2 Peter 1:1-9 KJV

1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

Nine Considerations:

1. Diligence – Eagerness
2. Faith – Persuasion; to convince by analogy
3. Virtue – Excellence (in this passage)
4. Knowledge – The act of knowing
5. Temperance – Strength 
6. Patience – Endurance, constancy
7. Godliness – Reverent
8. Brotherly Kindness – Humane
9. Charity (love) – Agape

Note in these nine considerations the posision of temperance.It is positioned right in the middle… A balancing point and core item of our lives.

But, what is temperance? What does it mean to be tempered?

Temperance is to be self-controled; strong in something; masterful; to have vigor…

Vigor is to have physical or mental strength, energy, or force and the capacity for natural growth and survival… 

What is the process? In order to temper metal there is a process. In order to temper our lives, there is a process…

The process for tempering steel is described below. Growing up, I worked with my uncle who was and still is a wheelwright . Often he would have people from all over the United States send him their wagon or buggy wheels. Once, he was sent the wheels from the Ringling Brothers Circus and George Washingtons cannon wheels to repair and replace the metal bands on the wheels. The metal had to be worked or heated and then beaten onto the wooden wheel. Back then I could not stand the work but now I really count it a blessing that I got to help with some of that work. This is where I gained some understanding about hardening and teempering metal…I had no idea then the spiritual implications of this process and the labor involved in doing it. I am tired just typing about it…

Here is the process…

Hardening and Tempering

This process changes the molecular structure of the steel. Without going into a lot of scientific verbiage, I will just keep it simple.

Heat treatment of steel in a shop is normally a two-stage process. For example, if a mild steel screw driver blade has been manufactured at some point it will have to be ‘’hardened’ to prevent it wearing down when used. On the other hand, it will have to be ‘tempered’. This second heating process reduces the hardness a little but toughens the steel. It also significantly reduces the brittleness of the steel so that it does not break easily. The whole process is called ‘hardening and tempering’.
 
Step One:

The screwdriver blade is heated; slowly at first, warming up the whole blade. Then the heat is concentrated on the area at the end of the blade. This gradually becomes ‘red’ hot.
 
Step Two:

The screwdriver blade is removed quickly from the brazing hearth, with blacksmiths tongs and plunged into clean, cold water. Steam boils off from the water as the steel cools rapidly. At this stage the blade is very hard but brittle and will break easily.

Step Three:

The screwdriver blade is cleaned with emery cloth and heated again in the brazing hearth. Heat is concentrated at the end of the steel blade. The steel must be watched very carefully as it changes color quite quickly. A blue line of heat will appear near the end of the blade and it travels towards the tip as the temperature rises along the blade. When the line of blue reaches the tip the brazing torch is turned off. The blue indicates the correct temperature of ‘tempering’.

Step Four:

The screwdriver blade is placed on a steel surface, such as an anvil face. This conducts the heat away and allows slow cooling of the screwdriver blade. When cold, the blade should be tough and hardwearing and unlikely to break or snap. This is due to the tempering process.

How does this apply to our lives? Our lives must go through the entire process. If not, we will be too hard or not strong enough.

How does this relate to our struggles and forgiveness…Or life in general? Balance is the key. Just as temperance is in the middle of the nine considerations, it must be the part of our lives that provides balance when the chips are down or we are flying on cloud none.

What does losing my temper really mean? It mean that we are losing that which has strengthened us or not placing our full trustin the Lord that his strenght is enough.

We have been changed…Our life structure has been changed…We have a new life!

We have been regenerated (re-gene-rated)…Our whole life has been changed and we have new life blood coursing through our lives.

The first step in our tempering is salvation. We recognize our sin and the need for it to be forgiven. We accept with eagerness the love and forgiveness of Jesus. We get baptized and join a church. But if that is all we do, we will miss out on the next important step in the process.

The second step we must take is to submit ourselves to the reading and teaching of the Word (becoming a disciple of Jesus). We must discipline our lives so that it becomes engrained in us that Jesus really is Lord…His word is true and that there is deliverance through its application in our lives!

If we stop on the first stop, we have a greater chance of not entering into the abundant life that Jesus provides. We become brittle (bitter) and may break under the pressure of life. By following through with the last step, we seal our lives by applying what it written into our lives by submitting to Jesus.

