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Ravings Of A Mad Man
Introduction
Close your eyes and what do you see? Is it black? Is it gray? Is it white? Is it nothing? Write the number zero on a piece of paper. Is this something or nothing? Is it not merely a representation of what we can’t conceive? We can make conclusions about what there is not, but we are limited by what we can measure or see. Let me give you an example. {…} In this set there are three periods or dots. There are not any dogs, houses, people, rocks etc.. { } In this set there is space and there are atoms of paper and chemicals like ink or perhaps photons of light on your computer screen used to represent the set. The facts are that we are limited by what we can measure or see to define what exist anywhere. There is no such thing as cold. We can’t measure cold. We can only measure heat. We can only measure the amount of heat that is present. Cold is the reciprocal of what we can measure; heat. We cannot measure the absence of heat. If it is three degrees inside your freezer then what you have measured is the amount of heat inside your freezer and represented that quantity by the number three. If it is three degrees below zero in this same freezer, then we have merely reached and surpassed the lower limits of the positive scale we have created and chosen to use. We have then designated any lesser positive existing quantities as negative. There is no such thing as darkness, just the absence of light.
Electricity is a prime example of what I like to call an abstract reality. We can not see electricity. We can however see examples of its existence in the form of two types of energy that can be measured. Heat and light are by-products of electricity’s encounter with opposition to it. If we are struck by lightning and live through it, then we can surely attest to the fact that we were able to feel it.
My problem with alternative theories on how the universe started is that we must be able to understand what existed before there was anything and we are asked to do this with logic that is flawed by its own limitations. To be able to understand how anything that is could be derived from nothing that is not is a ludicrous exercise in the scientific process anyway. We are asked by those who would have us believe in the so called “big bang theory”, to supplement faith into the scientific process to explain what existed before an explosion that was caused by nothing. At best we have a Mexican standoff to this debate simply because the big bang theorist are asking us to do what they will not do and that is use faith as a starting point. If we can use deductive reasoning and the scientific process to understand and explain electricity then we can also use it to explain God. Others who have set out before to disprove the existence of he who has already stated, “I am”, have in the course of their research discovered the opposite to be true. I also find it a great waste of time to pursue a life of trying to prove that nothing exist. The bottom line is that we have two choices here. We can place our faith in God who is, or we can place our faith in nothing that is not and doesn’t even exist. We could agree that the big bang theory is true and that this initial explosion was set in motion by God himself. To do this would be to sell ourselves short and to call the God of the universe a liar.
Chapter One
Sovereignty
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (St. John 1:1-3) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the Earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, “let there be light: and there was light.” (Genesis 1:1-3)
The first thing we need to consider is the sovereignty of God’s word. According to the passages above, God and his word are one and the same. Not only do we see that God created all things we understand how he created them. We also get our first glimpse of the fact that God always was. This being the case, the beginning only refers to our existence not his. “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8) In the third chapter of Exodus in the fourteenth verse, God told Moses, “I AM THAT I AM ”. A prayer of Moses declares the infinite existence of the Almighty forever . “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. (Psalms 90:2)
For us to fully understand the power and authority of Gods word We must examine once again creation itself. God said “let there be light and there was light.” He spoke the universe into existence. When we are have the Bible in our hands, we are holding the representation of the God of our universe. “In the beginning was the word; and the word was with God; and the word was God.” There is power in the words that you and I speak as well. When God created man he declared, “let us make man in our image, after our likeness”. One of the privileges that we enjoy as human beings that none other of God’s creations was blessed with is the ability to speak and communicate in the image of God. Be careful what you say. Just as there was great power unleashed or created when God spoke at creation, there is great power contained in his written word and testament. “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness. (Proverbs 15:1) The words of a gossip are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. (Proverbs 26:22) The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. (Isaiah 50:4) But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shall be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37)
Even before I knew Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior, I began to ponder some thoughts about the existence of God. I rationalized that if God was real then it might be a good idea if I were to read his word. I pictured myself standing before the creator and him showing me all the books I had ever read in my life; the good , the bad and the ugly. His question to me was, why had I not read his word having had more than ample time to do so? The first time I read the Bible through from cover to cover was merely an act of determination. I read it , but with very little if any insight into what I was reading. It wasn’t until later that I was to understand why. If we are to understand all that God would have us to, then it is important that we listen to all that he has to say. You have to read all the directions on baking a new cake before you can fully understand what it takes to make that cake. It is not until you have done so that you can fully comprehend how each of the ingredients work in unison to produce the desired outcome.
