I Once Was Lost But Now I'm Found

2 Corinthians 11:23-28 NASB

23 Are they servants of Christ?—I speak as if insane—I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. 24 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. 26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; 27 I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.

What would cause a man to leave his life that was planned out for him? Things were going well. He had a career. He had a future and while everything seemed to be going great, an encounter!

Acts 9:1-9 NASB

CHAPTER 9

The Conversion of Saul

1 Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, 2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; 4 and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, 6 but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.” 7 The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. 9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Persecute- to make to run or flee, put to flight, drive away

But I thought the scripture said:

“that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem”

In the mind of God, when His people are persecuted, He is persecuted. Jesus took personally what Saul of Tarsus was doing to His people.

John 14:23 KJV

Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.—HOW?

John 14:16-17

16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

Jesus made a way of intimate relationship with His people who will be part of His eternal kingdom:

Hebrews 10:7 NASB

“THEN I SAID, ‘BEHOLD, I HAVE COME

(IN THE SCROLL OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF ME)

TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.’”

Hebrews 10:9-10

9 then He said, “BEHOLD, I HAVE COME TO DO YOUR WILL.” He takes away the first in order to establish the second. 10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Through the offering of His body as a sacrifice, He has prepared a way that the Holy Spirit can come to indwell in us. Jesus and the Father have come into us to make their abode with us. Once we are born again, we have become one with God. We become those of the way and when someone persecutes us, they are persecuting Jesus.

I would talk to you momentarily about the way. I remembered two things this morning about my childhood that made me think about this concept and I would like to use them as an illustration.

1. The “Thinker”

2. The “Way”

The way

John 14:3-4 KJV

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

John 14:5 KJV

Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?

John 14:6 KJV

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Paul

And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

I asked the question earlier…what would cause a person to forsake their former life? I mean, it’s one thing when your life is like mine, in shambles, and He traded me beauty for ashes, but what about people like Paul that seemingly have some things going for them in this life? All I know is that he was confronted with the Christ and in another spot he says that he was apprehended:

Philippians 3:8-15

8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

Apprehend- to seize something or take possession of it.

Some of you don’t even realize it but a spiritual seizure has taken place in your life. You don’t belong to yourself anymore. You’re still trying to live like the old person you were before, but the reality is that you’re just wrestling with God. You belong to Him now. He purchased you with His blood and you are His possession. You have been seized and apprehended. You can keep fighting it and you will find yourself like me one day crying out to God and saying that you’re sorry for wasting His time.

I can only imagine the Apostle Paul in that man’s house on a street called Straight. He is blind, he is fasting, he had an encounter, and while he doesn’t completely realize it yet, he has been apprehended by a spiritual force that will forever and radically change his life to where his prayer for our lives is that we will realize if there are things in us that will prevent us from pressing towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of Jesus Christ. After all, Jesus came to do the will of the Father for us and offer His body as a sacrifice, so that we could have intimacy with Him.

Have you ever felt like this, “My decisions have put me far away from you Lord. How do I get back to you?

Ephesians 2:13

But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Thank you for the blood, can you say that—thank you for the blood? Can you say, “there were times I was so far away that I could no longer feel your presence, but you didn’t leave me there. Thank you Jesus! Thank you for the blood that drew me near— I KNOW IT WAS THE BLOOD.

Run Like a Roe

2 Samuel 2:18-23

18 And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe. 19 And Asahel pursued after Abner; and in going he turned not to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner. 20 Then Abner looked behind him, and said, Art thou Asahel? And he answered, I am. 21 And Abner said to him, Turn thee aside to thy right hand or to thy left, and lay thee hold on one of the young men, and take thee his armour. But Asahel would not turn aside from following of him. 22 And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn thee aside from following me: wherefore should I smite thee to the ground? how then should I hold up my face to Joab thy brother? 23 Howbeit he refused to turn aside: wherefore Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him under the fifth rib, that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there, and died in the same place: and it came to pass, that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still.

This message focuses on Asahel who was David’s nephew, the son of his sister Zeruiah. He was one of David’s mighty men and one of the captains of his army. The scripture tells us that David’s mighty men didn’t start that way. In 1 Samuel 22:1-2 they were described as people that were in distress, discontented, and in debt.

The mention of Asahel starts once Saul dies. [Saul is the struggle w/ self]. Asahel was swift as a roe. The conflict of the story is that, now, it’s time for David to reign as king, but Abner, who was Saul’s general, refuses to allow God’s will to be done and makes Saul’s son Ishbosheth King over Gilead.

What stood out to me was the fact that Asahel’s actions said, “No! today is the day that the right king will reign. David is my king, and I will give my life making sure that he will sit on the throne.

How long you think this sprint may have lasted … I don’t know/ what/ do you think 5 minutes, maybe 7 minutes of a top speed run? As Abner is looking behind him and asking are you Asahel and warning him. Maybe a little longer with the adrenaline of the battlefield surging, but you get the point—it’s a snippet of time.

But what I see in this, is the Christian journey of a person’s walk with God. The race for God:

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,

5th rib/apex— heart poured out on the battlefield.

The first thing I see is that early on in the run, Asahel had an opportunity to go get some armor, but he refused. I am admittedly taking some liberty with the text, but I like Asahel,  and I wish he would have lived. I wish that he could have been a captain in David’s army and fought further battles. I wish that he would have stopped to get that armor and lived another day, but that wasn’t God’s plan for his life. God’s plan for his life was that he would pour out his heart on the battlefield.

For you and I though, we need to make sure that we clothe ourselves in the armor of God as we engage in warfare with our enemy. We have to understand that we are fighting a spiritual, not a physical fight and the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God (2 Corinthians 10:4):

Don’t let vain imaginations get in your way as you fight this fight. What is a vain imagination? It could be many things, but at its core it’s a lie from Satan.

• Lies that say that you’re not really changed

• You’re children won’t serve the Lord

• You will die from that disease

• Your marriage won’t make it

• You can’t win this battle

Casting down vain imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself above the knowledge of God

Your weapons aren’t carnal/ worldly! They’re spiritual. Pick up that shield of faith, pick up that sword of the Spirit and stand on the truth of the word of God. Quit building your house on shifting sand. That’s all this world has to offer is shifting sand. Build your house on the rock that is Jesus.

Yeah, I wish Asahel would have picked up some armor and lived. I would have liked to have heard more stories about his leadership in battle, but that wasn’t God’s will for his life. But I will say this, “Both physically and spiritually, I want to die like Asahel. He died on the battlefield. Not only that but he died with his heart literally poured out.

Let’s take note of some of the thoughts about his pursuit:

1. He had one purpose— put the right king on the throne. What could the body of Christ do for the Lord if all His people made that the purpose of their heart. “Start with me Lord! I put you on the throne of my heart. I want you and you alone to reign in me, and now Lord fill up my brothers and sisters with your Spirit and a knowledge of your truth that they could live for you.” Teach me Lord to learn how to truly prefer my brother and sister more than myself. It’s your will for me to love them like you loved me. Let it be more than just lip service. Teach me how to have the same mind in me that was in you (Phil 2:5)

2. The scripture says that he didn’t turn to the right or the left. I counted at least 13 times that the Bible talked about staying the straight path and not turning to the left or the right.

