God Gives the Increase

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“And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious.” Isaiah 11:10

In 1965, the lyrics to Hal David’s song, “What the World Needs Now is Love,” were right on target but entirely unobtainable by people in a fallen world. Isaiah the prophet in the 11^th chapter of his book prophesied of the coming messiah, who would be a resting place for His people.

The rest that the Root of Jesse provides is what this present world lacks, “And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD” Isaiah 11:2. In contrast to the rest yet to come is the condition of this present hour as depicted by the Apostle Paul, “Their throat is an open sepulcher; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes” Romans 3:13-18.

In the midst of two worlds stand the Christian, one foot in the land of the wicked who disguise and deceive themselves as good people, and one foot on the path to righteousness and rest. The Gospel declares Christ as the means to peace, where the lion does not shed the blood of the lamb, and the child has no fear of the cobra.

It is Christ who accomplishes this marvel, and who Himself is peace to His people. God saves and shepherds His people by imparting Himself into their hearts, they in turn become the banner over what He accomplished. “The Lord their God will save them in that day, as the flock of His people. For they shall be like the jewels of a crown, lifted like a banner over His land—Zechariah 9:16

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

The rose of Sharon experienced such great love that by comparison other love was like thorns. “As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters” Song of Solomon 2:2. The world has no taste for the fruit God offers, however His love changes the tastes of His people, “I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste” S o S 2:3.

The banqueting house of God is to partake of His holiness, and that which sets Him apart from His creation is offered to His beloved. “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, you have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life” Romans 6:22.

Christ is the Banner over His people, and that Banner is love. When God ordained that He should make a people who would partake of His holiness, He set a plan in motion that would cost Him everything. In order for God to create He only had to speak, but to redeem He had to bleed.

Concerning the greatness of His love Jesus said, “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” John 15:13. The love of Jesus is for the purpose of partaking of His holiness and bearing His fruit. “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain” John 15:16.

The Christian life is a shared life! The mind, will, purpose, and character of Christ become woven into the Christian identity, so that no one knows the Christian from Christ. “He that eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, dwells in me, and I in him. As the living Father has sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eats me, even he shall live by me.” John 6:56-57

The Christian is on a path that leads to Christ likeness, or else he is not a Christian at all!

“And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah nissi: For he said, because the LORD has sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” Exodus 17:15-16

In America, when we see the flag, we remember the brave soldiers that endured a night of bombing from enemy ships to secure freedom for a nation. Moses understood that God, as The LORD our Banner, makes war with Amalak, and as such, He is our motivation to live for His purposes, and by faith.

Amalak were the descendents of Esau, who according to Hebrews 12 sold his birthright for a bowl of soup. His priorities were earthly, worldly, temporal, and when he did not receive the blessing, he could only cry tears of selfish remorse and not godly repentance. It is on this type of fleshly living that God makes war from generation to generation.

The LORD’s method of warfare is to lift a Banner that inspires but also accomplishes the very end He has designed. Jesus spoke of this banner when He said, “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die.” John 12:31-33

Jesus’ crucifixion accomplished victory over Satan and this world system that is in bondage to sin; it is for the Christian to walk in Christ’ victory.

Faith in Jesus Christ our Banner is the victory that overcomes the world!

Oh Christian, to what sins in your life might Christ’ victory be applied?

“And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah nissi.” Exodus 17:15

The book of Exodus declares the going out of the children of Israel from the land of their bondage; God brings His people out so He might bring them in to the land He promised them.

The scriptures declare there is a war in the process of bringing God’s people out of bondage, in Exodus 17 we are told, “God would make war with Amalek from generation to generation. In this war there is, as in all nations, a standard, or banner by which the troops are rallied. In our county, we have the stars and stripes, which every American is aware, stood through the night, though the bombs were bursting in mid air.

In Israel, each family was to have their own banner, and there was to be a banner on each side of the tabernacle. When Israel camped at Rephidim Amalak made war with them, and at that time, Moses lifted his hand and became the banner for Israel. As God’s man Moses led the people out of Egypt, then in Exodus 17 the sight of him, with his hand raised gave victory to God’s people.

Moses was only a man, and as such, he pointed to the God/man who would one day come and die for the sins of His beloved. Christ sets the captive free, makes their hearts ready for war, and makes clear the enemy.

The Christian is to keep looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of his faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want” Psalm 23:1

In America, our roots produce independent people, self-starters, entrepreneurs, business tycoons, and an all around spirit of self-sufficiency. Dependence on others is for wimps, a real man does not ask for directions.

Pride is the governing factor of all thinking in a fallen world. When a sinner becomes a Christian, they find themselves in a fallen world at odds with a biblical world-view that honors God as the provider of all things.

The bible never speaks of man as self-sufficient except in a sinful sense, and uses the most horrible terms to describe him, such as, wicked, self-willed, and willfully ignorant. Jesus referred to people as sheep, which are stupid animals, easy prey, which cannot find food, and allow themselves to be so dirty they can die.

The sovereign God of the universe chose to make Himself a shepherd to His people; He had to, because God alone is the source of all things. The idea that God makes things and then sets them on their way to care for themselves, as if they could, is ludicrous. Speaking of Jesus the Bible says, ‘He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” Colossians 1:17, it is Christ who keeps all things from coming apart.

