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(A sermon delivered July 31st 2016 at Riverview, Columbia, Tn)

Colossians 2:9-15  For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.  [10]  And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:  [11]  In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:  [12]  Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.  [13]  And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;  [14]  Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;  [15]   And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

I find it interesting the number of people who now wear crosses as jewelry. I saw a fellow the other day who was obviously from his speech not a Christ follower, and yet around his neck on a golden chain hung a simple golden Cross. Why?

People do not understand the Cross of Christ. The people of today have no reference nor understanding of the Cross. But they do understand the Electric Chair. Sometimes called “Old Sparky” and at other times “Old Smokey”, the development of the Electric Chair was financed by Thomas Edison. It was claimed that the Electric Chair was to be a more humane method of executing criminals but that wasn’t why it was developed. Edison and his company built DC or Direct Current generators, but throughout much of the country AC or Alternating Current was becoming popular because of George Westinghouse and his company. Edison wanted to show that AC current was much more dangerous than the DC current his generators produced, so secretly funded the AC powered Electric Chair. At the first execution the convicted killer William Kemmler was not quickly put to death. At the end of the day it took some time to end Kemmler’s life. George Westinghouse reportedly said “They could have done better with an ax”.

Between 1890 and 2002 I am told there were 4458 deaths by Electric Chair, and none of those executed were wholly innocent. I’ve never seen anyone wear an Electric Chair on a chain or on a bracelet. It is a means of execution of criminals. And so was the Cross. The Cross was the Electric Chair in ancient Rome. It was a place where criminals and traitors were sent, for felons and unrepentant thieves, for the very worse sort of persons. No one who was innocent of crime ever was executed on the Cross. The Cross was not developed to be more humane, but it was certainly LESS humane. It was a tool that the Romans did not invent, but one they revised and improved on.

• Before someone went to the Electric Chair they were allowed to bathe, to change their clothes, to have a last meal.

• Before someone went to the Cross they were beaten, their beard ripped out. Isaiah saw a vision of an innocent Man going to the Cross and wrote:

Isaiah 50:6 (NLT) I offered my back to those who beat me and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard. I did not hide my face from mockery and spitting.

• No purely innocent Man ever endured the Electric Chair, but a purely innocent Man was placed on the Cross.

His Judge said to the people:

John 18:38 (KJV) …. I find in Him no fault at all.
John 19:4 (NLT) …. understand clearly that I find Him not guilty.

And when the crowd would not relent Pilate called for water. Washing his hands, he turned an innocent man over to execution. “I am innocent of this man’s blood – it is on your heads” (Matthew 27:24). The crowd cried “On our heads, and on our children’s heads”.

Jesus was not given a last meal. He was not allowed to be bathed, and was not placed in clean clothing. They placed a king’s robe on Him so they could mock Him. Beating Him with a staff, they jammed that rod into His hands and knelt before Him mocking.

Mark 15:17-19 (ESV) 16 And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. 17 And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. 18 And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.

To worldly eyes the Crucifixion of Christ was a horrible, low event in human history. An innocent man was unjustly but knowingly executed in one of the most gruesome methods available at that time. And yet even the world sees the Cross of Christ not as an Electric Chair (else they would wear one as jewelry) but as something else.

Every Thug, every Rapper, every Worldling, every Christ Follower wears the Cross as Jewelry but not the Electric Chair because the Cross was NOT the Electric Chair for Christ.

The Chair says “This one we are executing has a life that cannot be redeemed”.

The Cross says “This One we are executing is redeeming lives that were unredeemable”.

The Chair says “The one dying is dying for his sins”.

The Cross says “The One dying is dying a hero’s death for the sins of others”.

The Chair says “This life is ending because he stole the life of others”.

The Cross says “This life is ending because He is giving life to others”.

The Chair says “This one will die, never to live again”.

The Cross says “This One will die to defeat death, to live again and give us life in Him”.

Christ is the original and genuine Superman, the Hero of Heroes, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Look to His Cross not in defeat, but in victory.

1 Look To The Cross, For It Is Here That Jesus Defeated “Principalities And Powers”. That’s what our text tells us:

Colossians 2:15 And having SPOILED (past tense) principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

From the very beginning of Creation – a Creation made by our Triune God – Satan sought to spoil mankind. God in love made Adam and Eve, the first Man and the first Woman. God placed them in a perfect place, an Eden, the Garden of God. There was no hunger there, for every tree was fruited. There was no thirst there, for all water was pure. There was no death there, for the Tree of Life was in their midst. God told Adam:

Genesis 1:29  And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

Genesis 2:16-17  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:  [17]  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

“You can have everything, Adam, everything but the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good And Evil. God alone – your Maker – determines good and evil. Leave that fruit alone, and trust Me for that knowledge. The day you eat of it you shall SURELY DIE.”

Satan who rebelled against God and convinced a third of God’s Angels to revolt with Him – these “Principalities and Powers” – came down to the earth. Satan slithered into the Garden as a serpent, a dragon, a Beelzebub. He whispered to Eve

“You shall not surely die. God knows that the day you eat of it you shall become like gods, knowing good and evil (see Genesis 3:5)”.

so Adam ate of that forbidden Tree, and mankind died.

What God promises He must keep. God’s Word is sure, man’s word is wavering.

The day you eat of it You shall surely die” was a promise of God. Satan knew this, and with this fall it seemed as if his evil Principalities and Powers would triumph. Evil came into the world.

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

There were times when it seemed as if the evil principalities and powers would win. The world became corrupted, so much so that God decided to destroy it by flood. Yet God saw Noah, a man who loved the Lord. The wages of sin is death and the world was on fire with sin. The good mingled with the bad. The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair (Genesis 6:2). When light and darkness combine, the salt water with the fresh, all is corrupted. But Noah found grace in God’s eyes (Genesis 6:8). God saved creation through Noah and his ark.

Evil battled good, but then God sent His Son.

Galatians 4:4  But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

The Devil saw the Son of God come to this earth. Here was the Infant Conquerer, just a tiny Baby not much bigger than a hand’s breadth.

The Wise Men said “Where is He that is born King of the Jews? We have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him” (Matthew 2:2)

This troubled Herod. That old Serpent the Devil whispered to the heart of Herod when the Wise Men came, saying “Kill Him”. Herod told the Wise Men

“Go and search diligently for that Child. When you find Him let me know so I can go worship Him” (Matthew 2:8).

He didn’t want to worship Jesus, but wanted to murder Him. He murdered a village full of babies striking out at the Savior. (That’s nothing compared to the number of babies we have murdered by abortion – but that’s another message.) But Jesus’ time was not come. His earthly parents took Him to Egypt where they stayed until Herod was dead and they could return home.

Satan was not done striking at Jesus. He sought out Jesus through Organized Religion, the worship of the Pharisees. Throughout His ministry Satan used the Pharisees to attack Christ. It is always easy to see the difference between organized religion and the True Faith of the Christ Follower. The Pharisees sought to stone Christ, to throw Him off a cliff. They plotted His murder, and, like Satan, accused Him of the most awful things. But they could not get Him – until the Cross.

Man denied God in the Garden of Eden and found death and sin. Religion seized God in the Garden of Gethsemane to kill Him -but Christ triumphed!

When they seized Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus told them:

Luke 22:53   When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.

Our Jesus went to the Cross to battle Satan and his forces. The first volley was when Judas betrayed Christ with a kiss. The second volley when all His friends abandoned Him. Then Jesus was tried, but found and declared innocent by His judge. He was beaten with whips, bruised with rods, nailed to the Cross between two thieves, spat on and reviled by all men. C.H. Spurgeon said:

“He Who is fighting for His people begins to shout, but it is a shout that makes the Church tremble. He cries ‘I thirst’! The battle is so hot upon Him and the dust so thick that He is choked with thirst! He cries “I thirst” …. surely He is about to be defeated. But wait … do you see yon heaps? … Listen how the Conquerer cries ‘It is finished!’ Where are His enemies now? They are all dead.”

Jesus fulfilled prophecy by taking this battle alone. He tread the winepress alone.

Isaiah 63:3-4  I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me …

Satan’s back was broken on the Cross. Death is defeated. Damnation is destroyed. The Devil has no hold on Him nor on His people. God did the impossible on the Cross that day, for God the Son died for His people.

Colossians 2:9-10 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.  [10]  And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

We are complete in Him and Him alone! Satan no longer has title to the souls of those who belong to Christ. We belong to Him. We are purchased and prized possessions:

1 Corinthians 6:20 You are BOUGHT WITH A PRICE: Therefore glorify God in your body and in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

1 Corinthians 7:23 You are BOUGHT WITH A PRICE; be not the servants of men.

Jesus Christ is now the Head of all principality and power. Satan is defeated. He is still dangerous, dear friends, but Satan has no power over the Children of God. Just don’t play with him.

I heard an interesting thing the other day. People have been killed by dead snakes, for a snake can inject venom even after it has died. An Asian Chef was preparing cobra for his guests to eat – a delicacy in that area. He went to throw the cobra’s head into the trash – and the head bit him. Many people die every year touching the heads of venemous snakes! Jesus has defeated Satan – but we must not play with that dead snake! Resist the Devil and he will flee from you! (James 4:7) His bite is still lethal!

2 Look To The Cross, For Only Here Is Our Sin Debt “Paid In Full”.

Jesus paid it all!
All to Him I Owe.
Sin Had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow!

Colossians 2:13 And you, being DEAD in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he QUICKENED together with him, having FORGIVEN you all trespasses;  [14] BLOTTING out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

God promised man death upon disobedience. Man tested God and found that it is true. We are all born into this world dead in sins and in the uncircumcision of our flesh. What does that mean?

When God called father Abraham to salvation Abraham was to follow God where ever He led. One day God told Abraham to circumcise himself and every male in his household. God told Abraham:

Genesis 17:14 (ESV) Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.

Circumcision was a hidden sign that a person was of the Family of God.
It was an intimate sign. It was a painful sign. But it was also a selective sign.

Only the male was circumcised, the female was not. But the fallen world did not come about because of woman, but because of Man.

Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as SIN CAME INTO THE WORLD THROUGH ONE MAN, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.

One man sinned and all fell. One man sinned and the painful sign of circumcision was placed on all men. But then One Perfect Man, Jesus Christ our Lord, went to the Cross for our sins. We were dead in our sins and in the UNCIRCUMCISION of our flesh. By our very nature we separated from God and His Family. But Christ came for us. His Blood blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that were against us,

which were contrary to us
and took it out of the way, nailing it to His Cross.

Our sins (if we receive Him as Savior and Lord) are taken away from that Heavenly Account. The God Who is thrice Holy,

Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty (Revelation 4:8)
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty, the whole earth is filled with His glory
(Isaiah 6:3)

can now look upon those who have believed on Christ and their sins are blotted out, their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. We who are His are no longer lost, but found. No longer defeated by sin and death, but are more than conquerers through Him that loved us.

Romans 8:37 Yet in all these things WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS THROUGH HIM WHO LOVED US. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

To those who have received Christ as Lord and Savior God has quickened us together with Him. We are no longer children of the world, but we are sons and daughters of God. Death and the grave is no longer our destination, but we are headed from life to eternal life, from this weak place to an eternal strong place.

When little Moses was placed in the River Nile by his mother, the waves of that mighty River did not bring him death, but carried little Moses into the Palace of the King. When life places us into the River of Death it’s waves shall not wash over us. Just as Moses was placed in a little ark that saved him and carried him to a Palace, Christ is the Ark that will take us – peaceful and rested – into the Arms of our Loving Savior.

Sin and death are defeated by the Cross of Christ. All trespasses are forgiven the Children of God, those saved by faith in Him. Jesus was condemned so I would not have to be condemned. Jesus suffered so I would not have to suffer. Jesus died so that I will not have to die. God says to all who will hear

Isaiah 45:22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

God the Son is on that Cross. God the Son has made full payment for sin. Those who receive Him as Lord and Savior shall be saved.

3 Look To The Empty Cross, For Christ Has Defeated Death.

Colossians 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

When you called upon Christ to be your Savior He calls upon you to be His Follower. I was listening to a preacher I have long admired the other day when he said something that is oh so wrong. He said “Salvation is free, but discipleship will cost you everything”. Only in America do we separate Salvation from Discipleship. Only in the rich and coddled Church of the Land of the Free and the Home of the brave do we say you can be saved and not be a disciple. The Bible doesn’t teach this. Jesus never taught this. And it is not true.

Salvation is a free gift from God, a gift you cannot buy. But to be saved you must surrender your life to Christ. You cannot be saved by Jesus and still follow the Devil. Buried with Him in baptism – when you were saved you obeyed Him and were baptized in water and in the Spirit of God.

Luke 14:26-27   If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.   [27]   And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

People come to Christ in foreign lands and are forsaken by their families and friends. Christians are murdered for following Him. Christians lose jobs for following Him. There are several businesses in even America that have been lost because the owners belonged to Christ and followed Him. You know you are born again because you are in His Kingdom, His Family, following Him no matter what the cost.

Fire insurance salvation has nearly destroyed the Church in America. Jesus calls you, just as He has always called people:

Repent
Follow Me
I will make you fishers of men
I will make you the salt of the earth
I will make you the light of the world

Those who follow Christ are “risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God”. You are not like you were, dear believer. You are new creatures in Christ:

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

And as Christ was raised from the dead, you will raise from the dead. That Cross is empty. That Tomb occupied only by spiders. Jesus is alive, and you who are His will be with Him one day soon. O glorious day!

May God touch your hearts by His Word.

