The Word This Week #30
The Word This Week #30
February 19, 2012
Sunday AM
Three Types of Temptation
In Matthew 4:1-11, we read the account of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. Verse 1 tells us that Jesus was “led up by the Spirit into the wilderness”. Just as night seasons are a part of our natural and spiritual lives, wilderness experiences are part of our spiritual journey. Being in a spiritual wilderness experience is not a result of sin.
The account of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness is a pattern to help us understand the ways Satan uses to tempt us. In verse 3, Satan tempts Jesus to turn stones into bread. The purpose or motive of this temptation is to change outward circumstances to please self. Jesus’ response shifts the focus from the natural, outward circumstances to inward, spiritual matters; “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Satan tempted Jesus to use His divine power to change things. When Joseph was made the second in authority in Egypt (Genesis 41) he had the power to bring his father to Egypt but he waited for God’s appointed time and let God bring his father to him (Genesis 46).
Satan tempts us to try to satisfy our spiritual hunger with natural things that do not really satisfy, but instead only make us desire more. When we focus on spending our time to satisfy ourselves, we reach a point where what God has given us is not good enough. God puts us in the wilderness to teach us to give thanks for things just as they are and as we give thanks and partake of the spiritual bread that he has provided, we grow spiritually and our capacity for spiritual bread increases. The only true satisfaction is spiritual satisfaction.
In Matthew 4:5, we see Satan tempting Jesus to throw himself from the pinnacle of the temple, to see if the angels would come and catch him. This type of temptation is aimed at us causing other to serve us. Sometimes we are tempted to play the victim in our circumstances, so that others will come and serve us. We want others to understand us and sympathize with our situation. Sometimes God puts us in ’fenced in’ circumstances, so that we will look to him for help. He has others withhold what we want or need, so we will look to the Creator rather than the creature. Sometimes God wants us to reach out and serve others even out of our poverty, in order to put into motion the principle of sowing and reaping (Galatians 6:7-9).
The third way Satan tempts us is found in Matthew 4:9; to worship the creature over the Creator. Whether we worship an idol, or the true and living God, the object of our worship is not essentially changed in nature or character. However, what or who we worship will affect us. The word “serve” in verse 10 means “a slave, a worshipper, to render homage.” When we idolize someone or something we let them influence us and we become like them. In 1 Samuel 17:16 the giant Goliath came out morning and evening to taunt the army of Israel. These were the times when Israel was supposed to be worshipping God at his altar. The name “Goliath” means “to denude”. Goliath had stripped Israel of their relationship with their Creator-God, and had enslaved them to the point to where they bowed and quaked before the giant Philistine. David came from the wilderness. He remembered what God had done for him and was connected to God, his Creator and Source. David refused to be influenced by others in his stand for God. We can overcome our enemy and have fellowship with both the creature and the Creator by staying connected to the Source.
The Word This Week #29
The Word This Week #29
February 12, 2012
Sunday AM
Drawing Near to God
Mark 12:31 tells us that the second greatest commandment is “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself”. This means that in order to be able to love others, we must first know how to love ourselves. We are threefold beings.We have three parts; a body, a soul, and a spirit. The word “love” in this verse of scripture is the Hebrew word “ahab”, meaning “affection”. This precludes ‘putting ourselves on a pedestal’, or admiring ourselves in an idolatrous manner, but instead is a respectful regard for the body, soul and spirit that God, our owner and creator has given us.
In James 4:8 we read “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you”. In order to love our true selves, our spirit and soul, we must draw near to God. We are to come to God. He is already waiting for us. We are to come as we are, not until we feel “spiritual”, or “good enough”. Psalms 73:28 tells us that it is good for us to draw near to God. The word “good” in this verse means “complete’- the most good, or complete that we can ever get.
As we come, offering our hearts up to God, with all of our thoughts, deeds, talents, motives, etc., God draws near to us. If our desire is to draw near to God, we need to examine our values; is what we are doing, thinking, etc. serving to draw us near to God or not?
There are several steps that we need to take in order to draw near to God. The first is seen in the life of Abram. In Genesis 13:7-9, we see that Abram was concerned with spiritual things. Lot’s concerns were worldly. Abram saw that there was strife coming between himself and Lot, so he separated himself from strife. In order to draw near to God we must separate ourselves spiritually from the things of the world. We encounter people and things of this world that try to draw us away from God, and if we do not separate spiritually, through prayer from this spiritual strife, our spiritual enemy slips in and sows seeds of doubt.
