacent to his fields, the green grass waves as the gentle breeze skips across its tops. Surely, he views the birth of at least one animal during this morning stroll. Whether it be a camel, a sheep or an oxen, I do not know, but it’s hard to imagine that just based upon the sheer number of his herds, that he has not seen at least one birth during this week if not this specific day, and then the report of the messenger with tragic news that all of his children are dead in one moment of time. And what Job doesn’t know at that moment, or at any moment that I have found is what we are given privilege to know:

Job 1:6-12 6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. 7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? 9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. 11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. 12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

God, Himself is in a battle, and He has created humanity for the purpose of joining Him in this warfare. It is reasonable to understand from the scriptures that Satan and his cohorts fell before the creation of Adam and Eve in the garden. It is this writer’s contention that when the Lord told Hid disciples that He saw Satan fall like lightning to the ground (Luke 10:18) that He referred spiritually of a past event and not the future expulsion in the book of Revelation

(Rev. 12:9). So Satan and his angels have rebelled instead of choosing to serve God according to their created purposes. God must and will judge all rebellion, and in His mercy, He judges righteously, even against fallen angels.

The fallen angels saw God’s glory. They were with Him by His side when He created. God had this conversation with Job:

Job 38:1-13. 1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, 2 Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. 4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. 5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? 6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; 7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8 Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb? 9 When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it, 10 And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors, 11 And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed? 12 Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place; 13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it?

There is a spiritual level of kingdom business, the angelic rebellion, that God is dealing with and that human minds have limited knowledge about. At the same time, humans have been strategically placed by the hand of God like pieces on a chessboard to engage, with God in the continuation of His plan to rid His creation of evil. I cannot completely explain it, but it seems to me that in some way, God will use mortal man that has not seen His face to judge immortal creations that have:

1 Corinthians 6:2-3. 2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

It is within this context, that the conversation between God and Satan and the sons of God [fallen angels], gains greater clarity. God is saying to the fallen ones, “No, you could have obeyed me because a myriad of your celestial brothers remained faithful. In addition, watch the life of my servant Job play out before your eyes. In the end, He will choose me without ever seeing me with his eyes. Job’s response towards the end of his trial reveals one important aspect related to God’s will for the trials that we face:

Job 23:8-12 NASB 8 “Behold, I go forward but He is not there, And backward, but I cannot perceive Him; 9 When He acts on the left, I cannot behold Him; He turns on the right, I cannot see Him. 10 “But He knows the way I take; When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. 11 “My foot has held fast to His path; I have kept His way and not turned aside. 12 “I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.

There were times in Job’s trial that he felt alone; yet, he knew in his spirit, that the right response was to stay true to God in spite of how severe the trial was.

Job 42:1-5 NASB 1 Then Job answered the LORD and said, 2 “I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. 3 ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” 4 ‘Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.’ 5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You;

The scripture nowhere describes that Job saw the Lord with his physical eyes. What is really being said here is that the trial that Job faced gave him a deeper revelation about who God is: 1) he realized that he thought more highly of himself than what he should have [V3b] 2) Job thought that he knew the Lord prior to the trials that he faced, but he realizes now that holding onto the Lord throughout this trial opened his spiritual eyes towards God.

Peter writes in one of his letters a reference to how the trying of gold is similar to the trying of the believer’s faith:

1 Peter 1:3-9. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

This is an excellent New Testament passage to give us clarity on why God uses trials in our lives. There is an eternal inheritance that we gain through salvation. Believers will be granted to rule and reign with God as they work with Him now, doing Kingdom business, they prepare “tomorrow’s” eternal reward. The reward is imperishable; therefore, the faith must be put to the test. This is an inheritance offered that cost Jesus His life. If faith is the key that accesses the reward, the faith will have to be tested and refined. Through the process of the test, we will have access to the promised power of God. Victory has already been purchased for the saint; but, just as the fire refines gold, the trials will come to refine the faith.

Joseph

It is doubtful that there is a better Old Testament character to illustrate the thought of refined faith than Joseph. The propulsion towards power in Joseph’s life travelled through years of unwarranted pain and heartache. As in the life of Job, the reader is compelled to ask, “Why, Lord. Why would you allow such sadness to take place in a person’s life that clearly loved you and wanted to serve you?”

We must become aware of the sovereign and providential hand of God working in our everyday lives. God is not only changing us by using circumstances, He is testing our allegiance towards Him and His will; furthermore, and maybe most importantly, He is positioning us for our purpose that He has prepared for our lives:

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

The Father must test our allegiance to His plan, because our first birth in Adam has made us partakers with the sinful nature. While new birth in the last Adam, has given us new life, new purpose and new power through the Holy Spirit, the process of sanctification is an ongoing symphony between God and the believer of presented opportunities that challenge the believer with a choice of submission or subversion. God does not partner with rebellion. He expels it as He did Satan! The sinful nature of man from the fall is intended to lie dormant in Christ through faith, but Satan is constantly wanting to incite rebellion in the heart of God’s people and God is constantly showing Satan that there are people like Joseph and Job, that while not perfect, will choose His ways over the ways of evil and the world around them.

Imagine how many times in the enticing from Potipher’s wife that Joseph could have given in, or how many opportunities for bitterness while he lie in that Egyptian prison. Romans chapter 5 describes God’s plan in tribulation:

Romans 5:1-5. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

As already revealed, justification states that God is pleased with us and sees us righteous because of our faith in the sacrifice of His Son. Now, having the debt of our sin paid for by the cross of Jesus, we have access to grace, which is undeserved favor and forgiveness, but it is also the supernatural working of the Holy Spirit on the heart of the believer, which is how God transforms the inner man. I had a Pastor in the past that said once, “Grace is an inside job!” Yes, grace is a supernatural inner work of the Holy Spirit that is reflected outwardly in the life of the believer. Now, being saved, we can have hope in the glory of God. We have hope in our new life. We have hope in His plan. We have hope in our relationship with Him in eternity.

Verse 3 says that we also glory in tribulation:

Tribulation- g2347. θλίψις thlipsis; from 2346; pressure — afflicted, anguish, burdened, persecution, tribulation, trouble. persecution 1, burdened 1, to be afflicted

a pressing, pressing together, oppression, affliction, tribulation, distress, straits__ Strong’s

The trial produces tribulation and tribulation results in a pressing. My mind automatically gravitates towards the Garden of Gethsemenee whenever I think of “pressing”. Gethsemenee was a garden located on the Mount of Olives. The name Gethsemenee means the press. The idea is that the olive press would have been located there. One of the ultimate purposes of olives is to yield the fruit of the oil. The thought of olive oil is closely associated with the anointing of the Holy Spirit, as a matter of fact the KJV says:

1 John 2:20. But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

The word unction in the KJV is translated as “You have been anointed by the Holy one and you know all truth.” Without the cross, there is no Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, there is no anointing for the New Testament believer to carry on the work of God. The anointing we receive through His sacrifice started in the Olive press of Gethsemenee in the tribulation and anguish of His soul as He yielded His will over to the Father’s will. The trials and tribulations will yield these results in the lives of believer’s.

The Apostle Paul learned through multiple trials that tribulation produces something in the life of the believer. The word in the KJV  patience used in Romans 5:3 is endurance in newer translations. Endurance is a better thought in our modern language. The Greek word transliterated would be hypomone. Greek words are often compound in nature. The Greek language uses a lot of prefixes and suffixes to add meaning to root words. This word is split at Hypo/hupo, which is a preposition meaning under and mone, meaning remain or continue. The extreme literality would be remain under. In the context of the verse, the idea is to remain under the tribulation with hope and expectancy that God will execute His plan.

The definition further clarifies this thought:

Endurance- g5278. ὑπομένω hypomenō— to stay under. remain; to undergo, i.e. bear (trials), have fortitude, persevere: — abide, endure, patient(-ly), suffer, tarry behind. take patiently 2, tarry behind 1, abide 1, patient 1, suffer, abide, not recede or flee: under misfortunes and trials to hold fast to one's faith in Christ to endure, bear bravely and calmly: ill treatments.

The word for experience in this passage is character in new translations. This is where the thought of God testing our allegiance to His plan can be reconnected. God allows trials and tribulations in the life of the believer, because true believers are going to rule and reign with Him in eternity. We were created for that opportunity. The opportunity to partner with Him in His purposes. He also created the angels for the same purpose and according to some thoughts a third of that number rebelled against Him. Should we expect that just our profession alone will be enough to get us in? If Jesus had to be tested to prove His faithfulness in both the wilderness and the garden, doesn’t it stand to reason that the trying of our faith to prove our allegiance to king and kingdom would also be required?

He uses circumstances in our lives to change us. The trials of life have a way of bringing to the surface hidden areas in our heart’s that God wants to deal with. In the garden, Jesus was pressed beyond measure. The burden of the world’s sin was placed upon His humanity to carry with Him to the cross. In anguish, and alone, as His disciples slept, He groaned in the spirit and pleaded with God for the possibility that this trial would not have to end this way. In the end, His only desire was to please the Father and to finish the work that God had placed before Him. God has plans for our lives. We are His workmanship (Ephesians 2:10). The trials, like a salve, expose the remnants of the fall in our lives known as the flesh, and flesh must be crucified. Our fleshly or earthly wants and desires will get in the way of God’s spiritual plans for us. When the trial reveals the dross in our hearts (Prov. 25:4) through the fire, this is the time to let the cross have its work in us. This is the time that we cry out to the Lord and allow Him to remove the unclean mess or rebellion that we see being revealed in us through the trial we’re facing. As we allow the cross to have its work in our lives and circumcise the flesh, these areas are replaced with the resurrection fruit of the Spirit.

When God positions us for His purpose, His plan for our lives will always intersect with His master plan, and His plan never deviates from His word. The Trials and tribulations that Joseph experienced reflect this truth. There is an interesting find in the Joseph narrative when turning the pages of scripture. There would have been 9 successive chapters related to the Joseph story; however, there is what feels like an intrusion in chapter 38. It is understood that the original Biblical languages were not divided by chapters. This interesting occurrence follows Chapter 37 where Joseph was sold by his brother’s and Jacob was told that Joseph had been mauled by wild animals.

Suddenly, the narrative shifts to a story about Judah, Jacob and Leah’s fourth born son. The emphasis of the story surrounds the fact that Judah deviates from God’s plan by taking for himself a Canaanite woman, which is the very thing that Abraham forbad Isaac to do and the very thing that Isaac forbad Jacob to do. Judah sires three sons with Shua the Canaanite.

Afterwards, he finds a woman named Tamar to wed his first son Er. The Bible’s testimony of Er is that he was wicked and the Lord slew him. In an attempt to preserve his seed on the earth, Judah has his second son marry Tamar and produce offspring with her, as this was the custom of the day. Onan refuses and spills his seed on the ground. The scripture states that the Lord took his life also. After two of his sons are killed, Judah refuses to give Tamar to his third son out of fear that he, too, will die.

From there, the story only gets more complicated in that Tamar dresses up like a prostitute and deceives Judah into impregnating her and she ends up giving birth to twins. The firstborn was named Pharez and the second was named Zarah.

Back to the Joseph story. The trials of Joseph’s life positioned him in a place where he was able to interpret Pharaoh’s dream. From there, God elevated Jospeh in Pharaoh’s court and used him to manage a famine that affected the entire surrounding regions. The placement of Joseph in Pharaoh’s court was God’s providential hand preparing a place for Joseph’s family to have a place of supernatural shelter and provision throughout the famine.

When it was all done, Joseph received the revelation that he needed from God regarding his trials and it was recorded for us in scripture when as he revealed who he really was to his long lost brothers:

Preserving the Judah Seed

Romans 5:1-5 1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Job 23:8-12. 8 Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: 9 On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: 10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. 11 My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined. 12 Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

1 Peter 1:3-9

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

Ephesians 2:10

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

Too much of us still in us

Luke 10:38-41

38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

Bid- command or tell her

John 21:20-22

Jesus and the Beloved Apostle

20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”

Matthew 20:21-22. 21 And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. 22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.