The Christian is given a new awareness of his dependency on God for life, sustenance, intelligence, purpose, direction, and most of all cleansing from sin.

The Christian can say with assurance, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures: he leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul: he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for You are with me; thy rod and Your staff they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: you anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever” Psalm 23.

“In the same way, a husband should love his wife as much as he loves himself. A husband who loves his wife shows that he loves himself. None of us hate our own bodies. We provide for them and take good care of them, just as Christ does for the church” Ephesians 28-29. (Emphasis added)

God who provides for His people is the Lord Jesus Christ. Of Christ, John the Baptist said, “…the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” All the blessings recorded in the New Testament to God’s people come through the Lamb of God, which takes away their sin. Sin is the reason Christ came, which is why sin should never be excused for some Freudian psychoanalysis of a socially derived childhood condition.

In a fallen world where sin is not recognized as the problem, Christ is not seen as the answer. When Christ loved the church, He gave Himself for it, so that, “…he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word…” These terms signify Christ dealing with sin to provide and love the church best.

As the man provides for his own body, he is to care for his wife, which is a reflection of how Christ provided for the church out of sacrificial love and devotion equal to self-interest. All that Christ now provides He does through the sacrifice of Himself at Calvary, where His substitution for sin was accomplished.

All the love the Christian receives from Christ in his physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, financial, and social condition is received through the work Christ accomplished on the cross.

How then should the Christian view the problems he faces?

“And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, in the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.” Genesis 22:13-14

From a human point of view, it is unimaginable that a loving father who believed his greatest blessing in life would come through his son would put that child to death. Yet, that is exactly what Abraham did.

When Isaac his son asked about the sacrificial lamb Abraham’s reply was, “the Lord will provide,” whatever else Abraham may have believed about killing his son, one thing he knew to be true, in Isaac lay the blessing of God. In Hebrews 11, we are told Abraham offered up his only begotten son or in Greek ‘the only ordained to be,’ therefore, “in Isaac shall your seed be called.”

Abraham made a crucial mistake years before when he allowed himself to father a child by a woman not his wife in an attempt to fulfill the will of God. He had to live with that mistake and its consequences for many years, he would not allow that to happen again, but would follow God’s instructions to the letter without question.

The great lesson of this story is not that Abraham had great faith, but that God provides what men need to bring Him glory. God and not man provided the sacrificial lamb that accomplished the will of God, “…and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.”

“Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked and behold behind him a ram…” The God who gave Him eyes to see also provided the lamb, and changed his heart so that he might trust. "For God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure" Philippians 2:13.

Christian, what works of grace in your heart can you praise God for?

“And Abraham called the name of that place the LORD your Provider (Yehovah Yireh): as it is said to this day, in the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.” Genesis 22:14

The name Yehovah reveals God as the Great I AM, the self-existent God by whom all things came to be. When Yehovah is combined with another name, such as Provides, it becomes the compound name the LORD your provider or I AM your Provider.

God is seen from Genesis 1, “In the beginning God…” through Revelation 22, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” as the source of all things, and that by Him all things are created, sustained, and for His ultimate glory. “For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.” Romans 11:36, “God that made the world and all things therein… For in him we live, and move, and have our being…” Acts 17:24 & 28.

The natural progression of such thinking is that man is a poor beggar before Almighty God, which is why Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3

Unless men understand their true state, which is needy and dependent upon God for everything, pride will surely be their undoing.

Christian, what do you depend on God for?

Men get angry and even if they do not forgive, they cool down given enough time, likewise men love but in time their love diminishes. God is different!

“And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.” Jeremiah 23:40

“The LORD has appeared of old unto me, saying, Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn you.” Jeremiah 31:12

If we understood the previous words to be spoken by men, we would partially believe them because we know that men cannot do anything forever. When the Everlasting God makes a statement that He will never forgive, or His love is Everlasting that is exactly what He means and what will happen. God possess the power, will, and character to hate and love forever, His sense of justice will never cool down, and His loving passion will never chill!

The Christian understands that He is loved eternally because of who God is and what He has promised.

“So when God wanted to give the heirs of his promise an even clearer demonstration of the immutability of his purpose, he intervened with an oath, so that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to hold fast to the hope that lies before us.” Hebrews 6:17-18

It is unimaginable to think of God’s anger never ceasing and without any hope of reprieve.

“Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men…” 2Corinthians 5:11

“But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children; ¹⁸To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.” Psalm 103:17-18

Those who fear the Lord view themselves as impoverished sinners worthy of His wrath; therefore, the exhortation of the Apostle Paul to live humbly and harmoniously in the world makes perfect sense. The working out of obedient humility before the Everlasting God appears as follows:

1. Do not think better of yourself than you should!
2. Do not approach life in a careless manner but responsibly toward all!
3. Use your gift to the building up of a local church body of Christ!
4. Do not love with hypocrisy!
5. Be sincere in everything you do, without trying to look good for others, deceiving yourself!
6. Learn to discern and hate evil and at the same time love and cling to what is good!
7. Learn to be affectionate to the brethren, and sincerely want them to do better than yourself!
8. Do not be idle but serve the Lord with zeal and passion!
9. When difficulties arise, rejoice, and persevere knowing that Christ is our hope!
10. Let prayer be the spiritual air you breathe!
11. Take what you have been given from God and give it to others, cheerfully!
12. Place a sincere blessing upon all those who curse and mistreat you!
13. Be sincere with all men so that you rejoice with the joyful and cry with the sorrowful!
14. Learn to be in agreement with God, so you can be in agreement with others who are also!
15. Do not be a stuffed shirt like men who want to associate with those of great worldly stature!
16. Associate with those of lower worldly stature than you!
17. Do not think that wisdom begins and ends with you!
18. Do not take revenge on anyone!
19. Look out for the welfare of others and offer them things of eternal value!
20. Outside of the church, live in peace with all men, and if they insist on doing you harm, do not take revenge on them, but live by faith in God, as did our Lord!

The previous commands are taken from Romans 12 and paraphrased.

Christians should seek the ministry of faithful gospel preaching, and fellowship with believers of like mind, where they can fulfill the Lord’s will in the power of a faithful church!

“But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children; ¹⁸To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.” Psalm 103:17-18

“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” Psalm 90:2

The history of the world has been the discord of the world. Amidst all the advancements to make life easier on a cursed planet has been the constant struggle for power. In every social setting, from family to nation, there is discord among people.

In Psalm 90, the author (Moses) depicts life as generations of people passing away like grass, “In the morning it flourishes, and grows up; in the evening it is cut down, and withers.” Life and death are in the hands of the Everlasting God who has pronounced judgment upon men for their rebellious sinful ways, which is clearly seen in the way we men treat one another.

To men a lifetime is long; however, to the Everlasting God it is but a moment, “For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past…” The power of God is depicted most clearly and repeatedly in the scriptures by His timelessness. God is the Great self-existent I AM, the Everlasting God who exists in eternity past and future, “…from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.”

Men may choose to believe that the worlds created themselves from nothing, and that over the course of billions of years without any guiding intellect by random chance developed into complex molecular structures, however, men would do better to say to God, “…teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”

Men do not want to acknowledge God because they do not want to be held accountable to Him, but the Christian understands the true nature of the world, and so he can say with the Psalmist, “…You establish the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands You establish it.”

It is foolish to think anything we do could be established without the presence of the Everlasting God!

“Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting. Psalm 93:2

All verses quoted are from Psalm 90

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

When people use the term forever, as in, “our love will last forever,” they may be sincere, but they have no power to bring it to pass. Only God can accomplish everything He says, and throughout eternity; unlike us God is eternal.

God made a promise to Abraham that He would be the Father of a nation; Sarah and Abraham failed to bring that promise to pass on their own by making Hagar the mother of Abraham’s child. Then, God fulfilled His own word in Genesis 21 by visiting Sarah in her old age and giving her an offspring.

At that same time, we read of a covenant that took place between Abraham and Abimelech over a well that Abraham dug, and seven lambs that Abraham gave to Abimelech as a sign that Abraham had dug the well. Abraham knew how men make promises and then break them, but now Abraham was becoming fully conscious that God never breaks His.

The following phrase is very meaningful in the scriptures, ‘Abraham called upon the name of the LORD,’ these are not arbitrary words but signify that the one calling understand who and what God is with regards to that name.

The Christian understands that unlike man, time is the servant of God; He is the master of all things, and when He makes a promise, He has the power to keep it.

“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” Psalm 90:2

“Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting. Psalm 93:2

“And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” Revelation 6:15-17

One of the most frightening verses in the bible is in the book of Revelation, where we read the phrase, ‘the wrath of the Lamb.’ We can understand the wrath of the Almighty who must be just and thereby carry out a righteous verdict upon all evil, but how do we reconcile ‘the wrath of the Lamb?’

Jesus as the Lamb of God said, “And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world” John 12:47. During Jesus first visit to earth, his statement is completely accurate because He came as God’s living sacrifice for sin. However, the day is yet to come when all the Lamb’s patience will be gone, the period of His forbearance over, and the time for justice will have come in full.

Until that time all Christians should seek diligently to share the gospel, accurately, boldly, and in love. People need to hear the whole truth, concerning the Holy Spirit Jesus said, “And when he (the Holy Spirit) comes he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation” John 16:8. Since we are to be filled with Him can we do any less?

Audacious means the trait of being willing to undertake things that involve risk or danger; impudent aggressiveness; "he had the audacity to question my decision."

Nowhere in all of life is audacious behavior more plainly seen than in the way men behave toward God. In one such case, Job who was more righteous than all living at his time said, “Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God” Job 13:3.

In the book of Isaiah God says, “Come, let us reason together…,” however, He did not mean we should have the audacity to tell Him why we think He is wrong and we are right. In God we live, and move, and have our being, and upon contemplation God is too big for us to fathom, so only the audacious would reason with God as though He were a man.

“Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said, Shall he that contends with the Almighty instruct him?” Job 42:2.