We’ve learned how to—trust in His finished work, but what about reverence? The fear of God, the aww of God, by the grace of God not turning to the right or left and running the straight course?

Hebrews 12:12-14

Proverbs 4:26-27

26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. 27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

Asahel didn’t just walk a straight path he ran it full blast to preserve God’s will

3. He wasn’t interested in preserving his own will.

Matthew 20:25-28

25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Everybody wants to be the boss and everybody wants to be seen. Every last one of us at some point and time in this Christian journey will get in the way of God’s will for our lives and the lives of others. Asahel wasn’t worried about his career, he wasn’t concerned about preserving his own life. He was on the battlefield serving his king!

4. Asahel was ready to die for this purpose. The Christian life as we have been discussing is all about dying to self. Simply stated, He died for us and our flesh must die for Him.

An ongoing spiritual tug of war where the Holy Spirit is constantly revealing to us the uncleanness of our hearts. Once you think your sanctified today, you will realize next year that there were other things that you didn’t even realize were there before. If you know that you’re wrong and refuse to humble yourself:

1 Peter 5:5-6

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. 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

One of the hardest things is to humble yourself to God, no really humble yourself. Because it’s one thing to humble yourself to God, but nearly every time I’ve done that, He asks me to humble myself to man. And man doesn’t want to make himself vulnerable to man because it makes him feel weak, but it’s really based in fear and a lack of faith that God isn’t big enough to get you through the situation. “I can’t do that. They will think I was wrong. I will look small in man’s eyes.” This is all a part of dying to self my friend. It’s more than the obvious things. It’s attitudes and mindsets and deep seeded personality flaws, insecurities from our past and we’re trying to preserve and protect self. No, self must die and then Christ can be formed in us:

You can’t have resurrection power if you don’t die with Him. You might have something, but if you’re not dying, it’s not what God is offering:

Philippians 3:10

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

But with all that said, that is spiritual death. The death that we so often talk about. But Asahel died a physical death. He loved not his own life even unto death.

And that is what it will require if you’re ever faced with the real enemy that is trying to take the throne of your King. And you must know that is what he wants and he will not stop until he’s thrown into the pit or we die fighting the good fight of faith:

Revelation 12:11

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Righteousness Has a Name

Hebrews 12:11

Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Many scholars and commentators agree that the gospel of Matthew is the gospel that relates Jesus to us as King. Matthew’s genealogy traces Jesus’ birth through his earthly father Joseph, who was a descendant of King David through the heir to David’s throne— Solomon. In the sermon on the mount, Jesus is addressing the citizens of His Kingdom. He declares to His people that this kingdom is different than the kingdom that they are currently living in.

• Blessed are those who mourn

• Blessed are the meek

Matthew 5:6

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

A couple concepts to think about here:

1. In order to be hungry for something, it has to feel like something is missing. In order to be hungry or thirsty for God’s righteousness, there has to be a revelation that you don’t have it and that it’s something you need. As long as your own righteousness will do, you won’t feel a need for His. The chastening of the Lord will bring a person to their knees in realization that they don’t have what God is looking for, and the Spirit of God places in them the desire to receive it. Without true conversion, this can never happen. It requires the presence of the Spirit of righteousness in the heart of the person contending with them to desire what God desires. The Spirit desires righteousness. The Spirit in the believer desires for righteousness to be present.

2. Once a citizen of the kingdom realizes that that they don’t have what God is looking for and that the chastening of God has had its way in their life and then through that, the goodness of God overtakes them and they taste and see that God is good, realizing the miserable wretch that they were, and now realizing that in spite of the wretchedness of themselves, the goodness of God has revealed itself to them, they are now overwhelmed by God’s love and their heart craves, hungers, even thirsts for what God desires.

3. Your name is like honey on my lips

1 Peter 2:7

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,

He is the head of the corner, which means that He is the starting point of the whole foundation of God’s plan for man’s restoration. The foundation of what He did was a death that resulted in God’s life.

Have you ever watched a person die? Have you ever seen someone have fun while they were doing it?

1 Peter 2:8

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.

People stumble at the word and become offended at the word bringing death shots at their flesh. Their flesh will sit there and come up with every excuse under the sun and attempt to preserve self. I can here someone in the crowd say, “but I thought the word was supposed to bring life?”

I’m glad you brought that up…

John 6:63

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

Instead of getting offended at the word, we should get offended at self.

John

“The truth is, until one becomes offended at themselves, there is no hope.”

“The offense of self! Only that will lead to the death to self!”

Romans 1:16-17

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

The gospel means good news and the gospel of the Christ reveals God’s righteousness to the world.

Romans 3:21-22

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:

God reveals His righteousness through the good news. The good news is that Jesus is the righteousness of God. Not who you are! Not what you do! Not your intellect, your good looks, your money you control… None of that is any good to Him. All that has to die, then and only then can He use us. We don’t even realize it but we spend the majority of our Christian walk trying to build something for God, but God said, (Isaiah 66:2).

John 10:17-18

17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

Luke 23:46

And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

Romans 3:24-26

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; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

It pleased the Father to accept the death of Jesus for the remission of the world’s sins. How do you think it makes the Lord feel when people refuse to see this and hold onto self and offer self righteousness to God and say here Lord take this instead. I wish I could actually preach. I wish I didn’t have to say Cain, because as soon as I do half of you will think, that’s right, get ‘em preacher, because I’m an Able and they’re all Cain’s.

Romans 4:1-2

1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.

Romans 4:3

For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

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.)

Romans 5:20-21

20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

• So what is righteousness? Jesus!

• What does God accept as righteousness for people? Jesus’ sacrifice!

• What is the first step that must take place in order for Jesus’ righteousness to do its work in your life? Your self must die!

• Now that you have been gifted with Jesus’ righteousness, what can reign in your life? Grace!

Finally, now that we got you [us] out of the way, God’s righteousness… Jesus can be revealed in your life and through your life.

Romans 6:16

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

Romans 6:19

I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

Hebrews 12:14

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

The Door's Unlocked, You Can Leave

Matthew 12:22-32, 43-45

6 times in this passage, the word house is either inferred or directly used.

Matthew 12:24, 27

But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.”

Beelzebul— Lord of the house

Matthew 12:25

Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.

Matthew 12:29 x 2

Or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.

Matthew 12:44

Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order.

The scripture that I really want to focus on is:

Matthew 12:29 x 2

Or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.

Through this story, the Lord is telling us that there are two kingdoms that coexist on the earth: the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light. This is verified by Colossians 1:13. But this passage in Matthew not only describes two kingdoms, it describes the strongman’s kingdom as a house that has spoil. I can’t prove it, but this seems to be where John Bunyan, the writer of the classic Christian book Pilgrim’s Progress got the idea of the castle for the giant named Despair.