The second step we must take to draw near to God is seen in the life of Hagar. In Genesis 16:4 that Hagar, Sarai’s Egyptian handmaid, despised Sarai. When Sarai dealt harshly with her, Hagar fled (Gen.16:6). In verse 9, the Angel of the Lord tells Hagar to return and submit to Sarai. God puts us in situations where we need to submit to his will and authority, instead of becoming impatient and taking matters into our own hands. Just as Hagar was protected until her son Ishmael grew up and became free, our humility position is for our protection and preservation, until the Son, that is, our new man has grown up.
A third step we take in drawing near to God is seen in Psalm 37:7-8. We draw near by resting, waiting patiently and not fretting. The word “fret” means “to glow or grow warm with zeal or anger, to grieve, to become incensed.” It is easy to let ourselves become influenced by others. We become angry because God is not doing what we want him to (despising his purposive will - what God wants done), or because God is not doing things the way we think he should (despising God’s master plan - the way he wants his will performed). We become jealous of others, thinking they are ‘getting away with’ something. Verse 8 tells us to “fret not thyself in any way to do evil.” We are to cease from being angry and from looking for ways to avenge ourselves over real or imagined offenses. To draw near to God means that we are seeking for peace with God, and we go to him asking for forgiveness and let him deal with our offenses.
The Word This Week #27
The Word This Week #27
January 29, 2012
Sunday AM
Gifts with Instructions
Hebrews 9 and 10:1-18 show us how the Old Testament tabernacle with its’ sacrifices and services is a picture of Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 10:19-21, we see four gifts that the Lord has given us.
First, in verse 19 the blood of Jesus gives us "boldness to enter into the holiest." We cannot come through our own strength or righteousness, but by the surrendering and confessing of our sins we receive redemption and justify the Lord’s crucifixion. When we confess and repent we justify the Father for giving his Son.
Secondly, in verse 20, we have received "a new and living way”. The word “new” means “previously slain, lately made” and the word “living” tells us that we can have a new, fresh and growing relationship with God through his Son, Jesus Christ, by making a conscious choice to seek Him daily.
Thirdly, in verse 20, we see that this “new and living way” was “consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, his flesh.” A new way to God the Father was “consecrated”, that is ”justified, renewed, inaugurated and dedicated” for us when Jesus’ body was torn and rent on the cross, and went through death and hell. We often get involved in our own circumstances, overcome by thoughts and emotions, when Jesus has made a way for us through all of these things, and is waiting for us to come to him, and confess our need.
Fourthly, in verse 21 we see that we have “a high priest over the house of God.” The word “house’ means “dwelling, family, home, temple”. We are God’s temple, or house, and Jesus is the high priest over us. He cleanses us, furnishes us, and oversees us. We are not the high priest, we are tabernacles and we need to let him minister.
In verses 22-25, we see four things the Lord wants us to do. These things are built on the previous four gifts, using them as a foundation. First, in verse 22, we are to “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith”. The words “draw near” mean “to worship”,the word “true” means “first, or union”, and the word “heart” means “the thoughts, feelings or mind”. God wants us to worship Him first, in our thoughts, feelings and minds. We are able to do this by “having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water”; that is, by allowing the Lord to cleanse us through his blood, and by being washed with the water of the Spirit and the Word.
Secondly, in verse 23, we are told to “hold fast the profession of our faith” The word “profession” means “confession, admission, and acknowledgement”. We are to acknowledge and confess that we have no strength, power or means of redemption within ourselves,
and we are to confess and profess our faith in God’s ability to perform his promises. Even when we struggle, falter and fail, we can confess that God is faithful and able to complete the work he has begun in us (Philippians 1:6, 2:13)
Thirdly, in verse 24, we are to “consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works”. The word “provoke” means “to incite, to sharpen, come along side, convict, teach, instruct,” The word “consider” means “to observe fully, think, understand, perceive, discover.”
We are to consider others, and not focus only on our own cares and concerns.
Fourthly, in verse 25, we are to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, and we are to exhort one another. The word “exhort” means “to call near, comfort, invite, pray”. As we meet together, to consider, comfort and pray for one another, we allow the Lord to minister
through us to others, and to allow him to minister to us through others.
The Word this Week #28
The Word This Week #28
February 5, 2012
Sunday AM
Dealing With Seals
In Revelation 5:1-4, we see a sealed book that no one is able to open or look on. Although these seals are prophetic pictures of what will occur during the literal period of time that is coming on the earth known as the tribulation, it is also a picture of what will happen on an individual, personal level in our spiritual walk with God. We read in the scriptures that God is surrounded by thick clouds of darkness (1 Kings 8:12, Psalms 97:1-2, Psalms18:11).