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedth out of the mouth of God”. (Matthew 4:4) Each word in the Bible has food for the soul. Then each phrase, verse, sentence, chapter, book and Testament. If God and Jesus and God’s word are all one, and Jesus said “ I am the same yesterday, today and tomorrow”, then all of God’s word applies to us, yesterday, today and tomorrow and God’s word never changes. I once believed that there were certain verses of scripture that no longer applied to me after I became a Christian. For example, “ask and it shall be given unto you: seek, and he shall find; knock and the door shall be opened unto you”. I now understand that when you come to know Jesus, you can continue to seek and you will continue to find as God reveals his word to you.
The Bible is referred to as the living word because as we go on living and changing, the word of God always applies. It never changes because it doesn’t have to or need to. Remember, God and his word are one. If we think about it, man never changes either apart from the transformation that takes place when we come to accept the Lord. Since mans fall from grace in the garden of Eden man has remained the same in his captivity to sin. In our futile attempts to change on our own, all we have been able to accomplish is to change the world around us. I wonder if these changes are for the better, or even if they can be, apart from the direction of the creator of the universe? I think not.
Let us examine for a minute the state of the world around us. I don’t know what you see, but apart from God I see a state of despair and disillusionment unsurpassed in my lifetime. Why is it that the most intelligent creatures on the face of the earth can’t devise a plan to do anything that will stand the test of time? We form governments which do not last. We align ourselves with treaties that are designed to fail because we compromise away that which we can’t understand will bring everlasting peace. In all areas of our social and economic development we merely have tried a system of trial and error that has no sovereignty in it’s conception. Why is it that presented with a binary system of right and wrong, we chose to complicate our existence with schools of thought we call gray areas to waste our time, to distract our focus, to satisfy our inherent greed, and our apparent need for self destruction? Why is it that having conducted the experiment and having disproved the hypothesis, we will not accept the results? We continue to make the same mistakes over and over again. We rely on that which always fails; ourselves.“And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2 Timothy 4:4) “As also in his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction”. (2 Peter 3:16) “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.” (Proverbs 30:5-6)
My challenge to you is not to agree with me but to change your hypothesis. The Bible is the sovereign word of the creator of the universe.
Chapter Two
I Am
Let us examine his purpose. Is the creation, greater then its creator? I think that with our own inherent reasoning we can classify this one a no brainer. Has man, who by God’s own words was created in the image of God, ever created anything that is greater then himself? Has man, who was created by God, ever created anything at all? I believe that we have only been afforded the ability to rearrange that which has already been created. “The gift is never greater then the giver nor the spirit in which it was given.” Have we ever given anything away that wasn’t first given to or stolen by us? If we are going to be honest with ourselves, we have no choice but to agree with the statement, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me and I in him, the same shall bring forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
Where we continue to perpetuate our sin is in the failure to understand the reason we live and have our being. “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, we are his offspring.” (Acts 17:24-28) It is in him that we find the meaning of life and our true purpose. “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God and keep his commandments for this is the whole duty of man”. (Ecclesiastes 12:13)
This being the case, why would we ever allow a day to pass without taking the time to acknowledge our provider. What are we doing? How foolish we are. Our anxiety is derived from the fact that we are running around trying to obtain what we already posses. We are trying to figure out what has already been figured out for us. We are not taking possession of what has been freely offered. We owned it in the beginning but gave it away. Now in his infinite wisdom power and love, God is providing an opportunity to give us back what he had already given us to start with. If I gave you utopia and you gave it away. If I then bought it back for you, and offered it back to you once again, would you accept my offer? Would you then be convinced that I love you?
In trying to share my faith with an acquaintance in the past, his reply to me was that he didn’t believe that God would be justified in sending him to hell. He reasoned that he never asked to be created therefore he was not responsible for his actions. If I owned a piece of land and it had a walnut tree on it, would it be mine to do with as I please? If I then decided to cut it down and make a piece of furniture, would I then have all legal rights to do so? If after I made this piece of furniture, I became dissatisfied with the way it performed, would I be within my legal rights to douse it with gasoline and set it on fire?
“Let us make man in our image after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth”. (Genesis 1:26) Another privilege we enjoy being created in the image of God is that we have the freedom and ability to choose. God also gives us the same rights that he exercises over us in that we have dominion over the other creatures he has created. Dominion is defined as the authority to rule and control in the Oxford American Dictionary. One thing you can be sure of, is that if we choose not to believe in or obey the word of our creator, it has no bearing over the fact that we belong to him.