Jeremiah 23:1-6 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. [2] Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD. [3] And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. [4] And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD. [5] Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. [6] In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

I used to never read the obituaries, but I do now … sometimes looking for my name. A few years ago – March 15, 1998 – I read an article written by a columnist that worked for the Indianapolis Star called Lori Borgman. The article was called “Death Of Common Sense”. The article has been plagiarized, rewritten, and attributed to many, but it is Lori Borgman’s work. She wrote (and I just quote in part. You can go to her website to read the full article):

“…. Common Sense, aka C.S., lived a long life, but died from heart failure at the brink of the millennium. No one really knows how old he was, his birth records were long ago entangled in miles and miles of bureaucratic red tape. Known affectionately to close friends as Horse Sense and Sound Thinking, he selflessly devoted himself to a life of service in homes, schools, hospitals and offices, helping folks get jobs done without a lot of fanfare, whooping and hollering. … A most reliable sage, he was credited with cultivating the ability to know when to come in out of the rain, the discovery that the early bird gets the worm and how to take the bitter with the sweet. C.S. also developed sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you earn), reliable parenting strategies (the adult is in charge, not the kid) and prudent dietary plans (offset eggs and bacon with a little fiber and orange juice). …. C.S.’s health began declining in the late 1960s when he became infected with the If-It-Feels-Good, Do-It virus. … C.S. was sapped of strength and the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, criminals received better treatment than victims and judges stuck their noses in everything from Boy Scouts to professional baseball and golf. His deterioration accelerated as schools implemented zero-tolerance policies. Reports of 6-year-old boys charged with sexual harassment for kissing classmates, a teen suspended for taking a swig of Scope mouthwash after lunch, girls suspended for possessing Midol and an honor student expelled for having a table knife in her school lunch were more than his heart could endure. … Finally, upon hearing about a government plan to ban inhalers from 14 million asthmatics due to a trace of a pollutant that may be harmful to the environment, C.S. breathed his last. Services will be at Whispering Pines Cemetery. C.S. was preceded in death by his wife, Discretion; one daughter, Responsibility; and one son, Reason. He is survived by two step-brothers, Half-Wit and Dim-Wit. …”

America lost her common sense, and has been losing ground morally each and every year since. What is necessary to get the country back in line is for God’s people to “speak the truth in love” (see Ephesians 4:15). America was founded by Christians and Christ friendly unbelievers. We were greatest as a nation when we as a people and our leaders were looking upward, not downward. The Bible says:

Psalm 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

In our text today we see a nation much like ours, a nation called Israel. The leaders of that nation were supposed to lead that nation as God led them. Rather than do this, those who should have been leaders did the opposite. That’s why God declared:

Jeremiah 23:1 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. 

It was God Who formed Israel. The civil rulers and magistrates, the kings and princes of the land – the LEADERS – were supposed to remember as they were leading Israel that these were “the sheep of God’s pasture”. When the wicked kings Manasseh and Amon ruled Israel the nation suffered. But when the good king Josiah ruled the nation was blessed.

What established blessing or cursing on the nation was whether it’s LEADERSHIP did good in the eyes of God, or did evil in the eyes of God. It is interesting that in all our political debates we always question WHAT a candidate will do …. but never examine their CHARACTER. But Character matters to God. Character determines action. If a person is wicked, their actions will be wicked, and God will not be pleased.

Like America today, Israel had a few good rulers. But by and large these “Pastors” did not do what God called them to do. They were not honest in their dealings. God warned numerous times what would happen if bad leadership continued. God told Israel:

2 Kings 23:27 (ESV) And the LORD said, “I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.”

The spiritual decline of a nation does not happen overnight. The people begin to drift from honoring God in small ways. Churches become more entertainment oriented than Bible oriented. The members stop reading their Bibles and stop bringing their Bibles to Church. Prayer becomes occasional, and not as the Scripture says “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Bible study is put to the side so television can be watched. Children are not taught the basic truths of God in the home, but schools focus on evolution, Darwinism, and the so called Fossil Records. Church attendance drops. Tithing becomes optional rather than a command of God. The light dims, the salt loses it’s savor,

Matthew 5:13 (NIV) …. if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

1 Mercy And Grace Are Free Gifts Of God … But Judgment Is Earned. Israel forgot God. When you forget God or make God a last resort in your life, things get rough – especially for a nation. The King of Israel (Southern Israel or Judah) at this time was King Zedekiah. His name, “Zedekiah”, is very interesting, because it means literally “The Lord is my Justice”. With a name like that you would think Zedekiah was a good king, but you’d be wrong. Every time someone called his name it was like saying “The Lord is my Justice”, but Zedekiah did not honor God. Zedekiah had been placed on the throne by Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon, after a siege of Jerusalem in 597 BCE, to succeed his nephew Jeconiah. Rather than totally destroy Jerusalem God moved Nebuchadnezzar to place Zedekiah in charge and to leave the city standing. How did Zedekiah repay God’s mercy? The Bible says:

2 Kings 24:19-20 (NIV) {Zedekiah} did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done. 20 It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end he thrust them from his presence.

Our God is so merciful! He is so very merciful. He is gracious and kind. The Bible says:

Psalm 103:8 (ESV) The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Psalm 145:8 (KJV) The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.

Israel and her leaders had defied God time and time again, and yet, when conquered by Babylon God moved Nebuchadnezzar to let them keep their own king. Rather than destroy the Temple and the Holy City, God gave them one more chance. Oh, how good is our Great God, and His ways past finding out. We in America have aborted millions of innocent babies and called it legal, and yet God has been merciful. We have taken His concept of marriage and turned it into sexual convenience, and God has withheld His judgment. We have chosen frivolous leaders who have governed foolishly, and God has still loved. God is so compassionate, and does not destroy until it is absolutely necessary.

And yet, God will eventually judge. He warned of the flood for 120 years, then judgment came, and that without mercy. The Bible tells us:

2 Peter 3:9-10 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 10 BUT the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.

Zedekiah and Israel were given one more chance by God, but Zedekiah did evil in God’s sight. So Zedekiah sent two of his “house priests” to the Prophet Jeremiah, saying:

Jeremiah 21:2 Enquire, I pray thee, of the LORD for us; for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the LORD will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may go up from us.

“Jeremiah, YOU pray for us. See if God will intervene on our behalf”. Zedekiah wasn’t about to repent nor to seek God’s face himself. He wanted JEREMIAH to do it for him. What reply did God send back through Jeremiah? God told Zedekiah:

Jeremiah 21:5-7 And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath. [6] And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence. [7] And afterward, saith the LORD, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy.

Oh, dearly Beloved, it is not a good place to be in to stand against God! The Bible declares:

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God! (Hebrews 10:31)

To fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10)

God’s mercy and Grace are His gifts to us. But if His mercy and Grace are rejected, then justice and punishment are sure to follow. God warns of what is coming, but even then gives Zedekiah one more chance. In the next chapter God says:

Jeremiah 22:3-4 Thus saith the LORD; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place. [4] For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people.

God said in essence “bring forth the fruit of repentance Zedekiah, and you and this nation shall be blessed”. This is the same thing John the Baptist preached, “Bring forth fruits meet for repentance”. A person who repents will ACT that way. How did Zedekiah act?

He imprisoned Jeremiah.

He rejected the mercy and Grace of God.

He clung to his sin.

And he would lose everything because of it.

2 Would Israel Be Utterly Destroyed Because Of Bad Leadership? Was this the end of Israel? Would God cast off the promises He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob because of Zedekiah’s evil? And what of the faithful? Not all of Israel was faithless. There were good and Godly people in that nation who loved the Lord and served Him with all their hearts. As Abraham asked God one time:

Genesis 18:25 Far be it from You {O Lord} to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”

God will punish the wicked. Israel will fall. But God is in control. The Prophet Jeremiah will not suffer the fate of King Zedekiah. The righteous will be protected. When Israel falls to Babylon God remembers His people Who are faithful to Him. God is in control!

Proverbs 11:21 (KJV) Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.

For those who “mocked the messengers of God, and despised His words, and misused His prophets, the wrath of the Lord rose against them until there was no remedy (2 Chronicles 36:14-16). Yet the faithful were taken care of. God blessed His remnant, His people, His children. A young man named Daniel, with his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were taken into captivity and thrived. The Prophet Ezekiel preached for 20 years, thriving during the exile. The Prophets Zephaniah and Habakuk prospered. The exile was actually good for the people of Israel. J.B. Tidwell wrote in his book Introducing The Old Testament (page 178) that the captivity benefitted the faithful by:

• Making them give up idolatry completely.
• Causing them to return to the Word of God completely.
• They repented of their sins, and became devoted to Yahweh.
• Synagogues were created where people worshiped God while focusing on His Word, prayer and praise.
• The faith became more personal and less ritualistic.
• They longed for the Coming of the Messiah, and lived looking for Him.

It has been said that the greatest danger to God’s people has always been PROSPERITY, not adversity. Though God promised punishment to both Zedekiah and Israel, the Lord promised that this would not be forever. He said:

Jeremiah 23:3-4 And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. [4] And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.

When God’s people got off of the throne of their lives and returned God to the Throne, He would regather the people. He would return them to their folds. And God would set up Shepherds (civil leaders, magistrates, kings and princes) over them “that shall feed them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall there be lacking”. This takes us back to the promise that Christ has made to us:

Luke 12:29-32 (KJV) 29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. 32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

God loves to bless His Children! When God is on the throne and we are not then He is free to bless us richly. God promised His Israel that not only would the day come when they would be restored, but He also promised that the Messiah would come through Israel.

Jeremiah 23:5-6 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. [6] In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

God promised that there would be a time when THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS would reign on the earth. Here He is referring to “The Lord our Righteousness”, one of the names given to the Messiah Jesus Christ. He is YAHWEH TSIDKENU, the Righteous Branch from the stock of King David.

Jesus Christ is the Lord our Righteousness. He is the Lord of His people. He is our Righteousness. Our own righteousness is as filthy rags:

Isaiah 64:6 (KJV) But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

We all fall short. We all fail God. But though we are faithless, our God abides faithful. If we surrender to Him and give Him the throne of our lives, He in turn gives us His righteousness.

2 Corinthians 5:20-21 (KJV) … we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For {God the Father} hath made {Jesus Christ} to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that WE MIGHT BE MADE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM.

1 Corinthians 1:30 (KJV) But of {God} are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

God gave His Son for us.

In the midst of Israel’s greatest disobedience and God’s greatest punishment is the beautiful diamond promise of God. In the end Christ will rule. In the end God’s people shall inherit the earth. In the end The Lord our Righteousness would reign in our hearts and over the earth. There will come a day when sin will be completely destroyed.

And that will come only through Christ Jesus. The more Christ is on the Throne of our lives, the more He will be seen in us and in our actions. This is why the Apostle Paul said:

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”.

The Lord is our Righteousness. The Lord makes us right with God. The Lord will rule and reign.

Yahweh Tsidkenu. May God touch your hearts with His Word!

Colossians 2:6 ^[KJV] AS ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, SO walk ye in Him.

A man who had seldom been at Church and who had often been know in the community as a troublemaker passed away. At the funeral the minister started with a eulogy. As he spoke of the recently departed, he began to tell the crowd how the man had so loved Jesus, how he had been a blessing to the Church and a pillar of the community. As he went on and on the wife of the deceased leaned over and whispered to her son, “Would you slip up there and look in the casket? I think they’ve got the wrong man!”

It’s not uncommon for ministers to want to console the family at the death of a loved one. I have actually heard preachers preach people into Heaven, people who had no time for the Church nor for it’s Christ in this life. I saw bumper sticker one time that read “Live Like You’re Saved So The Preacher Won’t Have To Lie At Your Funeral”. I like that. Every Christian (if you are a Christian) is supposed to be like a little Christ.

We are to Imitate Christ – But we are not to Irritate God.

We who are saved are to be a people whose

Colossians 2:2 …. their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;

Though I am a judge of no person, I suspect that people who PROFESS Christ but do not live as if they are POSSESSED of Christ are at least mistaken, and at most deceptive. If you belong to God then God is in you. If you are saved of God then His fingerprints will be all over your life.

Our text today

As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.

… emphasizes the LIFE of faith, and the WALK of faith. AS and SO. AS you have received Christ Jesus the Lord – this is the way to life. SO walk in Him – this is the proof of genuine faith.

1 AS you have RECEIVED CHRIST JESUS the LORD. Salvation only comes by receiving Christ Jesus as Lord. God chooses His words carefully.

a Salvation Is A Thing RECEIVED.

The Scripture says “as you have RECEIVED”. The word translated “Received” is the Greek παραλαμβάνω paralambanō (Second Aorist Active Indicative) which means to take to oneself. Frequently I see Church signs with the statement:

ACCEPT Jesus as your Savior

You may think I’m splitting hairs, but there is NO place in Scripture where we are told to ACCEPT Jesus, but several where we are told to RECEIVE Him.

What’s the difference? The word ACCEPT implies AGREEMENT WITH whereas RECEIVE means SIMPLY TO TAKE TO ONESELF. If you were drowning and someone tossed you a life preserver you would not debate on whether you agreed with life preservers or not, if they were fashionable, or even if they were politically correct to the world at large. If you were sucking in water instead of air you wouldn’t be concerned about the color of the life preserver, nor would you care if they killed a tree to make it. Drowning you would reach out and RECEIVE the preserver, even if you didn’t understand it’s workings.

There are a lot of people who don’t understand God nor His ways. God has said:

Isaiah 55:7-9 (NASB) Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. 8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. 9“ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.

God does not ask for your concession or agreement. You are not to ACCEPT Christ – you are to RECEIVE His Christ. God looks at each and every one of us and declares:

Romans 3:9-12 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; [10] As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: [11] There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. [12] They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

All are condemned as sinners. All have been born with wandering hearts. God is holy, just, and pure, but we are born enslaved to sin. This is why God came to this earth. This is why Christ – the Messiah – came to us. The Bible tells us that:

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

We add nothing to salvation, but see Him as the only means of salvation. We RECEIVE Him. We grab on to Him and in desperation hold only to Him. This is the way of salvation – to RECEIVE Him and Him alone. C.H. Spurgeon said thus:

“Whatever Jesus says, I believe Him, and receive Him as true. I make His word so true to myself that I act upon it as being true, and regard it not as a word that may possibly be true, but which must be true, even if heaven and earth should pass away.”

b We Receive Salvation Through CHRIST. He is God’s gift to us. There are no other Christs, no other Messiah’s, no other ways to God. It is so sad that today Churches have turned away from the Christ of Scripture to be beguiled by enticing words (verse 4) contrary to the historic faith. The Apostle warned:

Colossians 2:8-10 Beware lest any man spoil you through PHILOSOPHY and VAIN DECEIT AFTER THE TRADITION OF MEN, AFTER THE RUDIMENTS OF THE WORLD, and NOT AFTER CHRIST. 9 For IN HIM dwelleth ALL THE FULNESS OF THE GODHEAD BODILY (in human form). And 10 YOU ARE COMPLETE IN HIM which is the Head of all principality and power.

