Consideration

Deuteronomy 4:39 KJV
Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.

The difference between knowing something and having it in our heart might be defined by the word consideration. Reflecting on the things of the spirit; allowing them to slowly and deeply sink in, these are the things that make truth dwell in us. God promises to bless the one who meditates upon the Word of God, and not just reads it. Consider this in your heart;
The Lord is God and there is none else.
• There is no other God in which to turn.
• There is no other God upon which we should give worship.
• There is no other God whose commands we should obey.

The Lord is God in heaven and in earth.
• He is not just the God of the mountains, but also of the valleys.
• He is not only God in a perfect environment but in the dark world too.
• He is not only God of His dwelling, he is God of the devil's habitation.

Not In Vain

1 Corinthians 15:58 KJV
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Andrew Murray in his book, Working for God points out that, "after fifty seven verses of exultant teaching concerning the mystery and the glory of the resurrection life in our Lord [there is] ...just one verse of practical application." The whole chapter on the resurrection glories boils down to this - always abound in the work of the Lord.
• Never slow down
• Never give up
• Never faint.

Though there may be times when it appears that the labor is not going so well, though you will sometimes not see the fruit and the produce of your work you may be assured of this truth.

Your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
• Labor on in the Lord
• Labor with anticipation and fervor and hope
Your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Cities and Suburbs

Numbers 35:8 KJV
And the cities which ye shall give shall be of the possession of the children of Israel: from them that have many ye shall give many; but from them that have few ye shall give few: every one shall give of his cities unto the Levites according to his inheritance which he inheriteth.

The cities of given to Levi remind me of today's tithe:
• They were given for the cares for those who were their ministers
• They were given so those ministers could be scattered among the people
• They were given in proportion to their possessions:
Those who had many cities were to give many; those who had fewer cities were to give fewer, each tribe according to their gift.

The cities not only provided for the Levites a place to live but a means of making a living. Around each city was a designated space called the suburbs and it was in that space the Levites could raise their own crops and meet their own needs.

God has provided that those who give their lives would be provided for. The Levites and the priests do not answer directly to the ministry of today, but in principle that same is true. God cares for those who take up the care of His flock.

That's How!

Matthew 23:33 KJV
Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

This chapter is filled with the accusations of Christ against the scribes and Pharisees. When the devil accuses it is nothing for the brethren because our Saviour advocates for us. But when God points his finger at our sin, how miserable must be our case!

And the question Christ brings is one every man must ask himself. When confronted with such sin, "how can we possibly escape damnation?" It is the work of the Holy Ghost to bring us to see our miserable and helpless condition. It is impossible for us to escape the judgment for our sins.

It would not be difficult for us to say, based upon this passage that it would be impossible for these Pharisees to escape. And we would not be far off. But with God nothing is impossible.

We have proof in the account of Saul. This Pharisee of the Pharisees this persecutor of the saints not only escaped the damnation of hell himself but has accounted for the saving of countless numbers through two millennium.

It is God.
That is how a soul escapes damnation.

In the middle of sin; in the heat of his own way Christ confronted Saul of Tarsus, called him and converted Him.

That is how any soul escapes the damnation of hell.

Live!

Numbers 33:1
These are the journeys of the children of Israel, which went forth out of the land of Egypt with their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Something I have been noticing for several days now:
• It was in chapter 27 that God said Moses was to die and Joshua was chosen to replace him.
• Then in chapter 31 God told Moses to enter battle with the Midianites and then he would die.
• Today I read through chapter 34 and Moses has still not gone to be with the Lord.

This does not mean that God doesn't say what He means.

Perhaps the chronology is blended some. After all it is Moses who wrote this and he could not have done that had he died on the spot.

I see in the passage a man getting things in order. Moses did not receive a death sentence and give up living. He used every day of life to live fully and serve God wholly even when that day would be his last day.

And there is in this a great lesson for us to never give up. I would say
• Raising up a leader of Israel
• Defeating the Midianites and
• Giving a recording of the travels of Israel in the wilderness
Was a pretty fair work for a man who had one foot in the grave!

Live!
• Even when the body begins to wax old and the strength begins to decay.
• Even when the doctors tell you the worst;
Live!

It may be a man can accomplish more in his last days on earth than he ever accomplished when he had his whole life ahead of him.

Blind Pride

Matthew 21:38
But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.

How blind a man can become who has taken advantage of God's grace!

• It was the lord who had planted this vineyard and it was the lord who had let it out to these husbandmen.
• It was the lord who had been gracious in their treatment of the servants.

Why they would not fear when they killed the heir and why they would presume that they would keep the inheritance is beyond reason except that they, being emboldened by their previous sins and blinded by their own pride could not think right?

And so it is with man today. God has planted this great garden we call life. He has let it out to us to tend and use for His good pleasure. But we have mistreated it. We have done with it as we have pleased. From time to time God has sent to us witnesses to call us into account, but we have shunned them. In the case of the lost, He sent his Son to save them but we have denied Him and wicked man crucified Him. Now we have a generation so emboldened in sin as to presume there is no God. They have determined that this inheritance may be seized upon by us. And they disregard any warnings of future reprisals. Would to God our eyes were opened to the grace of God before it is eternally too late.

Servanthood

Matthew 20:26-28
But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Matthew Poole says that by these instructs our Lord means:
"1. To distinguish his kingdom from the kingdoms of the world. …
2. To condemn ambition and pride in his disciples, as making them most unfit for this kingdom."

Our Lord values servanthood above leadership. Jesus came not to be a leader but to be a servant, not to organize and inspire a movement, but to give His life.

The highest ideal a man may aspire to is a life given for the sake of God and of others. May our Lord so impress upon us our tendency to sin and to reverse this concept.

Ours is to spend ours lives for the good of others and for the glory of God.

Lacking

Matthew 19:20
The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?

The rich young ruler had no trouble approaching Christ to ask about eternal life. He was not hesitant to say that he had kept the laws of God (and went so far to ask the Lord to be specific) but he still knew he lacked something. He knew he did not possess eternal life.

I believe there is in every unsaved man this same sense of lack. Though they may not speak of it; thought they may deny it and cover it up, still this sense of failure before God exists. They may have added to their lives things intended to ease the conscience over this lack, but still, the lack is there. When the young man admitted his need, Jesus drew deeper and instructed him to give away his wealth and follow Christ.

It seems to me this is the process of coming to faith. We have to get past morality. We have to go deeper than good works. The Lord will bring us to that one thing we cling to that is not God. When we let go of that and follow Christ, we are where eternal life dwells. It must be Christ alone.

Not that every believer must forsake all in order to be saved but every believer must let go of it all to be saved. Christ alone. That is our hope.