Christian and his fellow journeyman got off the right path, tried to take a different way and were found to be trespassing. This resulted in them being apprehended and chained to a wall in Giant despair’s castle. This is a similar picture in Matthew 12:29– the strongman’s house is filled with human souls (this is the spoil) that are helplessly and hopelessly chained to a wall in his house.

But Jesus is saying that He came to change all of that. He came to bind the strongman, so that He could release the captives. Jesus came to spoil the evil one’s goods, which are the souls of men, which he took illegally through deception and rebellion. Jesus came from heaven to Earth on a search and rescue mission. Through His death on the cross, He stripped Satan of his power to hold humanity hostage!

This is what Paul explains to us in:

Colossians 2:13-14

Fall, fault, offense

Deviation from truth

13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

Colossians 2:15

And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Again, this is how He bound the strongman in Matt 12

The Lord gave me this message about the house through a dream

In a truck with others. On way to go see someone that needed help. Seemed they had already seen him, but I hadn’t and wanted to Others were outside playing basketball.

I knocked on the side door of the house “A” answers door, seems to be getting ready (towel) she says she’s going somewhere with David, but they don’t have to if it gets in the way. “No,” I say that’s not an issue “you do whatever you’re doing. I just need to see “B”.

Walk into the house through what felt like a kitchen into a living room seems like a sliding door to the left. “B” on the couch, has a goblet of wine. Implication is that he’s not okay. There is friendly wrestling on the couch. He is obviously strong and dominates. Emotion not fearful/cordial.

I hug and tell I love him

Leaving— A/C on floor makeup? “Don’t be naughty”

“I already have been naughty,” “A/C” replies.

Feelings: “House of the weak” people in this house are weak

The Lord showed me that these people weren’t leaving this house. They were trapped in their rebellion. The wine and the naughty comment were things hidden in the lives of those people stuck in that house house— they were trapped. They didn’t have to be but they were.

What I realized was that they weren’t going anywhere. They pretended they were fine. She washed her hair and put on make up and acted like she was going somewhere with David, but they didn’t have the strength to leave, because there was something hidden that kept them bound and gave Satan a legal right to hold them in bondage and whatever it was in their lives, they preferred to hold onto that rather than be freed, so they could leave that house.

The goblet of wine and whatever the “naughty” thing was, it was that that held them captive in that place.

They didn’t know they were bound. Even the people outside playing basketball. It was like everyday normal life. They were all living like this was normal, but they were trapped!

Jesus told the Laodiceans:

Revelation 3:17

Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

That’s why it’s called deception:

The people in the dream were trapped and the Laodiceans thought they were okay.

But who the Son sets free is free indeed, and once you experience freedom, you might not have known that you were in bondage before, but you will know that you are free now.

The love and mercy of God is beyond our understanding, but there will be a day when grace will end, and when grace ends, you don’t want to be stuck in the uncertainty of that house. To be trapped means that you are not free. Jesus did His part when He died and rose from the dead, but did we do our part in true repentance?

I’m not talking about just feeling sorry, but instead heartbroken over our sin against God. It’s not that big of a deal when someone that you don’t care about cheats on you, but God help you if the love of your life cheats on you! And do we think about how God must feel when we lie, cheat, steal or are covetous, maintain our pride and arrogance, when we engage in immorality. How this must make God feel. How heart broken He must be when we treat His word like it’s a common thing, like He might not have really meant it. Or the thought of committing that sin that pleases our flesh daily gets the preeminence over Jesus. Have you repented?

Matthew 15:8 Jesus quotes Isaiah

Isaiah 29:13

Wherefore the Lord said,

Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth,

and with their lips do honour me,

but have removed their heart far from me,

and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

Fear— Philippians 2:12

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Have you made a proper business transaction with God over your sin/trespass—that alternate path you took like Christian? Or did you just kind of throw a half hearted sorry out of the side of your mouth? The days are dark American Christian. It’s time to do business with God!

Revelation 3:18

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

He wants to do business with us. Have we done business with Him? Have we allowed the transaction of Calvary to take place. His part was done…. He died and rose again, have we done our part? Have we become broken hearted over our sin to the point that we’ve truly turned from it in our heart?

Mark 1:15

And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Let me say this Christian, if you have truly laid it at His feet, then He threw it into the sea of forgetfulness as far as the East is from the West. If you have believed the truth. You’re free! You’re free! You’re free!

The Lord reminded me of the story in Ezekiel 8 while I was praying about all of this. How He brought Ezekiel by a lock of His hair and carried him in a vision to the temple and faced him towards the North gate and there was what God called the “image of jealousy”

Exodus 34:14 ESV

For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

James 4:5 AMP

Or do you suppose that the Scripture is speaking to no purpose that says, The Spirit Whom He has caused to dwell in us yearns over us and He yearns for the Spirit [to be welcome] with a jealous love?

The Lord went on to say look what they’re doing with this image of jealousy. They’re trying to make me leave my own house.

It got worse when the Lord showed Ezekiel a hole in the wall and he told him to dig into the hole and then brought him into hidden chambers:

Ezekiel 8:12 NLT

Then the LORD said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the leaders of Israel are doing with their idols in dark rooms? They are saying, ‘The LORD doesn’t see us; he has deserted our land!’”

No, it feels like He doesn’t see because sin offends His presence, and everyone is just going on with life: playing basketball, getting ready for a date, drinking goblets of wine, and the Lord’s heart is broken over the fact that His people refuse to read His word, believe His word and only with the help of His grace obey His word.

While in prayer, when the Lord reminded me of this Ezekiel passage and I imagined these people caught in these rooms bound under the spell of their idols, I remembered the man and the lady stuck in the house in the dream. They weren’t moving forward, they were trapped. I thought of the Matthew 12 passage and how Jesus bound the strongman so He could set the captives free and then at that moment He gave me a vision of Him holding a big ring of prison keys:

Revelation 1:18

I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.

and then He started walking to each room and unlocking the doors and I could hear Him say, “Tell them that they’re free. They can walk out now. I have the keys of death, hell and the grave.

Until You and I are One

Genesis 1:26

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Genesis 1:27

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Image- Hebrew- ṣelem >> from an unused root meaning to shade; a phantom, i.e. (figuratively) illusion, resemblance; hence, a representative figure, especially an idol: — image, vain shew

Words used to describe image in Hebrew:

1. Shade

2. Phantom— shadow

3. Idol

Think about this… God formed man out of the dirt/clay of the earth. He formed and fashioned him with His hands like a craftsman forms and fashions a piece of clay into an image of his liking. No wonder it’s so offensive to God for man to fashion an image with his hands that he worships as God, and no wonder, the antichrist will demand that all mankind will worship an image as though it were God.

God’s purpose of fashioning man with His hand was that man was to be a reflection of His glory, a shadow of His likeness, a representative of His purpose. When we see man walking upright as a bipedal being, we should not imagine that this was God’s intent and purpose regarding image. Rather, the reflection was His character and His glory. Like the late Michael Heiser said, “Man was intended to be an ‘imager’ of God’s glory.” Wherever man went, God’s image, character and glory was reflected on the earth. He would have God’s mind on the matter. He would rule dominion on earth the way that God would rule dominion on earth.

