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I want you to imagine with me walking that wonderful street of gold in Heaven. The Bible says that those of us who will be there … those who have received Christ as both Lord and Savior … will as ! Corinthians 13:12 tells us “know even as also I am known”. There is Moses, the Shepherd God set to lead His people Israel. You read His Books of the Law. There over yonder is David – the Shepherd become King, and now a Child of the King as you are. You read His Psalms. Then you see the Apostles Peter, John, and Paul. Two were fishermen, one a Benjamite, but all used of God to write Scripture. You read their books and heard sermons preached from them. Then you see another Shepherd, and you know right away this is Amos. He’s coming your way. Quick, is there a column you can hide behind? What if he asks you “How did you like my Book, the One the Lord wrote through me”. Well, you won’t have to worry about that. Because today we read Chapter 6 of his Spirit inspired Book.

When it comes to the Old Testament there are books that many Christians never read because they think these books have no application to their lives. But that’s not true. The Bible tells us that:

1 Corinthians 10:11 …. all these things happened unto them (speaking of the Old Testament accounts) AS EXAMPLES; and THEY ARE WRITTEN FOR OUR ADMONITION, upon whom the ends of the world are come …

Every part of the Bible was written by men of God as the Holy Spirit of God moved them (see 2 Peter 1:21). The Bible tells us that …

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV) 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 complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

This includes the Book of Amos, and particularly includes Amos Chapter 6 which we read this morning. The KEY to understanding and applying Chapter 6 is the very first verse of the text:

Amos 6:1 (KJV) Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!

There Are Two Mountains Mentioned In Verse 1
Mount Zion And The Mountain Of Samaria.

1 Let’s Look First At Mount Zion.
a Mount Zion Is The City Of God, The Kingdom of God, The Place Where God Reigns.

“Zion” occurs over 150 times in the Bible, and means “Raised Up” or “Fortification”.

Mount Zion is the high hill in Jerusalem that King David built a citadel on. Zion includes Jerusalem and the Temple. Throughout the Scripture Mount Zion is synonymous with the City of God, the place where God is enthroned. The Jews identified with two mountains:

• Mount Sinai (in Arabia) where they received the Law of God
• Mount Zion (in the Promised Land) where the Grace of God was given

The Law of God convicts of sin – but it is the Grace of God that provides the remedy for sin. The writer of Hebrews wrote of the difference between Mount Sinai and Mount Zion:

Hebrews 12:18-24 (KJV) For ye are NOT COME unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, 19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: 20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: 21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:) 22 But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

Mount Zion is the place of God’s Blessing, the place where the Blood of Christ mediates a New Covenant. Mount Zion is where the Voice of Jesus cries out:

Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV) Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Salvation is to come to Christ, to take His Yoke upon you, to receive Him as Lord and Savior. We who are His have entered into rest insofar as our salvation is concerned.

Hebrews 4:3 (KJV) For we which have believed do ENTER INTO REST ….

Our souls REST because we know our eternal destination. Our souls are at ease for we know that Jesus fulfilled the Law for us. We do not stand before God condemned as Law breakers, fearful of Mount Sinai. We are children of Zion, of the City of God because we have rested our faith in Jesus.

Jesus Christ tasted death for all.

Hebrews 2:9, 14-16 (KJV) 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. … 14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

Zion is where our soul shall rest – but not our bodies!

1 Corinthians 3:9 … We are laborers together with God. (the Church is) God’s Garden. (the Church is) God’s building.

b God’s People Are Called To Work Within Their Faith, To Serve The Living God.

Helen Keller was born with sight, but became blind as a young child. She was once asked “Is there anything worst than losing your sight?” She replied, “Yes. It is to have sight, but no vision”.

If you are in Zion you are to labor for Him, you are to serve and love Him. If you are God’s Garden, then the Lord expects FRUIT. If you are God’s BUILDING, then you were made to serve Him.

Amos 6:1 (KJV) Woe to them that are at ease in Zion ….

WOE to them that are AT EASE in Zion.
When God says “W-O-E” then we should “W-H-O-A”.

God is speaking to those who are “in Zion”. They are in the City of God. They are saved by faith in Him. They crossed the Red Sea, they are in the Promised Land. But now they are at ease in Zion. This doesn’t mean they are resting in their faith, but that they are not serving the God Who saved them. If you are saved, you are called to be:

Matthew 5:14-16 (HCSB) You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

We who are His are saved to serve. Jesus said:

John 15:1-2 (HCSB) I am the true vine, and My Father is the vineyard keeper. 2 Every branch in Me that does not produce fruit He removes, and He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit.

Woe unto them that are at ease in Zion

2 Woe Unto Those That Are At Ease In Zion Because They Have Shifted Their Faith To Mount Samaria.

Amos 6:1 (KJV) Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and TRUST in the MOUNTAIN OF SAMARIA, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!

The Mountain of Samaria represents the strength of man. Samaria was the most powerful nation on the world at this time in history. Israel – God’s people – made an allegiance with Samaria, a pact with the world. What does God say about His people compromising with the worldly, with the idolatrous?

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (KJV)14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

We who believe in Christ are of Mount Zion. Our hope and strength is in Mount Zion, not in Mountain of Samaria. Oh how foolish to put your trust in man when God is so clearly near. The Bible says that we are not to compromise our faith because of fear. We are to trust in and rely on our God.

Jeremiah 17:5-8 (ESV) Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. 6 He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. 7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. 8 He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

The God that saved you is the God you should serve. Samaria may be the chief nation at this time, but God tells us:

Amos 6:2 (KJV) Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border?

Calnah was one of the four cities founded by Nimrod (see Genesis 10:10). It was a mighty city that was once a winter residence for the Parthian Kings. Now it is nothing more than a ruined palace and mounds of rubbish.

Hamath the Great was once the capital of one of the kingdoms of Upper Syria. Conquered by Assyrians, the people were exiled to Samaria – and the city was occupied by the enemy.

Gath of the Philistines was one of the 5 Philistine City-States. Today it is no more than an archaeological site – a place of ruins.

These great peoples – once considered unconquerable – turned from following the True God to idolatry and chasing after human power. Today they are nothing, as is anyone who turns from following the Living God. They caused the seat of violence to come near by turning from the Lord Who would have saved them.

a The Darkness Never Takes A Break, But Advances Steadily. How Foolish To Compromise With The Darkness!

Amos 6:3-7 (KJV) Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near; 4 That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; 5 That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David; 6 That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. 7 Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive, and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed.

The picture drawn in this text is of a people – a SAVED people – who rather than laboring for the Lord are at ease in themselves.

They are like many who say:

I am saved. The Lord loves me. My name is in the “Roll Up Yonder”
So my race is over. I will rest, and do nothing.

Listen Beloved, the darkness never stops. The Devil never rests. The Bible tells us that:

Ephesians 6:12-13 (KJV) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

We wrestle not against flesh and blood. Our enemy is the forces of darkness, led by Satan, which wants to destroy our America. We must wrestle against these forces in the power of God and with Jesus Christ our Lord. If we do not the darkness will continue to advance. We cannot circle the wagons, and cannot quit in our work.

I know at this time of the year many go on vacation. There is nothing wrong with a vacation for your body – but continue to feed your souls. YOU CANNOT TAKE A VACATION FROM JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD. Jesus told us:

Luke 9:23-26 (KJV) …. If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? 26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.

We rest our souls in Jesus,but we are not to be at ease in Zion. We follow Jesus. We read and meditate on His Word. We shine. We work for Him, pushing back the darkness by being obedience Children of God. The darkness never rests.

Every day Christina Zavala would make her 7 year old son a lunch, and tuck a encouraging note and Bible verse in his lunch box. When he got to school – Desert Rose Elementary School – his friends would want to see what his mother wrote. In time, the other students asked for copies of these notes during lunch time. When one little girl told her teacher “this is the most beautiful story I’ve ever seen” the teacher scolded the young boy and said that he could only hand out notes at the school gate, and only after the bell rang at the end of the day. The Zavalas family complied with the school gate directive, and soon, as many as 15 fellow students looked forward to the after-school Bible notes. However, on May 9, 2016, Principal Melanie Pagliaro approached Mr. Zavala at that location, and demanded that they only hand out the notes on a public sidewalk, far from the exit, off school property. The family immediately complied. Later that day, however, a Los Angeles Deputy Sheriff knocked at the door of C’s home, demanding that C’s note sharing cease altogether because “someone might be offended.” The Zavala family contacted Liberty Counsel which is demanding a public apology to the family for “Unconstitutional suppression and censorship of student religious speech”.

The Darkness does not rest. It infiltrates. It says:

Amos 6:10 (KJV) …. Hold thy tongue: for we may not make mention of the name of the LORD.

The Darkness fears the Word of God, and will do everything it can to keep this Word from going forth. Yet we as God’s people must not be at ease. We are at war with the darkness. The darkness will consume us if we do not be the Light that we have been called to be.

Amos 6:11 (KJV) For, behold, the LORD commandeth, and he will smite the great house with breaches, and the little house with clefts.

The safest place to be is to be in the Mountain of Zion.

Live for the Audience of One. Let us be like the Apostles who, when warned not to speak of Christ, declared

Live to please the Heavenly Father Who saved you.

Amos 6:1-14 (KJV) Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came! 2 Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border? 3 Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near; 4 That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; 5 That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of music, like David; 6 That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. 7 Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive, and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed. 8 The Lord GOD hath sworn by himself, saith the LORD the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein. 9 And it shall come to pass, if there remain ten men in one house, that they shall die. 10 And a man’s uncle shall take him up, and he that burneth him, to bring out the bones out of the house, and shall say unto him that is by the sides of the house, Is there yet any with thee? and he shall say, No. Then shall he say, Hold thy tongue: for we may not make mention of the name of the LORD. 11 For, behold, the LORD commandeth, and he will smite the great house with breaches, and the little house with clefts. 12 Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow there with oxen? for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock: 13 Ye which rejoice in a thing of nought, which say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength? 14 But, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, saith the LORD the God of hosts; and they shall afflict you from the entering in of Hemath unto the river of the wilderness.

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2 Corinthians 5:20 (KJV) Now then we are ambassadors for Christ …

Proverbs 13:17 (KJV) A wicked messenger falleth into mischief: but a faithful ambassador is health.

America entered into World War 2 because of an grievous act of betrayal. Ambassadors from Japan Saburō Kurusu and Kichisaburō Nomura had been meeting with Secretary of State Cordell Hull. On December 7^th 1941 the Ambassadors ended their last meeting with Secretary Hull saying “The immutable policy of Japan is to promote world peace.” As those words were being said Japanese Squadrons bombed Pearl Harbor, causing the deaths of 2,403 Americans and wounding 1,178. The only greater betrayal of the U.S. life was when 19 hijackers crashed aircraft into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001 (2996 died that day).

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor then President of the United States Franklin Delano Roosevelt addressed Congress, saying “Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. The United States was at peace with that nation, and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our secretary of state a formal reply to a recent American message. While this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or armed attack.”

The Ambassadors were blamed by Roosevelt because of the underhanded way they did what they did. Yet they were – dishonest as it was – working in collusion with their Emperor and their government to – they thought – ambush the United States and render us incapable of fighting back. It did not work. In fact, the deceit and dishonorable actions of merely inflamed America, and roused us to come together and defeat the enemies of freedom.

With that introduction I want to talk tonight about Ambassadors. Not about deceitful Ambassadors from Japan, nor ineffective political Ambassadors, but about Ambassadors from Heaven.

Every believer in Jesus Christ is an Ambassador from Heaven.

In our two texts today we read:

2 Corinthians 5:20 (KJV) Now then we are ambassadors for Christ …

Proverbs 13:17 (KJV) A wicked messenger falleth into mischief: but a faithful ambassador is health.

When God saved you through faith in Christ He could have taken you to Heaven. Yet He did not. Why? It was so that we could be His Ambassadors on this earth. We do not belong to this earth. I want to say that again, for this is a great truth.

An Ambassador Is A Person From One Country Sent To Another Country
To Represent His Or Her SENDING Country.

If you are a Christian, saved by the Blood of the Lamb, then you are a new creature. You are not like the Child of Adam, but you are now a Child of God. When Jesus prayed for His Church He prayed … listen to His Words now …

John 17:15-17 (KJV) “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. {16} They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. {17} Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. {18} As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.”

An Ambassador is SENT. Jesus was SENT from Heaven to tell us of the Father’s Will. Jesus came not representing Himself but the Father. He said “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father”. A good Ambassador is SENT to REPRESENT the desires of His Country’s leaders. Jesus said “as You (Father) have sent Me, I send them”. We are Ambassadors of Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

A wicked messenger falleth into mischief, but a faithful Ambassador is health

If God left you on this earth as His Ambassador (and the Scripture seems to teach this) then you will be in health to be an Ambassador as long as you are faithfully being an Ambassador. Do you want long life? Represent Him. Magnify Him. Lift Him up. Be a good Ambassador.

An Ambassador Doesn’t Create His Own Message,
But Carries His Country’s Message To Another Country

What is the message we carry? Our text tells us:

2 Corinthians 5:18-19 (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.

We are CITIZENS TOGETHER of a Heavenly Kingdom because we are reconciled to God. We were reconciled to God by Jesus Christ. What did Jesus do for this fallen world? He died for this world. He died for this world so that this world might live. There is no life in denominations. There is no life in works. There is no life in the keeping of the Law. Wherein is life? It is in Christ alone. The Bible says:

Romans 3:23-24 (KJV) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

We are justified – made upright – by the grace of God that is available in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:1-4 (KJV)1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

We are uncondemned by God because we follow after Christ and are in Christ. Salvation is all of faith in Christ. Jesus Christ is the …

1 John 2:2 (KJV) ….. propitiation (covering) for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

As good Ambassadors we do not add to nor remove from the message we have been given. God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16). We as Ambassadors represent the Kingdom of God, and we others to come into this Kingdom while there is time. They must come by Christ.

