EMMANUEL MINISTRIES
902 So. 11TH AVE YAKIMA, WA. 98902
APRIL 2005 (509)-453-9623 fretwell@aol.com
TILL I MAKE….. THY FOOTSTOOL
Last night I was musing about the terrible struggles our early Church fathers endured while trying to formulate Church Doctrine about the relationship Jesus had to His Father.
There were two or three main teachings that were in conflict, and the Emperor Constantine wanted, desperately, to bring about a consensus of doctrine, so the Church could progress in the work of evangelism. The infighting over doctrine was producing nothing but chaos and turmoil. The various Bishops were resorting to physical assaults and property damage on each other when their views of the Godhead were opposed. Character assassinations were more normal than abnormal.
Constantine died before he could solidify Church Doctrine. The infighting seemed to get worse with each effort he made. The Bishops were fighting carnally, trying to solve a Spiritual problem. It didn’t work then—it will not work now. It was only after three or four more emperors had tried and failed, and NEARLY EIGHT decades’ worth of water had gone under the bridge, and a major Church split had occurred, that even a semblance of unified teaching was found. AND IT STILL WAS NOT CORRECT. It had been formulated by the minds of men rather than by the Spirit of God.
Suddenly, “out of the blue”, came a verse of scripture I had not thought of for months:
Psa 110:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
There are several places in scripture where David’s writing is reiterated, and it always seems to be pointing to Jesus Christ. I’ll print them out for you here.
Mat 22:44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?
Mar 12:36 For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, the LORD said to my LORD, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.
Luk 20:41 And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David's son?
Luk 20:42 And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
Luk 20:43 Till I make thine enemies thy footstool.
Luk 20:44 David therefore calleth him Lord, how is he then his son?
Heb 1:13 But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?
Heb 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God;
Heb 10:13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
Before I was finished with my musings, I had digressed from the original subject entirely, and was ready to argue the point of who is going to get the job of evangelization done.
Most Evangelists, and many Pastors, seem to leave us with the impression that “we, the people” will accomplish the task with our tithes and offerings and witnessing to our neighbors and friends. They tell us that our method needs to be “fine tuned”.
There can be no doubt in our minds about whether the world will be turned to Jesus Christ before our earth is “folded up” or replaced by another one. That fact is well established by the scriptures (with due apologies to Hal Lindsey, Ervin Baxter and others). We can fully expect that nearly one whole generation, along with a good share of another generation, will turn to the Lord through Jesus Christ before the final curtain falls on this age.
It is “in the Book” if you will look for it. You will first have to discard some of the former teachings about the future course of events, or you will never be able to clearly see what the Word of God is trying to tell us.
The Bible tells us (James 3:16) “But where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.”
Church history witnesses to a constant strife between factions endeavoring to promote the doctrinal system which they favored, and also the church political system which seemed more correct in their eyes. It qualifies to be classified in the “Strife” section. There was little or no lasting Good produced during those sessions of turmoil.
It is little wonder that a great abundance of incorrect teaching should evolve from such a condition within the Church when so much confusion, envying and strife prevailed. How could Humanity expect to be receiving Revelations of the Spirit of God when they were indulging their carnal natures to such an extent as they were? Impossible then, impossible now. We need to repent
But “Who, How, and When” must be dealt with before we can get a clear picture of the situation at hand.
First “Who?” must be answered. I think most of us will agree that it is Almighty God who is making the assertion about His right hand, and Jesus Christ’s enemies being made His Footstool.
Does Jesus have enemies? If so, who are they? “Yes, Virginia, Jesus has enemies, and they are getting desperate as we approach the closing of this age.
If Jesus is to be crowned the Victor, what will happen to the “hero” they worship and pay homage to? They know, and they don’t like it… not at all. The fanatical spirit they are following shows them all kinds of ways to cause havoc and terror.
Their “guiding spirit” is in panic mode… fighting for its life.
I think we will all agree that these false religions, all of them, are following, and being driven by, a wicked spirit that HATES our God with a passion
Our God is quietly going about His business of convicting, convincing and saving great hordes of people in different parts of the earth… every minute, every hour and every day.
The Church is growing by leaps and bounds in spite of all they can do to hinder it. Also, in spite of the prevalent teachings that the Church will become so terribly decimated by demonic forces that it will have to be snatched away from planet earth to prevent it from being completely annihilated by evil forces.
The “footstool” is being prepared by the LIVING GOD for HIS SON, JESUS CHRIST.
Mankind can only hope to have a part in the process as we lay down our carnal ways of doing things, and learn how to follow the guidelines of His Spirit. The programs and schemes of Man will do nothing more than get in the way of what God is (is) doing, and have to shoved out of the way by the Spirit of God.
Strife produces NOTHING GOOD. Likewise, ENVYING DOES NOTHING that is Spiritually constructive. Confusion and evil works are the ONLY things produced by our carnally motivated efforts.
The only productive activity on our part is that which stems from, and is in harmony with, the Spirit of God. There are definite guidelines for Spiritual endeavor, and they must be followed if there is to be any hope for success.
“If any man strive for the masteries, yet is he not crowned except he strive lawfully.” (2Ti 2:5)
Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. (Zec 4:6) “I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH.”
Hab 1:5 Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvelously: FOR I WILL WORK A WORK IN YOUR DAYS, WHICH YE WILL NOT BELIEVE, THOUGH IT BE TOLD YOU.
Isa 29:14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.
Isa 44:3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:
Isa 44:4 And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses.
Zec 12:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. (THE CHURCH)
Zec 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
Isa 4:4 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.
God is well able to accomplish whatever will be necessary when the time is ripe for His Plan to be fulfilled.
That plan calls for a world-wide awakening to Jesus Christ, which will affect the greater portions of two generations of humanity. An extremely high ratio of people will hear and respond to the Spirit of God when He calls to them.
The Bible tells us that the Lord will SEND REAPERS TO REAP A HARVEST at the proper time. We can “go to the bank” with that.
Rev 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
Rev 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
Joh 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
Rom 15:12 And again, Isaiah saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.
Psa 72:11 Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.
Isa 2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
Isa 49:6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
I WILL
EMMANUEL MINISTRIES
902 So. 11TH AVE YAKIMA, WA. 98902
MAY 2005 (509)-453-9623 fretwell@aol.com
I WILL…
Eze 36:22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. 36:23 And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. 36:24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. 36:28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. 36:29 I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. 36:30 And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen.
Please take note that there are no “If’s” or “Maybe’s” in the above passage I have quoted. There are no conditions or qualifications to be met by the people involved. “It’s gonna happen.”
We have it to “look forward to”.
It will be “All of God, and none of us”.
A similar scripture is found in Jer 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 31:32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they broke, although I was a husband unto them, saith the LORD: 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Note again that there seems to be NO REQUIREMENTS laid on the people. God will do it Himself, asking no odds of anybody.
Think about it. Pleasing God will be as natural as breathing. No more struggling with flesh, to bring it into line with the Word of God. No more of the fleshly desires that hinder our progress toward the ways of God.
Why would God do that for fallen humanity?
ISN’T THERE SOMETHING that humans have to do to help make this possible?
God NEEDS NO HELP from any of us. We have caused nothing but chaos thus far in trying to eliminate the human characteristics from our friends and neighbors. Made messes. Worked havoc.
We have NO CAPABILITIES whatsoever when it comes to implanting the NATURE OF GOD into the lives of other people. ONLY GOD CAN DO THAT!
The best we have been able to do thus far is to lay condemnation on our friends and neighbors for what they/we are NOT DOING. That was the purpose of the Mosaic Covenant. In 1500 years, it taught us that humans are incapable of measuring up to the LAW OF GOD’S NATURE. Ours is a nature of REBELLION TOWARD GOD.
But, REST ASSURED that God has a reason for what He says He WILL DO for humanity.
About 4000 years ago there was a man named Abram who found Grace in the sight of the Lord because he believed and acted upon what God said to him.
