A Place of Rest

Hebrews 4:1-12 NASB

CHAPTER 4

God’s promise was that He was bringing them to a place of rest. A place where He would give them victory over their enemies, a place where His people would live for Him and bring glory to His name. He delivered them, but even once He got the next generation into Canaan [He is committed to His plan], they didn’t live for Him.

That’s after they entered Canaan, but right now, let’s stay focused on this part of the journey. He delivered them out of Egyptian slavery, but they didn’t unite it with faith for victory over the giants, but there were a couple other problems that they had: 1) they really didn’t like the way that God was doing things (manna/Bible), they wanted what they wanted, and 2) they still had a love for the place they had left [Egypt] and they really wanted to go back. They didn’t love the chains and shackles and the gathering straw and making bricks, but it if they could have what they wanted: melons, onions, garlics and leeks they could maybe bear the burden of the chains. God’s plan was something altogether different: for them to hate where He saved them from and believe Him that what He had was really better for them. Because the whole time for them and the whole time for us, He is working on something bigger than we can see, and we’re so focused on our own plans and desires that if we’re not careful, we will neglect His plans and desires, which is to give birth to this man child named Jesus!!

John 12:25

He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

Galatians 1:4

Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

1 Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. 3 For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said,

“AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST,”

although His works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: “AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS”; 5 and again in this passage, “THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.” 6 Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news  preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience, 7 He again fixes a certain day, “Today,” saying through David [Psalm 95] after so long a time just as has been said before,

“TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS.”

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. 9 So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. 10 For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. 11 Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

And this is the ongoing saga. Man’s will vs God’s will. What I want vs what He wants. His word vs what my natural mind perceives and what my opinions want to believe:

Quote/talk about it

1 Corinthians 2:12-14

12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

7 Sabbaths a repeated promise of a finished work. A horn that blows on the Day of Atonement, the very day that the blood of the Lamb was sprinkled on the mercy seat. I’m not trying to just give you a bunch of Bible info here. I’m trying to make you understand that God has provided a way of victory for you, so that you can have an opportunity to serve Him and bring Him glory. He did not do what He did, so that you could serve yourself and live for your own personal carnal desires. 8 ‘You are also to count off seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years, so that you have the time of the seven sabbaths of years, namely, forty-nine years. 9 You shall then sound a ram’s horn abroad on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the day of atonement you shall sound a horn all through your land. 10 You shall thus consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim a release through the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family. 11 You shall have the fiftieth year as a jubilee; you shall not sow, nor reap its aftergrowth, nor gather in from its untrimmed vines. 12 For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you. You shall eat its crops out of the field. 13 ‘On this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his own property.

In both the Sabbath, the Jubilee and tithing, there is not only faith and complete trust that God can provide, but there is a dying to self and self will, dying to what self wants, what’s best for self and a submission to God’s will.

Exodus 21:1-5 NASB

CHAPTER 21

Ordinances for the People

1 “Now these are the ordinances which you are to set before them: 2 “If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall go out as a free man without payment. 3 If he comes alone, he shall go out alone; if he is the husband of a wife, then his wife shall go out with him. 4 If his master gives him a wife, and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall belong to her master, and he shall go out alone. 5 But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,’

Exodus 21:6

then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently.

True submission to God says that I will not live my life according to my own will and my own desires. My Master Jesus purchased me with His own blood. I am His property. What I have actually belongs to Him. My time, my money, my family, my desires, my plans…

Lord, you have been too good to me, I cannot leave. In the words of Peter:

John 6:67-69

67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” 68 Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. 69 We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”

1 Peter 2:1-12

A Living Stone and a Holy People

1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk [of the word] that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” 7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8 and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.”

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

Jesus, Your Jubilee

Hebrews 4:1-12 NASB

CHAPTER 4

The Believer’s Rest

1 Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. 3 For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said,

“AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH,

THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST,”

although His works were finished from the foundation of the world.

God did the work of creation and then rested

Jesus, did the work of the new creation and then sat down

4 For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: “AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS”; 5 and again in this passage, “THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.” 6 Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news  preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience, 7 He again fixes a certain day, “Today,” saying through David [Psalm 95] after so long a time just as has been said before,

“TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE,

DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS.”

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. 9 So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. 10 For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested  from his works, as God did from His. 11 Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

There is a release in the rest of God, a liberty that comes from faith in the work of God!