1 John 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

Genesis 24:3 And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:

Genesis 28:1 And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.

The Holy Spirit used Paul to say, we glory in tribulations because tribulations in the end bring forth the hope of God. Since He has chosen to use us in spite of our short comings and inadequacies. We have to trust His sovereign hand over the steps of our lives and the various changes that take place on the earth. We must believe that the providence of God is at work on the earth. What seems like famine and despair, trial and tribulation to most is really a springboard of opportunity for God to position His people in the right place at the right time for His will to be done.

We could use the character of Ruth and Naomi as an example. Famine ravaged the land. God’s people the characters in the story left the place of waiting and trusting God to move towards a foreign land of foreign God, which is followed by death, heartache, tragedy. In all of that, they return to Bethlehem and the story says that …her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech. The word can mean chance or providence. You choose how you want to see it. I know how I see it. I see the providential hand of God moving in all the circumstances both good and bad. He’s orchestrating circumstances and events to bring the world to the place He wants it to be and to position His people in the time and place that He wants them to be so that through them, He will accomplish His will through their lives.

In my mind, the individual lives of believers provide the individual moving parts of a symphony that moves the story of an opera. There are words that describe the harmonious relationship of sounds that move the music. There are words that describe slowing down, speeding up, sadness, happiness, but whatever the movement, they all seem to work in harmony together to move the purpose of the conductor towards an intended end. To move the work from a starting point to an end. All the various pieces of the orchestra are working in unison or harmony to bring the symphony to a successful end of what the composer intended.

One word that I did not find used in the dictionary of musical terms was Cacophony. This words origins was borrowed from the Greek Kakos meaning bad. Specifically there was a Greek word used in the American dictionary that I looked cacophony up in and the word was cacodemon—Bad. There is no place in a symphony for cacophony because the purpose is pleasantry not disappointment.

With that concept in mind, we tackle the thought of God’s plan as a symphony. The composer and conductor has a plan for a beginning and an end and the symphony is intended to be a harmonious work of multiple parts playing in unison.

Within the work there is both trial and tribulation. Within the work, there is tragedy and triumph, but what is not purposefully written within the work is cacophony. Let’s call it in God’s symphony an act of rebellion. It may be rebellion incited by deception. We may not have known that the move we were about to make would be an act that would move one of the pieces of God outside of the will of His symphony, but it does.

It’s not like He can’t replace the position. He can find another cello player or replace someone in the brass section. But He did have a specific plan for that particular French horn player who kept getting the same Charlie horse in his leg over and over and over again and finally through his repeated acts of discord and cacophony found himself no longer in the orchestra and no longer in the movement of the symphony of God. He or she may have thought that they happily joined another symphony but it’s not the symphony of God. It has a different composer and conductor altogether. It’s a plagiarized work that looks close to the original but it’s not the plan that God originated.

So there is a symphony of God and because of the cacophony of sinful rebellion injected into the opera, there are times of trial and tribulation that speed up or slow down the work in order to bring the pieces back into harmony.

The story of Judah is cacophony. God had already told the family through great grandpa Abraham not to marry a Canaanite and then grandpa Isaac told Judah’s daddy the same thing. So Judah’s decision to take Shua the Canaanite to wife was a direct Cacophany to the symphony of God. Let’s just talk Bible terms now. It was rebellion against God’s word. And it’s a big deal because it’s messing up God’s plan.

But you go on Judah, Christian, whatever your name is—Pastor. You do it your way and step outside of God’s will and then we will watch a succession of seed spilling and God’s plan being thrown upon the earth like it’s absolutely meaningless because it’s been placed in the hands of people who right now in their walk think they’re good but are more concerned about their own well being and happiness than they are the plan of God that they treat the seed of God with contempt.

Wow Judah is Judas (Matt 1:2,3). Judah sells Joseph for 20 pieces of silver and Judas sells Jesus for 30 pieces!! Wow, when praise don’t act right it results in prison but when it does it opens prison doors— Paul and Silas.

Another very interesting thing about this Judah story is the location of its placement within God’s overall movement of the story. If it were not for this story’s seemingly cacophonous interruption, there would be nine chapters solely dedicated to the story of Joseph and his seemingly unwarranted trials and tribulations.

Anyway, back to trials and tribulations sometimes trials and tribulations make no sense. There are those times where we know that we made wrong decisions or blatantly sinned and opened doors that caused us to venture down a wrong road but then we see the stories of Joseph and Job and we wonder— why Lord? Why is it that sometimes your people who love you have to face these trials and tribulations in life?

And then we add to the fact the thought of Romans 5 and hupomonae—we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope.

Then Job’s words “when he has tried me I shall come forth as gold” and the Peter’s words: 7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

And now I see Joseph juxtaposed or contrasted with Judah. Judah grabs a Canaanite woman and Joseph releases dreams from God about God’s plans for the future. Judah’s offspring spill their seed on the ground and Judah sells his brother to a band of Ishmaelites. Joseph runs from Potopher’s wife and Judah lies with what he thinks is a prostitute.

And Joseph goes through the trial and remains under in a God honoring way. He doesn’t understand. He just remains faithful to His God. He is propelled through the trial to a position. He is given an anointing by God to interpret dreams. His gift puts him in a position of prominence and his position results in the saving of a multitude. He states to his brothers:

And so that’s the extent of what Joseph was allowed to see regarding his trial. He was allowed to see that God used him to -reserve food in the midst of a famine. He was allowed to see that God saved multiple people from multiple nations. Maybe that was the prophetic meaning of the coat of many colors that he wore as a young boy I don’t know. He was even able to see how the prophetic dream that he was given in a way as a young man made more sense now as his brothers and dad in a sense bowed to him now that he had power to save them. But what he was not able to see was that hidden in the midst of the Israelites that would multiply in the land of Goshen was a prospering seed that had been preserved. A seed that came from the firstborn twin of Tamar and Judah his name was Pharez and Pharez and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias; And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa; And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias; And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias; And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias; And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon: And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel; And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor; And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud; And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ

Armor 2

Ephesians 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

…the fiery darts of the wicked.

Imagine you’re given liberty to see warfare in the spiritual realm. Christian is on the battlefield in the dark of night. In ancient days, there’s no electricity. Modern days, opposing military destroyed the power grid.

Spiritually, at this moment, the enemy has advantage, because Christian is in the dark, hiding in the long grass of a field. He is positioned in the middle of the battle. Hiding while trying to escape.

Why is he hiding instead of advancing?

You pick: he was offended, he believed a lie and opened a door through sin, he believed that it was okay to separate from the body of Christ, he thought something else could calm his pain other than Jesus, he was taught doctrines that led him astray. Vain imaginations, a high thing trying to exalt itself. I really don’t know what his story is or why he’s there. I just know that he’s there, he’s in the dark, because his light is off.

So he watches the night sky is lighten as the fiery darts of the enemy whistle towards the fortress of the kingdom that he’s been translated into, but he’s not where he’s supposed to be and:

They’re hitting his home, his family, his church, his nation, every person that he loves. But the master plan is to destroy His faith.

Christian faces battles everyday. The onslaught will not stop and he will either learn to fight God’s way, or He will be pummeled under the pressure, and quit. There are many POW’s and casualties in the kingdom.

O’ where is his faith. Where is his armor. Did he leave his shield of faith behind? How could he forget his faith?

Suddenly, he sees a remnant marching from the heavenly forces and they’re donning their shields. He doesn’t for fear of giving up his position, but he wants to scream, “No! Stop! Are you crazy? Don’t you see that there are more arrows than your little shields can withstand?”

Wait a second, he thinks. He rubs his eyes and looks again. Every step his brother’s and sisters take, their shields get bigger. The enemy’s arrows will produce no kill shot today.

Let’s talk about faith and arrows:

Matthew 8:24-28 24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. 25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. 26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

He is a man of faith, and He has come to show us the way. We no longer have to live under fear.

28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.

We can trust God in the assignment. We can lift our shield of faith and move forwards in the battle. We can tell the storm to stop whether it be physical or spiritual, and we can believe that God will make it come to pass. Mostly because when we face the storms or battles in life, we can rest assured that there is an assignment just ahead. In this case there were demon possessed men that needed deliverance, there are sick all around us. There are people struggling with depression and addiction and hopelessness of all sorts and God has given Christian a shield of faith and says get up warrior get up and walk towards my plan for your life. Have faith to believe that I will do what I said that I would do.

1 John 5:4-5  4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

He is the Son of God and all power and authority has been placed in Him and He has released it to His saints:

Luke 10:19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.

This is more than just casting demons out of people. This is walking in victory over the power of demonic forces. If the people of God can’t get past the attacks of the enemy in their own lives, they can’t move forward in the battle; instead, they lie hiding in the grass stricken under a spirit of fear, as they watch their brother’s and sister’s forge forward in the battle.

Romans 16:20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

It’s the Lord that crushed the serpent’s head on the cross and it is the Lord that will crush Satan’s head under your feet today!

But we must have faith in what His word says. I don’t believe in the word of faith movement, but I believe in faith in His word!!

Fiery darts

Fiery Used 7 times in the NT 2 x specifically in a negative connotation: to be inflamed (burn with anger, burn with grief, burn with lust emulations [burning jealousy].

He’s trying to fortify his position in our lives by striking us with these fiery darts, but the word of God says that the believer is equipped with a shield of faith and all he has to do is pick it up and put it into action. Faith in God and faith in his word.

Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

…the helmet of salvation

The helmet is clearly connected to salvation and salvation results in God’s Spirit living in you. God’s Spirit renews our mind and changes our mindsets/outlooks on life.

ILLUSTRATION: I imagine an enemy combatant with a club repeatedly battering a believer upside the head. Bombarding his mind with lies and oppositional thoughts against the truth of God’s word:

Satan wants to attack our body’s with sickness, but he usually starts with our minds, like he did with Eve in the garden. He wants to make us believe what he is saying vs God’s Word.

                   Ephesians 4:23-24. 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

1 Corinthians 2:16 …we have the mind of Christ.

Do we live in the last days?

• God called me many years ago with a specific word: preach my word for the way it is written.

• A King commands and his servants obey

Just as a Pastor is supposed to lead a congregation, believers are supposed to be part of a congregation.

READ Hebrews 10:23-25

Believers need to know where they are called to go to church. They need to pray and when He answers, go there and serve and pray for the ministry and the Pastor where you are, but, if you are a believer, then it is unacceptable, according to God’s word, for you not to be in the house of God!

Are you saying that it’s possible people here today are not called to be here? I am saying you must pray and here from God where you are supposed to be, because when you walk into the attack of a hornets nest and you aren’t ready to submit to God, and you aren’t sure that you’re supposed to be here, you’re about to take some unnecessary head shots.

Why would you say that one week before you sign papers to buy a building that the bank is requiring you to be responsible for?

It’s war time my friend.

It’s Gideon war time:

Judges 7:2-3 2 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. 3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.

• The Lord said, “Still too many”

• See who kneels and see who laps like a dog. He who laps like a dog keep and the rest let them go.

It was whittled down to 300 after he observed, in my opinion, who were the most watchful of the bunch.

Watchful: Be sober, be vigilant your adversary the devil roams like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.

If he tells you that you don’t belong here. He tells me to leave because there is someone else that can do a better job, and under their preaching the church can finally grow. He tells me shut up. Look at them. They don’t want to hear what you have to say you fool. They would be happier without you!

I’m not leaving. I know what God told me, and there won’t be one of you standing next to me when I face my king.

So what I plan to do is gird my loins with truth, put on my breastplate of righteousness, shod my feet w the preparation of the gospel of peace, pick up my shield of faith, and wield my sword.