The meaning of our existence and the purpose God has for his creation are one and the same. The struggles that we perceive as life are the manifestations of the God given choices that we have exercised in and since our fall from grace. We continue to make the wrong choices because apart from our creator we are powerless to effect a change. We need God. That is the reason for our existence. Once we have been enlightened to this fact and admit that we are not and never have been self sufficient; we are ready to be reconciled to the one who can and will meet all our needs. In this we find both our and his purpose. “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 chronicles 8:14)
Chapter Three
Reconciliation
“For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves;
it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) What separates those who are Christians from those who think they are and those who are not? “He that has the son hath Life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may (know) that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” (1 John 5:12-13)
On February 4, 1984 I was sitting in my living room when the door bell rang and I had a date with destiny. Upon opening the door, in walked the Assistant Pastor and Minister of Evangelism at Main Street Baptist Church. My wife and I had been visiting at the church as we were newlyweds and had been looking for a church home. Brother Delton was gentle in his words when he asked me the following question. If you were to die tonight: would you go to heaven. I told him that I thought I would and he never had to ask the second question. He immediately knew that he was speaking to a man whom if he died, would spend eternity in hell separated from God. He then began to share with me the Love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through the words of the Master. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3;16) The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23) There is a way which seemeth right to man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. (Proverbs 14:12) But your iniquities have separated you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, that he will not hear. (Isaiah 59:2) For there is one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ. (1 Timothy 2:5) But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet siners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20) But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. (John 1:12) That if thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God has raised him for the dead, thou shalt be saved”. (Romans 10:9) The last passage brother Delton shared with me was 1 John 5:12. He asked me if I would be willing to get down on my knees and ask Jesus to come into my life and save me from my sins. I then preceded to explain to him that at the age of thirteen, I had gone down front at a Billy Graham crusade in Baton Rouge Louisiana, and in a highly emotional state of tears, had accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and nothing changed. He then pointed out to me that he knew that I was not a Christian when I had indicated at his questioning that I thought I would go to heaven if I were to die because if I were a Christian, I would know that I had eternal life. He then pointed me once again to 1 John 5:12-13 and at that very moment God himself enlightened me as to my lost condition. Then without any emotions whatsoever, I got down on my knees admitted to God that I was a sinner and in need of his forgiveness and accepted his Son as my Lord and Savior!
I thank God to this day for his having drawn me to Jesus Christ. You see, Jesus himself said, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:44) My salvation came when my eyes were opened to the truth by God himself. For the first time in my life I was able to see two truths in 1 John 5:12-13 that I had never been enlightened to before. The first truth was that I could know that I had eternal life. I never knew that I even could know. “These things have I written unto you in order that ye may know that ye have eternal life.” The second truth was that God Himself wants me to know. “ These things have I written unto you.” To know Jesus is to know truth. He is the truth. Jesus said, “ I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the father, but by me.” (John 14:6)
That word know is an intimate term. In Genesis chapter four verse one we read, “and Adam knew eve his wife: and she conceived and bare cain.” We must have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ in that he has to indwell us and live in our hearts if we are to truly have salvation. Satan himself knows who Jesus is and so do his demons who fear and tremble at the mere mention of his name. To recognize an acquaintance and to know a relative are two entirely different things.
Let me take a moment and explain why we can’t lead anyone to Jesus Christ. The kingdom of God is like a banana. Explain to me what a banana taste like. It is impossible to describe to someone who has not experienced it for themselves. We can tell people about Jesus and our experience of salvation but only God himself can save their soul. Only God can draw them to Jesus. Only God can show them who he is. In Matthew chapter sixteen verses fifteen through seventeen, Jesus asked his disciples, “but whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” In Acts 2:47 we read, “And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” I am glad that it is only my responsibility to tell people about Jesus. It lifts a tremendous burden off our shoulders when we leave God’s work to him.
The Lord has placed in my heart a burden for those who attend church on a regular basis but don’t know Jesus. We could argue as to who is in the more precarious position. Those who are not attending church are not in a position to hear the gospel at all unless they are evangelized by you and me. On the other hand, Satan has those who are lost but attending church on a regular basis exactly where he wants them. They are totally deceived. They believe that they are going to heaven for some reason other then a real personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Please hear my plea, if you believe you are a Christian but you can’t honestly say that you know beyond any shadow of a doubt that if you were to die, you would go to heaven, then seek God with all your heart and ask your pastor about your salvation.
