1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say this—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
3 those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south. [a]
4 Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding no way to a city where they could settle.
5 They were hungry and thirsty,
and their lives ebbed away.
6 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way
to a city where they could settle.
8 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men,
9 for he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom,
prisoners suffering in iron chains,
11 for they had rebelled against the words of God
and despised the counsel of the Most High.
12 So he subjected them to bitter labor;
they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom
and broke away their chains.
15 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men,
16 for he breaks down gates of bronze
and cuts through bars of iron.
17 Some became fools through their rebellious ways
and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.
18 They loathed all food
and drew near the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
20 He sent forth his word and healed them;
he rescued them from the grave.
21 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men.
22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings
and tell of his works with songs of joy.
23 Others went out on the sea in ships;
they were merchants on the mighty waters.
24 They saw the works of the LORD,
his wonderful deeds in the deep.
25 For he spoke and stirred up a tempest
that lifted high the waves.
26 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
in their peril their courage melted away.
27 They reeled and staggered like drunken men;
they were at their wits' end.
28 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.
29 He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.
31 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men.
32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people
and praise him in the council of the elders.
33 He turned rivers into a desert,
flowing springs into thirsty ground,
34 and fruitful land into a salt waste,
because of the wickedness of those who lived there.
35 He turned the desert into pools of water
and the parched ground into flowing springs;
36 there he brought the hungry to live,
and they founded a city where they could settle.
37 They sowed fields and planted vineyards
that yielded a fruitful harvest;
38 he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,
and he did not let their herds diminish.
39 Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled
by oppression, calamity and sorrow;
40 he who pours contempt on nobles
made them wander in a trackless waste.
41 But he lifted the needy out of their affliction
and increased their families like flocks.
42 The upright see and rejoice,
but all the wicked shut their mouths.
43 Whoever is wise, let him heed these things
and consider the great love of the LORD.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Adopted as Sons of God - we are all HID in Christ - you the women too!
A devotional by Jon Courson http://joncourson.com/ - got it from Jeff & Liz Harsbarger www.refugeministries.cc
But when the fulness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Galatians 4:4-5
The Greek word for 'adoption' is huiothesia. 'Huios' meaning son, 'thesis’ meaning position. ‘Huiothesia’ means taking the position of a son. The Son of God took our position on the Cross of Calvary, paying for our sins, in order that we might in turn take the position as sons of God.
Understand this: adoption is not the method of entry into God’s family. As Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3, we enter into God’s family only by being born again. Rather, adoption speaks of our privilege and standing within God’s family. The moment we were born again, we were placed in an adopted state as heirs, as sons of God.
We think of adoption in terms of adopting a little baby. But that’s not the biblical concept of adoption. Biblical adoption refers to a full-grown adult. It would be like, before retiring from Ford Motor Company and having no sons, but wanting his name to continue, Henry Ford approached a 24-year-old Harvard student and said, ‘Would you let me adopt you? If you will, you’ll have a place on the Board of Directors, a salary of 2.5 million a year, a summer house in Hawaii, a winter house in Tahiti, a private jet, and your own yacht.’
So too, the moment you were born again, you assumed the position of an adopted son — heir to the riches of the Father. Too often people say, ‘I really can’t be used by the Lord because I’ve only walked with Him five years,’ or, ‘I can’t get involved in intercessory prayer because I’m just a new Christian.’ Wrong. As far as the privileges and responsibilities of the Kingdom go, you were adopted as a mature son with as much right to be blessed and used by the Lord as Billy Graham.
But when the fulness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Galatians 4:4-5
The Greek word for 'adoption' is huiothesia. 'Huios' meaning son, 'thesis’ meaning position. ‘Huiothesia’ means taking the position of a son. The Son of God took our position on the Cross of Calvary, paying for our sins, in order that we might in turn take the position as sons of God.
Understand this: adoption is not the method of entry into God’s family. As Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3, we enter into God’s family only by being born again. Rather, adoption speaks of our privilege and standing within God’s family. The moment we were born again, we were placed in an adopted state as heirs, as sons of God.
We think of adoption in terms of adopting a little baby. But that’s not the biblical concept of adoption. Biblical adoption refers to a full-grown adult. It would be like, before retiring from Ford Motor Company and having no sons, but wanting his name to continue, Henry Ford approached a 24-year-old Harvard student and said, ‘Would you let me adopt you? If you will, you’ll have a place on the Board of Directors, a salary of 2.5 million a year, a summer house in Hawaii, a winter house in Tahiti, a private jet, and your own yacht.’
So too, the moment you were born again, you assumed the position of an adopted son — heir to the riches of the Father. Too often people say, ‘I really can’t be used by the Lord because I’ve only walked with Him five years,’ or, ‘I can’t get involved in intercessory prayer because I’m just a new Christian.’ Wrong. As far as the privileges and responsibilities of the Kingdom go, you were adopted as a mature son with as much right to be blessed and used by the Lord as Billy Graham.
Monday, July 27, 2009
A devotional by Jon Courson http://joncourson.com/ I got from Jeff & Liz Harsbarger - http://maxthedog-jeff.blogspot.com/
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us ...