God gave him power to have authority and dominion over the whole earth. It was his duty to rule, reign and subdue. The creation was to be under His dominion and control.

Image- Greek—eikon>> icon- a person or thing regarded as a representative symbol

Ephesians 4:24

And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Before we move too quickly, I would like to talk about the “new man”, but I would also like to talk about the word “created”. Adam was created and formed by the hand of God. The new man that has experienced the new birth has been recreated in Christ— if true conversion has taken place place (Titus 3:5). Regeneration—“re-gened” if you’re not being convicted and changed, don’t be fooled, you’re either not converted or you’re living in rebellion against God, His will and His word!

1 Corinthians 6:17

But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

2 Peter 1:4 partakers koinonos common-union “a sharer” I’m sharing His nature because, in my spirit, I’ve been made one with Him.

2 big problems in the lives of people who call themselves Christians:

1. Rebellion/stubbornness—sins of witchcraft and idolatry (1Samuel 15:23)

2. Doubt and unbelief will cause a person to be uncertain to what the truth is or what the answer for the problem is (James:5-8)

Colossians 1:13-16

13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

If you’ve been converted, you have been delivered and translated. You either believe it, doubt it or are rebelling against it. If you’re rebelling or doubting, don’t be confused why you’re being tossed.

He (creator) lives through you: you are His vessel

Galatians 2:20

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

I don’t know who or what you or other people may think they have living in them, but the word of God says that I have Jesus living in me. I’m possessed by the creator of the universe. He created dominions, principalities and powers, and He lives in me, so those entities surely don’t have power over me. That is His word.

Colossians 3:10

And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

Whatever was lost in Adam was regained in Christ, but more so because Jesus is greater than Adam and Jesus lives in us. The potential of what God can and will do through us is limitless:

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Whatever He wants to get done, we are His answer, we are His vessel as we believe the truth and yield, I said yield and allow the Holy Spirit to have His way. If He needs a dead man raised, I am His man, if He needs a devil cast out, I am His man, a healing, a message preached, I don’t care what it is. If He wants it done, we are the ones!

The problem we have is that our soul man (mind) limits us from believing what God’s word says.

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.

Romans 8:29

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

• To be jointly formed

• Having the same form as another

• Identical or Siamese twins

• I am re-gened

Romans 12:2-3

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.

3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the  measure of faith.

conform to the same pattern (figuratively): — conform to, fashion self according to

Colossians 2:15

And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Colossians 2:16

Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:

Colossians 2:18

Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

Colossians 2:19

And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.

I Bow to Your Will My King

1 Samuel 24:6

And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD's anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.

God has placed certain things in order. Saul was anointed by God originally but David was anointed by God to take his place. Saul was the first king but David was the chosen one. In this sense, Saul represents our first birth in Adam, but David represents the new birth we receive in Jesus. Saul the old man and David the new man in Christ. Important—man has a plan and God has a plan.

However, even once, we receive Christ as our Savior, there is a whole lot of old thinking, old desires, old ways that we have not wanted to let go.

There is an ongoing rivalry between the flesh and the Spirit in the life of the believer that is revealed in the story of these King’s: David and Saul. I will explain in a moment, but I want you to be made aware that Satan will fight harder than anything to prevent you and I from making the journey from Saul to David.

You see as long as Saul remains king in your life, the enemy of God is champion over you. Your life will be filled with defeat and fear. The things that God has prepared for you will not come to pass in your life, because you will be filled with doubt and unbelief. The enemy of your soul will ridicule and antagonize you. Furthermore, there will be people within the church that will help the enemy make you second guess the purposes that God has for your life, because they themselves are operating under a spirit of Saul. You see Saul wants all the credit. Saul is resistant to God’s will because if God has his way, Saul doesn’t get his way, and if God has His way, Saul doesn’t get the glory. Saul represents the old man, and the first man refuses to die.

As soon as David is anointed king, the page of the Bible is turned and we are introduced to the battlefield scene that contains, Saul (the people’s will) for their lives, and David (God’s will) for His people’s lives and Goliath (the enemy of God and His people)

And the story is filled with a battle between good and evil, between flesh and Spirit and even between brother and brother.

Satan wants to paralyze God’s people in fear, so that they can’t walk in victory, Saul wants to remain king, because flesh wants the glory and flesh wants to rule and doesn’t want to die, because flesh wants what it wants even though it will prevent God’s perfect will and even though it will prevent God’s people some how, some way from moving into the things of God.

Romans 8:5

For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

Romans 8:8

So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

But the Spirit says enough is enough!

I know I spent a lot of time on this, but I want you to understand that once you give your life to the Lord, that this is just the beginning. There will be an ongoing battle where your self will will not want to step down and move out of the way, even though this is the obvious will of God.

Romans 8:13

For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

And so even after the fact that God’s anointing of David is proven true in that David kills a giant that Saul couldn’t kill, there is still an ongoing saga where Saul demands to remain king and desires to destroy the choice of the Spirit of God, and this is where we are in this story. The ongoing saga and David running for his life.

But make no mistake, God’s hand is in all of this, because God has a perfect plan, and He has perfect timing. He tests the hearts of His saints. He puts the faith in the fire and tests who will stay true to the will of God and the call of God. He wants to know who His true followers are and who will operate as kings and priests in His kingdom.

Will we endure?

2 Timothy 2:3-4

3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

1 Samuel 24:8

David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, My lord the king. And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed himself.

David humbled himself and reverenced God’s will. People so struggle with this. They get frustrated with where they are in life. They get frustrated with their job situation and don’t endure. They get frustrated with their marriage and don’t endure. They get frustrated with their church and don’t endure.

Next thing you know, they’ve been married 4 times, have had 12 different jobs over the last 3 years and switched churches so many times that they finally gave up and said, “I will just do church at home.”

The whole while, the job wasn’t the problem, the wife wasn’t the problem and the church wasn’t the problem-- hold on a second. I didn’t say that there were no problems with the wife, the job or the church. I said those weren’t THE problem.

The problem is the same problem with all people that no one wants to come to the grips of reality with. The problem is you, the problem is me. The trial you’re facing is not because of the other person, it is because God wants to deal with us. He wants to crucify our flesh. He wants us to die to self, if that Saul dies, David, God’s will can assume the throne ♥️.

What does David do, he bows himself towards God’s will. David says, “God has a will. I don’t understand why I’ve been anointed king and I’m still running for my life, but I’m going to bow down to His will and let God be God.”

2 chapters later David is faced with the same test, but the end result is that he trusts God’s will and timing and puts it into the hands of God:

1 Samuel 26:10

David said furthermore, As the LORD liveth, the LORD shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish.

1 Samuel 24:4

And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the LORD said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily.

Conclusion

1 Samuel 24:5

And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt.

1 Samuel 24:6

And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD's anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.

1. It’s so important that we learn to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and the more that we understand the written word of God, then the better we can discern a word that is spoken to us:

Notice this— these men spoke this as though it were a word of prophecy from the Lord. They try to do it again two chapters later. Thank God someone, like David, is more concerned about God’s will than his own will, because that’s what the flesh wants to hear, “It’s about time Lord. I was wondering when you were going to show up for me and take this thorn out of my flesh.”

