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Isaiah 6:1-7 (KJV) In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of Hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. 4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts. 6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

A Compound Name of God is where two of His names are combined. We have studied several Compound Names:

El Olam (The Everlasting God)
Yahweh Qadash (God the Holy)
Yahweh Nissi (The Lord My Banner)
El Roi (The God Who Sees Me)

Tonight we’re looking at the most frequently used Compound Name of God. This is the Name of God Yahweh Sabaoth, the LORD of Hosts. Some people are confused by the Hebrew Word Sabaoth, thinking this is the same as Sabbath. That’s not true. The Sabbath is a day set aside to God to rest and honor Him. We worship the Sabbath on The Lord’s Day, the Day Jesus rose from the grave. Sabaoth does not equate to Sabbath. Sabaoth means “To Rule The Multitudes”. God is both Yahweh – Eternal, Almighty, Self Existent and God is “The Ruler of the Multitudes”. God controls the hosts of Heaven. God controls the armies of the world.

God Is The LORD of Hosts

The word Sabaoth is found two times in the New Testament. James spoke of those who defrauded their hired laborers, saying:

James 5:4 Behold, the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.

God as the Lord of Sabaoth, the LORD of Hosts hears the cries of the oppressed. The Lord of Sabaoth watches those who do evil, and if repentance does not come He will come and address the evil with tribulation. God will not bless wrongdoing! The Lord of Sabaoth punished Israel for their wrong doing. In the second use of “Sabaoth” in the New Testament the Apostle Paul referred to the dispersion of Israel during the time of Isaiah. Quoting two texts – Isaiah 6:13 and Isaiah 1:9 – he wrote under inspiration of God:

Romans 9:27-29 (KJV) {Isaiah} also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: 28 For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. 29 And as {Isaiah} said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha.

Israel disobeyed God in the time of Isaiah and the Babylonian and Assyrian Empires over ran them. Israel was as the sand of the sea and the stars of the sky, as God promised Abraham (Genesis 22:17), but Yahweh Sabaoth will not bless evil. Oh Beloved, never believe that God is a Respecter of Persons!

Romans 2:9-11 (ESV) There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality.

The LORD of Hosts watches what every person does. Israel in Isaiah’s time was suffering because they stopped loving Yahweh Sabaoth, the LORD of Hosts and began to do the wrong. But the same Lord of Sabaoth – the LORD of Hosts – is merciful. He would not wipe out Israel. He blessed the remnant who believed, and protected them.

(Romans 9:29) Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed
We had been as Sodom and been made like unto Gomorrah!

God was not the LORD of Hosts for the Sodomites and the sexual perverted.
But He is the LORD of Hosts for those who believe in Him.

There are several truths we can see about our God as Isaiah writes in this most frightening time of Israel’s history.

1 The LORD of Hosts IS. We read:

Isaiah 6:1 (KJV) In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord

Who was King Uzziah? He was the best King that Israel had since the reign of Solomon. The Bible tells us in 2 Chronicles 26 that he became king when he was but 16 years old. He reigned 52 years in Jerusalem. The was the best King because the Bible says “he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD”. He honored Yahweh.

2 Chronicles 26:5 {Uzziah} sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper.

Everything the man did prospered because he trusted himself to the LORD of Hosts.

• He warred against the Philistines, and destroyed their capital city.
• He built towers and fortified Jerusalem’s walls.
• He dug wells in the desert and outposts for the people.
• He had the most elite fighting men the world had ever known.
• His armies he provided the most advanced weaponry.

But when Uzziah was older and at the end of his reign he allowed pride to take him. The Bible says:

2 Chronicles 26:16 But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.

Uzziah sinned against his Lord. God sent leprosy on him, and last days of his life this legend of a man stayed in hiding. As the forces of Babylon lined up to destroy Judah, at that most crucial moment, Uzziah died as all people die. Who will help us now? Who will we turn to?

In this Presidential election we are watching two mud slinging opponents telling us that if we choose one or the other then we choose destruction. Nothing ever changes. Fifty years from now both Clinton and Trump will be dust, their souls in the hands of a never ending Yahweh. But the LORD of Hosts will live onward. I love the way that Pastor John Piper said it:

“God was the Living God when this universe banged into existence. He was the Living God when Socrates drank his poison. He was the Living God when William Bradford governed Plymouth Colony. He was the Living God in 1966 when Thomas Altizer proclaimed Him dead and Time Magazine put it on the front cover. And He will be living ten trillion ages from now when all the puny potshots against His reality will have sunk into oblivion like bb’s at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.”

The LORD of Hosts is ETERNAL. The LORD of Hosts is EVERLASTING. Our God is YAHWEH SABAOTH, and He is always there for us.

 In the 2016 Olympics at Rio De Janeiro we are hearing about all of the medals won, but nothing of the great stories of faith going on in the background. Eric Metaxas reported in the August 22^nd, 2016 Breakpoint:

In the women’s 10,000 meters race, Almaz Ayana, from Ethiopia, obliterated the previous world record by 14 seconds. Responding to unfounded rumors about cheating, Almaz retorted, “My doping is my training and my doping is Jesus. Nothing otherwise —I am crystal clear.”

American swimmer Simone Manuel set an Olympic record in the 100-meter freestyle, becoming the first African-American woman to win gold as a swimmer, the first African-American woman to win a medal in an individual swimming event, and the first American to win the 100-meter since 1984. After the race she said, with tears rolling down her cheeks, “All I can say is all glory to God.”

Simone Biles, acknowledged to be the world’s greatest female gymnast—and perhaps the best ever. But what’s truly inspiring is her story—adopted at age 6 by her grandparents because of her mother’s battle with addiction. Now reconciled with her mom, Simone draws strength from her relationship with God and her faith.

Katie Ledecky, who may become the greatest woman swimmer of all time—and who won the 800-meter freestyle by an amazing 11 seconds—says her faith in Christ “is part of who I am.”

2 The LORD of Hosts IS ON HIS THRONE.

Isaiah 6:1 (KJV) In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up …

There is chaos in Jerusalem and the enemy is at the gate. What do we see in Heaven? Are angels running about in a panic? Has God stepped away to

plow a field, or
shine His shoes, or
cut grass and do a little hedge trimming, or better yet
to play golf and take a vacation while Jerusalem quakes?

No, dear Ones. Any time you look into Heaven you see order, and peace. But what you see most of all is The LORD of Hosts enthroned, high and lifted up. God is in control. People think that they are in control, and God allows us all freedom within bounds. Yet God is always Sovereign. God made this world, this universe, and everything in it. In time the Scripture says:

Romans 14:11 (ESV) … As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

Our God is Sovereign. He is on the Throne forever. We can call on Him in time of need, and He can make the difference. The first place this name of God “The LORD of Hosts” is found in Scripture is in 1 Samuel 1. The Book starts out telling the story of a man named Elkanah, a man that had two wives. Let me say quickly that the Bible does not endorse one man having two wives. God made man and woman, and put them together for life according to Jesus (Mark 10:6 from the beginning of creation God made them male and female).

Elkanah was not following God’s design, and it brought trouble to his home.
When you do not follow God’s design you will bring trouble to your home.
When you do not follow God’s design you will bring trouble to your home.
When you do not follow God’s design you will bring trouble to your home.

Elkanah’s wife Peninnah had children, but his wife Hannah did not. The Bible tells us that every time the husband left the home Peninnah would mock Hannah because she was childless. Hannah was so bullied by Peninnah that she couldn’t eat or sleep. There was nothing Hannah could do to fix her situation. Elkanah loved her more than Peninnah, but it wasn’t enough. The bullying wouldn’t stop.

So Hannah prayed.

1 Samuel 1:10-11 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. [11] And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of Hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.

Hannah directed her prayer to the LORD of Hosts. Hannah was in a helpless and hopeless situation. She can pine away through depression, or she can call upon the LORD of Hosts Who is on His Throne. Hannah would have a baby, the Prophet Samuel, one of the greatest Prophets that Israel ever knew. God is in control. God fights for His people.

The second time the LORD of Hosts is mentioned is when a young shepherd boy stands before a giant named Goliath. The boy named David, armed with only a sling and five smooth stones goes up against a Goliath who was 9 feet 6 inches tall, and his armor alone weighed 125 pounds. What gave David the courage to face such an opponent. Listen to what David said:

1 Samuel 17:45-46 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. [46] This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

David went from Shepherd to King because the Bible says in 2 Samuel 5:10 “the LORD God of Hosts was with him”. God’s people can call on Him, for our God is the LORD of Hosts. He fights for His own.

Psalms 24:9-10 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. [10] Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.

Zechariah 4:6-7 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. [7] Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.

What battles are you fighting? God is on His Throne. Take your troubles to the LORD of Hosts, YAHWEH SABAOTH. He is able. You can thrash around in the thorny patch of your dilemma and all you’ll do is get more scratched up. Or you can be still and cry out to Yahweh Sabaoth. He is there, and He fights for His people.

3 The LORD of Hosts Is Everywhere, And HOLY. Again we read:

Isaiah 6:1-3 (KJV) In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of Hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

Though the Lord of Hosts is enthroned in Heaven, He is nonetheless everywhere. There is no place where He is not. The Bible says that He is high and lifted up, and His TRAIN filled the Temple. The “Train” is the robe of God, the King’s Robe, and it filled all of Heaven. But it does not stop there. The whole earth is full of His glory. Our glorious Savior and Protector is everywhere.

Psalms 113:4-6 The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens! [5] Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high, [6] who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?

God loves and looks after His people. God is everywhere. He is not far from us. The Apostle Paul said “in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). When we love Him and are His, He will protect us. The Lord of Hosts stands against those who are unrighteous and unholy. The Angels cried “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts!”. He will bless them that bless Him, but stands against those who stand against Him and His own. We are told in Amos:

Amos 9:2-5 (ESV) If they dig into Sheol, from there shall my hand take them; if they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down. [3] If they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, from there I will search them out and take them; and if they hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them. [4] And if they go into captivity before their enemies, there I will command the sword, and it shall kill them; and I will fix my eyes upon them for evil and not for good.” [5] The Lord GOD of hosts, he who touches the earth and it melts, and all who dwell in it mourn, and all of it rises like the Nile, and sinks again, like the Nile of Egypt;

Oh how protected are the people of God. But oh how dangerous it is to range far from Him in our hearts! God is everywhere watching us, and stands ready to save whosoever will believe in Him.

Jeremiah 23:23-24 (ESV) Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away? [24] Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.

God is everywhere. But God is also thrice holy. The Angels that flew before the Throne of the LORD of Hosts covered their faces and covered their feet. These Angels had never known sin, but to be in His Presence they covered their faces from His holiness. They not only wiped their feet before entering His Throne-room, they COVERED their feet. God is Holy. He is Righteous. He is set apart, totally without sin. When Isaiah saw into the Throne-room of the Lord of Hosts what did he do?

Isaiah 6:5 (KJV) Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts.

He cried out to God! He recognized his sinfulness, and repented, crying out to the Lord of Hosts. The Bible tells us that when Isaiah cried out that:

Isaiah 6:6-7 (KJV) Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

This is a beautiful picture of the Cross of Christ. Our Lord Jesus died on that Cross for us, being offered up for our sins. He is our Passover. He offered up Himself (Hebrews 7:27).

Colossians 1:20-23 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. [21] And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled [22] In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: [23] If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

An Angel went to the altar of God and took a burning coal, symbolic of the glory of God, and touched Isaiah’s lips. When we confess with our mouths Jesus is Lord, and believe in our hearts that He has risen from the grave, we are saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (see Romans 10:9-10). When that coal touched Isaiah’s lips his iniquity is taken away, and his sin was purged.