Let’s close with the sword and prayer

The sword is the word of God. There is a whole Bible worth of scriptures that I could use the re the word of God, and those are the same scriptures that you can use to sharpen your own sword, if you choose to do such a thing, but if you do, it will be done because you opened and divided the word for yourself, so let me use the word divide as my transition for my word scripture

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Prayer

Ephesians 6:18-19. 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

19 And [prayer] for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

Houma Bible Study Notes: Salvation History #3

Genesis 25-32

Abraham’s life revealed the New Testament truths of righteousness and justification. Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him as righteousness. God responds only to faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Once a person receives the righteousness of Jesus as a gift (Romans 5:17), the Father is able to pronounce the verdict, “Righteousness is your position. You are not guilty. You are justified.” Having the verdict of justification over our lives, we can be assured that we can enter the presence of God without reservation (Romans 5:1,2).

Justification means God says we’re righteous. Sanctification means that our behavior starts reflecting what God says about us.

Sanctified- to be separated. To be made holy

Sanctification is both immediate but also progressive. The Bible teaches that immediately upon faith in Jesus and His sacrifice for sin, salvation takes place. Once true salvation occurs, the Holy Spirit takes residence in the believer’s spirit (JN14:17; 1COR 6:17) and in God’s mind, that person is made holy by the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit. In God’s mind, the blood applied to the life and presence of the Holy Spirit in the Christian makes the believer clean and separate from the world around them. That is their position: saved, sanctified, holy and separated unto God; However, this is just the beginning of the change to the life of the believer; unfortunately, the believer’s spiritual condition is not equal with his spiritual position.  Sanctification is both an immediate and a progressive work. Sanctification is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit where He molds the believer into the image of Christ (Rom 8:29).

Remember that the object of faith was Jesus and his finished work on the cross. The meaning of this is that man was created without sin in Adam, but Adam fell and all of Adam’s offspring was born in his image and likeness and now man must be born again into the life giving power of the last Adam who offered His righteousness as a ransom to redeem fallen man from the debt of sin. On the cross, the Great transference took place in the mind of the Father, mankind’s guilt was placed on Jesus on the cross and Jesus’ righteousness can be accessed by man through faith.

Abraham’s character represents Justification, and his grandson Jacob represents sanctification. I heard one preacher mention that the writings about Jacob are double the writings about Abraham and the point made was that the work of the Holy Spirit in Justification is a rapid work; whereas, the work of sanctification is a life long endeavor. Both Justification and sanctification are accomplished in the believer’s life by the work of the Holy Spirit. However, the ongoing work of sanctification requires the believer to yield his own will to the will of God, it requires that the believer die to self:

Matthew 16:24-25

24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

Jesus stated in John 16:7-8 that the comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, would come to the earth, and He would reprove KJV or convict ESV the world of sin. The definition of conviction is to find at fault, to convince one that they are wrong. In the Oxford English Dictionary the formal definition is to declare a guilty verdict. The way conviction works with the Holy Spirit is that His presence reveals to us that something is wrong. The more we listen and yield, the more He works in our lives and progressively changes us, making us look more like Jesus. On the other hand, the more we ignore the whisper of the Holy Spirit, the more our conscience will become seared (1 Timothy 4:2) to the voice of the Holy Spirit and this causes God’s work to be hindered in our lives.

There are several points of interest in the life of Jacob that reflect sanctification, but the first step in the journey requires the consideration that Jacob was a twin. The scripture says that Isaac and Rebekah had twins. The Lord said that there were two nations in Rebekah’s womb. Furthermore, the Lord said that the older would serve the younger. This is a really big deal spiritually.

The firstborn has great spiritual significance going all the way back to when God killed the firstborn of Egypt during the Passover and saved Israel from Egypt. God referred to Israel as His firstborn. The firstborn of all animals belonged to God as a reminder that God had delivered Israel, His firstborn, out of Egyptian bondage. The firstborn received the birth rite, which was connected to taking on the leadership role of the family and also receiving a double portion of the inheritance.

Again, the importance of the position of the firstborn was that through the firstborn came the responsibility of continuing the leadership of the family and continuing the heritage of making sure that the family moved towards the promises of God.

Israel was founded as a nation by God Himself for the purpose that the whole world would know God.

Genesis 18:18-19

18 since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed? 19 For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.

The nation of Israel had a purpose like no other nation. God’s plan to establish His glory throughout the earth starts with His promise to Abraham, through this nation, the whole earth will be blessed when God sends Jesus as redeemer for the sins of man. We must remember that at Babel humanity rejected God’s rule over their lives. Therefore, God separated them into nations and with the calling of Abraham, made a nation for Himself.

As the nation of Israel began to grow, it was later organized into groups for the purpose of creating a cohesive society that would stick together whose main purpose was to spread the knowledge and glory of God throughout the earth. The first level was the family where the man of the house led his family according to the word of God to establish the glory of God upon the earth. It was the firstborn’s job to maintain that direction. The next level was the extended family, smaller families that were distant relatives were known as clans. The clans were part of the larger groups known as the tribes and the twelve tribes of Israel made up the nation.

The scripture says:

Genesis 25:34

Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

One of the words used to describe despised is scorn.

Scorn- the feeling or belief that someone or something is worthless.

In Esau, we see the same spiritual condition of the world around us in that the world despises the things of God. It’s important that we understand that this isn’t accidental and it isn’t simply caused by a political party. This is an ongoing fallen angelic rebellion against God that has injected its rebellion into the heart of man and is being spearheaded by the spirit of disobedience:

Ephesians 2:1-2

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—

The same spirit that drove Esau to despise his birth rite is the same spirit that drives the world towards disobedience against God’s word and God’s will on the earth. Esau was the first birth and represents the old man. Jacob is the second birth and represents the new birth in Christ. In the story of Jacob, we also see the truth that progressive sanctification takes time. It took time for a Jacob to come to the breaking point where He allowed God to change him.

Esau was born first, but God promised that the older would serve the younger. The scripture says that Jacob, while in the womb, grabbed his older brother Esau’s heel in an attempt to stop his brother from coming out first. The name Jacob means supplanter or heel grabber and we learn that later in life Jacob’s nature is that he grabs what he wants through deceptive practices.

One important point to make here is that if God has a plan where people called to serve Him will carry His glory and knowledge into a fallen world of sin, He certainly cannot allow them to remain the same as the world around them. They must be changed in a way where their nature begins to reflect the nature of God, where their image becomes conformed back into the image of God instead of the image of the fallen Adam.

The main spiritual idea to be made about Jacob as heel grabber/ deceiver is that while God gave him a promise that he would receive the birth rite, he immediately attempts to take matters into his own hands and bring God’s promises for his life to pass in his own strength.

As Christians, we must understand that many believers try to live their lives that way and many preachers teach the Bible that way. In other words, people are taught that it’s through what they do that changes them. If they have a problem with lust, they are told to quote scripture. I’m not trying to be overly technical here, but it’s extremely important that we understand and remain focused on God’s plan not man’s.

Memorizing and quoting scripture is great. Personally, I love to memorize and quote scripture and there are many times that when the enemy tries to attack, I remind myself what God’s word says, but we must be careful that we don’t change the object of our faith to quoting scripture instead of faith in the slain and risen lamb that was foreordained before the foundations of the earth.

God has established a plan for victory over sin. He sent Jesus, the sinless one to die for the sins of the sinful ones. Faith in this truth, causes the old man to die and allows a new man to resurrect. Continued faith in this truth allows the old man to remain dead and empowers the new man in Christ to live for God according to God’s standard that is written and revealed through His word.

But a Jacobean or self help (works based) Christianity may try to do it like this: if they have a problem with alcohol, the church makes a small group called recovery and they take AA principles and make a mixture of AA and scripture and repackage it as God. This is not how God works. These are ideas and plans of man injecting his own ways into God’s ways. God’s way is that man allows God to change his heart through the truth of God’s word and the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit.

His brother Esau was born first and there are some interesting thoughts about Esau and the first birth. We have already discussed our first birth in Adam and how the first birth is the natural birth and the natural birth is our birth into sin; whereas, the second birth is our birth in Christ and birth into new life. Several things amaze me about the birth of Esau: 1. Because he is first, he is associated with birth in Adam; 2. His name is Esau, but the nation called after his name is Edom. Both Adam and Edom come from the same variant meaning red, red having to do with the earth from which Adam was formed; 3. The Bible says that Esau was red and hairy all over; 4. Esau is described as carnal or worldly in that he sells his birth rite for a bowl of red stew. The birth rite was extremely important in God’s eyes. His decision to do that proved that he had no regard for God’s purposes. Esau’s only desire was to serve himself.

Romans 9:10-13

10 And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; 11 for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, 12 it was said to her, “THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.” 13 Just as it is written, “JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.”

We see in these verses the difference between Jacob and Esau. Even from their birth one is seen as righteous and the other as unrighteous. One is seen as worldly and the other as spiritual. I mentioned previously that in our second birth, we are already sanctified and made holy by faith, but that our condition is inferior to our position. We can see this same truth in Jacob’s life in that while he is born the second birth and promised that he would receive the blessing, behavior that reflects the old man starts in the womb with trying to take it his own way and in his own strength. This New Testament passage is a good reminder of the Biblical concept of the old man vs the new man.

1 Corinthians 15:45-47

45 So also it is written, “The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. 47 The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven.

The fact that Jacob’s deception started in the womb is also a spiritual type of the sinful nature and that is a very important concept regarding the power of sin. In our first birth, we are dominated by the sinful nature. But in our new birth, the relationship between the sinful nature and the new man in Christ is severed, and the new man receives a down payment of the Spirit of God and becomes a partaker of the divine nature (Gal 2:20; Rom 6:4; 2 Pet 1:3-4; Rom 7:1-4 if you have questions about these verses ask at the next Bible study and we can discuss)

Jacob’s nature is deceptive and his practices will continue that way until he yields to the will of God and allows God to change him, and this is the same story for any believer. They can be saved, but still ignore the voice of God and stunt their spiritual growth.

While Jacob’s fleshly moves start in the womb, they continue throughout his life. He takes advantage of Esau and buys the birth rite for a bowl of stew while Esau is in a weakened state. It’s true that Esau despised his birth rite, but should a true child of God take advantage of a person when they are in a weakened state? God had given Jacob a promise. When God gives us promises, we can stand on those promises by faith. We do not have to take matters into our own hands and attempt to make things happen in the flesh. God wants us to be still and know that He is God.

Jacob faced another test that many Christians also face when it comes to trusting God while in the waiting room of the promise. His own mother Rebekah planned a scheme to deceive Isaac when he was old to help Jacob steal the double portion blessing from Esau. Isaac had asked Esau to go hunting and kill game, so that a savory stew could be made for him, and after it was done, Isaac would release the double portion blessing over Esau’s life. Once Esau left to go on the hunt, Rebekah made a stew and a sleeve out of fur [because Esau was hairy] and no sooner was Esau out of the door when Rebekah and Jacob made their move. They told Isaac that Jacob was Esau and deceived Isaac into giving Jacob Esau’s blessing.

There is an important spiritual truth that must be learned— when we resist the chastening of the Lord and rebel against His correction, we will only slow the progression of God’s will for our lives. It is not God’s business to give us what we want, when we want it and how we want it. Instead, it is God’s will that we be conformed into His image. It is God’s will that our old man be renewed in the spirit of his mind, and this means that our old man must be crucified, our new man resurrected and the new man begin to operate with the new mind of Christ. This is the progression of sanctification, and this requires that the believer yield to the will of God and allow God to deal with his life and change his mindsets. This process cannot be done without a proper understanding of the word of God.

Jacob’s deceptive tactics resulted in some hard years of life. God allowed him to be tricked and put him in a predicament where he was stuck for a total of 21 years. God was with him and blessed him the whole time, but he had no choice but to stay still and wait on the Lord. God knows how to orchestrate the perfect scenario to prepare us for the change. Maybe, as you read, you think, “Lord, I don’t want you to have to put me in a place of time out. I want to surrender to you now. I want to yield my will to your will and allow you to have your way with me; but Lord, I also have this loved one: a spouse, a child, a friend that I’m believing you for. Lord would you please intervene in both my life and their life?”