Ambassadors Do Not Appoint Themselves. They Are Appointed By The King.

No person just decides to be an Ambassador. The Ambassador is appointed. We as Ambassadors are appointed by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords Jesus Christ. Jesus tells us:

Matthew 28:18-20 (KJV) “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. {19} Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: {20} Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

Before Jesus appointed His Ambassadors He proffered His credentials. “All power is given unto Me in Heaven and in earth”. Who gave Jesus “all power”? The Father. The Heavenly Father. Jesus Christ is the head of all principality and power (Colossians 2:10). Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. (Revelation 5:12). The Father has given all judgment into the Son’s hand (John 5:22).

Jesus Christ is to the Father as Joseph was to the King of Egypt. He is the Possessor of all Authority, and He sends us His Ambassadors into the world with His message. His is a message of Reconciliation. His is a message of Love. His is a word of acceptance – if those we encounter would but hear His Word.

As Ambassadors, We Carry A Message Of Unconditional Surrender

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (KJV)14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: 15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

The way of life of the world is dead.

Proverbs 14:12 (KJV) There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

The way of the world is the way of selfishness, lovelessness, and death. There is no life in this world, but there is life in Christ. Jesus was very clear when He said:

John 10:8-11  “ALL THAT EVER CAME BEFORE ME ARE THIEVES AND ROBBERS: but the sheep did not hear them. {9} I AM THE DOOR: BY ME IF ANY MAN ENTER IN, HE SHALL BE SAVED, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. {10} The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. {11} I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD: THE GOOD SHEPHERD GIVETH HIS LIFE FOR THE SHEEP.”

The only way to life is through Christ. This is the message we carry. It is not a popular message. The Apostle Paul asked the Church at Ephesus to PRAY for him, saying:

Ephesians 6:20 (KJV) For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

He was an ambassador in BONDS – in chains – for preaching the Gospel. There is a temptation as Ambassadors to modify the message, to minimize His Word, to hide rather than boldly proclaim. Persecution bothers us all. Yet as good Ambassadors we must NOT bend nor compromise. We do not belong to this world, but to Another. We are not citizens of this country permanently, just temporarily. We are “strangers and pilgrims” (1 Peter 2:11; Hebrews 11:13) on this present earth.

My heav’nly home is bright and fair,
I feel like traveling on;
Nor pain nor death can enter there,
I feel like traveling on.
Yes, I feel like traveling on,
I feel like traveling on;
My heav’nly home is bright and fair,
I feel like traveling on.

I’m kind of homesick for a country
To which I’ve never been before.
No sad goodbyes will there be spoken
For time won’t matter anymore.
Beulah Land (Beulah Land)
I’m longing for you (I’m longing for you)
And some day (And some day)
on thee I’ll stand (Someday we will stand)
There my home (There my home)
hall be eternal (Eternal)
Beulah Land, sweet Beulah Land
I’m looking now,
just across the river
To where my faith,
shall end in sight (Shall end in sight)
There’s just a few more days to labor.
Then I will take my heavenly flight.

We are here as long as God needs us here to be His Ambassadors. As Ambassadors we speak for Him and for our only Home. The Bible says:

Philippians 3:20 (KJV) “For our {citizenship} is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:”

As Ambassadors We Promote Peace – But
We Cannot Make Anyone Receive The Word We Carry

Jesus Christ offers peace with God to whosoever will receive Him on His terms. In the world “peace” is often viewed as a negative. In other words, “peace” is the absence of war. John MacArthur notes that:

“… the Quechua Indians in Ecuador and Bolivia use a word for peace that literally translates, “to sit down in one’s heart.” For them peace is the opposite of running around in the midst of constant anxieties. The Chol Indians of Mexico define peace as “a quiet heart.” Those may be beautiful ways to put it, but they still seem to leave us with only the negative idea that peace is the absence of trouble.”

When Jesus said in John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” He wasn’t saying that we would have trouble free lives, but God controlled lives. God saves His Ambassadors. God sends His Ambassadors. God walks with His Ambassadors. God is not at war with His Children, but at peace. And we are at peace with Him. We may be attacked by the world. The world may reject the message of salvation and peace that we offer. Yet God is in control.

Ambassadors Are Required To Obey The Laws Of The Land They Are Dispatched To, As Long As Those Laws Do Not Conflict With The Laws Of Our King.

The Pharisees came to Jesus one day to try and entrap Him. They asked:

Matthew 22:17-21 (KJV) “Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? {18} But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? {19} Show me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. {20} And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? {21} They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.”

No Christian has the right to break the Law of the land he is in unless the law of the land is contrary to God’s Law. We obey God first. We as Ambassadors represent God first. The Apostle wrote:

Romans 13:1-4 (KJV) Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. {2} Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. {3} For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: {4} For he is the minister of God to thee for good.

The Ambassador Works For The Approval Of The One Who Sent Him

Again in our text we read:

2 Corinthians 5:9-10 (KJV) Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

As Ambassadors we will never stand before that terrible Great White Throne of Revelation 20.

Revelation 20:11 (KJV) And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

The Great White Throne is a place where TERROR will reign. People will run from the Judge on that Throne. Another name for the Great White Throne is “The Terror of the Lord”. We see that in …

2 Corinthians 5:11 (KJV) Knowing therefore the TERROR OF THE LORD, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.

The Great White Throne is a place where people go who have rejected the Ambassador’s Message in this life. It is a terrible place. It is a place where JUSTICE and LAW without grace rule. One day we who are Ambassadors will stand before our King at the Judgment Seat of Christ. On that day He will grade us on how well we performed our duties for Him. Were we good Ambassadors? Did we tell others? Did we carry the message we were given. Did we live on this earth as Citizens of the Kingdom of God? If so, we will receive crowns. If not, we will suffer loss, but we will yet be saved.

Praise Him that He is faithful even when we are not!

Ambassadors Eventually Return To Their Sending Nation

In our text we read:

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 (KJV) Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

There will come a time when God will call His Ambassadors home. No Ambassador stays forever in the place he is sent. There will come a time when we – each and every one of us who are His – will go into yonder glory. If we live until the Time God will remove all His Ambassadors at once from this earth in an event we call “The Rapture”. When all Ambassadors are removed from a country it is tantamount to a declaration of war. Our removal will start the Great Tribulation, the Great Purging of the earth.

But until that day we honor our God by serving as faithful Ambassadors. We are to always remember the words of our Lord:

John 16:33 (KJV) “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Jesus Christ has and will overcome the world. Be His Ambassador. Live for Him. Let Him live through You. Pray. Read His Word. Do good. Love. Share. His. Gospel.

May God touch your hearts with His Word.

Amos 5:4-6 For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live: But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought.  [6]  Seek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel.

The secret to a joyous, full, and blessed life is to seek the Lord. The word “seek” used in this text is דָּרַשׁ dârash (pronounced daw-rash’) which means “to follow after, to pursue, to worship, to seek”. Seek the Lord and LIVE! Do not seek the idols of this world.

“Idols” you say. “What idols do we worship today instead of God”? We worship the idol of SELF. We make ourselves to be gods. As a matter of fact, this is the ORIGINAL SIN. The Devil told Adam and Eve in the Garden “You shall not die if you eat the forbidden” …

Genesis 3:5  For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

An idol is anything that is worshipped above God … and the idols of today are seen in Facebook and Twitter. We have made idols of ourselves. That is what is wrong with America today – IDOLATRY.

We must turn back to God.

1 The Power Of A People Is In The God Of The Scripture. An idol is no god. God said “Seek ye ME and you SHALL LIVE”.

a Turning From The God Of The Bible We Lose ECONOMIC Prosperity. To set our desire on the I instead of the Great I AM is to eventually lose out. The power of God’s Israel and God’s Church is in it’s seeking of God. God told His people:

Amos 5:2 The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise: she is forsaken upon her land; there is none to raise her up.

It is God Who blesses. It is God Who lifts up a nation. When we cease seeking God and start following what we THINK rather than what GOD HAS SAID then we invite disaster. Israel had fallen and there was NONE TO RAISE HER UP. Why? Because she had turned away from the Almighty God. The great truth of the Scripture is what King David learned:

Psalms 16:5 (HCSB) LORD, You are my portion and my cup of blessing; You hold my future.

A nation can be no greater than it’s reliance upon the God of the Scripture. When Israel turned from following God the Lord told them:

Amos 5:3  For thus saith the Lord GOD; The city that went out by a thousand shall leave an hundred, and that which went forth by an hundred shall leave ten, to the house of Israel.

The backsliding and idolatry that has taken this country and many of its churches will eventually cost us in strength. The city that went out by a thousand – a prosperous city that exported much – now leaves a hundred. And that which went forth by a hundred now leaves by ten. Gradually but certainly those who will not seek God lose. They cease to live and just exist. It is sad that the unbeliever runs around asking “What shall we eat?” and “what shall we drink?” and “what shall we wear?”. It is far sadder that the Prodigal Son walk away from the blessings of God’s presence, trading the fatted calf for the slop of the pig pen. As His Children God says ….

Matthew 6:33   But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Seek God and live. We have the promise of Christ that if we cling to Him and forsake the darkness of sin and self that …

Matthew 19:29 … every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

The unrighteous may seem to prevail for a time, but in eternity (where time is but a drop in the ocean) those who seek the Lord will be blessed forever.

b Turning From The God Of The Bible We Lose Our ETHICS – Our Moral Compass – And Our Common Sense. The “Sexual Revolution” of the 60s turned into the “Abortion Industry” of the 70s which has now morphed into a state where we don’t know which restroom to use. How did we get from Mayberry to Mayhem? Because we turned from SEEKING God’s Word to SEEKING our feelings. If I FEEL this way it is right, regardless as to what common sense or medical science might say.

What is the solution to our moral rot? It is to seek God. The Lord said:

Amos 5:7-8  Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth,  [8]   Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name:

America as a nation is morally confused, because judgment apart from God’s Word leads to wormwood – to bitterness – to dismay, destruction, and death. What has led to the sexual sin in our country? The Apostle Paul said that it begins with not seeking God. He said:

Romans 1:21-32  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  [22]  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,  [23]  And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.  [24]  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:  [25]  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.  [26]  For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:  [27]  And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.  [28]  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;  [29]  Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,  [30]  Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,  [31]  Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:  [32]  Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

It is no trifle to turn from seeking God! It is a slippery slope that – in time – leads to anarchy. We are about there now. And people do not want to hear what God has said. Our text tells us that …

Amos 5:10  They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.

The hardest thing that I face as a Pastor is not in sermon preparation, nor even in the counseling sessions that I do during the week. The hardest thing I face is – as Pastor Shane Idleman said – “witnessing the tragic results of spiritual dehydration – people dying spiritually with the living water of God just steps away.

Jesus said:

“Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst” (John 4:14)

You get the water of God by seeking God. Jesus said “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). What you seek, you find. If you seek SIN and PERVERSION then you will find it. But if you seek God you will find Him. And if you find Him, you will be blessed.

c If You Do Not Seek The God Of The Bible Your Heart Will Harden. When Jesus Christ walked this earth, everywhere He went He did good. Eleven of His Apostles saw the heart of Christ, how He was always reaching out to others to lift them up in the Love of God. But one – Judas Iscariot – he was not seeking God. He was greedy. The Bible says that when Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with oil Judas said:

John 12:5-6 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?  [6]  This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.

When you seek the Lord the Son of God will melt your hearts and bring them in line with His will. But if you seek self and sin then eventually you become calloused. We read:

Amos 5:11-12  Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them.  [12]  For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right.

People are not things – they are made in the image of God. Every person – no matter how big or small – was meant to walk with and for God.

I heard a story once I thought I’d share with you. A little boy had heard about God in Sunday School, so he set out to seek God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his an old Walmart sack with a bag of potato chips and a six-pack of cola and started his journey. When he had gone about three blocks he saw an old man sitting in the park, just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his cola when he noticed that the old man looked hungry, so he offered him some chips. The old man thanked him – and then he smiled at the boy. His smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a cola. Again, he smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word. As twilight approached, the boy realized how tired he he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old man, and gave him a hug. The old man gave him his biggest smile ever. When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, “What did you do today that made you so happy?” He replied, “I had lunch with God.” But before his mother could respond, he added, “You know what? He’s got the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen!” Meanwhile, the old man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked, “Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?” He replied “I ate potato chips in the park with God.” However, before his son responded, he added, “You know, he’s much younger than I expected.”

When you seek God you live as God the Son showed us how to live. We are to love others as He loved us. To reach out to others to uplift, not to strangle nor tear down. Those who seek God know that there is no blessing in living a ME centered life. God’s Children are commanded to love God with all our hearts, and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39). We are not loving our neighbor when we see him in pain and do nothing. When we see a brother or a sister hungering, should we not feed them? The Apostle Paul worked hard, giving an example to us, and reminding us that …

Acts 20:35 (KJV) …. laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

It is ALWAYS more blessed to give than to receive. Seeking God you will discover this great truth.

d If You Do Not Seek The God Of The Bible With All Your Heart Even Your WORSHIP Will Be Rejected. On Sundays and Wednesdays I can see what you do on the outside – but God sees what you are doing on the inside. God told wayward Israel:

Amos 5:21-24  I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.  [22]  Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.  [23]  Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.  [24]  BUT let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.

The Holy Spirit of God knows our hearts. As we sing, we should be seeking God. As we pray, we should be seeking God. As we give, we should be seeking God. As we serve, we should be seeking God. We should not be half hearted in our seeking of Him.

The Bible says “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Jeremiah 33:3 Adrian Rogers once said “I read about some children in a Sunday School class who wrote letters to a missionary to let him know they were praying for him. The teacher of the class said, ‘Now, children, the missionary is a very busy person, so don’t expect him to write you back.’ One little girl’s letter read, ‘Dear Brother Brown, We’re praying for you. We don’t expect an answer.’”