Psalms 122:1

PSALM 122

Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem.

A SONG OF ASCENTS, OF DAVID.

I was glad when they said to me,

“Let us go to the house of the LORD.”

Leviticus 25:1-13

CHAPTER 25

The Sabbatic Year and Year of Jubilee

1 The LORD then spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you come into the land which I shall give you, then the land shall have a sabbath to the LORD. 3 Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its crop, 4 but during the seventh year the land shall have a sabbath rest, a sabbath to the LORD; you shall not sow your field nor prune your vineyard. 5 Your harvest’s aftergrowth you shall not reap, and your grapes of untrimmed vines you shall not gather; the land shall have a sabbatical year. 6 All of you shall have the sabbath products of the land for food; yourself, and your male and female slaves, and your hired man and your foreign resident, those who live as aliens with you. 7 Even your cattle and the animals that are in your land shall have all its crops to eat. He is saying, “Trust Me! I will take care of you!”

8 ‘You are also to count off seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years, so that you have the time of the seven sabbaths of years, namely, forty-nine years. 9 You shall then sound a ram’s horn abroad on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the day of atonement you shall sound a horn all through your land. 10 You shall thus consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim a release through the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family. 11 You shall have the fiftieth year as a jubilee; you shall not sow, nor reap its aftergrowth, nor gather in from its untrimmed vines. 12 For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you. You shall eat its crops out of the field. 13 ‘On this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his own property.

A return home. Have you ever been on a long trip away from home, and you were just ready to get back home? Have you ever been away from the Lord spiritually for some length of time, during which you felt far away and couldn’t get back home, and then the Lord came for you and rescued you and brought you home? It was in those moments that we were excited to hear them say:

Psalms 122:1

I was glad when they said to me,

“Let us go to the house of the LORD.”

We should find rest in the house of the Lord because the presence of rest is in the house of the Lord! His name is Jesus. And He has come to give us rest. If church is a chore, something is wrong. Something is either wrong with your church, or something is wrong with your heart. If someone thinks it’s their church, they should find a place where church isn’t a chore, a place where they can worship and serve the Lord, because the people of God are supposed to want to be in the house of the Lord!

What happens many times is that people are in a condition of spiritual slavery and they bring that with them to church. They think it’s the church, but it’s really their spiritual condition. In this spiritual condition, they carry around with them a spirit of division. Division breeds confusion. God is not the author of confusion or chaos. God’s presence brings unity. God reconciles, brings unity and releases from spiritual bondage. You are supposed to be in the house of God. God’s people are not intended to live separate from one another. We are spiritual, lively stones being built up to be a house of praise. [brick illustration]. Some people will even say to themselves, “I just want to go to church somewhere where no one knows me and I can stay to myself.” That’s not how the body of Christ is supposed to function. Does it matter to us that it is God’s will for us to love one another?

1 John 2:9-11

9 The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. 10 The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

25:8-13

Every seventh sabbatical year (i.e., every 49th year) was to be followed by a Year of Jubilee (yoveil, perhaps originally meaning “ram” or “ram’s horn,” taken from the horn blown to announce the year, but the LXX took it to mean “release”) which (though apparently begun on the first day of the seventh month) was officially announced by a trumpet blast on the 10th day (i.e., the Day of Atonement,

When you receive a spiritual jubilee, you get to go back home into the loving arms of the Father. You can feel again His presence and His love. Communion through the Day of Atonement— the blood of Jesus restores us into the presence of God.

Interesting, bad decisions whether morally or financially resulted in the loss of property and family. Isn’t this true today in reference to moral decisions that we make towards sin. When we transgress God and His ways, it opens the door to the power of sin and allows the intrusion of Satan’s power into our lives?

I just need to say this right now—Satan has no power over you! If you are a true believer tonight, you have been purchased by the blood of Jesus. The “old man” you used to be, died with Jesus, was buried with Jesus, and a “new man” has been raised to a new life in Christ!

There has been a Jubilee proclaimed over your life. The Lord has announced a release!

The motto for the year was to proclaim liberty (i.e., release) throughout the land with the primary purpose of getting family property and the family back together again (vv. 10, 13). This meant that all property (except in walled cities, cf. vv. 29-30) was to be restored to its original owners (i.e., tenants, cf. v. 23), and all Hebrew slaves were to be released to return to their family property. Also, as during the preceding sabbatical year, the land was to enjoy a second straight year of rest (vv. 11-12; cf. vv. 4-7)

25:18-22.