God, after 42 years of testing Abram, was satisfied with what he saw (Faith in what God said), and He made a COVENANT
OF PROMISE with the man Abram.
IT WAS A UNILATERAL COVENANT OF PROMISE.
Gen 22:15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 22:16 And said, BY MYSELF have I SWORN, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 22:17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 22:18 And IN THY SEED shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
The SEED spoken of here is JESUS CHRIST. See Gal 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
When Jesus ministered on earth, He CONFIRMED THE COVENANT with the Jewish people, but they would have none of it, and opted for the consequences--DESOLATION.
Dan 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall MAKE IT DESOLATE, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Luk 13:35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
When Jesus spoke about the PROMISE OF THE FATHER, he was referring to the COVENANT OF ABRAHAM that He was confirming.
God’s COVENANT/PROMISE was to endure for a thousand generations.
Psa 105:6 O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen. 105:7 He is the LORD our God: his judgments are in all the earth. 105:8 He hath remembered his covenant forever, the word which HE COMMANDED TO A THOUSAND GENERATIONS.
Who are the HEIRS OF ABRAHAM? Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the PROMISE.
Gal 3:17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was CONFIRMED BEFORE OF GOD IN CHRIST, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, CANNOT DISANNUL, that it should make the PROMISE of none effect.
The COVENANT/PROMISE OF ABRAHAM WAS DESTINED TO AFFECT THE WHOLE WORLD.
Rom 4:13 For the promise, that he should be the HEIR OF THE WORLD, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but THROUGH THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF FAITH.
Bear in mind that this is a UNILATERAL COVENANT we are dealing with. UNILATERAL, AND WORLDWIDE.
IT WILL HAPPEN.
902 So. 11TH AVE YAKIMA, WA. 98902
MAY 2005 (509)-453-9623 fretwell@aol.com
I WILL…
Eze 36:22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. 36:23 And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. 36:24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. 36:28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. 36:29 I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. 36:30 And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen.
Please take note that there are no “If’s” or “Maybe’s” in the above passage I have quoted. There are no conditions or qualifications to be met by the people involved. “It’s gonna happen.”
We have it to “look forward to”.
It will be “All of God, and none of us”.
A similar scripture is found in Jer 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 31:32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they broke, although I was a husband unto them, saith the LORD: 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Note again that there seems to be NO REQUIREMENTS laid on the people. God will do it Himself, asking no odds of anybody.
Think about it. Pleasing God will be as natural as breathing. No more struggling with flesh, to bring it into line with the Word of God. No more of the fleshly desires that hinder our progress toward the ways of God.
Why would God do that for fallen humanity?
ISN’T THERE SOMETHING that humans have to do to help make this possible?
God NEEDS NO HELP from any of us. We have caused nothing but chaos thus far in trying to eliminate the human characteristics from our friends and neighbors. Made messes. Worked havoc.
We have NO CAPABILITIES whatsoever when it comes to implanting the NATURE OF GOD into the lives of other people. ONLY GOD CAN DO THAT!
The best we have been able to do thus far is to lay condemnation on our friends and neighbors for what they/we are NOT DOING. That was the purpose of the Mosaic Covenant. In 1500 years, it taught us that humans are incapable of measuring up to the LAW OF GOD’S NATURE. Ours is a nature of REBELLION TOWARD GOD.
But, REST ASSURED that God has a reason for what He says He WILL DO for humanity.
About 4000 years ago there was a man named Abram who found Grace in the sight of the Lord because he believed and acted upon what God said to him.
God, after 42 years of testing Abram, was satisfied with what he saw (Faith in what God said), and He made a COVENANT
OF PROMISE with the man Abram.
IT WAS A UNILATERAL COVENANT OF PROMISE.
Gen 22:15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 22:16 And said, BY MYSELF have I SWORN, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 22:17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 22:18 And IN THY SEED shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
The SEED spoken of here is JESUS CHRIST. See Gal 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
When Jesus ministered on earth, He CONFIRMED THE COVENANT with the Jewish people, but they would have none of it, and opted for the consequences--DESOLATION.
Dan 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall MAKE IT DESOLATE, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Luk 13:35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
When Jesus spoke about the PROMISE OF THE FATHER, he was referring to the COVENANT OF ABRAHAM that He was confirming.
God’s COVENANT/PROMISE was to endure for a thousand generations.
Psa 105:6 O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen. 105:7 He is the LORD our God: his judgments are in all the earth. 105:8 He hath remembered his covenant forever, the word which HE COMMANDED TO A THOUSAND GENERATIONS.
Who are the HEIRS OF ABRAHAM? Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the PROMISE.
Gal 3:17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was CONFIRMED BEFORE OF GOD IN CHRIST, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, CANNOT DISANNUL, that it should make the PROMISE of none effect.
The COVENANT/PROMISE OF ABRAHAM WAS DESTINED TO AFFECT THE WHOLE WORLD.
Rom 4:13 For the promise, that he should be the HEIR OF THE WORLD, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but THROUGH THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF FAITH.
Bear in mind that this is a UNILATERAL COVENANT we are dealing with. UNILATERAL, AND WORLDWIDE.
IT WILL HAPPEN.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
THE KINGDOM OF GOD
EMMANUEL MINISTRIES
902 So. 11TH AVE YAKIMA, WA. 98902
APRIL 2008 (509)-453-9623 fretwell@aol.com
THE KINGDOM OF GOD
THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
I’ve heard of, and read about, the KINGDOM OF GOD for the seventy years I have had the Holy Ghost. I even did an exhaustive study once about the difference between the KINGDOM OF GOD and the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. I spent days looking up every scripture containing the phrases, in the Robert Young’s Analytical Concordance (There is no difference, by the way),)
But, with all my studying, I still was unable to figure out the dynamics of the Kingdom. I did “know” that it would be a THEOCRACY instead of a DEMOCRACY or a MONARCHY as we know it, and that the prospective inhabitants would undergo a rigid scrutiny before they would be granted entry. I did “know” that nothing hurtful or destructive would be allowed to enter through its gates. I was also “aware” that it would be set up by Jesus Himself, and that it would endure for a “thousand years.”
Some things were a bit of a mystery to me, however. I wondered how Jesus would accomplish the feat in an instant when He returns to earth at the time of the “rapture”, and why the Kingdom would be necessary if the Saints were all gone, and only the Christ Rejecters were left on the earth.
But my reckoning was, that if everyone else believed it that way, it MUST be correct, so I didn’t think it worth my time to ask too many questions, though I knew I didn’t have the answers myself.
Would we (for I was sure I would be granted entrance) have a City Council, a Mayor, a Chief of Police, etc., and if so, what were the chances that I would be chosen to fill an office?
An in-depth study has produced some startling facts for us to consider.
BUT PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THEY PERTAIN TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD and NOT TO SALVATION.
Those are two DIFFERENT SUBJECTS—separate and distinct from one another.
SALVATION IS FREE
KINGDOM STATURE IS VERY COSTLY.
I use the term KINGDOM STATURE deliberately, for I am seeing the Kingdom in an entirely different light than in the former years. I am now ready to state flatly that the Kingdom of God that Jesus taught about is a NURTURED CONDITION OF OUR HEART IN ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE WORD AND SPIRIT OF GOD.
Luk 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN YOU.
IT IS THE STRAIT (difficult) GATE AND THE NARROW WAY THAT COMPARATIVELY FEW SOULS WILL FIND.
The price of CHARACTER REFINEMENT seems so unreasonable to many of us. We can not comprehend the need for such a stringent heart condition and life style.
And, indeed, those requirements are NOT laid on folks who aspire ONLY to the Salvation of their souls.
Mar 9:47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
Luk 12:31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Luk 11:20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.
Luk 13:18 Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it?
Luk 13:19 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.
Luk 13:20 And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God?
Luk 13:21 It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
Like leaven, this CHARACTER REFINEMENT will not stop until it has touched, and CHANGED, every aspect of our lives.