Jesus himself said, “verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) When will the kingdom of God begin? In the ninth chapter of Luke verse twenty seven, as Jesus was speaking to his disciples he said, “but I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God.” You see, those of us who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ have entered the kingdom of God. It began at the cross. In John 3:3 above, Jesus shows us that we cannot even see or recognize the kingdom of God unless we have been born again. So now we understand, there is a passing over from a state of darkness to a state of light or enlightenment. Our eyes become open, for the first time in our lives, we can see both the forest and the trees.
I know from personal experience that if you have not come to this realization then you are not a complete person. If ever in the world, their was an individual who deserved to go to hell, it is I. If God had handed me the ten commandments instead of Moses, there would have been twenty five. Be honest with yourself for just one moment. Are you searching for something that you have not found? Could it be that God is right and you are searching for something you didn’t even know you had lost. Do you seek one material possession after another being satisfied for only a short period of time before anxiety sets in over what you desire next? Could it be that what you are clinging to is what is making you miserable? Could it be that in fact what you’re holding on to will cause your destruction?
Outside a village in Africa a small boy hung paralyzed with fear, clinging to the branch of a nearby tree. A leopard stood poised to strike his victim at the apex of a branch on the tree. At that very moment, the young man’s father came running with a look of despair on his face. As he positioned himself to catch the boy he looked up with tears in his eyes and cried, let go, let go, so I can save you!
If you have never trusted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I plead with you to give him a try. Put him to the test. He will not let you down.
Chapter Four
Faith
The eleventh chapter of Hebrews defines faith as “ the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen.” By definition, we have entered what we would perceive as a new dimension by nature of the fact that this is a new revelation to us. The fact is however, that God has always existed just beyond our senses. Remember in the 3rd verse of the faith chapter in Hebrews eleven, we read and understand that “ what is seen was not made by what was visible.” Again in Romans chapter one verse twenty, we read that the invisible qualities of God should be understood by what we perceive with our senses that he created. This is simply straight forward logical deductive reasoning; another God given God character of man.
This realm of abstract reality is characterized by our lack of understanding when we believe something is not true simply because we have not experienced it. This is the height of arrogance and self-centered thinking, perceiving that the world revolves around me. It is not about me however; it is all about Jesus.
In Romans 12:3 we read that God has dealt to every man the measure of faith. To every living breathing God created human being, this measure of faith has been given so it can be exercised at it’s proper and appointed time. We must have enough faith to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior because the Bible says in Romans 11:3; that left on his own, no man will even seek God. “No man comes to me said Jesus, unless the Father draws him”. (John 6:44) Now that we understand what faith is, we must consider how we appropriate it beyond this measure and how we exercise it as ordained by our creator. We know that one of the most pivotal verses and probably one of the most significant verses is St. John 1:1 and 14 which states that “ in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God.” Then if we drop down to verse 14 we see that “the word became flesh and dwelt among us.” This makes our Lord Jesus Christ and the word one and the same. Now we understand that God, the Holy Spirit, Jesus and the word are all the same because Genesis 1:26 says “let us make man in our image”. Remember, Jesus also said in Matthew 4:4 that “man should not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God”. Most people in the United States miss very few meals each day but how often do we neglect to feed on the word of God on a daily basis? No wonder we are spiritually anemic. The long and short of it is that Romans 10:17 says “ faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of god”. This means that your faith and my faith is directly proportional to the amount of time we spend in Gods word. This even holds up mathmamaticly if you apply it to the formula ( f = (b)t ). For you mathematicians, note that each variable and or constant are directly proportional to each other. (f being faith, b being the bible, God’s word or Jesus and t being time). If we need our faith to increase to face the daily trials of life then we can only increase this faith by ingesting Jesus, Gods word on a daily basis. Remember we must abide in him and he in us because apart from him we can do nothing.
Chapter Five
Jesus The Lamb And The Blood
Behold the lamb of god that takes away the sins of the world. In John chapter ten verse twenty many of them said “he is demon-possessed and raving mad”. Preacher, prophet or Son of God; who was this man who split time on the earth? Even the other religions of the word honor him by measuring time before and after his birth. Regardless of why you think he came or who you believe he might have been, the fact still remains that after he came and after he departed, the world has never been the same.