The LORD of Hosts is never far from you if you have received Christ as Savior. Jesus has promised:

John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. John 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

The Lord of Hosts is holy. The Lord of Hosts is everywhere. The Lord of Hosts will fight for you, but you must be His. Give yourselves to Him. Trust Him. Love Him. Live for Him, and in Him. For one day you, too, will be with Him in His glorious Heaven.

A little girl who lived her whole life in the city had opportunity to go to the country on a vacation. One starlit night, she and her mother stood gazing up into the beautiful night sky devoid of the lights of the city. After a while the child said “Mama, if heaven is so pretty on the wrong side, I wonder what it looks like on the right side!” If you know Him one day you will see.

Today we’ll start a new series of study through the Book of Hebrews. This series is called “Better Than”, which is a key thought found throughout the Book of Hebrews. The Writer (who I believe was the Apostle Paul) was writing to Israel. The Israelite thought they were saved because they kept the Law, because they were “chosen”, because they were descended from Abraham. In fact, they are just like many people today.

Every time a celebrity dies the newspapers and television media put out opinions and cartoons and articles that say that they think that this person went to Heaven. A certain Business Magnate went to Heaven because of all the good he did on this earth through his corporations and philanthropy. A certain Musician went to Heaven because of all the good her music did while on the earth. A certain Comedian or a certain Warrior or a certain Actor all went to Heaven when they died because of acts that they performed on this earth. A young person dies and someone writes “Heaven gained another angel”. Dearly Beloved, angels are angels and humans are humans.

The tiny acts we do on this earth do not earn the admiration of an Immense God. God owns “a thousand cattle on a thousand hills” (Psalm 50:10). God is everywhere. “The Heavens and the highest Heavens cannot contain Him” (2 Chronicles 2:6). God knows everything we do, and even knows our hearts. “I the lord search the heart and examine the mind” (Jeremiah 17:10).

I can be a Law Abiding Citizen, a Taxpayer, a Respected member in the community. But if I go up to the Baymont Inn to get a room several things must be true.

• I must have made a reservation.
• I must have the payment they desire.
• I must have a form of identification.

What will get me into God’s Kingdom? What payment can I bring to a place where the Street is:

Revelation 21:21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.

There is no work that I can do to get into a place like that. I have stayed in hotels where they supplied robes and fruit baskets, but at a cost I could not sustain for even a week. None of those places had a street of Gold, or a gateway of Pearl. Never have I been in a place where “The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone”. Never have I been in a place where God was it’s Manager.

The only way you can get in such a place is if the Manager allows you in. What has the Manager of Heaven said? We must have Jesus. We must see Jesus.

Hebrews 1:1-9 (KJV) God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; 4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. 5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? 6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. 7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. 8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. 9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

1 God Spoke To Us Through His Prophets Because He Loves Us. Our God Not An Impersonal God. The first word in our Hebrew text is “GOD”. God is a PERSON. The text says “GOD, WHO”. Animals are not WHO, they are IT. We may personalize them, but they are not persons. A Force of Power is not a WHO, it is an IT. God is not animal, vegetable, or mineral. God is not force of power.

God is a WHO Who speaks to us.
God Has Spoken To Us From The Beginning.

He has been speaking to us from the very beginning. God has spoken to us through select people that He has raised up. We read:

Hebrews 1:1 (KJV) God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

The Bible tells us that God has been speaking to us from the beginning. From the very first words of the Bible which read …

Genesis 1:1 (KJV) In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

God has been speaking to us. The text tells us that God spoke “in sundry times and in diverse manners”. That’s Old English for “in many times and in many ways”. God raised up people that He called “Prophets”, and He sent word through these Prophets in many different ways. These Prophets were:

Businessmen
Traders
Shepherds
Fishermen
Soldiers
Physicians
Preachers
Kings

These Prophets had many messages but one central truth they kept repeating. God created our world and made us to walk with Him but we wandered from His side.
We need a Savior.

In the Garden of Eden God promised that “the seed of the woman” would “crush the head of the Serpent”. God gave the animal sacrifices through the Prophet Moses – a Lamb without spot or blemish was to be slain for sin. Every sacrifice given, every Feast and Holy Day pointed to the coming of Something Better. The Prophet Balaam was moved of God to say …

Numbers 24:17 (NASB) I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; A star shall come forth from Jacob, A scepter shall rise from Israel …

There would be a Better King rise up, a King from God Who would establish a Righteous Kingdom. Who was this Star of Jacob, this Scepter of Israel? No one knew, but the Prophets continued to speak. God reprimanded the Shepherds who destroyed and scattered His people, and promised through the Prophet Jeremiah that …

Jeremiah 23:5 (ESV) Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 

A Righteous Branch was coming. How would He come? His birth would be singular, a birth like no other. The Prophet Isaiah said:

Isaiah 7:14 (ESV) Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

A Virgin would bear a Child, but this Child would be called Immanuel, which means “God with us”. God was speaking through His Prophets, telling humanity that a Savior was coming. This Savior would do something unprecedented. Though He would rule and reign as a Righteous Branch of David, the Prophet Isaiah saw this Savior first suffering. The Prophet said:

Isaiah 50:6 (ESV) I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting.

This Suffering Savior would come. God would be with us. He would do wonderful things that only God could do. He would bring the dead to life, the leper to health, the cripple to his feet. The Suffering Savior would cause the blind to see and the deaf to hear. This Suffering Savior would walk on water. This Suffering Savior – with no pillow to call His own – would calm the storm. This Suffering Savior would do all these things, but greater still, He would suffer for our sins. He would make payment for us. The Prophet Isaiah said:

Isaiah 53:2-11 (KJV) For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

God spoke to us by His Prophets. He foretold the Coming of a Savior. He foretold the Coming of Immanuel, God with us. He foretold the Coming of Jesus Christ.

2 God Is Speaking To Us Now Through Christ His Son. The Old Testament declares that God would some day come to us. The New Testament tells us that God has come to us through Christ. God …

Hebrews 1:2 (KJV) … Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, …

Who is Jesus Christ? He is the HEIR OF ALL THINGS. Jesus owns everything in Heaven and in earth. If you expect to get into God’s Heaven then you must know the Heir. He is the only One Who can give you entrance to Heaven. Saint Peter does not stand at the Gateway to Heaven, but Christ does. You enter God’s Presence only through Christ. The Father has declared:

This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I am WELL PLEASED. HEAR HIM! (Matthew 17:5)

Jesus is the Word of God. John wrote:

John 1:1-4 (KJV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

Jesus is the Son of God.
Jesus is the Bread of Life.
Jesus is the Light of the world.
Jesus is the Living Water.
Jesus is the Heir of Heaven.
Jesus is Creator God.

Yes, that’s right. He IS the Creator. God the Father ….

Hebrews 1:2-3 (KJV) … Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

When God said “Let There Be Light” He spoke this to Christ Who made the Light. Jesus is the Light of the World who made the Light of the World. God made the world through Christ. When God separated the atmosphere from the earth He did so through Christ. How can this be?

Because Christ is Creator God. The Bible says:

Hebrews 1:3 (KJV) … Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power,

There are three things said here of Jesus Christ.

• He is the “brightness of God’s glory”. Christ perfectly reflects the glory of God. Philip asked Jesus to “show us the Father and we will be satisfied” (John 14:8 ESV). Jesus replied “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. (John 14:9-10 ESV).

You cannot know the Father if you do not know Jesus. You cannot see the Father unless you see Jesus. Jesus Christ is the only Way to the Father.

John 14:6 Jesus said …. I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

There is no other door but Him. He is the Brightness of God’s glory.

• Jesus is the “Express Image Of His Person”. We are told in John 1:18 that

No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him.

No sinner from Adam onward can look on the perfect Holy God and live. When Isaiah caught just a glimpse into Heaven he despaired, saying in Isaiah 6:5:

“Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”

How foolish it is that people think they shall gain Heaven without going through Christ! A sinner cannot stand before a Holy God. When Moses was in the Mount of Sinai God placed him in the cleft of the rock, and covered him with His hand, for God said

Exodus 33:20 no man can see me and live …

God is immense, and pure, and holy. No one can see God. But God can see God. And God the Father is seen of God the Son. And God the Son is the express image of His Person. We see God through Christ. We know what we can know of God through Jesus Christ.

• Upholding All Things Through The Word Of His Power. Jesus Christ is in the middle of stability. The farther a person gets from Christ, the more unstable that person will be.

FAMILIES Fall Apart Because They Will Not Hear Him.
MARRIAGES are in ruins because we trust FEELING rather than FAITH in Him.
Our COMMUNITIES are crashing.
Our SCHOOL CHILDREN filled not with knowledge but emptiness.
Our NATION trembles under the weight of sin because Christ has been rejected.

God is not the Author of Confusion, but of Peace, and He offers Peace and Stability to all Who will come to Christ by faith.

3 God Is Telling Us There Is But One Savior, And We Need To Heed Him.

Hebrews 1:3-4 (KJV) …. His Son …. when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; 4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

Jesus Christ is not an Angel, but He made the Angels. But He did not come to this earth to save Angels, nor even to make Angels. Jesus Christ came to this earth to save whosoever believeth in Him.

Christ the Son of God came to make sons of God.
Christ came to change SINNERS into SAINTS.
He BY HIMSELF Purged Our Sins!
He BY HIMSELF Purged Our Sins!
HE – JESUS CHRIST – BY HIMSELF – Purged Our Sins!

How did He purge – blot out – our sins? He did this by Himself. Jesus Christ …

1 Peter 2:23-25 (KJV) Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: 24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

The High Priest of Israel never sat down in the commission of his duties. Each year on the Day of Atonement a Lamb without blot or blemish was slain. The Blood of the Lamb was taken into the Holy of Holies, and sprinkled on the Altar the sins of the people were covered. But this covering – this man made work -was only a temporary covering. The High Priest went into the Holy of Holies trembling, for he was but a sinful man carrying the symbolic blood of an animal. No animal can pay the penalty for man’s sin.

But Christ died for us.
God Incarnate gave Himself for us.

He bore our sins on Calvary’s Cross and then He sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on High. He sat down, for the work was finished. He sat down on the right hand of God, because this is the place of honor, and God accepted His life’s work.

Hebrews 10:12 (KJV) But THIS MAN, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

There is no other offering for sin. If you are God’s Child and have fallen into sin there is no work you can do to cleanse yourself, no penance, to “fifteen Our Fathers and fifteen Hail Marys”. There is no work you can do to cleanse yourself but reliance on the Work of Christ. The scripture declares:

1 John 1:8-9 (ESV) If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The stumbling Saint does not need to work harder. The fallen Soldier does not need to fight more. When sin has tripped us up run, RUN, run RUN to the Arms of the Savior. Let His embrace cover you with His Blood. Let He Who loves you bless you once more. Rest in the arms of Christ.

And Sinner – I say SINNER without Christ, hear what I say. You are damned where you sit. You are damned when you rise.

John 3:16-18 (KJV) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Every day you go without Christ is a day that you reject what God is saying. He speaks to us through His Son. He calls and bids you come. The proof of your coming is your following. The Father said to the Son:

Hebrews 1:8-9 (KJV) But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. 9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

Do not believe you are His if you are not following Him. Do not believe you are His if you love unrighteousness and hate righteousness. Christ the Son of God is God, and His Kingdom is marked by a scepter of righteousness. He and His people love righteousness and hate iniquity. When you come to Christ, come repenting. When you come to Christ, come with empty hands and kneeling heart.