1. We have a problem in that so often, we love to hear a prophetic word that tells us what we want to hear and many times those words help our flesh to survive, but God is more worried about us submitting to His will and not our own.

2. Maybe some people here, you would say, “I’m not even sure that I know what a word of prophecy is/ ok… but w/ that said, let’s make it more practical. If you’re not careful, you will listen to the advice of others that will tell you what you want to hear about a situation in your life rather than what the Spirit is saying about the situation.

3. When David cut that corner of the skirt off of Saul, the word says, “David was smote in his heart. That’s the voice you want to hear: not the voice of the prophet— I did not say that you don’t want to hear the voice of prophecy, I said that you don’t want to hear the voice of a prophet and you don’t want to hear the voice of someone who will tell you what you want to hear. Instead, you want to, you have to, it’s the most important thing in your life—to hear the voice of God!

2. While I was praying about God’s will for the message, I heard the Lord say, “A broken and a contrite spirit I will not despise: Psalms 51:17

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

And from there, my prayer was, “Lord, in the flesh, on this earth, we are so worried about ourselves and our own kingdom, but that’s not you. You died on this side, so that we could be part of the real kingdom on the other side. Please let us die to self now, so we can work in your kingdom that you have already established here.”

Because look, He said to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world…” it’s David’s heart, as he bows prostrate to God’s will.

Are you willing to bow prostrate to God’s will this am?

Are you willing to give your heart fully to the Lord?

Prepare to Be Poured

“Fill me up and pour me out. Fill me up and pour me out. Fill me up and pour me out. Fill me up and pour me out.”

Concepts/ thoughts

• Drink offering

• Signs and wonders

• The gospel

• The changed heart

• Pouring out of self

• Looking like Jesus

• Loving like Jesus

• Acting like Jesus

**** the house of God and the people of God

One main thought tonight is how do you view the house of God and the people of God? I wonder sometimes how people view the house of God and the people of God. Do they want to come to the house of God? Do they want to be around the people of God? Do they look forward to these times and opportunities or is it more of a chore, a responsibility and an irritation?

And if it does feel like a chore or irritation is it because something is wrong with the church or the people that are in that particular church? Or does it mean something is wrong with the heart of the individual that is feeling that certain way?

Those are all good questions and maybe in each case, there is some of both, but it seems like the spiritually mature would be able to discern that if they feel a certain way in their hearts towards a brother or sister in the Lord, that they would be able to recognize that Jesus doesn’t feel that way unless the person is causing harm to His body.

It is likely that many people see church activities as a waste of time. For the Old Testament worshipper and the early church believer, their lives were not just built around the things of God, their lives were the things of God. Their lives were their worship and they gave their lives in worship to God.

Specifically, in the sacrifices that were offered to God by the worshipper, they were literally a sacrifice because not only was the animal a sacrifice towards God in that it died a death, but the animal was the worshipper’s property. The main sacrifice that I want to highlight tonight is not a blood sacrifice; instead, it’s the drink offering. The purpose is not based on importance of types of sacrifice; rather, in a sense, while all the sacrifices in some way reflect the Lord, the drink offering in some ways reflects the life of the believer.

Before we attempt to unpack the significance of the drink offering sacrifice and how it could possibly relate to our lives, let’s first look at the vessel that will contain whatever is to be poured out. For the literal drink offering, it was a vessel that could hold a hin of wine, which some measurements say was approximately 1 gallon of liquid, which at least a portion of was poured upon the whole burnt offering.

But in our case tonight, we are the drink offering and we are the vessel.

Again, we will first look at the vessel in question, which is you and I:

Ephesians 2:10 ESV

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Proverbs 25:4 ESV

Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel;

A preparation of the heart to mold it to certain specifications, so it can be utilized by God the way that He wants it to be used.

If the animal sacrifices represent in some ways the livelihood and substance of the worshipper in that it cost them personally something, the drink offering has an added element in that not only was it planted and cultivated and harvested, but it had to be processed in order to produce the final product and then it was poured out upon the altar.

All that work, and then it was suddenly gone in a whiff of vapor. How wasteful this must have seemed to a heart of stone and not of flesh that could not feel the heartbeat of God and was only consumed with his personal interests and wealth. This is probably the way that many people feel about the house of God or spending time with the people of God… this is a waste of time. I could be sleeping, I could be watching a video, I could be doing something else….

But how much more of a shame is it when not just a hin of wine, but a whole LIFE has been wasted!  Can you imagine, that your whole LIFE would be like a “hin of wine” – all the years of your life, spilled out and wasted for what seems like no good purpose?  And yet that is actually the way that most people live their lives!  Boats and trucks, nicer houses and job promotions…

People that live focused on these things might look at someone like the Apostle Paul and say, “Man, you’re a fool for pouring your life out” – but the truth is, ALL HUMANS are pouring THEIR lives out in some way!  Their house note, car note, the time they spend on Google, Snapchat, Instagram, or YouTube. Their days are slipping by; their lives are being poured out.  A “pouring out” is actually inevitable!  ALL our lives are being poured out in one way or another.

So we will either pour our lives out for God and His kingdom, or we will pour our lives out on ourselves, and there are countless people sitting in churches 2 or more times per week that are still pouring their lives out on themselves while thinking that they’re pouring their lives out for God.

Deuteronomy 16:16

“Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God at the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths. They shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed.

Deuteronomy 16:17

Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God that he has given you.

What you had, had been given to you, and it was given back to God in worship. What He asked was obeyed. My focus is on the drink offering, which was a hin of wine, which is approximately a gallon of wine that would be poured out upon the sacrifice of the whole burnt offering:

Exodus 20:24

An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you.

Exodus 29:41

The other lamb you shall offer at twilight, and shall offer with it a grain offering and its drink offering, as in the morning, for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD.

The drink offering was poured out onto the sacrifice and it caused a vapor to rise into the air, and certain of these types of sacrifices were labeled as resulting in a sweet smelling savour unto the lord. Is your life a drink offering, are you being poured out, and are you a sweet smelling savour unto the Lord? When we allow the Holy Spirit to produce Jesus’ life in us, a life of love, true forgiveness and faith, then we become a sweet smelling savor unto the Lord.

Matthew 25:14-30– Parable of the talents

We aren’t going to go there now, but it’s just the thought that God distributed and some gave more in return but one had nothing to give back but what he had already been given. In the world what you pour out or spend is really gone, even if you gained an earthly possession through your purchase, it’s not going to last. Many times even when people give to the kingdom of God, their motivation is more about the scriptures that talk about God giving back to them in return then the thoughts about how it will bless other believers and help lead others to faith in Christ— I have heard people say this before, “When I used to give here, I was blessed. Now, that I give here, I’m no longer blessed.” But would  never consider that the possibility that doing shady things with their money or a wrong heart posture towards money is the real reason that they were going through the financial test that they were facing.

Christian service is not all about money. What about time? What about fellowship? If coming to church is a chore to you, honestly, you need to find a new church, or else you need to find a new heart. If you don’t desire to be in the house of God, with the people of God, something is wrong.