Galatians 3:13
When man sinned, God said to Adam, ‘From this point on, you will
labor for bread,
live by the sweat of your brow,
and work through thorns and thistles.'
Then came Jesus, the Last Adam.
In the Upper Room,
His broken body became our bread.
In the Garden of Gethsemane
His sweat mingled with blood.
On Calvary,
The thorns of the earth were embedded in His brow.
‘I’ve absorbed it all,’ Jesus said, as He Who knew no sin became sin for us, as He Himself became the curse. This is what Paul is driving home.
What Jesus did is so incredible, so wonderful, how could we think that, through our efforts, we could add anything to His work on our behalf?
Sunday, July 26, 2009
JUSTIFIED - live as one who was worth a friend dying for you!
This is a devotional from Jon Courson (http://joncourson.com/) - but I got it from Jeff & Liz Harsbarger www.refugeministries.cc
But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Galatians 3:11
The words, ‘the just shall live by faith’ are first seen in Habakkuk 2:4, when, in response to his complaints concerning the prophesied Babylonian invasion, the Lord told Habakkuk to look to Him rather than at the circumstances.
They are seen again in Romans 1:17 where Paul stresses justification; and in Hebrews 11 where the emphasis is on faith. Here in Galatians, the accent is on live. Want to be happy, fruitful, excited, and set free in your Christian life? The just shall live — really live — by faith.
Martin Luther beat his body with whips, crawled for miles on his knees, fasted for weeks at a time in order to get close to God. But nothing worked. And then one day he read this verse — and he understood that the Christian experience is not ‘Do, do, do’ — it’s ‘DONE!’ Jesus did it all.
Dear saints, get rid of the burden of trying to be spiritual. Get rid of the notion that since you had morning devotions ten times in a row, God owes you a blessing. It doesn’t work that way. You are justified by faith alone.
‘Then I don’t have to have morning devotions?’ you ask.
No, you don’t.
‘I can sleep in?’
Yeah, you can.
‘I don’t have to pray, or study the Word?’
Nope.
You don’t have to do any of those things. You get to. You get to check in with God morning-by-morning, moment-by-moment. You get to spend time late at night or before the sun rises seeking the face of the Lord. It’s not got to, it’s get to — and that makes all the difference in the world, for once you’re free from the ‘got to’s you invariably do more than you ever did before.
James said, ‘Faith without works is dead’ (James 2:20) because true faith will always bring about lots of works.
When you fell in love with your husband or wife, you didn’t have to be told to call her; you didn’t have to be reminded to hold his hand; you didn’t have to be urged to communicate. When you’re in love, you long to be in touch — and that’s what the Father wants from you and me. ‘Love Me,’ He says. And the more I realize that He loves me through His grace and mercy being poured out upon me, the more I have no choice but to love Him in return. So I do more under love than I ever would do under the Law.
Think about that first letter your girlfriend wrote you, guys. As you stuck it in your pocket, did you say, ‘Boy, one of these days I really need to read this letter. I’ll set my alarm fifteen minutes earlier tonight and read it first thing in the morning’? And then as you rolled out of bed half an hour after the alarm went off, did you say, ‘I really want to read this letter, but I don’t have time now. Maybe tonight. No, Home Improvement is on. Can’t miss that. I’ll get to it tomorrow’?
No! It doesn’t work that way. When you received that letter, you ripped it open, read it, analyzed it, parsed the verbs, researched it, read between the lines — you couldn’t put it down!
The same thing happens when you understand grace and mercy. You say, ‘You bless me, Lord, when I don’t pray. You love me when I’m not lovable. You take care of me when I fail to walk with You. You’re faithful to me day after week after year. I want to find out more about You.’ That’s what it means for the just to live by faith.
But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Galatians 3:11
The words, ‘the just shall live by faith’ are first seen in Habakkuk 2:4, when, in response to his complaints concerning the prophesied Babylonian invasion, the Lord told Habakkuk to look to Him rather than at the circumstances.
They are seen again in Romans 1:17 where Paul stresses justification; and in Hebrews 11 where the emphasis is on faith. Here in Galatians, the accent is on live. Want to be happy, fruitful, excited, and set free in your Christian life? The just shall live — really live — by faith.
Martin Luther beat his body with whips, crawled for miles on his knees, fasted for weeks at a time in order to get close to God. But nothing worked. And then one day he read this verse — and he understood that the Christian experience is not ‘Do, do, do’ — it’s ‘DONE!’ Jesus did it all.
Dear saints, get rid of the burden of trying to be spiritual. Get rid of the notion that since you had morning devotions ten times in a row, God owes you a blessing. It doesn’t work that way. You are justified by faith alone.
‘Then I don’t have to have morning devotions?’ you ask.
No, you don’t.
‘I can sleep in?’
Yeah, you can.
‘I don’t have to pray, or study the Word?’
Nope.
You don’t have to do any of those things. You get to. You get to check in with God morning-by-morning, moment-by-moment. You get to spend time late at night or before the sun rises seeking the face of the Lord. It’s not got to, it’s get to — and that makes all the difference in the world, for once you’re free from the ‘got to’s you invariably do more than you ever did before.
