Heb 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
There is a name which is above every other name, that name is Jesus. He is the brightness of God the Father and His express image. He upholds all things and He purged our sins and sat down at the right hand of the Majesty. His name is exalted above all others. Its at the name and in the power of Jesus that the worlds came into being. The stars shine in the heavens above and the sun burns with such intensity by the hand of the Lord Jesus. He is so high and lifted up that even a single tear from the Masters eye causes the oceans to blush. The sun is a mere flickering candle in the brightness of His glory. He holds the whole universe in the palm of His hand and by His power alone it is all held together. He is begotten of the Father and the Son of the most High. The angels all bow down and cry Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God almighty.
Lord Jesus, you laid the foundations of the earth and the heavens are the work of your hand. Hide your face and the whole world is troubled, hold your breath and we crumble and die, look away and the world falls to pieces, we exalt you oh Lord on high. Everything that exists shall be rolled up and burned up in that day, but You Oh Lord remain forever. You are eternal, Your Word is eternal and you have invited us into the eternal Kingdom of our God. Tears of joy and wholeness rise in me, water from the saints that are deeper than the deepest sea. Only in this place of eternity do I truly belong, where the saints all gather around the throne and sing a glorious song. As far as the eye can see, like wheat gently blowing as one in the wind, you are surrounded by millions upon millions of those who had formerly sinned. Redeemed by Your glory and Majesty, redeemed by the Blood that you shed, we should have dwelt forever in the depths of darkness, but here we are before You instead. We shall sing of Your glory forever, and forever and forever and a day. And here where Your glory fills the temple, is the place we shall eternally stay.
1Ti 1:5 Now the purpose of the commandment is love out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of sincere faith.
Love is the fulfilling of the law (Rom 13:8-10) The whole purpose and fulfillment of the law was found in Christ! So why then was there so much trouble at Ephesus? Why would young Timothy be under pressure and from whom? The same old suspects, the Judaizers and those who desired to be teachers. Teaching their own ideas of what the Law was and what it meant and what its purpose was. A myriad of teachings that were from their own vain imaginations, causing disputes rather than causing unity in Christ. Desiring to be a class of teachers, priests, rabbis. A clergy class. Desiring to be supported because of their “knowledge.” And yet this desire to be teachers of the law, when they had no real understanding of the fulfillment of the law (if they did they would desire to be servants, as Paul was, working with his own hands)
We know from Scripture that those who knew Jesus, the fulfillment of the law, walked in love from a pure heart, from a good conscience and from a sincere faith. And those who did not know Jesus in this way, turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers and lacking understanding. In America today, there are roughly 30,000 salaried “pastors.” That is 15,000 “pastors for every state. My brothers, let there not be many teachers, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation (Jas 3:1) The clergy/laity divide has only served to increase the desire to be teachers. There is not the same desire to be servants of all. Jesus washed the feet of servants, do clergy, for the main part wash feet? Ever notice in the sacramental systems of denominations, there is no feet washing? You will not find it in non-denominations either.
Timothy is exhorted by Paul to fight the good fight. Paul knew, from sore experience, just how difficult it was to deal with those who considered themselves teachers. This is why he prayed so fervently for Timothy. He likened it to waging warfare. The same warfare has been waged by the remnant saints down through the ages. The Hymenaeus’s and Alexanders have always been entrenched in religious activities much like Diotrephes. Men who love the preeminence. Men who know nothing of the fulfillment of the Law but rather became laws unto themselves, passing themselves of as teachers of the law and becoming the deadliest enemies of the twice born man. Brothers and sisters let us walk in love with a pure heart from a good conscience and from a sincere faith. Trusting in God and His Word and having discernment to identify those who simply desire to be teachers, who desire to be kept, who will not work with their own hands. We shall know men by their fruit. Do men serve or do men desire to be served?
(1Th 1:6-7) And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: So that ye were examples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.
The Thessalonians suffered much. They received the Word of God in the midst of much hostility. You might say that they were born again in the midst of the fire. And yet what do we see? Joy. The supernatural joy of the Lord has nothing to do with circumstances. I have no doubt that joy filled the hearts of Paul and Silas in the dungeon, as they laid there beaten and broken in body for the sake of Christ. They rejoiced, they worshiped and down came the power of God. The Apostles rejoiced after being scourged as they could not believe how privileged they were to be counted worthy to suffer for the sake of Christ. Joy in the midst of the fire. Holy Spirit enabled joy. It is the mark of the saint who is full of the Holy Spirit no doubt. Stephen, a man full of the Holy Spirit had a remarkable vision in the very midst of the cruelest and most vicious of deaths. Even as that was unfolding, there was one standing by, witnessing the martyr and how he died, Saul, who would become Paul. He saw the power of God in the death of Stephen.