That is what we are to do— humbly and submissively surrender to God’s will and humbly plead with Him for the souls and lives of the people that we love. As we trust Him, He will move in our situations and circumstances. Let it be known that it’s likely not to transpire the way we expect or want, because the entire time that the Lord is working on the person or circumstance that we are praying about, He is also working on the Jacob in us that He wants to remove, so He can change our name to Israel.

Jacob fell in love with Laban’s daughter Rachel. She was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen. He made a deal with his future father in law and agreed to serve him for 7 years by taking care of his herds in exchange for marrying Rachel. Laban agreed and allowed the ceremony to proceed. The deception came on the wedding night. Laban slipped Leah, Rachel’s older sister, into the marriage bed and deceived Jacob into consummating the marriage with Leah instead of Rachel. When the morning came and Jacob realized he had been deceived, he was angry. Laban’s response was that it wasn’t their custom to let the younger daughter get married before the older. Then he offered to Jacob another deal and said, “If you will serve me another 7 years, I will give you Rachel also as a wife. In the end, Jacob had to serve Laban a total of 21 years. He served him 7 for the original deal that he was deceived into, another 7 years for Rachel the wife that he wanted and a final 7 years for the herds that he was able to keep for himself when his departure time finally came.

This is not the time or the place to address this biblical truth, but it’s impossible not to consider the life of Leah and how this must have affected her. Knowing that she was not really loved and that she wasn’t really wanted. But I wonder also if that isn’t how the Lord feels with many people in the church. It seems like sometimes people go to church and pretend to serve Him as long as they get what they want, but when the message hits too close to home, or the Spirit of conviction starts to deal with the hard things in their lives that they don’t want to give up or give in, then they deafen their ears to the voice of the Lord and continue their Jacobean ways. But that is another message for another time.

Finally, after 21 years of serving Laban, God allows Jacob to be released. It is on this journey that God gets Jacob alone and changes his name to Israel. This is a perfect type of the New Testament truth where God desires that our nature be changed. The word name in the scriptures refers to a person’s character. When God changes someone’s name in the Bible, it shows us that He’s making a point that the person was changed at that moment. He changed Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, Jacob to Israel, Saul to Paul. There are others, but you get the point. The name change reflects a nature change.

On this journey, Rachel stole and hid her father’s idols and brought them with her as they departed from Laban’s house. Imagine this scene. Jacob with his two wives, all their children, servants, and all this herd of goats traveling towards the destiny that God has planned for the beginning of a nation that will be called Israel, a nation that He promised to Jacob’s grandfather years in advance, and a nation that He promised He would bless the world through, in that, one day through this nation, He would give the world Messiah, whom we know as Jesus.

And here this girl steals her daddy’s false gods. When Laban finds out, he and a search party set out behind them to track them down. To make matters worse, at some point Jacob hears that his brother Esau is somewhere up ahead in the distance of the journey. Fear begins to strike his heart. The whole scenario is being set up by God. God’s intent is to get Jacob alone. And once He has him alone, he plans to deal with Jacob and finally break him to the point of submission.

The Bible literally describes that Jacob wrestled with God. Some places use the word angel, but the word angel is often translated into English from the Hebrew word Elohim, which is sometimes used to describe God and sometimes used to describe other supernatural beings. The way to see it is that God is Elohim in that He is supernatural. There are other Elohim meaning other supernatural created beings, but there is only one Elohim named Yahweh and that is God the Father. In this story, I believe what we see here is that Jacob encounters a Christophany. He experiences the pre incarnate Jesus and has a wrestling match with God.

One last point to be made is this. During the wrestling match, the scripture says that God could not prevail against Jacob, so He touched him in his hip and this caused Jacob to limp for the rest of his life. It took me several years to understand the spiritual significance of how or why God would not be able to prevail in a wrestling match with a man. Then one day, the Lord gave me revelation—He gave us freewill, and He will not transgress the freewill of man. When man refuses to yield his freewill and humble himself towards God’s will, the wrestling match continues and God does not prevail in the life of the believer, but as soon as the believer yields and with the voice of surrender says, “Nevertheless, not my will, but your will be done!” The name is changed from Jacob to Israel and true sanctification can begin its progression in the life of the believer.

The following are a compilation of various scriptures that, in my opinion, help to teach the thought of sanctification:

Ezekiel 36:25-27

25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

Romans 8:29

For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;

Conformed- fashioned like unto

Romans 12:2

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Renewed mind

Matthew 16:24-25

24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

Praise Him!

Praise and worship:

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.

Yada- praise, make confession 2, thanksgiving, cast out 1, shoot 1, thankful. physically, to throw (a stone, an arrow) at or away; to revere or worship (with extended hands);

hillûl; (in the sense of rejoicing); a celebration of thanksgiving for harvest: — merry, praise. AV (2) - make merry, rejoicing, praise, glory, boast, foolish 3, fools 2, commended 2, rage 2, celebrate 1, give 1, marriage 1, renowned 1; stultify- cause (someone) to appear foolish or absurd:

to shine (fig. of God's favor)

When you start to dissect the words praise and worship, you realize that one thing you find is that praise is connected to sound; it can be vocal or instrumental. One of the words used is laud which means to use verbal or written expression to give respect. Praise is connected to sound;

Psalms 150

Let Everything Praise the LORD

1 Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! 2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! 3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! 4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! 5 Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! 6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!

Praise connected to sound; whereas, worship has a physical or positional component. Various words connected to worship can be related to bowing, kneeling, lifting hands low or high in the air, laying prostrate on the ground. The word positional or postural would be a good word to use. Before we started the study, Niya was in there, and we were talking to her about some of this and she remembered coming away from a study that she did on worship with the thought that worship was all about the position or posture of the heart.

Lily made a comment that she did some study once and came away with the idea that there is an invitation going out from God to man and that praise initiates the response and praise will ultimately lead to worship. Think about that. The God of glory is inviting man to know Him and live for Him and belong to Him. When a man recognizes that truth, he will laud or praise God, and once a human begins to praise him, the position of his heart will slowly move to a posture of worship: I reverence you God, I recognize your authority, your holiness, the truth of your word, and I realize that I have transgressed your ways. I lower myself in your presence. Forgive me and give me strength to live for you. For you are worthy to have your word obeyed.

And then Brennan brought up a great scripture to cap things off:

Romans 12:1-2 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. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Romans 12:1-2

A Living Sacrifice

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

The name of praise

Genesis 29:35 And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing.

Genesis 49:8. Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee.

Niya and Bill the first time the English word worship was used was in the book of Genesis:

God asks Abraham to worship, offer Isaac as sacrifice

Genesis 22:5-6 5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.

Whole Burnt offering

Genesis 8:20-22. 20 And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. 22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

In these passages what we realize is that worship isn’t about us. The focal point of worship is all about God and in order for true worship to take place the opposite of self must occur. In order for true worship to take place, like the burnt offering, self must die, so that God can be exalted, so self help teaching and psychology that tries to better the old man has no place in the house of God. Worship is all about God, and our heart’s posture towards Him. It’s about giving Him glory, lauding Him, reverencing and honoring Him, and when His creation does that, His word says that He will inhabit those praises:

Psalms 22:3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

Inhabit- to dwell somewhere, to sit down and remain in a place

It seems clear to me that God showed us the true fulfillment of whole burnt offering worship when, as a father, like Abraham, God offered His Son Jesus to die on the cross? Jesus, the fulfillment of the whole burnt offering. Jesus where something died before it could ever really live according the real purpose. (I sanctify myself, so that they can be Sanctified. Sanctify them in your word. Your word is truth)

So in one sense, worship has nothing to do with what it sounds like in that it’s really about the position of the heart that is approaching God. A simple hymn sung by a person that can’t really stay in tune could, if sung from a prostrated heart, bring tears to a hardened criminal’s eyes and bring a breakthrough to the heart, nothing to do with the person except a willingness to stultify everything to do with the person, a vessel that contains God’s glory releasing His glory right there where they are, so that God’s glory will fill the earth.

So it’s not how well it sounds, it’s how low it bows. Is the position of the heart humble, broken, thankful, loving and kind towards God as that heart sings and gives its praise? On the other hand everything that we do for God is supposed to be the best that we have to offer. The best lamb, the first fruits. If all we have is a turtle dove, then we give Him the best turtle dove that we have. If we have a ram, we give him the best one, but that doesn’t make sense. If I give him my best and strongest male ram of the flock, it’s going to weaken the gene pool of my herd. You don’t understand your God yet. It’s an act of faith. Worship is about Him. It’s about believing Him, thanking Him, acknowledging Him in everything we do and everywhere we go. And He says that if we do that He will be with us. Well, I tried preacher, and I didn’t get it yet— get what? The thing I was looking to get. Well, maybe you didn’t do it long enough. Keep believing, keep trusting! Abraham believed God and never saw the promise. It wasn’t about Abraham. It was about the promised seed. It’s not about us. It’s about the promised seed.

When you study the word of God, you have to keep in mind what you learned before. God’s word makes more sense when we keep it connected and study it that way. It is living, chronological and He desires to reveal Himself, His plan and what’s going on now to us through His word. Therefore, we must pay close attention to what He is saying.

God’s purpose for man was that he was created to be the image of His glory, wherever man would go, he would carry with him the image/ glory of the Lord…But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD. Numbers 14:21. The earth was created as a place for man to bear the image of His glory and to spread that glory over all the earth. Before the fall, to make the whole earth like Eden, a place where God’s presence dwelled all over His creation, in and through His creation man. Imagine this the thought that the whole earth filled with the glory of the Lord as every man, woman and child is like a harmonic, walking symphony of praise, glory and worship to the Lord…But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.

But then the fall, an act of rebellion incited by evil entities, evil enemies that hate God and desire to steal His glory and receive honor and glory for themselves through some form of forced obedience towards sinful worship.

The definition of glory in the Old Testament is honor, dignity or reverence

Dignity- nobility or elevation of character; worthiness

• elevated rank, office, station, etc.

• A sign or token of respect

Reverence- a gesture indicative of deep respect; an obeisance, bow, or curtsy.

• the state of being revered, or treated with respect tinged with awe.

God loves cleanliness, clean living, obedience, praise, worship, faith, then it stands to reason that the forces of evil would want man to do the opposite…

They would want man to believe and to do the opposite. Instead of believing God and His word and honoring His holiness with obedience and thankfulness through righteous living defined by God’s word, evil would entice man to do the opposite.

Then, instead of man being found in God’s image and bringing God’s glory into the earth, they would instead entice man to become corrupt, wicked, obey their commands, and worship them through sin. Now, instead of a worship or bowing down through a willing submission, you have a slavery form of reverence that is driven by an unholy fear instead of a godly fear.

As man takes this behavior, obedience to sin and corruption of God’s word with him around the world; he (man) now bears the image of evil, and the image of evil has now been and is being spread across the earth. And so if we view this thought from one of the points that I made last week—sanctification- set apart to God, made holy. Now, at least in my eyes, sanctification takes on a whole other level. Instead of filling myself w certain words from music that has spirits connected to it, I fill myself w praise and worship. Instead of binging Netflix, I spend time in my prayer closet.

Looking from this angle, evil trying to cause man to bear their image, makes the rebellion of Babel take on a whole new layer, the rebellion during the times of the judges, each individual rebellion, especially of leaders that caused God’s people to rebel. The repeated rebellion of the Judges, rebellion that results in bondage, the rebellion of Solomon that splits the kingdom and ushers in idolatry and sin and wickedness, finding its climax in Ahab and that wicked woman Jezebel who seduces God’s people and steals their hearts away from Him.

Acts vs Revelation

Acts 2:11 we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God

…But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD

VS.