God speaks to us.
What is the mark of His people?
His people HEAR HIM and FOLLOW HIM.

Jesus said:

John 10:26-28 (KJV) But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

The brand on the sheep is that God speaks through Christ and we who are His HEAR.
The brand on the condemned is the unhearing ear, the disobedient heart.
If you die with that brand on your soul you will be lost forever!

Please hear Him.
Please come to Christ and receive Him as Lord and Savior!
May God touch your hearts with His Word.

Trust in the LORD Jesus-Yeshua Christ with all Thine HEART Trust and Obey When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word, What a glory He sheds on our way! While we do His good will, He abides with us still, And with all who will trust and obey. Refrain Trust and […]

via Trust and Obey, Trust Jesus!! —

Luke 15:1-7 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. [2] And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. [3] And he spake this parable unto them, saying, [4] What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? [5] And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. [6] And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. [7] I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

In verse 1 we see that two kinds of people came to hear Jesus. They are called publicans and sinners. Those who were “Publicans” were people who worked with the public. These were people who were tax collectors for the Romans. The Jewish people didn’t like these Tax Collectors because Rome had conquered Israel, and the Jewish people didn’t feel that they ought to pay these Romans for anything. They hated the Tax Collectors! But alongside of the Tax Collectors are another group of people called merely “Sinners”. Now the Bible says that we are all sinners. The Scripture tells us that:

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Romans 5:12 …. death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

We are all sinners who need the Savior. These Tax Collectors and “Sinners” drew near to Jesus so they could hear Him. Jesus loves everyone, and wants to save everyone. But you must come near to Him, to hear Him, to listen to what He has to say. Jesus said a lot of wonderful things. Jesus said that if you would draw near to Him and hear Him, and do what He said that your life would be blessed. Jesus said:

Luke 11:28 (NIV) … “Blessed … are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

Matthew 7:24 (NLT) “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.

The Tax Collectors and the “Sinners” drew near to Jesus to hear what He had to say. But standing not far away was two other groups of people. These people were sinners just like everyone else are sinners, but they didn’t think they were sinners. These two groups of people are called “Pharisees and scribes” in verse number 2. Who are these people?

The Pharisees were those who thought that the things they did made them right with God. They were religious people, but they did not like Jesus nor even feel that they needed Jesus. Pharisees are people who think that they are right with God because:

• They give money to charities. There are a lot of rich people in the world who are called Philanthropists, and they think that God is please with them because they give a lot of money to charities.

  If you are giving money because you are doing it for Jesus this is a good thing. If you’re giving money to make God love you this is not a good thing. You can’t buy God!
  

• They have certain rituals they follow. They do certain things at certain times in certain ways because they think this will earn them points with God. God isn’t impressed with the rituals you do.

  God wants a RELATIONSHIP with you. God wants you to HEAR AND DO what He says because He loves you.

• They dress a certain way. I have known people who preached in flowing robes, but do not know Jesus. Jesus wants you to live your life hearing and loving Him.

The Bible tells us that there were also people named “Scribes”. These were people who knew the Bible because they wrote it’s words down over and over again. They knew the Bible, but didn’t know the Lord Who wrote the Bible.

It’s good to know what the Bible says, but you need to understand WHO wrote the Bible. The God Who loves you wrote the Bible. These Scribes and Pharisees did not know God, nor did they want to know God. The Bible says that Jesus is the Son of God. Several times in the Bible God the Father said:

This Is My Beloved Son .. Hear Him!
(Matthew 17:5; Mark 1:11)

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. God the Father sent Jesus to this earth so that sinners like us could be made whole. God does not want us wandering and wallowing in sin. God wants us with Him, loving Him as He loves us. He wants us in Christ loving one another. The Bible tells us that (say this with me if you know it):

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. [17] For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

God wants us to have LIFE. He wants us to have a GREAT LIFE. He wants us to have a LOVING LIFE. God wants us to have ETERNAL LIFE. He doesn’t want us to just exist. He wants us to LIVE being blessed by Him.

Luke 15:1-2 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to HEAR him. [2] And the Pharisees and scribes MURMURED

The Sinners and the Tax Collectors drew near to Jesus to hear Him. But what did the Scribes and Pharisees do? The Bible says they murmured. They complained. Why did they complain? Jesus was right there. They could hear Jesus just as the Tax Collectors and sinners did. But they complained because Jesus was talking to the Tax Collectors and sinners. They were saying:

Luke 15:2 …. This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. 

That word “receiveth” is the Greek PROSDEKOMAI (prosdecomai pronounced pros-dekh’-om-ahee), which means “to embrace, to bring into a place of intimacy or hospitality, to accept as an equal”.

These so called religious people were offended because Jesus was reaching out to Tax Collectors and “sinners”. The Pharisees and Scribes hated that. They thought that they were perfect before God because of the so called good things they did. Yet if they were right with God they would have listened to Jesus. If they were right with God they would have drawn near to Jesus.

God the Father sent Jesus to this world for every person, and Jesus calls out to every person. The Bible says:

2 Corinthians 5:15 {Jesus} DIED FOR ALL, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

Jesus came for all people. He said (John 10:10) “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Jesus Christ came to this earth to bring as many as He could into God’s Kingdom. Jesus came looking for sheep. Jesus is the Great Shepherd.

These Scribes and Pharisees start heckling Jesus about the people who were coming to Him. So Jesus told them a story. I love the way that Jesus told stories, because it makes what He says so much easier to understand. Jesus said:

Luke 15:3 {Jesus} spake this parable {a story} unto them, saying, [4] What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? [5] And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. [6] And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.

Jesus said “If you had 99 sheep but one got away, wouldn’t you go find it?” When Jesus came to this earth He didn’t just come to the rich, to the privileged, to the well off. He didn’t just come to the well dressed Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes. We are told in

1 John 2:2 (ESV) {Jesus} is the propitiation {the satisfactory payment} for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

Jesus is the Great Shepherd Who came looking for whosoever will. He is the Shepherd Who looked for the one that was lost. Jesus came seeking those who would admit they needed a Shepherd, someone who would admit that they were sinners in need of a Savior. He came offering, and those who drew near to hear Him would be embraced.

I want you to notice a few things about this story Jesus told.

• The Shepherd Knew Exactly How Many Sheep He Was Supposed To Have. He looked at His flock, and saw that one was missing.
• The Shepherd Went Looking For SHEEP, For Those Who Would Follow Him. He did not go out looking for dogs, or cats, or bats, or rats. He didn’t go looking for wolves. He went looking for those who would be SHEEP.
• The Shepherd Went Looking For A LOST SHEEP. He left 99 Sheep in the pasture and went to get that Sheep that had wandered away. The 99 were precious to the Great Shepherd, but the lost Sheep was precious as well.
• The Shepherd Went Looking For That Sheep Because The Shepherd Owned The Sheep. If you have been saved by believing on Jesus, by receiving Him as Lord and Savior, you belong to Him just as I belong to Him. The Bible says:

  1 Corinthians 6:19 (KJV) What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

  Psalm 100:3 (ESV) Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
  

• When You Belong To Jesus, He Looks After You. This Sheep that the Shepherd looked for was LOST. It was not lost because of what the 99 other sheep did. It is not lost because The Great Shepherd lost it. That Sheep is lost because it wandered away from the Great Shepherd. It went out on its own. That Sheep thought that it knew what was best for itself. “You know, this is pretty good pasture – but I think some grass I saw over yonder was much prettier and would be better for me.”
  

The Lost Sheep left the PROSPERITY of Christ’s Pasture and the PROTECTION of the Good Shepherd. The Shepherd found the Sheep when it cried out to be saved. God hears your cries. God hears your calling, and will come to you if you call out to Him.

• “When He Hath Found It, He Layeth It On His Shoulders, Rejoicing”. When the Good Shepherd found the Sheep the Sheep rested in His arms. Jesus did not bring the Sheep back to the flock kicking and screaming. The Sheep rested in the Master’s arms. Jesus said:

  Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV) Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

  Jesus loves to pick up the weary Lamb, the broken Sheep. He rejoices over one sinner who comes home. The Scribes and Pharisees were so busy finding fault and murmuring that they could not be blessed. But the Tax Collectors and so called “Sinners” drew near to Jesus to hear Him. And they loved what they heard!

Luke 15:6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.

The Shepherd finding the Lost Sheep carries the Sheep all the way home. When He gets home He celebrates with His friends and neighbors saying:

Rejoice with Me. I have found MY SHEEP which was lost.

Do you know that there is a party in Heaven every time someone comes and receives the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. That’s what Jesus said. He said:

Luke 15:7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Everyone needs to come to Jesus, to hear Him, to receive Him as the Good Shepherd. Jesus lay His life down for the Sheep. Jesus said He was the Good Shepherd, and He said that His flock would be whoever came to Him. He said:

John 10:14-16 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. [15] As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. [16] And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

Those who belong to Jesus follow Him as the Good Shepherd. He laid His life down for us. And we who are His hear His Voice, and are united as One People following One Shepherd.

Years ago men were working a coal mine when the roof caved in, trapping about two dozen men. Tons of dirt filled the exit, and there was no way that they could dig it out. They were certain they were going to die. Then one old miner remembered that the shaft they were in connected with an older, little used shaft. He suggested that then men find their way out that way. They went to the shaft and started in. As they traveled the shaft got lower and lower. Finally they all had to get on their hands and knees. They kept going. Finally the old miner in the lead yelled out “I see the light!”. That made everyone move faster. They drew near to the light, and came out of a bad, lost place, and back into the world of the living.

There are times when my life seems dark. When it looks darkest, I look up for my Jesus, My Great Shepherd. I am His Child, His Little One, His Sheep. I found Him not by giving up to the darkness, not by laying down, but by getting on my hands and knees and calling out for Him. He brought His light to me – and will bring His light to you – if you’ll only call on Him. Remember that the Pharisees murmured,

This Man receiveth sinners and eats with them.

Jesus Christ will not turn you away. Ever! He calls out to whosoever will. Let Him pick you up and bring you into His flock today! All of Heaven will cheer when you come to Him!

May God touch your hearts with His Word.

Psalm 119 has the distinction of being the longest chapter in all of the Bible. Composed of 176 verses it is larger in size than 14 Old Testament Books and 17 New Testament Books. It’s 176 verses are broken up into 22 stanzas, one stanza for every letter of the Hebrew Alphabet. The Fourteenth Stanza begins with the Hebrew letter NUN (pronounced “noon”), which looks like what you see on the left. Nun looks kind of like a burning candle. Psalm 105 emphasizes the light of the believer. Let’s read together:

Read Together Psalms 119:105 Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet,
and a light unto my path.

1 Why Do I Need A Lamp And A Light? Frank and I were out walking today (I need to get fit) on Riverwalk when we saw a lady slumped over in her car. Concerned we went and knocked on her window. She roused up, and opened the window, telling us she had a headache and was resting. I apologized for disturbing her, but noted we were concerned. Then we asked if we could pray for her. She replied “I’d really like that”. Praying for her, the Lord seemed to comfort her, and we continued on our walk.

Darkness and Distress comes to every life. We all suffer.

The Prophet Job, a man who was perfect and righteous, who feared the Lord and turned away from evil (Job 1:1) said:

Job 30:26 When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness.