The Thessalonians were “examples,” to all who believed in Macedonia and Achaia. In this case they were witnesses to other brothers and sisters throughout the region and these other saints would no doubt have been convicted and encouraged by the joy the Thessalonians had when there should be no joy. The word “examples,” from the Scripture above is from the Greek word ‘Tupos,” which means to be struck, to be stamped or to be scarred. It comes from the primary verb “Tupto,” which means to be cudgeled or pummeled or to suffer repeated blows. When we suffer repeated blows for the cause of Christ and respond with supernatural joy, it deals a blow to principalities and powers. Their kingdoms are shaken to their foundations. It is like a spiritual earthquake because this defies the natural realities of this world. It is supernatural. It is extraordinary. The greatest example of all being Calvary. The whole world and the unseen kingdoms would be turned upside down by Jesus on the cross. “Forgive them Father,’ Jesus cries out. And the last words of Stephen? “Lord Jesus receive my spirit, Lord do not hold this sin against them.”
The power of God. The power of the Holy Spirit. The example of Jesus. The examples of the Thessalonians. The examples of the Apostles. The example of the martyrs down through the ages. How about us brothers and sisters? Are we not filled with the same Holy Spirit? Have we not been endued with the same power from on High? Shall we not rejoice in the Lord and again I say rejoice? Shall we not rejoice in all things and give thanks in all things? For in these continual blows, when we are pummeled for the sake of Christ shall we not bear the scars with great pride? Shall we not stand in the midst of the fire with love and with joy and with thanksgiving? This is our calling brothers and sisters. It is a royal calling. It is a calling to a royal priesthood, a chosen people, a holy nation. We are Gods special possession and He has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light that we may declare the praises of Him who called us out. Praises on the mountaintop are good. Praises and joy and thanksgiving in the depths of the valley, though you be lower, are so much higher. All of heaven resounds to hear the praises of God on the lips of those who are in the midst of the fire.
(Col 1:19-20) For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell; and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven having made peace through the Blood of the Cross.
And it pleased the Father that we should be reconciled to Him by the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. We who were once enemies of the cross and alienated from God have been reconciled, praise the Living God! We have been presented to the Father, holy and blameless and above reproach by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. This is where we stand. This is how we stand. This is how the Father sees us. This is indeed, our position and will remains so. Now, I could stop right there and most preachers do. Most teachers do. You will get a thousand amens when you preach this and leave out the word that immediately follows. IF!!!! We all know what the word means. It means “unless,” or “if indeed.” And so we see that Paul tells the sainst’s that this position is conditional.
What are the conditions he states……..1. If indeed you continue in the faith. Meaning? If you continue to trust God and walk with Him. 2. If you continue to be grounded and steadfast. Meaning? Grounded means to consolidate. Consolidate as a verb means to bring together into a single or unified whole and as an adjective it means to solidify, form or coherent. So, to be one in Christ and go in the faith, becoming sons and daughters as opposed to babes in Christ. To continue on to maturity 3. Not moved away from the hope of the Gospel. Meaning? To be heavenly minded, to find joy not only on the mountaintops but also in the depths of the valleys. To be able to rejoice in the midst of your sufferings and trials. To be drawn ever closer to the Lord by your tribulations.
This is pleasing to the Lord. He takes no pleasure in those who draw back. To continue in the faith is oftentimes to endure. To continue in the faith is oftentimes overcoming. To continue in the faith is get down on our knees, with Job, after great loss, and worship the Lord still and cry out “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord.” Will you continue in the faith? Have you continued in the faith? Paul says ” Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” Warning and teaching brothers and sisters, they go hand in glove.And Paul has of course done both in this very chapter. For we are handling riches. The pearl of great price. We direct the souls of men towards the heart of God which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. It is priceless, and we must treat it as such.
Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
In all things Jesus might have the preeminence. In all things brothers and sisters. And for this purpose we read in the earlier verses of this chapter that ” you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” Increasing in the knowledge of God and the knowledge of His will is the work of the Holy Spirit in you. And as this occurs then Jesus is elevated, Jesus is lifted up, Jesus becomes first and last in all things, He indeed becomes your grand obsession and in this God is glorified. It was Christ who delivered us from the powers of darkness. It was God who transferred us, we were translated into the Kingdom of “The Son of His love.” How beautiful is that phrase ” The Son of His Love.” We, by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ become the sons and the daughters of His love!
Jesus is the image of the invisible God. Jesus is the Word made flesh. Jesus in Immanuel. He walks among us and is in us by the power of the Holy Spirit. By Jesus all things were created that are in heaven and in earth. Thrones, dominions and principalities and powers, all things were created by Jesus for the glory of God the Father. He is before all things and by Him all things exist. He is the head of the Body, the Church, and He is the firstborn from the dead and in all these things He has the preeminence. It is the devils task to tear Jesus down in the minds of men in a futile effort to dethrone Him. He detests the fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of His love. He is insanely jealous of Jesus and wants to replace Him which is why he is anti-christ. By removing the preeminence of Jesus from our gatherings he has went a long way in an inevitably futile task. How tragic that Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior has been sidelined and relegated in the hearts of millions of professing saints around the world in their hearts and in their gatherings.
Yet praise the Lord Jesus rules and reigns supreme in the hearts of His very own, no matter how much of the world has flooded into what we call churches. Jesus is and always will be higher than the highest heavens. One day the Lord will rend the heavens and His glory will flow down the mountains and fill every valley with His majesty. The seas will flee at His presence, the mountains will humbly bow and say ” Glory , glory to the risen King.” The sun will turn its face away in shame for it is outshone by the brilliance of His illumination. The moon and the stars will cry out ” Holy, Holy is He who was and is and forever shall be.” And every voice from every tongue will say “Jesus,” and acknowledge the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. And the beasts of the earth will fall down and cover their faces and then the lion will rise up and approach the lamb and they will lay down together.