Luk 13:27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
INIQUITY IS THE ROOT PRINCIPLE OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT. When we indulge our human desires, we are “working” iniquity.
Luk 13:28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
Luk 13:29 And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.
Luk 13:30 And, behold, there are last (least important—CEV) which shall be first, and there are first (most important—CEV) which shall be last.
Luk 16:16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
We are not required to PRESS into Salvation. It is FREE for the accepting.
SEEING THE KINGDOM
Luk 9:27 But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God.
Mar 9:1 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.
WHAT DID THEY SEE? Jesus had taken three of them to the top of a mountain, where He was transfigured before them. They experienced His Glory. They were “scared to death”, so to speak. The humanity of Peter expressed a desire to always be in the presence of the Glory, but he had too much “baggage” in his soul yet for that to be realized.
Most of us, (and I include myself also), still have far too much of our “baggage” with us while we crave the Glory of God in our souls. “Baggage” blocks our vision of the Glory of God.
We have failed to understand the need of Character Refinement, and hence have either failed or refused to submit ourselves to the searing heat required to separate ourselves from “ourselves”.
We are NOT dealing with rules and regulations which our fellow Christians would lay on us. We are dealing with the Holy Spirit of God. HE (not our neighbor) IS THE REFINER AND THE PURIFIER. Mal 3:3
Mar 4:8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some a hundred.
Mar 4:9 And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Mar 4:10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.
Mar 4:11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
Mar 4:26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
Mar 4:27 And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.
Mar 4:28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
Mar 4:29 But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
Mar 4:30 And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?
Mar 4:31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:
Mar 4:32 But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.
Even the Disciples had difficulty separating Salvation and the Kingdom.
Mat 19:23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 19:24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Mat 19:25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying,
Who then can be saved?
Earthly possessions are of no value to help us enter into Kingdom Stature. In fact they CAN be a hindrance.
Mar 10:23 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
Mar 10:24 And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
Luk 6:20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.
1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Gal 5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Gal 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things SHALL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
Eph 5:5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
REQUIREMENTS OF UNDERSTANDING
There are conditions that humanity must meet if they expect to understand some of the Truths contained in God’s Word,
Luk 8:10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.
Luk 19:11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear
The Disciples had forsaken (made secondary) their earthly ways to follow Jesus in His Ministry. If our mind is cluttered up with the affairs of life, we are not very apt to hear the secrets of the Lord.
Luk 18:29 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake,
Luk 18:30 Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.
Luk 7:28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.
Luk 9:60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
Luk 9:61 And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.
Luk 9:62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Mar 12:32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
Mar 12:33 And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
Mar 12:34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.
Mat 21:31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
Sophistication CAN be a detriment to Spiritual understanding.
There are LAWS OF THE SPIRIT, as well as LAWS OF NATURE. They are not always in agreement..
Mar 10:14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
Mar 10:15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive
the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein
Luk 18:16 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
Luk 18:17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.
Jam 2:5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Heb 12:28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
Heb 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire
902 So. 11TH AVE YAKIMA, WA. 98902
APRIL 2008 (509)-453-9623 fretwell@aol.com
THE KINGDOM OF GOD
THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
I’ve heard of, and read about, the KINGDOM OF GOD for the seventy years I have had the Holy Ghost. I even did an exhaustive study once about the difference between the KINGDOM OF GOD and the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. I spent days looking up every scripture containing the phrases, in the Robert Young’s Analytical Concordance (There is no difference, by the way),)
But, with all my studying, I still was unable to figure out the dynamics of the Kingdom. I did “know” that it would be a THEOCRACY instead of a DEMOCRACY or a MONARCHY as we know it, and that the prospective inhabitants would undergo a rigid scrutiny before they would be granted entry. I did “know” that nothing hurtful or destructive would be allowed to enter through its gates. I was also “aware” that it would be set up by Jesus Himself, and that it would endure for a “thousand years.”
Some things were a bit of a mystery to me, however. I wondered how Jesus would accomplish the feat in an instant when He returns to earth at the time of the “rapture”, and why the Kingdom would be necessary if the Saints were all gone, and only the Christ Rejecters were left on the earth.
But my reckoning was, that if everyone else believed it that way, it MUST be correct, so I didn’t think it worth my time to ask too many questions, though I knew I didn’t have the answers myself.
Would we (for I was sure I would be granted entrance) have a City Council, a Mayor, a Chief of Police, etc., and if so, what were the chances that I would be chosen to fill an office?
An in-depth study has produced some startling facts for us to consider.
BUT PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THEY PERTAIN TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD and NOT TO SALVATION.
Those are two DIFFERENT SUBJECTS—separate and distinct from one another.
SALVATION IS FREE
KINGDOM STATURE IS VERY COSTLY.
I use the term KINGDOM STATURE deliberately, for I am seeing the Kingdom in an entirely different light than in the former years. I am now ready to state flatly that the Kingdom of God that Jesus taught about is a NURTURED CONDITION OF OUR HEART IN ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE WORD AND SPIRIT OF GOD.
Luk 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN YOU.
IT IS THE STRAIT (difficult) GATE AND THE NARROW WAY THAT COMPARATIVELY FEW SOULS WILL FIND.
The price of CHARACTER REFINEMENT seems so unreasonable to many of us. We can not comprehend the need for such a stringent heart condition and life style.
And, indeed, those requirements are NOT laid on folks who aspire ONLY to the Salvation of their souls.
Mar 9:47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
Luk 12:31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Luk 11:20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.
Luk 13:18 Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it?
Luk 13:19 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.
Luk 13:20 And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God?
Luk 13:21 It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
Like leaven, this CHARACTER REFINEMENT will not stop until it has touched, and CHANGED, every aspect of our lives.
Luk 13:27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
INIQUITY IS THE ROOT PRINCIPLE OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT. When we indulge our human desires, we are “working” iniquity.
Luk 13:28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
Luk 13:29 And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.
Luk 13:30 And, behold, there are last (least important—CEV) which shall be first, and there are first (most important—CEV) which shall be last.
Luk 16:16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
We are not required to PRESS into Salvation. It is FREE for the accepting.
SEEING THE KINGDOM
Luk 9:27 But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God.
Mar 9:1 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.
WHAT DID THEY SEE? Jesus had taken three of them to the top of a mountain, where He was transfigured before them. They experienced His Glory. They were “scared to death”, so to speak. The humanity of Peter expressed a desire to always be in the presence of the Glory, but he had too much “baggage” in his soul yet for that to be realized.
Most of us, (and I include myself also), still have far too much of our “baggage” with us while we crave the Glory of God in our souls. “Baggage” blocks our vision of the Glory of God.
We have failed to understand the need of Character Refinement, and hence have either failed or refused to submit ourselves to the searing heat required to separate ourselves from “ourselves”.
We are NOT dealing with rules and regulations which our fellow Christians would lay on us. We are dealing with the Holy Spirit of God. HE (not our neighbor) IS THE REFINER AND THE PURIFIER. Mal 3:3
Mar 4:8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some a hundred.
Mar 4:9 And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Mar 4:10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.
Mar 4:11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
Mar 4:26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
Mar 4:27 And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.
Mar 4:28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
Mar 4:29 But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
Mar 4:30 And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?
Mar 4:31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:
Mar 4:32 But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.
Even the Disciples had difficulty separating Salvation and the Kingdom.
Mat 19:23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 19:24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Mat 19:25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying,
Who then can be saved?
Earthly possessions are of no value to help us enter into Kingdom Stature. In fact they CAN be a hindrance.
Mar 10:23 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
Mar 10:24 And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
Luk 6:20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.
1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Gal 5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Gal 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things SHALL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
Eph 5:5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
REQUIREMENTS OF UNDERSTANDING
There are conditions that humanity must meet if they expect to understand some of the Truths contained in God’s Word,
Luk 8:10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.
Luk 19:11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear
The Disciples had forsaken (made secondary) their earthly ways to follow Jesus in His Ministry. If our mind is cluttered up with the affairs of life, we are not very apt to hear the secrets of the Lord.