The Devil and the dark world would have you believe there are many Christs, many Messiahs, many ways unto God. This is absolutely not true. Jesus warned us that …

Matthew 24:4-5 (NLT) … Don’t let anyone mislead you, 5 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many.

There is no other Christ, no other Anointed of God. When John the Baptist was wrongfully imprisoned he sent a messenger to Jesus asking:

Luke 7:20-23 (NLT) ‘Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?’ …. Jesus cured many people of their diseases, illnesses, and evil spirits, and he restored sight to many who were blind. Then he told John’s disciples, “Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard—the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the {Gospel} is being preached to the poor. And tell him, ‘God blesses those who do not turn away because of me’”

There is but One Christ, One Anointed of God, One Redeemer, and He is Jesus. Author Lee Strobel said:

“The uniqueness of Christianity is rooted in the uniqueness of Jesus himself. Other religious leaders say, “Follow me and I’ll show you how to find the truth.” But Jesus says, “I am the truth.” Other religious leaders say, “Follow me and I’ll show you the way to salvation.” But Jesus says, “I am the way to eternal life.” Other religious leaders say, “Follow me and I’ll show you how you can become enlightened.” But Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” See the difference?”

Jesus is uniquely the Christ. When He was born of the virgin Mary he was taken on the eighth day to the Temple to be circumcised. The Bible tells us that:

Luke 2:25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.

This old man had been told by God that the Messiah was coming.

Luke 2:26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

When Mary brought Jesus into the Temple Simeon went to Mary. Gathering the Baby Jesus into his arms he rejoiced:

Luke 2:29-32 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: [30] For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, [31] Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; [32] A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

There is but one Christ, and that is Jesus. He is God’s Christ and there is no other. He is – as He Himself has said:

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

The foundation that the Church is built on is that there is but One Christ, Jesus our Lord. Jesus asks us like He once asked His disciples “Who do YOU say that I am?” Was Jesus a Great Teacher? Yes, He was the Greatest. Was Jesus a Wonderful Role Model? There is no better. But what Jesus is above all else is …

Matthew 16:16 …. Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

c We Receive Salvation Through Christ JESUS. We call Him CHRIST because He is the Lord’s Anointed. We call Him JESUS because He saves His people from their sins. God became man. As Christ …

John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

but as JESUS ….

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.

Jesus entered this life and became human, just as human as you and I. Jesus wept:

John 11:35 Jesus wept.

when His friend Lazarus died. Jesus slept ..

Mark 4:38 {Jesus} was in the stern of the ship asleep on a pillow …

Jesus was hungry and thirsty ..

John 4:6-7 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. [7] There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

Jesus suffered in Gethsemane, and experienced the loneliness of abandonment. Jesus knows the pain of being human. He was like us, but without sin.

Hebrews 4:15 (NASB) For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

Jesus suffered temptation just as we do, but never bowed to it’s pressure. He committed no sin, nor was and deceit found in His mount (1 Peter 2:22). He suffered on Calvary as a man paying the penalty of mankind’s sin. The Bible declares that:

2 Corinthians 5:21 For {God} hath made {Jesus} to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

As Jesus, He took my PENALTY. As Jesus He took my PUNISHMENT. As Jesus, He took my PLACE. He died for me and for you so that we do not have to suffer the penalty of our sin.

d We Receive Salvation Through Christ Jesus THE LORD. There is no salvation to those who do not receive Him as Lord. When Jesus was born the Angel Gabriel told the Shepherds:

Luke 2:11 …. for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

The central teaching of salvation is that The LORD will save His people. Heaven is a place ruled by the Lord. God has decreed that:

Philippians 2:9-11 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus Christ defeated death and sin on the Cross. He rose again as Victor. If you are saved by believing on Him:

Colossians 2:13-15 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened (made alive) together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His Cross; and having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

If you are born again, a child of God by faith in Christ, you are no longer under the pseudo lordship of Satan and evil. You belong to Jesus – and HE IS LORD. I am no longer Lord of my life. Jesus is Lord of my life. His Word is what I must behold.

1 Peter 3:15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

1 Corinthians 8:6 …. yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.

Jesus is Lord of His Church.

Colossians 1:18-19 ^(KJV) {Jesus} is the head of the body, the Church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all [things] he might have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased [the Father] that in him should all fulness dwell;

It is Jesus Who paid for my sins, and for the sins of every believer. He owns us, Beloved. He owns His Church! He directs His Church. His Word is our Law. What He has said, we must do. If Christ is not Lord of your life then you are headed down a bad path. Jesus is Lord. He is God in the flesh.

I kiss My Master’s Nail Scarred feet, embracing Him as my Savior,
Yet these feet were Lord over water, for He walked on the sea.
I look by faith to those nail scarred hands pierced for me,
Yet these Divine Hands multiplied
a few fish and five loaves feeding five thousand.
He is Lord!
I see Him, broken and bleeding, with His last breath saying “It Is Finished”
and “Father into Thy Hands I commend My Spirit”
Yet three days later I see Him walking and teaching, resurrected God Almighty!
Suffering on the Cross He is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.
Dying for me and for you.
But now on God’s right hand the Father cries,
“Let All The Angels worship Him”
“Thy Throne, O God, Is forever and ever”
He. Is. Lord.

We now come to the second part of our text …

2 SO Walk ye in Him.

Colossians 2:6 ^[KJV] AS ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, SO walk ye in Him.

Walking implies action. You cannot walk and stand still at the same time. You can walk in place – we used to march in place when I was in the military – but you are still moving.

When you walk, you put one foot ahead of the other, taking one step at a time. As Christians we are to heed Christ’s Word, doing what He tells us to do. We can only walk today.

• We walk in the LIGHT, not in the DARKNESS. Our actions should reflect Christ in us. If you are saved you:

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Ephesians 5:8 For ye were {previously} darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

• We walk in NEWNESS OF LIFE, not like we are DEAD.

Romans 6:4 …. like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

• We walk in GOOD WORKS not in WORLDLINESS

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

• We walk in the WISDOM OF GOD and the TRUTH of His Word

3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

• We walk in LOVE

John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. [35] By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

In short, if we are saved and members of the Family of God – if His Blood was shed for us – we walk under His direction for His glory.

A farmer and his farmhand went duck hunting. The farmer said to his friend, “You’re always talking about fighting with the devil. I’m not a Christian, and I never have to fight with the devil.” The farmhand answered, “Boss, if you and I shot two ducks, one was wounded and one was dead, which one would you go after first?” The farmer said, “Well, I guess the wounded duck.” The farm hand replied, “That’s right. The devil knows you’re a dead duck, so he never comes after you!”

If the devil doesn’t bother you, it’s because he doesn’t have to bother you since you and he are traveling in the same direction. If you’re not walking with Jesus you’re in collusion with the Devil!

If you have received Christ you are His – walk in Him. The minister can lie at your funeral but that will not take you into His Kingdom. Jesus declared:

Matthew 7:13-14, 17-23 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: [14] Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

If you have known Christ Jesus the Lord by faith then He plants His Spirit in your life. You turn from a corrupt tree into a fruitful tree. You are not what you were, but you are His and His alone. He is the Narrow Way unto God, and those who belong to Him live fruitful lives with Him.

AS you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, SO walk ye in Him.

May God touch your hearts with His Word.

Colossians 1:21-28 (KJV) 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 …

When we come to the Lord’s Table it is a time to remember what our Lord Jesus did for us. It is also a time of self examination. The Lord’s Table emphasizes the extreme measures that our Lord Jesus Christ took to reconcile us to God. As we come to the Lord’s Table each person here should ask and answer the question:

Am I reconciled to God?

1 We All Need To Be Reconciled To God.The Lord’s Table is a

A Table of Peace
A Table of Family
A Table where those who are RECONCILED to God gather to worship and remember.

What does it mean to be “reconciled”?

a People Who Are Unreconciled To God Are First Of All Sometime Alienated.

Colossians 1:21 (KJV) And you, that were sometime alienated ….

Those who are not reconciled are sometime alienated. “Alienated” is a Greek word, ̓παλλοτριόω, apallotrioō, (pronounced ap-al-lot-ree-o’-o), which means “to be cut off”. You were not PERMANENTLY cut off from God, but sometime cut off. There were brief moments when you realized them is a God. You would see something beautiful in nature – a butterfly or a beautiful hummingbird – and you would think “perhaps there is a Creator”. You would see the beautiful design of the earth and common sense would take over. There is no design without a designer. There MUST be a Designer – there MUST be!

Romans 1:20 (KJV) For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

You were sometime alienated. You were not always cut off from God. Someone would do an unspeakable evil and you would think “there must be a Hell for people like that” and thenn your mind would think of the possibility of Heaven. Even the most liberal, godless, alienated person thinks of Heaven beyond this vale of tears.

You were sometime alienated. It is as the Psalmist said:

Psalms 10:4 (KJV) The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

The alienated are not totally divorced from God. They look for Him under the Christmas Tree and during the Easter Egg Hunt – but rarely is He in their minds. When it is CONVENIENT they think of God – otherwise they keep Him locked out of their lives.

Colossians 1:21 (KJV) And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind

b People Who Are Unreconciled To God Are Mentally At War With God. Before we were reconciled we were “enemies in our minds”. What God says is right we want to dispute. The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 2:14 (KJV) But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. …

Those who are unreconciled question every statement of God. Just as Adam and Eve heard the warning of God they began to reason within themselves:

Genesis 3:6-7 (KJV) And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7 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.

What directed them was not the Word nor the Warning of God but what THEY THOUGHT was right. The unreconciled may hear what God says but dismiss it, making themselves to be gods.

Romans 8:7-8 (KJV)7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

c The Third Mark Of The Unreconciled Is To Be Engaged In Evil Deeds.

Colossians 1:21 (KJV) And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works,

The mark of the unreconciled, lost soul is that this person has no regard for God. When a Christian sins (and Christians do slip and sin) they do not delight in the slip. When an unreconciled person sins they:

Defend the Sin
Deflect Judgment From The Sin
Justify the Sin

When a person is reconciled to God then God is recognized as God – and we recognize ourselves as His Sheep. Just as the earth rotates around the Sun we who are reconciled to God center our lives on Christ. We revolve around Him – He does not revolve around us!

2 How Are We Reconciled To God? We are not reconciled by our works. The Bible declares:

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

Isaiah 64:6 (KJV) But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

We cannot by our works reconcile ourselves to God. We are like drowning people, cast adrift in the sea of sin. We cannot work our way into a right relationship with the Holy God. But the Bible declares that:

Colossians 1:21-22 (KJV) … yet now hath he reconciled 22 In the body of his flesh through death

We who were the enemies of God are now friends of God and members of His Family because Jesus came in the flesh. God the Son left eternity, took upon Himself humanity, lived, and then died to reconcile us to God. We are told in:

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 (KJV) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

FIVE TIMES the Apostle uses a form of the word “reconciled” in that 2 Corinthians text. We are:

Reconciled to God by Jesus Christ
Given the ministry of reconciliation

Christ Who is sinless was made sin for us. He stood in the place of us. He died for us. His Body was broken and His Blood shed for us. There is NO WAY that a person can be reconciled to God but through the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 2:5-6 (KJV)5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Hebrews 2:16-17 (KJV)16 For verily {Jesus} took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. 17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

Jesus Christ came to this earth for one reason – to become the Bridge by which every person could come to God in peace. Jesus Christ died for us on Calvary. He paid the penalty for our sins. There is no other Savior, nor any other way whereby a person might be saved BUT through Christ.

3 What Are The Results Of Reconciliation? There are three words used of the Reconciled.

Colossians 1:22 (KJV) In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

a If You Are Reconciled To God You Are HOLY. I didn’t say “holier than thou” but “holy”.

You are holy, dear believer. You are holy because the Blood of God was shed for you. You are holy, set apart for God’s own use. You are His purchased and prized possession – and you are therefore to serve Him with all your hearts.

The devil will offer many opportunities for we who are Christians to follow the pathway of the world. We are holy in God’s sight – God gave up everything to reconcile us to Him. We need to see everything that happens in our lives through the lens of God’s reconciling power. You are reconciled by God, therefore you are holy to God. The devil will offer you many things, dear One, but if you are God’s and reconciled to Him through His Son Jesus Christ then you must walk holy unto Him. We are to say with our Master:

Matthew 4:10 … Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

This is His Holy Table, a table for His Children, a table for those who love Him. C.H. Spurgeon once said:

“O Christian, the vows of God are upon you. You are God’s priest: act as such. You are God’s king: reign over your lusts. You are God’s chosen: do not associate with Belial. Heaven is your portion; live like a heavenly spirit, so shall you prove that you have time true faith; but except ye do this, your end shall be to lift up your eyes in hell, and find yourself mistaken when it will he too late to seek or find a remedy.”

b If You Are Reconciled To God You Are Unblameable. Because of the Blood of Christ your sins are covered. Your works will be weighed one day for reward, but you shall never stand before the Great White Throne to be damned. Christ has bore the penalty for your sins – you shall inherit not hell but Heaven. You are a product of Love:

Ephesians 1:4-5 (KJV) According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

We come together at the Lord’s Table to love Him and to love one another. We exalt our Father’s Kingdom by acting as His Children:

Philippians 2:14-15 (KJV) Do all things without murmurings and disputings: 15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

c Finally, We Are “Unreprovable” Or Free From Accusation In His Sight. When the Father looks at us it is not as Sinners but as Saints, not as Corrupt but as Children. We are free from all charges. When Jesus died on that Cross He cried out:

It is Finished

He did not say “I am finished” but IT. Jesus finished the work that the Father sent Him to do.