And every knee shall bow in every tribe and in every nation and even the hordes of hell will fall silent as He approaches. The earth itself will grow silent and shall be still and then a glorious noise will begin to rise and will fill the earth, it will fill the sea it will fill the night skies it will fill the whole universe and all that will be heard will be the choirs of angels, that heavenly choir and the glory of God will not only cover the earth but will fill up everything that there is or has ever been. God’s saints, the children of His love will rise on this glorious symphony, they will arise in the updrafts of His glory and majesty and it will carry them into the heart of God. And those who rejected this magnificent glory will fall and their cries will be heard as they fall into the depths of darkness, for what eyes can ever see light again that were not sanctified eyes. And He will reign forever.
Years ago I saw a documentary of a certain part of Africa. For 10 long months it sees no rain. First the mighty river dries up and then it becomes pools.Then the pools slowly shrink until they are nothing more than wet mud-holes. In this particular documentary, it showed a giant crocodile that had taken up residence right in the middle of a mud-hole. Despite its presence, deer and other animals risked their very lives in order to partake in the last of the water. A small number of animals, rather than taking up residence with the crocodile,undertook a long migration in search of water. Yet almost all the animals that were indigenous to this geographic location, refused to go in search of water and died before the rains came. Animals that in normal circumstances would never come within 100 yards of a crocodile, came right up beside him in a desperate attempt to get some satisfaction, from this drying mud-hole.
When God withdraws the rain of His presence from the church we see many strange things. The majority stay where they are and slowly die as they throw their lot in with their former predators.Others, like the deer that panteth for the water-brooks, are driven to make journeys they would otherwise never make. Driven out into the deserts and dry places in their desperate desire to find living waters. The tragedy for many in the “church” today is that they can live a life, devoid of His presence, and not even know that they are dying. Imagine that this ten months without rain is a season or seasons in Christendom. Generation after generation sucking on mud, barely surviving on the moisture that remains in the mud hole. Getting down and dirty in the mud, and being dangerously close to the world as they try to survive in the dry season. To try and operate in this world as a church without the Holy Spirit and the presence of the living God is to be reliant upon a mud-hole. Vestige of some by- gone days where once the river flowed. Talk of past victories but no present life. Living on memories and manna from a bygone age.
As someone who now lives in Kansas, a place that only gets about 33 inches of rain a year, I know how dry the ground can become and how deep that dryness is. At first when it rains the rain merely flows over the top surface. The ground is so hard it does not penetrate. It needs to consistently rain over several days for the ground to become saturated,to be thoroughly penetrated. Flash floods come and go very quickly and when it is gone, it is like it has never rained because it never penetrated. Yet, when it rains consistently over time, the effects are deep and lasting.There is a deep penetrating rain coming for Gods people. He has taken His people into the wilderness, the valley of death, the valley of decision. Because of the intensity of the battle that lies just ahead of us, it was and is necessary for the Lord to take His people into the desert place of testing. They have left the mud-holes of the world and the crocodiles behind. They refused to stay and die in a place of compromise. They have been driven into the desert and there they will find the Church, in a place where it seems impossible for anything to live, never mind thrive. Survival here does not depend upon traditions or past victories or the dusty heritage of religion. No, rather it depends upon the hand of God alone., A place where we once again cry out to the Living God for Him and Him only. Those who truly desire Him will stay in this place of testing. The Remnant of Gods people will prevail for our God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Yes there is an intensity of persecution for Gods people just appearing on the horizon. There are storm clouds gathering even as you read this. There is coming a time such as has never been seen before for Gods people. Yet with huge storm clouds come great rain falls. God will pour out His Spirit in a such a way that His children will stand in the pouring saturating rain of His presence. And despite the intense persecution and all out war that the old serpent will wage on us, we will rejoice and glorify and lift our hands on high. We will praise God for the rain that falls. The persecution will seem light in comparison to the eternal weight of glory that is to be experienced in His presence. God will inhabit the praises of His people who worship Him with their whole hearts. Gods people will only care that His presence is with them. As long as He goes before them, they will follow. They will follow Him right into the valley of the shadow of death. For they know that He will lead them to the pure waters of life.They will allow nothing to separate them from their God. Stay the course brothers and sisters, the rain is coming, and then comes the King.
Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
What mind is Paul talking about brothers and sisters? We know that the mind of Christ knew that He was equal with God. Yet, He made Himself of no reputation, rather He took on the form of a bond-servant and came to earth as a man of flesh and Blood. And walking the earth in such a manner, He was humbling Himself and being obedient to God. He was born to die and not only to die, but to suffer the death of the cross. We too shall live and we shall die but who shall willingly take up the cross and die upon that? This is the mindset we have been called to. You dear brother, you dear sister have been born to die, yet yours shall be the death of the cross. Daily you shall pick it up and yield to it. And upon it you shall watch your flesh die. You shall see the death of selfish ambition. You shall see the death of pride. You shall begin to see others as more important than you. Their interests shall be more important to you than your own. You shall find like minded believers and will be joined to them in heart and mind and soul. You, brothers and sisters of the cross shall be of one accord and in this mindset you shall find unity.