The only prudent behavior concerning God is humility; God is always right – period. Whether circumstances or relationships the Christian should never ask, “Why did you allow this to happen to me,” as if to say, “I do not deserve this!” One may ask, “Why did you allow this to happen to me,” as if to say, “What do you want to change in me?”

A friend said to Job, “Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects: therefore despise not the chastening of the Almighty: for he makes sore, and binds up: he wounds, and his hands make whole.” Job 5:17-18

In the Old Testament God is seen as meeting the temporal needs of his people, such as delivering Israel from the tyranny of Egypt, which point to the infinitely greater and eternal need in man’s soul.

It just seems natural to think that we are in the best relationship with the Almighty when things are going well. “How are you doing today sister? I am heavenly blest!” By that she means all is well in the here and now, God watches over the affairs of those He loves, and does not permit anything to go wrong or so the world thinks. The Bible, however, has something different to say,

“For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.” If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons, for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.” Hebrews 12:6-8

The greatest need that man has is to learn how to feed on God Himself. God always brings hard times to the people who are His children in order for them to trust in Him, and to depend upon Him and not themselves.

If you want to feed on Christ, trust Him when every inclination you have says not to.

The name God Almighty in Hebrew is The Strong Breasted One, which refers to God’s ability to supply all that men need, and fulfill all His promises with strength and tender loving care.

When Jacob was dying, as was the custom, he called his sons to him and blessed them, he said of Joseph, “And by the Almighty, who shall bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb…” Omnipotence                                                                                    Genesis 49:25

Jacob mentioned four blessings that his sons should receive from the Almighty; the last was life from the womb, the place where all cares are totally met by the mother.

The third in this trilogy of blessings comes from the breasts, signifying a childlike dependence for sustenance, as our Lord said, ‘unless you become like a little child, (totally dependent and humble), you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.

The second blessing is in the deep or under the surface; man is superficial in understanding life but God sees the heart and can provide what is necessary. God can change the motives and intentions of men, He can provide the heart change so men can think and act for God’s glory instead of their own.

                                                    Tender Loving Care

The first blessing comes from heaven itself, here our Lord’s words have tremendous significance, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world” John 6:51. The person who eats of Jesus’ flesh eats of His sacrificial death.   This Jesus is not the Jesus so often preached today, where he died for temporal needs, such as, home, car, toys, family, relationships, etc., but for eternal blessings like Christ-likeness, holiness, and a life that pleases God, which is born out of intimate fellowship with God in the person of His Son.

The Christian lives by the life of another – Jesus Christ, the sacrificial lamb of God.

Tender Loving Care                                                      Omnipotence

In Hebrew the name for God Almighty is El Shaddai; El is exalted, lifted up, above all, and the term Shad means breast, or The Strong Breasted One. God is saying in this name that He is to His people as a strong caring mother is to the baby that sits at her breast. God supplies all that is necessary for His people to flourish.

“And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.” Genesis 17:1-2

There was nothing in father Abraham that made him special, one only need read the story of his life to see he was not what God asked, ‘…and be perfect…” The encouraging part of the story is what God promised to Abraham and to his offspring.

“…a father of many nations have I made you.” Vs4, “I will make you exceeding fruitful…” Vs 6, “I will make nations of you…” Vs 6, “I Will establish my covenant between me and you and your seed…” Vs 7, “I will give unto you and to your seed after you, the land…” Vs 8

In each instance, God promises fruit (offspring) to Abraham, so that God will be seen as the one who brings forth those who will become God fearing and obedient. God supplies the land, the people, and the fruit that the people produce.

God is Almighty, powerful, the source of all things, and He does so with tender loving care!

Should we trust in anything else?

God, by virtue of omniscience sees all things; man foolishly tries to hide the wrong that he does. When a person becomes a believer, however, he ceases to hide sin and begins to confess it to God.

Such was the case with our Lord’s disciple Nathaniel; in John 1:47-49 we read, “Jesus saw Nathaniel coming toward him and said of him, “Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him.” Nathaniel said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” Nathaniel answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”

When Jesus saw Nathaniel approaching he said to him, “Here is a true Israelite, there is no, (dolos: craft, deceit, guile), in him,” in other words, Nathaniel does not hide sin. When Nathaniel heard what Jesus said, he questioned Him, ‘how do you know me,’ he did not deny Jesus’ accuracy. Jesus reply was that he saw him confessing his sin under a fig tree. Nathaniel acknowledged this as true by calling him teacher, Son of God and King of Israel or Messiah.

A Christian may fail, or fall, but he will rise again because Jesus is able to make Him do so because the necessary ingredient is present – the willingness to confess sin, which is evidence of a transformed heart and mind.

Do not allow time to pass once you recognize sin, Jesus will say to you as he did to Nathaniel, a Christian in whom is no hiding of sin, and you will reply teacher, Son of God, and King of Israel. This is assured to all those who have been born again! 

How ridiculous to clothe ourselves with something clear, which could not prevent us from shame or embarrassment before others. Yet that is exactly what sinful people do before God who sees all things.