James said, ‘Faith without works is dead’ (James 2:20) because true faith will always bring about lots of works.
When you fell in love with your husband or wife, you didn’t have to be told to call her; you didn’t have to be reminded to hold his hand; you didn’t have to be urged to communicate. When you’re in love, you long to be in touch — and that’s what the Father wants from you and me. ‘Love Me,’ He says. And the more I realize that He loves me through His grace and mercy being poured out upon me, the more I have no choice but to love Him in return. So I do more under love than I ever would do under the Law.
Think about that first letter your girlfriend wrote you, guys. As you stuck it in your pocket, did you say, ‘Boy, one of these days I really need to read this letter. I’ll set my alarm fifteen minutes earlier tonight and read it first thing in the morning’? And then as you rolled out of bed half an hour after the alarm went off, did you say, ‘I really want to read this letter, but I don’t have time now. Maybe tonight. No, Home Improvement is on. Can’t miss that. I’ll get to it tomorrow’?
No! It doesn’t work that way. When you received that letter, you ripped it open, read it, analyzed it, parsed the verbs, researched it, read between the lines — you couldn’t put it down!
The same thing happens when you understand grace and mercy. You say, ‘You bless me, Lord, when I don’t pray. You love me when I’m not lovable. You take care of me when I fail to walk with You. You’re faithful to me day after week after year. I want to find out more about You.’ That’s what it means for the just to live by faith.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Preaching in love by praise!
Magnificent lyrics
Songwriters: Clayton, Adam; Eno, Brian; Evans, David; Hewson, Paul; Lanois, Daniel Roland; Mullen, Laurence;
Magnificent
Oh, oh, magnificent
I was born, I was born
To be with you in this space and time
After that and ever after
I haven't had a clue only to break rhyme
This foolishness can leave a heart black and blue, oh, oh
Only love, only love can leave such a mark
But only love, only love can heal such a scar
I was born, I was born to sing for you
I didn't have a choice but to lift you up
And sing whatever song you wanted me to
I give you back my voice from the womb
My first cry, it was a joyful noise, oh, oh
Only love, only love can leave such a mark
But only love, only love can heal such a scar
Justified, till we die you and I will magnify, oh, oh
Magnificent, magnificent, oh, oh
Only love, only love can leave such a mark
But only love, only love unites our hearts
Justified, till we die you and I will magnify, oh, oh
Magnificent, magnificent, magnificent
© POLYGRAM INT. MUSIC PUBL. B.V.; UNIVERSAL MUSIC CORP.
Songwriters: Clayton, Adam; Eno, Brian; Evans, David; Hewson, Paul; Lanois, Daniel Roland; Mullen, Laurence;
Magnificent
Oh, oh, magnificent
I was born, I was born
To be with you in this space and time
After that and ever after
I haven't had a clue only to break rhyme
This foolishness can leave a heart black and blue, oh, oh
Only love, only love can leave such a mark
But only love, only love can heal such a scar
I was born, I was born to sing for you
I didn't have a choice but to lift you up
And sing whatever song you wanted me to
I give you back my voice from the womb
My first cry, it was a joyful noise, oh, oh
Only love, only love can leave such a mark
But only love, only love can heal such a scar
Justified, till we die you and I will magnify, oh, oh
Magnificent, magnificent, oh, oh
Only love, only love can leave such a mark
But only love, only love unites our hearts
Justified, till we die you and I will magnify, oh, oh
Magnificent, magnificent, magnificent
© POLYGRAM INT. MUSIC PUBL. B.V.; UNIVERSAL MUSIC CORP.
Just Human
FROM The International Apostolic Council http://www.jglm.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=51&Itemid=102
You've Heard It Said... "I'm just human"
You've Heard It Said...
"I'm just human"
________________________________________
But The Word Says...
… we are meant to exist as an image of Jesus! (Romans 8:29)
… those who believe in Jesus will do things that are clearly more than “just
human” (John 14:12)
… we are seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. This does not sound like a
mere human existence does it? – Ephesians 2:6
… we have been made the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21). God is perfect and
those who are in Christ are too. Does that sound “just human” to you?
… we one with the Father in the same way Jesus was one with the Father. And,
because of this we have the SAME GLORY that Jesus had (John 17:20-23).
Doesn’t sound “just human” does it?
… we are spiritual Kings and priests (Rev. 5:10)
… we have privilege over and above the mighty angels (Hebrews 1:1-14)
… we are no longer “just human,” those days are no more! (2 Cor 5:17)
It is important that we (the sons of God) see ourselves as we are in truth rather than how the world or man-made religious traditions would have us see ourselves. When we act on the truth of God amazing things happen because we are acting on the Word, (and therefore faith in the Word). When see ourselves through the lenses of “the lies of the enemy,” we then act like what we see ourselves as being – powerless, meager, and wretched. But, when we see ourselves through the lenses of the Word of God, we then act like what we see ourselves as being – powerful and mighty in Christ... and the world sees our good works and it brings glory to the Father!