Eph 5:1-2 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children and walk in love.
How astonishing that we have been called to imitate God and walk in love as Christ also loved us. We are to love as we are loved. God never calls His children to do what they cannot. He has empowered us, enabled us and equipped us to imitate Him in being a sweet sacrifice to God, a sweet smelling aroma. The Love of Jesus was measured by His sacrifice. Calvary is the measure of Gods love. If God called His Son to sacrifice for us, then He is calling His children to imitate Jesus. Not that we are saviors of the world but rather we represent and manifest the living Christ in us to a dark and broken world. When you measure yourself, you must measure yourself against the Lord. Not your pastor or your dear Godly grand father, no, you must measure yourself and your faith against that which is perfect. It is a high calling no doubt. He is our High calling. He is our North star, and just because popular culture would say “what would Jesus do,’ does not make that wrong. Only remember this, we do not have to wonder what Jesus would do, for Jesus dwells within us by the power of the Holy Spirit and has given us His word to lead us and guide us.
And so we are called to walk in love with the same love that Christ loves us with. Walking in love empowered with the truth causes us to walk in light, the very light that shatters the darkness. We know that darkness very well, for we once walked in it. The fruit of the Spirit in us is grounded in goodness and righteousness and truth. These are our weapons, this is the armor we are called to put on. No longer can we walk according to the unfruitful works of darkness, they must have no place in us. We are to put away the former things and rather, put on the fruitful works of the new man. He has filled us with the treasures of heaven in these earthen vessels. He has commanded light to shine out of what was formerly darkness. And the very first place we see the fruits of this light is in our relationships with our wives and husbands. Wives shall submit to their own husbands as unto the Lord and husbands shall love their wives as Jesus loved the Church. Both of these positions are almost always an anathema to the flesh. Whether it is submitting to or loving someone to the point o sacrifice and death, only in Christ and by the power of the Spirit can these attitudes be “put on.” And by the same power the old attitudes must be put away. In all things saints, imitate God and walk in the love of Christ and all its many manifestations.
Eph 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
There is a King and His name is Jesus, and His name is above all names. He holds my heart and in the depths of who I am, He reigns. He holds the fabric of my life together, He’s the smile you’ll see upon my face. And even now in the depths of winter He is my everlasting warm embrace. The truth is high and lifted up and when it is spoken in love the whole world shakes. It puts to flight all lies and cuts through the darkness. Shall we not be filled with this love and speak the Truth? In doing so we grow in all things related to our Lord. And when everyone of us begin to move, when the whole Body moves together then the earth begins to tremble for the army of the Lord is on the march. If we shall grow, individually and corporately we must speak the truth in love. If we shall rise up and go deeper into the Father’s heart, we must speak the truth in love and walk there in. If we shall be one even as He and the Father are one it can only happen in truth and in love. They go together, no one can separate Christ into individual parts.
“The whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does it share, causes growth of the body, for the edifying of itself in love.” (Eph 4:16) This is an explosive scripture. The Body is knit together by what every joint supplies. It is only effective when every part does its share. This is the only way for growth. Despite what charlatans and hirelings and wolves might tell you, adding numbers to a gathering is not growth. Speaking the truth in love is growth. Edification and discipleship is growth. Fruits of the Spirit is growth. Sanctification is growth. When we have put off our former conduct, that is growth. Growth is about the inner man, not how many services you have. Growth is about endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Only in Christ who is truth can there be unity, can there be one body and one Spirit. One hope, one faith, one baptism one God and Father who is above all and who is preeminent in our hearts and in our minds and our gatherings. We can grow in the desert. We can grow in the depths of a dungeon. We can grow on the mountaintops. We can grow in poverty and we can grow in sickness. Growth is not determined by our circumstances, it is determined by our desire to follow the Lord and His word, wherever that narrow road will take us.
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.(Eph 4:4-6)
There is one Body and one Spirit and that’s the plain truth of it. Whoever attempts to divide the Body is on a fools errand. The catastrophic failure of denominationalism flows from the root failure to understand our calling. To walk as one in Christ, this is the hope of our calling. We endeavor to keep the unity of Christ which means we diligently work to tear down walls of separation just as the walls that separated the Jews from the Gentiles were torn down on the bloody battle-field of Calvary. The Body of Christ spans the world and churches and denominations. Christendom, all that calls itself after Christ is not the Body, but for the most part the Body dwells within the confines of Christendom. Christendom needs them but they do not need Christendom. For by our new birth we were born into Christ, into the Body and it is one. One faith, one baptism and one God the Father who is in us. If the Father is not in you then you are not in the Body of Christ, no matter what “church,” you belong to. If the Father is in you then you belong to the Body of Christ no matter what “church,” you belong to.