Faith, Prayer and Fasting

Matthew 17:20-21
And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Jesus said two very important things about why the disciples could not cast out the demon.

• It was because of their unbelief.
• It was because this kind required prayer and fasting.

Prayer and fasting are effective tools only when supported by faith. Or else prayer and fasting are those tools that serve to increase our faith. No real work is accomplished simply because we go without a meal; the why is the key. The faith, the belief is the answer to it all. It is the faith that transforms the work of a man to the work of God through the man.

Gospel Christ or Righteous Christ

Matthew 16:17
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 16:23
But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

Peter hears from our Lord one of the highest compliments and the harshest rebukes almost the one right after the other.

It provides us with a warning that walking with Christ must be done diligently and with care moment by moment. Not that Peter could have lost his salvation; it is obvious that his relationship with Christ continues, and that unaffected, but that closeness, blessedness of daily rejoicing in Christ must be tended to. Satan is ever diligent to throw us off track. We must be therefore so much more diligent to watch the track.

And see where Satan threw him off: on the doctrine of the Gospel. Satan's message through Peter was that we do not need the Gospel Christ, only the righteous Christ. We do not need, so said Satan, a substitute, we only need an example and an encourager. If only we had Jesus as a leader, says Satan to man, we would not need a Saviour.

May God helps us to always see and be happy to hear rebukes that lead us back to the Gospel.

Balaamism II

Numbers 24:25
And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place: and Balak also went his way.

The story of Balaam is a sad commentary on what happens when one who walks with God compromises with the world. Balaam enters into a relationship with Balak that was contrary to the will of God. He knew it, but chose to enter into it anyway because God didn't kill him for doing it.

But watch his frustration and misery throughout chapters 23-24. He appears to be trying to get Balak to obey the Lord. He gets Balak to offer sacrifice after sacrifice, he hears the message of God and returns it to Balak, but what does he get in return?

• Balak chides him
• Balak berates him and, in the end
• Balak disappoints him

When it is all said and done Balaam has nothing bettered anything.
• He has not converted Balak
• He has not honored the Lord (though he did bring the Lord's message)
• He has not been promoted

It all sounds like worldly Christianity today. There is such an attempt to convert the world by joining the world. But what has been the result? We have so called churches filled with false professors and a handful of frustrated believers who think that by putting up with the worldly they will somehow reach the worldly.

In the end,
• God will not be honored through these efforts
• The lost will not be truly converted by these efforts and
• The compromising believers will lose rewards in heaven because of these efforts.

Balaam would have been much better off joining the camp of Israel. And we will be much better off coming out of this world and clearly identifying with Christ.

Balaamism

Numbers 22:5
He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:

Scofield's Notes have some very insightful things to say about "Balaamism."
"Balaam is the typical hireling prophet, seeking only to make a market of his gift. This is "the way of Balaam" (2Pe_2:15) and characterizes false teachers. The "error" of Balaam" (Jud_1:11) was that he could see only the natural morality -- a holy God, he reasoned, must curse such a people as Israel. Like all false teachers he was ignorant of the higher morality of vicarious atonement, by which God could be just and yet the justifier of believing sinners (Rom_3:26). The "doctrine of Balaam" (Rev_2:14) refers to his teaching Balak to corrupt the people whom he could not curse; (Num_31:16); (Num_25:1-3); (Jam_4:4). Spiritually, Balaamism in teaching never rises above natural reasonings; in practice, it is easy world-conformity."

• Watch Balaam as he hears the message from God and struggles with obeying the Lord or accepting promotion.
• See him as he makes a vain show of piety, insisting he cannot but speak what God has said and yet
• Notice that in the end, it is man, not God he really serves
Is this not exactly what we see in so much of Christianity today?

I think we could call much if not most of Christianity today Balaamism. There is a show of seeking God and there is access to God in many of the churches today, but there is no real intention to obey and follow Him.
• They salve their consciences with the fact that they have a show of worship and
• They justify what they do by reasoning God did not forbid them from doing it but
• They cannot see the real truths of atonement.
• They press for a worldly morality, not able to see a higher morality that is in Christ and
• They choose the easy and the worldly road.

Is there an answer to modern day Balaamism? Of course there is because in Christ there is always hope. The answer must always be in an absolute surrender to Christ and a coming out of the world. No portion of this world will ever be pleasing to God. No amount of reason and justification will make compromise with this world acceptable to God. No sort of apparent success will ever be proof enough that a worldly course is within the will of God. Only absolute surrender to Christ will reverse the course of Balaamism in the churches of today.

Marching On!

Numbers 21:22
Let me pass through thy land: we will not turn into the fields, or into the vineyards; we will not drink of the waters of the well: but we will go along by the king's high way, until we be past thy borders.

A similar story is recorded in chapter twenty with these significant differences:
First in the case of Edom, Moses emphasizes that they are brethren. Though generations had drifted the families apart Moses never forgot the relationship. Obviously Edom did

Second in the case of Edom, Moses went around rather than fighting. He did appeal twice but on the second refusal he departed.

Third Aaron died between Edom and Sihon.

Scofield says that the wanderings of Israel ends with Aaron's death and it is from there Israel marches to the Promised Land. It is not difficult to see a new spirit in Israel as they become warlike right away, defeating Arad, Bashan and Og. This is the Lord's doing but it is something to seek the Lord for; we need to be a people on the march and not merely a people who are wandering.

• We need to be a people of purpose and direction, not just a people who survive the day.
• We need to be a people of victory and backbone and not really a people who back away from standing for Christ.

Clean for Unclean

Numbers 19:9-10
And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water of separation: it is a purification for sin.
And he that gathereth the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: and it shall be unto the children of Israel, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among them, for a statute for ever.

A man that was clean was instructed of the Lord to minister on behalf of the congregation in a manner that would make them unclean.
At first thought I considered the work of the missionary who leaves homeland to try to reach souls for Christ, or I thought of the witness, who steps into a risky place sometimes because he longs to see souls saved.

But though each person is needed in the ministry it is not a true type of the minister because the New Testament counsels that as we try to reach these people we do so with fear "hating even the garment that is spotted by the flesh." we are not to make ourselves unclean in our desire to see another become clean.

This man is rather a type of Jesus Christ, who became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Christ alone became unclean that we could be made clean. Then for three days and three nights He was separated from His Father in the grave before He arose victorious over sin and death.

I am clean because He became unclean for me.

Moses

Numbers 17:10
And the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.

The text does not tell us how Moses was to take away their murmurings, unless it was in the saving of Aaron's rod as a testimony against the rebels.

What the Bible does say is that Moses did as the Lord said. What an example Moses is of humility and faithful service to the Lord. These are a people who had
• Forfeited the Promised Land
• Challenged Moses and Aaron's authority and
• Murmured against them when God caused the earth to swallow Korah Dathan and Abiram.