The tribulation is a period of darkness, death and destruction that is a precursor or forerunner to bring in the Millennium; that is, the peaceful one thousand year reign of Christ on earth. It is God’s method of making the evil in the world manifest, in order to cleanse the earth prior to the advent of the reign of Christ. When we go through our personal ‘tribulation’, it is to reveal the things within us that are not of God; that are anti-Christ.
We see when the first seal is opened (Revelation 6:2), a white horse and a rider appear. The white horse is symbolic of a self-righteous attitude and the rider a picture of rebellion and defiance against Christ (anti Christ). This is an attitude that defies God’s rule and reign over our lives. The spirit of self-righteousness works to justify our rebellious and defiant thoughts and attitudes. For example, in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 we read that it is God’s will that we give thanks in everything. If we are not giving thanks it is evidence of the spirit of anti-Christ in our ‘earth’. When God breaks the seal, and the darkness of our nature is revealed to us, it is so that we can take it to the cross. When anti-Christ comes to the temple (Revelation 13) he comes to demand to be worshipped. When Jesus went into the temple (Matt. 21:2-4, Mark 11:15-17, Luke 19:45-46) he went to cleanse it. Self demands to be worshipped, but Jesus comes to our ‘temple’ to cleanse it and prepare us for his reign of peace.
In Revelation 6:3-4, the second seal is broken, and we see a red horse, symbolic of a spirit of fleshly anger, and its’ rider, the spirit of war. These spirits (attitudes) take the peace from the earth. If we do not deal with the first spirit of anti-Christ, that says God is unjust, instead of thanking and praising God, it will be followed by the spirit of fleshly anger that wants to make war with everyone, and robs us of our peace. We become bitter and angry while trying to justify our attitudes and actions. We become willing to sacrifice everyone to justify our anger.
God is the one who controls when these seals are broken. He waits until we have the spiritual ability to deal with our fleshly nature as he reveals it. As we thank him for what he has already accomplished within us, we are further enabled to thank him for what he is revealing; that we can see it and be set free from these things now, to be prepared for the advent of his kingdom reign of peace.
The Word This Week #26
The Word This Week #26
January 22, 2012
Sunday AM
Finders and Keepers
In Matthew 13:44 we read the story of a man who finds a treasure in a field, hides it, then sells all that he has and buys the field.
The fact that the man found the treasure implies that he was looking for something because he was dissatisfied with what he had.
The first thing that the man did when he found the treasure was hide it. He covered it to protect it, and keep it from being stolen. God gives us treasures of experiences in our relationship with Him in the Spirit and the Word.
If we do not value and cherish them enough to cover and protect them, Satan and the world will steal them from us. We cover and protect what we have by offering up praise and gratitude for what God has given.
Even the smallest things God gives us need to be cherished and protected. We may not even seem to have received anything from attending church, or in our prayer or study time, but our faithfulness blesses the Lord’s heart and if we forget to protect this, doubts can come in and steal the truth.
Our bodies are the temples of God and the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).We protect our treasure by being watchful and guarding against things that would come in through our ‘eye gates’ and ‘ear gates’ that will create false images and corrupt our temples. Just as a natural law of physics teaches us that two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time, so the things of the world cannot abide in the same space as the Holy Spirit. One will displace the other. It is up to us which one occupies our ‘space’. Just hearing something does not make it ours. The things we receive and retain after the battle are truly ours. Matthew 11:12 tells us that “the kingdom of God suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force”. Sometimes we need to make more noise than the voices around us trying to influence us.
After the man hid his treasure, he had joy. Jacob was one who protected what he had (the promise of the birthright and the blessing) He then received a new vision from God (Genesis 28:11-19). He guarded his vision and protected what he had received. By remembering his previous experiences, he had strength to wrestle all night with the Angel (Genesis 32:24-30). Joseph protected his vision and was given the strength to hold on to his faith, and to choose an attitude of forgiveness instead of vengeance.
Proverbs 29:18 tells us that “without a vision the people perish” and Nehemiah 8:10 tells us that “the joy of the Lord is your strength”. Two things the enemy wants most to steal from us are our vision and our joy, but if we cover and protect what the Lord gives us by giving him our gratitude and praise, remembering what he has done, and guard our temples, he will supply us with strength through his joy and a new vision of himself.