Being a member or an attendee of a “church,” is of no consequence to those in whom the Father does not dwell. Circumcised or uncircumcised has no spiritual value. Church goer or non church goer has no spiritual value outside of the Spirit of God that dwells with us. Among the true Body of Christ there are some apostles and some prophets, some evangelists and some pastors and teachers. Their purpose is to bring the saints to maturity and to edify the true Body of Christ until Christ comes again. They are not for the amusement or the hiring of the unsaved or the religious. No one outside of the Body can be edified by those whom the Lord calls, for the calling is to the one true Church. In Christendom we see “the trickery of men in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting.” (Eph 4:14) The plotting is always in association with self-serving. Every wind of doctrine is employed by the trickery of men to build themselves up, and build for themselves a kingdom. Yet God will always have those of the Body who shall speak the truth in love, seeking only to edify and protect the Body. It is incumbent upon you, O saint, to discern these things by the Word of God and His Spirit.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
This might be one of the most famous Scriptures there is. How often have you heard it discussed? It has become theological in nature because, well it is, of course, but its certainly not dead letter, rather it’s alive to the glories of God’s plan. And His plan is His gift to man, not of their works but of His workmanship. He desired a people for Himself and would take the marred clay of our humanity and create out of Jew and Gentile, one glorious Body of His own making. He would make known to us the mystery of His will. He would give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation that the eyes of our understanding would be enlightened. He would take two and make one. He would tear down the middle wall of separation by abolishing in His flesh, on the cross, the enmity that existed between God and men, an uncrossable gulf that only Christ could bridge by His work on the cross. Glory to God! We who were strangers and alienated from God, now, in Christ are brought near by His blood. Near to God, near to the heart of the Father. Deeper into the Father’s heart. Let us be closer still and let it be the “work,” of our life to be found in Him. Nearer my God to thee.
By trusting in the unmerited favor of God, and trusting God for our eternal soul, and falling down before Him in repentance, then He has saved us. The gift of God to a world condemned, to the Jew first and then the Gentile. We are made one in Christ. He has raised up for Himself a Body and He inhabits this Body. God would build His own temple with His own hands and this will be His eternal dwelling place. Nothing man made, lest man would boast. Our very salvation is a gift, where is the boasting? We are now citizens and members of the household of God, having been built upon no other foundation other than that of the Apostles and prophets. And at the heart of it all, Christ Jesus, our Cornerstone. In Him the whole building, being fitted together with living stones, is being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood. Spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ our Lord amen. Now stop just for a moment brothers and sisters. Consider what Paul is saying to you and me. Consider the context of it and what has been stated. You are a living stone. You are part of the Body. You belong to the “house-hold,” of God in a way that only you could. God has shaped you, yes you, to fit perfectly into His work. You are His work. It’s nothing less than mind blowing and yet there it is.
A long time ago, I remember flying into Glasgow Airport. Now Scotland is a country that spends a significant amount of the year under cloud cover. Yet here I was, above all the clouds, in a perpetually blue sky, about to descend into and below not just dark clouds but a storm system.
It suddenly struck me that no matter what kind of darkness or grayness or however driech ( good Scottish word for overcast) it was, or whatever storm was raging, that just above that storm or darkness was a perpetually blue sky. The answer was and always has been to come up higher. To rise up above every situation and come into and dwell in this perpetually blue sky.
It’s there in the deepest darkest valleys. It’s there when there seems to be no light and no way ahead. It’s there, it’s there, He’s there, He’s always there and He has given His children wings that they may fly through the gross darkness into His marvelous light. Wings strong enough to fly through the fiercest storms.
Spiritual wings that elevate us from even the deepest of dungeons that can create a way through the darkness. That can disrupt that very darkness with the turbulence of His holiness that pierces the darkness and causes light to fall to earth so that they who dwell in that very darkness can see this great light. The beauty of His holiness in mortal men. A beauty that points to immortality and the eternal. A beauty that penetrates the impenetrable light of God Himself.
Last night was a sleepless night for me. There was two lines that came to me in my sleep. “I’m walking in the shadow of an already setting sun.” I knew if I did not get up, that these words would not be remembered in the morning. Typically when I write a poem, the Holy Spirit will give me a line that represents the meaning He wants me to convey in words. It’s not usually in the middle of the night. It was a struggle as I was so desperately tired, but eventually I got up at about 3am and went downstairs and wrote the lines. This morning it seemed clear to me what the Holy Spirit was saying. He was speaking to someone, perhaps many, who look at their lives or a particular situation and it seems hopeless. It seems no good thing can come out of this despite your desperate prayers. So, this poem/word is to someone who has specifically asked the Lord a question about what shall become of their desperate situation. The old adage “its always darkest before the dawn,” seems to fit here. There is a dawn coming, the sun will rise in your situation, but in the depths of the longest night it is often hard to believe. To you who asked the question of God, He says to you “the victory is already won, right now your just walking in the shadow of it.”
I'm walking in the shadow
Of an already setting sun
I'm walking in the shadow of
A victory already won
And in that victory I'll arise
O death where is your sting?
I'll stand before the Lord of Lords
And this is what I'll sing
Hallelujah hallelujah
Hallelujah to my King
Hallelujah hallelujah
O death where be thy sting?
Now I look back at the shadow
And the shadow is no more
It's been swallowed up in victory
As I walk on through the door
It's an open door to heaven
A door no man can close
For the one who holds it open
Is the one who took the blows.