These were a people who had caused that Moses himself would not go into the Promised Land (though I am not discounting Moses' own sin and the waters of Meribah) and he spent the rest of his life ministering to people who would wander until they died. Still Moses consistently ministered to them for their good.

I sometimes believe that we are living in such days when the majority of mankind have forfeited the grace of God upon themselves. Sin, humanism and pride have so swallowed up men that I wonder if we aren't just wandering around until this one last generation has passed.

Even if that is the case the task of the believer today is to serve God by attempting to be a blessing to men.

May God help me to be a blessing.

They Didn't Spoil God's Plan

Numbers 15:2
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land of your habitations, which I give unto you,

In chapter 14 Israel is sentenced to wander in the wilderness for 40 years as a result of their unbelief at Kadesh Barnea. It is worth taking note though, that immediately following the sentence God gives them instructions about what to do when they do enter the Promised Land.

Though they have forfeited their own entrance God wanted them to know they could not forfeit His promise for all of Israel and for all of time.

Our own sins may cost us. The consequences may be severe, but God's promises are sure and eternal and inviolable by men. What God has said is true and sure regardless of men and no man, or generation of men, is able to spoil His promise.

The Work of Love

Matthew 9:2
And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.

It is easy to see in this account, that the purpose of the Lord was the forgiving of sin.

The faith of this man's friends caused them to bring him to Jesus and brought Christ to forgive his sin. Any other blessing, any other work the Lord would do was secondary to that work and was meant only as a sign that He had done this work.

If the chief characteristic of Divine life in us is love and its work of blessing men then the chief blessing is to bring to them, not the message of healing, or prosperity or of peace with others; but to bring to them the message of peace with God because of forgiven sins.

And this work is meant of the Lord to bring good cheer. Jesus did not say, "be of good cheer, you will walk again." but "be of good cheer your sins are forgiven."

I note that the multitudes were impressed with the healing and not the forgiving of sins. But the multitude also forsook Jesus over His hard sayings. It is the forgiveness of sins and the word of eternal life that will keep us next to Christ. It is that message that we must bless men with.

Don't Tell!

Matthew 8:4
And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

As He was coming down from preaching His Sermon on the Mount there came a leper to Christ who believed Christ, if only he were willing, could make him clean. Christ was willing and he was healed. And then Christ gives this man a remarkable commandment, don't tell. He had received such a miracle in his body. The change was
• Immediate
• Complete and
• Thoroughly life changing.Yet Jesus' command to him was not to tell anyone what Jesus had done. He was supposed to obey the Mosaic instructions for a leper who had been healed and everyone who knew him would immediately see he was healed. But he was not to set out to purposely tell.

I have wondered at these many times in the Word where Jesus told men not to tell. There are some other times, as in the case of the possessed man of Gadera, that he was specifically instructed to go and tell. We have our explanations of course, but all of them are speculations because the Bible doesn't tell us why some were to tell and others were not (with the exception of when the reason was that Christ's time was not yet come).

It seems to me that the lesson is that
Everyone telling is not Christ's will.
Some should not tell because the Lord has some other purpose for them. Others should not tell because their testimony is not right. I know some so called Christians I wished would not call themselves such.

The one who has been truly converted will need no command to tell.
His very life will be a more powerful testimony than any words could ever be. Others speaking about what Christ has done in him will be much more effective than anything he can personally say. No doubt there is a Bible mandate to be witnesses. But the sort of witness we are in these days is to be called into question. We have changed witnessing into a science that needs neither the filling of the Holy Spirit upon the witness or the calling of God upon the "witnessee" to be successful and it has turned Christianity into one of the biggest sources of derision in the world today.

What Is Your Fruit?

Matthew 7:16
Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
The Lord said we could know the authenticity of the prophet by his fruit. It should not be difficult then to see whose ministry is of the Lord and whose is man made. It is just a matter of examining the fruit. And herein lies some of our trouble.

First, we ignore obvious fruit.
We see things that are in contradiction of the Word, but because we don't want to rock the boat or perhaps we like the prophet, so we ignore fruit of the wrong sort.

Second we look for the wrong things as right fruit.We think of
• Excitement
• Enthusiasm
• Largeness and the
• Impressive
as the right fruit. We have plugged in worldly values as spiritual fruit.

Genuine fruit, on the other hand, would be things like
• Humility
• Christlikeness
• A sojourner's mentality
• Meekness
• Concern for the glory of God and
• Etc.

We will know them by their fruit but we must know how to find fruit!

Trust

Matthew 6:27
Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
Just as a man has no power to add to his height or physical presence, our Lord suggests we not add to our financial stature through human means. It is sure that a person may hedge himself toward a more prosperous future through education and through earnest pursuit. But that focus is not the most valuable one.

Our Lord says it would be better to pour ourselves into knowing the Lord and trust the Lord to care for us.

It is still a matter of the heart; where our treasure is, there will our heart be also.

My purpose in life is to be to follow after Christ. He will provide and care for me as I do that. He always has. I am confident He will continue to do the same.

Righteousness

Matthew 5:20
For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

The focus of the Sermon on the Mount is the matter of the heart. The righteousness we must have for heaven is a righteousness that stems from the heart.

And in order for the heart to have righteousness it must be made new; it must possess Christ. No man can make himself have a new heart. It is impossible to will ourselves to love a person or a thing. This must come of God.

Love may be won. A man may win the love of a woman for instance and the Bible tells us that God wins our love by first loving us.

When we suffer for righteousness' sake it is suffering for Christ and not for doing the right thing.

Angels

Matthew 4:11
Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

The book of Hebrews tells us the angels also minister unto us.
• How real
• How helpful
• How substantial
this ministry must have been for our Lord. He had been so sorely tried and it had been such a real struggle, though it was a spiritual struggle. Now the devil left him and the angels came. The angels did not come while the devil tempted him, but after.

Perhaps the ministry of the angels is not to support us in our times of temptation but to refresh and heal and lift us up after the battle is over. Or perhaps they had been battling in the unseen realm and, when the battle was over gathered around our Lord.

The ministry of the angels is real, it is substantial and I want to accept it is fact and rest in that ministry.

Fifty

Numbers 8:25-26
And from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service thereof, and shall serve no more:
But shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shalt thou do unto the Levites touching their charge.

The Levites were to wait upon the service of the tabernacle from twenty five years old until they were fifty. After fifty they were to cease from the service and from then on minister with their brethren in the tabernacle. Because of some other texts I believe that means they changed from the physical labor of the ministry to more spiritual and mentoring type ministries.