That’s the way that many of us seek God. We take the time and pray – but expect no answer. When God doesn’t answer then we say “See there – I told you God wouldn’t answer”. But God does answer – but we must seek Him with all our hearts.

2 There Is No Salvation Unless You Seek The God Of The Scripture. The Lord said:

Amos 5:6 Seek the LORD, and ye SHALL LIVE …

This is a promise of God. Seek Me – and YOU SHALL LIVE. Israel sacrificed the blood of bulls and of sheep because God told them to do so. Yet the Bible says:

Hebrews 10:4  For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

If it is not possible that sacrificing these animals would take away sin, then why did God have them do it? Because He wanted to teach Israel that a Redeemer was coming, an Innocent who would die for their sins and for ours. This Innocent is Jesus Christ our Lord. He is the …

John 1:29 (HCSB) … Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

The Bible declares that

Hebrews 10:10 … we have been set apart (sanctified) through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all …

and that

John 1:12-13  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:  [13]  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Seek the Lord and He will receive you as you are. Seek Him, and He will bring you into His Family. God has promised:

Proverbs 8:17  I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw nearer to you.

Many say “I’ve tried God, and it just didn’t work out”. God doesn’t say “Try Me”, He says “Seek Me”. God isn’t a deodorant that you try on to see if the stink is covered. God isn’t a clothes detergent that you try to see if it gets your clothes clean. God is the Creator of the Universe, the One that you will one day stand before and give an account. He is not a temporal product but the Lord of Hosts, the Great I AM. When you seek God He will change you. The Bible says:

Hosea 10:12  Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

Psalm 119:2 Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts.

Life is too short to live miserable. Seeking God produces a joy that is indescribable as well as sustainable every day of your life. Seek Him in prayer. Seek Him in His Word. Seek Him through good devotionals. Seek Him in His Church. Seek Him and you will live. Seek Him and you will live forever!

May God touch your hearts with His Word.

Numbers 32:23 (KJV) But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.

In the Old Testament Israel is a beautiful picture of the life of faith.

When Israel in faith followed God, she walked through the Red Sea as if on dry land. Her enemy – the Egypt that enslaved her – arrogant and sure of itself drowned in that same sea. I heard once of a teacher of History who sneered at the crossing of the Red Sea. In her words she said “everyone knows that the Red Sea was only inches deep at that time of the year, so it took no God to lead Israel across such a pitiful little puddle”. One Christian child – devoted to God as Lord and Savior – cried out “Praise the Lord!”. The teacher, atheistic, foolish, and arrogant, said to the Child of God “Didn’t you hear what I said? The Red Sea was only inches deep.” The Child replied, “Then My Mighty God and Father drowned the entire Egyptian Army in just a few inches of water!” The Bible says:

Exodus 14:28-29 (KJV) And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. 29 But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

God is in control!

In the Old Testament Israel is a beautiful picture of the life of faith.
Faith sows faith. Faith works. Faith follows God.

• Israel crossed the Red Sea because Israel followed God. The Egyptian Armies died in the Red Sea because they followed false gods. Faith follows God.
• Moses went up into Sinai to receive the Law of God. Israel had Aaron make a Golden Calf to follow. This is not faith, but sin. Faith follows God. When Moses came down the Mountain 3000 people died. The Wages of Sin is DEATH. The way to life is to follow God, for faith follows God.
• The First Generation of Israel was told to cross the Jordan and take the Promised Land. God would go before them. Ten spies from Israel said “we saw giants in the land, and we were like grasshoppers in their sight” (Numbers 13:33). God said “Go”, the spies said “Stay”, and Israel listened to man rather than God. Faith follows God. Faith moves. Faith speaks. Faith does. Refusing to move, God told that generation:

Numbers 14:32-35 (KJV) But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness. 33 And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. 34 After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise. 35 I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.

Faith follows God. Now in our text today Israel stands at the Jordan River once more. Forty years have passed. The first generation of Israel has died in the wilderness. Now Israel stands at the Jordan once more, ready to go in and possess the land. But two tribes – Gad and Reuben …

Numbers 32:1 … had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle;

Godf has told His Israel “cross the Jordan”. But Gad and Reuben come to Moses and Eleazar the Priest and to the Elders of Israel and say that they want to stay on this side of the Jordan. They said …

Numbers 32:4-5   Even the country which the LORD smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle:  [5]  Wherefore, said they, if we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan.

We’ll take THIS land. You and the other ten tribes can go over the Jordan, but THIS is a comfortable place. This meets our needs. We want to stay right here.

1 God Calls Every One Of His Children To Walk With Him, To Glorify Him. The biggest
problem the people of God always face is the people of God.

There is nothing wrong with Reuben and Gad wanting to stay in a place that best suits them – yet God calls His people to work TOGETHER in conquering the land – to be unified in following the Lord.

Moses said to these tribes:

Numbers 32:6-9  And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here?  [7]  And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD hath given them?  [8]  THUS DID YOUR FATHERS, when I sent them from Kadeshbarnea to see the land.  [9]  For when they went up unto the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which the LORD had given them.

The children of the first generation are trying to repeat the error of the first generation. Thus did your fathers. Those who died in the wilderness set a bad example, and had Israel looking at the size of the giants in the land rather than looking at the size of God. Faith follows God. Faith follows God and walks in step with other Children of Faith. Here’s some good quotes:

“Those who walk with God, always reach their destination.” Automaker Henry Ford

“If I walk with the world, I can’t walk with God.” Evangelist Dwight L. Moody

“God’s mighty power comes when God’s people learn to walk with God.” Pastor Jack Hyles

When Jesus prayed for His Church just prior to His Crucifixion He prayed:

John 17:20-26 I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I IN THEM, AND YOU IN ME, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. 24 Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. 26 And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.

When God’s people focus on their Lord and Savior and determine that they will walk TOGETHER then and only then will the Power of God be released. God will not bless the “I” but He will bless the unified “We”. The Apostle Paul said:

Romans 12:4-6,9-10 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. … 9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Vs 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;

God’s People are to work together as they follow God. “Kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love”. Not like CAIN was to ABEL, but like CHRIST was to us. As we have been blessed, so do we bless. “In honor giving preference to one another”.

We live in a day of SELFIES and in a day of SIN. We who are His are to go into the land TOGETHER, doing as God has commanded we do.

2 Sins Of Omission Are As Great As Sins Of Commission. We read:

Numbers 32:10-12  And the LORD’S anger was kindled the same time, and he sware, saying,  [11]  Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me:  [12]  Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: for they have wholly followed the LORD.

“Kindling” is tiny pieces of trash that are placed under a log to get it burning brightly. What caused the “Lord’s anger to be kindled”? Did they commit one of the works of the flesh? Did they commit …

Galatians 5:19-21 …. Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,  [20]  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,  [21]  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings…..

Those who follow after these things “shall not inherit the kingdom of God”, the Scripture declares. We sin when we do what God tells us NOT to do. But we also sin when we DO NOT DO what God has given us to do. God’s anger was kindled “because they have not WHOLLY FOLLOWED ME – except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite and Joshua the Son of Nun”. Think about that phrase for a minute:

Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite and Joshua the son of Nun

Caleb was a Kenezite. I’ve read that phrase a dozen times and never noticed that Caleb was a Kenezite. Who were the Kenezites? The Holman Bible Dictionary tells us that:

Clan name of uncertain meaning. Clan God promised Abraham the Israelites would dispossess {in}(Genesis 15:19).

Genesis 15:18-19  In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:  [19] …. the Kenizzites ….

“The Kenizzites lived in the Negev, the southern desert region of Judah, before the conquest of the land by Joshua. The tribe of Judah absorbed some of the Kenizzites while Edom absorbed others. The Kenizzites were probably related to the Kenites from whom they would have learned the craft of metal-working (1 Chronicles 4:13-14 ). They probably derived their name from Kenaz—a descendant of Esau (Genesis 36:11, 36:15 )—who is listed among the Edomite chieftains (Genesis 36:42 ). Jephunneh the Kenizzite may have married a woman of the tribe of Judah. Their son was Caleb (Numbers 32:12; Joshua 14:6; 14:14;15:13).”

What are we being told here? The Kenizzites were part of the Canaanites, a people that the Children of Israel were supposed to dispossess from the land of Canaan.

The Kenizzites were supposed to be chased out of the land along with the Kenites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaims, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites. Caleb was a Kenizzite by birth, and was often referred to as Caleb the Kenizzite. And yet, Caleb was not being chased out of the land. Caleb was being GRANTED the land, GIVEN the land, because Caleb followed the Lord.

The Lord blesses those who follow Him. Do not believe you can do NOTHING and be blessed of God. To do nothing, to say nothing, is to be like the light bulb that will not light or the door that will not open. That which will do nothing for God will receive nothing of God. The Scripture says:

James 4:17  Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

When God sets an open door before us and says “Go” we are to go. Canaan was an open door. God told His people to “go” into Canaan. Yet they would not go, and so God cursed them. Faith goes when God says go, and stays when God says stay. The first part of the Great Commission:

Matthew 28:19   GO ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

is the word GO. I have heard people debate about the word, arguing that it more appropriately ought to be translated as you are going. Ok, fine. As you are going. But nonetheless Jesus expected every disciple to GO AND TELL SOMEBODY His Gospel. It does not mean to sit on the couch eating potato chips and watching reruns of old televisions shows. GO MEANS GO. It is an action verb. Because we have not been telling and the devil has continued working the darkness is every growing. GO. TEACH. BAPTIZE. DO. Moses told

Numbers 32:14-15  And, behold, ye are risen up in your fathers’ stead, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of the LORD toward Israel.  [15]  For if ye turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and ye shall destroy all this people.

YOU shall destroy ALL THIS PEOPLE

The sin of omission is a destructive sin for it – like rot – creeps through an entire organization. Jesus said in John 14:27   Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

A Christian says “I have not felt this peace of God in a long time. Why is God so unfaithful?” God is not unfaithful –

1 Corinthians 1:9  God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

But have YOU been faithful?

• Are you faithfully confessing your sins to God as soon as they manifest – or are you yet unwashed? I must take a bath daily if I do not expect to be offensive to others. A Christian must bathe daily in the Blood of Christ through confession.

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

The sin of Achan (Joshua 7) was to take something that God said do not take (sin of commission) then to hide that sin (sin of omission). This sin cost Achan his life, and the lives of his family. Root out the sins in your life. Confess them before God.

Cleanse yourselves daily before you stink up the camp!
A little sin unconfessed becomes a big sin unforgiven.

• Are you walking in the Light of God in one accord with your Christian Family? Have you forgiven the trespasses of those who have trespassed against you? Or are you carrying a grudge?

When you carry a grudge, after a while that grudge will carry YOU.
If you expect forgiveness from God you must give forgiveness to others.

Corrie Ten Boom wrote in her devotional I Stand At The Door And Knock:

“But now, to be at peace with my fellow human beings – that is often a problem for me. Usually people are so good and friendly towards me, but sometimes … and then having to forgive! To forgive just as we expect the Lord to forgive us. Jesus said that if we don’t do it, w won’t receive forgiveness ourselves, so we have to. If you don’t forgive, you break the bridge – the same bridge that you need as well.”

When I have seen congregations dying, they are usually dying because of disharmony amongst it’s members. Grudges and anger are like cancers in the body of Christ. They must be expunged – or the offenders must be cut off!

• Are you feeding daily on the Word of God, prayerfully seeking His face? It is good to come to Church and hear the Word, but you must meditate on His Word daily. The Bible tells us that …

  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.

There are countries so poor and persecuted that Christians are not allowed to have Bibles. I have known Pastors who have been given the Bible who tore it up and distributed it among the saints. We in America have no such excuse. Most homes have more than one Bible – and most are on the shelf gathering dust.

We cannot be furnished to do the good work of God unless we read and meditate on the Great Word of God. His Word must be in our hearts daily. We must read and meditate on this precious Asset.

3 The Way To Blessing Is To DO What God Says. After Moses rebuke to Gad and Reuben the tribal representatives told him:

Numbers 32:16-18 … We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones:  [17]  But we ourselves will go ready armed before the children of Israel, until we have brought them unto their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the fenced cities because of the inhabitants of the land.  [18]  We will not return unto our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance.

We will work together with our brothers and sisters to do as God has called. What a beautiful spirit there is when God’s people work together for His glory! The Bible tells us to …

Galatians 6:9-10  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.  [10]  As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

I close with this wonderful story that I heard the other day. John Stonestreet of the Colson Center wrote:

In 9th grade …. I didn’t really have much of a faith that I could call my own. That all began to change on the last day of classes before Christmas break in December of 1990. Now we all know what’s supposed to happen on the last day of classes before Christmas break: not much. Well, that day, my Bible teacher announced that our boys Bible class was being sent out two by two to visit the elderly “shut-ins” of our church. I suppose the intention was to bring Christmas cheer, but as you might imagine, that’s not what happened. The only thing we wanted to do less than school work on the last day of classes before Christmas break was visit old people we’d never met. My only consolation was that I was paired with my friend Brian. He shared my disdain for the assignment we’d been given. “What are we going to do?” I asked. “I don’t want to go see any old people.” “I’ve got an idea,” Brian replied. “We’ll go visit one person, but say that we couldn’t find the other person’s house. That way, we’ll be done fast and can go to the mall.” And that’s how I met Ms. Buckner. She lived down a windy, rural Virginia road in a small little apartment her grandson had built for her on the end of his farmhouse. She invited us inside, and there we were: an 11th grader, a ninth grader, and an 89-year-old widow. We didn’t have a lot in common. Just when we thought it couldn’t possibly get any more awkward, Ms. Buckner said, “Let’s sing Christmas carols together.” We stumbled our way through Silent Night, and then she decided one carol was enough. “Well, Ms. Buckner,” Brian said, “we’d best be on our way.” “Yes,” I lied, “we still have one more person to visit before heading back to school.” And then she asked, “Can we pray together before you go?” So I prayed, and Brian prayed—that took about 45 seconds. But then Ms. Buckner prayed. At that point, I’d been in the church my whole life. I’d heard thousands of prayers. But I had never heard anything like this. I remember looking up just make sure that Jesus wasn’t sitting next to her, because it sure sounded like He was. She spoke to God as if she knew Him, with a simultaneous confidence and humility that only comes when you’re certain you’re being heard. We left her house and headed to the mall, distracted by our plan to meet some girls. … Two years later, I woke up with the strangest feeling. Typically, I’d wake up thinking about basketball or my girlfriend, but I woke up this particular morning thinking of Ms. Buckner. And to this day, I have no idea why. But I ended up going back down that windy road to her house. “Ms. Buckner,” I said, “you probably don’t remember me, but two years ago I came here with my friend Brian. My name is John.” “John,” she smiled. “I prayed for you this morning.” From that point on, Ms. Buckner became a close personal friend. In fact, she prayed for me every day for the rest of her life. …

God answers prayers – but prayers must be prayed. God blessed faith, but faith must be lived. Rouse yourselves. Get up and follow Christ. Go. Tell. Read. Pray. Do. There is no blessing in doig nothing and grumbling. Do. Be a part, or be apart. It is your choice.