2Co 10:4-5 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
It is interesting to see the context of this very well known verse. Paul is addressing “some who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.” He is talking about a certain group of Corinthians who do not hold him in high esteem. In fact, it is well known that they say “his letters are weighty and powerful but his bodily presence is weak and his speech is contemptible.” You see, they were judging him on his outward appearance. He was not tall, dark and handsome, and he had no motivational speaker skill sets. Oratory was not his wheelhouse. And so, comparing themselves among themselves, and measuring each other in an outward fashion, how the man looks, how the man speaks, they found Paul wanting. Yet Paul, although he walked “in” the flesh, as we all do, did not walk “according” to the flesh or war according to the flesh, quite the opposite.
Those who walk /and or war in the flesh create strongholds within themselves. They are argumentative and high-minded and exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. They have been taken captive by their own thoughts of themselves. They judge according to the outward appearance and what they all think of one another. It is pride in all its many forms and pride is a “high thing,’ or a high place in the mind. And the thing about the high place of pride is that there is only one way to go from there, they must fall. When Paul comes, by the power of the Holy Spirit, he will use the mighty weapons of God to pull down, or cause to fall, the strongholds. These are the fortresses that exist within the mind and soul where pride dwells. By the wisdom of God Paul will demolish their arguments and ever other high thing that exalts “self,” over Christ. Coming against these men by the authority given by God is Paul operating within his sphere of influence, for it is God who commends Paul, God that anointed Paul and God who appointed Paul.
So brothers and sisters, let us glory in God and compare ourselves to Him. Let Jesus be the high water mark. Never compare yourselves to anyone but rather strive to imitate God. Eph 5:1 tells us to imitate God. 1 Cor 11:1 tells us to imitate Christ. Be followers in His footsteps. Do not compare yourself to someone else, for you may compare favorably when comparing one with another. Yet when compare ourselves to God it is always a humbling experience and should be. When we keep this short account brothers and sisters its keeps pride at bay. It never allows us to exalt ourselves or indeed any other man. If you shall glory in anything, do not glory in yourself or any other man or woman but rather glory in God. In glorifying God and keeping ourselves humble in our own sight and in the sight of the Lord we are being raised up and equipped with enormously powerful spiritual weapons that is more than able to pull down on the spiritual strongholds of men and their high places. When we walk in this manner, God Himself will raise us up to dwell in high and lofty places where He fellowships with the lowly and the contrite.
I very rarely give the premise of a poem. Poems should speak for themselves. Poems can say a thousand different things to a thousand different people. A poet reaches into his heart and speaks of what he knows and presents a piece of his heart to others. What is common to him is common to humanity. When he expresses this, it touches others for they recognize that joy and pain and even agony that is common to all of us to one degree or another. Yet I would like to say a few words about this poem that I have written. It is my testimony of being saved. It is where I was. I had come out of my childhood a thoroughly broken human being. And long before my 21st birthday I had buried a son, been homeless, held my second son in my arms who had just been burned over 60% of his body with third degree burns, and suddenly I was gone. I had slipped away beneath the darkness. Into the depths of wrecked humanity. I “knew,” I would not leave this place.
And it was this “knowing,” that was the atmosphere of my own personal hell. It is impossible to convey this place of lost souls. I had walked out of the fire of my childhood and onto broken glass. And suddenly the mind is overwhelmed and you slip away. And so the poem describes a shaft of light that doggedly pursued me. I knew it was there, I ran from it. It was, of course, my Jesus. And he pursued me to the gates of hell. I cannot really describe my encounter with Him. It was an agony, for I could see myself. I, who would have destroyed every mirror in the world had to face what I had become in the incredible light of Christ. And right there I wanted Jesus to look away from me, I did not want this magnificent majestic perfect beauty of Holiness to look on something so deformed by sin. And yet He looked, despite my sin. “I love you.” And in a single moment, I was free. And so, the poem is about my journey to the light. If you know someone who is lost in the depths of darkness, maybe you could share this with them. There is but a single hope in Christ.
If my heart cries out, Lord will you hear me?
If I come to you, Lord will you see me?
What could be worse than the darkness where I stand?
To reach out through the darkness and discover there's no hand
The greater terror than the darkness of the night
Is to consider the possibility that there really is no light
To be so consumed by darkness that there is no way ahead
Is to walk in lockstep with the lost, to walk with the walking dead
Yet all along there was but a single shaft of light
That followed through the fire and was with me in the night
I ran and ran and ran from this but yet it followed me
Even to the ends of the earth and to the depths of the bottomless sea.
I had taken the wings of the morning and fled into the night
I had plunged to the very gates of hell, yet it kept me in its sight
Even in this darkness it still was light to me
I could sense that somewhere in this light I could yet be free
And so with trembling agony I stumbled to the light
I had ran with the forces of chaos and now I had no fight
So my heart cried out to Jesus "Is it true can I be free."
And in a single moment He was standing there with me.
And oh what an agony to to be this near to Him
I could see my lost humanity, that I was drowning in my sin.
And with my very last breath, He had indeed heard me
The light had come to take me home, the light had set me free.