Being now fifty two years old I am aware that in my younger years I did not know very much though I did think pretty well of my accomplishments. But I also know, now that I am over fifty, that I still don't know much. Perhaps I am more unsure of what I know than any time previous in my life. I am certainly not qualified to be a mentor. Further, I am not sure I know anyone that I believe does know any more than I do. I am fearful of men who presume to teach because I see so little that I perceive to be of God.

May the Lord guide and help us!

Wise Men

Matthew 2:3
When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

When the word of the wise men, that He who was to be king of the Jews had been born, the Bible says that Herod was troubled.

We know, of course, why. He was troubled for his job. A rightful king, whether really from God or just perceived to be by the people, meant problems for his own reign. Loss of power, problems managing the people and associated troubles with the Romans, would be the only results to these claims so far as Herod could see.

But the Bible says that all of Jerusalem was troubled with him. I can assume some of those troubles are related. If Herod was troubled that in itself could mean trouble in Jerusalem. That the man was violent is obvious from his future actions in Bethlehem. Jerusalem would have known what he was capable of before Bethlehem and it would certainly have troubled them. But the testimony of the Jews reveals that they were not on a whole honestly seeking the King of the Jews. Christ came to them but they received Him not. Religion has a way of becoming its own movement and losing its sole function of bringing men to Christ. Jesus can Himself become a problem for the religious man. He disturbs the plans men in religion have set in motion.

The wise men seem to have been a different sort. Though we think of them as kings, wealthy and powerful what they really are is a dispossessed and sojourning people, probably few in number, they gave what was valuable to Christ and left homes, society, properties and what would have been considered worldly successes just to find Jesus. So willing to follow the Lord were they that when they left Israel, at the warning of the angel of God, they went another way. What they were used to, what was their custom, was abandoned to be honest followers of the Lord.

May that also be my testimony.

All Man and All God

Matthew 1:1
The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

The key characters so far as the plan of God for the Christ are Abraham and David.
• No mention is made of Isaac and Jacob, though their roles are vital.
• No mention of Judah, whose tribe the Messiah was to come. There is also no mention of Solomon whose family genealogy this is. (Though Christ's blood is not in Solomon)

The characters that sum up the line of the Saviour are David and Abraham.
Abraham represents and establishes the humanity of Christ. As the father of the Jewish race and the father of those that believe, Christ was born into that line.

David represents the kingly aspect of Christ. Though He is all man, he is also royalty, Sovereign and all God. Though David was only human, the Bible makes it clear that this son of David would not see the physical corruption David's body did.

He is God.

The Beginning and the End

Revelation 22:1
And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

Revelation 22:3
And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
The throne of God and of the Lamb...
This throne seems to be as opposed to the throne of David that was the promise of Israel. That promise having been fulfilled the eternal plan has gone on to better things.

Israel is no longer the people of God, in fact in this eternal vision people don't seem to be the focus at all, but God and the Lamb. There are, of course, people there, but they are where they really always belonged, in the background.

The Bible doesn't end on the note of mankind. It ends on the note of God.

May my days begin and need in God.

A Refreshing Future

Revelation 21:6
And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

"I will give unto him that is athirst" there is a unique element in these words in that John has been translated into what is still future for us but his message comes back to those of both his and our present.

What God will do is intended to refresh those who keep the future in our minds. God's consummated plan comforts the far sighted child of God perhaps more than small blessings today.

John Saw

Revelation 20:1
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Revelation 20:4
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Revelation 20:11
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

The emphasis in this chapter is on what John saw.

One of the lessons I see is all we will see when we get to heaven.

Some of those things John saw will still be even future even for us.
• All of the victories of the Tribulation,
• Satan's binding and
• The first resurrection

What thrilling sights will be ours.

What A Name

Revelation 19:11-16
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Verses 11-16 give us Jesus coming from heaven and a subject emphasized is all His names:
• called Faithful and True,
• a name that no man knew but He Himself,
• His name is called the Word of God,
• a name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Philippians 2:10-11
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
nd that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
What a name is Jesus!

Put My Name Upon Them

Numbers 6:23-27
Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them,
The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.

These are words that God Himself instructed the priest to pronounce upon the people and so put God's name upon them.

I know I am no priest but this is a practice I want to have, every so often putting God's name on my congregation thus.

These are also the words of prayer I want to place upon my sons and upon their families frequently; seeking that the name of the Lord would be upon the and that God would indeed bless them.

The Lamb Shall Overcome

Revelation 17:14
These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
The phrasing of this passage connects it with chapter 19 and tells me that the war of which it speaks is the battle of chapter 19.

One of those things I must always remember is that the Lord is victor. Sometimes things look pretty sorry, but that is only because I am looking through mortal eyes. Eternity has assured me, the Lamb shall overcome them.

It is more than a truth about fleshly battles against Jesus too. Those battles of the soul and spirit are equally put to the silence under Christ.

Get up today and charge into life. The lamb shall overcome.

By Their Names

Numbers 1:17
And Moses and Aaron took these men which are expressed by their names:

Every one expressed by name.

Out of the multitudes of people in Israel God personally named twelve to assist Moses and Aaron in numbering the people.

God not only sees His people, He sees them by name; well enough that He expresses them by name.
• He not only numbers the hairs on our head, He expresses us by name.
• He not only causes that men would identify and record the names of others, God Himself expresses them by their names.
These were men of renown and leaders in their ranks, or they became men of renown because God expressed them by their names. God is personal. He is working out a plan for the ages. But in the midst of that He is working just for me.

The Temple of The Tabernacle of the Testimony

Revelation 15:5
And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:
This is quite a descriptive name and takes in everything of the Old Testament types of the tabernacle and later the temple.

A temple is a permanent structure while a tabernacle is a tent. Israel used a tabernacle for four hundred odd years before their temple was constructed.

A tabernacle is mobile, a temple is not.

In heaven the temple reminds us of the tabernacle. It was after the pattern of heaven that the tabernacle was made.

The Old Testament speaks of the Ten Commandments as God's testimony. In heaven this testimony is still remembered. God, in our text, is about to pour out His vials of wrath upon the Tribulation world. It is appropriate that those vials are poured out before the background of that which represents holy worship and His unalterable Word.

For I Am

Leviticus 26:44
And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God.

It is obvious, when reading Leviticus 25 and 26, that God knew what would happen with Israel and Babylon.

This is a thousand years before the fact but God already pronounces what would happen if Israel did not give the land it's Sabbath rests.
• He pronounced they should accept the punishment of their iniquity
• He pronounced they would go in to another land and
• He pronounced that even there He would not utterly forsake them.

Learn the timelessness of God. It is not just that He accurately predicts the future but He is in the future and in the past as they are His present. He may be fully trusted. Nothing is a guess for Him.