Acts 2:42-47

I don’t want your house and I don’t want your car, but I do want your love and I do want your gift to result in unity and love for the body of Christ and not for it to result in selfishness and division in the body of Christ.

The Fellowship of the Believers

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the  breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Everyone has opinions on their definition of a sign and wonder. The gospel of Jesus changes a person from thinking only about themselves and what they want, to thinking about Jesus, realizing how He lived His life, and in turn, through the Spirit wanting to be like Him, wanting His nature to be produced in them. This is a sign and a wonder, a heart change, a gospel that results in a heart change where people truly love people and want people to experience the life changing power of the gospel, so that Jesus receives His glory and honor.

John 13:34-35 AMP

34 I give you a new commandment: that you should love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too should love one another.

35 By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves].

Matthew 18:21-35

21 Then Peter came up to Him and said, Lord, how many times may my brother sin against me and I forgive him and let it go? [As many as] up to seven times?

22 Jesus answered him, I tell you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven!

23 Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a human king who wished to settle accounts with his attendants.

24 When he began the accounting, one was brought to him who owed him 10,000 talents [probably about $10,000,000],

25 And because he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and his children and everything that he possessed, and payment to be made.

26 So the attendant fell on his knees, begging him, Have patience with me and I will pay you everything.

27 And his master’s heart was moved with compassion, and he released him and forgave him [cancelling] the debt.

28 But that same attendant, as he went out, found one of his fellow attendants who owed him a hundred denarii [about twenty dollars]; and he caught him by the throat and said, Pay what you owe!

29 So his fellow attendant fell down and begged him earnestly, Give me time, and I will pay you all!

30 But he was unwilling, and he went out and had him put in prison till he should pay the debt.

31 When his fellow attendants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and told everything that had taken place to their master.

32 Then his master called him and said to him, You contemptible and wicked attendant! I forgave and cancelled all that [great] debt of yours because you begged me to.

33 And should you not have had pity and mercy on your fellow attendant, as I had pity and mercy on you?

34 And in wrath his master turned him over to the torturers (the jailers), till he should pay all that he owed.

35 So also My heavenly Father will deal with every one of you if you do not freely forgive your brother from your heart his offenses.

The problem here is an issue of the heart. This is part of pouring oneself out. We can say that we forgive but if we have animosity in our hearts towards one another, then we haven’t forgiven and we haven’t loved. But they owe me money. Yes, they do, and if you let them borrow money, you have a right to ask for your money, but once they don’t intend to pay you and you realize that, what will you do? Will you hit them? Cuss them? Scream at them? Sue them? I mean according to the legal system you may have a right to sue them, but what does this do to your heart?

Don't Let Sin Revive

Romans 7:9 KJV

For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

This topic is for people that are ready and willing to surrender to God’s will. What I mean by that is this, when people are living in failure, there are usually one of two reasons:

1. The person is saved and wants to live for God, but doesn’t know how

2. The person is not really interested in living for God, right now, they’re living for self.

God’s power and grace is sufficient to break through and give the victory, but if a human refuses to yield his will and surrender to God’s will, that person will remain in bondage until he or she is willing to surrender—many times it starts small and grows, but there will be joint participation with the Holy Spirit, and that is who I am talking to.

Alive- to live, breathe, be among the living (not lifeless, not dead)to enjoy real life to have true life

Romans 7:9 AMP

Once I was alive…But when the commandment came, sin lived again and I died…

Galatians 3:12 ESV

But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.”

Leviticus 18:5 ESV

You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the LORD.

Romans 10:5 ESV

The Message of Salvation to All

For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them.

Doing vs believing

Go back to Romans 7:9

**Doing is Law/ Law is performance focused

Believing is Faith focused

Trusting in Law or self performance results in frustration and failure (Galatians 2:21)

Believing or faith in Jesus results in God’s righteousness- where there is righteousness, there is grace and where there is grace, there is victory

Romans 4:3 ESV

For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”

Romans 4:5 ESV

And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,

Galatians 3:6-7

6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.

Galatians 3:9

So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Romans 3:24 ESV

and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Romans 5:1-2 ESV

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Grace vs law

Trying to do something instead of being something by believing something. The next question is do you want to be something new or does a person want to remain their old man? There is a part that is contingent on the believer— Submission to the truth. The truth says that we have to die to self.

1. Die to sin

Romans 6:1-2 ESV

1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

What do you mean I died to sin? When did I die to sin?

2. Die to the law

Romans 7:4 ESV

Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.

3. Die to flesh

Galatians 5:24 ESV

And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Jesus My Beloved

The Song of Solomon is unlike any other book in the scriptures. It is considered both poetry and wisdom literature but also described as a collection of love poems. The literal meaning is focused on the intimate love between the king and his bride. But according to one source, the book was not read by the rabbi’s as a literal love story between a man and his wife until the Middle Ages. Instead, it was considered an allegory describing God’s love, a King, towards His bride, Israel. This is more consistent with the whole of scripture in that the purpose of God’s word is to reveal His love to a lost and dying world, and Israel was a big step in that direction.

As New Covenant believers, we would take it a step further and say, “the purpose of the scriptures finds its last day’s fulfillment in a marriage between the King (Jesus) and His bride (the church)”, so that is how we will approach these selected passages out of Song of Solomon today.

One of the main reasons that Song of Solomon was always interpreted by the Rabbi’s as an intimate love story between God and His people Israel is because there are multiple prophetic references where God, Himself, through the prophets, refers to His relationship with Israel as a love relationship between a man and His wife. I want to read some of these passages to prepare the context, and as you will see, some of this language is very graphic, and what we should see through these verses is that God is full of emotion. He is jealous over those that belong to Him, and He is angered when He is treated as a second hand lover.…

Hosea 1:2

Isaiah 54:4, 5 ESV

4 “Fear not, for you will not be ashamed;

be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced;

for you will forget the shame of your youth,

and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.

5 For your Maker is your husband,

the LORD of hosts is his name;

and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,

the God of the whole earth he is called.

Ezekiel 16:1-17 ESV

The LORD'S Faithless Bride

1 Again the word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations, 3 and say, Thus says the Lord GOD to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth are of the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. 4 And as for your birth, on the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. 5 No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you out of compassion for you, but you were cast out on the open field, for you were abhorred, on the day that you were born.

6 “And when I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ 7 I made you flourish like a plant of the field. And you grew up and became tall and arrived at full adornment. Your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown; yet you were naked and bare.

8 “When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord GOD, and you became mine. 9 Then I bathed you with water and washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil. 10 I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. 11 And I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. 12 And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. 13 Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. 14 And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord GOD.

15 “But you trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your renown and lavished your whorings on any passerby; your beauty became his. 16 You took some of your garments and made for yourself colorful shrines, and on them played the whore. The like has never been, nor ever shall be. 17 You also took your beautiful jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself images of men, and with them played the whore.

Jeremiah 2:1, 2 ESV

1 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD,

“I remember the devotion of your youth,

your love as a bride,

how you followed me in the wilderness,

in a land not sown.