The world and the religious-blind would have us (the offspring of God almighty) believe we are “just human” like all the others walking the planet. Oh how Satan would love for all of God’s people to buy that lie. But, unfortunately for him, there’s always been at least a few out there that believe the Word of God over everything else around them. It is these people who have manifested the Kingdom of God on earth in ways that greatly damaged the kingdom of hell. You can do it too... says the Word (John 14:12; John 15:7-8).
Take this knowledge and meditate on it constantly. Start acting like you believe it and eventually you will! When you do believe it then the world will eat of the fruit of Christ... through your life! People like John G. Lake, Smith Wigglesworth, Jack Coe, and others had a revelation of this truth that came from meditating on the Word (a.k.a. “abiding in the Word” – John 15:7) and the world ate of Christ's fruit through their lives.
This month’s featured ministry resource takes this truth, opens it up, and goes much deeper with it. It also will open up other related truths that will change your life, and those you minister to, forever.
You've Heard It Said... "I'm just human"
You've Heard It Said...
"I'm just human"
________________________________________
But The Word Says...
… we are meant to exist as an image of Jesus! (Romans 8:29)
… those who believe in Jesus will do things that are clearly more than “just
human” (John 14:12)
… we are seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. This does not sound like a
mere human existence does it? – Ephesians 2:6
… we have been made the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21). God is perfect and
those who are in Christ are too. Does that sound “just human” to you?
… we one with the Father in the same way Jesus was one with the Father. And,
because of this we have the SAME GLORY that Jesus had (John 17:20-23).
Doesn’t sound “just human” does it?
… we are spiritual Kings and priests (Rev. 5:10)
… we have privilege over and above the mighty angels (Hebrews 1:1-14)
… we are no longer “just human,” those days are no more! (2 Cor 5:17)
It is important that we (the sons of God) see ourselves as we are in truth rather than how the world or man-made religious traditions would have us see ourselves. When we act on the truth of God amazing things happen because we are acting on the Word, (and therefore faith in the Word). When see ourselves through the lenses of “the lies of the enemy,” we then act like what we see ourselves as being – powerless, meager, and wretched. But, when we see ourselves through the lenses of the Word of God, we then act like what we see ourselves as being – powerful and mighty in Christ... and the world sees our good works and it brings glory to the Father!
The world and the religious-blind would have us (the offspring of God almighty) believe we are “just human” like all the others walking the planet. Oh how Satan would love for all of God’s people to buy that lie. But, unfortunately for him, there’s always been at least a few out there that believe the Word of God over everything else around them. It is these people who have manifested the Kingdom of God on earth in ways that greatly damaged the kingdom of hell. You can do it too... says the Word (John 14:12; John 15:7-8).
Take this knowledge and meditate on it constantly. Start acting like you believe it and eventually you will! When you do believe it then the world will eat of the fruit of Christ... through your life! People like John G. Lake, Smith Wigglesworth, Jack Coe, and others had a revelation of this truth that came from meditating on the Word (a.k.a. “abiding in the Word” – John 15:7) and the world ate of Christ's fruit through their lives.
This month’s featured ministry resource takes this truth, opens it up, and goes much deeper with it. It also will open up other related truths that will change your life, and those you minister to, forever.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Now there is the New Testament - BE IN CHRIST
I just had to type all of this in for you it is from the book "John G. Laks - Writings from Africa". Which is edited by Rev. Curry Blake and available at www.curryblake.org - if there are any typos or other mistakes they are my own [F].
THE POSITION OF THE APOSTOLIC FAITH MISSION OF SOUTH AFRICA
On the subject of Sabbath
As given by the President, Rev JOHN G. LAKE, October 6, 1912, at the Annual Conference
During the Conference I was asked by the brethren to deliver a discourse on the subject of the Sabbath Day for the guidance of the workers. It is no my purpose to deal with the subject in an argumentative manner, but rather in the form of a prounouncement of the position of the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa on the question:
The Word of God is sufficiently clear. It has already defined the position for the Christian in the most emphatic way. The 2nd chapter of Colossians is perhaps as clear a portion of Scripture on this particular issue as any portion of the Word. It seems most difficult indeed for Christians to understand and realize, in our entranced into Christ Jesus by the reception of the Spirit of God who abides within, our Christian experience has been moved into a different place from that in which we lived before. I have tried at different times to define the operation of the Spirit of God in the different dispensations, that we may get a cledar basis on which to rest. I will review this this morning in a word.
THE PATRIARCHAL DISPENSATION
In the Patriarchal dispensation God seems to have been approaching man from this standpoint, as if man was far removed from God, and as if God was endeavoring to reveal Himself to man. Abraham perhaps furnishes the best example in the Word, and to him God appeared twice, twenty yhears apart. There was a lapse of twenty years, in which Abraham heard nothing from God. Then God spoke to him again. Now, that is the best revelation from God to man that is given us in the Patriarchal dspensation. And it seems as if the position was, "God revealing Himself to man."
THE MOSAIC DISPENSATOIN
The Mosaic Dispensation was different. It was a fueled revelation. It did not destroy any of the revelation of God that the Patriarchs had known. It developed and expanded their revelation. Ao God was present with the Jewish people in the Pillar of Cloud and the Pillar of Fire, and the Shekinah over the Mercy Seat, an ever present God.