May God touch your hearts with His Word.

Psalms 117:1-2 O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. [2] For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.

Several years ago when I was pastor at Rock Hill Baptist Church in West Tennessee we had a revival. I invited one of my dear friends and a fellow Pastor to preach that revival, and God really blessed us during that time. One night he preached a message called “The Middle Verse Of The Bible”. He said:

There are 594 chapters before Psalm 118
There are 594 chapters after Psalm 118
If you add 594 + 594 you will get 1188
and the exact middle verse of the Bible is Psalm 118:8

What is Psalm 118:8? We read

“It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.”

My friend then went on to preach a wonderful message on trusting God and not trusting man. When I heard that sermon I said to myself “I just have to preach that sermon! That is fantastic!” The sermon was great, and it is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. I wanted to preach that sermon, but when I researched and studied the text I found out:

Psalm 118:8 is NOT the center verse of the Bible
There are NOT 594 chapters before Psalm 118. There are 595
There ARE 1189 NOT 1188 chapters in the Bible

Though my friend preached a good text, he erred because he put his trust in man.

He got his information from MY favorite preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Spurgeon wrote in his book Treasury of David in his commentary on Psalm 118:8

“this 8th verse of this Psalm is the middle verse of the Bible.
There are, I believe, 31,174 verses in all, and this is the 15,587th.”

Spurgeon was wrong.

Of course, we are all wrong at times, even when we try our best. There is no exact center verse of the Bible. The Bible has 31,102 verses, and if you have an even number of verses there can be no middle verse. The TWO middle verses of the Bible are actually …

Psalms 103:1-2 Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. [2] Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

To BLESS the Lord.
To PRAISE the Lord for all that He has done.
The Middle Verses tell us to PRAISE GOD.
The MIDDLE and SHORTEST CHAPTER of the Bible is our text for today,

Psalms 117:1-2 O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. [2] For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.

The Middle of the Bible – whether verses or chapter – tells us to PRAISE THE LORD.
You are in the center of God’s Will when you are PRAISING HIM.
This is not optional – but a command!

The Scripture tells us repeatedly …

Psalms 7:17 I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.

Psalms 22:26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.

Psalms 107:8, 15, 21, 31 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Psalms 111:1 Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.

Psalms 115:18 But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the LORD.

Psalms 135:3 Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.

Psalms 146:2 While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.

1 We Praise The Lord Because He Offers Salvation To All. Jesus Died In The Middle – To Tear Down The Middle Wall Of Sin For Whosoever Will. Our text states:

Psalms 117:1 O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. 

The Bible commands that we praise the Lord. The Psalmist said “praise the Lord”. But the last part of this text:

Praise the Lord, all ye NATIONS
Praise Him, all ye PEOPLE

is not redundant. The People of God in the Old Testament were the Jews, the Israelites by birth.

The word translated “Nations” is the Hebrew word גּוֹי gôy (pronounced go’ee), which is a reference to GENTILE Nations. The GENTILE Nations were the FIRST to be commanded to praise the Lord, and then command was followed by ISRAEL.

Praise the Lord you Gentiles – Praise the Lord Israel!

The Israelite reading this Psalm from the Hebrew hymn book would ask the question:

Why should the GENTILES praise the Lord?
Are not WE the Chosen People of God?
Are not we “His people and the sheep of His pasture?”
Are not we the Children of Abraham?

The Bible does tell us that to the ….

Romans 9:4-5 …. Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; [5] Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

God promised unto Abraham a people that would be blessed, a people that would one day be called Israel. When God made His Covenant with Abraham there were two promises made for blessing: one for Israel, and one for all the nations.

Genesis 18:17-18 …. Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; {18} Seeing that Abraham shall SURELY BECOME A GREAT AND MIGHTY NATION, AND ALL THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED IN HIM?

The Covenant that God made with Abraham our mutual father (for He is the father of faith to all that believe. See Romans 4:16) was that:

• Abraham shall become a great and mighty nation (this is Israel), and

• all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him (this is the Gentile nations).

God would have His Israel, but He would also have His Church. He would save the believing Jew, but He would also save the believing Gentile.

This was prophesied – not only in Psalm 117:1, but also in

Hosea 2:23 … I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.

God’s salvation would be “of the Jews” but it would not be just “to the Jews”. It was God’s intent from the very beginning to bring salvation to whosoever would believe in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Though the Old Testament Jews would forget this, God would not. Every sacrifice made in the Temple would point to the Blood Atonement that would be offered to all in Christ one day.

The Gentiles were to praise God because they would be alongside Israel in the middle of His Plan of Salvation.

There are TWO BEAUTIFUL THREADS that run through Scripture: the Red Thread of Redemption, and the Golden Thread of praise to our God.

Israel forgot that God is no respecter of persons so stopped sharing the Gospel, stopped telling the Gentiles of the Messiah. Yet when Jesus Christ came He said:

John 10:16 And OTHER SHEEP I HAVE, WHICH ARE NOT OF THIS FOLD: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

This was not a new idea. God from the beginning wanted to save whosoever will through His Son. Israel considered us who are Gentiles:

Ephesians 2:12 “…. aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world..”

But God said NO. The Bible says:

Ephesians 2:13-15 But now in Christ Jesus ye who .. were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. [14] For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; [15] Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 

Jesus Christ broke down the barrier of sin that stood between us and God.
Jesus Christ is the God-Man in the Middle of Calvary,
Paving The Way To Heaven with His Blood

By faith in Him there is nothing keeping us from a daily and eternal relationship with God as our Father, the Son as our Lord and Savior, and the Holy Spirit as our Guide. Jesus Christ covered our sins so that we CAN be right with God. Praise God for the words of Scripture:

1 John 2:1-2 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: {2} And HE IS THE PROPITIATION FOR OUR SINS: AND NOT FOR OURS ONLY, BUT ALSO FOR THE SINS OF THE WHOLE WORLD.

And again:

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.

Jesus Christ is that Man in the Middle of Calvary. To His right and left are thieves that deserve death. At His feet are people casting lots for His clothing – gambling for the only earthly possession He had. There is John, and Peter, and the others who denied Him as we have all so often done. Yet Jesus God became the Man in the Middle, dying for us, so that the sin that stood between us and God could be covered.

We are saved by Him, by His Blood. We must praise Him for all that He has done for us.

2 Focus On God’s Mercy And You Will Be Driven To Praise. It Is Our Praise That Draws God Close To Us. We choose our walk. Walk with God and see the impossible become possible – or walk apart from God and stay in the mundane and mediocre. The Psalmist wrote:

Psalms 117:1-2 O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. [2] FOR his merciful kindness is great toward us:

We do not earn or deserve what God has done for us. What He has given us in Christ is a FREE GIFT. The Bible says:

Romans 5:15-18 But not as the offense, so also is the free gift. For if through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. [16] And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses unto justification. [17] For if by one man’s offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) [18] Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

The Offense – that Old Sin Nature that separates us from God and that is upon us all – was a “Free Gift” that we received from Adam. Adam’s free gift brought death on us all. But to those who have believed on Christ we have received a BETTER FREE GIFT. The Free Gift we have from Christ does not bring condemnation, but eternal life. We are saved by faith in the Christ.

We did not earn nor deserve Adam’s gift – it is thrust upon us by birth.
We do not earn nor deserve Christ’s gift.
It is offered freely, and bestowed on us at NEW birth.

Our praise to God reminds us that we are His, and the sheep of His pasture. Our praise to God also keeps us away from MURMURING and PRIDE. Theologian and Scholar Dr Harry Ironside said …

“We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction.” (Harry Ironside)

You can MAGNIFY God or you can MURMUR.
You can PRAISE or be consumed of PRIDE.
Focus on SELF and you will SUFFER.
Focus on the SAVIOR and you will SHINE for Him.

Magnify God you will focus on Him, and be sustained by His Presence as you go through your trials. If you murmur you will focus on your misery, and will succumb and eventually drown in your trials. Glorify God and gain the Promised Land!

Why did Israel lose the Promised Land?
Because they stopped MAGNIFYING God and started MURMURING.

Moses warned Israel:

Exodus 16:8 …. the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, BUT AGAINST THE LORD.

They would not heed Moses’ warning. So eventually the Lord told His people:

Numbers 14:27-30 How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. [28] Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: [29] Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, [30] Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

God hears our murmuring – and hears our praise.

The Scripture tells us that God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). When we praise the Lord He hears, and draws near to us. He walks with a people that praise Him – but stands apart from those people who murmur and find fault.

If you are born again, a believer and a Son of God by faith in Christ, then it is your eternal destiny to praise God. Heaven is a place where we will praise Him for His merciful kindness.

Revelation 19:5-6 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. {6} And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

Please note that Psalm 117 begins and ends with praise the LORD.

• Begin your day by praising the Lord and thanking Him for loving us.

• End your day not falling asleep in front of the television, but in praising Him.

• Whatever your hand sees to do, do it for the Lord as the Apostle said:

Colossians 3:23-24 (NKJV) And whatever you do, do it HEARTILY, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

• Our lives should be focused on glorifying our Savior and Lord. Jesus said:

Luke 11:34-36 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. [35] TAKE HEED THEREFORE that the light which is in thee be not darkness. [36] If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.

If David the Shepherd had focused on the size of Goliath and not the size of His God he would have never went out to do battle. But looking solely at God and hearing His Word David went to Goliath with a sling and a stone and defeated him. Our God is able!

• If Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego focused on the anger of the King or the heat of the fiery furnace they would have bowed their knees along with all of Babylon, worshiping the golden idol. Yet their focus was on the Great I AM, the God of all the Universe. When commanded to kneel they replied without hesitation …

Daniel 3:17 … our God whom WE SERVE is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

Praising God as they went into the fiery furnace, they came out of that flame triumphant in Christ. The Bible says …

Daniel 3:27 … the fire had no power, nor was a hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.

• If Paul and Silas had focused on the crowd they would have given up and the Word of God would not have spread throughout Asia. But beaten and cast in jail neither Paul nor Silas focused on the bleeding welt on their backs nor on the darkness of the prison. Their eyes were on Jesus. The Bible says:

Acts 16:25-26 And at midnight Paul and Silas PRAYED, and SANG PRAISES UNTO God: and the prisoners heard them. {26} And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.

Praise God in your trials. Start your day with prayer and by reading and meditating on His Word. Praise God in your work. Praise God without ceasing. Praise Him on the Mountain and in the Valley.

Then you will be in the Middle – the Center – of God’s Will. Then you will be blessed.

May God touch your hearts with His Word.

Amos 4:4-13 (KJV) Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years: 5 And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim and publish the free offerings: for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord GOD. 6 And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 7 And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered. 8 So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 9 I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 10 I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 11 I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 12 Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. 13 For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name.

Please read those last two verses with me,

Amos 4:12-13 Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. 13 For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name.

The writer of the Book of Amos was just a simple Shepherd who loved the Lord. He lived in Tekoa, a place about 12 miles southeast of Jerusalem about 800 years before our Lord Jesus Christ was born of a virgin. Amos spoke of his calling when he gave his testimony, saying:

Amos 7:15 (ESV) …. the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’

1 In Our Message Today I Speak First To God’s Church, To God’s Collected Children, To The “Sheep Of His Pasture”. Are You “Prepared To Meet Your God?”. If you are a Child of God you should be ever prepared to meet your God. Each and every Child of God – saved by faith in Christ, born again as Revelation 1:5-6 says:

“Unto Him that LOVED US, and washed US from OUR sins in HIS OWN BLOOD,

and hath made us KINGS AND PRIESTS unto God and His Father ..”

Saved we become part of God’s Family. He is Father, we are His Children. He is Shepherd, we are His Sheep.

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.

Psalm 95:6-7 (ESV) Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! 7For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

Ezekiel 34:31 (NASB) “As for you, My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, you are men, and I am your God,” declares the Lord GOD.

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

God’s people are His Sheep, whether Israel in the Old Covenant or the Church in the New Covenant. He is our Shepherd. Are you prepared to meet YOUR God?

Are You Obediently Worshiping Him? God’s Israel was suppose to be worshiping God in Jerusalem, in that city of David, and at the Temple that Solomon built. But where were they?

Amos 4:4 (KJV) Come to Bethel, and TRANSGRESS; at Gilgal multiply TRANSGRESSION; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years:

Israel was bringing their sacrifices every morning. They were tithing (though they were doing it not as God said, but halfheartedly, every three years. They were “bringing sacrifices” to God, but these were mixed with leaven. They were Israel. They were saved.

But they were not going to the Temple as God directed.