Scripture

Jude 20-25 KJV

20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, 21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 22 And of some have compassion, making a difference: 23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. 24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

Conversation

When I read this scripture, I am overwhelmed. It is apparent that we are to make a difference through compassion. However, compassion is not typically a word that we use much less live. Jesus compassion was exhibited the most when there were multitudes of people involved. He had compassion on the 5,000, 4,000 the sick, lame, and blind.

How much compassion do we have today?

When we look at the multitude of people who are lost without a Shepherd do we have compassion for them or contempt?

If we are going to make a difference in our society, we have got to have compassion. Not just any compassion but the compassion of Jesus. We must be able to stand firm in our faith, pray in the Holy Ghost, keep ourselves in the love of God, and look for the mercy of Jesus. These all make up the compassion that Jesus displayed…He made a difference in the lives of those He came in contact with. He was not afraid to touch them and mingle with the people…We, however, want to stay away from the sinner as if to say: “I do not want to get dirty”.

Nonetheless, when we adopt this attitude, we are not trusting God with His own word. When we allow the compassion of Jesus to operate in our lives, He fulfills His promise to keep us from falling. Yeah, read it again verse 24, He is able to keep us from falling to the point that we can reach into the spiritual realm and snatch them out of the fiery flames of a life consumed with indulging in the flesh.

Are we making that kind of a difference in the life of anyone?

Godly Seed Produces Spiritual Fruit 

To be “filled” with the Sprit is to be yielded and controlled by the Spirit of the Living God.  This part of our walk is crucial to living our Christian walk to the fullest. Ephesians 5:18 (from part 1) says: “be filled with the Spirit”. It is written in the present tense…Not past or future but present.  It applies as much today as it did when Paul penned it. He knew the need for his reader to understand that the Spirit filled life is to be perpetually repetitive. When we wake up…We need to “be filled” to respond to the day. When we see other’s in need…We need to “be filled” to respond. When we hear of other’s need…We need to “be filled” to respond.  When we….Whatever the need or moment, we need to “be filled” to respond.  

What do we have to do to be filled?

1. Be a Christian

2. Ask

3. Receive

4. Believe

5. Respond

What is the indication of being filled with the Spirit?

The answer to this question is found in Acts 1 – It is the power to be an effective witness for the Lord!

Acts 1:5-8 KJV

5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. 6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

The power that we receive is not to walk two feet off the floor or be a super-healer or any other spiritual super star but the power to be a witness. Now with that being said, God will use this witness to show His power and it may be manifest in different measures and at different times. This witness is not to be a flesh pleaser or exhibition but one that demonstrates the effective and effectual working of the Holy Ghost in the life of a yielded person.

What are the results? The following scripture gives us the resluts of a life and walk that is filled witht the Spirit.

Galatians 5:16, 18, 19a, KJV

 16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19a Now the works of the flesh…

In verse 19 Concentrate on the word works (now go to your Bible and look at these works)…

In verse 19 we see how the flesh operates…Through work. It takes a lot of effort and work to keep up with all the lies our flesh wants us to believe. Kind of like when we really tell a lie and we have to constantly work at remembering the way we told it so that we do not mess the whole lie up. We have to lie to keep the lie going and so on and so forth until we really don’t know what is the truth and where it all started.

Galatians 5: 22-25 KJV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

A life yielded to the Holy Spirit will produce fruit. Fruit is the product of a branch being yileded to the trunk and simply be a conduit for the nutirents to flow to the end of the branch to produce fruit.

The results are in and….

 1. Galatians 5:16 – We will not fulfill the lust of the flesh…Those things that are against the things of God. Our desire will be to please our Lord and not our own flesh.

 2. Galatians 5:22-23 – Fruit begins to appear in our life that may not have been there before…Ever.

No law (did you read that…no law) can stand against these fruits, these absolutes in our walk with God. They are not a product of any worldly design, seminar, or motivational speaker…These fruits are a direct result of a yielded, submitted, controlled life to the Holy Ghost!

 -Cautionary Note-

-        We cannot allow these fruits to cause envy in each other or become prideful…

-        Our lives should point to the Savior, the cross, the empty tomb…

-        We are not our own, we were bought with a price…

Lastly:

Isn’t it time that we started living like we were designed to live? Living a life that is yielded to the Spirit, filled with the Spirit, and producing the Spiritual fruit that is only from God through His Spirit…It may seem difficult but that is what the world and religious people would have us to believe. Actually, it is very simple and this life can be summed up in a single description…Yielded.