When the Temple was built, the Lord abode in the Holy of Holies. In it there was no artificial light. The Outer Court was lit by twelve Candles, but in the Holy of Holies there was neither window or door, no artificial light of any kind. The presence of God illuminated the Holy of Holies, the continuous abiding presence of God with Man.
THE CHRISTIAN DESPENSATION
Patriarchal revelation was "God to man," and the Mosaic revelation was "God with man;" but the Christian revelation is greater than all, for Jesus said in His own words, "He dwelleth with you, and shall be IN you." And the revelation of God to the Christian is "Christ within you" by the Holy Ghost, not "to" man, nor "with" man, but "in" man. Man becoming the embodiment of God.
It will be readily seen , then, that our conception and standard must be in accorcdance with the revelation that God gave us, and the Christian cannot base his standard of life upon the Mosaic Law in any way. Jesus lifted us above that standard; as high as the heavens are above the earth.
When the Christian, then, endeavors to go back and live under Christ Jesus and the communion of the control of the Law, he has descended from the standard of the Spirit of God abiding within, and has placed himself in the same position where hte Mosaic people were.
PAUL'S WARNINGS
Over and over again Paul warns us about this thing, and to the Galatians particularly he gives that wonderful warning that having begun in the Spirit they were now going to return to the flesh. And that is the danger with many Christians these days, that having begun in the Holy Ghost, they might return to obedience to Commandments.
THE LORD JESUS RAISES THE STANDARD FOR THE CHRISTIAN DISPENSATION
Then someone says: "What about the Commandments!" We can see what Jesus says of them in the Sermon on the Mount. Matt 5. Jesus said. "It was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill." But Jesus lifted that standard miles above where Moses placed it and said, "But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause is in danger of the judgment." That is to say, he is a murderer. 1 John 3:15
Under the Mosaic Law the had to commit an act in order to be guilty. Under the Law of Christ, the presence in the heart of the desire is sufficient to condemn. So in every instance the Lord raised the standard.
The Commandment says, "Thou shalt not commit adultery," but Jesus says, "That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." Jesus takes it out of the regime of Commandment in the regime of the heart expericence, and, "as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than you ways and My thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:9
THE GREAT DEBATE
The great debate that has come through these fifty years, between those who contend for the observance of the Sabbath Day (the Seventh), and we who accept the Christian Sabbath, has ever been on that one point. Are we still bound by the Law, or has Christ made the Christian free from the force of the Commandment? And it seems to me that the Word of God makes this clear as daylight, that the Word places our feet emphatically on this groun that to us, in the Holy Ghost, the Law has become a dead thing.
Indeed, it has been spoken of as blotted out (Col. 2:14), even that which was written on stone (2 Cor. 3:7-17), taken out of the regime of Commandment, burned into the conscience and stamped upon the soul. Blessed be God!
The first chapter of Colossians deals with the history of the indwelling of Christ, and after this fact of the indwelling is clearly established, Paul goes on to review the subject of our obedience to Christ and the Law.
Commencing with the 13th verse of the 2nd Chapter, we have the declaration of the expulsion of the Law: "And you, being dead in your sins and the un-circumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses blotting out the handwriting of ordiances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross; and having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon , or of the Sabbath Days; which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ."
Thus far the interpretation is given of the destruction by Christ of the ordiances and laws that were contrary to us, by having established within us by the Holy Ghost the fact of His own indwelling, He having been the Lord of the Sabbath, and we, as sons of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ, will also enter into that place of dominion, where we, too, in Him, have become lords also of the Sabbath and every other commandment. Blessed be God!
THE NEW COVENANT
The 16th verse: On Thursday last, among the questions that were asked, was this: " Do we advocate the partaking of a meal in connection with the Lord's Supper!" And in this thing once again we see the Christian's failure to separate between the Old and the New Dispensations. For, when Jesus partook officially of the last Passover Super, that was ever given to mankind, and by that act for ever closed the Jewish Dispensation, there was nothing further to do but make the sacrifice on the Cross, and the instant after the closing of that Supper the Lord instituted a new ceremony, the one we observe today, the Communion of the Lord's Supper. No longer the Passover feast and Passover Lamb, but the Christ of God, Who now pledges Himself to shed His own blod for the Salvation of the world.
Between these two acts there is as great a distance as between East and West. The one was the mark and stamp of that which was old and ready to decay (Heb. 8:13), and the other was the birth of mankind through the shedding of the Blood of Jesus Christ. And so, beloved, when the Christian undertakes that his life shall be governed by Commandments, he is going back again into this old life, into the old realm, forgetting his state with Christ Jesus.
It does not mean that we shall turn Anarchists and that to us there is no law, but rather that we are now obedient unto the higher law, by the Son of God.
THE SABBATH DAY
On the subject of the Sabbath itself: All the other Commandments are spoken of in the New Testament and re-iterated, but the Sabbath Commandment, is not; and that no doubt for this reason, that the prophecies all along had pointed to the Son of God, who was Himself the fulfillment of the Law. "I came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it." (Matt. 5:17.) "For the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ." When we got to Christ, beloved, we were beyond the sphere of the Law. The Law was a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. Blessed be His Name! (Gal. 3:24).