Their King Jeroboam set up a place to worship – CONVENIENCE CENTERS if you will. He built two golden calves and gave them to Israel, saying “It is too far to go to the Temple to worship. You can go to BETHEL. You can go to GILGAL. THESE be your gods, O Israel. Worship here.”

So Israel listened to the voice of fallen Man and disobeyed God. They changed their PLACE of worship because it suited them. They disobeyed God by hearing man rather than God, then obeyed outwardly but inwardly drifted from the Lord. They became like the Church of Laodicea in Revelation, and the change was gradual. Jesus told Laodicea:

Revelation 3:15-16   I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.   [16]   So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

God saved us with passion, and wants us to follow Him without equivocation. Our hearts are to be fully focused on Him. We are to be fervent in the love for Him Who saved us. The love that we have for God cannot just be tepid and passing, but all consuming like a fire. Our God is a consuming fire. We are to be consumed of Him!

Deuteronomy 6:5  And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

for did He not love us this way when He died for us on Calvary?

Did He not bear the Nails? Did He not hang naked on yonder Tree? Did He not bear the Shame? Did He not bear the Sin? Did He not give everything for us, even being abandoned by God our Father – Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabachthani – My God, My God, Why hast Thou forsaken Me? Was He not laid in an empty Tomb? Did He not rise again, forever to live among us?

Has He not said:

Matthew 18:20   For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Are you prepared to meet your God? Did you tune your own harp before coming to Church this morning or were you, as a dead coal, hoping to rub against a spark that might cause you to burn. Did you wake up and seek His Face in prayer? Did you read His Word before coming here today? Did you pray for your Sunday School and Training Union Teachers, for your Pastor, for the Deacons? Did you give as much diligence to your Heavenly Family as you do to your earthly Job? Did you get enough sleep so that you do not have to yawn through the service? A crying child who will not quit disrupts the Word, but so does a sleepy headed person who stayed up watching a rerun of Gilligan’s Island on television.

God told His people:

Amos 4:6-9 (KJV) And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 7 And also I have with holden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered. 8 So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 9 I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmer worm devoured them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.

When there is famine among God’s Children it is God Who allows it.

Churches today are losing members and attendance because they have turned from the Word of God. They have become ENTERTAINMENT HOUSES rather than places where God is cherished. God stops the rain of Grace when His people will not hear. God brings tragedy so that we – like Sheep – will stop and return to the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls.

Beloved Church, start your day in prayer. Seek Christ’s Face in the pages of His Book. As you go through your day speak to Your Shepherd frequently. The heart prepared to meet God will see God. The mind focused with singleness or purpose will walk with the Great I AM.

Amos 4:11 I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.

God does not want to overthrow you. He wants to cherish you. He wants you to get in the boat with Him. Noah in the boat was safe, whereas those outside the boat were perishing with the world. The Apostles in the boat with Jesus saw Him ….

Mark 4:39 (KJV)…. rebuke[d] the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

Illustrate The best place to be is IN THE BOAT with Jesus. Be prepared daily to meet your God. You prepare for the TEMPORAL, make your first preparation for the ETERNAL. We prepare for vacations, prepare for trips, prepare to go and see grandchildren and great grandchildren. Some have prepared for their funerals, buying insurance and burial insurance so that their loved ones will not unduly suffer at their departure. I know when we go on trips Sherry will prepare a month in advance. She takes everything with us. She packs the suitcases, packs sodas and water, packs snack foods. I used to mark a map (though now I use a GPS). I check the spare tire and make sure it has air in it, check the oil, the radiator, the transmission fluid. We pack a mattress so we can stop at a halfway point. I make sure I have my phone and my portable office (because I work on sermons for you, dear Church, even while on vacation). We go prepared to meet our grandchildren.

Are you prepared to meet your God?

2 I Speak Next To The Lost Among Us. Are You Prepared To Meet Your God? God said that He is the One Who ….

Amos 4:13 … maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name.

Illustrate Some who do not believe say “I don’t believe in God”. It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe in God or not. Your belief or unbelief does not make nor dismantle God. God is. You can say

“I don’t believe in gravity”

but if you step off a cliff gravity will make a believer out of you. You can say

“I don’t believe in the First Law of Thermodynamics” (look it up)

but if you step in front of a moving 18 wheeler you will become a believer! God is. God is everywhere. The Psalmist said:

“Where can I go from Thy Spirit? Or where can I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend to Heaven, Thou art there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, Thou art there” (Psalm 139:7,8)

God spoke through the Prophet saying:

Jeremiah 23:24 “Can a man hide himself in hiding places, So I do not see him?” declares the LORD.”

It is God Who made us. It is God Who gave us life. The Scripture says:

Ecclesiastes 12:6-7 “Remember Him before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed; then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.”

God made us. When we die, our bodies return to the dust, and our souls return to God Who gave it. Are you prepared to meet your God? The Lord Jesus said:

Luke 12:15-21 (KJV) …. Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. 16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

Did you notice that God called the unprepared rich man “Thou Fool”. The Bible tells us that the word “Fool” is used for an Atheist, a person who “hath said in his heart ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1; Psalm 53:1). The rich man lived his life as if there were no God. He was prepared to prosper on earth, but not prepared to meet his God.

There are many who profess to know there is a God, to profess to know Christ as Lord and Savior, and yet by their lives they live as if they are Atheists. They “have said in their hearts ‘There is no God’”. Yet there is a God, and this Creator God made you to walk and talk with Him.

Illustrate There is an old story of a King who had a “Court Jester”. The Jester made him laugh, so much so that one day the King handed him a golden staff. He told his Jester “Take this, and keep it till you find a bigger fool than yourself.” A few years later the king became sick and was soon to die. His courtiers were called; his family and his servants also stood round his bedside. Someone called for the Jester, thinking that he would raise the King’s spirit before he died. When the Jester saw his King the King said “I am about to leave you. I am going on a very long journey, and I shall not return again to this place. Goodbye, dear Jester”. The Jester looked with sadness at his King and said, “Your Majesty, may I ask a question? When you have journeyed abroad visiting your people, staying with your nobles, or paying diplomatic visits to other courts, your heralds and servants have always gone before you, making preparations for you. May I ask what preparations your Majesty has made for this long journey that he is about to take?” The King replied “Alas! I have made no preparations.” With that the Jester handed the King his golden staff. “Dear friend, take this staff with you – for now I have found a bigger fool than myself.”

Are you prepared to meet your God?

He made you in His image and after His likeness (Genesis 1:26).

You are fearfully and wonderfully made to be one with God (Psalm 139:14).

You were designed to be the Sheep of His Pasture, Lovingly cared for.

Some say “I have prepared by the life I am living”. It is certain that those who belong to God will live with a generous and loving nature. When Jesus spoke of Heaven and Hell He said that those who were certainly destined to Hell were those who lived hateful and selfish lives. He said:

Matthew 25:41-46 (KJV) Then shall {God} say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Those who are “righteous” act “right” and are “on the right hand of God”. The “leftious” do not go to Heaven but to Hell. You might say “you just made up a word” and yes, I did – but many of you make up a God. The God of Heaven is RIGHTeous, and his people are RIGHTeous.

How does one become RIGHTeous?

We admit we are LEFTious and seek God’s righteousness by faith.

Romans 3:20-28 (KJV) Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. 27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

When you acknowledge yourself a sinner and commit your ways unto Christ – receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior – then God IMPUTES His righteousness to you. God covers your sin in the Blood of His Son.

Hebrews 9:12-14 … not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

God saves His Sheep so His Sheep can follow Him.

Illustrate A preacher was preaching about Judgment Day. He roared: “There will be wars, and famines and earthquakes! The sun shall be darkened, and the stars will fall from the sky! On that day will you be ready? On that day, what will you want?” A little boy sitting next to his mother thought about that question. Tugging on his mother’s sleeve he whispered, “On Judgment Day I want the teachers to call off school!”. A Judgment Day is coming for everyone – are you prepared to meet your God? If you are prepared then your works will be judged in righteousness for crowns or loss (see Romans 14:10-12; 1 Corinthians 3:10). If you are NOT prepared then you will stand before a Jesus Who does not know you and be judged at a Great White Throne (Revelation 20:11-14).

Revelation 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire.

Jesus Christ gave Himself for you! When I was in the military we often did “War Games” at an event called “Red Flag” at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada. One time while checking in I overheard a man fussing because he could not get a room at one of the local hotels. He asked me “How did YOU get a room?” I said “because I called ahead and made a reservation”. You need to call ahead and make a reservation for Heaven. Do so today by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus. Whosoever calleth on the Name of the Lord shall be saved.

Oh that you would be saved!

Closing Illustration On December 26, 2004, the world watched in horror as the story of the tsunami disaster in Southeast Asia unfolded. An earthquake beneath the Indian Ocean triggered a huge tidal wave as high as 100 feet tall that came crashing on shore across the region. The tsunami did damage as far as the east coast of Africa, 5000 miles away. Over a quarter million people died in the rampaging waters and devastation that followed. Entire island populations and coastal villages were wiped out – every man, woman, and child in some cases. According to the Associated Press, there was one notable exception to the loss of life. The Morgan sea gypsies are a small tribe of fishermen who spend much of the year on their boats fishing between India, Indonesia and Thailand. Each December, between fishing seasons, they live in small thatch huts on the beaches of Thailand. Last December, they were living directly in the path of certain disaster. Yet every single member of the tribe survived, while most of their neighbors disappeared in the rampaging waters. Why? The tribal chief explains, “For generations our fathers warned us that if the waters ever receded fast, they would quickly reappear in the same quantity in which they disappeared.” On December 26 when the sea suddenly drained away, many of their neighbors ran to the beach with baskets to pick up stranded fish. Not the Morgan sea gypsies. The chief ordered his tribe to run in the opposite direction, to the mountains and safety. When the tsunami hit, the entire tribe was spared.

I and every believer in Christ are Gypsies – Pilgrims on a journey to our Eternal Home. We have been given a message of warning and of promised blessing. Whosoever believes in the Son shall not perish but have everlasting life. Judgment is coming. Are you prepared to meet your God?

I pray that you are. May God touch your hearts with His Word.

I asked you all yesterday to commit to prayer. To start your day with prayer, and with reading and meditating on God’s Holy Word. This morning as I met with God in prayer I asked Him what message I should bring tonight. The Bible tells us that …

James 1:5-6 (NKJV) If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith …

God wants us to ask – to not worry but to seek His Face. As I prayed and went to God’s Word the Lord led me to 2 Chronicles 20. So if you will, turn with me to 2 Chronicles 20, and we will begin by reading the first three verses of this text:

2 Chronicles 20:1-3 It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. [2] Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi. [3] And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

When I was a young boy I was taught the “Lord’s Prayer” by my mother and grandmother. In fact, when we went to Church we recited the “Lord’s Prayer” every Sunday. As a young and unsaved boy I didn’t understand the Lord’s Prayer, but a bored child sitting on a pew not far from Momma’s Pinch paid attention. In fact, I memorized the Lord’s Prayer out of boredom. I didn’t know the Lord then, but what I learned as a child has blessed me as an adult.

How many of you know the “Lord’s Prayer”? Jesus’ disciples often saw the Lord Jesus go off by Himself to pray. They heard Jesus pray. They heard the familiarity that Jesus had with the God Above. So one day the disciples came to Jesus and said “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1). Jesus gave a model prayer to those who followed Him. If you know it say it with me …

Matthew 6:9-13 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father Who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. [10] Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. [11] Give us this day our daily bread. [12] And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. [13] And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Before I ever knew God as my Creator, my Savior, and my Lord I was taught to pray. I was taught to pray as a young child in Church and at home. We prayed over our meals. We prayed before going to bed. We prayed (at least I did) before hard things and during hard things. We prayed.

Yet sadly in America today we do not pray as we ought. We are technologically rich and spiritually impoverished. Medical technology can remove cancers and transplant organs. We get our answers from television and internet.

1 God Is Still On The Throne.

Tonight the Lord wants us to look at the life of a man who had no high tech, no television, no surgical centers nor space age medicine. This man was named Jehoshaphat.

Hebrew names often have meaning, and “Jehoshaphat” means “the LORD is the Judge”. Jehoshaphat’s daddy Asa was King of Judah for 41 years. When he passed away Jehoshaphat became King. The Bible tells us that Jehoshaphat …

2 Chronicles 20:32 …. walked in the way of Asa his father, and departed not from it, doing that which was right in the sight of the LORD.

Jehoshaphat was not perfect. Our text tonight begins with these words:

2 Chronicles 20:1-3 It came to pass after this also …

What happened before 2 Chronicles 20? King Jehoshaphat of Judah married the King of Israel’s daughter Athaliah. This joined the two families together. One day King Ahab – Jehoshaphat’s Father-In-Law – came to Jehoshaphat and asked him to join with him in declaring war against the King of Syria at Ramothgilead. As soon as Ahab asked him this Jehoshaphat replied:

2 Chronicles 18:4 And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Enquire, I pray thee, at the word of the LORD to day.

“I want to know what God’s Word has to say about it”. God speaks to His people. He sends His written Word. He sends His Messengers, His Prophets, His Preachers, His Teachers. Jesus said:

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

Oh how God loves His People, the Sheep of His Pasture. He says unto us:

Ezekiel 34:12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.

God loves His people, and loves to deliver His people. Jehoshaphat knew that the best place to be is under the Voice of the Lord Who made us, the tender Voice of Him Who called us out of darkness. When God sent a Prophet to Jehoshaphat and Ahab that Prophet warned them not to attack Syria. The Prophet said:

2 Chronicles 18:16 …. I did see all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master; let them return therefore every man to his house in peace.

God was not in it. He was not in the attack, and if Ahab went forward he would be killed in battle and Israel left without a King. Ahab did not believe the Word of God. He is like so many that I have preached to and counseled. They HEAR the Word but DISBELIEVE the word. Jesus said that we are to both HEAR and DO His Word. Ahab did not believe, and went to battle, and died. Jehoshaphat went with his father-in-law and almost died himself. The Bible says:

2 Chronicles 18:31 And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore they compassed about him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; and God moved them to depart from him.