Jeremiah 2:32 ESV

Can a virgin [maid] forget her ornaments,

or a bride her attire?

Yet my people have forgotten me

days without number.

We can hear from the language God’s emotion and the love that He has for His bride. We can see His longsuffering, patience and kindness. I wonder how many repeated acts of infidelity the most loving human husband would tolerate before finally, with a broken heart and tear filled eyes walk away? Two, three, four…? I mean how many acts of unfaithfulness could a human heart really handle before having to call it quits. Yet, this has been happening to God repeatedly since the creation, all through the years of Israel’s existence, and in most of our lives in this room, we have let Him down repeatedly, and He still loves us. He still gives us second chances, third fourth, fifth…

Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV

22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;

his mercies never come to an end;

23 they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

ESV The Bride Confesses Her Love

SHE

SS 1:2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!

For your love is better than wine;

3 your anointing oils are fragrant;

your name is oil poured out;

therefore virgins love you.

4 Draw me after you; let us run.

The king has brought me into his chambers...

The first response is by His bride. She describes the intimacy of their relationship. She uses oil and wine to describe the love that she feels for her husband, the king.

The New Testament uses the words oil and wine to describe His covenant love.

• Mathew 25:4 she said, “His name is like oil”, somebody needs to hear this, as the days grow darker, we need the oil, there is oil in the name of Jesus, because there is power in the name of Jesus. Wise virgins have oil filled lamps.

• Matthew 26:28 she said, “your love is better than wine,” Jesus referred to the wine in the cup during the Passover meal as His blood, the blood of the New covenant, and…John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

• Jesus is the Good Samaritan, ain’t nobody else helping the beat up and broken like Jesus, and He found that man bleeding and dying on the Jericho road, and he poured in the oil and the wine. The kind that restores my soul. He found me bleeding and dying on the Jericho road and He poured in the oil and the wine.

She sings of oil and wine and Jesus brings the oil and the wine, but look at this one verse, “Your name is like oil poured out…” Just the mention of His name, that’s why I love that song, “Your name is like honey on my lips, your Spirit like water to my soul. Your word is a lamp unto my feet… Jesus, I love you. I love you…”

The OTHERS— I like how the ESV directs us in this. She spoke of the beauty of her groom/ king and the others agree and join in… this happens more than once in Song of Solomon, and it will happen in your life too if you let it. If you let your heart fall in love with Jesus, you will talk about Him in such a way that others will want to know Him too.

1:4 We will exult and rejoice in you;

we will extol your love more than wine;

rightly do they love you.

Another spot where others are drawn towards the king based on the actions of His bride

SHE

Song of Songs 5:8 AMP

I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him that I am sick from love [simply sick to be with him].

OTHERS

Song of Songs 5:9

What is your beloved more than another beloved, O you fairest among women [taunted the ladies]? What is your beloved more than another beloved, that you should give us such a charge?]

Song of Songs 5:11-12

11 His head is [as precious as] the finest gold; his locks are curly and bushy and black as a raven.

12 His eyes are like doves beside the water brooks, bathed in milk and fitly set.

Song of Songs 5:16

His voice and speech are exceedingly sweet; yes, he is altogether lovely [the whole of him delights and is precious].This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem!

Song of Songs 6:1

OTHERS

1 Where has your beloved gone,

O most beautiful among women?

Where has your beloved turned,

that we may seek him with you?

Her language about Him draws the others close. He becomes attractive and they want to seek Him also. Holy Spirit cause our love for Jesus to grow. Anoint our language of the King, so that others will want to find Him too.

There is something different about that person

Song of Songs 7:1 AMP

[THEN HER companions began noticing and commenting on the attractiveness of her person] How beautiful are your feet in sandals, O queenly maiden! Your rounded limbs are like jeweled chains, the work of a master hand.

They see the beauty of the King’s bride. Her love for the King doesn’t only make Him attractive to them, but her love for Him makes her attractive to them.

Ephesians 5:1-2 ESV

Walk in Love

1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

And not only is Jesus a sweet fragrance to the Father, when we walk in love and do the will of God, we become a sweet smelling fragrance to God…

2 Corinthians 2:15-16 ESV

15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?

I wanted you to see how her companions saw her from the perspective of her love for Him, and how God sees those that are living a life of love towards Him, but in going back to chapter 1, she sees herself in a self conscious way. She isn’t sure how these women of Jerusalem will think about her. Isn’t that so true when we come into the faith. We desire to share the hope and love that the Lord has given us, but we are apprehensive of how others will view us. We can become so self conscious rather than Christ conscious that we allow others to affect our witness:

SHE ESV

5 I am very dark, but lovely,

O daughters of Jerusalem,

like the tents of Kedar,

like the curtains of Solomon.

6 Do not gaze at me because I am dark,

because the sun has looked upon me.

My mother's sons [brothers] were angry with me;

they made me keeper of the vineyards,

but my own vineyard I have not kept!

But take notice of what she says re why she’s dark. It’s because she has been working in the vineyard, in the heat of the sun. Her brother’s made her do the work. She toiled so much in the vineyards that the sun had darkened her skin, her own needs and desires came second.

In the vineyard, doing Kingdom work is one descriptive of a servant of the Lord. I’m not talking about doing work for the church. I’m talking about doing work for the Lord. And I’m not talking about earning something with the Lord, I’m talking about out of a love for the King toiling in the vineyards one more minute of one more day in hopes that this seed that I plant, this weed that I pull, this water that I add will result in a soul, an increase for my King’s Kingdom.

The Parable of the Two Sons

Matt 21:28-32

The Parable of the Tenants

Matthew 21:38- 41

They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

This is where we were born in human history…the church age. The time frame where the nation of Israel were the first tenants of the vineyard, but those leaders did not have the heart of God for His Kingdom. They were greedy for personal gain. And so we have been the other tenants of this age, who are expected to give Him His fruits in their seasons. When the time is right, He will return to settle accounts. Matt 24:42-51

Throughout the word, God reminds us that He will return for His people, His bride, and I don’t think that the Song of Solomon is any different

Song of Songs 2:8-13 ESV

8 The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes, leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills 9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold, there he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, looking through the lattice. 10 My beloved speaks and says to me: “Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away, 11 for behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. 12 The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. 13 The fig tree ripens its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.

The last scene that I want to talk to you about brings us back to chapter 5,

Song of Songs 5:2-8

SHE

2 I slept, but my heart was awake. A sound! My beloved is knocking. “Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect one, for my head is wet with dew, my locks with the drops of the night.”

He’s coming in the midnight hour, and she, like the unwise virgins, is…

3 I had put off my garment; how could I put it on? I had bathed my feet; how could I soil them? 4 My beloved put his hand to the latch, and my heart was thrilled within me.

How exciting and thrilling do you reckon it will be when Jesus opens the door and comes to bring us home.

5 I arose to open to my beloved, and my hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with liquid myrrh, on the handles of the bolt. 6 I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had turned and gone. My soul failed me when he spoke. I sought him, but found him not; I called him, but he gave no answer. 7 The watchmen found me as they went about in the city; they beat me, they bruised me, they took away my veil, —- she has no veil, she’s no longer a bride those watchmen of the walls. 8 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him I am sick with love.