4 Now We Come To The IF Of Reconciliation.

Colossians 1:21-23 (KJV) 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 …

Reconciliation in Christ comes only by an ABIDING or CONTINUING faith. When you believed on Christ for salvation God sent His Holy Spirit into your hearts. The Spirit in the Child of God continually directs our hearts back to Him Who loved us and gave Himself for us.

Romans 8:14-16 (KJV)14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

The day you received Christ as Savior God planted His Spirit into our hearts. We know that we are His because He whispers His love to us. We know we are His because He bears witness to us. Those who are saved have an overcoming faith, the fingerprint of God on their lives.

Do you belong to Jesus? If you do, the Lord’s Table is for you. If not, turn to Him and receive Him. God loves you, and God will receive you as His own. May He touch your hearts with His Word.

Genesis 14:18-23 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. [19] And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: [20] And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. [21] And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. [22] And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, [23] That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich

A little girl loved her daddy so much. When people asked her “What’s your name?” she would always reply “I’m Mr. Sugarbrown’s daughter.” Her mother told her one day “When people ask your name, don’t say ‘I’m Mr. Sugarbrown’s daughter’. Tell them you are Jane Sugarbrown.” One Sunday the Pastor saw the little girl and asked, “Aren’t you Mr. Sugarbrown’s daughter?” She replied, “I thought I was, but mama told me not to tell any body.”

We all have names that we were born with, nick names that we were given by friends (or enemies), secret names that loved ones call us. God Who was never born has many names, names that He has given us and Names others have given Him. These Names describe Who God is and point out His unique power. The Name of God we’re going to look at tonight is

EL ELYON – the God Most High

In the Old Testament El Elyon occurs 28 times – 19 times in Psalms. Elyon (Biblical Hebrew עליון) means “The Supreme, the Highest”. There is nothing greater than our God.

1 God’s Greatness Is Best Seen Against Our Brokenness. The first time that El Elyon is used in the Bible is in our focal text tonight. We read again:

Genesis 14:18-20 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. [19] And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: [20] And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

Melchizedek the King of Salem comes out to meet Abram. Melchizedek is the priest of El Elyon. He blesses Abram noting that Abram is the child of El Elyon. And then Melchizedek praises the victory that Abram won, noting that the victory came from El Elyon.

Now who is Abram?

To understand who Abram is you need to go back to Genesis chapter 11. Man had tried to rebel against El Elyon. Rather than obey God’s command to Noah to “multiply and fill the earth” (Genesis 9:1, 7) man decided to try and work his way into Heaven. Wasting time and resources people got together and built a Tower in Babel. God confounded man’s languages, and people scattered and created nations. One of the nations formed was called Ur of the Chaldees, and in that nation a man named Abram was born.

Abram was a broken man.

God had given a command to the world to “multiply and fill the earth”. When Abram was born (and he was the firstborn) his father Terah named him “Abram”, the Hebrew אַבְרָם ‘abrâm (pronounced ab-rawm’) which means “High Father”. Abram was going to give Terah many grandsons and granddaughters. He would be the “High Father”. But as time passed Terah died without grandchildren. And Abram and his wife Sarai were childless – broken – unable to do the command of God.

But God is the God Most High. And God loves to find and bless the broken. The “High Father” was broken, unable to bear children – but where we are unable God is most able. The LORD – the Great God Most High came to Abram and told him:

Genesis 12:1-3 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: [2] And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: [3] And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

What was God’s command to Abram? Leave your family – leave your homelands – leave the familiar AND MAKE ME MOST HIGH. Go where I tell you to go. Do what I tell you to do. I will not only UNBREAK you, I will MAKE you:

Cursing will turn to blessing
I will bless them that bless thee
I will curse them that curse thee

Oh how God loves the help the broken. How the God Most High loves to lift up the hurting. Yet if we expect to be blessed, we must heed Him. We must take our shortcoming to Him Who is infinite in strength. We must crawl with our brokenness to Him Who is never without resources. He is the God Most High! He is able.

Psalms 57:1-3 … Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. [2] I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. [3] He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.

Abram began to follow God, to go where the Lord led. He took his nephew Lot with him. God told Abram to leave his family behind, and Abram mostly obeyed. He took his nephew Lot with him. When God tells us to do something we should remember that He is El Elyon – the God Most High. As the Proverb says:

Proverbs 30:5-6 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee …

Taking Lot with him contrary to God’s Command it wasn’t long before this error (shall we call it sin) came back to haunt Abram. Confusion came into the camp, and God is not the Author of Confusion, but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33). Lot’s people and Abram’s people began to fight among themselves:

Genesis 13:6 And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.

What was the solution? They had to go their separate ways – Lot one way and Abram the other. Abram was following El Elyon, but Lot was following Abram. So Abram said:

Genesis 13:9 Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.

Abram gave Lot the choice. Lot could choose which way he would go, and Abram would take the other path. How did Lot choose? The Bible says:

Genesis 13:10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.

Lot chose with his eyes. We get in trouble when we make ourselves the Most High. When we put ourselves in the place of God (and we are not God) we are on dangerous ground. Lot messed up by making himself the Most High.

Genesis 13:12-13 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. [13] But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.

But Abram made God the Most High in his life. He honored God as He is. Many people today follow a god of their own creation, a god of their minds and not of the reality nor of the Scripture. The Psalmist said:

Psalms 107:8-13 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! [9] For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. [10] Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron; [11] Because they rebelled against the words of God, and condemned the counsel of the most High: [12] Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help. [13] Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.

God is near to those who see Him as EL ELYON. How God loves to lift up the broken. Did not God when He became flesh say:

Mark 2:17 … They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Lot chose with the eyes and would suffer for it. But Abram trusted in El ELYON. Because of this the Lord told Abram:

Genesis 13:14-17 And the LORD said unto Abram, AFTER THAT LOT WAS SEPARATED FROM HIM, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: [15] For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. [16] And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. [17] Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.

What Lot chose he would lose. What Abram allowed God to give he would keep. God is the EL ELYON – the God Most High!

2 What You Sow, You Will Reap. It is a principle of Scripture that what you sow, you will reap. Lot chose with his eyes whereas Abram allowed El ELYON to choose for him. Abram worshiped God. Lot worshiped himself. Abram recognized God as EL ELYON. Lot made himself EL ELYON.

One of the few Scriptures written by an UNBELIEVER is found in Daniel chapter 4. Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon had seen Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego tossed in a fiery furnace. He saw the Son of God standing in the furnace with them, and said “there is no other god that can deliver after this sort” (Daniel 3:29). Yet Nebuchadnezzar continued worshiping false gods, continued to make himself a god. Then one day God struck him down. Daniel chapter 4 was written by Nebuchadnezzar as a warning to those who would try and take God’s place. God told Nebuchadnezzar:

Daniel 4:25 That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.

For seven years Nebuchadnezzar lived as a beast of the field, eating grass like an ox. God broke him. Why do trials sometimes come upon us? Because we sow what we reap. And because God alone is EL ELYON, the Most High God. At the end of his trials:

Daniel 4:34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honored him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:

Now let’s go back to Lot. Lot chose with his eyes. He chose for himself. He did not honor EL ELYON, but made himself a god. The area he settled in was intensely wicked, and being wicked was very unstable. America is becoming more and more wicked, and hence more unstable.

Proverbs 14:34 Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.

With wickedness comes instability. The land looked good to Lot, but it wasn’t good. It was a land torn by strife. Chedorlaomer the King of Elam headed a coalition of Mesopotamian states and five kings paid tribute to him for twelve years.

Genesis 14:4 Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

Chedorlaomer answered their rebellion by making war against the five kings – and yes, he cleaned their clocks. His vastly superior forces easily overwhelmed these usurpers. The forces of Chedorlaomer took …

Genesis 14:11-12 And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. [12] And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

The Most High King Chedorlaomer and his Most High Army took Lot and his family captive, probably to sell as slaves, along with all his goods. What would Abram do? This is a huge armed force, and there is NO WAY Abram would be able to overcome them. What could Abram do? The Bible tells us that:

Genesis 14:14-16 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. [15] And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. [16] And he brought back ALL the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.

Abram went out and attacked a force that had just defeated five kings. He went out and attacked unknown thousands of armed and trained troops with just 318 trained men. And he brought back foolish Lot. Abram was empowered by God to bring Lot out. The victory did not just release Lot – it liberated ALL the people and goods that Chedorlaomer’s Army had taken.

Our God is greater than anything. He is the God Most High. He is Able.

Psalms 91:1-2 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. [2] I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

Abram trusted in God. He followed but One King – the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords – and God took care of him!

3 Two Kings Came To Meet Abram. The Bible tells us that:

Genesis 14:17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king’s dale.

a A Wicked, Self Sufficient, Pride Filled King Came To Abram. One king, the King of Sodom, crawled out of his hiding place following Abram’s slaughter of Chedorlaomer and his forces. The King of Sodom told Abram:

Genesis 14:21 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.

This is the arrogance of the sinner, the foolishness of the wicked. The King of Sodom sowed war and reaped defeat. He deserved nothing. He should have knelt before Abram and recognized that the God Most High had used him to bring peace to the area. But the King of Sodom stands for the sinful disobedience and pridefulness of man. Abram had the right to keep EVERYTHING – and here is this heathen saying “Give me the persons and take the goods”.

Ken Hemphill wrote in The Names of God:

“It is typical of fallen man to want to negotiate when he has nothing of value to offer. I frequently share the Gospel with people who feel that they can bargain with God about their entry into Heaven. They content that they are not bad people or that they are better than most Christians they have met. …. Until we fully recognize God’s sufficiency and our insufficiency we will never know Him as El Elyon”.

How did Abram reply to this fool?

Genesis 14:22-23 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, [23] That I will not take from a thread even to a {shoe lace}, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:

Abram didn’t want the King of Sodom’s help. The Bible says:

Proverbs 13:20 (ESV) Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

Run from the evil. Tell them of Christ – yes – but do not make allegiances with them. Abram utterly rejected anything from the King of Sodom. He didn’t want to be self sufficient, but he wanted to rely on the God Most High, El Elyon.

b A Righteous, God Exalting King Came To Abram.

Genesis 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

The Priest of the Most High God came out and blessed Abram. Let’s close by looking at his blessing.

• The Most High God SUSTAINS His People while Sin SUCKS THE LIFE out of us. The King of Sodom came demanding “give me the people”. Melchizedek the Priest of the Most High God brought forth bread and wine along with blessing. God takes care of His people.

Psalm 23:1 (KJV) The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

John 10:11 (KJV) I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

• The Most High God – El ELYON – Is STRONGER Than Anything That Stands Against Us. Melchizedek said:

Genesis 14:20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he {Abram} gave him {Melchizedek} tithes of all.

It was God Who delivered Chedorlaomer into Abram’s hand. Abram gave honor to the God Most High when he gave tithes of all. Some Christians have argued that the tithe is part of the Law, and that believers are no longer to tithe. HOGWASH. The tithe predated the Law. One of the greatest gods in America today is money. If money is your god, then your God cannot be El ELYON. God is the possessor of EVERYTHING.

A man once went to his pastor and said “How can you say that God is the owner of everything. After all, I worked for everything I have!” The pastor replied, “Ask me that question again in a hundred years”. Think about it. God owns it all. God will get it all. He just asks that, while you live, you give some back to His work. That you give him …

one heart – Yours!
one day out of seven
one tenth out of a hundred

For He is EL ELYON, The God Most High. Because Abram followed EL ELYON a day would come when Abram would become Abraham, the Father of Many Nations.

• The Name El Elyon – The God Most High – Emphasizes The SINGULARITY Of Our God. There are not many ways unto Heaven, but one Way. All gods are not the same. Only One God – the God of the Scripture – is the True God. And this God has provided a Way unto Heaven through Jesus Christ our Lord.

I have heard people say that SINCERITY is the proof of faith. The King of Sodom was sincere in his faith. Nebuchadnezzar was sincere. Hitler was sincere. Stalin was sincere. Sincerity is no proof or righteousness. Faith alone in God along saves. Faith along in Christ alone saves (John 14:6).

May God touch your hearts with His Word!

 Job 6:6  Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

When I first started studying my Bible over 40 years ago I thought Genesis was the oldest Book in the Bible. Now Genesis does report on the oldest events. Genesis – written by the Prophet Moses – tells us all about the Creation of the world as our God tells it. But Genesis is not the oldest Book. The oldest of the 66 Books in this Book of Books is the Book called simply “Job”. Job was written around 1500 B.C. I think it’s fitting that Job is the oldest book, because the Book of Job discussed the oldest problem that man has.

The problem of suffering.

People in America today view God as entirely a God of love. They quote Scripture like:

1 John 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for GOD IS LOVE.

Now that is absolutely true. God is love – but God is also HOLY and JUST and POWERFUL. God is God. If people view God as ONLY love then that causes a problem. The problem is this:

If God is LOVE then why does a loving God allow SUFFERING?

When you study the Book of Job you find something out. God is NOT only love. In fact, God not only allows suffering – but sometimes He DIRECTS it.

1 Job Loved God Before All Things. The Book of Job begins with a man named Job. Now Job was a wealthy man, with a prosperous family. Job was proof of what Jesus said – you remember Jesus don’t you? Jesus said:

Matthew 6:32-33 (ESV) For {unbelievers} seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Christian Philosopher C.S. Lewis put it this way, saying:

“Aim at Heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither”.

Job aimed at Heaven. He sought the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and God covered him up with blessings. Job had everything – and more besides. Yet the Bible says of Job:

Job 1:1 …. that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and {turned away from} evil.

Job loved God and hated evil. God loved Job and hated evil. And then one day the greatest Evil of all entered into the Presence of God. That Evil was the Devil. The Devil loves to slither in anytime things are going well.

• Noah builds an Ark to save the world – then gets nekkid drunk (I meant to spell it and say it that way) on his vineyard right after they make landfall.

• Moses leads Israel for forty years through the wilderness, then the Devil leads him to lose his temper making him die with the unbelievers on the wrong side of the Jordan.