Revelation 13:15 He had power to make the image of the beast speak and cause all those that will not worship the image of the beast to be killed V 18 Here is wisdom let him that has understanding know the number of the beast is a number of a man— they worship the image of the beast 666 he entices them that man be exalted— Islam at the prison

This earth belongs to God. God said that His glory would fill the earth. Satan wants to steal God’s glory, receive God’s worship and attempt to take over this earth. He wants to turn God’s people into slaves, so that they cannot worship and serve God. Now, it makes sense when I remember God’s words:

Exodus 6:1-8

1 Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. 2 And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: 3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. 4 And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. 5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant. 6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: 7 And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.

Exodus 15:11-12. 11 “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? 12 You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them.

Psalms 149. 1 Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints. 2 Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. 3 Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. 4 For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation. 5 Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. 6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand; 7 To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; 8 To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; 9 To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.

Armor 1

The Ephesian’s text says that we’re in a wrestling match. The second letter to the Corinthians tells us that we’re in a war. The effectiveness of Satan’s strategy hinges on lies and deception. If people gain access to the word of God, grab hold of it and believe, Satan’s grapple holds are broken and his aerial assault in the spirit realm loses its power. But, If he can get people, especially God’s people, to believe his lies, he gains a foothold and penetrates the fortress that God promises in His word. God does say in His word-does He not? He is our refuge, our strong tower, our ever present help in our time of need! Is God a man that He should lie? No! Let God be true and every man a liar is what His word says.

Satan plans to take the victory. His tactics are unrelenting and without a handle on God’s word there is no hope of victory. The Apostle Paul warns in the second letter to the Thessalonians that the last days would see a great falling away, an apostasia. It hasn’t  been fulfilled yet, but the trailer to the movie is projected weekly in Sunday sermons through the release of diluted messages at best and a scripture painted psychology at worst. Prayer to God has been exchanged for plans of man and the word of truth for a message of  motivation.

Jeremiah warned Israel “An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their [own] direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?

• He is asking His people- what will you do when my longsuffering runs out and the end of mercy arrives, when it’s exposed and so many realize they believed a lie and loved it. And someone from the back screams, “Preacher, we know that’s OT stuff give us NT

• And he screams again, “But that’s talking about the world and the preacher softly responds, “No, that’s talking about those that didn’t believe the truth and took pleasure in unrighteousness.

2 Thessalonians 2:10-12. 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Then we see Paul’s warning to the church take place before our eyes as people with itching ears are depart from the faith and surrender themselves under teachers with seared consciences that speak doctrines of devils. It’s so bad that it’s not a fracture in the armor, but there is no armor. God’s people are mercilessly thrown onto the battlefield naked every time they leave a church unprepared and without armor, sent into battle without the hope of truth.

Every element of this armor is forged in truth, because every element of this armor describes Jesus. For He is the belt of truth. He is the righteousness of God. He is the preparation of peace. He is the helmet of salvation. He is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. This is who He is, and the word of God says that I’m clothed in Him. Now, the only question is this, “Will I believe God’s word or Satan’s lies?”

Ephesians 6:14-15. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;…15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of  peace.

Stand- to make firm, establish a person or a thing, to sustain the authority or force of anything.

• Jesus Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Wrestling w/ spiritual entities that want to destroy souls, families, this church, the people we work with. The forces of evil are not happy! No, they are hungry for Christian blood!

Paul said in Romans 5:2 that you can stand because you have access to grace:

Romans 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

• But you have to be willing to submit and resist JAS 4:7

Grace from God is forgiveness, but it’s also power from the Holy Spirit. It’s the kind of power that makes weak knees strong, sin sick hearts clean, and worried minds filled with songs of joy!

So…14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth…

Obviously, the opposite of truth are lies. Can words even describe the importance of God’s truth in a world bathed in Satanic lies? We are being assaulted from every angle by the lies of the world.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

• Imaginations-Reasoning hostile to the Christian faith.

The things that half of America is so upset about are not accidental. This is a plan to bring an ever worsening curse on the earth and allow sin to gain more dominance, because Satan and the fallen angels love filth. The dirtier it is, the happier they are. If the dove of the Spirit loves a clean bird bath, the raven of the air want a rotten, maggot filled carcass that leaches out into the water sinful infection and disease.

But what will combat the lies. What is the compass to keep us straight in the midst of this sin sickened world? God has given it to us. It is His Truth.

Put on your belt of truth soldier and let’s get going!

We’ve talked about the importance of the literal belt at the level of the loins and how it is associated with travel. Like a long flowing garment, lies will trip you up on your journey. You can’t run for Jesus if you’re swimming in a swamp of lies. Jesus said:

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

God’s life is connected to God’s truth! Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. God gave us this whole book right here and this book reflects the truth that is Jesus, and if someone doesn’t  know it, they can’t live it; the name Christian can call itself believer and can find people to agree, but Christian w/out truth is being lied to, stolen from, and is about to be given a kill shot from the enemy.

John 17:16-19

16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

Let’s slow down for a second

…Sanctify them through thy truth— to sanctify means to separate and make holy. Separate from what? The world. Make holy how? Pull you out of darkness and into His marvelous light. Translate you from the kingdom of darkness and bring you into the kingdom of His dear Son. There is a lifeguard over here and he’s waving his arms and he’s screaming, “Hey, take this life preserver. Grab it, so I can pull you out of this swamp of lies that you’re swimming in.

…thy word is truth—people are sitting in churches because they are looking for something to fill their empty spots. As they sit there being fed a diet of watered down milk, God’s people anemic. The word of God does for the downtrodden what iron does for anemia. Peter said that repentance brings refreshing God’s word sanctifies, it separates, it makes   Holy because it convicts of sin and it cleanses from unrighteousness!

• Acts 3:19 a cooling, refreshing, recovery of breath, revival

• Anemia means you don’t have RBC’S, no RBC’S, no HGB, no HGB, can’t carry O2, no O2, no Energy. Christian with a diluted gospel, doesn’t know sin, doesn’t know sin, doesn’t know to repent, doesn’t know to repent, no refreshing

I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth—what does He mean? Is He saying that He wasn’t sanctified? No, He’s saying that He’s going to go to the cross in order to transition to His glorification. As the man of truth, He will die and resurrect in all power and glory. He will ascend and now be separated from common men. He will ascend and the Holy Spirit will descend. And Jesus, the lion of the tribe of Judah will sit at the right hand of the Father and make intercession for us. He will tell me and other preachers that will listen [to be a Noah- a preacher of righteousness in a sin-sickened world] tell them my truth son. They need my truth and He will tell you receive my truth daughter, my son. And those that won’t listen to Him. Most won’t because the cornerstone that God used as a foundation for everything that He’s building is the rock of stumbling, and a rock of offense because it’s God’s truth and it convicts of sin and no one wants to be convicted of sin, well, find another one then, because I’m going to preach it the way He wrote it, because that’s what He told me to do.

Psalms 119:9-11. BETH 9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. 10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. 11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Psalms 119:105-107 NUN 105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. 106 I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments. 107 I am afflicted very much:  quicken me, O LORD, according unto thy word.

• afflicted- weakened, brow beaten

• Quicken- restore to life. His word will give you life

You are on a journey in a land of lies. You will not make it to your intended destination without His truth.

The belt of truth secures righteousness in its right place.

…and having on the breastplate of righteousness;…

It is supposed to be right here protecting your vital organs. Physically: this is called the mediastinum. It contains your heart, all the great vessels branching off of your heart (aorta, superior vena cava, inferior vena cava), your bronchial tubes. You take a shot with a hollow point that penetrates your mediastinum and you’re done w out a miracle.

The enemy is looking for a kill shot and he’s aiming straight for your heart. It’s your vital organ. It’s the place of fellowship between you and God.

1 Peter 3:15. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

The heart is the place that belongs to Jesus and the enemy wants to steal it from the Lord. He wants to fill that spot with unrighteousness. Jesus does not want to live in unrighteousness. He is loving, He is kind, He is longsuffering, but He does not like living in a pig pen, and He won’t stay there forever.

Let’s talk about this righteousness:

Psalms 110:4 The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

Hebrews 7:1-3. 1 For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; 2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; 3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

Romans 3:21-25. 21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

Romans 5:17. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

So, Jesus is God’s righteousness and Jesus gave His righteousness to you as a gift by dying on the cross and paying the penalty for your sin, and when you put your faith in Him and His sacrifice, God the Father, clothed you in Jesus’ righteousness. Now, you have some righteousness. You have a breastplate of righteousness. What are you going to do with this gift of a breastplate of righteousness that has been given to you?

Revelation 19:7-8 KJV. 7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

Revelation 19:7-8 NASB. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” 8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints..”

There is a righteousness given to the saint as a gift from Jesus when He died on the cross and there is the righteous life lived by the saints through grace from the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 5:25-27. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.

I’m pretty sure that the word is clear that God is expecting us to live our lives righteously, empowered by the Holy Spirit!

Let’s talk about peace: w/out truth, no righteousness, w/out righteousness, no peace

…15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

ὑποδέω Shod- to bind under one's feet; to underbind. Like most Greek words, this word is a compound word. The prefix is the preposition [hupo], interestingly, literally under.

Unshod vs a shod horse— Wild horses will wear their hooves down gradually as they move from place to place over hard, arid terrain. However, domesticated horses work harder and will often wear down their hooves more quickly than they would out in the wild. Horseshoes shod the underneath and add durability and strength. The point to the illustration was to emphasize underneath.

A foot that’s shod with the gospel of peace means that there is peace guarding His walk. There is peace between the believer and the fallen earth. The believer is supposed to be walking on peace.

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

A person can’t have peace in their walk or in their life until they have peace with God, and that’s what this scripture is talking about. The unbeliever is not at peace with God.

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.

James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

Man, that seems hard. Really, it’s not near as bad as a lot of scripture, but don’t you think that’s the type of scripture that a seeker sensitive Pastor would avoid. I mean there is a whole Bible that you can preach from Pastor Matt why did you have to settle on that one, because enmity means hostility and hostility is an antonym of peace. Romans 5:1 is talking about peace with God. When a man or woman is justified [made righteous] in the eyes of God through faith in Jesus’ sacrifice, they’ve been made right with God and now they have peace with God, and once you have peace with God, you can have peace in your life, peace in your walk with God:

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians, Ephesians, 2 Corinthians, and 2 Peter start their letters by saying, Grace and peace to you, because where there is grace, there is peace. No wonder there are so many believers lacking peace in their lives. The world is filled and God’s people won’t read the word that tells them—friendship with the world is hostility with God.

Bitterness

Bitterness is a word that is used frequently throughout the scriptures. Sometimes in scripture the words: wormwood or gall are used interchangeably for the word bitter. Mostly, bitterness evokes the idea of a spiritually poisonous problem that targets the heart. Various circumstances can initiate bitterness. Loss of life, loss of finances, friends or family turning on a person or mistreatment by someone you care about.

Any place where humans congregate is subject to an invasion of bitterness. People in churches, Pastors, workers, bosses, Teachers, students, anyone at anytime is susceptible to the seed of bitterness entering in and growing from a seed to a root, and from a root to fruit, but this fruit isn’t sweet, of course it’s not, it’s bitter and poisonous.

I remember learning in Nursing school about bitter taste buds and how they’re most important because they warn of the possibility of poison. No one likes the stimulation of bitter taste buds. Fruit created by God is sweet, it brings nutrition and life, whether it grows on a tree or flows from a heart, fruit from God brings life, but bitterness is a poison from Satan. It’s one of the tools in his belt that he uses to bring widespread destruction.

Bitter- grieved him 1, provoked, easily angered or irritated

Bitterness is usually the result of some form of provocation, meaning something provoked, poked, stimulated the origination or beginning of bitterness. Sometimes it’s legitimate we are hurt by someone or some thing and it affects us. Sometimes, it’s an attack on the mind, and it’s not even what it appears to be either way, the main point is that something provoked it and Satan used it to begin his work of slowly making the heart and life of a person bitter.