The root cause of this delusion is the blindness that comes from pride. “For you say, ‘I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything,’ and yet do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked” Revelation 3:17. The lukewarm church is said to be naked. They are wretched but they do not know it, pitiable but are oblivious, poor and have no idea, blind and it follows they cannot see it. The nakedness of this church does not appear because they are blind, and they are blind because they think they are rich, affluent, and have need of nothing, which is pride.

The church is naked as are all creatures because God sees all things, “No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account” Hebrews 4:13. The remedy that God advises the church in Revelation 3 is to, “…buy from me gold refined by fire…”

That which is refined is pure, unmixed, uncompromised, and uncorrupted; the only place on earth where such purity reigns is the Word of God. The Christian must practice examination by God’s word, we do not judge it, but it judges us. “Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern both intentions and thoughts of the heart” Hebrews 4:12.

An unbroken, proud, and self-reliant man, who is willing to take matters into his own hands for his own selfish purposes judges God, himself and others wrongfully through pride, however a man humbled and shattered by God’s truth sees himself, others, and most importantly God correctly, to the saving of his soul!

“But the LORD said, “I have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt and have heard their cry of complaint against their slave drivers, so I know well what they are suffering” Exodus 3:7.

We are prone to avoid pain and suffering and when it arises, the Christian is tempted to question if God sees, and if so does He care. In Exodus 3:7, God sees the suffering of His people and cares.

The generation of Israel that God delivered was a stiff-necked, disobedient, complaining, backbiting, idolatrous, and unbelieving people, however, God loved them. He rescued them from the tyranny of Pharaoh and Egypt, the whip, taskmaster, and executioner, and still they would not believe in Him.

God is not like us, He loves unconditionally, and the worst of sinners. It is always best to view the condition of our own heart in its original state (before God transformed it through Jesus Christ) before we go off judging Him. When we judge ourselves rightly, we will not judge God wrongly; those who judge suffering through the lens of human sin ask, ‘why does God not send us all directly to hell.’

God, who has delivered the Christian from eternal wrath by the death of His own son, does not need to prove His love any longer; if He allows suffering in a life it is for a good purpose, the least of which is conformity to the image of Christ.

“LORD, you have probed me, you know me: you know when I sit and stand; you understand my thoughts from afar. My travels and my rest you mark; with all my ways you are familiar. Even before a word is on my tongue, LORD, you know it all. Behind and before you encircle me and rest your hand upon me. Such knowledge is beyond me, far too lofty for me to reach.” Psalm 139:1-6

There are two kinds of people those that fear God, and those that do not. The Greek word for fear is to give flight, and reverence for God’s authority and power. Those who fear God believe that he has the power and the will to judge and punish evil because He is moral, holy, and good.

God has the ability to be everywhere and see everything; there is no escape from the all-seeing eye of God. “Even before a word is on my tongue, LORD, you know it all.” Not even time escapes God’s ability to see a thing, God knows our thoughts before they happen. It is a foolish man who does not have a healthy fear of God.

A healthy fear of God is fear that goes beyond the superficial acknowledgement that God knows all things, but acts upon it by turning to God in faith, and from sin in repentance. Jesus Christ expressed the sacrificial love of God so that the Christian is free from a fear of God’s wrath, and instead is adopted into God’s family. “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father” Romans 8:15.

The Christian is the most fortunate person on earth, who experiences freedom in the highest sense of the word. He is free to love God out of appreciation, enjoy life without worry, and know that God who sees everything sees the sufferings of Christ on his behalf, so that he can be free from the guilt and punishment of sin. Such a faith turns to God in obedience!

Theologians divide God’s attributes into communicable and non-communicable categories. Among His non-communicable attributes is Omnipresence or everywhere present, Omniscience or all knowing, Omnipotence or all powerful, and eternality. The name God uses to reveal His omniscience is El Roi or the God who sees.

The first time the name El Roi is used in the Bible is in Genesis 16:13, “And she called the name of the LORD that spoke unto her, the God who sees me.” The story is that of Abram who was promised a seed blessed by God, and a lack of faith that developed because of his great age, as the story continued Abram and Sarai took matters into their own hands, and as a result insulted Sarai’s Egyptian maid, by using her to provide a son for Abram.

In this context, God is revealed as One who sees and at the same time one who is no respecter of persons. God by grace promised a seed to Abram because there was no special good in Abram. God saw the troubles of an Egyptian woman who would be the mother of a family of people that would be a thorn in the side of God’s people Israel down to our very day.

“But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust” Matthew 5:44-45. God is no respecter of people, and so this side of heaven he treats them alike.

The Christian should always be conscious that salvation is a gift of God’s grace. God sees the sins that remain in His people even if they do not, and it does not change His love for them. No one should know the saying better than the Christian, ‘but for the grace of God there go I.’

“Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” Psalm 100:4

Two of God’s names are stated in verse three, “Know that the Lord, He is God.” Another way of saying verse three is know that the LORD (Yehovah or I AM) is God (Elohim or faithful.

God is faithful to fulfill His promise to Abraham by providing a seed, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be” Genesis 15:5. One way the faithfulness of God can be measured is by the offspring He provided to Abraham.

We are told to praise God for His goodness and mercy, “Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting…” Psalm 100:4-5. Gratitude for the Christian begins with the truth that we are, “…His people and the sheep of His pasture” Psalm 100:3.