• King David is defeating enemy after enemy in the power of God, then the Devil encourages him to “number his troops” taking the glory of God to himself.

• Jesus chooses 12 Apostles – but one Judas Iscariot is a Devil

I could go on and on.

Anytime there is good, there is evil.

Anytime we start making progress the Devil gets hold of somebody and makes a mess.

Job is doing wonderful things for God. He loves the Lord. The Devil comes into the Presence of God.

Job 1:7  And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

The Devil is not sleeping nor is he retreating. He keeps moving forward. He walks up and down “like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may DEVOUR” (1 Peter 5:8). He is never at rest. A fallen Arch Angel, he does not weary of sowing evil and darkness. He looks for and finds the worst in man in the best of places, whether it be Congress or the Church, the White House or the Crack House. The Devil seeks and as Johnny Appleseed sowed apple trees the Evil One sows bad trees.

Job 1:8  And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

God starts “bragging” on Job. Oh that we would all live lives that God would brag on us! We get God’s attention for the good when we love Him and obey Him. Job loved God and hated evil. Satan, look at Job! See Him! But then Job challenges God.

“Of course he follows You. You made a hedge about him. You blessed his works.”

“Put forth Your hand and curse him and he will curse you.”

Now here we learn something about pain. God does not touch His child to curse him, but ALLOWS Satan to do so. God said:

Job 1:12  And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

Satan could touch Job’s STUFF but not Job’s SELF. He could take away all of his things, but not physically hurt Job. Job lost it all in one day. What happened next? Did he curse God? No, for Job loved God. The Bible says:

Job 1:20-21  Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,  [21]  And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

Job did not love God to get stuff. Job loved God IN SPITE of the stuff. The stuff didn’t define Job – GOD defined Job.

But it gets worst. In round 2 the Devil comes back to God and, since Job did not falter, the Devil decided to (as Chef Emeril Lagasse says) “Take it up a notch”. Job did not falter, so the Devil tells the Lord:

Job 2:5  But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and HE WILL CURSE THEE TO THY FACE.

The Lord allows the Devil to bring disease on Job but says “do not take his life”.

Job didn’t deserve this – but deserve has nothing to do with it.

God is God and God can do what He will with what He has created.

Ezekiel 18:4 (ESV) Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.

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.

Romans 14:8 (ESV) For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.

It is the height of arrogance and sin to believe that we have “rights” before God. God is our right. God owns us – not we ourselves. And He can do what He wants with what He owns.

God allowed Satan to bring disease on Job. How did Job react? His shrew of a wife told him “Curse God and die”. Job replied:

Job 2:10  But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? IN ALL THIS DID NOT JOB SIN WITH HIS LIPS.

2 What The Devil Could Not Do, Job’s “Friends” Did.

 It is interesting that “Satan” (שָׂטָן satan, “Accuser”) is mentioned fourteen times (14) in the Book of Job – but only in the first two chapters.

Lucifer’s name – “Satan” – means “Accuser Of The Brethren”

In Revelation 12:10 we learn that Satan “is the accuser of our brothers and sisters in Christ, accusing them before God day and night”.

Christ Jesus makes intercession for us.
The Holy Spirit makes prays for us.
Satan on the other hand ACCUSES us before God DAY AND NIGHT.

Job is in horrible suffering, a suffering he did not deserve. Satan has afflicted him. And Job cries out under the suffering. He says:

Job 3:3-4  Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.  [4]  Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.

a Now It Is Quite Normal To Cry Out When Suffering, When In Pain, When In Loss. King David was a man after God’s own heart (see Acts 13:22), someone of whom God said he is the Apple of My eye (Psalm 17:8). Yet even David cried out in times of suffering:

Psalm 13:1-2 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

When we suffer there are times when – as the suffering seems overwhelming – that we may even wish we had never been born. We cry when we hurt. God understands this. God the Son came to this earth specifically to suffer for us. The Bible says that:

1 Peter 3:18 (ESV) For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the Spirit,

Jesus suffered. Jesus suffered in Gethsemane, KNOWING that He came to die for us. Knowing it! He prayed:

John 12:27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.

Jesus knew why He was on the earth.
He knew why He had to suffer.
He knew why He had to be whipped.
He knew why He had to be beaten.
He knew why He had to be shamed.
He knew why He had to be nailed to that tree of Calvary.
He knew why He had to thirst.
He knew why He had to be abandoned.
He knew why He had to die between two thieves.
He knew why He was forsaken.
He knew why He cried “Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabathani”
– My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me.
He knew.

And the Bible says that …

Hebrews 5:8 (NASB) Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.

But Job didn’t know why he was suffering – and neither did Job’s friends.

Jesus knowingly suffered and cried out in the midst of His suffering in the midst of unloving accusers. Job unknowingly suffered and cried out in the midst of His suffering in the midst of unloving “friends”. Rather than comfort Job and direct his gaze Godward – to the Source of Loving Mercy – his friends begin to accuse him.

As Dr. John Piper wrote:

“Job cannot see any reason now for why he should have ever been given life or why his life should be preserved if there is going to be so much misery. And so he protests that the day of his birth should never have been. And of course this is a protest against God, because, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away” (1:21).”

b It Is NOT NORMAL To Add To Someone’s Suffering By Being “Satan”. We who have experienced the mercy of God’s salvation should be encouraging and pointing those in pain to the Lord Who loves them. We should not be adding to their pain.

 I remember back in 1983 when my left leg was crushed in a motorcycle accident. As I lay in the hospital room struggling against the pain – struggling to breath – my Commander and my Supervisor came to visit. As soon as the Commander started talking he began to chew me out. “Didn’t I tell you motorcycles were dangerous? Why didn’t you listen to me?” He went on for about a minute when my Supervisor – a GS 20 something named Mr Greenhill – stepped forward. He grabbed my Commander’s shoulder, pulled him back, and said “Stop that! He doesn’t need this right now!”

And I didn’t.

His presence did not help my situation. He hurt me more by rebuking me, much more than the leg itself hurt. As I lay in the bed bewildered by my accident:

I had followed all the rules.
I was going the speed limit.
I was properly equipped.
I was an exemplary airman, decorated many times.
I was a Christ follower who loved the Lord.
I didn’t feel that is “deserved” any of what I was going through.
And I certainly didn’t deserve a “dressing down” in the midst of my suffering.
I needed love and mercy.
I needed someone to redirect my eyes upward, to remind me that God loved me.
And that God is in control even in the midst of the suffering.

Rather than minister to Job his friends begin to condemn him. HE must be the problem. His suffering must be because HE was not a good servant of the Lord. One friend said:

Job 4:7-8  Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?  [8]  Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.

The implication is “Job, you are getting your just desert. The innocent do not perish”. Is that true?

WAS JESUS INNOCENT? Did He not PERISH on that Cross?

The innocent do suffer. Babies die because bad parents shake them. Drunkards drive cars and kill law abiding citizens. Landfills are full of little arms and legs, ripped from a selfish mothers womb. The innocent suffer, and Job is innocent. Job cries out in his suffering:

Job 6:4-5  For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.  [5]  Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass? or loweth the ox over his fodder?

Job knows his heart. He knows that he is in a right state with God. He knows that he has tried to honor God. And yet God’s arrows are striking him. And Job doesn’t know why.

He needs friends to lift him up to the Lord in the midst of this suffering. But all his friends do is either sit silently, or else accuse Job of doing something to cause this horrible state. Every week I publish a prayer list with addresses and phone numbers. Are you encouraging the suffering?

The Bible tells us that God’s people – His Church – are to be in harmony and love, so much so that …

1 Corinthians 12:25-26 …. the members should have the same care one for another.  [26]  And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

We are called to love those suffering, not to take the part of Satan in accusing. We are to – even in the midst of suffering – to remember that …

1 Corinthians 12:27  Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

3 What Is The Proper Response To Suffering? How Do We Minister To The Suffering? As Job suffers and his friends find fault he tells them:

Job 6:6  Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

I love that statement! Job speaks of the “tasteless white of an egg” and refuses to hear his “friends”. Think about this, an egg has three parts – the shell, the white, and the yolk. What gives the egg flavor is the YOLK, the part that is in the center. You can cook with the white of the egg, but generally you have to add something to it to make it more edible (salt, sugar, something).

It is the YOLK in the middle that gives flavor, the BROKEN YOLK that flavors the whole.

When someone is suffering they do not need our …

They need the Center of the Egg broken, infused through the yolk.
WE NEED TO BE BROKEN WITH THEM, TO POINT TO CHRIST.
They need Jesus Christ Who died for them.
They need to know the love of God, and know that He has not abandoned them.
They need Jesus.
They need you to be Jesus to them.

Adrian Rogers said:

“As a young boy in Florida, I loved to collect coconuts and sell them. One day while up a tree, I was using my right hand to disconnect a coconut when the palm frond let go. I fell on the grass, but my left arm fell on the sidewalk. It was a bad situation. My brother was there, and he saw what happened to me. As I was lying there, having fallen, what did I need? Well, I didn’t need a lecture. I didn’t need my brother to go around to the community and say, “Did you hear about Adrian?” I didn’t need for him to come along and shoot me to put me out of my misery. What I needed was restoration.”

Those who are suffering need to love of God. They need our love and support. They need Jesus! May God touch your hearts with His Word.

Colossians 1:9-18 (KJV) For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; 12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

How many of you have a “Stuff Drawer”? I have several. This is a drawer filled with “stuff I thought I needed” at one time, “stuff” I paid money for, “stuff” I just had to have, but now it’s in a drawer occupying space. Let’s see what I’ve got. I’ve got a fire alarm that worked too good. It went off every time Sherry cooked, so one day I went off and threw it across the room. Don’t want to throw it away, though. It cost about $10. I’ve got a wireless mouse that doesn’t work anymore, but since I paid $20 for it I keep it just in case I ever need it. I’ve got an ink refill kit that doesn’t work, though it did reduce my wallet about $5. I’ve got refills for a pen I’ve long since lost but I keep it just in case I ever find the pen. I’ve got a holster for a knife that I broke but – who knows – I may find another knife just like that again. I’ve got a money clip with no money, a note card holder, a passover guide from a Rabbi (not a rabbit, a Rabbi), cards my wife has given me, and a thumb drive or ten. If you looked at all the “stuff” in my “stuff drawers” it would probably be several hundred dollars of junk I ought to just toss out. But I hold on to it because and just in case. And before you judge me, I know that many of you have – like I do – “stuff closets” filled with clothes that you keep just in case a miracle happens and you go back to the size you were when you were 18 years old. Some of you have “stuff garages” filled with anything but your cars. At our Church we have a “stuff building” where things magically appear from week to week. Please, quit bringing us your stuff!

In America we are “stuff” and “thing” oriented. We love our things. Our economy is staggering because we place such a high value on things.

I have people call me on their cell phones – fancy cell phones – who cannot pay their utility bill but they have cable television, wifi, and wireless phones. Credit card debit is at it’s highest because we like our things. To many people things are gods. The other day I saw a truck with a four wheeler in it’s bed – and the four wheeler took up every bit of space there was. I asked my wife Sherry “Why do you think he has that?” and Sherry, ever generous, said “deer hunters use them”. My next question was “If he killed a deer, where would he put it? Sitting up in the cab next to him?” We are stuff oriented.

Listen Beloved – THINGS cannot make us HAPPY. They may bring temporal pleasure, but tomorrow many of those THINGS will be in the “stuff drawer”, taking up space (and money) and forgotten.

1 Things Are Temporary, But Jesus Is Before All Things. We are told:

Colossians 1:17 And he – CHRIST – is before all things …

The Greek text is καί αὐτός ἐστί πρό πᾶς which is He IS before ALL. Jesus Christ is before all. He should be before all in the life of every person.

He is preeminent.
He is in control of.
Christ rules!

We have VICTORY IN Jesus – not in spite of Jesus!

“Mine Eyes Have Seen The Glory Of THE COMING Of The Lord”

“There Is Power, Power, Wonder Working Power In The Blood Of The Lamb!”

“Onward Christian Soldiers, Marching As To War.
With The Cross Of Jesus, Going On Before”

“Sing The Wondrous Love Of Jesus, Sing His Mercy And His Grace!”

a Jesus Christ Is BEFORE Death, Much Greater Than Death. He Conquered The Grave! The Bible tells us in …

1 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV) …. Christ OUR PASSOVER is sacrificed for us:

I could preach a whole sermon on just this verse.

Why is Christ “our Passover”?

The explanation goes all the way back to the Old Testament. Israel was in Egypt, a godless nation that enslaved the people of God. The Lord heard the cry of His people so He raised up a man named Moses to lead His people. Moses went to the King of Egypt and – under God’s direction – demanded that he “Let My people go that they may serve Me in the wilderness” (Exodus 7:16). The King of Egypt refused to let the people of God go. Finally Moses warned that the death angel was coming this very night. The death angel would come and, where he did NOT see the Blood of the Lamb he would enter that house and death would reign! God told His people to sacrifice a Lamb without spot or blemish, and to take the Blood of that Lamb and put it on the door posts of the house. God said:

Exodus 12:13 … the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

“When I see the Blood. When I see the Blood. When I see the Blood.
I will pass, I will PASSOVER You!”

It happened just as God said. When those who believed took the Blood of the Lamb and put it on the doorposts of their homes the death angels passed by. Why? Because God promised. But God was also showing something in the Old Testament that He would make visible in the New Testament. God sent His Son to this earth. Jesus was not just another man, not just another prophet. No! The Bible tells us that:

God was showing us His Love in the Exodus. He showed His Love by the slain Lamb. He showed His love by BEING the Lamb. Jesus Christ IS God revealed. He IS Sacrificed For Us. He died and in so doing defeated death!

Colossians 1:15 {Jesus} is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

He is God the Son. He is God Himself, God in the flesh. He is the only Begotten of God, born to this earth for one reason – He came to be preeminent over death. Jesus Christ is what the Passover Lamb of the Old Testament represented. Jesus Christ is the “Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). He died because our forefather Adam brought death into this world by his sin. Jesus died on Calvary to pay for your sins and for mine. He is the One of Whom John said:

John 1:36 BEHOLD THE Lamb of God!