Our Lord Jesus cried from the Cross of Calvary …

Psalms 22:1 …. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? …

and the Prophet Jeremiah discouraged cried out …

Lamentations 3:19-20 Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. {20} My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.

Trials come on us all. Do they have a purpose? Yes, they do.

Adrian Rogers gave the following illustration. “I read about a man who had a very fine dog who loved the water. One day the dog was playing in the lake and the man decided to leave. He called the dog, but the dog wouldn’t come. He called him several times; he wouldn’t come. It was a well-trained dog, but he just would not come. The man finally threw a stick out in the water. When the dog saw it, he swam over, got the stick, and came back and laid it at his master’s feet. It just may be that God has given you a burden because He can’t get your attention. He wants you to come and lay it at your Master’s feet.”

When the trials come and the darkness seems to close in it is God’s Word that gives us light in the midst of darkness. It is His Word that gives us light and hope. God saved us by His Word, and feeds us by His Word. God saved you for His glory. He took clay vessels that were without honor, and through the offering of His own Dear Son He caused us to be born again. For this reason the Apostle said:

2 Corinthians 4:5-7 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. {6} For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. {7} But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

We who believe and have called upon the Name of Jesus are saved from eternal damnation – not because we are worthy – but because He is worthy. We who have called on the Name of Jesus exist to glorify God. You exist for God’s glory!

God made us in His image and in His likeness. We were made to live for Him, to glorify Him. When trials come they are the darkness that drives us to the Light of His Word. You, dear Christian, are earthen vessels, jars of clay. When a potter makes a jar of clay he takes the clay through several processes. First he kneads the clay, pressing and pressuring all air out of it. Second he forms the clay by forcing it into the shape that he wants it to be. Third the clay must be air dried until it becomes what is called green ware Once it is air dried, the potter must kiln fire the green ware until it hardens into the unglazed pot. Lastly glaze is put on the pot, and it is placed into the kiln once more. At each stage the useless clay is placed under tribulation, but tribulation is not meaningless or fruitless, but it draws the clay toward the goal of being a work of art. Dear Christian, you are God’s work of art! “O LORD, thou art our Father; we are the clay, and Thou art our Potter, and we are all the work of Thy hand.” (Isaiah 64:8) The trial has purpose. The Apostle Paul said:

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

We glory in tribulations for we know that they have purpose.

2 Darkness Drives Us To The Lamp Of God’s Word.

Psalms 119:105 Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

A lamp is a tool that has absolutely no purpose in the daylight. If you’re walking in the light of the day it would be foolish to carry a lit lamp or a burning flashlight. It’s redundant. The wrong time to look for a flashlight – or a book of matches and a candle – is when the lights are out!

You need the Living Word of God in your life. There are a number of people who call themselves “Christian” but really are not Christian at all. If you are a Christian then the Word is a lamp unto your feet, and a light unto your path. The Word of God is both WRITTEN and BEGOTTEN. The WRITTEN Word is this Bible. The BEGOTTEN Word is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Of Him John wrote:

John 1:1, 14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. {14} And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

When Israel was founded the Lord wrote His Word on Tablets of Stone and Animal Skins
When the Church was founded the Lord HIMSELF became the Living Word
Israel carried the Word in the Ark of the Covenant
We – His Church – have the Word in our hearts, and are carried by The Word made flesh

The Word Who is God took on Himself humanity. He came to this earth with the express purpose of glorifying God by saving creatures like us. Jesus Christ was born of a virgin. He grew up in Nazareth, a small and nondescript town. At around thirty years old Jesus went out and began to bring glory to God by healing people.

By His Word Jesus healed the epileptic (Matthew 9:8).
By His Word Jesus healed the cripple (Mark 2:12).
By His Word Jesus raised the widow’s son from the dead (Luke 7:16).
By His Word Jesus healed the woman afflicted eighteen years (Luke 13:13).
By His Word the leper was cured of this terrible disease (Luke 17:15).
By His Word the blind were made to see.
By His Word Christ raises the spiritually dead.
And By His Word we are adopted into His Family.

The Scripture declares that Light can only come through faith in His Word. Without Him we are in darkness. With Him we are saved.

Romans 3:23-28 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; {24} Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: {25} Whom God hath set forth to be a {satisfactory covering for sin} through faith in his blood … {26} To declare … his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. {27} Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. {28} Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Light comes when we focus on His Word. Israel came out Egypt by following God as a Pillar of Fire. We follow His Word. We cherish His Word.

His Word is A LAMP. Not our opinions. Not what we think, but what He has said and continues to say. His Word is SINGULARLY A LIGHT unto our path. We follow what He says. His Word is first in our lives. We say with the saints of old:

2 Samuel 22:29-34 For thou art my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness. {30} For by thee I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over a wall. {31} As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him. {32} For who is God, save the LORD? and who is a rock, save our God? {33} God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect. {34} He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet: and setteth me upon my high places.

What a glory it is to be in Christ, to know that we will rule and reign with Him one day! Glory unto God in the highest! Glory that He would give us such a precious gift!

3 Those Who Are Christ’s Must Not Out Run His Light.

Psalms 119:105 Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

God’s Word is a lamp unto your feet, and a light unto your path. Stay in step with Christ. Stay in step with the Word of God. The Prodigal Son found himself eating the slop of the hogs because he left the blessing of his Father’s lighted home. Jesus bids us to remember that He is the light. He said …

John 8:12 … I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Why do people fail? Why do people get discouraged, depressed, and sometimes – Lord forbid – commit suicide? Because they have not formed a habit of staying in the light. They get off the path where the Word is! They try to lead Jesus rather than be led of Jesus. We are saved by focus on Christ. We are blessed by focus on Christ.

Jesus said “he that followeth Me SHALL NOT WALK IN DARKNESS”. If you’re born again by faith in Christ, stay on the path with Christ. You were saved by believing what Jesus said:

John 14:6 .. I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

You believed that Jesus was the only Way to God and the only Way to life. You trusted His claims, and believed that He suffered, died, and rose again for you. Your faith brought you into the Light. You need to stay in the Light.

You cannot be saved by trusting in Jesus, and then expect to keep on being blessed by trusting in you!

Jesus said:

John 12:46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

We are not made for darkness. We are made for the Light. We are made for His light. Listen Beloved: the Lord has said His Word is a lamp unto my feet. He didn’t say “my opinion” or “my feelings” or “what I want to do” or anything else! His Word is a Lamp unto my feet. Jesus said “I am the Light of the world”. He alone must be followed. His Word alone must be read and adhered to. Your prayers flow up to God through Jesus Christ our Mediator:

Hebrews 12:24 …. Jesus the mediator of the new covenant …

If you are born again you will only live a victorious life by walking with the Word. You will only see victory over the darkness by trusting in His Word. You must stay on the path of faith in the Word.

You must remember that God’s Word is the lamp unto our feet, and the light unto our path.

Stay with the Word when your days are bright.
Stay in His Word when darkness falls as night.
Stay on the Path, in prayer draw near
Focus on the Word, not on fear.

Charles Stanley’s grandfather told him, “obey God and leave all the consequences to Him”.

That’s very good advise. God is in control of all things. Obey God. Heed His Word. Obey His Spirit. Trust that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28), and let God take care of the rest. He knows what is best (Isaiah 55:8-9). Climb when God tells you to climb. Rest when He tells you to rest. Stop depending on yourself – cut the rope, and depend on God! May God touch your hearts with His Word!

For the last several weeks we have studied the various Names of God in the Scripture. Why does God give us so many Names related to Him? His Names reflect His unchanging character. C.H. Spurgeon stated:

“Let us meditate upon the Lord’s holy name, that we may trust Him the better and rejoice the more readily. He is in character holy, just, true, gracious, faithful and unchanging. Is not such a God to be trusted? He is all-wise, almighty, and everywhere present; can we not cheerfully rely upon Him? Yes, we will do so at once, and do so without reserve.”

The name of God we are examining tonight is Yahweh Shammah which means “The Lord is There”. It is found in the last verse of the last chapter of Ezekiel. Let’s read it together.

Ezekiel 48:35 It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there.

What is the context of this Name of God? Yahweh Shammah (יְהֹוָה שָׁמָה) is the last word of promise written to a broken nation called Israel. The nation was founded by God. The nation was blessed by God. Yet Israel rejected the Lord.

Israel loved the land more than the Lord Who gave them the land.
Israel loved the Temple more than the Lord Who gave them the Temple.
Israel loved their own pleasure than they did the Lord Who made them.
Israel like America loved stuff but not the Sovereign God.

When Israel became like the lost world around it the Lord promised to pour out wrath on this nation. God saved Israel for His Name’s Sake:

Ezekiel 20:9-11 But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt. [10] Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness. [11] And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them.

God is holy, and calls to Himself a people Who will love and respect Him. God punishes sin among His Children. God called Israel out of Egypt and established them in the Promised Land for His Name’s Sake, but Israel continued to rebel again Him. So God promises to destroy His people. His people have rejected Him, so He will destroy. But God said:

Ezekiel 33:11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

God does not wish to destroy Israel, but He will if she will not return to Him. God is There – but He will not be where sin and rebellion is. God tells Israel:

Ezekiel 36:22-23 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. [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.

God expects His Name to be honored by His people, particularly in the midst of the unbelieving world. People need to see in Israel and in the Church that God is There. This is the emphasis. When we come to the last chapter of Ezekiel we see that God promises His people that once He restores them that He will build a Holy City, a New Jerusalem. The name of that city will be God is There, Yahweh Shammah.

1 We Cease To Be The People Of God When God Is NOT There. God from the very beginning of creation put Himself in the lives of His people. God created Eden perfect and holy, without thorns or thistles. There was no rain in Eden, but a mist came up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground (Genesis 2:6). There were no tornadoes, hurricanes, thunderstorms nor floods. Everything was clockwork perfect. Eden was perfect. It was only after Eden was complete did the Lord form Adam of the dust of the ground.

Genesis 2:7-8 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. [8] And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

What made Eden perfect? What made it Paradise? It is Paradise because God is There. God came into the Garden daily to walk with Adam. God told Adam he could have any fruit of the Garden but the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2:17). Why was this Tree forbidden? Because God is There. If you want to know right from wrong it does not need to come from YOUR heart, O man, but from God’s Heart. God knows. He knows. God is There. He is in the Garden. He made it perfect, and whole, and pure, and holy. God is There. We do not need to be gods – little “g” creatures making up our own rules. We were made by God to follow God. God is There. When Adam did what he was not supposed to do God did not change. God is STILL There. But the Bible tells us that:

Genesis 3:7-8 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. [8] And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

Several things happened in the Garden of Eden when Man brought sin into that which was perfect.

• Man Thought That He Was Self Sufficient. The “eyes of them both were opened”. We no longer relied on Yahweh Shammah, the God Who is There. We relied on OURSELVES. We became little g “gods”.
• Man Thought That He Was Sin Sufficient. Adam and Eve saw their own nakedness, and created religion that day. Man made religion says “I don’t need God to fix me – I can fix myself”. So they sewed aprons of fig leaves to cover themselves. But in their hearts they knew this wasn’t enough.
• Man Thought That He Didn’t Need The God Who Is There. Sin caused a gulf between us and Yahweh Shammah. “Adam and his wife hid themselves from the Presence of God”.

What made Eden an Eden was not that it was perfect, without thorns and thistles, without death and killing. What made Eden an Eden was that prior to the Fall of Adam
God is There.