Hebrews 12:14,15— a warning to believer’s to look diligently.

14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled

Trouble- the malfunction of something such as a machine or a part of the body. disturbance or annoyance. Do you remember how a while back we talked about the symbol of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove? The Holy Spirit is sweet and likes a calm and restful environment. He is not comfortable in commotion, chaos and mess. A spirit that is full of bitterness, is a spirit that is full of chaos and a place that the Spirit of God is not really comfortable making that place a habitat.

Defiled- dye with another color, stain with sin— The Lord reasoned w you turned your scarlet sin white as snow. Your crimson He replaced with white wool, and then you allowed a root of bitterness to come in and dye your garment a different color other than white

Job 10:1 bitterness is often the companion of discontentment. Job, certainly was not happy w his circumstances. He realized in the end that God is always up to something good

“My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.”

Job 23:8-12 8 Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: 9 On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: 10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. 11 My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined. 12 Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

Exodus 15:23-25 And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. 24 And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? 25 And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,

The testing: I wonder if it’s true that God is looking for a place where people’s hearts are broken and contrite, He’s looking for a place where He can pour out His Spirit and touch with fire from His finger to set it ablaze, I wonder if God would test a place like that before He just pours it out. Maybe give that person or church, maybe even a church like this a little taste of it first, then back up a little and observe how people respond to His manifest presence. How do they respect Him and His presence?

Talking about the test

The word Marah means bitter. The immediate reaction of trying to ingest bitterness is murmuring. Undoubtedly, this is a test. God certainly knew that the waters would be bitter when they got there, but He led them there anyway, surely He had a purpose… He obviously wanted to see how they would respond. They responded by murmuring. God had a plan in place beforehand because He had a tree in place to throw into the waters, making the bitter waters sweet. Obviously, the tree represents the cross, but don’t gloss over this so quickly:

1. Every trial in life provides an opportunity for applying the cross to situational or self death vs allowing bitterness to remain, which will result in murmuring, which will make God more angry. How does one apply the cross? The cross is always about death to self, death to flesh, death to the old ways of response. It’s likely that God wants to deal with murmuring crew of people in this story so He leads them to the bitter waters, so He leads them there. This isn’t speculation. This is Bible truth:

Deuteronomy 8:2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

Ruth 1:20 The plan of Satan is that bitterness will ultimately result in blaming God.

Wait, hold on a second you made these decisions to leave the house of bread to begin with. You chose to leave the protection of God in the time of famine, choosing to create your own path in the journey. And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.

Bitter parties are drawn to each other like magnets

Genesis 28:9 her name means sickness and that’s what holding onto bitterness is like, marrying sickness. Two bitter parties joining forces. It’s amazing how bitter parties will find each other.

Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.

Circumstances

Exodus 1:13-14 the source of bitterness sometimes can be our circumstances. Jobs, finances, car troubles, but the underlying problems will usually be connected in some way with humans or our own choices that we made. If we don’t like our job, we can pray and God can change the atmosphere, or we can become bitter and negatively affect the atmosphere. We don’t have to stay there if we don’t like it. We can find another job, if we feel like the place we are is not good for us. It’s the same with church…we can pray and God can change things according to His will. That’s the issue when people pray about their job or their church and it doesn’t become what they expected or what they wanted when they wanted, is it possible that’s because that wasn’t God’s will, instead, they were trying to pray their will, but I really don’t like it. Okay, well, we have choices. We can stay and pray and let God change it and us, or we can pray and leave: find another job or church, or I guess we could stay, get bitter, and complain and make others around us bitter.

13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: 14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh— Ezekiel 36:26

Proverbs 4:23 Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.

Exodus 12:7-8 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. 8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

But consider the importance of verses 7 and 8 regarding the eating of the bitter herbs and the fact that the meal was to be eaten every year, and every year, they were to eat the bitter herbs as a remembrance of how God delivered them from the bitter situation.

Genesis 27:34 Esau cried out in desperation, but was it out of repentance and genuine concern  where he was recognizing his wrong for despising the things of God, or was it because he lost his blessing, something that was personal to him? Is this not how it will be for the countless millions of embittered hearts that had shunned the heart of God and chose to live for themselves and in the end when the rewards are passed out and judgment of condemnation is placed on the eternity of the lost, that they will cry from that moment forward, with bitterness over losing their salvation and eternal reward?

And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.

2 Kings 4:38-41 When people grab things that are outside of God’s will and they bring these things into their lives and consume them.

This man tasted the death that was in the pot and cried out, “we have to stop. Put meal in the pot, put God’s will in the pot, put the cross in the pot, put stopping the sin in the pot. Bitter taste buds are like the conviction of the Holy Spirit, they warn us something isn’t right, but repeated rejection of the Holy Spirit’s conviction will result in a seared conscience and the next thing you know we will be eating bitter herbs and loving it. We will get to the place where gossip and slander and seeing people hurt tastes good to us.

38 And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets. 39 And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew them not. 40 So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof. 41 But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot.

Psalms 69:20-21 Imagine the sorrow of separation. We can apply this to our own lives, in that at times, God seems silent. Sometimes it’s sin, sometimes it’s a test, but if we will seek Him, we have the promise that we will find Him—(Draw near me and I will draw near you.).

One of the things that we need to understand about Jesus is the fact that He suffered many things and in multiple ways to purchase the grace that we would need in order to be able to walk in victory over sin, but also over the pains caused by the fallen world. How many times have people hurt you? How many times have you felt like you were being selfless and sacrificial to help other people and their response was that they could not care a red cent how their decisions would affect you? Here Jesus is dying for the sins of the whole world: religion mocked Him, the world scoffed at Him, His disciples fell asleep and then forsook Him, for a moment, my sin caused the Father to look away from Him. He peers through His periphery, through swollen eyes and says: reproach, scorn-they see me as worthless and despicable, it has broken my heart…

20 Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none. 21 They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. With the rejection that the very people He came to save, Satan is trying to make Him drink the cup of bitterness.

Matthew 27:34

They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. The scriptures says that He would not drink that cup when they wanted Him to. He was too busy thinking about the cup that was handed to Him by His Father the night before. He said, “Not my will but your will be done.” But I don’t want to love them Lord. They talked bad about me, they hate me, they despitefully used me. “Drink the cup of sacrifice my son, my daughter, I promise that if you will learn this truth—die to self, trust me, release your life into my hands and watch me do a miracle.”

The remedy: humility

John 3:19-21 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

It must be brought to the light. Roots like to live in the dark under the surface. If you want a root of bitterness to die, bring it out in the open.

1 Peter 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

This is the message of the cross in action

The Rock

Through the years, I have repeatedly read the scriptures that refer to God and ultimately Jesus as a rock. Every time, I get a visual in my mind of a scene that I likely saw on television where violent waves are crashing onto a rocky shore, more specifically, there is one really large rock further into the surf that juts higher than the rest and appears to bear the brunt of the most violent crashing waves. With all the force of nature, those waves, seemingly so angry and strong, relentlessly beat against that rock with all of their fury. Amazingly, the rock never moves, it just stands there, almost proudly, with its chest out, it takes the pummeling and says, “I was made for this. My strength was meant to take your onslaught. I am rock, and I endure the storms of life, through the loudest of winds, the most violent of waves, I will stand here, day after day, year, after year. I will be here when your grandson gets old, and when his grandson gets old”

Jesus wants to take the pounding of the violence of life for us. He wants to bear the brunt of the enemies attack against our lives:

As I remind you of some of these scriptures, I think that you will be able to see Jesus as a rock in all of this…

Jesus and the Apostles warned of turmoil and peace

John 16:33.   When the hour is come, she is in anguish, but when it’s done, she’s full of joy

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Matthew 11:28-29.  Ship was ladened w cargo

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

1 Peter 5:7 Anxieties. casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

1 Peter 5:8.  Satan is like that wave, never stopping, relentlessly trying to pound you Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

1 Peter 5:9. firm and unwavering. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. Grab hold of the strength of that rock and resist your adversary Christian

1 Peter 5:10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. • become or make calmer or quieter:

The Psalmist and the rock Psalms 18:1-2

1 “I love You, O LORD, my strength.” 2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shelter from danger My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Psalms 18:46-47 46 The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock; And exalted be the God of my salvation, 47 The God who executes vengeance for me, And subdues peoples under me. He is my defense against those that rise up against me. You don’t have to get your own vengeance. You can rest assured that God will take care of you! Can you believe that, or will you have to take care of it yourself tomorrow?

Psalms 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer. Greatest value-must’ve had gold or diamonds in that rock…purchase price—souls of all mankind

Psalms 28:1-2 1 To You, O LORD, I call; My rock, do not be deaf to me Please hear me Lord. I need you- can you hear the desperation? He won’t be silent. You think He is sometimes, because He seems not to answer what you want. That’s because that’s not His job. His job isn’t to answer what you want. His job is to answer what He wants, so just as a captain on a ship in a Spanish Armada would have gripped the helm and pulled the rudder against its will in the raging sea to right the course, so is the hand of God pulling us towards His will, so that He can use our vessel for His glory.

For if You are silent to me, I will become like those who go down to the pit. 2 Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You for help, When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.

Psalms 61:1-4 1 Hear my cry, O God; Give heed to my prayer. 2 From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 3 For You have been a refuge for me, A tower of strength against the enemy. 4 Let me dwell in Your tent forever;

Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. This is what the people of God do. They run to Him, they look to Him, and they hide in Him. And if you sit in the audience and in your heart and mind you say. You can run and hide if that’s what you want to do preacher, but I’m going to stand on my own two legs and bear this wave. You silly little earthling. You are going to be pulled out to sea is what is going to happen. Satan is going to cause you to make a decision that is going to move you in the wrong direction, and it’s going to change the course of the destiny of God’s will for your life.

Selah.

Psalms 62:5-7 5 My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken [KJV MOVED] 7 On God my salvation and my glory rest; The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.

Ps 46:10 Be still and know that I am God

Psalms 105:41-43 With the same rod that bloodied the Nile, God opened the rock in the wilderness, a rock that gushed forth water. Both judgment and cleansing, both judgment and provision. Are you thirsty tonight? What are you thirsty for? Maybe you’re trying to drink the wrong thing. Jesus said, those that hunger and thirst after righteousness shall be filled…. 41 He opened the rock and water flowed out; It ran in the dry places like a river. 42 For He remembered His holy word With Abraham His servant; 43 And He brought forth His people with joy, His chosen ones with a joyful shout.

Psalms 40:2-3 2 He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay I was sinking, and He put me on a firm foundation And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear And will trust in the LORD.

Luke 6:48-49 Luke 6:47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:

48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

Back to the rock in the wilderness.

1 Corinthians 10:4. and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. The rock followed them in the wilderness preacher? Come on man give me a break, you know better than that. You take it up with the Holy Spirit and the Apostle Paul, the word of God says that an anointed rock followed them in the wilderness and He will follow you also if you let Him, better yet, He and the Father will live in you, sup w you, lead you, guide you, empower you, bless you! Hallelujah let Him have His way with you.

Exodus 17:6-7 Jesus is the Christ and the rod is judgment. God judged Jesus on the cross, so that living water could be given to you.

6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 He named the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us, or not?”

Numbers 20:8-11 you don’t keep crucifying Him though. He died once for all. Now, you believe it. Now, you declare it. Speak to that mountain, speak to that infirmity, speak to that demon or demonic situation, that stronghold

But Moses got irritated w the people and he struck it again.

The Water of Meribah

8 “Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak [declare] to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation9 and their beasts drink.” 9 So Moses took the rod from before the LORD, just as He had commanded him; 10 and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, “Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank.

Romans 9:33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

1 Peter 2:6-9 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. 7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. 9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

The very rock upon which God builds His church and defeats the gates of Hell is the same rock that people are stumbling over and getting offended by.