So it is with the Sabbath. Christ Himself, is the Eternal Rest into which the Christian enters, not to abide on the Sabbath Day, but to abaide always, every day, and for ever; He is our Sabbath alone.
When we live in the Son of God we have come byond the sphere of commandment, for the Law was made for the unlawful and unholy, for murderers of fathers and mothers, for whoremongers, etc. 1 Timothy 1:9-10. Upon our statute books today there are no doubt a thousand laws that you and I know nothing about, and we care less. Why? They are of no interest to us. We hardly pay any attention to the law of murder, nor can we tell the details because the fact that being sons of God we are living in love and are not interested in what the law says of murder. There is no murder in our hearts. Blessed be God! We have passed on.
and so the Christian who enters into Christ Jesus and is abiding in Him and is a possessor of the Holy Ghost, has moved byond the regime of the law and commandments. They are of no value to him. He lives in obedience to one law and one commandment, the Eleveneth. That inculdes all the rest in one: "That ye love one another as I have loved you." - John 15:12. Blessed be His Name.
AN APT ILLUSTRATION
Henry Drummond, I believe it is, in his "Greatest Thing in the World," gives an illustration that is so fitting. He says that he visits at a friend's home. He finds that he and his wife have lived together in the most beautiful unity for many years. But a friend of his is still anxious that he shall be a strict observer of the law, and he sits down and writes a code of the rules for government of this man and wife who have always lived together in unity. He says, "Thou shalt not kill her. Thou shalt not bear false witness against her. Thou shalt not steal from her," and so on throught the other commandments. He takes it up and laughs. Of what value is such a code to him? Has he not for all the years past been giving to his wife his heart's affection that makes it impossible for such things to enter his soul? And there is just that much difference between the Christian standard and the standard of the Law. May God help us that we wshall not take backward steps, but realize our position as sons of God. We shall live in Him and abide in the Holy Ghost and realize the freedom of sons, not the bondage of servants. Blessed be His name. Nevertheless, to the man outside of Christ the comma ndment still stands. As on our statute books today the law of murder applies to the man who commits murder, but hte man in Christ has passed beyond that sphere. "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days; which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. Blessed be His Name! Blessed be His Name!
OUR HIGH CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGE
Now, will we never get the force of the 2nd Chapter of Colossians where the Word portrays the exaltation of the Son of God, even to the sitting down at the right hand of the Father in the Heavenly places far above all principality, and power and might, and dominion, and every name that is named. Eph. 1:19-23. And the second Chapter of Ephesians portraying our lifting up out of the regime of death and sin, into the same exaltation of the Son of God, until we realize our high privileges in Christ Jesus.
Indeed. I have this in my heart that the low state of Christian experience that is common among men, is mostly accounted for by this one fact, that Christians have failed to grasp the exalted place into which Jesus Christ puts us when we have been made sons of God. May God write that deep in our soul, that we may keep not the Seventh Day (which was a shadow of things to come, but THE BODY IS OF CHRIST), not the commandments, but by holy Christian privilege one day sacred to God, and that without any commandment at all, but out of the gladness of the Christian heart. Blessed be His Name, one day is set aside in commemoration of his resurrection, but with the Christian, and in the life in Christ Jesus, every day is as holy as every other, and there is no distinction of days whatever, for the life is in Him (in the Son of God), and He is the same every day. Blessed be His name.
THE FIRST DAY
But, beloved, have not we cause to rejoice that in Christianity there has been established a day of commemoration of His resurrection, and that altogether the Christian world unite in exalting the Son of God by keeping that day holy. We may noit let down on our reverence for the First Day of the week; but may we as Christians exalt the day not by obediance to commandment, but, as Jesus Himself did, by making it a day when His life was given forth for the benefit of others, and I know God will bless us.
Now, I hope that forever this question is settled in our hearts. That, so far as the Apostolic Faith Mission is concerned, we stand in Christ Jesus in the union of the Holy Ghost; and do you know that Thursday afternoon was one of the most important days that ever occurred in this Mission, for on that day, God, by the unity of His Spirit helped this Confernece to come together and to recognize the fact that every man has the privilege to be led by the Spirit, not to observe all the law, but be led by His Spirit.
THE POSITION OF THE APOSTOLIC FAITH MISSION OF SOUTH AFRICA
On the subject of Sabbath
As given by the President, Rev JOHN G. LAKE, October 6, 1912, at the Annual Conference
During the Conference I was asked by the brethren to deliver a discourse on the subject of the Sabbath Day for the guidance of the workers. It is no my purpose to deal with the subject in an argumentative manner, but rather in the form of a prounouncement of the position of the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa on the question:
The Word of God is sufficiently clear. It has already defined the position for the Christian in the most emphatic way. The 2nd chapter of Colossians is perhaps as clear a portion of Scripture on this particular issue as any portion of the Word. It seems most difficult indeed for Christians to understand and realize, in our entranced into Christ Jesus by the reception of the Spirit of God who abides within, our Christian experience has been moved into a different place from that in which we lived before. I have tried at different times to define the operation of the Spirit of God in the different dispensations, that we may get a cledar basis on which to rest. I will review this this morning in a word.