God walked with man, and man with God. God talked to man, and man to God. God and Man were in perfect union, loving one another. God was not an absentee Landlord. God was in Man’s midst until man turned from God.

When God came to Abram and called him out of ancient Babylon He told him:

Genesis 12:1 (NASB) Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you;

God did not tell Abram to go by himself. He said “I will go with you. I will be the God Who is there”.

Many years later when Joseph (you remember Joseph, Jacob’s son who had the coat of many colors) was betrayed by his brothers and sold into Egyptian slavery Joseph kept the faith. Imprisoned unjustly Joseph relied not on his circumstances but on Yahweh Shammah, the God Who is There. When Joseph’s brother’s stood in front of him and he – as co-regent of the King could have killed them – what directed Joseph to have mercy and not avenge? Yahweh Shammah, the God Who Is There. Joseph said:

Genesis 50:19-21 (KJV) …. Fear not: for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. 21 Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.

God is there, He is with His people.

When God raised up Moses and brought His people out of Egypt 400 years later God p;romised to lead His people to the land of Canaan.

Moses spoke to the God Who is There, Jehovah Shammah.

Exodus 33:13-17 (KJV) Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. [14] And {God} said, My Presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. [15] And {Moses} said unto {God}, If Thy Presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. [16] For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. [17] And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.

God is in the midst of His people. It is not the music that makes the Church, but that Yahweh Shammah, God is There. It is not the Programs that makes the Church, but that Yahweh Shammah, God is There.

The distinctive characteristic of the Children of God is that:

Psalms 46:5-7 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. [6] The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. [7] The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Our REST is in God.
Our POWER is in God.
Israel saw the Temple and thought “this is magnificent”.
The Temple was NOT magnificent unless the Shekinah Glory of God was there.
The Temple is just a building.
The Church building is just a building.
The Church building is just a building.
The Church building is just a building.

When Solomon built the Temple he declared:

1 Kings 8:27-30 (KJV) But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded? 28 Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day: 29 That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place. 30 And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place: and when thou hearest, forgive.

The Temple was just a fancy building if there was no Yahweh Shammah. If God’s Glory did not shine from it it was no different than a Publican’s House or a Honkey Tonk.

When Ezekiel wrote these prophecies Israel was in ruins, captured and carried off into captivity. Why? Why were they desolate? Because Israel began to worship without God. The Pharisees had taken over the faith that Abraham and Moses established.

Moses was called to Divine Services through a burning bush. Take off your shoes, for you stand on Holy Ground. Why was the ground Holy? Because of Yahweh Shammah. God is there. He was there in the burning bush. He was there in the pillar of fire by night, and the pillar of cloud by day. He was there in the Tabernacle, and He was there in the Temple. People went to where God was not to see a show but to be with God.

The Church in America has turned into a traveling side show.
We need God in our midst.
We need Yahweh Shammah.
We need His Presence in all that we do.
We don’t need another Program, another Person, another Prop.
We need God in our midst, Yahweh Shammah.

2 When We Come To The New Testament Yahweh Shammah Does A New Thing. God is There. He was with His People in the Old Testament. Israel was broken in Ezekiel’s Day, and was broken when the Gospels are written. Herod has rebuilt the Temple. It is glorious! The Pharisees and Sadducees have taken over the Temple. They are glorious! But the Glory has departed the Temple. The Shekinah Glory is no longer there, for Yahweh Shammah is not there. But God promised that He would be with His Temple.

A young carpenter named Joseph of Nazareth is told that the Mary he is engaged to is with child.

Matthew 1:21-23 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

The name “Jesus” means “God Our Savior”. The name “Emmanuel” means “God is with us”. God came to man in a burning bush, a pillar, in many different ways in the Old Testament. God came to walk with man as God. But in the New Testament God became man so that He could walk with us and talk with us.

Jesus Christ both reveals and fulfills Yahweh Shammah.
God is with us in Christ.

We are told in …

Colossians 1:19-22 (KJV) For it pleased the Father that in {Christ} should all fulness dwell; [20] And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. [21] And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled [22] In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

God is there. God is there in Christ. God reconciled us to Himself through Christ. Adam brought sin into the world and put a wall between us and our God. But now Christ reconciles us to God by His Cross. Dying on the Cross as Perfect Man He paid for the sins of all. Rising from the grave as Incarnate God He ever lives to make intercession for us.

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

God’s glory – His Shekinah Glory – was returned to the Temple in Christ. The Pharisees hated Jesus because He disturbed their religion. Jesus is a religion disturber. He did not come to put a stamp of approval on ritual. Jesus came as God to be Yahweh Shammah, the God Who Is There. A woman taken in adultery is brought and cast down in front of Jesus. Jesus says:

John 8:7 …. He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

The religious accusers depart. Jesus was left alone with the woman. God is there. God says,

John 8:10 … Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?

The woman replies, “No man, Lord”. Then God Who is There says:

John 8:11-12 …. Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. [12] Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

When God is There – Yahweh Shammah – Grace and Truth are there.
Neither do I condemn you is all of God’s Grace.
Go and sin no more is all of God’s Truth.

Where God is There then there is Grace. But where God is there there is also truth. You cannot have Grace without truth. God is Holy, and demands that sin be repented of. But God is gracious, and forgives the repentant sinner.

I am so glad that God is There – Yahweh Shammah – in my life. I am so glad that God is with us, whosoever believeth in Him. Christ the Light of the World – the manifest Yahweh Shammah – draws us out of darkness and into His Light. Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

3 God Fulfilled The Promise He Made Through Christ And His Spirit. After Jesus rose from the dead He …

Acts 1:4-5 …. commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the Promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. [5] For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

Jesus spoke of the “Promise of the Father”. What promise was this? It was the Promise that God made in our focal text:

Ezekiel 48:35 …. the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there.

God would dwell with His people. God dwelt with His people at times in the Old Testament, but He did not dwell with His people. Before Jesus was crucified He told His people that He was going away, but that He would send the Comforter to His people. Jesus said:

John 14:15-17 If ye love me, keep my commandments. [16] And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; [17] Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

In the Old Testament God’s people had a Temple. In the New Testament God’s people ARE a Temple. God is There. He is in every believer in Christ. God abides with us FOREVER. God is there. He is there in the good times, and He is there in the bad times. When we gather together He is in our midst. But when we depart this place, He is still in us and with us.

Yahweh Shammah is there to comfort us in our sorrows. He is the God Who is There Who teaches us the things of God. Jesus said:

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

 John 16:7-14 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. [8] And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: [9] Of sin, because they believe not on me; [10] Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; [11] Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. [12] I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. [13] Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. [14] He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Jesus is Yahweh Shammah, the Incarnate God Who is There. The Holy Spirit is Yahweh Shammah, the Indwelling God Who Is There. God is There. He is with us. He will abide with us if we love Him.

May God touch your hearts with His Word.

I don’t remember where I heard this – I am sure it was in a sermon I heard – but it came to my mind as I was praying over and studying this final chapter of Colossians.

One Sunday morning at a small church, the Pastor called on one of his older members to lead in the opening prayer. The member stood up, bowed his head and said,“Lord, I hate buttermilk.” The Pastor opened one eye and wondered if he had made a mistake. The older gentleman went on “Lord, I hate lard.” Now the Pastor was totally perplexed. The Elder went on, praying “Lord, I ain’t too crazy about plain flour. But after you mix ’em all together and bake ’em in a hot oven, I just love biscuits. Lord help us to realize when life gets hard, when things come up that we don’t like, whenever we don’t understand what You are doing, that we need to PRAY AND WAIT TO SEE WHAT YOU ARE MAKING. After you get through mixing and baking, it’ll probably be something even better than biscuits. Amen.”

As we come to this last chapter of Colossians I can tell you many people – preachers included – have skipped over this chapter. Yet the Bible tells us that all Scripture is given of inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Colossians chapter 4 is the shortest chapter in this Book, but it isn’t unimportant. The focus of this chapter is prayer.

Every time I turn around someone is coming out with another PROGRAM, something that is supposed to revolutionize the Church and turn our culture around.

We don’t need another PROGRAM, we need PRAYING PEOPLE.
We don’t need another CELEBRITY. We need to CALL ON CHRIST.
We don’t need another PERSON. We need the POWER OF THE SPIRIT.
We need the PRESENCE OF GOD.
We need to get serious about PRAYER.

The Church began with PRAYER and therefore began with POWER. Jesus told a little gathering of 120 people – about the size of most small churches today – to go into an Upper Room and PRAY. On the Day of Pentecost the Apostle Peter came out preaching Christ and the 120 became 3120. Three THOUSAND souls gave their lives to the Lord Jesus that day. Was it because Peter preached a phenomenal sermon? Absolutely not! If you read Peter’s sermon in Acts chapter you’ll see that the sermon was only about 25 verses long. It wasn’t a long sermon, nor was it particularly eloquent. But 3000 people came to Jesus in a Jesus hostile environment that day. Why? Why? WHY? Because the Church prayed. Let’s read our text today:

Colossians 4:2-18 (KJV) Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; 3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: 4 That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. 5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. 7 All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord: 8 Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate, and comfort your hearts; 9 With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They shall make known unto you all things which are done here. 10 Aristarchus my fellowprisoner saluteth you, and Marcus, sister’s son to Barnabas, (touching whom ye received commandments: if he come unto you, receive him;) 11 And Jesus, which is called Justus, who are of the circumcision. These only are my fellowworkers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis. 14 Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you. 15 Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house. 16 And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. 17 And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it. 18 The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen.

1 Every Person Mentioned By Paul In This Text Is Someone Who Was Once Lost But Is Now Found. People Are Saved Only Through Prayer. No one is born saved. All are born needing to be born again. All are born in sin. King David – a man after God’s own heart – said:

Psalm 51:5 (KJV) Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.

No one is born saved. Every person who enters this life enters it naked, but also dead in trespasses and in sins. The Bible unashamedly declares:

Romans 5:12 (KJV) Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned–

Romans 3:23 (KJV) …. for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

If all have sinned, and all are in darkness and in the death grip of sin, then how can any be saved? How can the dead live? How can the blind see? How can the deaf hear? Only God can open the eyes. The Apostle said:

Colossians 4:2-3 (KJV) Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; 3 Withal praying also for us, that God would OPEN UNTO US A DOOR OF UTTERANCE, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:

“Continue to pray, Church”. Pray that God will open the eyes of the blind. We are in a battle for men’s souls. Pray! The Bible says that Satan is continually standing against the Gospel, that Satan …

2 Corinthians 4:4 … the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

God must open the eyes. No one is saved because of the expertise of the preacher nor because of the beauty of the facility. The Pharisees were lost, and refused to come to Christ to be saved. They led the worship in a beautiful Temple. They followed hard after religion, and did all the acceptable rituals. No one but the Holy Spirit of God can open the eyes of the blind. The Apostle said “With all – with all other believers – PRAY FOR US that GOD would open unto us a DOOR OF UTTERANCE to SPEAK the MYSTERY of CHRIST”. Oh Beloved, I wish that you all understood how important your prayers are to the success of God’s Gospel.

Prayers open doors.
Prayers open hearts.
Prayers empower the preaching.
Prayer releases the Spirit.
Prayer opens the eyes of the heart and the ears of the soul.
I have heard people say “Oh that my child or my loved one would be saved”
Have you prayed for them? Do you continue in prayer for them?

The Gospel will save whosoever calls on His name – but THEY MUST CALL. We cannot save them, but God can. But their eyes must be opened.