Lets examine the life of the most significant being to ever grace the face of our planet. His coming was foretold from the beginning of time. Time being a frame of reference given to man by God to account for the unveiling of His perfect will. A gift pertaining to our existence or that of the creation, unnecessary and irrelevant to the creator Himself. He is the rock of ages. He is the God of both justice and mercy. Justice demanded by His law and mercy provided for by His grace. We are unable to even look upon him without experiencing death. He is the light and in that light there is no darkness. This light blinded the eyes of Paul on the road to Damascus. This light shown from the face of Moses after his experiences at Mount Sinai. For reconciliation to take place, God devised a way that we as mortal men could look into the face of our creator and only experience the Love of God and not the wrath of God. He Sent Himself in the form of His son to walk His earth as His lamb.
Jesus, born of a virgin and conceived by the Holy Spirit. He was from the house and lenage of David on both sides of His family tree. By adoption on his stepfathers side and by the flesh of his mother on his maternal side. But what about the blood? The precious blood of Jesus that takes away the sins of the world. This is not the blood of your and my ancestors that was forever defiled when Adam sinned. This is not the blood that links you and I together as mortal men regardless of race, creed or national origin. This is special blood that is untainted. This is blood that belongs to our creator. This is blood that has never been mingled with the blood of man. You see, Mary was the flesh but the Holy Spirit provided the blood. Even John the Baptist had the Holy Spirit from birth, but only Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. His blood never mingled with that of Mary’s. It never crossed the blood borne barrier or placenta in his mothers womb. It was never mingled with that of sinners. It was sinless. The flesh belonged to his mother and constituted the flesh of the Lamb of God but the precious blood that flowed through His veins was perfect. It was not of the flesh. It was not of the world. It was holy and sacred and abided only in Him. It washes white as snow. Hebrews 9:22 says that “ without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin”. Liberty also has always been paid for with blood. The only perceived misnomer to this both physically and spiritually comes when we remember that Jesus said “you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free”. It might appear that truth not blood can set you free. What we have to realize and understand is that Jesus Christ said this. His blood has already been shed for your and my liberty. We also miss it if we fail to understand that truth is not an ideology. Truth is a person and His name is Jesus Christ. In a nut shell we understand that Jesus is all of the fruits of the spirit, beginning with love then continuing with joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control. Sometime we are guilty of desiring these attributes of Jesus but we fail to obtain them because we fail to realize that they are associated with the HOLY SPIRIT. The power is in the blood.
Chapter Six
Sanctification
Consecration
Anointing
Sanctification is defined as the process of being made holy or sacred. What must I do to be Holy? In Leviticus chapter eleven verse forty five God says “Be holy for I am Holy”. This verse is brought to light again in the New Testament in First Peter chapter one verse fifteen. Consecration is the process of making sacred for the service or worship of God.
In the Old Testament, God used death through sacrifice to show His people the seriousness and penalty for sin. Having to kill the best animals they had reminded them of their guilt and stressed God’s spiritual and universal law . “The wages of sin is death”. In the process of consecration, oil, water, and blood were prepared for sanctification and ordination for worship.
Today, a lamb has been slain that has taken away the sins of the world! His name is Jesus! He was the last sacrifice. He was the complete sacrifice. He was the most Holy sacrifice. He is the son of the “most high God”. The Creator of the universe. The Father, the Son and the Holy spirit. His name is above all names. He is exalted, the king is exalted on high. “It is finished”.
A provision has been made for your and my sanctification. Let’s pour on the oil of gladness. Jesus left in order that the provision could come. That same Holy Spirit that lived in the body of our most Holy Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ has now been sent to abide in us for the purpose of speaking boldly the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly”.(Acts 4:31) He testifies of Jesus. We overcome “ by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimonies”.
Lets take a minute to examine this process of sanctification because “he who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it”. We have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, so what has taken place in our lives? “having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the day of those who are God’s possession”. This infers that you can never again be possessed by the devil. This does not however mean that we cannot be oppressed. Oppression is an outward force and if you are not being attacked at some point by the forces of darkness then you had better do some spiritual inventory because you might already be captured. The bible talks about a group of people who will barley escape the flames. These individuals are saved but they forgot to keep seeking. “Ask and it shall be given unto you. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door shall be opened unto you”. They will be in heaven but their rewards both on earth and in heaven could have been so much more. They could have had much more to give. a larger crown to lay at the feet of Jesus! “you receive not because you ask not”. How much of God’s presence do you want in your life? “ Just to be in his presence, sitting at his feet, just to know that you are with me. My joy can be complete. Just to feel your tender touch devine, to know I’m yours and you are mine. In your presence Lord is where I want to be”.