Notes and comments from Mothers Day May 10, 2009

Heritage - Something that is passed down from preceding generations; a tradition.

Scripture Reference:

2 Timothy 1:1-6 ESV

 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus, 2 To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3 I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

Comments

The celebration of motherhood is often overshadowed by the emmence joy of the new arrival or the success of the mature individual. It is good that a special day is set aside just for mothers as they deserve much more but at least there is one day in each year when mothers are honored and celebrated for their contribution, sacrifice, and committment to their family, friends, and society.

As joyous as it is this day can be as equally sad. As I travelled into the church this morning I passed a cemetery where a mother and two young children were sitting on a bench looking at a gravestone. The scene was a reminder that though today is a celebration it can also be a day of grief.

 It is important that we cherish the moments we have with each other as none of us a guarenteed or promised the next breath 

Another reminder of the importance and impact that mothers have on their children is a story I recalled hearing about an initiative by a greeting card company. The initiative was designed to offer Mother’s Day cards free prison inmates so they could send them home or to someone that they considered a mother figure. The program started with a few cards and ended with a truckload or two. It was far more successful that originally anticipated. 

Certainly all mothers leave/have a heritage but there is something about being a godly mother and the ensuing passion that extends through the spiritual relationship she has with God…Paul recognized it in Timothy’s life and thought it was an important attribute of his life that he mentioned both his mother and grandmother. 

My intention in this sermon is to offer hope to those of you who have diligently sought the Lord, encouragement to those of you beginning this adventure of motherhood, and direction to those of you who may be new to the whole “godly mother” reference in the title.

 The godliness of a mother…What is it?

It is that attribute and demeanor that only a mother holds that can convey her message with the look of her eyes, tone of her voice, and touch of her hand. Not to mention the whipping you get if none of these work…

Excerpts from Proverbs 31

-  She is far more precious than jewels…

-  With the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.

-   She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.

-   She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.

-   Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs…

-   She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

-   Her children rise up and call her blessed…

The foundation of a godly mother’s life is her faith. More often than not, the faith of a godly mother is the glue that holds the fabric of her family together.

Something passed down from generation to generation…

Her Faith transcends time, age, gender, and is a source of strength to its recipients throughout their life. 

More than tradition…It is a legacy

Tradition is okay as long as it does not replace the will and desire of God for our life. Paul wrote this to Timothy in approximately 62 AD. The impact of Jesus’ work began a legacy that was established in 29 years. It extended from the grandmother to the mother to the son…Three generations were dramatically changed in less time than what I typically term a generational period which is 40-years.

Wtih this in mind there are questions that I ask you:

What kind of legacy are you leaving for your children and grandchildren?

 What more can a mother do?

 The most important aspect of this heritage is faith.

Faith that is real; not fake! (Unfeigned…not pretended; sincerely felt or expressed; genuine)

 Faith in what?

 Jesus, His word, His Spirit, and His Father… 

Where is your faith today? 

-  In the world?

-  In the church?

-  In your children?

A Godly mother has to place her faith in the Almighty and no one or nothing else!

It’s the prayer of a mother for her children that prevails in their lives!

It’s the fervency of a mother’s prayer that gets the attention of God! 

Be encouraged!

God has not forgotten you or left you alone!  

He has heard your cries and prayers!

He will not leave you! 

The Lord is your ever present help, strength, support, and guide. Rely on Him to provide you with the ability to influence your family for generations!

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Source: http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/index.htm 

Where are we today?

The question at hand is where are we today? This portion of our Constitution, especially the last sentence, is one of the most quoted sections.

Do we have life?

       We are certainly alive as a people, but are we living?

Where is liberty?

      We certainly have liberty, but are we really free?

Have we pursued happiness?

     We proclaim that we are happy, but are we?

Many of our forefathers were Christian, they understood what they meant in penning the Declaration of Independence as they framed it around their understanding of the Creator; God Himself…Perhaps the outcome of their proclamation was not intended to manifest into what has become the United States of America today.

Where are we today?

For the most part, we are lost and unwilling to ask for directions.

Where does this position of our nation lead us as follower of the Most High God?

It places us in a position of leadership in that we must separate ourselves and our lifestyle from the bulk of our society in order to be a beacon of hope and direction for those that are lost.

We have a similar statement within our Bible that provides us with a mandate and promise. Unlike our Nations Constitution, the written and proclaimed Word of God, when applied to the redeemed sinner’s life, has greater power and authority in that life becomes a person; liberty is declared from unseen bondage, and happiness is a lifestyle not a definition.