Cursing

Leviticus 24:23
And Moses spake to the children of Israel, that they should bring forth him that had cursed out of the camp, and stone him with stones. And the children of Israel did as the LORD commanded Moses.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary says,
"This offender was the son of an Egyptian father, and an Israelitish mother. The notice of his parents shows the common ill effect of mixed marriages. A standing law for the stoning of blasphemers was made upon this occasion. Great stress is laid upon this law. It extends to the strangers among them, as well as to those born in the land. Strangers, as well as native Israelites, should be entitled to the benefit of the law, so as not to suffer wrong; and should be liable to the penalty of this law, in case they did wrong. If those who profane the name of God escape punishment from men, yet the Lord our God will not suffer them to escape his righteous judgments. What enmity against God must be in the heart of man, when blasphemies against God proceed out of his mouth. If he that despised Moses' law, died without mercy, of what punishment will they be worthy, who despise and abuse the gospel of the Son of God! Let us watch against anger, do no evil, avoid all connexions with wicked people, and reverence that holy name which sinners blaspheme."

There are times when we are called upon to obey difficult things. I am thankful we no longer punish evil doers n this manner but I do wonder when men decided we could be different? When was it ever decided that we could allow profanity and blasphemous language to be so commonplace and to go unchallenged?

I do not believe I have ever heard that these sorts of things were a part of the constitutional discussion for America. I have read that the framers of our constitution considered blasphemy as a disqualifier for public office, but never that the man who cursed would be stoned.

So I am not calling for a revival of this practice, but I do believe we ought to have a revival of the sense of offense at blasphemous language.

Hallowed

Leviticus 22:32
Neither shall ye profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am the LORD which hallow you,
I am the Lord which hallow you.

• It is God who selects His people.
• It is God which separates His people and
• It is God which sanctifies His people in the earth.

This is the work of the Lord among us. It is also marvelous to behold. It is not all people who respond to the working of God, but among those who do respond there are marvelous doings in their lives.

Israel had notable rebels and renegades among them. But they also saw mighty men of God with them too. It will be a remnant, the smallest number of the people who become sanctified to the Lord, but among them we will see that God has indeed hallowed them.

Is The Lord Our God?

Leviticus 19:37
Therefore shall ye observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: I am the LORD.

Throughout this chapter God repeats the declaration, "I am the Lord" and "I am the Lord your God." and throughout the chapter are commands to God's people such as,
• "be ye holy"
• print no mark on your body,
• use just weights,
• do not avenge
• nor bear a grudge.

Here is where the rubber meets the road; we will obey these commands if we accept that He is "the Lord our God."

The fact that our people, for instance, have almost completely taken on tattooing is evidence that the Lord is not our God. At on time even the unsaved saw the rebellion and wickedness of such an act. Soldiers, almost as an act of defiance against death would get them; but few else. Now it is so common I wonder if there will be any unmarked bodies in the next generation.

No. The Lord is not the God of America. It is time we confess it so that we might see God heal our land.

Not Like the Past Not Like the Future; Like the Lord

Leviticus 18:3
After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.

God instructs Israel that they are not to do as the Egyptians did, which they had just left or as the Canaanites do, whom they were about to approach.

The people of God are a unique people on the earth.

We are to forsake those things we have already learned in the world and ignore and avoid those things of the world that we will be exposed to in the future.

We have all been exposed to the worldly things.It is a fact of life on this planet. We must confess it and forsake it. Denying the truth of it serves no good purpose at all

But we must also be aware that new exposures will face us daily.
Being aware of that danger we will be better able to ignore and to avoid that exposure.


So what are we supposed to do if we do not conform to those things we have learned or fit into those things that are around us now?
We submit to and follow after those things God teaches in the Word of God.
We are to be a totally different sort of people, in the world but not of the world.

He Ever Liveth

Leviticus 16:20
And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:

An interesting thing on the Day of Atonement; The High Priest actually entered the Holy of Holies two times. First, the blood of the bullock was sprinkled to make an atonement for the High Priest and his household. Secondly the blood of the goat was sprinkled within the vail to make atonement for the holy place and the tabernacle and the altar.

All of these are typical of Christ.
• The High Priest was a type of Jesus Christ, the great High Priest.
• The Holy of Holies contained the mercy seat which is a type of Christ, the fulfillment of the Old Testament Law (contained in the Ark and covered with the mercy seat. The blood sprinkled upon it represents the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross.
• The tabernacle of the congregation represents man's access to God through Jesus Christ and
• The altar represents the means of that access, through the death of Christ.

Once the offerings were made, the priest received the live goat. He lay his hands upon that animal and confessed the sins of the people and the animal was set free, representing that our sins have been removed.

The live goat that was let free is the one that carries away the sin of the people. That goat was sent away, "by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness." It typified the absolute removal of sin, never to be remembered again.
Hebrews 10:17
And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

Psalms 103:12
As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

Micah 7:19
He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

Christ's death was meant to pacify God's holiness. His resurrection is what sets us free. As long as Christ is alive, we have proof our sins are forgiven.

And the Bible affirms He is alive.
Revelation 1:18
I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Hebrews 7:25
Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

A term similar to intercession and thus relevant here
1 John 2:1
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

• He ever liveth, to be my Advocate and to intercede in prayer before the Father for me.
• He ever liveth to hide myself in His righteousness

He ever liveth. And so long as He liveth my sins are carried from the presence of God; never to be an offense to Him again.

Silence!

Revelation 8:1
And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.

Silence half an hour.

An appropriate response to the Lord's presence is silence.
• When the heavens open, silence.
• When God manifested Himself, silence.
So much of what we see in the way of Christianity is loud and gaudy.

There are times when it is right to jump and leap and praise God. But it is also more than right to bow in utter stillness and silence.

Perhaps we have too much of the first and not enough of the second.

Salvation in Tribulation

Revelation 7:10
And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
There is in the great tribulation a major theme of salvation. Perhaps more souls will be saved in the time of the Tribulation than any other. Those who suffer and are saved are marked by the Lord and comforted in eternity. It is of those who are saved in great tribulation that the Bible says, "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."

We are so given to protect ourselves, to ensure that we never
• Hunger
• Thirst or
• Go exposed to the heatGod blesses and builds and comforts those who experience all of that.

I am so afraid of the religion today that stresses all about success, the
• Biggest
• Best
• Fastest and
• Friendliest

Do we even have a clue who the God of the Bible is?

May the Lord bless us with the strength to go through our own tribulations knowing that God will give us grace.

In This Be Content

Leviticus 10:20
And when Moses heard that, he was content.

Whether Aaron's explanation was of the Lord or not I am not sure.

I can see this as being humanly stressful to everyone. Two of Aaron's sons had died for offering the strange fire and Moses was commanded to have the survivors make an unusual response. They were not to uncover their heads or rend their clothes. They were not to express grief (though the rest of the congregation could.)