God’s blessing in the land was promised for obedience to His laws, both freedom from want and freedom from war (v. 19; cf. 26:3-13; Deut. 28:1-14). This was particularly applied to the obvious fear an Israelite would have in the face of two successive years of neither planting nor harvesting his crops (Lev. 25:20). God promised an abundant harvest in the sixth year, sufficient to carry over until the harvest of the ninth year comes in

This would require faith…

Can we believe God by faith to take care of you? Or do we have to practice business like the world? Do we have to sue people?

Do we have to lie on our taxes to get ahead?

Do we have to get vengeance against people that have done us wrong?

Do we read the words of Jesus?

Jeremiah 29:10-14 NASB

10 “For thus says the LORD, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and  I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven  you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’

There is a principle here that is alive and ongoing. God is a promise keeper. He has good plans and thoughts towards His people. He is a God of restoration. It’s His people that repeatedly, through the years venture outside of His will and go their own way in an attempt to fulfill the desires of their own hearts, but in so doing, they forget who is sovereign, they forget who is God and who is man. They attempt to take matters into their own hands, and when they do that, they take their matters out of the hands of God, and it’s these decisions that result in the loss of blessings that result in the times of bondage and lack of freedom.

2 Chronicles 36:20-21 NASB

20 Those who had escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, 21 to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths. All the days of its desolation it kept sabbath until seventy years were complete.

What we see here is the fact that the Babylonian captivity was more about God’s people not respecting His land than it was their spiritual adultery with false gods. Please don’t misunderstand what I’m saying… God is not okay with us living in the world and living like the world. God’s purpose for His people is that they would live a separated life towards Him. This exalts Him and allows the world around US to know that He is real. It brings glory to His name and gives the lost an opportunity to know the truth and also be saved.

Lying, lying on our taxes, not giving God His tithes and offerings. Cussing around others who cuss. Drinking around others who drink. When in Rome, do what the Romans do. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. No, those are lies! Its just an overall disregard for the things of God and living life in such a way that God and His word is not preeminent or the most important thing.

We can agree to disagree that tithing in the New Testament is not biblical. Some people are convinced of that and that is their position. That is not my position and that is not what I believe the word of God says. Abraham paid the first tithe to Melchizedek before the nation of Israel ever existed, before there ever was a law, Abraham was given a problem that His seed, Jesus would be a blessing to all nations, and when Abraham was blessed by Melchizedek the king of peace, king of righteousness, he paid a tithe to him. Levi, the father of the Levitical priesthood paid tithes to Melchizedek when he was in the loins of his grandfather Abraham. Take some time with that and get back with me.

The reason that I took a little time with tithing is  because it’s similar to the Jubilee

We can disagree that it’s not New Testament, and if that’s your position, I will never convince you otherwise, but don’t tell me that it’s because you can’t afford it, because that’s like Israel not letting the land rest.

Going back to the cause of the captivity being a result of not resting the land.

Leviticus 25:23

The Law of Redemption

‘The land, moreover, shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are but aliens and sojourners with Me.

God had a reminder towards Israel that the land was not theirs, their belongings were not theirs, their lives were not theirs. All that they were and all that they had belonged to God. God reminded them that they were strangers with Him in the land. Isn’t that an amazing thought?

Q: What do you think that He meant by that? That He was an alien on the very earth that He had created? What does that mean?

A: humanity in Adam delivering his authority over this domain to Satan and that God works within the free will of man.

That is really what I wanted to focus on is the Jubilee and the freedom of the people and their “property”…

Exodus 21:1-5 NASB

CHAPTER 21

Ordinances for the People

1 “Now these are the ordinances which you are to set before them:

2 “If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall go out as a free man without payment. 3 If he comes alone, he shall go out alone; if he is the husband of a wife, then his wife shall go out with him. 4 If his master gives him a wife, and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall belong to her master, and he shall go out alone. 5 But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,’

Exodus 21:6

then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently.

True submission to God says that I will not live my life according to my own will and my own desires. My Master Jesus purchased me with His own blood. I am His property. What I have actually belongs to Him. My time, my money, my family, my desires, my plans…

Lord, you have been too good to me, I cannot leave. In the words of Peter:

John 6:67-69

67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” 68 Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. 69 We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”

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.