He is the Lamb of God …..

…loved of the Father before the foundation of the world (John 17:24)
… Chosen of God to die for us before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:20)

The Wages of Sin is death – and every person is due a payday!

We are all sinners, lost and undone without Christ. We are all worthy of death. We are all born into this world self centered and sin oriented. From the cradle to the grave we are – if without Christ – me oriented, godless, prone to evil and death.

But Jesus Christ came to this earth to make a way in His flesh for us. He lived a perfect life, a sinless life, a life that only God could have lived. Then when the time was right:

Romans 5:8 God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 …. we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

Jesus died so that we do not have to die. Jesus Christ tasted death

Hebrews 2:9-10 But we see Jesus, who was MADE A LITTLE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS FOR THE SUFFERING OF DEATH, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. 10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

Jesus tasted death so that we would not have to taste death. Dying on Calvary, He rose again on the third day. Living today He promises those who look to Him that:

John 3:15 Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 11:26 Whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die!

b Jesus Christ Is BEFORE Satan And The World. He REDEEMS Us From Sin And Empowers Us To Be Sons Of God.

Colossians 1:14 In whom (Christ) we have REDEMPTION through his Blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

When Adam sinned, Satan took over the human spirit. We were sold into sin.

What you DO shows WHOSE you are.
The throne you follow is the Kingdom you are in.

When Christ went to Calvary He did something that not one of us could do. He purchased us with His Blood. Those who believe on Him are Redeemed from sin. When the virgin Mary was with Child of God the Angel told Joseph:

Matthew 1:21 … she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people FROM their sins ..

People say “I can be saved IN my sins”. HOGWASH. If I were late to Church today – coming to the pulpit 10 minutes late – and Jerry asked me later “Why were you late”. I respond, “Well on the way to Church I had a flat tire. When I was changing it a lug nut rolled out into the highway. I went out and picked it up and looked! There was an 18 wheeler bearing down on me! All 18 wheels ran me over. That’s what made me late to Church.” If I said that Jerry would look at me like I was crazy. He wouldn’t call me a liar – but I would be a liar. Everyone knows you cannot have a confrontation with an 18 wheeler and not be changed. And Beloved, you cannot have a confrontation with the Infinite and Almighty God of all creation and not be changed. It doesn’t happen. You lie if you say it did and you did not change.

Jesus died on that Cross to save us from our sins.
Sin is not a trifle.
Sin is awful.
Sin is an awful offense against a Law Filled God.

The Bible says that God cannot look upon sin, and that is bad news to people who sin. Yet the Bible tells us that:

Ephesians 1:6-7 (KJV) {The Father} hath made us accepted in the Beloved. 7 In Whom (Jesus) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Oh the JOY of being REDEEMED from the WRATH of God.
Oh the PEACE of knowing I am RECONCILED to God!

2 Corinthians 5:18-21 (KJV) And all things are of God, who hath RECONCILED us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that WE MIGHT BE MADE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM.

We have been redeemed from the slave market of sin to the Kingdom of the Savior. We are not members of the Kingdom of Darkness, the Kingdom of Sin, the Kingdom of Satan, but we are purchased, prized possessions of the Kingdom of Light!

Hebrews 9:11-15 (KJV)11 But Christ … 12 … but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of His people. For those who look unto Him, they shall be saved, all the ends of the earth (Isaiah 45:22). His Blood purchased us from Satan. His Blood purchased us so that His Spirit can indwell us.

2 Jesus Christ’s Kingdom Is BEFORE All Other Kingdoms. Our God REIGNS!

Colossians 1:13 {God} hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

The problem with America is that we have too many gods.

We come to Church and witness one God. And if the Preacher goes too long we get irritated because he’s keeping us away from the buffet god. We skip Church so we can watch the football god. We ignore evening services because we have family visiting and our children are gods to us. We don’t tithe because money is tight, and we would rather go out and satisfy our belly god rather than give the Lord our 10%. Besides, we need that second fishing boat and four wheeler so we can worship the recreation god on the True God’s Day.

God’s Children belong to God’s KINGDOM. This means that HE is to be greater to us than ANYTHING or ANYONE.

We are a DELIVERED people, those of us who love Jesus. We are DELIVERED from the power of darkness, and are TRANSLATED into the kingdom of Christ. The word translated TRANSLATED is the Greek μεθίστημι (methístēmi, pronounced meth-is’-tay-mee) means “to transfer or carry away”.

You who are His should be “carried away” by God.
Let’s get “carried away”.
Let’s praise Him. Let’s live for Him. Let’s let Him occupy the Throne.

Jesus Christ is before all things. Those who stand with Him will still be standing after all things are gone. Stay the course. Stand with Him. Follow His Rule!

a Let Christ CARRY Your Needs And CARRY AWAY Your Worries. When I was a child I never doubted that – when I sat down to the table – there would be food on it. There might be things I didn’t want to eat (like liver, spinach, greens), but I knew I would not go away hungry. If our parents – imperfect as they were – cared for us will not Jesus Who is perfect take care of His Children. Christ is ALL! He said

Matthew 6:25-33 (KJV) I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD, AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS; AND ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE ADDED UNTO YOU.

If you are God’s Child then God gave the MOST for you at the Cross. Will He not care for you now? Dying for your sins, will He not now risen make provision for your sustenance? Seek ye first the Kingdom of God AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS and all these things shall be added unto you. Even Israel murmuring and complaining in the desert did not starve, for God provided Manna and Doves, Water and Shade. Their clothing nor shoes never wore out though their bodies did, as all bodies will. A little poem called Overheard In An Orchard by Elizabeth Cheney says:

Said the robin to the sparrow,
“I would really like to know
Why those anxious human beings
rush around and worry so.”
Said the sparrow to the robin,
“Friend, I think that it must be
That they have no Heavenly Father
such as cares for you and me.”

b Let The Church Be CARRIED AWAY By Christ And His Spirit.

Let us Covenant Together to love the Lord and His Word – not just HERE but also THERE. Israel lost all things when they placed things first and Christ last.

Christ is never to be last place. He is never to be “next”.

Solomon the richest and wisest man in the world – at one point put Christ last. That which had been pleasure to him became terrible. Solomon said “I hated life …. all is vanity and vexation of spirit … I hated all my labor that I had taken under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 2:17-18). Why?

Because Solomon tried living his life without putting Christ FIRST.

Christ is the salt on your food.
Christ is the sun on the green leaves.
Christ is the whispering wind on a hot July day.
Christ is the joy that cannot be destroyed.

Colossians 1:16-18 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18 And HE IS THE HEAD OF THE BODY, THE CHURCH: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

Jesus Christ is the Head of His Church, and we as His Church are of His Kingdom. Follow Him.

c Let Your Souls Be CARRIED AWAY From Hell To Heaven By The Lord Jesus Christ. You cannot gain Heaven by your good words or your good works. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, but he that believeth not is condemned already because he has not believed in the Name of the Only Begotten Son. Salvation is available to all …. have you made yourself available to Christ? Christ is all. May God touch your hearts with His Word!

Exodus 17:14-16 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. [15] And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi: [16] For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

The word “Jehovahnissi” in the King James is the Hebrew יְהֹוָה נִסִּי Yĕhovah nicciy which translated literally means “The LORD Is My Banner”. Think about that word “Banner”. When we think of “Banners” I often think of Jerry Bridenbaugh. When we have special events like Memorial Day or the Fall Blood Drive for the Cure Jerry and his helpers hang banners all over the Church. I always like it because it seems to enhance the services. I’ve been in Church services where colorful banners are displayed representing the glory of our Lord and His Grace. When we think of banners we think of promotion or decoration.

Banners were not originally designed to decorative. Banners were used in ancient times to designate the loyalties of an armed force. Banners flew over troops as they marched into battle. They identified who was who on the battlefield, just as uniforms do so today. When someone asked “Whose Army is that?” the question was answered by the banners that were displayed.

Ken Hemphill wrote in his book The Names of God:

“A banner in ancient times was not always a flag as we think of a banner today. Often it was a bare staff with a shiny metal ornament that would glisten in the sun. In fact, the word translated banner means “to glisten”.

1 A Banner Represents A Larger Thing. When you see a banner flying over an Army of people the banner represents something greater. The United States Flag when flying does not represent just some cloth and colors, it represents a people and a Constitution. It represents this nation. Israel had a banner that they were supposed to look to as they moved and marched. Their banner was a staff held in the hand of Moses, but that staff represented so much more than just a piece of wood.

That staff represented the God Who saved Israel from slavery.

Israel had been in bondage in Egypt for over 430 years (see Exodus 12:41). What ended Israel’s bondage? God ended Israel’s bondage! God raised up a man named Moses and told him to represent YAHWEH before both Pharaoh as well as Israel. When God spoke to Moses at the burning bush in Midian the Lord told Moses:

Exodus 3:7-10 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry … I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land … flowing with milk and honey… I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

Moses told God “They will not believe that You have sent me.” God told Moses “What is that in your hand” to which he replied “a rod”. This “rod” would become the “rod of God”, the Banner of Israel as they followed Moses. The rod itself was just a staff – shepherd’s tool for guiding sheep.

God made this the banner of Israel, representing the greater truth that God is with His people. Before God blessed Moses staff it was just a stick. Once God blessed that staff it became the “Rod of God”.

When Moses went to do as God told him to do the Bible says:

Exodus 4:20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

That “rod” stayed in Moses’ hand when he led Israel from Egypt. When Israel got to the Red Sea the Lord told Moses:

Exodus 14:16 But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

There was no magic in the banner. The banner represented God, and lifting that banner up over the sea in obedience to God is an act of faith not in the rod but in God. God watches over His people. God loves those whom He saves, and provides for their needs. After Israel watched God destroy the armies of the enemy in the Red Sea the people sang and rejoiced, not to the Banner but to the Lord that the Banner represented.

Exodus 15:1-11 Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. [2] The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him. [3] The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name. [4] Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. [5] The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone. [6] Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. [7] And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble. [8] And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea. [9] The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. [10] Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters. [11] Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?

It was a wonderful day! God’s people praised their Savior. But when they got to Marah and found the waters bitter there, the children of God began to complain rather than praise the Lord. The bitter waters of Marah showed the weak and bitter faith of the children of God. The Lord gave them water, and warned them that ….

Exodus 15:26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, … I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.

To be blessed God’s people must keep sin out of the camp.

2 Sin Inside AND Outside The Camp Troubles And Can Defeat The People Of God. As Israel moved from place to place sin nibbled on them both inside as well as outside the camp.

a Sin INSIDE The Camp Is Represented By The Murmuring And Complaining Of The Israelites. As Israel traveled they did not march to the tune of a band, but grumbled and complained as they went. A grumbling and complaining heart is representative of spiritual immaturity.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, [23] Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Grumbling and complaining is NOT a fruit of the Spirit

The Bible tells us that when things are NOT going our way, we should not grumble but look to the Banner of Yahweh.

Philippians 2:14–15 (ESV) Do ALL THINGS WITHOUT grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,

Grumbling and complaining causes us to get our eyes off of God, and dims our lights. God is in control of all things. He saved us from slavery to sin and death just as He saved Israel from Egypt. God loves us, and will provide our needs in due season. We are called to:

1 Peter 4:9 (ESV) Show hospitality to one another WITHOUT GRUMBLING.

To lift one another up. To encourage one another in the Lord. After all, He saved us TOGETHER. Israel did not do this. Israel did not understand the words of our Lord that “it is better to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). The Bible says:

Exodus 16:2-3 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: [3] And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

The Israelites targeted Moses, but their complaint was not against Moses but against God. It was God that led them through the Red Sea. It was God who gave them fresh water at Marah. It is God leading Israel. Moses is merely the Banner Bearer. God leads His people. God heard their words, and immediately told Moses:

Exodus 16:4-5 Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. [5] And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.

God would feed Manna – Bread from Heaven – to His people. His people were to gather just enough for each day, and enough on the day before the Sabbath to last through the Sabbath. Moses told the people “God hears your murmuring, and your murmuring is against God”.

God hears your murmuring, and your murmuring is against God.
God hears your murmuring, and your murmuring is against God.
God hears our murmuring, and our murmuring is against God.
God hears our murmuring, and our murmuring is against God.
God hears our murmuring, and our murmuring is against God.

Then God said:

Exodus 16:12 I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God.

God fed Israel quail in the evening, and bread in the morning. And for forty years God provided Manna to His people – provisions until the day that they entered the Promised Land. God cares for His people. God cares for you!

Yet Israel would not hear. Listen Beloved, it is possible to be saved, to be blessed with Eternal Life by Jesus Christ, and yet still live a miserable life. Israel is proof of that.

Israel used their lips not for prayer and praise, but for complaint and cursing. They would not get under the Banner of YAHWEH but stayed under the banner of Egyptian idolatry and greed. God will not bless sin in the camp!

When Israel got to Rephidem they once more murmured against Moses and against God. God told Moses:

Exodus 17:5-6 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. [6] Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

This time the Elders or Leaders of the people saw the Banner of God strike the Rock. When it struck the Sea the Children of Israel were saved while the sinners of Egypt sank. Now it strikes the Rock and water comes out – living water – the Water of Life. What was this Rock? What did this Rock represent? We are told in the New Testament:

1 Corinthians 10:4 … (Israel) drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

When Moses took the Rod of God, the Banner of Israel, and struck that Rock the Banner represented YAHWEH the Father. The Rock represented YAHWEH the Christ, the Son of the Living God. The Father sent the Son to die for our sins.

2 Corinthians 5:15 (Jesus) died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

1 Thessalonians 5:10 (ESV) (Jesus) died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.

1 Peter 2:24 (NASB) .. and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

Jesus Christ is the Living Water of God. When you repent of sin and come unto God by Him He satisfies your thirst, blesses your life, brings you into the Family of God. Jesus promises to care for His people. Sin in the camp kept Israel from enjoying all that salvation had to offer. Sin in the camp kept them from experiencing the utter JOY OF SALVATION.

Psalms 60:4 Thou (O Lord) hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.