Why we are His people is stated in Romans 9:8, “That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.” God promised a seed to Abraham and it is the promise and not the gene pool that determines who the seed is. “For this is the word of promise“: At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son” Romans 9:9 (Emphasis added). God opens the womb because he is the author of life; it is also true in salvation, that man has no part in the fulfillment of God’s promise. Sinful men always seek to distort the simple and sublime reality that God fulfills His own promises; faithfulness is part of God’s divine character and it is revealed in His name and Word.

The Christian can, say with the Psalmist, “For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting” Psalm 100:5, because he knows that it is God keeping his own promise and saving a people whom He chooses, which makes God sovereign, merciful, and full of grace. God is not compelled to choose anyone, if He were He would not be God, and salvation would not be by grace, and grace by definition is without obligation.

“I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion” Romans 9:15.

God speaks to the entire world in Psalm 100:1, “Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!” However, only His people can respond in a way that pleases Him.

The righteous have every reason to serve the LORD with gladness, as stated in verse two, because only they have come to know that The Great I AM (the LORD) is faithful (God). He is faithful to shepherd His flock, which means He brings them to drink fresh water, eat nutritious food, lead them to find refuge from the cold, and protection from predators.

In the spiritual sense God’s pasturing means providing godly teachers who preach His word faithfully and truthfully, for His glory and not for sorted gain. Such men protect God’s people from false teachers, religions, and ideologies.

God also provides within the context of a healthy church, godly brothers, and sisters who can give wise counsel during decision-making times. A sure way to cut your self off from God is to refuse wise counsel; to do so will make God very distant.

The Christian is one who can submit to godly counsel, continue in prayer and the fear of the Lord, and as a result can make a joyful shout to the Lord.

We are told in Psalm 100:4, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, into his courts with praise.” The natural question to follow is, why? We are told in the third verse, “Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us.” (Psalm 100:3)

We do not know when but at some point, we become self-aware, and man in his fallen condition says to himself, “I AM.” It is almost as though we loose sight of the fact that we did not always exist, we know we were born in time, however, “I deserve to live and never die,” is the echo of our sinful heart. The universe seems to revolve around me.

The Psalmist takes a different view when he says, “Know you that the LORD he is God: it is he that has made us,” verse three. In the original language it reads, “know Jehovah Elohim has made us,’ and the context is, His people.” Redemption is in view, however, creation comes first. It may be assumed by the writer, as perhaps with us today, but be assured we did not have to be.

It is God’s first mercy to create each one of us, by His arbitrary will, and fashion us in the image of His Son. We can take this fact for granted but it will cost us a degree of gratitude, thanksgiving, and praise.

The Christian is one so humbled beneath the sacrifice of Christ on the cross that he views all of life, including his own creation, as a generous gift of God’s grace and mercy. Never take for granted that God created you as if He had to, nothing could be further from the truth!

Two of the hardest doctrines to reconcile are the Sovereignty of God and human responsibility, and because these are so difficult to balance in our thinking, it is all too easy to err when applying them to life.

If we are feeling guilty of some action we have taken then we can err on the side of God’s sovereignty, saying in effect, ‘God is to blame.’ If we want to take matters into our own hands rather than trust God, then we lean toward our desire to take action. It is, however, vitally important to be balanced with regards to both of these doctrinal realities.

Faith is the practice of the heart that proves that God is sovereign, he can be trusted, and he overrules in the affairs of men. “I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performs all things for me.” (Psalm 9:2) 

God’s name ‘Most High God’ appears more in the book of Daniel than any other does; in Daniel, we get a historical picture of how God rules over the affairs of men, even great kings like Nebuchadnezzar. “…they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the Most High God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointed over it whomsoever he will.”

The Christian should always be conscious that God is sovereign over all, and thereby exercise the necessary faith to please God. The fruit of faith is never inaction; even waiting on God becomes a choice of the will to please Him. The Christian is one who learns to live by faith in God Most High, which produces good works.

“For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth.” Psalm 47:2

The inspired writer of Genesis includes a lengthy introduction to Abram’s victory over the kings of the land, a closer look at their names reveals much about how God views the kingdoms of this world.

Amraphel is a sayer of darkness and fall of the sayer, Arioch is lion-like, King of Ellasar or chastened by God, Chedorlaomer is a handful of sheaves, King of Elam or “eternity,” Tidal is a “great son,” King of nations usually of non-Hebrew people.

Here with a word picture is the history of the world; we live in a fallen world filled with deception and lies, propagated by false prophets of darkness. “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened” Romans 1:21.

The history of the world is the warring of the nations, and after they make war they are chastened by God and loose their position in the world. “…that you should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein: Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.” Acts 14:15-16. (Emphasis added)

After all the warring is over, and the pleasure seeking and fortune hunting ends, it is always true that man is left with a hand full of sheaves for all eternity. “What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life?” Matthew 16:26

To rule the nations without the God, who is the ultimate ruler of nations, is foolishness indeed! The Christian should understand that God rules in heaven no matter what it looks like on earth; His plan is coming to pass completely on schedule, He is building His church as He said He would. Nothing and no one can stay His hand or prevent all things He has ordained to be.

“Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth.” Genesis 14:19

The first place the name The Most High God appears is Genesis 14, where Abram rescued his nephew Lot from the kings of the land. The name in Hebrew is El Elyon and its translation is correct – the highest God.

Two chapters before Abram was called by God and given Canaan as an inheritance. He then went down to Egypt because of a famine, and there acted foolishly and without faith; he feared what the people might do to him because of his beautiful wife.

Lot moved to Sodom that evil city because there was not room in the land for both he and Abram. Abram rose in faith to rescue Lot from his captors and after doing so met the King of Salem, which is king of peace. From the context of Genesis 12-14, Abram, as Romans 4:20 (NASV) translates it, “…staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God.”

Most importantly was the God that Abram placed his faith in, El Elyon or the God of all the kings of the earth, The Most High God, the God who has all authority and answers to no one but Himself.

When the Christian says he has faith in God he does not mean just any god, but the God Abram believed was stronger than all the kings and all the nations of the world. The Christian is never to be conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of his mind, so that; he might see God as God over all, He can be trusted, and we should keep His commands even when we are not clear why.

Calvary

“And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” John 17:26

In the Gospels, whenever Jesus prays He prays to the Father; and as the only begotten Son of the Father He makes known to us – the Father character of God. As the Father begets the Son, so the Son becomes the Father. Herein is the unity of the Trinity, and the perfect love that binds them together.

Out of a love for the Son, the Father sent Him to redeem sinners so that He (the Son) might bestow upon the Son all the glory due His name. Out of a love for the Father, the Son condescended to become man and redeem sinners, and bestow upon the Father who sent Him the glory due to His name. The circle is complete, God is one, and we are loved in Him and them.

Apart from the redemption plan, God could never love man to the extent He does. “…that the love with which You loved me may be in them…” God loves Christ His Son for who and what He is, Holy, undefiled, separate from sinners, very God of very God, love incarnate, and if I could say all that could be said there would be no end. How could God love man as He loves His Son except the two be made one?

At the cross of Calvary, Christ and man are made one in death, Christ having died for the sins of men; at the empty tomb Christ and man are made one in life, man having been made righteous by the resurrection of Christ. Henceforth, the Father no longer sees man for what He is apart from Christ, instead He sees man in Christ and Christ in Him.  Hence, the Father loves us with that love with which He loves Christ.

The Christian is one who receives love beyond comprehension, it exceeds unconditional love, and even surpasses a love had we never sinned. The love we receive belongs to the Son alone, and yet it is made available to us – sinful men that we are/were!

Best friends are intimate with each other; intimacy is the freedom to share who you are without fear of rejection. In – to – me – you – see is the dynamic of intimacy, that which makes sharing personal. True friendship is a gift from God.

It is difficult for sinful people to accept the fact that God is Lord, and all creation must submit to Him as slaves, it is equally difficult to believe that a holy God would call sinful people His friends. However, that is what Jesus said.

“Greater love has no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not slaves; for the slave knows not what his lord does: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” John 15:13-15

We have all heard it said, ‘You are on a need to know basis, and you do not need to know.’ In a Master slave relationship, you might expect to hear, ‘Do what I say, and do not ask questions.’ Jesus, however, welcomes His slaves into a fuller, richer, and more intimate relationship with Himself. ‘I do not only call you slaves but friends,’ and then He communicates all things that He hears from the Father.

We are not only privileged to be forgiven, adopted into the family of God, made heirs and joint heirs with Christ, but we are made to know God, intimately through His Son. “And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

John 17:26 (Emphasis added)

The Christian is overwhelmed with the prospect of knowing Christ; to know Him is to receive the best in life, and to miss Him is to miss everything of value!

The Old Testament is the story of creation, the fall of man into sin, his guilt before the holy law Giver, and the unfolding of God’s plan to save man from sin. The prophetic message of the messiah is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, which explodes upon the pages of the New Testament. In Christ, truth was heard like never before, and love was seen as only God could personify it.

When we read the Gospels, we behold love, which is freely given, bestowed upon the wicked, and never withdrawn. Christ is the personification of forgiveness, mercy, and compassion, which culminated on a Roman cross as he suffered and died as the sacrificial lamb. As the Gospels close and the Apostles begin to write to their readers the things, which are needful for them to hear, they take up the cause for loving Christ, and not take him for granted.

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Romans 6:1-2

John Newton understood the intent of God’s Grace when he penned the words, “twas grace that taught my heart of fear.” Speaking of guilty sinners in Romans 3, the apostle Paul said, ‘there is no fear of God before their eyes.’ Christ’s acts of love on the cross draws men to love, obey, and submit to God, not take Him for granted. “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace” Romans 6:14.

Christ’s love is unconditional, incomprehensible, and without cost, yet it is anything but cheap.

The Christian is one who grows to appreciate the high cost God paid to love him, and shows his gratitude by word, thought, and deed.