Are you sick with love for Him this morning? Do you miss Him? Do you long to be in His presence, or does something else have your heart this morning?

Lord I Give You My Heart, I Give My Soul, I Live For You Alone

1 Corinthians 6:17

But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit— so if our spirit and the Holy Spirit are made one in Christ, then that means that salvation is perfected in our spirit with God, but is it okay to just stay in this spot, where we are one with Him only in the level of our spirit?

I can tell you that that the simple answer to that is NO!

1 Thessalonians 5:23

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

New life in our spirit is the starting point of new life, and it’s the place from where the Lord spreads His life throughout us, permeating who we are and changing who we were from the old creation in Adam into the new creation in Christ; however, our (free will) must be willing to work with Him.

Proverbs 20:27

The spirit of man is the candle (lamp ESV) of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly (innermost parts ESV).

A while back I made the comment about this scripture…Leviticus 25:23

The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me.

What I said was that the Lord was showing me how everything we know and see belongs to Him, but because Satan deceived Adam and through Adam’s own willingness to yield to Satan by giving him his will, Satan was able to usurp the dominion and power that was given to Adam by God and arrest it for himself. God has a right to do what He wants because He is creator, but He created all this for His creation mankind, going back to the thought that He desires an eternal family. In His justice and holy character, He chooses to operate in such a way that it includes the free will of His creation. But He started redemption by making a promise to Abraham that He would give him land for a people and a plan. Looking backwards, we see what He did. He gave them the land, created the nation, and gave the world Jesus.

But the point is that through this little sliver of land He created for Himself a base of operations to take it all back, it’s such a huge deal, because He’s saying, “I’m taking the whole thing back one piece at a time, but I'm doing it in partnership with a people that will yield their will to my will.

“Don’t sell the land, it is mine”. You are strangers and sojourners with me. Your father Adam pushed me out of the picture through the defiance of his freewill. But I’m taking it back one piece at a time, and I’m recruiting a people through the ages that are going to walk and believe with me.

As the sliver of land we call Israel is to the taking back of the physical world, so our spirit is to the soul and body as He takes the individual human back from the captivity of Satan. His will is that we partner with Him in allowing our whole person to become His property. Through the implantation of His Spirit into our spirit, and these being fused into one. He has formed a base of operations where He will begin the plan of His entire take over.

1 Corinthians 2:16

For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

Part of the truth that our spirit is one with His Spirit is the fact that we have also been given the mind of Christ in this transaction. Because the Holy Spirit dwells within us, the mind of Christ is in us and we know the truth… AMP 1 John 2:20 But you have been anointed by [you hold a sacred appointment from, you have been given an unction from] the Holy One, and you all know [the Truth] or you know all things.

But we aren’t always yielding to the will of God or allowing the mind of Christ through the unction or anointing of the Holy Spirit to have His way— in believing God’s truth.

Ephesians 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

Flesh & mind

Ephesians 2:3

Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

This is a good example of how the flesh and the mind are closely related. The flesh gives the mind a base of operations. In this case, the soulish man (mind & will) and the fleshly man (carnal nature- I want what I want) are working together to entertain or give action to the desires of the sinful nature.

Heart— kardia— of the soul so far as it is affected and stirred in a bad way or good, or of the soul as the place of the sensibilities, affections, emotions, desires, appetites, passions__ Strong’s

Heart," kardia, is the place of feeling, intelligence, moral choice__ Wuest

Ephesians 5:18

The Greek is, "the eyes of your heart," the heart referring not only to the emotional nature, but also to the reason and to the faculty of intelligence__ Wuest

The ancient Hebrews regarded the heart as the organ of the intellect, and the mind, that of the desires and affections__ Wuest

Many people serve the Lord from their soul with their mind; rather than what God seeks after according to Jesus’ comment to the Samaritan woman… John 4:23-24

23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.-

The heart is related to desires and emotions of the mind/ intellect. This part of the man can be affected negatively by the world through the flesh, engage fleshly lusts of the world through our members, or positively through the Spirit of God’s grace as we engage God’s will through our spirit.

The way we process the world’s sensualities is through our soul: the mind, will and emotions. In order for the heart to be affected by God, the soul must be influenced by the Spirit. The Spirit of God is one with our spirit; however, the more we feed the soul fleshly appetites, the more we suppress our intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit, which prevents our soul from being sanctified/ our mind from being renewed.

Like a computer virus

++When we bring the world into our soul, it entices our affections towards the things of the world. When we feed our spirit man the things of the Spirit, our affections for spiritual things are aroused. Unfortunately, we can also embrace spiritual things from a fleshly or soulish level in that we are just punching a God clock and not really interested in pleasing the Spirit of God by feeding our spiritual man. This will not result in spiritual life.

Religion vs relationship

Starting at verse psalm 51 verse 10 (create in me), but verse 16 differentiates between religion (sacrifice) vs relationship (a broken heart) now, the doing of spiritual practices has meaning—once the posture of the heart is proper—psalm 51 verse 19 Matt 5

Psalms 51:17

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Getting Jesus from my Spirit into my soul where He is the affection of my heart, and He is the influence over my thinking, my will and ultimately my emotions….

Psalms 42:5

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me?

hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.

Colossians 3:16

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Matthew 6:21-22

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

Ephesians 3:17

That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

The word "rooted" has the idea of securely settled, and "grounded__ Wuest

Ezekiel 36:26-27

26 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. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

The condition of the heart is affected by what we feed the soul. When we bring the ways of the world or live for self, we allow the fallen nature and selfishness to rule in our hearts.

Matthew 12:34-35

34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

Matthew 13:19

When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth (to consider it or act piously) it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

The seed of the Kingdom was sown into the heart. We are aware that the Kingdom is eternal treasure. It’s the treasure in the field, the pearl of great price, it’s Jesus the lover of our soul and when that seed is planted into the heart, and it’s protected and nourished, it grows. But if I treat the word of God like a common thing instead of a treasure, I’m not considering it properly or piously— meaning I’m just treating the things of God, the word of God, like a common thing.

Mark 6:52

For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened [calloused]

The word "heart" here refers to the entire inner man, his reason, affections, will__ Wuest

Mark 7:6-7

6 He answered and said unto them, -- Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Mark 7:15

There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.

Mark 7:17-23

17 And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. 18 And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; 19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? 20 And he said, -- That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

The heart is related to desires and emotions of the mind/ intellect. This part of the man can be affected negatively by the world and his flesh. In order for the heart to be affected by God, the soul must be influenced by the Spirit.

Romans 2:29

But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Acts 7:51

Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

1 Peter 2:11

Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

War against— to carry out a military campaign against your soul.

++He dwells in our spirit, but are we allowing Him to dwell in our hearts

Ephesians 4:18

Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

++blindness

Porosis- the covering with a callus, dulled perception— comes from poroo

poroo— to cover with a thick skin, to harden by covering with a callus, become dull, lose the power of understanding