Ahab died, but God saved Jehoshaphat because Jehoshaphat relied on the Lord. He cried out, and the LORD – the Great I AM – helped him. Oh what a wonderful treat it is to be a Child of God, to know that – even if I foolishly err, I can cry out and God will hear and deliver!

Isaiah 12:2-6 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. [3] Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. [4] And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. [5] Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. [6] Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.

Jehoshaphat loved the Lord! and the Lord loved Jehoshaphat! In 2 Chronicles 19 God rebuked Jehoshaphat for compromising and going with his father-in-law Ahab. And in chapter 19 Jehoshaphat sought the Lord with all his heart. Jehoshaphat set up rulers in his kingdom and

2 Chronicles 19:6-7 … said to the judges, Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment. [7] Wherefore now let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts.

Honorable people were made leaders. When a leader – whether President, Politician, or Preacher is dishonorable the people will follow suit. Leaders were established who loved God and respected His Word.

2 Trouble Strikes Even The Godly, But God Is Still On The Throne. Everyone has trials in this life. Every person is either in a trial, heading toward a trial, or coming out of a trial. If you live and breath you will be tried. Jehoshaphat was serving the Lord, doing what he could. And then we read:

2 Chronicles 20:1 It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.

When it rains it pours is not only a motto for Morton Salt – it is a truth of life. The Children of Moab and the Children of Ammon were the children of Abraham’s Nephew Lot, children born of incest. They were kissing cousins to the Jews. Though family, they were often the enemies of Israel, and sought to destroy the people of God. The Moabites and Ammonites got together with other enemies of Judah probably because the King of Israel had just died. The Devil will look for a toehold where ever he can get it. When it was Judah and Israel united by marriage this evil confederacy did nothing. But now Judah looked ripe for the picking.

2 Chronicles 20:2 THEN there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi.

Have you ever noticed when trouble comes the Devil will send his own “preachers” to make it a little worst? The Ammonites, Moabites, and others are coming THEN there came some that told Jehoshaphat “there comes a multitude against THEE”. Not against Judah. Against THEE. The doctor diagnoses cancer, and a friend says “I hope it’s not the rapid growth kind … I had a friend who died quickly from that!” You get a mole on your neck – had one there all my life. My barber said “You better get that looked at. I know someone who had one just like it – but now they’re dead!”. God save us from the well meaning discouragers. The Bible says:

1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up…”

What happened when Jehoshaphat heard these things? The Bible tells us that:

2 Chronicles 20:3 And Jehoshaphat feared…

Fear is natural. If you are a human, then you have (if you are normal) been afraid. Fear protects us. One time when I was on mission in Belize someone found a tiny snake and started playing with it, poking it with a stick. The snake couldn’t have been 6 inches long. One of the natives in our barracks jumped up, ran over, and stomped the snake to death. He then told the foolish men playing with it that this is the “Banded Krait”, a highly venomous snake that can spring several body lengths forward if angered. God gave us the ability to fear to preserve us from harm. But fear must not control us. Jehoshaphat feared, but was not controlled by that fear. The Bible says:

2 Chronicles 20:3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

Jehoshaphat feared, but he turned His eyes to the Lord. He “SET HIMSELF to seek the LORD”. He took himself in hand. What does the Bible tell us about fear? When afraid the Psalmist said:

Psalms 121:1-2 … I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. [2] My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.

and our Lord Jesus said:

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Matthew 6:25-27 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

When confronted by the impossible do not listen to the discouragers but seek God’s Face in prayer. God is able to overcome anything that you might face. Jehoshaphat was in an impossible situation so he sought the Lord. In fact, he asked that others seek the Lord with him. He proclaimed a fast, because it was not just Jehoshaphat that was in trouble but the entire nation. When God’s people come together and pray then God will act on our behalf. We live in an age where “Prayer Meeting” is no more than putting another name on a list. We are to pray. We are to pray together. Jehoshaphat was not ashamed to pray. The Bible says:

2 Chronicles 20:5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court,

a Jehoshaphat STOOD Up. He was not ashamed. He went forward. He went to the altar. He took his burden to God.

b Jehoshaphat PRAYED. The Lord’s taught us to pray:

Our Father Who Art In Heaven, HALLOWED Be Thy Name

Jehoshaphat prayed:

2 Chronicles 20:6 …. O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?

Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done, On Earth As It Is In Heaven.

2 Chronicles 20:7-9 Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever? [8] And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying, [9] If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Protect us, O God. Take our needs and satisfy them. God, we rely upon You. YOU and YOU ALONE are our God. God, the Ammonites and Moabites are coming to destroy us. We have acted honorably toward them, but they seek to destroy us.

2 Chronicles 20:12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.

“Our eyes are upon Thee, O Lord God”. We are not looking around for better options. We are seeking YOU. We are relying upon YOU and YOUR WORD. I was pleasantly surprised to see that your Memory Verse for this month is Romans 12:2

“Be ye not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the RENEWING OF YOUR MIND, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God”

When God’s people turned from their own solutions and sought God’s design then the Lord answered. He brought through the Holy Spirit, saying to Jehoshaphat and Israel:

2 Chronicles 20:15-17 … Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s. [16] To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. [17] Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.

The God of the impossible will handle the impossible. Set yourselves. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. Trust God.

c Jehoshaphat Praised. So many people today say “I believe in God” or “I am a Christian” then leave Church and act just like they are Atheists. There is no such thing as an Atheist Christian or an Atheist Child of God. As soon as God answered their prayers Jehoshaphat and Judah gave the outward indication of faith.

2 Chronicles 20:18-19 Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD. [19] And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.

The outward evidence of faith is praise unto God. Judah and Jehoshaphat did not praise God only AFTER the victory was won. Judah and Jehoshaphat praised God BEFORE the victory. God’s people humbled themselves before the Lord. The Bible tells us …

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: [7] Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

They trusted God. They rose early the next morning to do what God told them to do. And Jehoshaphat told Judah:

2 Chronicles 20:20 … Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.

And as they went to where the Ammonites and Moabites were the Bible tells us that Jehoshaphat

2 Chronicles 20:21-22 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever. [22] And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.

As God’s people praised and worshiped the Lord the Lord cause the Ammonites and the Moabites and the inhabitants of Mount Seir to fight among themselves. When Judah “came toward the watchtower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude” and found all of their enemies defeated.

And not only were their enemies defeated, the Bible says:

2 Chronicles 20:25 And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.

Our God is an awesome God. Trust Him. Seek Him. Believe in Him.

2 Chronicles 20:26-30 And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the LORD: therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley of Berachah, unto this day. [27] Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the LORD had made them to rejoice over their enemies. [28] And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the LORD. [29] And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that the LORD fought against the enemies of Israel. [30] So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round about.

The Valley that should been a curse was “Berachah”, the “Valley of Blessing”. Why? Because they sought the Lord. Will you seek the Lord? Will you lay your burden down before Him? Will you put the mountain before you in His care and trust Him, worshiping Him?

Will you?

May God touch your hearts with His Word.

Turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Kings 15.

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1&2 Samuel, 1 Kings

The two books 1 & 2 Kings focuses on the actions of the Kings of Judah and Israel. Under King Rehoboam Israel – God’s Holy People – had a terrible civil war that tore the nation into two parts. Ten Tribes or States in Israel separated and followed Jeroboam – a King not from the Tribe of Judah. Judah and her neighbor Benjamin stayed true to the Kingdom of David’s grandson Rehoboam. So what should have been one people – Israel – became from the moment of revolt two different peoples – referred to in the Holy Word as ISRAEL and JUDAH. Both Israel and Judah had Kings. Judah’s kings came from the line of King David, whereas Israel’s kings did not.

What should have been one people was two. What should have been a victorious, powerful, unified people was divided and weak. Why? Why would God’s people be a broken and not a victorious people?

Because they tolerated the High Places in their midst.

The Bible Books of 1 and 2 Kings chronicles the lives of the Kings of Israel and Judah. We read in:

1 Kings 15:9-14  And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Asa over Judah.  [10]  And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.  [11]  And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father.  [12]  And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.  [13]  And also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron.  [14]  But the high places were not removed: nevertheless Asa’s heart was perfect with the LORD all his days.

Here we see two kings mentioned. “In the twentieth year of Jeoboam”. This is the Jeroboam King of Israel, the same Jeroboam who led the revolt against Rehoboam. Jeroboam has an interesting history. He was from the Tribe of Ephraim, and traced his heritage back to Joseph’s son Ephraim. Joseph named his son Ephraim because he said:

God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering (Genesis 41:52)

1 When God Is The “High Place” Then He Takes Us To A High Place. Ephraim – and the tribe that came out of this son – was to stand for the blessings of God in the midst of suffering. Falsely imprisoned and sold into slavery by his own brothers Joseph kept his eyes on God. God was the High Place in Joseph’s life, and God blessed Joseph. Sold a slave, Joseph kept his focus on God. He rejected all other gods, and humbled himself. Joseph did as the Apostle bids we as believers do:

Romans 12:1-2  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  [2]  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

God is to be the High Place in each believer’s life. The Church looks on at an America going darker all the time and cries out “Why, O Lord, is the darkness so great”. God cries back to us. “Why am I not your High Place!”

When Joseph humbled himself and made God the High Place then God made Joseph a King on the earth. And Jeroboam – the descendant of Joseph –

how did Jeroboam get to be King of Israel?

Jeroboam did not start out as King. Jeroboam was the servant of King Solomon. He was the son of the widow Zeruah, a boy raised in a single parent family. He was a skilled worker, a man who loved God and who was industrious. He was a person who lived for God, and who exemplified the command of God:

Colossians 3:23-24 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

As with his forefather Joseph, Jeroboam worked to honor God. God was his High Place, so much so that King Solomon saw his works and put Jeroboam in charge of the household of Joseph (see 1 Kings 11:28). King Solomon watched and promoted Jeroboam. But Someone Else was watching Jeroboam.

That someone was God. We read:

1 Kings 11:29-35  And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field:  [30]  And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces:  [31]  And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:  [32]  (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:)  [33]  Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.  [34]  Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant’s sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes:  [35]  But I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes.

God was watching Solomon, and saw that Solomon – wise king that he was – allowed the High Places to remain in Israel. Solomon had many wives and many concubines. His heart was not like his father David’s, and he compromised just as his son Rehoboam would compromise. So God told Jeroboam that He was going to “take the kingdom out of Solomon’s son’s hand and give ten tribes to you, Jeroboam”.

It is God Who blesses. King David knew that …

Psalm 75:7 … God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.

The Prophet Daniel, exiled and imprisoned in Babylon knew that God …

Daniel 2:21 … changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

God is to be the High Place. God watches us. He watched Solomon. He watched Jeroboam. He watched Rehoboam. God watches. God watched from Heaven and repented that He made man. God saw Noah and commanded him to build an Ark. God watches. God sets up, and God tears down.

When Jeroboam led the ten tribes away from Judah it was because he made God his High Place. God told Jeroboam:

1 Kings 11:38 (ESV) And if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, I will be with you and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.

God promised to bless Jeroboam if Jeroboam would make God first.

2 When God Is Not Our High Place We WILL Be Brought Low. God must be our High Place. It is in the very first Commandment that God said:

Exodus 20:3-6  Thou shalt have no other gods before me.  [4]  Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:  [5]  Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;  [6]  And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

God will not bless those who will not bless Him. There is a sort of nonsense that is running through the Church in America today that says “Once you’re saved, you can live any way that you want to live. God does not see your sins if you are a Christian. You are free to do as you will.” This is hogwash that is not supported by Scriptures.

God will not tolerate toleration toward sin.

The Bible says:

Romans 6:16  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; …

James 1:15 … sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Illustrate Sin is the magician – death the rabbit in the hat. Sin goes “TAH DAH” and death comes out in its bony hand!Sin and death always go hand in hand.

Rehoboam lost the Kingdom because he committed idolatry and put other gods in the place of God. He allowed the High Places. So God gave ten tribes to Jeroboam.

And then Jeroboam foolishly did the same thing.

Jeroboam did not obey the Lord. You would think that he would, having seen what happened to Rehoboam. But we have an odd way of examining our own sins with closed eyes while putting the sins of others under a microscope. Jeroboam had two golden calves made (1 Kings 12:25-33). The reason he did this is because the Temple was at Jerusalem, under the control of Rehoboam. He began to DOUBT GOD’S PROMISE. He thought:

IF the people return to Jerusalem to the Temple to worship,

THEN they may return to following Rehoboam,

THEN I will be killed.

Do you remember the time that Moses went up into Mount Sinai to receive the Law of God? While he was gone those 40 days the people demanded that Aaron make a Golden Calf. Aaron did so, the Elders of Israel said:

Exodus 32:4 (ESV) … These are your gods, O Israel, Who brought you up out of the land of Egypt …

When Jeroboam allowed fear to paint the promise of God to be a lie, he turned from honoring God to making his own gods. Having these two Golden Calves made Jeroboam said almost to the word the same thing that the Elders of Israel said while Moses was in the Mount.

1 Kings 12:28 (NKJV) {Jeroboam said} “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!”

Have you ever noticed the SIMILARITY of SIN? There is nothing new under the sun. The Bible says:

Ezekiel 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

Galatians 6:7 (KJV) Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Rehoboam turned away from God. He made other things High Places, and God was not his High Place, and so God removed his Kingdom and gave it to righteous Jeroboam. Then Jeroboam took God from the High Place and put Golden Calves in HIS Place. The same Prophet that brought blessing to Jeroboam came back to him and said:

1 Kings 14:10-11 Therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, and will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as a man taketh away dung, till it be all gone. 11 Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat: for the Lord hath spoken it.

When God is our High Place then we will be blessed. When He is magnified – glorified for all He has done for us – then He showers blessings upon us.