So we are sealed by the Holy Spirit to the day of redemption. Is that all there is? Jesus said, “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you: and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”.( Acts 1:8 ) There have been two beings in the New Testament who have had the Holy Spirit from Birth. We read about one in Luke’s gospel chapter one verse fifteen. “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth”. We see here that John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from birth. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ also Had the Holy Spirit from birth, the difference being that he and only he was conceived by the Holy Spirit. If we are sealed by the Holy spirit to the day of redemption upon our salvation experience, then what does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit?
In Saint John one twelve it says “but as many as received him, to them gave he power to become sons of god. Again, what is this power for? In Acts two verses one through four we read that “when the day of pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues as the Spirit enabled them”. This was the first account of a filling of the Holy Spirit. In another account, ( Acts 2: 38 ) We read. Peter replied, “repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. In account number three we are with Phillip at Samaria. We need to bear in mind possibly that Phillip is an evangelist. Discipleship is not his thing. He is concerned about people getting saved. It is simply a numbers game to him. In Acts chapter eight verse nine through seventeen we read “Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is the divine power known as the great power.” They followed him because he had amazed them with his magic. But when they believed Phillip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself believed and was baptized. and he followed Phillip everywhere astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them: they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit”. In account number four we read in Acts chapter nine verse fifteen through nineteen “ But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name”. Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “ the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit”. Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength”. In this account we note that this was a special one time event as was the tongues of fire at Pentecost. Both events were ordinations for something new. The beginning of the church at Pentecost and the beginning of the preaching of the Gospel to the gentiles by the ordination of Paul after his conversion experience on the road to Damascus.
Account number five is in Acts chapter ten verse forty five through forty seven a . It says that “the circumcised believers who had come with peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, “Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus.”
Account number six says, “News of this reached the ears of the Church at Jerusalem and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.”(Acts 11:22-24)
In acts nineteen verse one through six we read that “while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. Then he found some disciples and asked them, “did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered” No , we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” so Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism, they replied” Paul said, “John’s Baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this they were baptized into the name of Jesus. when Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. In this the seventh account we note that they were baptized in the name of Jesus but then the Holy Spirit came on them in that order. As you will see however, the order is irrelevant .
In each of these accounts we have seen different orders of operation. Some were baptized in the name of Jesus, then received. Some were filled after they prayed. Some accepted Jesus, time passed then they received after having hands laid on them, then they were baptized. Some accepted Christ, were baptized in water, then rebaptized in the name of Jesus, then received after having hands laid on them. Lets also not forget the two special events, Pentecost and the ordination of Paul.
The misinterpretation of these events have caused disunity in the Church for far to long. Satan has used these lines of demarcation to attack us where the ranks are not closed. He doesn’t have to flank us if he can divide and conquer. Its high time we make him take the long way around!
Let us look to our leader, the Master for the final answer. Jesus said, “so I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find: knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will you give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven GIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT TO THOSE WHO ASK HIM! We need to understand first of all that we have been commanded to be filled With the Holy Spirit. “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with with the Holy Spirit”. ( Ephesians 5:17 )
If we pray for ourselves and others the prayer that Paul prayed for the Church at Ephesus in Ephesians chapter Three verses fourteen through twenty one, we unleash the power of God into our lives. Paul is not praying for a bunch of heathens here but rather a Church full of born again believers. This is what he prayed, “for this reason I kneel before the father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you being rooted and grounded in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” !
Chapter Seven
Discipleship
We need to be confident of this, “that he who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it”.( Philippians 1:6 ) We have been called to be disciples and to make disciples of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Discipleship is the discipline side or practical side of your sanctification process. In short it is the work, the homework, the hard part that takes dedication and perseverance. As individuals, it is our responsibility to grow in the Lord. Jesus said that we can not plow a straight row looking back. We have to forge ahead to reach the mark of our high calling. We should not be like the double minded man who can not expect to receive anything from God. We must not be unstable in all our ways. We must fix our eyes on Jesus. We are called to spend time with Jesus every day. it is our relationship with and time spent with him; Jesus the living word, that causes the mutual induction of the Spirit of Jesus to manifest itself into our lives. We give him praise and glory through prayer and worship and he gives us the anointing of his presence, the fruits of his spirit to meet all of our needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
God has also gifted us with the talents and abilities we need both collectively and individually to make disciples of all men. “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelist, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare god’s people for the works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ”.
Author Unknown?
Isaiah 55:11
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