Luk 18:29 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake,
Luk 18:30 Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.
Luk 7:28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.
Luk 9:60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
Luk 9:61 And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.
Luk 9:62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Mar 12:32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
Mar 12:33 And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
Mar 12:34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.
Mat 21:31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
Sophistication CAN be a detriment to Spiritual understanding.
There are LAWS OF THE SPIRIT, as well as LAWS OF NATURE. They are not always in agreement..
Mar 10:14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
Mar 10:15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive
the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein
Luk 18:16 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
Luk 18:17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.
Jam 2:5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Heb 12:28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
Heb 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire
Saturday, March 22, 2008
ABRAHAM-- DAVID
EMMANUEL MINISTRIES
902 So. 11TH AVE YAKIMA, WA. 98902
MARCH 2008 (509)-453-9623 fretwell@aol.com
ABRAHAM AND DAVID
Two outstanding men in Biblical history met with special favor from the Lord.
Abraham was one, and David was the other. I don’t mean to infer that they were the ONLY TWO to find favor with the Lord, but they each did, and as a result have a special place in Biblical history, and prophecy.
In Matthew 1:1 they are both named as being the “father” of Jesus.
“The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”
A closer look at the Scriptures reveals that they are mentioned together in other places also.
Fact is, they BOTH walked with God in the realm of FAITH, which pleases Him.
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
I want to stress the fact right here that NEITHER OF THESE MEN was without the flaws which we humans are subject to. They were NOT SUPER MEN, in any sense of the word. THEY SIMPLY BELIEVED THAT GOD WOULD DO WHAT HE SAID HE WOULD DO. They TRUSTED GOD.
I want to highlight some aspects of the life of David today. I might not get them in chronological order, but that is not the important item right now.
We all know about David killing the lion and the bear, and then Goliath the giant, so we won’t say much about that. And, yes, we also know about Bathsheba, and the son, Solomon. We also know about David cutting off the skirt of Saul’s garment when he had a chance to kill him. He wouldn’t do harm to the Anointed of the Lord. (such reverence)
An interesting thing, that relatively few people know about, happened in the life of David at the height of his success as King. Listen.
2Sa 7:1 And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies;
2Sa 7:2 That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.
2Sa 7:3 And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee.
2Sa 7:4 And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying,
2Sa 7:5 Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me a house for me to dwell in?
2Sa 7:6 Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.
2Sa 7:7 In all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel spoke I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me a house of cedar?
2Sa 7:8 Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:
2Sa 7:9 And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth.
2Sa 7:10 Moreover I will APPOINT A PLACE for my people Israel, and will PLANT THEM, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as formerly,
2Sa 7:11 And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that HE WILL MAKE THEE A HOUSE.
2Sa 7:12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed (JESUS) after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
2Sa 7:13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. (emphasis added)
Another man wrote a Psalm about David, in which a prophecy was given of the eventual end of the NATURAL DYNASTY of David, but that the SPIRITUAL DYNASTY would continue to all succeeding generations. Many folks do not know about the TWO DYNASTIES—the natural AND THE SPIRITUAL.
Psa 89:1 Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite. I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
Psa 89:2 For I have said, Mercy shall be built up forever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.
Psa 89:3 I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,
Psa 89:4 THY SEED WILL I ESTABLISH FOREVER (JESUS, the Spiritual Dynasty) and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.
Psa 89:5 And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.
Psa 89:6 For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD?
Psa 89:7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.
Psa 89:8 O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?
Psa 89:9 Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.
Psa 89:10 Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm.
Psa 89:11 The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fullness thereof, thou hast founded them.
Psa 89:12 The north and the south thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name.
Psa 89:13 Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
Psa 89:14 Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face (Jesus).
Psa 89:15 Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.
Psa 89:16 In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted (Jesus).
Psa 89:17 For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favor our horn shall be exalted.
Psa 89:18 For the LORD is our defense; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.
Psa 89:19 Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.
Psa 89:20 I HAVE FOUND DAVID MY SERVANT; WITH MY HOLY OIL HAVE I ANOINTED HIM:
Psa 89:21 With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him.
Psa 89:22 The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him.
Psa 89:23 And I will BEAT DOWN HIS FOES BEFORE HIS FACE, and PLAGUE THEM that hate him.
Psa 89:24 But my FAITHFULNESS and my MERCY shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
Psa 89:25 I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers.
Psa 89:26 He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.
Psa 89:27 ALSO I WILL MAKE HIM MY FIRSTBORN, higher than the kings of the earth.
Psa 89:28 MY MERCY will I keep for him forevermore, and MY COVENANT SHALL STAND FAST WITH HIM.
Psa 89:29 His seed also will I make to endure forever, and his throne as the days of heaven.
Psa 89:30 If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments;
Psa 89:31 If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments;
Psa 89:32 Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.
Psa 89:33 Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.
Psa 89:34 MY COVENANT WILL I NOT BREAK, NOR ALTER THE THING THAT IS GONE out of my lips.
Psa 89:35 Once have I sworn by my holiness that I WILL NOT LIE UNTO DAVID.
Psa 89:36 HIS SEED SHALL ENDURE FOREVER, and his THRONE AS THE SUN before me.
Psa 89:37 IT SHALL BE ESTABLISHED FOREVER as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.
Then follows the prophecy of the eventual desolation of the NATURAL City of David, and the kingdom of Judah which he had ruled over. I won’t labor that subject here. You can finish the Psalm from your Bible.
David wrote a prophetic Psalm, in which he extolled the virtues of the SPIRITUAL DYNASTY AND THE TRUE “CITY OF GOD”—JERUSALEM (the CHURCH)
Psa 122:1 A Song of degrees of David. I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.
Psa 122:2 Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.
Psa 122:3 Jerusalem is built as a city that is compact together:
Psa 122:4 Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD.
Psa 122:5 For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.
Psa 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem (THE CHURCH): they shall prosper that love thee.
Psa 122:7 Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.
Psa 122:8 For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.
Psa 122:9 Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good.
Another fact that many folks do not know is that when two of the outstanding Messianic Prophesies were given, they were TO THE SPIRITUAL HOUSE (DYNASTY) OF DAVID.
NUMBER ONE:
Isa 7:12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD.
Isa 7:13 And he said, Hear ye now, O HOUSE OF DAVID; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?
Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isa 7:15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
Isa 7:16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.
NUMBER TWO:
Isa 9:1 Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.
Isa 9:2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
Isa 9:3 Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
Isa 9:4 For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.
Isa 9:5 For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.
Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isa 9:7 OF THE INCREASE OF HIS GOVERNMENT AND PEACE THERE SHALL BE NO END, UPON THE THRONE OF DAVID, AND UPON HIS KINGDOM, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Luk 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
Luk 1:27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, OF THE HOUSE OF DAVID; and the virgin's name was Mary.
Luk 1:28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
Luk 1:68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
Luk 1:69 And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us in the HOUSE OF HIS SERVANT DAVID;
Luk 1:70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
Luk 1:71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
Luk 1:72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
Luk 1:73 The oath which he swore to our father Abraham,
Luk 1:74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
Luk 1:75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
Luk 2:4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; because (HE WAS OF THE HOUSE AND LINEAGE OF DAVID:)
Luk 2:5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
Luk 2:6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
There are also references to the KEY OF DAVID, and to the SURE MERCIES OF DAVID. These are indicating the SPIRITUAL HOUSE OF DAVID
Isa 22:20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah:
Isa 22:21 And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.
Isa 22:22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.
Rev 3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath THE KEY OF DAVID, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
Isa 55:3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, EVEN THE SURE MERCIES OF DAVID.
Act 13:34 And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I WILL GIVE YOU THE SURE MERCIES OF DAVID.
THE NATURAL DYNASTY OF DAVID WAS TO BECOME DESOLATE.
Jer 22:5 But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation.