IF we make the created the Creator …

                   and trade the TEMPORARY for the Eternal …

                                love an IDOL instead of the Great I AM …

                                            and MAKE a Golden Calf rather than bow to Him Who made us

… THEN we rob ourselves of blessing and bring the curse of God into our households.

Jeroboam rules 22 years in Israel. He started well, but finished badly. God raised him up because he raised God up, but he failed to keep God in the High Place and so he himself went to the low place.

Does that apply to us today?

Absolutely!

The greatest example I can think of is the Church at Corinth. The Corinthians – though saved – turned from making God their High Place and began to magnify themselves rather than the Lord. They even took the Lord’s Table and made it not about Christ but about themselves. The Apostle told them:

1 Corinthians 11:29-32  For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.  [30]  For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.  [31]  For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.  [32]  But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

We who have believed on Christ are His and His alone. The Lord is to occupy our High Place. The Lord is to be glorified in all that we say and do. Let all darkness be dispelled, and the Light of God our Savior shine on us.

For He is risen, and we are resurrected people.

He has given Himself for us, saving us from Egypt and the idols of it. Let us praise Him!

3 What Is The Life That God Blesses? The Life That Looks To God. To see a life that God blesses we need to look to the rest of our text, to the life of King Asa.

1 Kings 15:9  And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Asa over Judah.

Asa was the third King of Judah, the grandson of Rehoboam, the fifth King of the House of David. What can we know of the life of Asa.

a He Had Bad Examples Growing Up, But Followed The Lord Rather Than His Family. He was the great grandson of Solomon, the grandson of Rehoboam. We learn from verse 10 that

his MOTHER’S name was Maachah

In verse 12 we read:

he removed all the idols that his FATHERS had made

and in verse 13:

also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron.

His heart was focused on God His Savior and Lord. He did not justify idolatry nor sin because his family did it. God was his Father – his primary Father – and he sought to honor God regardless as to what others – even his family – might say or do. He even deposed hiw own mother as queen because of her idolatry. Jesus told us, His people, that:

Matthew 10:37-39 (NLT) If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. 38If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. 39 If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.

Asa was a believer in God, a man who gave up his life for the Lord. The Bible says of Asa that:

1 Kings 15:11 … Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father.  [12]  And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.

Asa followed God. Asa took all active idolatry out of the land. And God blessed Asa. His reign was about twice as long as Jeroboam’s reign. God honored Asa, because Asa honored God. Dr. G. Campbell Morgan said:

“When our convictions are yielded to Him completely, He is able to give Himself to us in all His fullness. Until that is so, He cannot trust us. How true it is that we often miss the joy and strength of our Christianity because, by withholding ourselves from Christ, we make it impossible for Him to give Himself to us in all the fullness of His grace and truth.” ^{(Today in the Word, April, 1998, p. 23)}

b Asa Put God First, Whereas Jeroboam Put Himself First. God wanted to bless Jeroboam. God wanted to bless Asa. God wants to bless us. But we must give ourselves wholeheartedly to God. The High Places must go from our lives. Pride must go. The Apostle Paul said:

2 Corinthians 10:17-18 But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. 18 For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.

God must be first. God must be glorified. He must be lifted up. His Cross must be our focus. Jesus said “If I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself” (John 12:32). Jesus Christ is our High Place. It is through Christ that we are raised up (Ephesians 2:6).

c “Asa DID that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father”. Asa had a relationship with God through His Word and Prayer. He did as his great-grandfather David did. David wrote:

Psalm 119:11 (KJV) Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

David studied and heeded the Word of God. Asa studied and heeded the Word of God. Where there are weak, fallen, lukewarm Laodicean Christians you will find that many of them never open their Bibles. David said:

Psalm 119:9 (KJV) Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to Thy Word.

Psalm 119:105 (KJV) Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

We stumble in the darkness where God’s Word and His Presence are not. God’s Word is His Law. People today – and often shamefully Christians – say “well that was then and this is now”. The Bible, however, says “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). The Father says “I am the Lord, I change not” (Malachi 3:6).

d Asa Sought God With All His Heart. King Asa Was Devoted To The King Of Kings And Lord Of Lords. We read:

1 Kings 15:14 But the high places were not removed: nevertheless Asa’s heart was perfect with the LORD all his days.

I do not know why the High Places were not removed. Asa destroyed all idolatry, but left the High Places. Perhaps it was because he wanted others to see the broken and burned idols in those places. But the latter part of the text tells us that “Asa’s heart was perfect with the LORD ALL his days”. The broken High Places that he left were not sinful.

Asa’s heart was perfect PERFECT with the Lord ALL his days. The New American Standard says ….

… nevertheless the heart of Asa was WHOLLY DEVOTED TO THE LORD all his days.

And God blessed him and those around him. God will bless you if you make Him your High Place! May God touch your hearts with His Word.

Happy Mother’s Day!

I grew up in an environment that would be strange to many children today. My daddy worked and “brought home the bacon”. Mama worked too – she was in charge of the household and the three children in it. Many mothers today cannot stay at home with their children, but are forced by a poor economy to work outside the home. Though we were poor, daddy kept enough money coming in from his Upholstery Shop to where mama could stay at home. And mama ruled and taught the kids.

That alone is strange to many parents today. The truth is, many homes are ruled by the children, not by the parents. That’s not the way it’s supposed to be. Evangelist Dwight L. Moody recounted the following event. He wrote:

“A mother told me up in Minnesota that she had a little child who took a book and threw it out a window. She told him to go and pick it up. The little boy said “I won’t”. She said “What?” He said again “I won’t”. She said “You must. Go and pick up that book.” … She took him out {and sat him before the book}. Dinner time came and he hadn’t picked up the book. She took him to dinner, and after it was over took him out again. They sat there until tea time. When tea time came she took him in and gave him supper, and then took him out and kept him there until bed time. The next morning she went out again and kept him until dinner time. He found he was in for a life job, so he picked the book up. She said she never had any trouble with the child afterwards.”

Moody ended the illustration with these words.

“Mothers, if you don’t make your {child} obey when he is young, he will break your heart.”

Children must be raised, not placated. As the twig is bent, so grows the tree. Thank God for mothers who raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord! I thank God for a godly mother and grandmother who taught me the Word of God and the Way of God.

There was a rule that Mama taught us children from the earliest days of our lives. That rule was called “The Golden Rule”. I don’t remember Mama telling me that the “Golden Rule” came from Jesus, but it does.

The Golden Rule is found in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Let’s read it together:

Matthew 7:12   Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

I cannot remember the last time I have ever heard a preacher preach on the Golden Rule. In fact, I myself have never preached on the Golden Rule. But my mama and grandma taught this rule to me. It is time that we examine this rule and get it down into our hearts. We need to start teaching this Rule to our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. The Golden Rule is the grand theme of the Scripture. C.H. Spurgeon said:

“While the golden rule is more admired than practiced by ordinary men, the Christian should always do unto others as he would that they should do unto him. He should be one whose word is his bond, and who, having once pledged his word, swears to his own hurt, but changes not. There ought to be an essential difference between the Christian and the best moralist, by reason of the higher standard which the gospel inculcates, and the Savior has exemplified. Certainly, the highest point to which the best unconverted man can go might well be looked upon as a level below which the converted man will never venture to descend.”

1 This Golden Rule Is A POSITIVE, A DOING Of LOVE. It Has Been IMITATED By Religions But Never Duplicated. Though the dictionaries and many theologians may define Christianity as “religion” I don’t believe this to be true. Christianity is a RELATIONSHIP with God through the Lord Jesus Christ.

As Jesus was and as Jesus walked so we who love Him should be and walk.

When you compare Christ’s Golden Rule with the religions of the world you see an immediate difference. World religions state:

These are all called SILVER Rules rather than the Golden Rule because the Silver Rule forbids harm but does not demand a doing of good. The Golden Rule says “Whatever you want others to do to you, do to them”.

For instance, it would be a violation of the Silver Rule to rob someone or to murder or kidnap or otherwise harm a person. The Silver Rule says “do not do the bad thing”. The Golden Rule, on the other hand, states simply “Do the good thing”. Let me use an example I’ve heard before. The Silver Rule says “do not rob a person of their money, because you would not want that done to yourself”. But if you find a purse full of money in a parking lot the Silver Rule says nothing at all about this. This is where the often stated:

Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers

is found. The Silver Rule is a half rule. Wayne Jackson wrote in his article Gold, Silver, and Iron: Three Rules of Human Conduct:

“In 1964, there was a case that shook this country at its very foundation. Catherine Genovese was returning from a night job to her apartment in the respectable Kew Gardens area of New York City. As she approached her home in the early hours of that April morning, she was attacked by a knife-wielding assailant. He stabbed her repeatedly, fleeing the bloody scene as she screamed for help, only to return—when no one responded to her cries—stabbing her again and again, until she died. The subsequent police investigation revealed that thirty-eight residents of the neighborhood admitted that they witnessed at least a part of the attack. No one went to her aid; not a soul telephoned the police—until after she was dead!”

This was shocking in 1964 – and yet it is common place today. Those who live by the Silver Rule may do no actual harm or hurt to another … but neither do they act in a positive way to help others. People who live by the Silver Rule may be “good” people, but they are marked by their words and inactions:

It’s not my problem.

Let someone else do it.

What’s in it for me?

Jesus showed the difference between the Silver and Golden Rule in His parable of the Good Samaritan. One day a Lawyer came to Jesus and – as Lawyers often do – asked a Lawyer question. He asked:

Luke 10:25 …. Master, what shall I do to INHERIT eternal life?

How can I INHERIT eternal life. Now this is a good question. INHERIT. An INHERITANCE is something you receive on the basis of grace. You cannot work for an INHERITANCE.

When little Jasper was born into the Tilley Family he was born unable to feed, clothe and protect himself. He can barely hold his head up. But already he has more INHERITANCE in the Tilley Family than I do. I have been feeding and clothing myself for many years, but I have NO INHERITANCE in this family. But Jasper does. Why?

Because he was born into that family. Because his daddy and mommy are Tilleys. The Lawyer knew that Eternal Life is only that which is given to Children of God, that it is an INHERITANCE granted to those born into His Kingdom. The Lawyer asked a Legal Question – so Jesus responded with the Law …

Luke 10:26 … What is written in the law? how readest thou?

The Lawyer – familiar with the Law as all good Lawyers are – said:

Luke 10:27 … Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; AND thy neighbor as thyself.

Those who love God with all their heart, soul, strength, and mind are the Children of God. And Children of God “love their neighbors as themselves”. Jesus once more quoted the Golden Rule. The Golden Rule states:

Matthew 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

Whatsoever you would that men should do to YOU, do to them. Love your neighbor as yourself is just a shortened form of the Golden Rule. Eternal Life is something that is INHERITED, received because you are born into the Family of God. But if you’re born into the Family of God you are to live by the Golden Rule of the Family, not by the Silver Rule of the world.

Jesus went on to illustrate with the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

Luke 10:30-36 … A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.   [31]   And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.   [32]   And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.   [33]   But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,   [34]   And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.   [35]   And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.   [36]   Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves?

In the parable an unknown man – we do not know if he is Jew or Gentile, whether rich or poor, whether “Red or Yellow, Black or White” (they are precious in His sight). This man was attacked by thieves, thieves who stripped him of his clothes and wounded him, leaving him half dead.

The thieves broke the Silver Rule.

When the Priest came by and saw him what did he do? He passed by on the other side.

The Priest DID NOT break the Silver Rule.

The Silver Rule says “do not do what would be hurtful to you to others”. The Priest had nothing to do with this man’s injuries. He just moved on. And then a Levite – a lesser Priest of Israel – came by and did the same thing.

The Levite or Lesser Priest DID NOT break the Silver Rule.

Listen Beloved – If you or I were beaten and left lying half dead on the side of the road I would want someone to help me. The Silver Rule says “Do nothing hurtful”. The Golden Rule says “Do SOMETHING HELPFUL”.

The Samaritan …                        … a man often hated and reviled because of his heritage

… a man despised by Jews and ridiculed by Gentiles

… a man from the other side of the tracks

The Samaritan had compassion on the wounded man. The word “compassion” according to Webster’s Dictionary means “sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it”. The Greek is σπλαγχνίζομαι splagchnizomai (pronounced splangkh-nid’-zom-ahee) which means to feel sympathy or empathy toward another. The Samaritan had been beaten up and robbed in life, and rather than become bitter reached out to help others who were in the same situation …. to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This is what a Child of God does.

2 The Golden Rule Is Not Only POSITIVE, But It Is ALL INCLUSIVE.

Matthew 7:12 Therefore ALL THINGS WHATSOEVER ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

A woman was married to a very miserly man – he counted every penny and made her account for every dollar their entire married life. But one thing this man wanted above all else was a good funeral. He set aside $30,000 for his funeral, and made his wife sign a paper agreeing that she would spend every penny on his funeral when he died. One day he died, and the wife contacted the Church, the Funeral Home, and the Caterers. It was a good event, but not as lavish as many expected. The woman’s best friend asked her afterward “Did you really spend $30,000 on your late husband’s funeral?” She said “Absolutely! The casket was $4000, the Caterer and Flowers were $3000 and the Funeral Director’s fee was $3000.” Her friend said “But that’s only $10,000.” The wife replied, “I know, but I spent $20,000 on a Memorial Stone”. Her friend said, “$20,000 for a Memorial Stone! That’s a lot of money. How big is the stone?” The wife replied, “About 2 ½ Carats”.

I don’t think either the wife or her late great husband employed the Golden Rule!

In “all things whatsoever” that you would have someone do to you, do unto them. All things. All things. The Children of God are called to be Positive Additions in a negative world.