Moses here expresses displeasure with Aaron and Aaron returns with the reason for his actions. Moses became calm after that.

Sometimes our place is not to change a person but to express to them a wrong. Aaron may still have been in error. I think he was. But Moses had done what was his to do. From there he could be content.

I may not always get the response I would like from my ministry but being faithful in my ministry I may be content

Vials Full

Revelation 5:8
And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

Every one of them had vials full of odors which are the prayers of saints.

The timing of this is after the rapture and during the Tribulation.

The 24 are symbolic
I think, of all the believers. And they have the prayers of the saints as they worship God.

Prayer is a sweet savour.

They had everyone vials.
All of us should pray.

They had full vials.
Pray without ceasing.

They worshiped God with this prayer.
Could it be that God saves up our prayers and gives them back to us in eternity to represent our devotion to him in this life?

This Fire Always Burns

Leviticus 6:13
The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.

There is a positive and negative aspect to the verse.
First the fire shall ever be burning.
This fire was first set from heaven and then the priests were to see that this fire always had fuel, was always in the ready, was ever the heat and the source of the atonement of sin.

Secondly the fire could never go out.
• Regardless of times or seasons
• Regardless of the condition of Israel
• Regardless if they were on the move or had rested for a very long time
This fire was never to be extinguished.

The fire is a symbol and type of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ which, for the sake of the believer is always burning. Our sins are completely atoned and when we sin we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. For the sake of the lost the fire never goes out. Christ never stops seeking sinners. There is always an opportunity for another to be born again.

Laodicea

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

Jesus loves Laodicea. What grace is there. Almost no good thing is said of this church.
• There is no commendation.
• There is no exception.
• There appears to be no reason for the Lord to address this church and every reason for Him to reject it.

Yet the Word says He counsels her and loves her.

We quickly dismiss persons and entities out of our life as useless to our walk and way. We throw away people who are more trouble than they are worth.

I thank God that is not the case with Jesus Christ and me!

Sweet Savour

Leviticus 4:31
And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savour unto the LORD; and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him.
Scofield calls the offerings in this chapter the "non sweet savor" offerings because they deal with sin.
• First the priest
• Then those of the rulers
• Then the common people
A sweet savor offering is one that is given willingly and not as an atonement for sin. The other would be an offering given as atonement for sin and was compulsory.

Christ gave Himself willingly - that is a sweet savor. What He did for the souls of mankind is so kind, gracious and loving that we really can't begin to comprehend it. But when Christ gave Himself for our sins, even the Father turned His back as He bore that sin. It was not a sweet savor.

Now a miracle happens in verse 31; the non sweet savor becomes a sweet savor.
It was necessary that Christ die for our sins or we could never be saved. It was compulsory to Christ's doing the will of His Father. It was gruesome and vicious. Men reviled the Son of God. The mock trials, the scourgings, the hammer and nails, the vinegar and gall, the spear pierced into His side. Non of this is a sweet savor.
But in the midst of this horror the sweetest of all things took place.
• Christ prayed for the forgiveness of those who were slaying Him
• Christ cared for His mother by committing her to John and
• Christ promised the thief "this day thou shalt be with me in paradise."
And when Christ rose from the grave after three days: that was the proof that God saw His sacrifice as an offering of sweet savor.

Nothing is more a manifestation of God than His ability to take what men meant for evil and turn it for good. All of us have things happen that we wonder how this could ever have benefit and value. Our only recourse in those times is to simply trust the Lord. He will turn even that into an odor of sweet savor.

No Honey

Leviticus 2:11
No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the LORD made by fire.
The sacrificial meat offering was never to have leaven or honey but was always the have salt.

The purpose of sacrifice is to picture Jesus in whom is no sin, and therefore no leaven.

There was no mercy shown to Christ and therefore no honey.

Salt was of great value. It was used
• As a preservative
• As an enhancement of flavor and
• As a cleansing agent.Salt burns in the wounds. Even so Christ suffered without mercy or relief. When he thirsted He was given vinegar and gall, nothing to quench His need. His wounds were the worst kind and His sacrifice was the most valuable ever made.

• Its effect is to cleanse away our sin and preserve us forever and
• Its result is a sacrifice well pleasing unto God the Father.

Preserved

Jude 1:1
Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:

Preserved....another verse on assurance. Perseverance of the saints should be the preservation of the saints. I have come to question whether we should press the subject of assurance. As one told me just this morning, "If God has not given them assurance they are saved, if the Holy Spirit does not witness with their spirit that they are the child of God, why should we presume to do it?" I am in complete agreement with that.

On the other hand, the Word of God is replete with passages teaching the doctrine of eternal security, or the preservation of the saint. The one who is truly born again is secure in that salvation. It can never be removed from him. He is "preserved in Jesus Christ."

Add this verse with others such as
John 10:28-29
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

Romans 8:38-39
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Timothy 1:12
For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Philippians 1:6
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

And we get the definitive Bible doctrine of eternal security of the saint.

At Least One

3 John 1:3
For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.

"I rejoiced greatly."

A tragic thing has happened in the church John writes to. Diotrophes has so usurped authority that he refuses to give even the apostle a place of ministry in the church (not to mention some other brethren as well.)

Still worse is that it appears the church has, for the most part, gone along. They have followed along with Diotrophes. They have lost their respect for those who have laid the foundation for their faith.

Scofield says this marks the end of the primitive church. Declension is now permanent. Never again will the church be seen in such simplicity.

While Scofield's perspective is Protestant and therefore fails to take into account the already existent Ana Baptist churches, I think I sense the pain that John must have endured. John did not ignore the difficulty and said he would confront it. Diotrophes would be rebuked.

But the key to this book is that John did not allow this end of an era to rob his joy. There was Gaius. And John rejoiced greatly in his testimony. There is always at least one for whom we can give thanks that he has stayed true to the truths he was originally taught.

A Personal Walk

2 John 1:6
And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
Scofield suggests that 2 John give the essentials of the personal walk with Christ. It appears to me that those essentials as found in the first six verses are:
• Walking in the truth, which is the Word of God.
• Walking in love which is given us of the Holy Spirit and
• Walking in His commandments which would be the two great commandments first of all.All of this would be predicated first of all upon a personal belief and faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God.

We'll Stay Here

Exodus 33:15-16
And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.
For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.

Moses asked for God's presence and then asked if they did not have God's presence then to let them stay where they were. They were at Sinai.
• They were at that place they had stayed one year.
• They were at that place where God had given them His Word (God called it His testimony).
The best thing we can do when we do not know God will go with us is to stay put! God does move and God moves us. But if we do not have His presence going with us, it is best not to go at all.