Jer 22:6 For thus saith the LORD unto the king's house of Judah; Thou art Gilead unto me, and the head of Lebanon: yet surely I will make thee a wilderness, and cities which are not inhabited.
Mat 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
Mat 23:38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
Luk 13:35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Gen 49:10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, UNTIL SHILOH COME; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
BUT IT WOULD DEPART WHEN SHILOH CAME. It DID.
Jer 22:7 And I will prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his weapons: and they shall cut down thy choice cedars, and cast them into the fire.
Jer 22:8 And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbor, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this great city?
Jer 22:9 Then they shall answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshiped other gods, and served them.
Another scripture, not much understood, is talking about the CHURCH, which is also called Jerusalem.
Zec 12:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Zec 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
Zec 13:1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the (Spiritual) house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem (The Church) for sin and for uncleanness.
902 So. 11TH AVE YAKIMA, WA. 98902
MARCH 2008 (509)-453-9623 fretwell@aol.com
ABRAHAM AND DAVID
Two outstanding men in Biblical history met with special favor from the Lord.
Abraham was one, and David was the other. I don’t mean to infer that they were the ONLY TWO to find favor with the Lord, but they each did, and as a result have a special place in Biblical history, and prophecy.
In Matthew 1:1 they are both named as being the “father” of Jesus.
“The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”
A closer look at the Scriptures reveals that they are mentioned together in other places also.
Fact is, they BOTH walked with God in the realm of FAITH, which pleases Him.
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
I want to stress the fact right here that NEITHER OF THESE MEN was without the flaws which we humans are subject to. They were NOT SUPER MEN, in any sense of the word. THEY SIMPLY BELIEVED THAT GOD WOULD DO WHAT HE SAID HE WOULD DO. They TRUSTED GOD.
I want to highlight some aspects of the life of David today. I might not get them in chronological order, but that is not the important item right now.
We all know about David killing the lion and the bear, and then Goliath the giant, so we won’t say much about that. And, yes, we also know about Bathsheba, and the son, Solomon. We also know about David cutting off the skirt of Saul’s garment when he had a chance to kill him. He wouldn’t do harm to the Anointed of the Lord. (such reverence)
An interesting thing, that relatively few people know about, happened in the life of David at the height of his success as King. Listen.
2Sa 7:1 And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies;
2Sa 7:2 That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.
2Sa 7:3 And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee.
2Sa 7:4 And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying,
2Sa 7:5 Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me a house for me to dwell in?
2Sa 7:6 Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.
2Sa 7:7 In all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel spoke I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me a house of cedar?
2Sa 7:8 Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:
2Sa 7:9 And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth.
2Sa 7:10 Moreover I will APPOINT A PLACE for my people Israel, and will PLANT THEM, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as formerly,
2Sa 7:11 And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that HE WILL MAKE THEE A HOUSE.
2Sa 7:12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed (JESUS) after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
2Sa 7:13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. (emphasis added)
Another man wrote a Psalm about David, in which a prophecy was given of the eventual end of the NATURAL DYNASTY of David, but that the SPIRITUAL DYNASTY would continue to all succeeding generations. Many folks do not know about the TWO DYNASTIES—the natural AND THE SPIRITUAL.
Psa 89:1 Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite. I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
Psa 89:2 For I have said, Mercy shall be built up forever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.
Psa 89:3 I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,
Psa 89:4 THY SEED WILL I ESTABLISH FOREVER (JESUS, the Spiritual Dynasty) and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.
Psa 89:5 And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.
Psa 89:6 For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD?
Psa 89:7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.
Psa 89:8 O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?
Psa 89:9 Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.
Psa 89:10 Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm.
Psa 89:11 The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fullness thereof, thou hast founded them.
Psa 89:12 The north and the south thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name.
Psa 89:13 Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
Psa 89:14 Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face (Jesus).
Psa 89:15 Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.
Psa 89:16 In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted (Jesus).
Psa 89:17 For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favor our horn shall be exalted.
Psa 89:18 For the LORD is our defense; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.
Psa 89:19 Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.
Psa 89:20 I HAVE FOUND DAVID MY SERVANT; WITH MY HOLY OIL HAVE I ANOINTED HIM:
Psa 89:21 With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him.
Psa 89:22 The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him.
Psa 89:23 And I will BEAT DOWN HIS FOES BEFORE HIS FACE, and PLAGUE THEM that hate him.
Psa 89:24 But my FAITHFULNESS and my MERCY shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
Psa 89:25 I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers.
Psa 89:26 He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.
Psa 89:27 ALSO I WILL MAKE HIM MY FIRSTBORN, higher than the kings of the earth.
Psa 89:28 MY MERCY will I keep for him forevermore, and MY COVENANT SHALL STAND FAST WITH HIM.
Psa 89:29 His seed also will I make to endure forever, and his throne as the days of heaven.
Psa 89:30 If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments;
Psa 89:31 If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments;
Psa 89:32 Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.
Psa 89:33 Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.
Psa 89:34 MY COVENANT WILL I NOT BREAK, NOR ALTER THE THING THAT IS GONE out of my lips.
Psa 89:35 Once have I sworn by my holiness that I WILL NOT LIE UNTO DAVID.
Psa 89:36 HIS SEED SHALL ENDURE FOREVER, and his THRONE AS THE SUN before me.
Psa 89:37 IT SHALL BE ESTABLISHED FOREVER as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.
Then follows the prophecy of the eventual desolation of the NATURAL City of David, and the kingdom of Judah which he had ruled over. I won’t labor that subject here. You can finish the Psalm from your Bible.
David wrote a prophetic Psalm, in which he extolled the virtues of the SPIRITUAL DYNASTY AND THE TRUE “CITY OF GOD”—JERUSALEM (the CHURCH)
Psa 122:1 A Song of degrees of David. I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.
Psa 122:2 Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.
Psa 122:3 Jerusalem is built as a city that is compact together:
Psa 122:4 Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD.
Psa 122:5 For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.
Psa 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem (THE CHURCH): they shall prosper that love thee.
Psa 122:7 Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.
Psa 122:8 For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.
Psa 122:9 Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good.
Another fact that many folks do not know is that when two of the outstanding Messianic Prophesies were given, they were TO THE SPIRITUAL HOUSE (DYNASTY) OF DAVID.
NUMBER ONE:
Isa 7:12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD.
Isa 7:13 And he said, Hear ye now, O HOUSE OF DAVID; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?
Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isa 7:15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
Isa 7:16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.
NUMBER TWO:
Isa 9:1 Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.
Isa 9:2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
Isa 9:3 Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
Isa 9:4 For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.
Isa 9:5 For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.
Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isa 9:7 OF THE INCREASE OF HIS GOVERNMENT AND PEACE THERE SHALL BE NO END, UPON THE THRONE OF DAVID, AND UPON HIS KINGDOM, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Luk 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
Luk 1:27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, OF THE HOUSE OF DAVID; and the virgin's name was Mary.
Luk 1:28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
Luk 1:68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
Luk 1:69 And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us in the HOUSE OF HIS SERVANT DAVID;
Luk 1:70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
Luk 1:71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
Luk 1:72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
Luk 1:73 The oath which he swore to our father Abraham,
Luk 1:74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
Luk 1:75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
Luk 2:4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; because (HE WAS OF THE HOUSE AND LINEAGE OF DAVID:)
Luk 2:5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
Luk 2:6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
There are also references to the KEY OF DAVID, and to the SURE MERCIES OF DAVID. These are indicating the SPIRITUAL HOUSE OF DAVID
Isa 22:20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah:
Isa 22:21 And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.
Isa 22:22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.
Rev 3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath THE KEY OF DAVID, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
Isa 55:3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, EVEN THE SURE MERCIES OF DAVID.
Act 13:34 And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I WILL GIVE YOU THE SURE MERCIES OF DAVID.
THE NATURAL DYNASTY OF DAVID WAS TO BECOME DESOLATE.
Jer 22:5 But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation.
Jer 22:6 For thus saith the LORD unto the king's house of Judah; Thou art Gilead unto me, and the head of Lebanon: yet surely I will make thee a wilderness, and cities which are not inhabited.