THE PATRIARCHAL DISPENSATION
In the Patriarchal dispensation God seems to have been approaching man from this standpoint, as if man was far removed from God, and as if God was endeavoring to reveal Himself to man. Abraham perhaps furnishes the best example in the Word, and to him God appeared twice, twenty yhears apart. There was a lapse of twenty years, in which Abraham heard nothing from God. Then God spoke to him again. Now, that is the best revelation from God to man that is given us in the Patriarchal dspensation. And it seems as if the position was, "God revealing Himself to man."
THE MOSAIC DISPENSATOIN
The Mosaic Dispensation was different. It was a fueled revelation. It did not destroy any of the revelation of God that the Patriarchs had known. It developed and expanded their revelation. Ao God was present with the Jewish people in the Pillar of Cloud and the Pillar of Fire, and the Shekinah over the Mercy Seat, an ever present God.
When the Temple was built, the Lord abode in the Holy of Holies. In it there was no artificial light. The Outer Court was lit by twelve Candles, but in the Holy of Holies there was neither window or door, no artificial light of any kind. The presence of God illuminated the Holy of Holies, the continuous abiding presence of God with Man.
THE CHRISTIAN DESPENSATION
Patriarchal revelation was "God to man," and the Mosaic revelation was "God with man;" but the Christian revelation is greater than all, for Jesus said in His own words, "He dwelleth with you, and shall be IN you." And the revelation of God to the Christian is "Christ within you" by the Holy Ghost, not "to" man, nor "with" man, but "in" man. Man becoming the embodiment of God.
It will be readily seen , then, that our conception and standard must be in accorcdance with the revelation that God gave us, and the Christian cannot base his standard of life upon the Mosaic Law in any way. Jesus lifted us above that standard; as high as the heavens are above the earth.
When the Christian, then, endeavors to go back and live under Christ Jesus and the communion of the control of the Law, he has descended from the standard of the Spirit of God abiding within, and has placed himself in the same position where hte Mosaic people were.
PAUL'S WARNINGS
Over and over again Paul warns us about this thing, and to the Galatians particularly he gives that wonderful warning that having begun in the Spirit they were now going to return to the flesh. And that is the danger with many Christians these days, that having begun in the Holy Ghost, they might return to obedience to Commandments.
THE LORD JESUS RAISES THE STANDARD FOR THE CHRISTIAN DISPENSATION
Then someone says: "What about the Commandments!" We can see what Jesus says of them in the Sermon on the Mount. Matt 5. Jesus said. "It was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill." But Jesus lifted that standard miles above where Moses placed it and said, "But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause is in danger of the judgment." That is to say, he is a murderer. 1 John 3:15
Under the Mosaic Law the had to commit an act in order to be guilty. Under the Law of Christ, the presence in the heart of the desire is sufficient to condemn. So in every instance the Lord raised the standard.
The Commandment says, "Thou shalt not commit adultery," but Jesus says, "That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." Jesus takes it out of the regime of Commandment in the regime of the heart expericence, and, "as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than you ways and My thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:9
THE GREAT DEBATE
The great debate that has come through these fifty years, between those who contend for the observance of the Sabbath Day (the Seventh), and we who accept the Christian Sabbath, has ever been on that one point. Are we still bound by the Law, or has Christ made the Christian free from the force of the Commandment? And it seems to me that the Word of God makes this clear as daylight, that the Word places our feet emphatically on this groun that to us, in the Holy Ghost, the Law has become a dead thing.
Indeed, it has been spoken of as blotted out (Col. 2:14), even that which was written on stone (2 Cor. 3:7-17), taken out of the regime of Commandment, burned into the conscience and stamped upon the soul. Blessed be God!
The first chapter of Colossians deals with the history of the indwelling of Christ, and after this fact of the indwelling is clearly established, Paul goes on to review the subject of our obedience to Christ and the Law.
Commencing with the 13th verse of the 2nd Chapter, we have the declaration of the expulsion of the Law: "And you, being dead in your sins and the un-circumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses blotting out the handwriting of ordiances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross; and having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon , or of the Sabbath Days; which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ."
Thus far the interpretation is given of the destruction by Christ of the ordiances and laws that were contrary to us, by having established within us by the Holy Ghost the fact of His own indwelling, He having been the Lord of the Sabbath, and we, as sons of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ, will also enter into that place of dominion, where we, too, in Him, have become lords also of the Sabbath and every other commandment. Blessed be God!
THE NEW COVENANT
The 16th verse: On Thursday last, among the questions that were asked, was this: " Do we advocate the partaking of a meal in connection with the Lord's Supper!" And in this thing once again we see the Christian's failure to separate between the Old and the New Dispensations. For, when Jesus partook officially of the last Passover Super, that was ever given to mankind, and by that act for ever closed the Jewish Dispensation, there was nothing further to do but make the sacrifice on the Cross, and the instant after the closing of that Supper the Lord instituted a new ceremony, the one we observe today, the Communion of the Lord's Supper. No longer the Passover feast and Passover Lamb, but the Christ of God, Who now pledges Himself to shed His own blod for the Salvation of the world.