Apologies for the lateness of these blogs. We have been out for a week of camping with several families of our church. While I walked with the Lord each day, I was not able to record them here until tonight.

Patience

Psalms 37:7
Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

Andrew Murray says that impatience is not really an impatience with ourselves or with others but that all impatience is really an impatience with God. Impatience reveals that we do not truly trust the Lord.

Patient waiting on the Lord is a key to rest and inheritance in the Land God has for us. Patience is resting in God. Patience is trusting that God is all powerful, alive and at work in our world. We fail to see the importance of Philippians for, "be careful for nothing" but it can be true of us if and only if we trust the Lord and wait patiently on Him.

At The Door

Exodus 29:42
This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee.
Stand at the door where God meets with you to speak to you.

I see first of all that Christ is that door where God meets with us to speak with us. If it were not for the work of Christ we would have no access to the Father. Through Christ we have
• A way,
• A mediator
• Reconciliation and
• A door.
No man cometh unto the Father but by Him.

We Have An Advocate

1 John 2:1
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

We have an advocate with the Father.

• I am to study the Word of God for he says these are written that I sin not. But if I sin still, I have an advocate.
• I am to walk in the light as He is in the light, but if I fail, I have an advocate.
• I am to confess my sins and when I do He is faithful and just to forgive my sins. But when I do not confess a sin, I have an advocate.
• I am to keep His commandments but whe I don't keep His commandments, I have an advocate.

And not just any advocate but Jesus Christ the righteous..

God Is Light

1 John 1:5
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
There are five "ifs" in this text, one for each verse and all predicated on verse 5. God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. Because of that

First, if we say we have fellowship with God but walk in darkness we lie.
It appears that the sin is not the darkness as much as saying we have fellowship with God while we are walking in darkness.

Second, if we walk in the light as He is in the light we have fellowship one with another.
The condition is "as He is in the light" and the reward is fellowship. I take it from the context that is with God.

Third, if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves.
Saying we have no sin is walking in darkness. It is ignoring the truth about ourselves. Walking in light is being honest with ourselves.

Fourth, if we confess our sins He is faithful and just.
Honesty before our own selves AND before the Lord.

Fifth, if we say we have not sinned we make Him a liar.
We have progressed to the point that we are imputing the darkness to God. The word is not in us because the Word plainly tells us we have sinned

The Smallest Sin

Exodus 23:11
But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.

Hindsight gives this passage meaning extraordinaire because we know that breaking this simple and seemingly trivial commandment caused Israel to spend 70 years in Babylon.

See God's compassion:
• For the land, to give it rest.
• For the poor to provide their needs and
• For the plant life that it is well nourished.

Failure to take into account the great compassion of God may be one of our most oft committed and most offensive of sins. May God help us to see it so and reach out in compassion for souls and in care for His creation.

He Knows

2 Peter 2:9
The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.

What confidence we may have in these words:
First, the Lord knoweth.Just knowing that He knows is of great assurance in difficult times. To know that God knows comforts and encourages.

Second the Lord knows how to.
You name it, the Lord knows how to perfrom it. There is nothing too hard for God.

Third the Lord knows how to deliver.
Count this as salvation. He knows how to save anybody in any stage of life.

Fourth, the Lord knows how to deliver the saved out of temptations.That besetting sin or that constant oppressor is know match for the Lord.

Finally the Lord knows how to deal with the unjust.
We need not fret over fairness. God will deal.

To Meet With God

Exodus 19:17
And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.

What an awful picture of the services in the Lord's house.

The meeting was called of God but implemented by Moses.

The people left the camp; their homes and neighborhoods to gather in a place appointed by God

The people assembled in this place with one purpose: to meet with God.

Before the day was through God had given them the Ten Commandments, the most powerful document in the history of mankind.

Heavy Hands

Exodus 17:12
But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

There are a few things about this passage that are striking to me this morning.

First, the attack of Amalek takes place very early on the Jewish journey.
Egypt is hardly cold in the sea before Amalek hits. Very often those that attack the faith do it early on.

Second, Israel had just finished chiding Moses and tempting God about the lack of water.
The grace of God that he would fight for them here is wonderful. How often we have tempted God ourselves and He has fought for us despite it.

Third, Moses' hands got heavy.
God so worked that the lives of Israel depended upon the very man Israel had just chided.
But Moses was only a man. As much as he may have longed to save the people, and as simple as his part was - just lifting up his hands, he was weak to do it alone.

An Habitation for Him

Exodus 15:2
The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.

Here is Moses and six million Jews. They have just escaped Egypt. They have just witnessed God's destruction of the Egyptian army and they are facing a wilderness. It is possible that they spoke of the day they would reach their Promised Land but it is certain that God did not need them nearly as much as they needed God.

So preparing an habitation for God was not for the sake of God - it was for their own sake. They needed that their God would dwell among them.

This is not speaking of the Tabernacle because Moses did not receive the commandment to construct it for some time.

The is not speaking of any sort of structure because Israel was about to wander through the wilderness.

I doubt that it spoke of a Temple in the Promised Land because that wasn't built for four hundred years after this.

I believe it speaks of a habitation of the heart. We need God. And we need Him near by. Even having Him constantly at the church house is not sufficient. We can't be there every moment of every day. And we need God that much. We need God so desperately that we need Him with us at all times. There is only one way to ensure that: we have to prepare Him an habitation within us.

Lord, make it so.

Troubled

Exodus 14:24
And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians,

The pillar of fire and of cloud troubled the host of the Egyptians.

Here is a plain example of what happens to those whose hearts are hardened to the things of God.

The hand of God had been heavy upon Egypt as long as Moses had been there. Plague after plague had hit the land, leaving Israel unscathed. Still Egypt hardened their hearts. Over and again they were warned. Over and again they were given opportunity to make things right.

Once chasing Israel they were separated by the pillar but did not see in this hindrance their opportunity to repent.

Into the Red Sea they drive, blindly pursuing Israel to their own hurt. There, in the midst of the sea, as God this last time troubles them they come to cry out that God fought for Israel. Would to God they had learned that generations earlier! But now it was too late. Now it cost the live of them all.

But though the text does not declare it the Word as a whole tells us that even this is not the end if the story. This was only the death of the body. And as violent as it was, it does not compare to the fact that there souls are in hell today awaiting the Great White Throne and the Lake of Fire.

God open the eyes of those so many souls who press themselves into hell roughly ignoring every warning and measure of Your grace on their behalf. Cause them to see and grant them true conversion.

Day and Night

Exodus 12:22
And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.

He took not away the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night from before the people.