Scripture

Romans 14:17-19 KJV

17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. 18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. 19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

Observation

First, it is worthy to note that how we live as Christians, under the authority of God, is not a democratic state; it is a kingdom. With a kingdom comes a King. With the King comes a domain and our Kings domain is the entirety of creation, including humanity. (Psalm 24:1)

Second, this kingdom is not about eating and drinking (Paul was addressing this particular aspect within the context of the passage); houses and land; clothing and shoes…(Matthew 19:28-30)

Third, there are three aspects of kingdom living that we should adhere to as servants of the King.

Righteousness, peace, and joy…with one additional admonition, these are all done in the Holy Ghost.

Righteousness (Life) is not our own but His working through our lives (2 Corinthians 5:21) in the power of the Holy Ghost.

Peace (Liberty), he is our peace. Not a treaty, declaration, constitution, mandate, law, or any other created thing. Our joy is the freedom from the bondage and ravages of sin in the power of the Holy Ghost (Ephesians 2:13-17).

Joy (Pursuit of Happiness) unspeakable and in full. This is not something we pursue like a fading smoke cloud. Joy and its fullness are wrapped in the person of Jesus Christ and we experience it in our lives through the power of the Holy Ghost (John 16:23-24).

All three of these aspects of our life are not sections of God or a part of Gods “psyche”. God is righteous; God is peace; God is joy; it is His DNA…These three are not something we attain, they are a part of living under the Kingship and in the Kingdom of God.

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness…Mans best effort to placate a desire to live in these United States

Righteousness, Peace, and Joy in the Holy Ghost…DNA of God Himself whereby we can live in the Kingdom of God and be pleasing to the King; gain favor with Him and those around us. Thus empowering us to become effective and compassionate witnesses…

Times are tough. People all around us are hurting and it appears that no part of our society is immune to the issues we are all facing. Despair is growing…Despondency is spreading like the plague…Dejection is setting like concrete in the lives of those displaced by the current woes

What can we do?

Live our lives out-loud for the cause of Christ

Reach out to those who are hurting

Even if they do not look like you or come from the same side of the tracks

Scripture

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

Luke 10:25-37 ESV

25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii [3] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

Footnotes

[3] 10:35 A denarius was a day’s wage for a laborer

Life Lessons

Live like there is no tomorrow

Love like no one is looking

Serve everyone as if they were royalty…Make them feel special

Give until it hurts…Jesus did

The pains of today can give birth to the next generation’s access to God through living our lives out-loud for Christ

The world expects us to be the voice of condemnation…Throw them a curve give them Jesus. Not the Jesus they expect…The kind of Jesus that He gave to the world when He walked it.

            He identified with their plight

            He reached out to those who were not like Him

            He wept for those He loved

            He cared deeply for those around Him even though one would eventually betray Him

            He wanted people to experience God in a tangible way

            What are we doing that mimics Jesus example?

            It’s not What Would Jesus Do but What Did Jesus Do?

The principle foundation of our belief system is based on one word. It is interesting that we live our life each day based on its importance and unique ability to change the way we perceive life and especially the way we view spiritual things. The emphasis on the spiritual is in the way our relationship with our Creator is cultivated and maintained through the activity and power found in this word.

At times this word operates behind the scenes where no one is looking and only the one making a supplication to the Almighty has any awareness of its magnitude. Other times, it is running rampant throughout the whole gathering that the atmosphere almost becomes electrified…The air in the room becomes thick and heavy and the natural man wants to fall face first in the presence of the Holiness of God when this word is made alive in the lives of those who practice it.

This word can cause one to reminisce from days ago and become encouraged through the memory of the one or two that practiced is so faithfully. Thus, this word transcends time and generation. It can hold a family together in the darkest of moments and cause relationships to mend through its application to the given situation.

It sees the unseen in ways that cause change in the elemental values of living on this grand planet. This word eloquently creates and deposits hope in the lives of those committed to living under its influence. The very mention of its description confounds the most scholarly and causes the most defiant to grimace due to the undiluted power of its presence. It is untamable by worldly standards and not a single law can stand when it is enacted in the life of the Christian. This word is interwoven through the scriptures and act as a roadmap for its practitioners to follow and live a life that pleases to the uttermost God Himself.