Between these two acts there is as great a distance as between East and West. The one was the mark and stamp of that which was old and ready to decay (Heb. 8:13), and the other was the birth of mankind through the shedding of the Blood of Jesus Christ. And so, beloved, when the Christian undertakes that his life shall be governed by Commandments, he is going back again into this old life, into the old realm, forgetting his state with Christ Jesus.
It does not mean that we shall turn Anarchists and that to us there is no law, but rather that we are now obedient unto the higher law, by the Son of God.
THE SABBATH DAY
On the subject of the Sabbath itself: All the other Commandments are spoken of in the New Testament and re-iterated, but the Sabbath Commandment, is not; and that no doubt for this reason, that the prophecies all along had pointed to the Son of God, who was Himself the fulfillment of the Law. "I came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it." (Matt. 5:17.) "For the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ." When we got to Christ, beloved, we were beyond the sphere of the Law. The Law was a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. Blessed be His Name! (Gal. 3:24).
So it is with the Sabbath. Christ Himself, is the Eternal Rest into which the Christian enters, not to abide on the Sabbath Day, but to abaide always, every day, and for ever; He is our Sabbath alone.
When we live in the Son of God we have come byond the sphere of commandment, for the Law was made for the unlawful and unholy, for murderers of fathers and mothers, for whoremongers, etc. 1 Timothy 1:9-10. Upon our statute books today there are no doubt a thousand laws that you and I know nothing about, and we care less. Why? They are of no interest to us. We hardly pay any attention to the law of murder, nor can we tell the details because the fact that being sons of God we are living in love and are not interested in what the law says of murder. There is no murder in our hearts. Blessed be God! We have passed on.
and so the Christian who enters into Christ Jesus and is abiding in Him and is a possessor of the Holy Ghost, has moved byond the regime of the law and commandments. They are of no value to him. He lives in obedience to one law and one commandment, the Eleveneth. That inculdes all the rest in one: "That ye love one another as I have loved you." - John 15:12. Blessed be His Name.
AN APT ILLUSTRATION
Henry Drummond, I believe it is, in his "Greatest Thing in the World," gives an illustration that is so fitting. He says that he visits at a friend's home. He finds that he and his wife have lived together in the most beautiful unity for many years. But a friend of his is still anxious that he shall be a strict observer of the law, and he sits down and writes a code of the rules for government of this man and wife who have always lived together in unity. He says, "Thou shalt not kill her. Thou shalt not bear false witness against her. Thou shalt not steal from her," and so on throught the other commandments. He takes it up and laughs. Of what value is such a code to him? Has he not for all the years past been giving to his wife his heart's affection that makes it impossible for such things to enter his soul? And there is just that much difference between the Christian standard and the standard of the Law. May God help us that we wshall not take backward steps, but realize our position as sons of God. We shall live in Him and abide in the Holy Ghost and realize the freedom of sons, not the bondage of servants. Blessed be His name. Nevertheless, to the man outside of Christ the comma ndment still stands. As on our statute books today the law of murder applies to the man who commits murder, but hte man in Christ has passed beyond that sphere. "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days; which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. Blessed be His Name! Blessed be His Name!
OUR HIGH CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGE
Now, will we never get the force of the 2nd Chapter of Colossians where the Word portrays the exaltation of the Son of God, even to the sitting down at the right hand of the Father in the Heavenly places far above all principality, and power and might, and dominion, and every name that is named. Eph. 1:19-23. And the second Chapter of Ephesians portraying our lifting up out of the regime of death and sin, into the same exaltation of the Son of God, until we realize our high privileges in Christ Jesus.
Indeed. I have this in my heart that the low state of Christian experience that is common among men, is mostly accounted for by this one fact, that Christians have failed to grasp the exalted place into which Jesus Christ puts us when we have been made sons of God. May God write that deep in our soul, that we may keep not the Seventh Day (which was a shadow of things to come, but THE BODY IS OF CHRIST), not the commandments, but by holy Christian privilege one day sacred to God, and that without any commandment at all, but out of the gladness of the Christian heart. Blessed be His Name, one day is set aside in commemoration of his resurrection, but with the Christian, and in the life in Christ Jesus, every day is as holy as every other, and there is no distinction of days whatever, for the life is in Him (in the Son of God), and He is the same every day. Blessed be His name.
THE FIRST DAY
But, beloved, have not we cause to rejoice that in Christianity there has been established a day of commemoration of His resurrection, and that altogether the Christian world unite in exalting the Son of God by keeping that day holy. We may noit let down on our reverence for the First Day of the week; but may we as Christians exalt the day not by obediance to commandment, but, as Jesus Himself did, by making it a day when His life was given forth for the benefit of others, and I know God will bless us.
Now, I hope that forever this question is settled in our hearts. That, so far as the Apostolic Faith Mission is concerned, we stand in Christ Jesus in the union of the Holy Ghost; and do you know that Thursday afternoon was one of the most important days that ever occurred in this Mission, for on that day, God, by the unity of His Spirit helped this Confernece to come together and to recognize the fact that every man has the privilege to be led by the Spirit, not to observe all the law, but be led by His Spirit.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
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