Mat 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
Mat 23:38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
Luk 13:35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Gen 49:10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, UNTIL SHILOH COME; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
BUT IT WOULD DEPART WHEN SHILOH CAME. It DID.
Jer 22:7 And I will prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his weapons: and they shall cut down thy choice cedars, and cast them into the fire.
Jer 22:8 And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbor, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this great city?
Jer 22:9 Then they shall answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshiped other gods, and served them.
Another scripture, not much understood, is talking about the CHURCH, which is also called Jerusalem.
Zec 12:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Zec 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
Zec 13:1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the (Spiritual) house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem (The Church) for sin and for uncleanness.
Friday, March 21, 2008
OUR TREASURE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EMMANUEL MINISTRIES
902 So. 11TH AVE YAKIMA, WA. 98902
JANUARY 2008(509)-453-9623 fretwell@aol.com
OUR TREASURE
About 700 years before Jesus was born, an incident took place that deserves our attention and learning. It is quite a story, and it is all true.
A portion of the descendants of Shem began to get strong among the families (nations) dwelling on the earth. So strong, in fact, that they got their eyes on World Domination.
That is the third strongest desire of the human heart (conquering, controlling others), and many individuals, and Nations fall prey to its delusions. IT IS A WORK OF THE FLESH.
The history of the Assyrians goes a long way back—to the grandson of Noah.
Gen 10:11 Out of that land went forth Asshur, (the son of Shem-M.F.) and built Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,
We know that Nineveh was a strong, and a wicked city. It did turn to God at one point, as a result of the preaching of Jonah, but it didn't last long.
In the course of time, the Assyrians became a very strong nation, lusting for power and domination.
Actually, the Lord used them as a whip to punish His Own People for their neglect of the right way, and their refusal to do what was pleasing to the Lord.
The Assyrian armies had conquered many other nations. The ten Northern tribes of Israel had fallen before them and had been taken into exile to Assyria (721 BC). The Assyrians had re-populated their native land (Samaria) with people from other nations and geographical areas.
Many fenced cities of the Southern Kingdom of Judah had also been conquered and brought into slavery and tribute to the King of Assyria. He was actually on his way to Egypt, but decided to conquer Jerusalem before he left the area.
Jerusalem was, by that time, ripe for punishment the same as Israel was, except for a Prophet of God who just would not keep quiet. For the sake of David, whom God had loved and who himself loved God to the best of his human ability, God had raised up the Prophet Isaiah. This Prophet devoted the greater part of the first 39 chapters of the book that was later to be named for him, to the subject of the Assyrian king, and what Jerusalem should do about him.
He strenuously urged Hezekiah, the King, to change his ways and to urge his subjects to change their ways, telling them that God would be merciful to them if they would change their attitude (repent) and serve The God who had brought their forefathers out of Egypt with a High Hand.
He told them that they had in their possession, if they would use it, the greatest weapon ever made to assure the intervention of God in their behalf. He told the King, and Jerusalem:
Isa 33:6 And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the FEAR OF THE LORD IS HIS* TREASURE.—KJV
*(Hezekiah's; or rather, "Judea's." "His" refers to the same; such changes from the pronoun possessive of the second person to that of the third are common in Hebrew poetry—Albert Barnes)
Isa 33:6 and give stability to the nation. He always protects his people and gives them wisdom and knowledge. THEIR GREATEST TREASURE IS THEIR REVERENCE FOR THE LORD.—Good News Bible
Isa 33:6 He will be the foundation of your future. The riches of salvation are wisdom and knowledge. THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS YOUR TREASURE.—God’s Word
There could have been other scriptures to go with those of Isaiah. I will add a couple more for you and me to consider.
Pro 10:22 The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.
Pro 15:16 Better is little with the FEAR OF THE LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.
I can’t tell you how long the Assyrians laid siege to the city of Jerusalem, but it seems like memory tells me it was a long one. Finally it became quite serious, and the invading Army General became very bold in his railing on the King and the God of Jerusalem, to the point of blasphemy. Part of his railing sounded like this:
2Ki 18:31 Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me, and then eat ye every man of his own vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his cistern:
2Ki 18:33 Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?
2Ki 19:1 And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and WENT INTO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD.
2Ki 19:2 And he sent Eliakim, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, COVERED WITH SACKCLOTH, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.
2Ki 19:3 And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.
2Ki 19:4 IT MAY BE THE LORD THY GOD WILL HEAR ALL THE WORDS of Rab-shakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to REPROACH THE LIVING GOD; and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left.
It is NEVER WRONG to ask the Lord about anything we are confronted with. Hezekiah was wise to take the action he did.
Isaiah 37 gives a vivid detailed account of the response of the Prophet, very similar to what I have chosen here. It is a good read.
2Ki 19:6 And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.
2Ki 19:34 For I WILL DEFEND THIS CITY, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.
2Ki 19:35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred fourscore and five thousand (185,000): and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
2Ch 32:22 Thus the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, AND FROM THE HAND OF ALL OTHER, and guided them on every side.
Can you imagine the mess 185,000 dead bodies would create in a very short time? And within yelling distance of the walls of the city?
But, God, who knows all things from their beginning, was equal to the situation. He had already, perhaps when He created the earth, made provision for a mass burial very close to the walls of Jerusalem. Close by were a couple of very large “holes” in the earth where the inhabitants of Jerusalem could dump those dead corpses after stripping them of any valuables they had on them.
--Excerpt from John Gill Commentary:
“---only would add what Rauwolff (t) observes, that still to this day (1575 AD) there are two great holes to be seen, wherein they flung the dead bodies (of the Assyrian army), one whereof is close by the road towards Bethlehem, the other towards the right hand against old Bethel.”
Verily, today it is still true that trusting God and being obedient to Him is the most valuable asset we humans can possess. If we have sinned in any way, the answer is to repent (change our attitude toward God), and then call on God for His Mercy, which will NEVER FAIL.
We can ALWAYS trust in His Wisdom (it is perfect), and His Guiding Hand (it is more powerful than ours).
Psa 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
Pro 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.
Pro 19:23 The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.
Pro 22:4 By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honor, and life.
Hos 14:3 Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy
EMMANUEL MINISTRIES
902 So. 11TH AVE YAKIMA, WA. 98902
JANUARY 2008(509)-453-9623 fretwell@aol.com
OUR TREASURE
About 700 years before Jesus was born, an incident took place that deserves our attention and learning. It is quite a story, and it is all true.
A portion of the descendants of Shem began to get strong among the families (nations) dwelling on the earth. So strong, in fact, that they got their eyes on World Domination.
That is the third strongest desire of the human heart (conquering, controlling others), and many individuals, and Nations fall prey to its delusions. IT IS A WORK OF THE FLESH.
The history of the Assyrians goes a long way back—to the grandson of Noah.
Gen 10:11 Out of that land went forth Asshur, (the son of Shem-M.F.) and built Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,
We know that Nineveh was a strong, and a wicked city. It did turn to God at one point, as a result of the preaching of Jonah, but it didn't last long.
In the course of time, the Assyrians became a very strong nation, lusting for power and domination.
Actually, the Lord used them as a whip to punish His Own People for their neglect of the right way, and their refusal to do what was pleasing to the Lord.
The Assyrian armies had conquered many other nations. The ten Northern tribes of Israel had fallen before them and had been taken into exile to Assyria (721 BC). The Assyrians had re-populated their native land (Samaria) with people from other nations and geographical areas.
Many fenced cities of the Southern Kingdom of Judah had also been conquered and brought into slavery and tribute to the King of Assyria. He was actually on his way to Egypt, but decided to conquer Jerusalem before he left the area.
Jerusalem was, by that time, ripe for punishment the same as Israel was, except for a Prophet of God who just would not keep quiet. For the sake of David, whom God had loved and who himself loved God to the best of his human ability, God had raised up the Prophet Isaiah. This Prophet devoted the greater part of the first 39 chapters of the book that was later to be named for him, to the subject of the Assyrian king, and what Jerusalem should do about him.