Song of Solomon 2:4 He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.

Oh how He loves us! Let us forsake sin and cling to Him in love!

b Sin OUTSIDE The Camp Is Represented By The Amalekites. There was a group of people who followed after Israel as they moved. Like wolves around a flock of sheep these people picked off the stragglers. These were the Amalekites – and the Amalekites represent the sin filled world. God said of Amalek …

Deuteronomy 25:17-18 Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; [18] How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God.

Amalek and his people had no fear of God. They attacked God’s Israel, and attack God’s Church today. Who was Amalek? He was the grandson of Esau, the elder brother of Jacob who would become Israel. Esau was greedy, self focused, and had no love of God. He sold his birthright for a bowl of lentil soup. He thought he could renege on his promise, but Jacob through deceit still received the birthright.

And Esau hated him for it.

Esau’s children and grandchildren came to hate Israel, and none hated Israel as badly as Esau’s grandson Amalek and his descendants. Right after God fed His Israel water from the Rock the Bible tells us that:

Exodus 17:8 Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.

Would Israel learn the lesson of Massah Meribah? Or would Israel continue in disobedience and be destroyed by the forces of Amalek?

Exodus 17:9-10 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. [10] So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

Moses is standing on the hill above this great battle. What is Moses’ job? He is to hold the Banner of God – the Rod of God – high above the crowd. Israel is God’s Army, just as the Church is God’s people.

Zechariah 4:6-7 … Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. 7 Who art thou, O great mountain?

It is not Moses that will win the battle. It is not the Rod of God that will magically win the battle. It is not the people of God that will win the battle. It is the people of God trusting in Jehovah Nissi – God Our Banner – that will win the battle.

Exodus 17:11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.

When Moses held up his hand – with the Rod of God in it – Israel prevailed. When God’s people hold up the Cross of Christ and the Word of God we cannot be defeated. The Lord our Banner will rule and reign. But when Moses let down his hand, Amalek – the world – prevailed. Because the Church has so compromised the Word of God and the Gospel message the world seems to be winning. Jesus said:

Matthew 18:20 (ESV) For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.

No one person can do it alone. The Banner of God requires that we together lift Him up. The Banner of God requires that we together look to Him.

Exodus 17:12-13 But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. [13] And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

Amalek was defeated because God’s people rallied under the Lord our Banner. The world will always be defeated when God’s people follow the Lord.

3 What Banner Are You Flying Over Your Life? Why Not Try Yahweh Nissi?

Bubba had problems, so he decided to visit a psychiatrist. He told the doctor, “I’ve got problems. Every time I go to bed I think there’s somebody under it. I get scared. I’ve tried everything. I take a flashlight to bed with me and when I panic, I shine the light under the bed and look. Nobody’s there! When I go back to bed and close my eyes, it starts all over again! I think I’m going crazy.” The psychiatrist said, “Just put yourself in my hands for one year. Come talk to me three times a week, and we should be able to get rid of those fears.” Bubba asked “How much do you charge?” The Doctor said “Eighty dollars per visit.” Bubba thought a while and said, “I’ll think about it.” Six months later the psychiatrist saw Bubba in town and asked him, “Why didn’t you ever come to see me about those fears you were having?” Bubba said “Well eighty bucks a visit three times a week for a year is an awful lot of money! So, I shared the problem with my barber, and he cured me for $10.” The perplexed psychiatrist said, “Is that so! How did your barber cure you?” Bubba smiled and said, “He told me to cut the legs off of the bed. Ain’t nobody there anymore!”

If your life is falling apart the solution is not that difficult. Cast sin out of your life as soon as you see it. Do as God says. Live your life with Him and for Him. Read His Word. Seek His face. And gather together with your fellow Christians at least weekly.

May God touch your hearts with His Word!

Ephesians 4:14-16 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; [15] But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: [16] From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

We live in a loveless and often disrespectful world.

I was reading an article the other day entitled “What Jesus Said About Homosexuality”. It was a well written article by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr. He’s got an alphabet soup of letters following his name showing the man is well educated and has been an Associate Professor of Ministry and Biblical Studies at Heritage Christian University. As I read the article it seemed very well balanced. Here’s a quote:

“ … the claim is still made: “Jesus never spoke about homosexuality.” While the Lord never directly addressed homosexuality, his statements about marriage clearly rule out homosexuality. When asked about marriage, the Lord said, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matthew 19:4-6). … Did Jesus ever say anything about homosexuality? Maybe not directly, but his statements concerning marriage unmistakably prohibit same-sex relationships.”

That’s very clear. It’s very truthful. Furthermore, it’s very Biblical. And yet as I read the “reader’s comments” following the article I noticed several comments that attacked the author. One such comment was:

“How can anyone who pretends to be so religious, or christian^sic, or whatever other label you place on yourself, be filled with such hate?”

The way that people attack truth today is to call truth hate. As a Christian I believe the Bible to be the Word of God, and it’s teachings to be “truth”. It is no surprise to me that our Lord Jesus describes marriage as between one man and one woman – after all, He is the God Who created all things:

Colossians 1:16 (ESV) For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

So if this is true, what should I do and how should I respond when any expression of Biblical Truth is labeled hate by a lost and dying person? I must nevertheless speak the truth in love.

1 What Is “Truth”? If we are to be “speaking THE TRUTH in love” then we need to know what truth is. When our Lord Jesus Christ stood before Pilate – accused of treason – Pilate asked Jesus “Are you a King?” Our Lord replied:

John 18:37a… THOU sayest that I am a king.

“YOU say I am a King – I’ve not declared this just yet.”

There will be a day when Jesus Christ is revealed as “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14; Revelation 19:16). Jesus Christ IS King of Kings and Lord of Lords. To Him “every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess, that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father” (Romans 14:11). But Jesus did not come the first time to be the King. People tried to make Him a King, but He refused. Jesus said …

John 18:37b …. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

Jesus Christ came to “bear witness to the Truth”. Jesus told His disciples:

John 8:31-32 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; [32] And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Jesus bears witness to the truth. Jesus calls a people to Himself that will hear the truth. Jesus frees people by their hearingand doing of the truth. What is the Truth? The Truth is the Word of God. The Truth is what God says is True in His Word!

People today think that “truth” is what feels good or what we think. God says NO! Truth is His Word. The Bible declares “Let God be true, and every man a liar” (Romans 3:4).

My wife and I love to hike, to walk through the woods and enjoy nature. We haven’t done much of this lately because it is so hot ….. darn this global warming (yes, I am being sarcastic). We usually follow the well worn paths and the posted signs in the natural parks where we hike, but sometimes we go off the path. When we do that I do not just use my judgment! Before we go off path I take out my compass and see which direction I am going. If I leave the path going NORTH I know that to return to the path (and safety) I need to go SOUTH on my exit. The compass insures that I do not get dangerous lost. Now there are times when I think that this way or that way is the right way, but when I look at the compass I realize I am terribly mistaken. My focus is on the compass. The compass tells me true. Not what I feel, but what is true.

The Bible is the compass of the Christian and of the Church.

We are told in

Ephesians 4:11-12 And he (God) gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; [12] For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

God gave to His people – to His Church – Apostles and Prophets. These are individuals that God spoke His Word through. The Prophets spoke God’s Prophetic Word. The Apostles spoke and recorded God’s Revealed Word. The Scripture says that the Church of Christ is built …

Ephesians 2:20-21 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; [21] In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord:

The writings of the Apostles and the Prophets – collected and presented to you in this Holy Book – are the foundation of the Church. A “foundation” is what something is built on. The Church is built on – not FEELINGS – not OPINIONS – but on the Word of God. The Word of God is from God. The Scripture confidently declares:

2 Peter 1:20-21 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. [21] For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

God inspired men in both Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament was written by Prophets, men moved by God who looked forward to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The New Testament was written by men that Jesus Christ, the Revealer of Truth, hand picked to be His Apostles. Apostles and Prophets wrote Scripture. Then God gave His Church Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers who do not INVENT the Truth but who DECLARE the truth that is written. Evangelists focus on the Truth of Salvation. Pastors and Teachers on sharing the Truth of God’s Word with His Beloved Church.

Truth does not come from us, but from God’s Word.
Truth is not devised by us, but by God’s Word.

Psalm 33:4 (NIV) For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.

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

The Bible, the Word of God, is True and Right and Pure.

a It Is The Word Of God In The Heart That SAVES The Soul. The Word of God informs us that we are sinners in need of a Savior. The Word of God tells us that Christ is the Only Savior (John 14:6).

Acts 4:12 There is NONE OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN GIVEN UNTO MEN whereby we might be saved.

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the GOSPEL OF CHRIST, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

James 1:21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted Word (of God), which is ABLE TO SAVE YOUR SOULS.”

Psalms 19:7 The LAW OF THE LORD IS PERFECT, CONVERTING THE SOUL; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;”

The Word of God must be spoken in love to those who are without, lost and strangers to God. They must hear that God loves them. They must hear that Heaven is not the default destination of every soul. They must hear that salvation comes only by hearing God’s Written Word, and by believing on God’s Living Word. They must be told – speaking the truth in love – that

John 3:16-18 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.

b It Is The Word Of God That SANCTIFIES The Soul. Jesus prayed to the Father …

John 17:17 (KJV) SANCTIFY them (the Church) through Thy Truth: Thy WORD (O Father) is Truth.

A Christian does not grow spiritually unless the Word of God is in his HEART and HAND. The Bible declares without apology:

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: [17] That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

You cannot do the deeper things of God until you do the simpler things. You cannot be “perfect” or “mature” as a believer until you hear, understand, and DO the Word of God. You cannot “speak the truth in love” if you do not KNOW the truth. The Holy Spirit of God is promised to every believer. Why? The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit is the SEAL of salvation.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 (ESV) And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and Who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

But the Bible also tells us that Christ gave us His Spirit to guide us in the Truth, the Word of God. Jesus said:

John 16:13 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.

The Word of God is the Truth of God. The Holy Spirit is in you (if you are saved) to guide you in the Truth of God’s Word. If you’re not IN God’s Word you are wasting the resources of the Spirit.

Let me give you an example. When Sherry and I and our kids were stationed overseas in England we wanted to go to London and see the sights. So I picked up a guidebook on London, read it, studied it, and carried it with us when we went to London. We didn’t just go to London and wander around until we chanced on the Tower of London. We looked at the guide book. We took the train to Kings Cross. We got off the train, went to the subway, and heeded the guidebook. Every step of the way we followed what was said until we got to our destination. We never got lost in London because we followed the Book.

God gave His people His Holy Spirit to guide us in His Book. His Bible is His directions for life. He knows what is best for us, and if we want to grow up to be like Christ then we need to heed the Book!

2 As Believers We Are To Be Speaking The Truth In Love Even When It Is Not “Politically Correct”. The Word of God is the standard of the believer, but it is not the standard of the world. Yet we are to be “speaking the truth in love” even when it is unpopular.

Jesus spoke the truth in love. When a woman was brought before Him – taken in adultery – Jesus said:

John 8:7 (NLT) … let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!

Every one of her accusers went away that day dissatisfied, but Jesus spoke the truth. And when He told the woman “I do not condemn you” He followed up with this statement:

John 8:11 (NLT) … Go and sin no more..

Jesus did not justify her sinful lifestyle, but told her “what you were doing was a sin. STOP IT!” Jesus did the same thing with the Woman of Samaria, a woman at a well. As He is talking to her about salvation He tells her ..

John 4:16-18 (ESV) … “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”

Jesus did not justify her sinful lifestyle, or modify the Word of God so as to not offend. The Word of God, pure and holy, is an offense to a sin sick world.

There was a man who was crippled who lay near a pool for thirty eight years. Time and time again he tried to get into the pool when the waters stirred, believing that those stirred waters would heal him. Jesus passed by and asked “Do you want to be healed?” The man said “Yes, I do”. And Jesus told him

“Get up, take up your bed, and walk”.

The man was healed that very day. Later on Jesus found the man in the Temple and told him:

John 5:14 (ESV) … “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.”

The reason you were sick – debilitated for 38 years – was because of sin. SIN NO MORE. STOP IT! Lest something worst come on you. Our Lord NEVER justified sin. He NEVER said that a wrong thing was right.

I love the story of USAF pilot Captain Lou Curdes. Captain Curdes flew a P-51 Mustang in World War II, and he was what was known as a Flying Ace. An “Ace” is someone who has five or more kills – downing enemy aircraft. Each time a fighter pilot shoots down the enemy he is allowed to paint the flag of that enemy on the side of his cockpit. I was looking at a picture of Curdes sitting in his cockpit, and looking at the “enemy flags” painted on the side. He had:

Seven SWASTIKAS for seven German aircraft destroyed
One Wing Roundel for an Italian aircraft destroyed
One Rising Sun for a Japanese aircraft destroyed

But then there was something I’d never seen on an Allied Aircraft. There was ..

One American Flag for an American Aircraft destroyed

Was that an accident? No, it wasn’t. It was deliberate. Was the aircraft hijacked? No, it was being flown by American Forces. Curdes not only shot down an American C-47 Transport Plane – he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross – the only one EVER issued for shooting down an American aircraft. So what happened?

On February 10^th 1945 the Philippine Island of Bataan was under Japanese control. Captain Curdes and three others were flying over Bataan destroying enemy landing strips. Out of the afternoon haze an airplane appeared – a C-47 transport plane – and it was headed toward a Japanese airstrip. Curdes came alongside the aircraft, warning them that the island was occupied by the enemy, but received no response. Curdes knew if the aircraft landed that all aboard would be killed or, at best, made POWs. Having been a POW before he knew the horror of that fate. The pilot would not reply nor respond. So Captain Curdes opened fire on the unarmed transport, systematically taking out first the left then the right engine. The plane splashed down in the water, and all 12 men aboard made it into inflatable dinghies to be rescued by Allied Amphibious planes. The C-47 was low on fuel, and thought they were landing on an Allied Airstrip. At first they were FURIOUS at Curdes. But after learning the truth they heralded his actions.

He knew the truth, and acted accordingly.