• TYCHICUS came to Christ because God intervened. Tychicus was a Roman who gave his life to Jesus. The Apostle said of Tychicus that he …

Colossians 4:7-8 (KJV) … is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord: 8 Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate, and comfort your hearts;

Who was Tychicus? He was someone who was born into this world lost, but born again by faith in Christ. Saved by faith in Jesus, he became through the operation of God’s Spirit a beloved brother, a faithful minister, and a fellow servant in the Lord. Tychicus was gifted with the ability to encourage and build up others. Paul sent him to Colossi to comfort their hearts.

• ONESIMUS is a runaway slave that came to God in Christ by faith.

Colossians 4:9 With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you.

Onesimus was a slave to a Christian named Philemon of Colossi. Only in America was slavery a white and black thing. In the ancient world conquered people were often made slaves. Onesimus was someone who had been conquered, and who ran away from his master Philemon.

Running Away From Philemon, Prayer Brought Onesimus Face To Face With Christ

When Onesimus gave his life to Jesus the Apostle sent him back to Philemon carrying a letter. That letter is found in our Bibles, and encourages Philemon to receive Onesimus as not a slave but now a brother in Christ, saved by the Blood of the Lamb. Tychicus went with Onesimus to Colossi to see Philemon. The Bible says:

Galatians 3:26-28 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Oh how I wish I had time to tell the story of each of these precious Saints that we will one day see in Heaven. Read with me:

Colossians 4:10-14 (KJV) ARISTARCHUS my fellowprisoner saluteth you, and MARCUS, sister’s son to Barnabas, (touching whom ye received commandments: if he come unto you, receive him;) 11 And Jesus, which is called JUSTUS, who are of the circumcision. These only are my fellowworkers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me. 12 EPAPHRAS, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis. 14 LUKE, the beloved physician …

• Aristarchus who was arrested with Paul for preaching the Gospel
• and Marcus or John Mark who abandoned Paul during his First Missionary Journey. The Bible says in Acts 13:13 that John Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem. John was uncomfortable with carrying the Gospel to the non-Jews so he abandoned Paul and Barnabas (his uncle). Eventually John Mark returned to the faith, and became a blessing to Paul and the Church.
• Justus is a converted Pharisee
• and Epaphras of whom little is known, but he is loved of God in Christ.
• Luke is a Gentile Doctor, the Blessed Physician, who accompanied the early Apostles and recorded the work of the Gospel in the books of Luke and Acts.

Prayer opens the heart doors. Oh that believers would pray! When we pray lives are changed. When we pray OUR LIVES are changed. When we pray our community changes. Prayer changes lives.

2 How Does God Ask Us To Pray? Prayer is not to be a spare tire that we pull out only when we get in trouble. We are told

Colossians 4:2 (KJV) CONTINUE in prayer …

a We Who Are His Children Are To DEVOTE Ourselves To Prayer.

The word translated “continue” is the Greek Present Active Imperative of προσκαρτερέω (proskartereō) which means “be steadfast in” or “devote yourselves to”. This is a command, not an option. The Bible says “keep on devoting yourselves to prayer”.

Be persistent. The Apostle commended Epaphras …

Colossians 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always LABORING FERVENTLY FOR YOU IN PRAYERS, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

Persistent prayer is like a wrestling match. It is a LABOR OF LOVE. Epaphras kept on praying for the Church at Colossi that the Church would succeed in the world, being the Light that Christ meant it to be.

Are you praying for your Church?
Are you praying for its workers?

The early Church grew by leaps and bounds because:

“They all joined together CONSTANTLY in prayer” (Acts 1:14).

“They DEVOTED themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42).

Pastor S.D. Gordon wrote: “The greatest thing anyone can do for God and man is pray. It is not the only thing, but it is the chief thing. The great people of earth are the people who pray. I do not mean those who talk about prayer; nor those who say they believe in prayer; nor yet those who can explain about prayer; but I mean those people who take time to pray.”

God loves to hear from His Children. We are told in …

Proverbs 15:8 (KJV) The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the PRAYER OF THE UPRIGHT IS HIS DELIGHT.

God loves to hear from His Children, adopted by faith in Christ. He “delights” in our prayer. We are told in

Isaiah 65:24 (KJV) And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

The Bible tells us in Revelation 5:8 that God keeps the prayers of His Saints in a golden bowl in Heaven. Oh how God would bless if we would but pray. God is glorified when He answers our prayers. His power is magnified. God wants us to understand that He is the El Shaddai, He is the God Who provides, He is the God Who Sees, the El Roi. When we pray we recognize that we are helpless but He is mighty to help. We recognize that we are powerless but He is Almighty.

b We Who Are His Children Are To BE ALERT In Our Prayers. We read:

Colossians 4:2 (KJV) Continue in prayer, and WATCH in the same with thanksgiving;

Be alert and pray. Pray frequently. Pray without ceasing. Pray!

Speak to Jesus your High Priest. If you are saved by faith in Christ He is our Advocate.

1 John 2:1-2 (KJV) My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, WE HAVE AN ADVOCATE WITH THE FATHER, JESUS CHRIST the righteous: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Jesus Christ died for our sins, and rose again to be our Advocate and High Priest. The Bible says that you are kings and priests unto God:

Revelation 1:5-6 (KJV) And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and PRIESTS UNTO GOD and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

You, dear Christ Follower, are a King because the King of Kings died for you. You are a Priest because Jesus Christ your High Priest has brought you into the Family of God. We pray because of who we are and because of Who He eternally is. Prayer keeps our eyes on the Lord Who loves us and protects us. One of the people that Paul mentions in this text is a man named Demas. Of the others mentioned in this text Paul commended nearly every one – but he had little to say of Demas. We read:

Colossians 4:14 (KJV) 14 …. and Demas, greet you.

Demas says “Hi”.

That’s it. Who was Demas? Demas was called a fellow laborer by Paul in the Apostle’s letter to Philemon:

Philemon 24 (KJV) Marcus, Aristarchus, DEMAS, Lucas, my fellow laborers.

He’s mentioned with John Mark (the writer of the Gospel of Mark), Aristarchus (imprisoned with Paul for preaching the Gospel), and with Luke (the Gentile Physician who wrote Acts and the Gospel of Luke). Demas is in GREAT company. There are great believer’s with him. Yet when Paul writes to to the Colossians he merely says of Demas

Demas says “Hi”

Why was that? Because Demas had begun to backslide. Look around the Church of God and you’ll find someone whose name will begin with “whatever happened to”. You know what I mean. “Whatever happened to _____”.

I had a Deacon years ago at another Church that loved to come into my office on Monday morning. Every time I saw him I’d roll my eyes. Monday’s are hard days for Pastors. Some people make it harder. Nearly the first words he’s say every time he came was …

“Whatever happened to …”

then he’d throw a name in there. I’d tell him “I don’t know”. BUT I DO KNOW. They walked the walk of Demas. They professed Christ, they joined the Church, then they disappeared off the face of the map. What was the problem? I guarantee you the problem is they slipped away from God. They ceased praying. They stopped looking to the Master. When the Apostle wrote his letter to young Timothy he wrote:

2 Timothy 4:10-11 (KJV)10 For DEMAS HATH FORSAKEN ME, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica … 11 Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.

Demas hath forsaken me. He has wandered from the Church. He loved this PRESENT world. He is not living for the Master nor for His Kingdom, but for “THIS PRESENT world”. He stopped praying. He stopped seeking Christ’s face. He turned his eyes from Jesus and instead chose this world.

We need to watch and pray. If you are Christ’s then you need to watch and pray. Peter tells us that we need to be …

1 Peter 5:8-9 (KJV) Be sober, be vigilant; because YOUR ADVERSARY THE DEVIL, AS A ROARING LION, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom RESIST STEADFASTLY IN THE FAITH, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

The Devil is always looking for someone to destroy. He looks – like a roaring lion – for the sheep that have wandered from the Shepherd. If you stay close to Him, close to Jesus the Great Shepherd of the sheep, you cannot be harmed.

Prayer is the cry of the sheep.
Prayer is the call to the Great Shepherd.
Jesus will not chase you. He loved you, but He will not chase you.

God our Savior says in Jeremiah 33:3 :Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Be watchful. Pray. Keep your focus on Jesus, or else become a “Happy Meal” for the Devil!

c We Who Are Christ’s Children Are To Pray With THANKFUL Hearts.

Colossians 4:2 (KJV) Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;

Prayer will fill your heart with thankfulness. Prayer will remind you – as it does me – that the trials of this life are only temporary. Prayer reminds us that this world is but a passing place. One day we will pass from Here to There,

from Corruption to Incorruption
from Sin Infested to Eternally Blessed
from Weakness to Power

One day we will be with our Jesus forever. One day we will be given glorified bodies, and sinless souls. One day we will walk in eternal day and leave this sometimes endless night.

Psalms 107:1 (KJV) O give thanks unto the LORD, for [he is] good: for his mercy [endureth] for ever.

Ephesians 5:20 (KJV) Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Hebrews 13:15 (KJV) By {Christ} therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of [our] lips giving thanks to his name.

Swimmer Michael Fred Phelps II broke the world record in the 200 meter butterfly in 2001 when he was only 15 years old. Most recently he again made history as he won his 22^nd gold medal in the 2016 Olympic Games at Rio de Janeiro. Reporter Eric Metaxas noted that four years ago no one would have believed Michael would have made such a come back. Michael was without purpose. Though he had won many times in the Olympics, he said “I was a train wreck. I was like a time bomb waiting to go off. I had no self esteem, no self worth. There were times I didn’t want to be here. It was not good. I felt lost.” Michael became suicidal. Then his friend – a former All Pro Linebacker named Ray Lewis gave him a copy of Rick Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Life. After Michael read it he turned to the Lord. He turned to the Lord Jesus. Repenting and following the Lord turned his life around, and he is again winning medals.

We belong to the Lord.

The name of God we’re looking at tonight is in the Old Testament the Hebrew word ADONAI and in the New Testament KURIOS. Translated “Lord” in the King James this name of God emphasizes that God is owner of all that He has created. There’s a famous poem called Invictus that ends with these words:

I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

That is absolutely not true. We were all created by a Loving and All Powerful God Who gives us life day by day.

1 God Is Adonai (Kurios) – He Owns And Controls Everything That Is. The Bible says:

Psalm 24:1 (NASB) The earth is the LORD’s, and all that it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it.

In America it is popular to say “It’s my body, and I’ll do with it as I wish”. Yet God says:

Ezekiel 18:4 (KJV) Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

God gives you life. Every day He allows your heart to beat, your lungs to draw air, your liver to process and filter your blood, your kidneys to cast off pollutants. He is LORD. Everything belongs to Him.

In the King James we have discussed how the word YAHWEH (the I AM name of God) is translated L-O-R-D (all capital letters). But when you see the name L-o-r-d (Large L small ord) this is in the Old Testament “Adonai”, in the New Testament “Kurios”. The Hebrew Adonai is plural, but is translated singular or “Lord”. It is plural just as Elohiym is plural because the Godhead is One but Three (Father, Son, and Spirit). This is called the Trinity, and our Triune God is Lord of all. He owns everything. In the Old Testament Adonai occurs 434 times, 200 times in the writings of Ezekiel alone, and 11 times in Daniel chapter 9. The first use of Adonai is found in the life of Abraham in Genesis 15:2. Let’s start out there.

Genesis 15:2  And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?