He strenuously urged Hezekiah, the King, to change his ways and to urge his subjects to change their ways, telling them that God would be merciful to them if they would change their attitude (repent) and serve The God who had brought their forefathers out of Egypt with a High Hand.
He told them that they had in their possession, if they would use it, the greatest weapon ever made to assure the intervention of God in their behalf. He told the King, and Jerusalem:
Isa 33:6 And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the FEAR OF THE LORD IS HIS* TREASURE.—KJV
*(Hezekiah's; or rather, "Judea's." "His" refers to the same; such changes from the pronoun possessive of the second person to that of the third are common in Hebrew poetry—Albert Barnes)
Isa 33:6 and give stability to the nation. He always protects his people and gives them wisdom and knowledge. THEIR GREATEST TREASURE IS THEIR REVERENCE FOR THE LORD.—Good News Bible
Isa 33:6 He will be the foundation of your future. The riches of salvation are wisdom and knowledge. THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS YOUR TREASURE.—God’s Word
There could have been other scriptures to go with those of Isaiah. I will add a couple more for you and me to consider.
Pro 10:22 The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.
Pro 15:16 Better is little with the FEAR OF THE LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.
I can’t tell you how long the Assyrians laid siege to the city of Jerusalem, but it seems like memory tells me it was a long one. Finally it became quite serious, and the invading Army General became very bold in his railing on the King and the God of Jerusalem, to the point of blasphemy. Part of his railing sounded like this:
2Ki 18:31 Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me, and then eat ye every man of his own vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his cistern:
2Ki 18:33 Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?
2Ki 19:1 And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and WENT INTO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD.
2Ki 19:2 And he sent Eliakim, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, COVERED WITH SACKCLOTH, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.
2Ki 19:3 And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.
2Ki 19:4 IT MAY BE THE LORD THY GOD WILL HEAR ALL THE WORDS of Rab-shakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to REPROACH THE LIVING GOD; and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left.
It is NEVER WRONG to ask the Lord about anything we are confronted with. Hezekiah was wise to take the action he did.
Isaiah 37 gives a vivid detailed account of the response of the Prophet, very similar to what I have chosen here. It is a good read.
2Ki 19:6 And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.
2Ki 19:34 For I WILL DEFEND THIS CITY, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.
2Ki 19:35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred fourscore and five thousand (185,000): and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
2Ch 32:22 Thus the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, AND FROM THE HAND OF ALL OTHER, and guided them on every side.
Can you imagine the mess 185,000 dead bodies would create in a very short time? And within yelling distance of the walls of the city?
But, God, who knows all things from their beginning, was equal to the situation. He had already, perhaps when He created the earth, made provision for a mass burial very close to the walls of Jerusalem. Close by were a couple of very large “holes” in the earth where the inhabitants of Jerusalem could dump those dead corpses after stripping them of any valuables they had on them.
--Excerpt from John Gill Commentary:
“---only would add what Rauwolff (t) observes, that still to this day (1575 AD) there are two great holes to be seen, wherein they flung the dead bodies (of the Assyrian army), one whereof is close by the road towards Bethlehem, the other towards the right hand against old Bethel.”
Verily, today it is still true that trusting God and being obedient to Him is the most valuable asset we humans can possess. If we have sinned in any way, the answer is to repent (change our attitude toward God), and then call on God for His Mercy, which will NEVER FAIL.
We can ALWAYS trust in His Wisdom (it is perfect), and His Guiding Hand (it is more powerful than ours).
Psa 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
Pro 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.
Pro 19:23 The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.
Pro 22:4 By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honor, and life.
Hos 14:3 Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy
FAITH AND WORKS
FAITH AND WORKS
It seems that many of our fellow Christians do not understand the role of Faith and Works in our relationship to Jesus Christ. As a result, many of us are confused, and wish we could sort out the differences in the two elements.
As believers in Jesus, most of us will acknowledge that we are saved by Faith in the finished work of Calvary. But, DO WE REALLY BELIEVE THAT?
Without being insulting, I seriously doubt that we fully understand the complete meaning of “SALVATION BY FAITH”.
Most of us seem to think that Salvation has to be augmented by some form of “works” to help the process along. We are NOT convinced that we can be COMPLETELY SAVED by FAITH ALONE. Our “Street-corner education” has had us convinced that if we indulged our desires to participate in any of the myriad forms of entertainment, we would “blow” our chances of Heaven. They were a “one-way” ticket to hell. Sure thing!
The Bible has quite a bit to say about many types of “works”, and some of them are DEFINITELY CONDEMNED. They have NO PLACE in the life of a Christian.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF WORKS:
THE WORKS OF THE LAW (definitely condemned) These are the ceremonial laws imposed through Moses for the same purpose that Faith plays today in our relationship to God—WITH ONE OUTSTANDING EXCEPTION.
Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the WORKS OF THE LAW, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: FOR BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW SHALL NO FLESH BE JUSTIFIED.
These works of the Law were the animal sacrifices, the observation of certain holidays (holy days), and rituals that folks were to go through in order to find favor with God. Each man was responsible for the welfare of his own family. THEY HAVE ALL BEEN REPLACED BY SIMPLE FAITH IN THE ONE SACRIFICE OF JESUS ON CALVARY.
Under the Law of Moses, each man was responsible to take his sacrifice to the Altar at specified times, and hold his hands on its head while the Priest slew it. Neglecting to do it would result in his whole family being cut off from the Blessings of the Commonwealth of Israel.
Since Jesus caused the Veil of the Temple to be rent from top to bottom when He bled on the Cross, we can now approach our God without the services of a human priest or an animal sacrifice.
The ONE SACRIFICE OF JESUS eliminated the need for any future effort on our part, EXCEPT TO BELIEVE THAT IT WAS SUFFICIENT FOR ANY AND ALL OF OUR NEEDS FOR THE WELL-BEING OF OUR SOULS.
That sounds too simple for many of us to grasp, so we struggle with the necessary Faith, feeling that we must add something to it.
Such UNBELIEF is our greatest enemy, and must be dealt with if we are to have a prosperous Christian walk
WHEN WE STRUGGLE, WE NULLIFY HIS PROMISE
We MUST LEARN to put our trust in JESUS rather than in anything we can do. He gladly takes the responsibility for the welfare of our soul.
WORKS OF THE FLESH:
Rom 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore CAST OFF THE WORKS OF DARKNESS, AND LET US PUT ON THE ARMOR OF LIGHT.
Rom 13:13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
Gal 3:2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Gal 3:3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Gal 5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Gal 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
WORKS OF FAITH:
Gal 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Gal 3:12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
Rom 5:1 Therefore being JUSTIFIED BY FAITH, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have ACCESS BY FAITH into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Rom 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
Faith in Jesus for the well-being of our soul will produce a different lifestyle, but in no case will the different lifestyle add to or detract from Salvation by Faith. That is a GIFT from God, and is maintained by our CONTINUED FAITH in Jesus Christ and the Blood of Calvary.
Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
FAITH WILL, HOWEVER, leave a trail behind itself, mute evidence that something wonderful has happened in our life. Things that we once hated, we will now love, and vice versa. Our lives WILL take on a different flavor, but these things are a RESULT of salvation instead of a PART OF it.
Jam 2:24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
Jam 2:25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
Jam 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also
Joh 8:39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
Joh 8:40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.
Joh 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
Act 26:20 But showed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and DO WORKS MEET FOR REPENTANCE.
Rom 3:27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
Rom 3:28 THEREFORE WE CONCLUDE THAT A MAN IS JUSTIFIED BY FAITH WITHOUT THE DEEDS OF THE LAW.