It is harder to get the devil out once you let him in, than to keep him out, with this thought in mind let us consider the words of the apostle Paul. “Do you not know, that to whom you yield yourselves slaves to obey, his slaves you are to whom you obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Romans 6:16

No one has the option to walk in and out of slavery as if it were just another job; the one who becomes a slave stays a slave unless he is set free by his master or bought by another. The slave owner in Romans 6:16 is either sin or righteousness, as it is written, ‘…his slaves you are to whom you obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness.”

If we willfully sin, that is, plan to before time, make allowance because of grace or any other reason, or excuse ourselves because of some pending circumstance, then we present ourselves to sin. Once we present ourselves to sin, we become the slave of sin. Paul warns us not to become slaves of sin because once enslaved it is difficult to become free.

The child of God is free from sin because of his union with Christ. “For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin” Romans 6:5-6.

However, the person enslaved to sin does not easily exercise faith, because he has no spiritual strength to do so. If you are enslaved to a sin set aside prolonged periods of time to pray and fast, so that you might be given the necessary faith to reckon yourself dead to sin and alive to God, by your union with Christ.

The Christian will rise again by faith when knocked down by sin; he is united in Christ’s death, therefore, he will also be united in His resurrection, so that he might not be enslaved to sin!

“Likewise you reckon also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:11

We can reckon ourselves alive unto God because of the power working within us that enables us to call upon Jesus Christ as Lord. “Now to him who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine, by the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21

The term for Lord in Romans 6:11 is Kurios in the Greek and refers to one supreme in authority, but more importantly it is slave talk. In the New Testament, the word Kurios (slave) is used 711 times, and always refers to Jesus as Master. Kurios is unequivocal in its meaning according to Kittle, a premiere Theological Greek Dictionary. Kurios has one meaning and that is slave.

In almost all English translations, the word Kurios is translated servant (it might be offensive) except when referring to a specific person, but in reality the word is undeniably “slave.” The New Testament writers had no problem referring to themselves as slaves, “Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ…” Romans 1:1; “James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ…” James 1:1; “Simon Peter, a slave and an apostle of Jesus Christ…” 2Peter 1:1; “Jude, the slave of Jesus Christ…” Jude 1.

The Christian is one who recognizes his life is not his own, he was created, rebelled, and was bought back by the sacrificial death of Christ. Such recognition can only mean one thing – a willful and loving submission to Jesus Christ as Lord and Master.

“Now these are the judgments which you shall set before them. If you buy an Hebrew slave, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.” Exodus 21:1

You do not have to drive down the road very far before you spot a bumper sticker that says, Jesus is Lord; I often wonder if the person truly understands the meaning behind the statement. The word for Lord in the Hebrew is Adonai and it means My Masters; the plural form suggests the Trinity. When referring to men in the Old Testament text it is always in the singular form.

The prominent concept behind the name is that of a master/slave relationship. Following the giving of the law in Exodus 20 is this passage concerning the treatment of slaves among God’s people Israel. Slavery is not discouraged or encouraged in the Bible, nevertheless mistreatment of others is forbidden. The idea of ownership of men by masters is used by God as a description of the relationship between God and men. When the word Lord is spelled with a capital “L” and a small “ord” in the NAS and KJ versions that word is Adonai or ‘My Masters.’ This word signifies ownership, where the slave does not possess rights, privileges or any freedom of his own.

In Exodus 21, the slave has the option to go free after seven years, but if he desires to stay because he loves his master, wife, and children then he can decide to do so. If the slave decides to stay, he must have his ear pierced with an awl, which is a sign that he will stay a willing slave forever. God gives us a picture of willingly giving up all rights to serve Him as a slave for all eternity. If this is a hard concept, stay tuned for future Blogs.

The Christian is one who willingly serves Christ as a slave, out of love, and devotion, where once he was enslaved to sin, and wickedness.

“Do you not know, that to whom you yield yourselves slaves to obey, his slaves you are to whom you obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Romans 6:16

“who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” 1Peter 2:23-24

It is hard to believe that God is in control of all things when there is so much evil in the world. There is evil in the world, this is an undeniable fact, how it got here leaves us with only two choices. First, God is sovereign and there is an ultimate and glorious purpose for sin which is to reveal the love and holiness of God, and second, God is not in control but evil men have ceased control for a time. The second choice for understanding why there is sin in the world does not understand God as God, but something less than God.

The biblical understanding of sin is that God in His divine sovereignty permitted it, and thereby willed it, but in His love dealt with it in a most severe way. First, God created hell to punish sinners for eternity; second, God placed upon His only begotten Son the sins of all those chosen to receive His grace and mercy. The revelation of God is costly and it was most costly to the Son of God.

Some will say, ‘how is it most costly for Christ when men will spend an eternity in hell?’ What is being considered in the previous statement is quantity not quality. Men are evil; therefore, they want no part of God, His holiness, law, love, character, and especially Lordship. Christ is the God/man who as the Son of God loves the Father with a love perfect and far-reaching as infinity. Now imagine, as if we could, One with such love and devotion toward God cursed by Him. Only infinite love can know infinite suffering.

The Christian is one who considers the sufferings of Christ infinitely worse than his own, and appreciates them as undeserved, and as a substitute for his sinful rebellion and hatred of God!

This is the transforming love of Christ!