The children of Israel were in such a way! They had just been thrust out of Egypt (yet God had given them favor among the Egyptians). They are now vagabonds, wandering through a wilderness carrying with them the 430 year old bones of the one who had opened their way into Egypt. All they have are those things they had borrowed from their oppressors. The Bible says they went "harnessed" from Egypt.

But God was with them. God was with them in a manifest way and God was with them in a continual way. Later Moses would beg God not to sent him any further except that God go with them. And he would know. That Pillar made it clear as to God's presence.

How we need a day and night presence of God in our lives.

In Christ

1 Peter 1:21
Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

We come to believe in God through Jesus Christ.

In Christ we see God for He is the express image of God. Any vision of God that is not consistent with Jesus Christ is an image of a false God. Christ is God so that we may know Him. The world's religions, even Judaism cast a god in their minds that is not true. Christ alone gives us a true image of God.

In Christ we have access to God. To attempt to reach God by any other means is to attempt to breach the walls of glory and is an offense to God much more than not reaching Him, that means rejects Him that much further.

It is in the resurrection of and then the glorifying of Christ we receive faith and hope in God. Look well to these events. Study them carefully. They are true faith and hope.

Miseries We May Not See

James 5:1
Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.

Speaks of the miseries of the rich.

We sometimes think some people have it all and we have nothing but heartache.

What we often do not see is those who have the things we wished we had, most often also have miseries we never imagined.

Teach us Lord to be content with such things as you allow us to have in our lives.

Two For One

James 4:7-9
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you.

This is a "two for one" truth.
With each step we take toward God He takes a step toward us. As we draw nigh to God through submission to Him and through the cleansing of our hands (changing our activities) and purifying our hearts (renewing our thoughts and affections) we are in turn resisting the devil.

The way therefore to both draw nigh to God and to resist the devil (after we have been born again) is to purposely put our hands to good work and put in our minds on the right things.
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Believing Unbelief

Exodus 4:31
And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.

The people
• heard Aaron's words
• saw Moses' miracles
• believed and
• worshipped

But I have read a little farther ahead in the story. It is a weak and shallow faith that does not sustain them well. Just one chapter later, when the way gets tougher, not better the officers of the children of Israel say to Moses and Aaron
Exodus 5:21
.... The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.

God will put them through a series of tests that harden their faith, revealing that many of them did not believe even when they reached Kadesh Barnea.
Hebrews 3:18-19
And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?
So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

It becomes us then to examine our own faith.
• Are we merely excited about exciting things or are we believers in fact?
• Is our worship given to the true and the living God, or are we worshipping what we hope to receive from Him and not the very God Himself?
• Are we guilty of preaching a God of "good things" instead of a God who is good despite the things around us?

In the process of time

Exodus 2:23-25
And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.
"In the process of time"
Things grew worseJoseph died, the Pharaoh's also died and were replaced Joseph was forgotten. The Pharaoh's became increasingly oppressive to the Jews. Why the Jews did not leave sometime around the death of Joseph, I do not know. Perhaps they had grown comfortable where they were. But comfort, especially when it is outside of the place God has for you, is seldom long lasting.

Israel criedCrying is never our first choice but it is often the only way we will grow in our walk with the Lord. If our cries come up to God then thank God for those tears.

God remembered and had respect.Waiting on the Lord is never a fruitless work. While the whole of waiting implies that God's answers do not come in our time, God does have a perfect will and is at work among us.

"In the process of time"God will hear
God will remember
God will have respect and
God will answer

The Troop Shall Overcome

Genesis 49:1-2
And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.
Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.
Genesis 49:19
Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.

When Leah gave birth to this baby she exclaimed " A troop cometh" and called his name Gad. The name means "troop" or "crowd" and this prophecy become a play on that name. Mom meant the name as and expression of her praise to God for giving her this boy. Dad now sees the name as a portrait of the history and ultimate outcome of the tribe of peoples who will come from him.

Gad becomes a figure of what was and will be true of all of Israel and is also true of the saints of God today. Truly the people of God, whether Jews or Christians, have found themselves to be strangers and pilgrims in this world: and as such we have also been called to be soldiers for the cause of the Lord. As with any battle hardened people we experience both tides of conquering and being conquered. History has shown that to be the case with true believers. They have experienced success in reaching souls but they have also experienced terrible oppression and persecution. There have been times when those who have followed Christ were driven back so deeply that they are barely visible in the pages of history, but they have risen again to accomplish great things in the name of the Lord.

Jacob's prophecy is that the "troop" will overcome at the last. God's Word gives us the promise of ultimate victory over our enemies; the world, the flesh and the devil.

The Old Man's Still Got It

Genesis 48:14 KJV
And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.

I came today to call this portion of Jacob's life, "The Old Man's Still Got It."

Though Jacob was an old man and Joseph was the second in command in Egypt, under Pharaoh, when Jacob enters the land the key figure is not Joseph or even Pharaoh. The key figure is Jacob. Consider;

Jacob blesses PharaohGenesis 47:10

Hebrews 7:7 says
And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.

So we can't argue this. It is the Word of God, the less is always blessed of the better. The better between Pharaoh and Jacob is Jacob.

Jacob claims Joseph's two sons as his own
Genesis 48:5

Jacob gave him leave to keep any children that came after the first two, but they were Jacob's. Their heritage would lay with the heritage of Jacob's sons and not of Joseph.

I see in this and the next point the importance of the extended family. We don't develop that enough in our country's culture. We need to get back to families remaining close and to the grandfather having influence not just gift giving privileges.

Jacob guided his own hands "wittingly," giving the greater blessing to the youngerGenesis 48:14

Jacob knew exactly what he was doing. He was old, he was blind and he was displaced from the land God had given him but he was still the patriarch of the family. Joseph was second in command under Pharaoh, but Pharaoh came in somewhere under Jacob.

• Joseph orchestrated things so the older would receive the better blessing
• Joseph was displeased with the placing of Jacob's hands and said so but
• Jacob was still the man of God at that hour and would not be deterred from what he believed to be the will of God.
Sure enough, he was an old man, but he still had it!

This One Cannot Be Moved

Hebrews 12:28 KJV
Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

A kingdom which cannot be moved.... One that is not shaken. One that is not corrupted by the sin of men. One that has no violence either because of criminal elements of because of God's discipline.

God has shaken this earth many a times.
• He shook the Mount Sinai
• He shook the Philippian jail
• He shook the place where the saints prayed
• He has shaken some things to let His people go
• He has shaken some things to dispatch the ungodly of their lives
• He has shaken other things to confirm His answer to His children

But there is coming a day when no shaking will be necessary.
• There will be no need to judge the lost for there will be no lost to to judge.
• There will be no need to confirm the presence of God in the saints for they will be in His eternal presence.
• What a kingdom we have received.
• What a hope we have inherited.
• What a God we serve.