2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
In this chapter Paul lays out the marks of the ministry, how we shall be known. As ministers of God, meaning the Body of Christ and all of its many members, who seek to live Godly in Christ Jesus, we shall be patient in the many tribulations that we will surely face. And here are just some of the many situations that we are commended to be patient in, as opposed to living your best life now. In needs, in distresses, when we are beaten for Christ and imprisoned for His sake. In working with our hands, in revolts and rebellions, in sleeplessness and in fastings. We shall be known for our kindness and our sincere love as we walk though all of these situations, showing Godly wisdom and sharing the knowledge of God in all places and to all people. We shall walk in the power of God and by the armor of His righteousness. We shall be honored but we shall also be dishonored but we shall be gracious in both states. Men will say good things about us, but equally many men will dishonor us with lies and false accusations. They will say that we are deceivers and agents of the devil himself, but no matter, let us continue to be patient. The remnant people of God will know of us but for the most part we shall be unknown.
To the world it will seem that we are cursed and are dying but we are blessed and we are walking in the true abundance of eternal life. It will be seen that we are men and women of great sorrow, and indeed we shall suffer the sorrows of this world but we rejoice in the glory of Jesus and in the sure knowledge of the eternal Kingdom of God. It will seem to many that we are poor and wretched and blind but we are truly rich in the treasures of heaven which were purchased in the midst of the fire by the hand of Christ Jesus. We are clothed in the white garments of righteousness and holiness and our blind eyes have been opened to see the glory of God and to gaze up into an open heaven. It seems to the world that we have nothing, but in the reality of the Kingdom of God we possess all things through our Lord and Savior Jesus. We who suffer with our Lord shall rule and reign with Him in the heavenlies and this our heart knows well. We have a peace that surpasses all understanding. We have a contentment that the world knows nothing of because it is not based on any worldly things. Now brothers and sisters, what has just been here described is the common walk of the genuine saint.
We must walk in Christ alone and find our fellowship with others of like mind. We must not be unequally yoked. For what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? Can we fellowship with those who are willful transgressors? Not according to the Word. What communion can light have with darkness? For those who are in the light walk in the light and they have fellowship one one with another. Does Jesus and the devil have fellowship? Is it possible for believers and unbelievers to walk together under the banner of Christ? Brothers and sisters, it is incumbent upon us to understand this, the weight of these directives fall upon us in this matter of fellowship. In this day and age of watered down Christianity, a Christless and crossless Christianity, it is up to us to find the saints who walk as Paul admonished us to walk in this very chapter of 2 Cor 6. God Himself says, no rather He commands, in the very context of this chapter, that we are to “come out from among them and be separate and do not touch what is unclean.” In following these commands He promises to receive us and that He would be our Father and that we would be His sons and daughters. He promised to dwell in us and walk among us where two or three are gathered together in the mighty name of Jesus, and He will be our God and we shall be His people. Glory to God!!!
You have been my shelter Lord..............
When the rain fell from the sky
When the rivers they ran dry
When peace had fled from me
You have been my shelter Lord, in the midst of the raging sea.
You have been my shelter Lord.............
When I just could not go on
When the night had lost its song
When I was down upon my knees
You have been my shelter Lord when you heard my anguished pleas.
You have been my shelter Lord............
When the wilderness sapped my soul
When I had lost control
When there was no way ahead
You were indeed my shelter Lord when you suffered died and bled
You are my Rock my strong high tower
My song of praise in the midnight hour
My holy place my tabernacle
You broke every chain and smashed every shackle.
There is somewhat of an inevitable loneliness of the walk of the saint who has stepped behind the veil so to speak. Certainly it has always been this way. Yet in these days this loneliness the saint feels, this isolation that plagues him can only get worse. For part of this loneliness has always been associated with separation down through the corridors of time. In every age every group of saints has faced the challenge of their time and they faced it, for the most part alone or in smaller groups.
Now why do I say that it can only get worse? I believe that it will only get worse because this world is growing darker, darker than it ever has been before. Before it is all over, right will have become wrong, day will have become night and every saint who has walked in the garden of the Lord’s heart will be more isolated that any group of saints have ever have been in the past. Every saints yearns for deep genuine fellowship. It abides within the depths of who we are. Yet there is something that is deeper still, its an unyielding powerful force that grips us. It lies at the very center of who we are. If we could see with spiritual eyes into the deepest parts of who we are we would see this. What is it? Its a gift that we received upon which everything stands. It is the Truth and our love for it.
And with all unrighteous deception among those that perish, because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2Th 2:10-12)
It is such a serious thing is it not, the truth? By it we stand or fall. Those who receive the love of the truth are saved, those who do not, perish. Now, if you have received the love of the truth, nothing will compel you to give it up. You have received it as a gift from God Himself and it burns in your bones. This is why there is more loneliness ahead in this world for the saint. For the world and indeed much of Christendom has turned its back on the truth. They are willing to trade the truth for the love of man and the acceptance of the world. We know that perfect love casts out all fear. This love, which we saints have received will do its perfect work. It will keep us in power and give us a mind that is not shaken by circumstances, a heart and a mind that stands upon the unshakable Word of God. Yet not just the Word of God but the dynamic reality of the presence of God.