Houma Bible Study Notes: Salvation History #2

Last week we traveled through the Old  Testament starting with creation. God’s purpose for creation was to give man a place to dwell, and He gave him dominion over the creation, but Adam’s disobedience through the fall allowed Satan to usurp Adam’s rightful authority. Immediately after the fall, God began the process of restoring man to his intended position. God performed the first sacrifice when He made skins for them.

After the fall, matters only worsened. The fallen angels became aware that God planned to destroy their power through the seed of the woman. Their counter strike was that they intermarried with the daughters of men and produced a hybrid race of giants that the Bible calls the Nephilim. It is my belief and the belief of the ancient Jews that the spirits of the disembodied Nephilim are the demon spirits that attempt to draw us away from God today.

If the fall was an individual rebellion of the first family against God, the Tower of Babel was the first corporate rebellion. The plans of Babel live on today. Whether we realize it or not, the world that we live on is blanketed with a Satanic plan of darkness (1 JN 5:19) that is speeding towards an attempt to topple God’s authority on earth. While most people would say that they don’t believe that can happen (I don’t either), but most of these same people are oblivious to the fact that it’s even occurring.

It was with the character Abraham where we concluded our journey. Specifically, we discussed the Genesis 22 narrative that is so reminiscent of the story of Jesus’ life that it’s hard to believe that it’s accidental.

Abraham, the father of a supernatural son, supernatural in the sense that Abraham was 99 and Sarah was 90. Interestingly, the Genesis 22 narrative also describes Isaac as being a willing sacrifice, who carried wood up a hill. We correlated the Similarities between the Genesis passage, and John chapter 3, where the word of God says that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. We compared that to the Genesis 22 narrative where God told Abraham to take his son his only son, and to offer him as a sacrifice on the mountain that he would be shown. And after the class it was noted by one of the participants that mount Moriah (where Abraham was instructed to offer Isaac) is considered by many to be the very same mountain upon which Jesus was crucified.

Tonight, Abraham has a large influence on our discussion again. Let’s reconsider the thought of justification by faith. There are 3 words that must be considered when discussing this topic: 1) the word itself— justification, 2) faith,  and 3) righteousness.

It is important to note that justification and righteousness are very similar in their meaning; however, there is a slight variation. The word righteousness describes the believer’s right standing with God, which is a gift given to Him by Jesus through His work on the cross. Justification describes God’s agreement that the believer is now justified. The catalyst that caused this transaction was the believer’s willingness to believe by faith in the plan of God, which I will explain is Jesus Christ and Him crucified and can also be labeled as the seed and the sacrifice.

Here is an illustration that may be helpful: Jesus paid for the sins of the whole world. God has given every human being a measure of faith (Romans 12:3) and a freewill. That means that man can choose to believe God’s word, or he doesn’t have to, it’s completely up to him. Salvation is paid for, it’s like money in an ATM machine, but in order to enjoy the benefits, a person has to drive and enter the pin. Faith is the pin that accesses the account of righteousness.

God went through great lengths and thousands of years of human history to bring us to the place where he released Jesus to the world. He created a nation out of one man named Abraham, and that through that one man he gave the nation of Israel to the world. Ultimately, through Israel, the Messiah, the Christ, the anointed one, whose name was Jesus, was born into the world of a virgin and and whose Father is God.

The scripture says that Jesus is the righteousness of God (Romans 3:27). One of the main points that I want  to get across tonight describes the object of our faith. This thought is important especially since faith is somewhat of an abstract thought. The simplified version is that God’s plan for salvation is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. When the believer hears the gospel (good news) and accepts it by faith, a spiritual miracle takes place on the inside of his heart, and he becomes born again. Jesus said, unless a man is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God, nor can he enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:3).

In the discussion that Jesus had with Nicodemus, the Pharisee, he explained that a man must be born both of water and of the spirit (JN 3:5), to enter the kingdom of God. Then he repeats what he is saying, and says that a man must be born in the flesh, but also in the spirit (JN 3:5).

Many people believe that this is speaking of water baptism when he uses the word water in the first verse that we just discussed; however, there is an obvious comparison taking place between verses 5 and 6. In verse 6, the word flesh is clearly speaking of natural birth; whereas, the word spirit is clearly speaking of spiritual birth. If we work backwards, into verse 5, there is no question that Spirit relates to spirit, after all, it’s the exact same word being used in both verses. But what about the word water? What does the word water here mean? Most people automatically jump to the thought of water baptism and the reason they do that is because they view the scriptures from the mindset that water baptism and conversion work together in the New Covenant, but Christian baptism was not even in existence yet when Jesus made this statement. Yes, there were forms of baptism, or shall we call them ceremonial cleansing, but John the Baptist’s baptism was not the same as Christian baptism.

The word water in verse 5 is not referring to water baptism, rather, it is referring to natural birth. A baby is situated in amniotic fluid, and while, they didn’t call it that, they were certainly aware that when a baby was born, the water gushed out with the baby.

The first birth in Adam, is a natural birth in the flesh and the baby comes out in water. The second birth in Christ is a spiritual birth where the believer is baptized first by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13) into Jesus, where they become one with Him in His body, and water baptism is the outward expression of that inner truth. Then there is the baptism of the Spirit (MT 3:11).

There are 3 specific forms of baptism recorded in scripture:

1. Baptism into Christ—the Spirit baptizes the believer into Christ

2. Baptism in water a—believer or pastor baptizes another believer into water

3. Baptism of the Spirit—Jesus baptizes the believer into the Spirit

When discussing the object of faith, I like to use the terminology the seed and the sacrifice to describe what ultimately finds it’s fulfillment in Jesus Christ and Him crucified. What we need to understand is that God has been giving promises, regarding the plan of salvation,  ever since the fall took place in the garden. Last week we discussed the fact that scholars and commentators describe the proclamation that was spoken in Genesis, chapter 3, as the Proto- evangelium. We discussed the fact that that was the first time that the gospel was preached, and if that be the case, then God was the first one to preach the gospel.

When He preached the gospel, God preached to the serpent that it would be the seed of the woman that would crush the (the serpent’s/his) head. In addition, during the process the heel of the seed of the woman would be crushed. The idea would be that in the crushing of the serpent’s head, his (the serpent’s) authority was destroyed, but during that process, the seed of the woman was injured. certainly, we can state that Jesus was injured even to the point of death on the cross, however, he did not lose his authority by dying on the cross, instead he gained the fulfillment of his authority in his active obedience towards the Father’s will. At the same time, through this crushing, the serpent’s authority was destroyed.

The seed and the sacrifice, is the unfolding of God’s salvation plan that becomes more clear as the pages of His word are turned.

The seed

The idea of the seed describes the offspring that God promised through the ages. For thousands of years, He used the mouths of His prophets to repeatedly foretell the coming of Messiah [Hebrew for anointed one]. This part of the teaching will only briefly hit specific points in Israel’s history that pointed to the promised one.

Seed of the woman

The first promise was foretold in the garden after the fall, God said, And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel—Genesis 3:15 [KJV]

Seed of Abraham

The next stop on the journey is with Abraham, so before Israel was even a nation, the seed was promised through Eve and now through Abraham. There are multiple places where God speaks about the promised seed of Abraham, but Genesis 22:18 says it well, “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”      

Abraham had a son named Isaac, Isaac had a son named Jacob, Jacob’s name was changed to Israel. Israel had 12 sons and these 12 sons became the 12 tribes of Israel. We will call him Jacob for now, because that was his name when he married Laban’s two daughters Leah and Rachel. Judah was Jacob and Leah’s fourth son. You will soon read Jacob’s prophecy over his son Judah when he was an old man and about to die, but it’s important to understand that Judah was the kingly tribe of Israel:

Seed of Judah

The sceptre shall not depart from Judah,

nor a lawgiver from between his feet,

until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be Genesis 49:10 [KJV]

Scepter= a king’s staff

Lawgiver= a governor, or one set in place

Until Shiloh come= Shiloh 1; he whose it is, that which belongs to him_ Strong’s Hebrew dictionary

In other words, the king’s staff [scepter]will go through the Judah seed and it will rest in the hands of the one who it belongs to.

Seed of David

2 Samuel 7:12-13 12 When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 *He shall build a house for My name, and I will *establish the throne of his kingdom [forever]

The seed of the woman, Abraham, Judah and David is the Word that became flesh

The final stage in God’s plan of bringing the promised seed to earth is found in the gospel of John:

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The sacrifice

A sacrifice for the first sinners [a couple]

The first sacrifice is alluded to in Genesis after the fall. First, the bruising of His [the seed of the women’s] heel from the head of the serpent is a direct reference to the injury of the cross. Furthermore, Genesis 3:21

The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them; it is likely that most people would skip over this passage and never consider the fact that this is referring to a sacrificial offering performed by God to cover the sin of Adam and Eve as humanity awaits the arrival of the Lamb of God. However, when this scripture is compared to (Genesis 1:29), other options become limited. Before the fall, men did not eat animals, they were herbivores. Unless God spoke the skins into existence, the first animal death occurred to provide the skins that were needed to cover sin.

As we move forward in the scriptures, the portrait of forgiveness slowly develops. God’s plan of forgiveness starts and finishes with the innocent dying for the guilty. Adam and Eve transgressed God, not this innocent animal from which these skins were acquired.

A sacrifice for a family

The next sacrificial offering in the progression is found in the book of Exodus: Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers’ households, a lamb for each household Exodus 12:3.

From a couple to a family, the range of forgiveness broadens. The story of the Passover lamb is very powerful. God’s people had been Egyptian slaves for 400 years and He was ready to deliver them from bondage. Ultimately, the Lord instructed them to take the blood from the lamb and paint it on the door posts and side posts of their houses; then they were instructed to go inside and eat the roasted lamb; as they stayed inside and ate, the death angel passed through and judged Egypt [the world]; whereas, God’s people remained safe.

What a powerful picture of salvation through Jesus! We were born slaves to sin and in bondage to the world like God’s people in Egypt, but through faith in Jesus and His death on the cross, His blood is applied to our hearts. One day judgment will come upon the world, but for those who have accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ, their sin was judged on Him!

A sacrifice for a nation

There is a special day on the Jewish calendar known as the Day of Atonement. This feast is described in Leviticus 16: With his finger he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it seven times and cleanse it, from the impurities of the sons of Israel consecrate it NASB Leviticus 16:19.

God instructs that the High Priest must sprinkle blood on top of the mercy seat once per year to provide a covering of the sin for the entirety of the nation. Leviticus 16:24…and come forth and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make atonement for himself and for the people NASB.

The previous types find their fulfillment in the declaration of John the Baptist on the banks of the Jordan river: John 1:29 The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is the day that the darkened world engulfed by sin had been waiting for.

Jesus is the righteousness of God (Romans 3:27), He was the sinless lamb, sent in human form from heaven to earth to pay the penalty for sinful man. He died and paid the sin debt (Romans 6:23). He had no sin; therefore, death had no right over Him and He rose in victory over death, Hell, and the grave (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). Now, when the gospel is preached, and a sinner believes in this truth by faith, they are saved (Ephesians 1:13). Upon believing, they are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13), they are given the gift of righteousness (Romans 5:17). They are given the gift of Jesus’ righteousness, in God’s mind, they are now clothed with His righteousness (Galatians 3:27).

There are two more thoughts, at least for the purpose of these notes:

1. Access to grace through justification by faith

2. Abraham’s meeting in the King’s valley

Justification by faith provides us access into grace, and it is our connection to Grace that gives us the power that we need in order to be able to stand in the face of adversity and continue to live our lives for the Lord throughout this journey (Romans 5:1,2)

Jesus’ righteousness was offered on the cross to God to pay for our guilt. When we heard that truth and believed it by faith, His righteousness was given to us based on our faith in God’s truth. Now, clothed in His righteousness, the Father sees us in Christ! He no longer sees our guilt, He sees the blood of Jesus! Now, we’re in right standing, and God agrees, so His declaration [verdict] is “Justified” in other words, God agrees and says that we are righteous.