This word is simple yet profoundly complex…Yet it can only be activated by a conscious effort on the part of the Christian. Often it is discredited as coincidence or happenchance and associated with other worldly misrepresentations. However, once the believer tastes the true nature and magnitude of its prowess, nothing remains the same. This word can even be used by others on behalf of one who is lacking in the ability to fully tapping into its abundance.

This word, the power contained its invocation is simply know as faith and it is only enforced when we purposefully utilize it in an active fashion constantly in our lives.

Background

The nation of Israel was still mourning the death of Moses

Joshua was the man that succeeded Moses in leading the entire nation

He was God’s man and God had a mission for him to complete

Joshua led the children into the Promised Land

To get there, they had to cross the Jordan river…At flood stage

God had given specific instruction to Joshua as it related to how to conduct himself…Strongly

Joshua had to have faith and had to convey his faith to those under his leadership

Scripture

Joshua 3:1-17 ESV

1 Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. 2 At the end of three days the officers went through the camp 3 and commanded the people, “As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. 4 Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits [1] in length. Do not come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.” 5 Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” 6 And Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.

7 The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. 8 And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” 9 And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” 10 And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth [2] is passing over before you into the Jordan. 12 Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man. 13 And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.”

14 So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), 16 the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. 17 Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.

Footnotes

[1] 3:4 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
[2] 3:11 Hebrew the ark of the covenant, the Lord of all the earth

Additional Note: 2,000 cubits x 18 inches = 36,000 inches or 3,000 feet (a little over ½ mile distance)

The Crossing

Joshua was given specific instruction on how to prepare the people

He was instructed on how to prepare the people

They were told to consecrate themselves (sanctify, bless, make holy or repent in today’s language)

The Lord was going to show His affirmation of Joshua to the people

He would confirm His allegiance after the same manner of Moses

He encouraged the people by telling them of the coming exploits of God

The priests were given concise instruction as to their carrying of the Ark of God into the Jordan

When they followed Joshua’s instruction and got their feet wet; the water stopped flowing (during flood stage) and they whole nation crossed on dry land.

God had performed another miracle in their midst to confirm His power and provision over His people

But there is more…

Spiritual Application

There are deeper spiritual implications being presented in this episode of Israel

Remember, the Old Testament is Christ concealed and yet unseen in the eyes of the Israelite people

Here are a few notes:

            Joshua is the Hebrew name for Jesus

            The people did not move toward the river until after three days

            Jesus was in the grave three days

The people were being led by a type and shadow of Jesus (not the Joshua was Jesus he operated in the fashion of a redeemer of the nation)

The Jordan River is often associated with death or descending because it empties into the Dead Sea

Faith was exercised by the priests through the faith that was given to them by Joshua as his direction was give by God

Their feet had to get wet before anything happened (much like we have to act on the influence of God before He moves on our behalf; 1 Corinthians 15:46)

What has transpired in our lives through the activation of faith in Jesus is

not unlike what happened when the priests stepped into the muddy waters of the Jordan; in a sense they stepped into death and God intervened to stop death from overcoming them…Death was stopped cold in its flow through our lives

Note that the water (the flow of death) was stopped all the way back to the city Adam and for that period no water went into the Dead Sea (verse 16)

Just as this was done through the faith of Joshua and the priests, the flow of sin (death) has been stopped from flowing any longer in our life and in the life of any man, woman, or child that exercised faith in the Lord Jesus Christ…This is a cause for celebration

The priests and all the people were able to cross into the Promised Land with a flooding river standing at bay far enough away such that they could cross in peace and without fear…

How do we keep our feet wet?

Recognize when God is speaking to us…

Follow His command and presence (no matter how silly or unreasonable it may seem)…

I am sure the priests wondered what was going to happen when they were told to stand in the flooded waters of the Jordan)

Keep yourself sanctified and ready at all times…

Don’t move until He is finished the work He started…

The exercising of our faith has the ability to stop the flow of death in our life and in the life of others…

Joshua and the priests were not the only benefactors of the utilization of faith

Faith should never be your back-up plan…

Our walk with God started when we exercised faith in Jesus and our walk continues as we continuously exercise faith throughout the remainder of our walk with God. It was the priests feet (significant of their walk) that had to get wet (baptized into death as we are baptized into the death of Jesus) before God did anything. How is your faith? Wet with anticipation or dry wanting satisfaction?