We live in a lost and fallen world that cares nothing for the Cross other than as jewelry. The Gospel is foolish to the lost. The preaching and teaching of God’s Word is archaic and outdated to the sinner. They hate the Word of God, and disagree with it’s precepts.

Yet we are nonetheless to stand on the truth. Having been a POW of Satan, I want no man to go down that dreadful path – and neither should you! If you love people you will stand on God’s Truth even if you are the only one in the room that believes it.

God’s Word is always TRUE!

3 It Is Our Calling And Our Commitment As Christians To “Be Speaking The Truth In Love”.

The word “speaking” in verse 15 is the Present Active Participle of ἀληθεύω alētheuō meaning “to speak and keep on speaking”. The Christian Standard is to keep on speaking TRUTH in LOVE.

When challenged (and we will be challenged) we must not forget neither the “Truth” nor the “Love” part of this command. The Apostle stated at the beginning:

Ephesians 4:1-2 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, [2] With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

I love this. Paul said “I am a prisoner OF THE LORD”. Imprisoned, heading toward certain death in Nero’s Court for preaching the Gospel the Apostle said “I’m not a prisoner of ROME. I’m a prisoner OF THE LORD”. He was doing God’s Work in a world filled with Satan’s works. Yet Paul was not bitter at those who imprisoned him. He looked beyond this and, believing that God is in control, kept on doing that which God commanded him to do.

If you are walking worthy of the vocation to which you are called then you will be speaking the truth in love. You will not compromise the Truth because you love Christ. You will never make it about yourself, but about God. Speaking the truth in love means to avoid arrogance. To speak with all lowliness and meekness, with LONGSUFFERING or PATIENCE knowing that God is with you.

And God is with us.

Let love be our standard as we share God’s Gospel with others. Let us live according to God’s standard regardless as to whether it is popular or not. Let us keep on loving God and others enough to keep on speaking the truth in love.

And let’s quit WHITEWASHING THE GOSPEL!

God is calling as many as will SURRENDER to Him to Eternal Life. Adrian Rogers once said:

“After a splendid victory at sea, Lord Nelson confronted the French admiral who was surrendering. Dressed in all his regalia, the French admiral approached Nelson to surrender. With his sword swinging by his side, the admiral put out his hand to the British commander.

Lord Nelson stepped back and said, “Your sword first.”

There are a lot of people who think they can walk up and glad-hand the Lord Jesus Christ. He says, “Your sword first.” Surrender first! Jesus is not an appeaser, and He will never make a truce with sin. Never! We have to abdicate the throne. We have to surrender.”

May God touch your heart with His Word.

Isaiah 40:28-31 (KJV) Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God , the LORD , the Creator of the ends of the earth , fainteth not , neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

I was watching a BBC (British Broadcasting) Show on Netflix, a nature show called Inside Nature’s Giants. It’s a fascinating series that I generally enjoy. On this particular show they were looking at the camel. The camel is a fascinating creation of God. I learned that the camel can go six months without water in climates hot as up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Scientists were looking at this half ton creature to see why it can do this. Human blood cells are round, so as we lose water our blood thickens and can clot and kill us. Camel blood cells are oval and thinner, and do not clot when the blood thickens. When we get hot it can cause brain damage, but the camel nose has a special device in it that in essence refrigerates the air breathed in. This cooled air crosses over the artery that provides blood to the brain protecting the creature from overheating. The camel’s legs are designed so that they store energy. A camel can run longer and farther than a human without breaking a sweat. Even the camel’s urinary system is designed to use only the amount of water necessary to remove toxins. No water is wasted. And camels – when near water – can drink up to 30 liters per hour, storing water in their tissues – NOT in the hump. The hump(s) is where fat is stored for energy. A camel can go a long time without food!

As I was watching this show I thought

“How fantastic our God is. This creature is obviously designed, and God is the Designer”

But then the Atheistic Scientist Christopher Hitchens came on the screen and explained – and I paraphrase here because I cannot find a transcript of the show –

“It is amazing how NATURE and EVOLUTION designed this fantastic creature!”

Sadly this foolish man is now gone from this earth, taken by esophageal cancer. God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11), but wants all to be saved. If anyone should have seen the design of God through nature, it should have been this man.

Our God is the Everlasting God, El Olam, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning of all things, the first cause of life.

Isaiah 40:28 (KJV) Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

This is not the first time that this name of God – The Everlasting God – is mentioned. It is first mentioned in:

Genesis 21:33 (KJV) And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God.

God had promised Abraham that “I will make your name great” (Genesis 12:2). Abraham followed and loved the Lord. Though Abraham was not perfect (the story of Hagar is mentioned in this very chapter, one of the low moments of Abraham’s life) he loved God. And God loved Abraham. Though Abraham was a stranger among the Canaanites he was respected and well treated.

While in Canaan a band of soldiers from Philistia took one of Abraham’s wells by force. Abraham called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God and the Lord caused Abimelech, and Phichol his prime-minister of state and general of his army to come and see Abraham – not to attack him but to return what was taken, and to surrender to him.

The King said:

Genesis 21:22-23 …. GOD IS WITH THEE IN ALL THAT THOU DOEST: 23 Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son’s son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.

Abraham had a large household and many camels and men, but he did not have near the volume of what the Philistines had. Yet the Philistines approached Abraham and – on bended knee – sought a treaty with him.

They treated Abraham as if he were Alexander the Great or Genghis Khan, a world conquerer. Why? Because Abraham loved the Everlasting God, and El Olam loved Him.

1 Our God Is Bigger Than We Can Even Imagine. We don’t read much anymore, but we as Christians should. I read a lot – not just Scripture, but books that teach on Scripture. Years ago I read a book that really revolutionized the way I thought about God. It was by a man named J.B. Phillips called Your God Is Too Small. In that book he noted that people often develop an unbiblical view of God.

• To some God is a Policeman who only steps in when the law is broken. Otherwise He remains in the background.
• To others God is a Grand Old Man or, as one child put it, “God is a very old gentleman living in Heaven”.
• Some think God to be Meek and Mild – Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, look upon a little child.

God is often thought of as a Cross you wear around your neck, a rabbit’s foot or buckeye in your pocket, or a pocket sized god you can pull out and pray to when needed, but hide when you don’t. Our God is the Everlasting God. Phillips wrote:

“God will inevitably appear to disappoint the man who is attempting to use Him as a convenience, a prop, or a comfort – for his own plans. God has never been known to disappoint the man who is sincerely wanting to co-operate with His own purposes.”

Our God is EVERLASTING. He is the FIRST CAUSE of all things.

Isaiah 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that INHABITETH ETERNITY, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

The world loves to speak of a tiny god and a BIG HUMAN. The world thinks that God should be little “g”, non-intrusive but always at Mankind’s (BIG M) beck and call. Yet the God of the Scripture “inhabits eternity”.

He is high and lofty, but we are not. He is eternal, but we are not. God came to Abraham because Abraham was contrite and of a humble spirit. Abraham knew himself to be mortal and fallible, but God to be EL OLAM, the Everlasting God.

Abraham was great because he was not defined by those fallen creatures around him. He was defined by EL OLAM. He moved forward on the promises of EL OLAM. He listened to the Word of EL OLAM. He obeyed what EL OLAM said.

a Are You Living Life DEFINED By God? How Big IS Your God? (Follow The Commas)

Isaiah 40:28 (KJV) Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

“Everlasting God” in Isaiah 40:28 is not EL OLAM but in the Hebrew ELOHIM OLAM. You might ask what the difference is. EL is the singular name of God, but ELOHIM is the plural or Triune name of God. EL would be used to describe God the Father OR God the Son OR God the Holy Spirit. But ELOHIM OLAM refers to the Trinity of God (Father-Son-Spirit) working together. We are told several things about the Everlasting God – ELOHIM OLAM – in this Scripture. Notice that right after “Everlasting God” we see several commas with statements within the commas.

The Everlasting God , the LORD

• The Triune God Is Everlasting Because He Is LORD. Anytime you see LORD in all capital letters in the King James this is the name of God YAHWEH, the Most Holy Name of God. This is the name that God gave to Moses at the burning bush. “Who shall I say sent me?” Moses asked God. ELOHIM told Moses in Exodus 3:14 “I AM that I AM. Tell them I AM sent you”. From this phrase the eternal name of God YAHWEH developed. God is the Everlasting God because He is the Eternal I AM. God has no beginning and no end. Moses prayed:

Psalm 90:1-2 LORD, Thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were born, Or Thou didst give birth to the earth and the world, Even from EVERLASTING TO EVERLASTING, Thou art God.

A child asks “If God made all things, who made God?”
The answer is “No one made God. God IS God.”

As humans we think in terms of time. But God is outside of time. He is the I AM from Everlasting to Everlasting. When space was nothing, and no planets were, God was there. When space dissolves under the judgment of God, and

2 Peter 3:10 … the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

God will still be there. God is ever constant, never changing. The world changes, but ELOHIM does not.

b God Is The Creator. Not evolution, Not nature, but ELOHIM OLAM. We see now the second comma:

The Everlasting God , the LORD , the CREATOR of the ends of the earth

When we open our Bible to its very first page we read:

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

In the beginning of human and angelic history God (ELOHIM) created. There is no explanation as to where God came from, because God IS. Man is created. The planets and stars are created. The things on this earth are created. Space itself is created. Animals are created. Angels are created. Everything is created ….. but God. God existed before all things, and He Himself brought something out of nothing. God is eternal. ELOHIM is self existent. He is the ONLY Being who does not owe His existence to another. God has life in and of Himself. Our Lord Jesus said:

John 5:26 (NET) For just as THE FATHER HAS LIFE IN HIMSELF, thus he has granted the Son to have life in himself …

Only God has live in Himself. When He creates, He creates from out of Himself. We are because God is. It was ELOHIM OLAM who said in

Genesis 1:26 “Let US make man in our own image and after our own likeness”.

The ancient world believed that the universe was eternal and whatever gods existed were finite parts of this universe. The modern world also believes much of this absurd and untrue claim.

Job 38:4-5, 8-11 (ESV2011) Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements … Or who stretched the line upon it? … 8 “Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, 9 when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, 10 and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, 11 and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?

It is ELOHIM OLAM Who …

Isaiah 40:12 Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

God “measured the waters”, the oceans and all large bodies of water. He holds all the seas in the hollow of His hand.

To God, Heaven is but a “span” – the distance between your thumb and the middle of your middle finger.

ELOHIM knows how much dust there is in the earth because He made it. God knows the weight of the mountains, the size of the hills. Nothing is randomly made. God deliberately made all things.

Isaiah 40:13-14 Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counselor hath taught him? 14 With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?

No one had to tell God how to do anything. From the tiniest ant to the camel of the desert or the huge sperm whale of the sea, God made it and founded it. God wrote the book on everything, but needed no tutorial. He knows, He is everlasting in knowledge. He is EL OLAM.

Isaiah 40:15-17 Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. 16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. 17 All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

The works of man – the size of our technology, the precision of our sciences and our medicines, our sky scrapers and super computers. God looks at these things and says “So what?” It is to Him as sophisticated as is a 4 year old child’s crayoned drawing is to an MIT graduate!

Isaiah 40:22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

El Olam “Sits on the circle of the earth”. He is everywhere at the same time, and man is to God “like grasshoppers”.

Isaiah 40:26 (KJV)26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

God makes every star – and calls them by name. Scientists have counted as many as a “septillion stars” – that’s a 1 with 24 zeros behind it. By the way, no human can count that high in their lifetime. It takes a human counting one number a second nearly 32 years to count to to a billion. A quintillion is a million billions.

c God MUST Be Tired After All This Creation. No, He’s not! Look at the third and fourth commas:

The Everlasting God , the LORD , the Creator of the ends of the earth
, fainteth not , neither is weary

The “God Who is our God for ever and ever (Psalm 48:14) does not get tired or wore out. God established the Sabbath for us, not for Himself (see Jesus’ words in Mark 2:27).

The Everlasting God – Elohim Olam – does not go to bed at night because He can’t keep His peepers open! God is sufficient in Himself, limitless in power, immense and immeasurable. Richard L. Strauss writes:

“God’s self-sufficiency has practical application to our lives. If He possesses everything needful, and He has offered to come into our lives and share Himself with us, then obviously we can find all that we need in Him. That is exactly what the Apostle Paul stated about Him. Speaking of God the Son, he said, “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete” (Colossians 2:9-10).”

2 El Olam – The Everlasting God – Is Big Enough To Bless Us If We Will Come To Him.

Isaiah 40:29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength.

Our God “gives power to the faint”. What has God done for us? The Bible says:

Romans 5:6-11 (KJV) For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

When the time was right God sent forth John the Baptist to announce the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ our Lord. He is the one mentioned in our text at:

Isaiah 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. (see also Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4; John 1:23)

John came preaching that the Messiah was coming. Man is a sinner in need of the Savior. Man is temporal in need of the EL OLAM, the Everlasting God. Our condition is that …

Isaiah 40:6-8 (KJV) The Voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: 7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. 8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

This life shall fade, and surely pass.
Yet the life lived for Jesus shall ever last!

God sent His Son to us while we were yet sinners. God sent salvation through Jesus Christ to all who will believe on Him. God sent His Son saying “In Him I am, well pleased – believe on Him”. God loves ever person, and wants to save us from broken an imperfect lives. Jesus Christ, the Great Shepherd, call whosoever will come to Him to rest in His arms, to lay our burdened lives down before Him.

Isaiah 40:11 (KJV) He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

Oh, how Christ loves! Oh how He would cherish every soul that came to Him in faith. God has promised salvation to all who come to Him through Christ. He has promised everlasting life, and everlasting strength, and everlasting love to those who follow Him. He has promised:

Isaiah 40:30-31 (KJV) Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Oh how I wish I had time to preach this. Those who WAIT upon the Lord – expectantly looking toward Him, seeking His face, turning from their own resources to God’s Resources – “they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint”.

We all need the Lord. Turn to Him. Wait on EL OLAM, the Everlasting God. Trust Him. Obey Him. Love Him. Follow Him.

May God touch your hearts with His Word!