Genesis 15:6-18  And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.  [7]  And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.  [8]  And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?  [9]  And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.  [10]  And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.  [11]  And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.  [12]  And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.  [13]  And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;  [14]  And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.  [15]  And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.  [16]  But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.  [17]  And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.  [18]  In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

Two names of God are used throughout this Responsive Reading. Where you see the name LORD or the name GOD in all capital letters this is the eternal name of God YAHWEH. But every place where you see Lord (capital L small ord) this is the name of God ADONAI. Where Abram calls God “Lord GOD” in verses 2 and 8 this is actually ADONAI YAHWEH. Yahweh is normally translated LORD but the King James translators thought it would confuse people if they translated ADONAI YAHWEH as Lord LORD. So in instances like this they translated the name of God as Lord GOD. Here’s the key.

YAHWEH emphasizes that God is eternal without beginning or end. He is I AM.
ADONAI emphasizes that God is owner and controller of everything. He is Lord.

Notice Abram’s words. He says to the Eternal Owner of everything “What will YOU GIVE ME seeing I am without a child?” (verse 2). Then in verse 8 “how shall I know that I shall INHERIT it?” How do I know that I am going to have children and nations will come out of me? He says to God prove yourself. Promise this. And this is exactly what God did. God told Abram to take animals out of the herd:

a heifer (a female cow that has not bore a calf) of three years old
a she goat of three years old
a ram (a male sheep) of three years old
a turtledove (a dove)
a young pigeon

These were all creatures from Abram’s stock – but they were not Abram’s. God is Adonai, He is Lord. Everything that Abram had God allowed and gave. So when Abram took these animals from his herds he was giving back to Adonai what Adonai had given him. Abram took one of everything Adonai had given him. The larger animals were divided, that is they were killed and separated into two piles. The dove and the pidgeon were not separated, but they were killed. And then God told Abram what He promised to do.

God told Abram that his nation (Israel) would be in bondage 400 years
God promised Abram that his nation (Israel) would be freed from bondage
That Israel would prosper
God promised Abram that the land he stood in would be his people’s

God made all these promises to Abram because God is Adonai. God is Lord of all He created. He is owner of all that exists because God made it all. If you own it, you control it. God is Adonai. He is Lord.

2 Understanding The Lordship Of God Clears Up A Lot Of Confusion. God owns everything. He is ADONAI. He is Lord. He is the Maker and Designer. We get confused and wrapped around the axel when we don’t understand this.

God owns everything you think you possess

God owns you. There’s no need in arguing about “Free Will” verses “Sovereignty” because we are not gods. We are God’s. We are bought with a price. We belong to Him. Everything we own belongs to God.

Your homes belong to God.
Your bank accounts belong to God.
The cars you came to Church in belong to God.
The pews you’re sitting on belong to God.
The books in those book racks belong to God.
The ground you stand on belongs to God.
The air you breath belongs to God.
Your very flesh and soul belongs to God.

I have heard parents who have lost children say “I don’t understand why my baby had to die so young”. They become angered with God. I understand. I sympathize. I’ve been there. But He is Lord. He is Adonai. The soul of the child is His, not mine, and He has the right to take what He has given. He is Lord.

When God raised up the Prophet Malachi He was angry with His Old Testament people. The wife you have belongs to God. The husband you have belongs to God. The family in Israel had disintegrated. The parents were not teaching the children to love God as He commanded in …

Deuteronomy 6:5-7  And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.  [6]  And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:  [7]  And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

The LORD thy God – YAHWEH thy Adonai – was not being honored. The family was disintegrating. The worship was polluted. They robbed God of the TITHE, which was consecrated to God.

You know what a TITHE is?
It is giving back to God a small portion – a tenth – of what is really all His.

Israel did not take animals without spot or blemish to the Temple for sacrifice. They did not take the FIRST FRUITS to God. They went through the herds and gathered out the blemished, the crippled, the blind, the diseased, the broken and brought these to the Temple. They took the least to Adonai and kept the best for themselves.

When I was at another Church we had a clean up day, hauling off all kinds of broken stuff that had accumulated in the Church. Mismatched plates and silverware that people “donated” to the Church when they bought themselves new stuff. Broken baby swings in the Church nursery. I found a vacuum cleaner that could not be used because the handle was broken off. I found out later that one of our little old ladies “donated” this vacuum when she couldn’t use it and bought herself another. God got the broken, she the new. Israel did the same thing at the altar. Crippled cattle. Blind sheep. Diseased goats. Birds that wouldn’t fly. They brought this to the altar for sacrifice – a sacrifice that was no sacrifice at all – and expected blessing from God. The Lord told Israel – let’s read this responsively:

Malachi 1:6-13  A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?  [7]  Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible.  [8]  And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.  [9]  And now, I pray you, beseech God that he will be gracious unto us: this hath been by your means: will he regard your persons? saith the LORD of hosts.  [10]  Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? neither do ye kindle fire on mine altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith the LORD of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand.  [11]  For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts.  [12]  But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the LORD is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his meat, is contemptible.  [13]  Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the LORD of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the LORD.

What a sad statement this is! God is ADONAI, He owns everything. He raised up Israel out of nothing. From Abram and Sarai came Israel by His promise. God blessed His people, and is a Father and a Master to them. We honor Him when we give Him the best. We do not give God our leftovers and our broken, but the FIRST FRUITS, the best that we have. His name is to be honored by His people.

IIf you are parents or grandparents you have seen children at play. Two children are playing in a sandbox that they did not make. In the sandbox are toys they did not purchase nor deserve. One child sees a bright toy truck. He grabs it, saying “Mine!” The other child ignored the truck until then, but now reaches out. “No, it’s mine!” It is “mine” because the parent loved the child and gave it, but the child doesn’t own the toy. And neither do we.

We all have the mistaken idea that we own this or we own that. With ownership comes frustration. The air conditioner goes out at “my house” and then it costs more of “my money” to get it fixed. Roofs leak. Toilets plug up. We get frustrated when what is mine doesn’t go they way I want. But we are looking at things wrong.

God is ADONAI. He is Lord. He owns it all. We are simply STEWARDS of what He has let us hold. I read this suggestion in Ken Hemphill’s book The Names of God and really liked it. He wrote:

“Sit down during your devotional time, take out a piece of paper and make up a deed signigover everything to God, the rightful owner. Say ‘Lord, this has never been mine. Somehow I just took over what is yours by creation. I am excited to acknowledge that I am a steward and that You are Owner of all the possessions represented on this deed”.

When we understand that we are STEWARDS and God is ADONAI (Lord) then things get much better.

One man said that when his family washing machine quit working he and his wife knelt and prayed in front of that machine. They prayed “Lord, your washing machine has broken down. What do You want to do about it?” After praying they were told the Lord needed a new washing machine. They thanked the Lord for His provision and, instead of frustration, joy flooded their lives. God is Adonai. He is Lord!

3 If God Is Lord (Adonai) And We Are His, We Are To Serve Him Where And When He Says. When God called Moses to follow Him and to go to Pharaoh, Moses began to argue with God. Let’s read this

Exodus 4:10-16  And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.  [11]  And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?  [12]  Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.  [13]  And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.  [14]  And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.  [15]  And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.  [16]  And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God.

Moses was frightened, and did not want to do what God wanted him to do. So God told Moses that he could speak through Aaron his brother because Aaron was eloquent. This ended up being a hindrance to Moses rather than a help. If Moses had trusted the God Who made him there would have never been an Aaron making a golden calf in the wilderness, nor an Aaron heckling him about his Ethiopian wife. In many ways Aaron was a hindrance to Moses’ ministry.

Throughout this reading we see the word LORD and Lord. Where you see LORD this is YAHWEH, the Eternal Name of God. The other occurrence – Lord – is ADONAI. Moses said to God in verse 10:

YAHWEH – Oh my ADONAI
Great I AM – My Lord

He recognized God as the Eternal Creator of all. But then Moses immediately capitalized on his perceived inabilities. Listen Beloved, what God calls you to do, God equips you to do. God told Moses “Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?”

God made us on purpose the way we are. God calls us to do what He has equipped us to do. Our purpose is found in Him Who made us, not we ourselves. Our purpose is not defined by what PEOPLE think of us, but what ADONAI requires of us. Our disabilities are abilities when we live for Him. If God gave us life, He can use the lives He gave.

God’s anger burned against Moses when he kept making excuses. When we call Him Lord we are to obey Him. Jesus said:

Matthew 7:21-23   Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.   [22]   Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?   [23]   And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

There will be many who will leave this life thinking they deserve Heaven because they did good things. But did they do what the LORD told them to do? If not, we work iniquity. We are called to obey the ADONAI, the Lord Who saved us. Jesus went on to say:

Matthew 7:24-27   Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:   [25]   And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.   [26]   And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:   [27]   And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

If you have received the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior then you belong to God. God is our Adonai, our Lord. Our strength is found in following Him. Greatness in His Kingdom is only achieved by serving the Lord in the capacity He has made you. Jesus promised:

John 12:26   If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

He is Lord. He is Adonai. When we call Jesus our Lord we surrender to His ownership and commit ourselves to serving Him in the ways He has said. We are bondslaves to God in Christ. His Lordship is seen in how we live our lives.

We who are saved are to live as His Stewards.
He is Lord!

Adrian Rogers put it this way:

“Well, suppose I perform a wedding ceremony and say to the young man, “Would you take Susan to be your lawfully wedded wife?” And he responds, “Well, I’ll take Susan as housekeeper.” And then I say to her, “Would you take John to be your lawfully wedded husband?” And she says, “Well, I’ll take him as provider.” We can’t pick and choose what we want from Jesus. We take Jesus as Lord over all!”

May God touch your hearts with His Word.

The one thing that is great about preaching through a Book of the Bible is that you must preach the next thing. The one thing that is uncomfortable about preaching through a Book of the Bible is that you must preach the next thing. You can’t skip the hard stuff. The tough sayings are to be examined. But the one thing the Lord has put on my heart over the years of pastoring and preaching is that we are always to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) even if the truth hurts, even if the truth is not politically correct. So brace yourself. This is going to be a bumpy ride. Keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times!

Colossians 3:11-25 …. there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. [12] Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; [13] Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. [14] And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. [15] And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. [16] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. [17] And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. [18] Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. [19] Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. [20] Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. [21] Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. [22] Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: [23] And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; [24] Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. [25] But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.

Introduction When a person is saved, that person is saved by receiving Christ as Lord and Savior. Christ Is All, and In All. God will save everyone freely if a person would be saved. Jesus Christ is the

“Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

Jesus Christ is the Son of God Who

“is the satisfactory payment (propitiation) for our sins;
and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2).

He is the Son of God sacrificed for us who would be sons of God. In that famous verse that every grade school child used to know we read together:

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son,
that WHOSOEVER believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Emphatic! Christ died for all. Christ died for all. He did not just die for one or two, or some imagined group. He died for all. He died for all.

He died for the RICH.
He died for the POOR.
He died for the BROKEN.
He died for those BLINDED BY SIN.
He died for the SEXUALLY ENSLAVED.
He died for the HETEROSEXUAL AND THE HOMOSEXUAL.
He died for the LOWEST PERSON who ever lived.
Believe it or not, He died for
POLITICIANS, for PREACHERS, for PEW WARMERS,
for PRESIDENTS and PEASANTS
Jesus died for PEOPLE OF ALL COLORS.
If there are RACISTS among us, Jesus died for you.
There will be people of ALL COLOR in Heaven.
None will be at the back of the bus.
There are no segregated water fountains in Glory.
All can drink from that River,
And the fruit of that Tree of Life is for the healing of NATIONS.
Praise Him! Praise Him! Praise Him He died for all us broken down people.