Ageless are the memories from my youth. The smell of bacon, eggs, and hoecake cooking on a cool Saturday morning or the cleansing smell of an evening shower or the refreshing scent of freshly plowed dirt or the sounds of crickets and frogs singing their hypnotic melodies are just some of the memories of my childhood. The thought of these memories brings a yearning for the innocence that was left behind in that timeless era of being a kid. I have often wondered what life would have been like had these memories been any different. Maybe, I wouldn’t be here at all. Maybe, I wouldn’t be living where I am. Maybe, I wouldn’t have married the woman I did. Maybe, I wouldn’t be here at all. But, I am. I am here and I must do what needs to be done in an effort to never let the memories of my past die or let them hinder my future.  The story I am telling is a story about the power of the sense of smell.

My sense of smell has always been an intricate part of my life. Most of my memories are somehow associated with scents. The one I remember the most and take the greatest pleasure in smelling is the one I am writing about.

My dad is my hero. He is a great man. He is the only person I know that can do the things he can do. He is and has been the standard of my life. He is the most loving, caring, compassionate, and giving man I know. I love him and he loves me. I know I can call on him any time and he will be there for me. He is my best friend. I owe my life to him and I will be forever indebted to him for what he has done for me.

My dad was a hard working man. I remember one particular evening in my childhood when my dad came in from working outside in the garden. He was sweaty and a little dirty. He sat down in his favorite rocking chair and began to slowly rock back and forth. I knew what I wanted and needed; to get in his lap. As I crawled up in his lap, I could feel the small grit from the garden. Then it hit me, that smell; the scent of my dad. It was not an offensive odor but one that made me feel secure and calm. I really do not know how to describe it but I loved it and I often wanted to just sit in my dads lap just so I could get a whiff of what a man was supposed to smell like. If I close my eyes and think hard enough, I can still smell him today.

One afternoon I was getting ready to go somewhere with my own family. I reached up into my t-shirt drawer and pulled one out. I just happened to put it near my nose and there it was; that scent. There he was, my dad. I stopped for what seemed like an eternity and sniffed as slowly as possible so I could savor the moment. It hit me, I smelled like my dad. I felt like a man. No longer trapped in a time warp wondering when it would happen. Wondering when someone would pass the torch on to me and say, you are a man now. In an instant, I was transported through a couple of decades into the lap of my dad rocking me in his favorite rocking chair and smelling his scent. Why did it all have to happen? I asked myself. Why then? Why now? Why didn’t I get the scent earlier in life? I am in my thirties and just realized I am a man. Why should I care? All of these questions did not get an answer. But, I did realize one thing, I smell just like my dad.

This smell is one of only a few good memories I have of my dad and I cherish it the most. When I was ten years old I watched my dad die. He was killed in a tractor accident on our family farm and I saw most of it. The date was June 23^rd, 1976 at around 3:15 p.m. I was going to take my dad a glass of water where he was bush-hogging with our tractor. As I was walking off of the garage my mama was running up the driveway. I knew something was wrong by the look on her face and the way she was running. The first words she spoke pierced me like a knife. She said, “The tractor has turned over on your daddy and I have to call an ambulance!” I ran as hard as I could to my dad and when I got there he was lying on the ground on his back. I screamed daddy and noticed his muscles twitching and thought he was alive and screamed daddy again. To no avail, he died right there in front of me. My life was forever changed.

Back to the t-shirt moment, that day was very important to me. It somehow gave me a tangible connection with my dad. I felt proud to know I smelled just like my dad. And still to this day, every time I smell my t-shirts I think of my dad. You could be wondering how I could say all I said at the beginning of my story in a “present tense” about my dad. My dad is my hero. He is a great man. He is the only person I know that can do the things He can do. He is and has been the standard of my life. He is the most loving, caring, compassionate, and giving man I know. I love Him and He loves me. I know I can call on Him any time and he will be there for me. He is my best friend. I owe my life to Him and I will be forever indebted to Him for what he has done for me. My dad’s name is Jesus. He has been a Father to me since I was nine years old. I know I can crawl up into His lap and He will hold me and make me feel secure and calm. The best part of this story is this; I smell like my dad, both of them. I have realized that if my natural dad had not died, I might not have relied on Jesus like I have and thus miss out on the knowledge that He is all I need and that I smell just like Him.

My goal in life is to allow people to smell the scent of their Heavenly Father so they can know there is a God and there is more to life that just existing. So they can remember Whose they really are and to Whom they really belong. I leave you with this question, “Do you smell like your Father?”