Now, that we are justified, Romans 5:2 explains that we have access into grace in which we stand. Grace has multiple applications, but for brevity let’s keep it to [2] concepts: 1) forgiving or saving grace and 2)  standing or power grace.

Grace- A divine influence on the heart and it’s reflection in the life_ Strong’s Greek dictionary

Close with a story the King’s valley:

Abraham believed the word of God and left his father’s home. Like a pilgrim he began the unknown journey of faith looking for the destination that God promised would be his. He looked for a land where he could settle, a place where God would provide the promise of making Him a great nation, a place where his promised seed would provide a blessing for the entirety of the world.

His nephew Lot joined him on the journey. Along the way, the hand of God’s blessing was upon Abraham and Lot. God’s hand of blessing will always be on the child of God who keeps faith in the Lord and obeys the will of God as he/she continues their spiritual journey. Abraham and Lot were herdsmen and their flocks became so abundant that it became hard for them to find enough grass to feed their herds and this caused contention and strife between the two different crews.

Abraham recognizing that it wasn’t godly for them to quarrel, said to Lot, “we are a brothers, let’s not do it this way. You take whatever direction you want and it will be yours and I will take the opposite and we will go our separate ways.”

The scripture says that Lot looked on the plain of Jordan and saw that it was well watered. He chose that part for himself and Abraham went another direction.

There is an extremely powerful spiritual truth found in this part of the story. Walking in the Spirit is not the same as making decisions based on human intellect or wisdom. Abraham was making his decisions based upon the promises of God. Faith brought him on this journey and it would be faith and faith alone that would get him to the destination. It should be understood that Abraham made many fleshly decisions, but thank God that in God’s mercy, Abraham made it to the destination and more importantly, God is a covenant keeping God.

Unfortunately, Lot did not make his decision based on faith. His eyes saw the land and it made sense. He was a herdsman and the plain was well watered, but his decision put his tent facing Sodom.

As the years passed, he moved closer towards the city of Sodom, until one day, we read that he is conducting business at the gates and he has moved his family into the city. We must be vigilant child of God. The enemy will set many traps of bait and attempt to slowly pull us back into the world.

The result is that Lot gets caught up in the mess of the world. Five kings descend on the city of Sodom and others and take hostages. Lot is caught in the skirmish and is now taken captive. What a powerful spiritual truth is found in this aspect of the story. The enemy sets a baited trap that looks pleasant to the eyes, but is not God’s will for the life. Lot, a type of the believer, makes a decision that pulls him into the world, and now, he’s caught up and made a slave of sin. How many well intentioned believers have lost their freedom from compromise with the world.

Abraham hears that Lot was taken, and with an army of 318 servants, defeats the kings and releases the captives. I went backwards in the narrative to bring you to this amazing spot in the scripture that I have found through the years of study. I would call this the king’s valley.

In chapter 14, we are told that name of the king of Sodom is Bera. After the battle, Abraham is in a place called the king’s dale in the KJV and the king’s valley in other translations. While Abraham is in the valley, Bera, king of Sodom goes to meet him. Bera makes an offer The king of Sodom said to Abram, “21 Give the people to me and take the goods for yourself.” Genesis 14:21

He wants the souls or people to make slaves for himself, this was a common practice in these days. He is trying to exchange material possessions for the souls of men. This should sound very familiar to our ears, in that Satan is constantly offering material possessions, success and worldly pleasures in exchange for the souls of men.

22 Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have sworn to the LORD God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I will not take a thread or a sandal thong or anything that is yours, for fear you would say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ Genesis 14:22-23

There is another king that meets Abraham in the king’s valley his name is Melchizedek. He is only mentioned 3 places in the Bible, but his name and purpose to the plan of God are extremely important. What’s amazing to me is what he offers Abraham and then Abraham’s response: 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. Genesis 14:18.

Then Melchizedek…blessed him and said,

“Blessed be Abram of God Most High,

Possessor of heaven and earth; Genesis 14:19

And Abraham, V20… gave him a tenth of all. Genesis 14:20

So let’s recap what just happened before we dig deeper. Abraham went to save his family from being a captive. During the process many were saved. One of the kings, Bera of Sodom, offers him material possessions as a trade for the souls of men and the other king, Melchizedek of Salem brings bread and wine [communion] and then speaks a blessing over Abraham’s life. Abraham’s response for the communion and the blessing is that he gives him a tithe of the possessions, which is a tenth. This is the first tithe ever recorded in the Bible.

The amount of New Testament truth contained in this story so far is amazing! How powerful that God would allow this story in Abraham’s life to be played out in reality 2,000 years in advance and it is so similar to our new life in Christ. We were captives in bondage to the world. God sent Jesus to save us. He sent Jesus as an offering of communion. Communion is a compound word by the way— Common-union. Those who are part of the body of Christ through faith in His sacrifice have a common- union. The bread and wine that represent His sinless life and sacrificial death on the cross represent and remind us that God saved us. We pay tithes, not to a church, not to a man, but to God. Our willingness to be obedient to His word is one powerful way that we can worship God. When we do, we acknowledge God’s ownership over our lives.

Now, let’s dig a little deeper. Consider the names and reigns of these kings. Bera reigns over Sodom, a city famous for the vilest of sin. His name in the Hebrew language literally means, son of evil.

Melchizedek reigns over Salem. Salem was the name of ancient Jerusalem. The name Jerusalem means peace. Melchizedek is also a compound word. Melch means king and zedek means righteousness. Melchizedek is king over peace and he is the king of righteousness.

Abraham, the father of the faith found himself in a valley in the midst of the battles of life. He was forced with a choice. Would he choose to serve the king of evil or would he serve the king of righteousness and peace? Every human will have to enter the king’s valley, and in that place, they will not leave until they have made a choice and decide who they will serve.

A Raging River in my Soul

Psalm 23

A raging river in my soul

I often think about the lives of Bible characters and then remember messages that I have preached. These thoughts intersect with thoughts that I think about people that I know today.

Maybe you only think about a couple people, but I think about most of the people in the church pretty regularly. I consider the things that I know about each person’s life. I consider where they’ve been and where they are. I consider the trials and circumstances and the battles that they may face.

What happened to Tamar after Amnon threw her out and locked the door?

What could have Absalom done differently that would have prevented his anger and bitterness that resulted in his tragic death?

What made the little girl from Israel stay hopeful even after she was taken captive and forced to served in Naaman’s house? How was she not full of sorrow and heartache over losing her parents and able to witness about God’s power and help Naaman the leper get healed?

What would have happened to Peter after the denial had Jesus not helped him?

Did Paul just conveniently forget Stephen’s stoning?  Or was there a time, not mentioned in scripture where his heart was overwhelmed with sorrow for the things that he had done in the past?

Surely, he allowed God to heal his heart and turn his failures into victories instead of letting the devil use them in his life to make him want to quit.

He must have allowed the Holy Spirit to enter in to those deep places of his soul and bring healing? Or do you think that he just buried those thoughts somewhere deep in his heart, in one of those compartments in his soul— you know throw it in a room of the mind, close the door, lock it and forget about it?

I don’t know. The Bible doesn’t speak on that. Sometimes the Bible is either silent or synoptic on things and we can only wonder.

But we do know that in the world there are tribulations: the word means to be pressed. Life is full of trials that cause pressure and pressure that we just try to pretend isn’t there is not really being dealt with properly. These hidden problems can be quiet and peaceful one moment and suddenly swell into raging river the next.

Hurts and pains can occur anytime along the life span. We can be hurt as a child by our parents. Some people have had harsh childhoods. They grow up in an environment where there was either some type of abuse or neglect: verbal, physical, sexual… or maybe it’s not that, maybe it’s just neglect. Sometimes you can just feel like someone doesn’t love you or care much about you and that they are rejecting you and it can be painful. So what do we do about that? What are we supposed to do about that?

I know you people are pretty seasoned in the word. Maybe someone will watch on video and say, “Well, I’m over here waiting to hear preacher, what must I do?” You must, I must, the people in this room must learn how to allow God to heal them.

“Nah, I’m good preacher. I’m a man and now you’re talking about girl stuff. Feelings and all that kind of stuff.” Well, maybe you think right now that you don’t need healing from hurt that has been caused to you, but is it possible that someone else needs healing from hurt that has been caused by you?”

In one of the recent messages I preached, I mentioned that the veil is torn and access has been granted. In His presence there is fullness of joy and where the presence of the Lord is there is free-dom. Would we enter in and let Him minister to these places of hurt in our hearts.

Have we let Him into the deep places of our hearts? To turn on the light, to search the heart to try the reins, not looking for sin alone, but looking for sick spots, disease, infections of the heart, poisonous plants or roots of bitterness that have been placed by other people, or will we let Him reveal the hurts that we have caused others?

No, I like locking it away in a compartment and hiding it. That works for me. No, it really doesn’t because many times this is the weight that besets you. Many times this is the weight that breaks in on you and messes up you race.

Hebrews 12:1

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,

Weight- a bulky mass, a hindrance, an encumbrance.

I have to be honest, as we move further into the plan of God, I’m realizing that this church isn’t going to be for everyone. This church is for people who want to know what God is really saying to the churches, a church for people who are willing to let Him start with them and from there use them to start on someone else, but don’t be deceived, once He starts, He will never stop because He wants to deal with both the sins and the weights that are trying to beset you. Satan, through sins and weights is trying to wall you off in the race [illustration].

I’m over here running...

But there are weights, burdens and I don’t even realize it but they’re getting in the way. They change the way I treat other people. I’ve been hurt, so I hurt. Oh man you’re talking Psychology. No, I’m talking Psuchology.

The pains that we suppress and refuse to give to God can affect our spirit man? They can cause a heaviness or cause one to become broken, which results in us not handling our business right towards others.

Sometimes we’re the one that caused the pain, but we’re so busy thinking about how we’ve been wronged that we’ve moved past what we did to others and we’re  ready for our blessing from God, but He’s got me stuck in a spot and I can’t move. Why can’t I move from here? Why does it seem like I’m stagnant in my walk? Why do I not grow? Maybe He wants to deal with these things in our heart. The issues of the heart. The weights and the sins we caused others or that have been caused towards us. He wants to heal us.

It doesn’t matter whether you use the word soul, heart or mind it doesn’t matter— all these words speak about a certain layer in the inner person that we really don’t know much about. The word has some things to say about it:

1 Thessalonians 5:23

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God wants the entirety of our person to be separated from the world and to be made holy unto Him. We know that this is an ongoing process. We understand that this is an ongoing work of the Holy Spirit. We understand that the Holy Spirit works through the work of the cross and like a surgeon He’s cutting away flesh and planting seeds of fruit that will result in a new harvest of hope that will result in joy for you, your family and others around you.

If you were already wholly sanctified, if your soul was already where it needed to be then He wouldn’t warn you:

Romans 12:2 (a)

And be not conformed to this world…

He wouldn’t tell you that there was work to be done in  your mind if it was already completely fixed. I had a conversation with a man of God recently who made the point but the mind is nous and the soul Psuche. Yes, I know that but the mind, nous is a smaller part of a larger compartment called the Psuche or the soul, which is the mind, the will and the emotions. The mind is a smaller part of a larger compartment, but in a sense it’s really the control center of the soul, which is who you are as a person.

In the life of the believer, the Holy Spirit is supposed to be the dominant controlling force in our lives and under that our mind, which influences the soul is supposed to be subject to the Spirit of God and help the Spirit render our soul in its proper order. Once it’s under the domination of the Spirit, then the other two parts of the soul can be in order: the will and the emotions.

Romans 12:2 (b)

…but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

God doesn’t want us hiding the weights and pains from the past in a deep compartment in our soul. He doesn’t want us:

• “drugging” it away,

• drinking it away,

• taking pills it away,

• going to therapy it away.

• He wants us to bring it to Him.

• He wants us to let Him in so He can speak to us, have His way with us and do a deep work in our hearts.