Colossians 3:11 …. there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. 

Jesus died for the Jew. He came unto His own and His own would not receive Him. He was made a Jew so He could fulfill God’s promise to Father Abraham. But Jesus did not just come to the Jews. He came to the Greeks, the inventors of sodomy and sexual sin. The Jews practiced circumcision, for God commanded Abraham and his seed to be circumcised, but the Gentiles were not circumcised.

When Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well He shocked the world around Him. The Samaritan woman said “Why do you speak to me, a Samaritan? Don’t the Jews despise the Samaritans?” Jesus came for the Samaritans. When the lepers ran to Jesus saying “Lord Jesus, have mercy on us” Jesus shocked the world around Him. How dare He touch those lepers! But Jesus came for the lepers. “You are healed. Go and show the priest.” When this Gentile woman – a Greek, hated of the Jews, came to Jesus saying “Please cast the demon out of my daughter” Jesus replied:

Mark 7:27 (ESV) ….. Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

Those who were Jews hearing this, I know, stood there thinking

Uh huh! “That’s right. Messiah came for US, not for THEM PEOPLE”.

Then the woman in broken humility and with broken heart said …

Mark 7:28 (ESV) Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.

and Jesus healed her daughter. Oh dear ones, Jesus came for everyone. He came for “Barbarian, Scythian, bond and free”. He came for all. He came equally for male and female:

Galatians 3:28 (KJV) There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Giving Himself equally for all. He gave Himself to free us from our sins. He gave Himself to restore us to the image of God. The Bible says:

2 Corinthians 5:15 And that he died for all, that they which live should NOT HENCEFORTH LIVE UNTO THEMSELVES, BUT UNTO HIM WHICH DIED FOR THEM, AND ROSE AGAIN.

Jesus Christ gave Himself to us so that we could be His and so that we could be part of His Kingdom. We are citizens of His Kingdom if to us “Christ is all, and in all”. If “Christ is all and in all” then we acknowledge His rule. His salvation permeates every facet of our lives.

You are saved by believing “Christ Is All”. Once you believe in Him “Christ is in All”

1 If Christ Is All And In All Then “How We Be” Will Be Under His Rule. We are not saved by our works, but we are saved when we in our hearts declare “Christ is all”. We realize our brokenness, and cling to His wholeness.

IAn Air Force Drill Instructor stood in front of a new group of recruits. He hollered out “Who thinks he can whip me! Step out right now!” Out of the group stepped a huge young man. He was about 6′ 5” and looked like he was as wide as he was tall. The Instructor said “What’s your name, boy?” The monster said “My name’s Jimmy, and I think I can whoop anyone here”. The Instructor said “All right Jimmy, you come up here and stand next to me.” Once Jimmy got there he looked at the new recruits again and said, “All right now. Who thinks he can whip me and Jimmy?”

That instructor knew his limitations, and we should know ours.
A broken person cannot make themselves right with a perfect God.
Salvation does not come to us because of our abilities and strengths.

The Scripture says ..

Titus 3:3-7 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. 4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 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; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Salvation is all of grace. Christ is all. He is all of Who saves us. It is His work on Calvary and on the basis of the empty tomb we are saved. Christ is all. But once saved Christ is in all. The proof of salvation is what is in the glass!

(Holding up an empty glass) I have some really good tea in this glass. It is some of the best I’ve ever tasted. And in a Masob Jar, which is how every Southerner should drink Southern Ice Tea. You’ve got to taste it to believe it! And the glass is full of it (well, one of us is full of it). Jerry would you taste this tea and tell me what you think? No, it is the best tea! What do you mean there’s nothing there? I tell you, it’s there. And it’s good. No? You don’t believe it? Well, neither do I. I forgot something. There’s no tea in the glass – and it shows!

If Christ is all, then Christ is in all. If you were saved by believing Christ is all, then He is in all. He is in all of you. He is not just in your Sunday, but He’s in your Monday too. He permeates you. He changes you.

I like my coffee, but I don’t usually drink it black. I can, but it’s a bit bitter to me. So I put a little cream and sugar in my coffee. When I put cream and sugar in my coffee it blends with ALL the coffee, it effects ALL the coffee. You don’t look in the cup and see half black and half with cream. It is ALL in ALL.

If Christ is all to you, then you have been saved. But JESUS has come inside. He is all in all. He’s not just with you sometimes, but He’s with you all times. He changes you. You become different. We read:

Colossians 3:12 Put on therefore, as the ELECT of God, holy and beloved

God changes you. When Christ is all and in all then you become elect. That word “elect” means “chosen, people of purpose”. You are “chosen” of God. God chose to shine though you. Jesus said:

John 15:16,19 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. … [19] If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

Jesus is the Chosen of God, and He is all and in all of you. You are Chosen for He is chosen. You are not of the world but you are in the world. We are told in

1 Peter 2:9-10 But ye are a chosen (or elect) generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: [10] Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

Christ is all and in all. He is chosen, His people are chosen. He has Kingdom purpose, His people have Kingdom purpose.

As His Chosen we are to exemplify …. meditate on these words with me …

Colossians 3:12-15 … mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long suffering [13] Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. [14] And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. [15] And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

Just as Father, Son, and Spirit worked together for our redemption Christ is all and in all, producing in our hearts

Mercifulness
Kindness
Humility
Meekness
Patience
Forbearance
Forgiveness
Love
Peace – oh thank God for peace in His kingdom,
that peace of God that passeth all understanding
Unity
and Thankfulness

Where Christ is all and in all these qualities will always be. And where these qualities are, God’s Kingdom is.

2 If Christ Is All And In All, Then He Will Permeate Our Worship. His Children Love His Word. We read:

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

When Christ is all and in all the Word of Christ dwells in us richly. The poorest congregations are the weakest in the Word of God. The power of the Christian life is only attained by the Word of Christ in us. The Bible says:

Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

God’s Children love God’s Word. The Bible tells us that while Annas and Caiaphas were High Priests in the Temple of Jerusalem, the Word of God did not come to them. They had ceremony. They had the building. They even had the Holy of Holies, the sacrifices, and the feasts. But Annas and Caiaphas turned their hearts from God, while a simple man named John the Baptist preached in the wilderness.

Luke 3:2 Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.

Multitudes came to hear John preach the Word of God, but few came to Annas and Caiaphas, these wolves in sheep’s clothing. Where Christ is all and in all the Word of Christ dwells richly. Behold, there is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world! Where the Word of God indwells there the Word of God works. The Church is a people filled with His Word. And because we are filled with His Word His Spirit manifests Himself. There is “teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs”.

Teaching His Word – not our opinions.
Admonishing or encouraging one another to shine for Him
Singing Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs

I was talking with a young man the other day about whether we should be using hymnals or praise songs, whether we should be singing our of books or looking at the powerpoint on the wall. I do not think God cares which way we worship. He just bids us to worship.

If Christ is all and in all we WILL be filled to overflowing with praise for Him

This world is not my home
I’m just a-passing through
My treasures are laid up
Somewhere beyond the blue.
The angels beckon me
From heaven’s open door
And I can’t feel at home
In this world anymore.
Oh Lord, you know
I have no friend like you
If heaven’s not my home
Then Lord what will I do.
The angels beckon me
From heaven’s open door
And I can’t feel at home
In this world anymore.

Colossians 3:16 …. singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

If Christ is all and in all the singing is to the Lord, from Whom we get our Grace. Grace, grace, glorious Grace! We sing with GRACE in our hearts to the Lord. If Chrisy is all and in all we live for Him, we love for Him, we praise Him! He is in our hearts.

Colossians 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

We are not here because we HAVE to be here. Because Christ is all our Savior and Lord, and because Christ is IN all, He is in our hands, our feet, our hearts, and our heads. And whatsoever the whosoever will does we do it for Jesus.

3 Finally, If Christ Is All And In All Then This Not Only Effects Your Church Life, It Effects Your Home And Your Work Life.

Two elderly, excited Southern women were sitting together in the front pew of church listening to a fiery preacher. When this preacher condemned the sin of stealing, these two ladies cried out at the tops of their lungs, “AMEN, BROTHER”. When the preacher condemned the the sexual sins of homosexuality and casual living together, they yelled again, “PREACH IT, REVEREND”. And when the preacher said how the Scripture condemned the sins of lying and hatred, they jumped to their feet and screamed, “RIGHT ON, BROTHER TELL IT LIKE IT IS… AMEN”. But when the preacher condemned the sin of gossip, the two got very quiet. One turned to the other and whispered, “He’s quit preaching and now he’s meddlin’.”

If Christ is all and in all, then it effects your home life. These are not my words, but God’s Words. We read:

Colossians 3:18-21 …. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. [19] Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. [20] Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. [21] Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

The reason America is in disarray is because the devil has convinced our families to be dysfunctional. Shows like Modern Family celebrate this dysfunctionality. I don’t have time to beat this to death, so I’ll just say it.

God created Adam, and then Eve.
Adam was created to lead, Eve to assist Adam.
Children were to honor their parents, not run the household.
Fathers are to instruct their children, not discourage them or anger them.

What got humanity into trouble in the first place was when Eve did what Adam was suppose to be doing, and Adam meekly followed. Yet God blamed Adam and not Eve for the Fall. The Bible says “By one Man sin entered into the world, and death by sin” (Romans 5:12). Woman is not blamed because man was to be the leader in the marriage. Eve took the forbidden, gave it bto her husband who was with her, and he ate (Genesis 3:6).

• Ladies, you are to SUBMIT to the Godly leadership of your husbands. SUBMIT is not a bad word, regardless as to what feminism may say. Submission is the basis of order. Even in the Godhead there is submission.

The Father sent the Son to die for us.

God so loved the world that HE GAVE His ONLY BEGOTTEN SON

The Father said “Son, go redeem My people. Go die for My Beloved. Go suffer on that Cross for the sins of the world.” And Jesus went. Jesus submitted. Jesus follows the Head.

Our Lord Jesus said:

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

When Jesus died on that Cross and rose again, He went to sit on the right hand of God the Father. He said “Father, send the Holy Spirit for My sake to My people”. The Father said, “Spirit, Go”, and the Holy Spirit submitted. Submit is not a bad word, it is a God Word. Wives, submit to the Godly leadership of your own husbands.

• Husbands, you are to love your wives and not be bitter for them. You are to love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for it (Ephesians 5:25). If Adam had loved his Eve he would not have allowed the devil to talk to her in the first place. He would have led and not been led. He would have loved her and cherished her,

1 Peter 3:7 (KJV) …. giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

You will not be the man that God wants you to be unless you are cherishing and not crushing your wife!

• Children, you are to “obey your parents in ALL things”. You may not understand this right now, but you are children. CHILDREN. You are CHILDREN not ADULTS. And parents, quit letting your CHILDREN make all the decisions. A little discipline goes a long way. You are the PARENTS, they are the CHILDREN.
• Fathers, you are NOT to provoke your children. You are to love them, and train them. The Bible says:

Deuteronomy 6:5-7 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. [6] And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: [7] And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

Finally we read:

Colossians 3:22-24 …. Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: [23] And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; [24] Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

In the workplace, in the marketplace, where ever you are, if Christ is all and in all “you serve the Lord Christ”. One day we who are His shall see Him face to face. We shall know Him as we are known. We who love Him now will love Him then. We who are saved by Him now shall be saved of Him then.

We shall inherit all things, because Christ is all and in all.
What a glorious promise awaits the Children of God!

May Christ touch your hearts with His Word.