With the vast majority of our culture changing its perspective on what it believes and where the true foundation of our great nation originated, it is imperative that those who name Jesus as their Lord continually focus on and submit to His authority.

We cannot afford to allow socioeconomic, cultural, skin-color, attire, or any external factor influence the way God wants to proclaim His message through us.

Bottom line…We cannot simply allow the phrase “we have always done it that way” be the deciding and foundational principle of the way we conduct business as believers.

Change is in the air. We are at a fork in the road and there are only two paths to choose.

Revival Is Continuously Active, Not Singularly Impressive

Revival is not limited to the church. After all, Jesus did not die for the church but the entirety of humanity.

Not realizing that God has always had a great affinity for mankind is a sad mistake.

Background

Ninevites were not Israelites; they were pagan

Jonah means dove…Holy Spirit is likened to a dove

Jonah was an Israelite

He was a prophet of God (meaning that God spoke to him personally and gave him specific direction).  He was the only prophet Jesus compared Himself to.

Note: We are not like Jonah in that God speaks directly to us through His Son and Spirit; we do not necessarily need someone to hear God for us

Scripture

Jonah Chapters 1-4 ESV

Chapter 1: Jonah’s rebellion…Jonah is like us; he knew the right thing to do but didn’t do it

Jonah 1:1-3, 17 ESV

1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”

3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.

17  And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Chapter 2: Jonah’s repentance…Jonah gets right with God

Jonah 2:1

1 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish…

Just like Jonah…We pray when we know we’ve messed up and missed God

Chapter 3: Jonahs’ obedience…Revival comes

Jonah 3:1-10 ESV

1 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying,

2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.”

3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth.

4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

6 The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

7 And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water,

8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.

9 Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”

10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

Chapter 4: Jonah’s resentment…God’s Mercy

Jonah 4:1-11 ESV

1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.

2 And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.

3 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

4 And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?”

5 Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city.

Note: I only covered the first five verses and summarized the rest

 6 Now the Lord God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant.

7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered.

8 When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”

9 But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.”

10 And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night.

11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

Note: there could have been as many as 600,000 people

Excuses We Use

 But they deserve what they get…

Why should I witness to them, they’re never going to get it…

I cannot believe that God blesses them more than He does me…I never lived like that

They don’t even look like us…

They don’t act like us…

Questions to Ponder

Why are we like Jonah?

We are just like Jonah in that when God instructs us to do something we know we do not like…We try to run from it

Who has God told you to minister to?

Most of the time God desires for us to minister to people who are not like us in the way they live their life.

Why?

To exercise our faith and get the “religiousness” out of our life

What if I do nothing?

You might end up in a position similar to Jonah…In the dark, in a stinky, filthy, putrid place where there is nothing living but you.

Why did they respond?

Jonah had been in the fish’s belly for three days and three nights. His physical appearance could have been changed in that his skin may have been bleached and he looked (probably smelled) different.

When we have an encounter with God, a face to face encounter, we are changed and we look different.

What Does True Revival Require?

Last week: In a word, revival starts in me (you)…

This week: We must look past our own agenda and even look past our “position” and see humanity through the eyes of God…They are worth saving

Do You Want Revival Today?

Humble yourself or be humbled by God

            God has a way of getting our attention as His children

Luke 20:17-18 KJV

17 And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?

18 Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

It is better to come willingly to agreeing with the will of God than to have the will of God fall on us…Either way He wants all of us

Pray or be placed in a position where you have to pray

If our lives are so consumed with worldly things, the worldly things will place us in a position where we have to pray and seek His face.

Seek the face of God in a position of willingness to be used by Him

            No matter where you find your self…Be open to what God wants to do

Repent; get the junk out of your life

Don’t resent the work God does in other people’s life

            Jonah wanted the people of Nineveh to die in spite of their repentance

He had more compassion for a plant than 120,000 people because they were not like him and God spared them anyway

We must keep our Divine perspective or we will become as reluctant and resentful as Jonah

 Closing Scripture

2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV

14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall 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.

Stephen Cochran

Scripture references are from the English Standard Version or King James Version of the Bible

Well, to all of you that were looking for the consistent updates I promised…It didn’t happen. I was out of town on a business trip and was not able to connect to the internet except one time and I had to do some work. It is amazing that life has become so busy.

I should get back on track this week and will post my notes from my sermon tomorrow.

Keep praying and stay focused…We have but one goal, to please our Creator.