And that is the separation. Only in like-minded saints can we ever find fellowship. Only that kind of fellowship moving forward will be acceptable. The reality is that there is an ever-widening gap between those who call themselves followers of Jesus and those who have seen as opposed to heard. On the road to Emmaeus two saints said ““Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” The Holy Spirit opens up the Word to His saints as they encounter the living God in their hearts. He leads them and He guides them and at the bottom of it all is Truth and the saints love for it. What is Truth? Jesus is Truth and in that Truth He give us life and that more abundantly and He shows us the way. If that way leads us down the dark and narrow road of circumstances and loneliness, then that will not stop us from going down that road.And so the gap indeed widens for the genuine saint who has received the love of the truth.
The world and all of its ways have forced itself into Christendom and demands allegiance. Not total allegiance to begin with for that old serpent is far too wise for that. Just a foothold, juts a little foothold that’s all for today, but tomorrow comes the stronghold and then the stronghold becomes the base from which total dominance of all the land becomes a reality. The genuine saint flees away from all of that and will find less and less places of refuge until at last he has no where else to run. Yet the man or the woman of God has found a hiding place that can never be conquered or taken. It is the high tower of the Living God. It is the shadow underneath the wing of the most high. It is the secret garden of the heart of promise given to us. There we walk saints. It is a place where we know. It is common to us. I have met saints from all over the world who ” know,” this place. And my spirit witnesses with theirs and theirs with mine.
There are but two worlds, two realities. This world and the Kingdom of God. When the Lord returns, which world will He find us in? Each world is exclusive and demands total loyalty. We are witnessing the stripping away of all of the pretense of this world. There is more stripping to come as the master of this world exposes himself for who and what he is. And antidote to this world and the father of lies is the Truth and our love for it. Let us stand fast in the coming days and follow the passion of our hearts no matter where it leads us. In the end, it is better to have fellowship with God than to be friends with the world. In the world people gather round a flag pole. In the Kingdom, saints gather round the truth. It is the fire that will keep us warm as the bitter cold winter of the worlds discontent fast approaches its inevitable end.
2Co 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Moses ministry is here described in this chapter as the “ministry of condemnation,” and it is compared to the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the ministry of righteousness. If the first glory was the ministry of death, written and engraved on tablets of stone, then what is the glory of the Spirit, etched into the hearts of men? If the glow from Moses face was so glorious that it had to be veiled, what say you about the ministry of life? One is death and the other is life. One is the sureness of our sin and the power of it, the other is the deliverance from it and life anew by the power of the Holy Spirit! Therefore since we have such hope we are called to speak boldly. To proclaim His marvelous truth. To testify of the life that is in us. His life, His glory, His holiness, His righteousness. . The world will know that He loves them and that He sent His only begotten Son to save them when they hear and see Christ in us, And all of this unveiled, nothing hidden.
When we turn to the Lord, then the veil is taken away. In the beginning we were made in the image of God, yet we never had the indwelling glory of God. Half a man at best, like the men raised in the valley of dry bones yet without the breath of the Spirit flowing from the depths of our heart. Now, we who are born again by the Spirit of God, with veil removed, walk in the glory of His righteousness, raised from the dead just as surely as Lazarus. So when we now look in the mirror we see the glory of God! You are the glory of God, God dwells in you. We are a manifestation of Christ on the earth. We are not little gods, we are in and of ourselves nothing, but Christ in us is everything! Are you living in the glory saints? We are being transformed into the very image of Christ from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord. Never forget who you are. Never forget the life that is in you. Never for a moment deny your son-ship. Never forget that He that has begun this good work in you is faithful to complete it. The devil will whisper otherwise, he is a liar.
In 1544 there occurred what became know as “The great debasement.” Ushered in by an impoverished Henry V111 in order to increase his revenue, he simply put less gold in a coin but maintained its face value. Gold was reduced from 23 karat to 20 karat and the amount of silver in a coin was reduced from 92.5% to just 25%. There was somewhat of an out cry but for six years this policy prevailed, thus debasing the value of the whole currency, it was ye old inflation.
Part of Solomon’s treasure was three hundred shields of gold. (2 Chron 9:16) It was only a small part of his treasure but it was worth a vast fortune in today’s money. When that treasure was foolishly handled and displayed in pride and arrogance under Rehoboam, Shishak, King of Egypt came and took them all. The divided Kingdom could not stand against the might of Egypt. Rehoboam’s solution was to make 300 shields of brass. As the rising sun glistened on the brass shields, from a distance no one could tell that it was not gold, but it was not gold, it was a poor substitute.
Today’s brass is dimmed lights, smoke machines, stadium seating, concert style worship, flashing lights and laser shows. Add to that salesmen pitches and the power of positive thinking and “sermons,” by men who could easily be self help gurus or motivational speakers and the brass is complete. When the real treasure is gone, the presence of the Lord, then the replacement is brass and if that replacement is brass then the heavens above them is brass.
The riches of our dwelling place is in the Lord. The beauty of dwelling with Him produces the finest gold of unconditional love. The walls of our dwelling place are encrusted with the jewels of forgiveness and mercy. The windows of our dwelling places are draped with meekness and humility. Trophies of grace hang on every wall. They are framed with the finest materials of patience and kindness.He is our exceeding great reward and His presence is pure gold that can never be devalued by men. It is the riches that will last throughout eternity. We have no brass heavens above us, rather we have an open heaven. And from that open heaven it rains and the skies are rent and down flows the treasure of Heaven, God Himself!
A Call To The Remnant 