Rom 4:2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
Rom 4:5 BUT TO HIM THAT WORKETH NOT, BUT BELIEVETH ON HIM THAT JUSTIFIETH THE UNGODLY, HIS FAITH IS COUNTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
ROM 4:6 EVEN AS DAVID ALSO DESCRIBETH THE BLESSEDNESS OF THE MAN, UNTO WHOM GOD IMPUTETH RIGHTEOUSNESS WITHOUT WORKS,
Rom 4:7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
Rom 4:8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
Rom 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
GOOD WORKS:
Tit 3:5 NOT BY WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH WE HAVE DONE, BUT ACCORDING TO HIS MERCY HE SAVED US, BY THE WASHING OF REGENERATION, AND RENEWING OF THE HOLY GHOST;
Tit 3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain GOOD WORKS. These things are good and profitable unto men.
Tit 3:14 And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.
OUR OWN WORKS:
Heb 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Heb 4:11 Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
THE WORKS OF GOD
Heb 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I WILL MAKE A NEW COVENANT with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
Heb 8:9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
Heb 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I WILL BE TO THEM A GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE TO ME A PEOPLE:
Heb 8:11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
Heb 8:12 FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR UNRIGHTEOUSNESS, AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR INIQUITIES WILL I REMEMBER NO MORE.
Oh, if we could fully grasp the import of those verses! Most of us visualize God as a stern, unbending Being who is keeping track of all of our shortcomings and trespasses, waiting to “pop” us for each infraction of the rules. NOT IF WE ARE IN JESUS!
Jesus told Peter that Satan had desired him, in order to sift him as wheat is sifted, but that He had prayed for him. Had He prayed that Peter would finally “get it together” and stop being so up and down in his walk with the Lord? HE DID NOT!
Rather, Jesus had prayed “THAT THY FAITH FAIL NOT”. Without Faith in the shed Blood of Jesus and the Cross of Calvary, we would all be “high and dry” in our relationship to God.
Eph 2:8 For by GRACE are ye saved through FAITH; and that not of yourselves: it is the GIFT of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are HIS WORKMANSHIP, created IN CHRIST JESUS unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
It seems that many of our fellow Christians do not understand the role of Faith and Works in our relationship to Jesus Christ. As a result, many of us are confused, and wish we could sort out the differences in the two elements.
As believers in Jesus, most of us will acknowledge that we are saved by Faith in the finished work of Calvary. But, DO WE REALLY BELIEVE THAT?
Without being insulting, I seriously doubt that we fully understand the complete meaning of “SALVATION BY FAITH”.
Most of us seem to think that Salvation has to be augmented by some form of “works” to help the process along. We are NOT convinced that we can be COMPLETELY SAVED by FAITH ALONE. Our “Street-corner education” has had us convinced that if we indulged our desires to participate in any of the myriad forms of entertainment, we would “blow” our chances of Heaven. They were a “one-way” ticket to hell. Sure thing!
The Bible has quite a bit to say about many types of “works”, and some of them are DEFINITELY CONDEMNED. They have NO PLACE in the life of a Christian.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF WORKS:
THE WORKS OF THE LAW (definitely condemned) These are the ceremonial laws imposed through Moses for the same purpose that Faith plays today in our relationship to God—WITH ONE OUTSTANDING EXCEPTION.
Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the WORKS OF THE LAW, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: FOR BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW SHALL NO FLESH BE JUSTIFIED.
These works of the Law were the animal sacrifices, the observation of certain holidays (holy days), and rituals that folks were to go through in order to find favor with God. Each man was responsible for the welfare of his own family. THEY HAVE ALL BEEN REPLACED BY SIMPLE FAITH IN THE ONE SACRIFICE OF JESUS ON CALVARY.
Under the Law of Moses, each man was responsible to take his sacrifice to the Altar at specified times, and hold his hands on its head while the Priest slew it. Neglecting to do it would result in his whole family being cut off from the Blessings of the Commonwealth of Israel.
Since Jesus caused the Veil of the Temple to be rent from top to bottom when He bled on the Cross, we can now approach our God without the services of a human priest or an animal sacrifice.
The ONE SACRIFICE OF JESUS eliminated the need for any future effort on our part, EXCEPT TO BELIEVE THAT IT WAS SUFFICIENT FOR ANY AND ALL OF OUR NEEDS FOR THE WELL-BEING OF OUR SOULS.
That sounds too simple for many of us to grasp, so we struggle with the necessary Faith, feeling that we must add something to it.
Such UNBELIEF is our greatest enemy, and must be dealt with if we are to have a prosperous Christian walk
WHEN WE STRUGGLE, WE NULLIFY HIS PROMISE
We MUST LEARN to put our trust in JESUS rather than in anything we can do. He gladly takes the responsibility for the welfare of our soul.
WORKS OF THE FLESH:
Rom 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore CAST OFF THE WORKS OF DARKNESS, AND LET US PUT ON THE ARMOR OF LIGHT.
Rom 13:13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
Gal 3:2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Gal 3:3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Gal 5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Gal 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
WORKS OF FAITH:
Gal 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Gal 3:12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
Rom 5:1 Therefore being JUSTIFIED BY FAITH, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have ACCESS BY FAITH into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Rom 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
Faith in Jesus for the well-being of our soul will produce a different lifestyle, but in no case will the different lifestyle add to or detract from Salvation by Faith. That is a GIFT from God, and is maintained by our CONTINUED FAITH in Jesus Christ and the Blood of Calvary.
Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
FAITH WILL, HOWEVER, leave a trail behind itself, mute evidence that something wonderful has happened in our life. Things that we once hated, we will now love, and vice versa. Our lives WILL take on a different flavor, but these things are a RESULT of salvation instead of a PART OF it.
Jam 2:24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
Jam 2:25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
Jam 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also
Joh 8:39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
Joh 8:40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.
Joh 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
Act 26:20 But showed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and DO WORKS MEET FOR REPENTANCE.
Rom 3:27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
Rom 3:28 THEREFORE WE CONCLUDE THAT A MAN IS JUSTIFIED BY FAITH WITHOUT THE DEEDS OF THE LAW.
Rom 4:2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
Rom 4:5 BUT TO HIM THAT WORKETH NOT, BUT BELIEVETH ON HIM THAT JUSTIFIETH THE UNGODLY, HIS FAITH IS COUNTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
ROM 4:6 EVEN AS DAVID ALSO DESCRIBETH THE BLESSEDNESS OF THE MAN, UNTO WHOM GOD IMPUTETH RIGHTEOUSNESS WITHOUT WORKS,
Rom 4:7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
Rom 4:8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
Rom 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
GOOD WORKS:
Tit 3:5 NOT BY WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH WE HAVE DONE, BUT ACCORDING TO HIS MERCY HE SAVED US, BY THE WASHING OF REGENERATION, AND RENEWING OF THE HOLY GHOST;
Tit 3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain GOOD WORKS. These things are good and profitable unto men.
Tit 3:14 And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.
OUR OWN WORKS:
Heb 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Heb 4:11 Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
THE WORKS OF GOD
Heb 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I WILL MAKE A NEW COVENANT with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
Heb 8:9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
Heb 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I WILL BE TO THEM A GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE TO ME A PEOPLE:
Heb 8:11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
Heb 8:12 FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR UNRIGHTEOUSNESS, AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR INIQUITIES WILL I REMEMBER NO MORE.
Oh, if we could fully grasp the import of those verses! Most of us visualize God as a stern, unbending Being who is keeping track of all of our shortcomings and trespasses, waiting to “pop” us for each infraction of the rules. NOT IF WE ARE IN JESUS!
Jesus told Peter that Satan had desired him, in order to sift him as wheat is sifted, but that He had prayed for him. Had He prayed that Peter would finally “get it together” and stop being so up and down in his walk with the Lord? HE DID NOT!
Rather, Jesus had prayed “THAT THY FAITH FAIL NOT”. Without Faith in the shed Blood of Jesus and the Cross of Calvary, we would all be “high and dry” in our relationship to God.
Eph 2:8 For by GRACE are ye saved through FAITH; and that not of yourselves: it is the GIFT of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are HIS WORKMANSHIP, created IN CHRIST JESUS unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
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