Jesus said:

Matthew 5:14 (KJV) Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Light does not contribute to the darkness. Light shines, and chases away the darkness. Light and dark cannot coexist – one or the other will always rule. We who belong to God in Christ are Children of Light. Jesus said:

Matthew 5:16 (KJV) Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

It brings glory to God when His Children shine in the midst of darkness, doing good for God’s sake and for His Name. Jesus said:

Matthew 5:43-45 (KJV)43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

We are most like God’s children and closest to His design when we are not controlled by evil, but by love. Light shines, and if the love of God has shined in your hearts then we are to do as Jesus said:

Luke 6:31-36 (KJV) And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. 32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. 33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. 34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

Children of God – changed by the Presence of the Holy Spirit of God – are not those who are to say “What’s in it for me?” We who are Christ’s are to be light – to shine as Jesus shined – to glorify our God in doing the Love of God.

3 It Was Not The Iron Or Silver Rule That God Used In Saving Us, But The Golden Rule.

The IRON Rule Says
“Might Makes Right”.

The SILVER Rule Says
“Do Not Hurt Others In Ways You Wouldn’t Want To Be Hurt”.

The GOLDEN Rule Says
“Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You”.

If God had employed the IRON Rule on us, He would have crushed humanity at the very beginning of our rebellion. If God had employed the SILVER Rule of the worldling on us He would have watched as our foreparents fell into sin and did nothing whatsoever. Yet the Bible says:

Galatians 4:4-5 (KJV) But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

God could have left us in our sins. But God did not. God sent forth His Son to a rebellious and sinful people. God sent forth His Only Begotten Son to those who were dead in trespasses and in sins.

Romans 5:8-10 (KJV) 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.

We neither earned nor deserved the love of God, but God offered His love to us even now. Saved by a mercy that we do not deserve we who are God’s Children are called to love the unlovable, to do the good we want done to ourselves to those who will not do good to us. God loved us when we were (and are) unlovable … we are likewise to love Him. Dr. Paul Chappell writes:

“Charles Spurgeon was the most famous preacher in the world during his lifetime. But there were many other well-known preachers with large churches in London. One of them was pastored by a man named Joseph Parker. At one point, Spurgeon ran a large orphanage to take care of children who had no parents, and Parker made a remark about the awful lives those children faced. The remark was reported publicly as a criticism of the conditions inside Spurgeon’s orphanages.

A furious Spurgeon went to the pulpit and harshly criticized Parker. The sermon was, as were all of Spurgeon’s sermons, printed in the papers, and London eagerly awaited the following Sunday to see how Parker would respond. Rather than refuting what Spurgeon had said, Parker simply announced to the packed auditorium that they were going to take up a special offering for Spurgeon’s orphanages. The ushers had to empty the offering plates three times! Later that week Spurgeon arrived at Parker’s office and said, ‘Parker, you have practiced grace on me. You have given me not what I deserved, you have given me what I needed.’ “

God gave us what we needed in salvation – not what we DESERVED (for we all deserve hell) but what we NEEDED. We needed forgiveness. We needed mercy. We needed acceptance into the Family of God. We needed the purging of our sins. We needed a better goal than the finite pitiful goals of this world. We needed God.

God is the Gospel. God offers Himself to us in the Gospel. And if saved, we are to be like our Father.

I close with these timeless words of Scripture:

Romans 12:19-21 (KJV) Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

May God touch your hearts with His Word.

Galatians 4:4-6 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, [5] To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. [6] And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

There are many truths presented in our Bibles that I do not understand but nonetheless accept by faith. I understand that God is Sovereign – something the Bible clearly teaches – and also understand that man has free will. The same Bible that says “whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish” (John 3:16) is the Bible that says “all things work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28). Man has free will, but God is still in control. I don’t understand how all this works together but it does, and by faith I receive His Word.

The Bible also teaches to “hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is One Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:4) and “God is one” (Galatians 3:20). Yet the same Scripture presents God as a Trinity. In our text today we see that God sent forth His Son (vs 4). Who is this Son? He is the One of Whom John wrote:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, the same was in the beginning with God …. and the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us ..” (John 1:1-2, 14)

Jesus Christ is with God in the beginning – and was was sent of God to redeem us. And God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts. God the Father sent His Son to redeem us. The Son sent the Holy Spirit to be with us. I do not understand how God can be One and yet be Three, but I do understand that without the Trinity working together there can be no salvation of the Christian. The Father planned our salvation. The Son secured our salvation. The Holy Spirit empowers our salvation.

When we who are Christ’s say that we are saved do we understand the depth of Love that saved us? The Apostle Peter – overwhelmed by the truth of the Trinity in our salvation – cried out:

1 Peter 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, [4] To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, [5] Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Praise our Father for His abundant mercy. Praise our Jesus Who, dying for us, rose again. Praise the Holy Spirit – the Keeper of our salvation – Who indwells and guarantees our inheritance. The Triune God saves the fallen man. Man – made in God’s image – walked away from God, but the God Who is Three in One pursued us.

1 ONLY The Believer Is A Child Of God.

Galatians 4:6 …. And because ye are sons…

How does one become a Son of God? Sonship is something that a person receives all of grace.

Galatians 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Salvation is a work that requires ALL OF GOD to secure it for us. It is necessarily a gift of Grace, “not of works lest anyone should boast”. We have absolutely nothing to boast of ourselves in our salvation.

It has been said that salvation is one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread. We are all saved because someone told us where to find the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ our Lord.

When Nicodemus came to Jesus by night he came as a well known Rabbi expecting to be honored by Jesus. Nicodemus told Jesus

John 3:2 … Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

Nicodemus said the same thing to Jesus that the world today says of Jesus. “Rabbi – Teacher – we know that you are a Teacher come from God”. Is Jesus a teacher? He is the Greatest Teacher that has ever lived. But He is much more than a Teacher. The world believes Jesus to be a teacher. But Jesus’ response to the world and to all is today what He said to Nicodemus yesterday …

John 3:3 …. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

You can call Jesus “Teacher” all you want. You can honor Him, quote Him, make pictures of Him and sing songs about Him. But unless you are born again you cannot see – much less enter – the Kingdom of God. There are two things that must happen to every person who expects to go to Heaven.

You must be BORN AGAIN or REGENERATED.
You must be ADOPTED.

Being Born Again brings the Christ believer into the Family of God. “Born Again” means that our nature is changed from that of worldling to that of the Divine. Being “Adopted” means that we are given the rights of His Children.

Now every person is in one sense the offspring of God. We are all born into this world because God gave us life. We are all made in His Image and after His Likeness. But being born physically does not give any human outside of Christ a special privilege with God. The Jews told Jesus:

John 8:39 … Abraham is our father.

but Jesus told them

If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.

Being born of the line of Abraham or to parents who were faithful Baptists, Methodists, Pentecostals, or Campbelites does bring us into the Family of God. We are all born flawed, broken, tending toward sin. Recently my wife and I enjoyed a week vacation spoiling our grandchildren in Valdosta, Georgia (thank you, dear Church, for allowing us to do this). At the end of the week we were at my son’s Church called Crosspointe, planning to leave following the morning services. At the end of services we wanted to see our grandchildren so we could kiss them one last time. Little Asher came out of his Sunday School class and kissed us goodbye. But little Micah pitched a perfect fit. Though two years older than his brother he did not want to leave his classroom and his coloring project – not even to say goodbye to the grandparents who will not see him again for 6 months. He looked like he was kissing the executioner when he kissed me – albeit reluctantly. What would make my grandchild – that precious boy – act this way? If he were a child of Abraham he would do the works of Abraham. If he were a child of God he would realize that life is precious and things are not. If he were not just outwardly but INWARDLY of God then his hand would reflect his heart.

And so it is with all, no matter how precious to us. He, like all who are born the offspring of God, are nonetheless corrupt and chained to sin. You must be born again! You must have the regeneration, being …

John 1:13 ….. born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Sonship comes by promise, by faith in God’s Word, by surrender to His Savior. It does not come by roll or by vote, but by the operation of God in response to the heart’s cry for and to Jesus. The Law of God breaks our hearts making us realize that we are lost and undone.

Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

The Law convicts. The Law tells us that “our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6) and that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:3). The Law brings us to our knees, so that on our knees we can see Christ our Savior, our Justifier. Once justified by faith we are adopted – adoption and justification go hand in hand. Blessed be the Triune God Who has promised:

John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

We do not have the power to save ourselves, but God gives the power. When we believe The Father says “yes, I will receive him for My Son’s sake”. When we believe the Holy Spirit says “yes, I will go and indwell him for Jesus’ Christ’s sake”.

Faith is the key that unlocks the prison, changing the Criminal into the Child.

We serve Him not out of duty nor out of fear but out of love.

2 The Child Of God Is OPENLY A Child Of God.

Galatians 4:4-6 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, [5] To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. [6] And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

When God did His Work in Christ for us He was not secretive nor furtive. God sent His Son. The Angels went to the Shepherds at night, saying:

Luke 2:11 …For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

Anna and Simeon waited in the Temple for the Promised Savior – and knew Him as soon as they saw Him. John the Baptist saw Christ coming and shouted for joy “Behold, the Lamb of God Who taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). As He rode into Jerusalem the children sang songs and the people cast palm leaves in front of Him. Tell them to be quiet, Jesus – they are disturbing in their praise! Jesus said:

Luke 19:40 …. I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

Jesus was not quiet as He came on His mission. He did not fly under the radar, but loudly and often proclaimed Himself the Son of God. If you are born again then you are not ashamed of Him. If you are saved by Christ the Son then you are a son. God sees Christ in you, and the world should see Christ in you.

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

You belong to Jesus. You are of the Redeemed, not of the world. You were not redeemed with silver or gold, but with the precious Blood of Christ, as of a lamb without spot or blemish (1 Peter 1:18). You are redeemed from the Law because the Spirit is now your Law. You are redeemed from every curse and every limitation of man because of Christ. Peter before the Cross ran and hid from a young maiden, cursing God, hiding his pitiful faith. But after the Cross Peter stands boldly preaching on the Day of Pentecost. He has risen! We are His. We are sons because the Son died for us and rose again.

Hebrews 13:5-6 … He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. [6] So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

The world like the Pharisee says “be quiet of your faith. Tolerance means to be inclusive. All may go to Heaven. Say nothing – do not speak up”. But Christ has said “Go and tell. Tell them about me. Go into all the world, not as secret agents but as ambassadors.”

Romans 13:12-14 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. [13] Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. [14] But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.

The children of the King were always distinctively dressed. They did not wear the shabby clothing of the peasants, but wore royal garb. We are to be distinctively different, light in the midst of darkness. We complain of the world and of how dark it is … but are we being light or just going along to get along? We are …

Philippians 3:3 …. the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

Our confidence is in God, our praise is in God. God is our Portion Like the Levite of the Old Testament who was given no land, the Levite was given God, for God is my portion. Praise be unto Him:

Lamentations 3:22-25 It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. [23] They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. [24] The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. [25] The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

King David said:

Psalms 16:5 The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.

and the Father said to Abraham …

Genesis 15:1 … Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

When I entered High School I was timid and quit because I knew few people. All my life I was a quiet, timid person. Then one day I met the Lord. I now have the best Friend a person can have. He – the Triune God – has promised to be my Shield and my Reward – and He has promised you the same. He is our Portion. He is our Inheritance. Why should we fear the world that God has created. He is in control.

1 Corinthians 3:21-23 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; …. [23] And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.

The world will not love you no more than it loved Christ. “If you were of the world, the world would love his own, but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you” (John 15:19). Too many Christians have compromised the Family in order to be pleasing to the world. This is a waste of time. The world will always hate the Child of God just as the darkness hates the light. Be the light anyway.

Live out loud for Jesus. When I was lost I lived out loud for Satan. Now that I am saved I will live out loud for the Savior.

3 The Child Of God Is FOREVER In The Presence Of God.

No parent would abandon his or her child, and God will never abandon us. The Scripture says:

Galatians 4:6 …. because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

When God sees genuine pitiful faith (and it is pitiful, for we are very weak) He sends forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts. Notice that the Spirit comes into the heart, not into the mind. I have known preachers and Churches that had great Bible knowledge and fantastic book learning but none of the Spirit of God. God sent the Spirit to indwell our hearts, our emotions, to control our passions. What was God’s charge to Laodicea?

Revelation 3:15-16 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. [16] So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

The Holy Spirit came to Jesus as a descending Dove, and comes to our hearts as the Heavenly Dove. He brings with Him love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (Galatians 5:22-23). We are guided by His Spirit to KNOW His Word, and are empowered by His Spirit to DO His Word.

The Indwelling Spirit is always seen outwardly. Where God is in the midst of His people there is order, there is Family, there is Light. The Holy Spirit dwells eternally in the hearts of God’s Children. The Spirit comes chiefly to the affections, dwelling in our hearts, for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness (Romans 10:8-10). The Bible says:

Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

How you live outwardly is always determined by what or Who is in your hearts. If God is in your heart, if the Triune Being resides in you, the you know the right and the wrong. If not, you do not. Judas Iscariot looked like a great Christ follower, but He was not. He was AROUND Jesus but the Spirit of Christ was not in his heart. In time his evil showed forth, and in the end he hanged himself, and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out (Acts 1:18). The heart not indwelt by the Spirit will eventually do the most foolish of things. But where God is He sends forth the Spirt of His Son, crying ABBA, Father. We cry ABBA, Father (Romans 8:15) because God has made us so.

There are times in life when the trials of this world – like the waves of the sea – fall upon me. There are times when I seem to almost drown in my own tears. But I praise God for those times, for when hurt and aching my Triune God is closer to me then than ever on the mountaintop. The trial that drives you to your knees is a blessing if, in it’s midst, you kneel and say:

ABBA, Father

ABBA is an Aramaic or Jewish word which means “Daddy”. The word “Father” is the Greek Pater which means “Daddy”. Whether Jew or Gentile, whether bond or free, whether male or female, God is equally your Father and you His Child if you have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. You are in God’s Keeping. You are in God’s Care.

And He is always there.

Blessed be the Name of the Lord!