WTFMT 51 HGM ON 27 FEB 18

WILDERNESS TRUTHS FOR MODERN TIMES-51 TEXT:

 "And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs." (Numbers 12:23)

 

I. CONTRASTS

 

A. In our wiling walk with Him we will learn and receive of Him. But we must stay with Him. He may lead in various and unlikely situations of great contrast. This will be necessary for learning and receiving.

B. A great contrast is seen in Numbers 13:23. The 12 men leave the wilderness and go into a land which flows with milk and honey. From the wilderness to abundance could be a pleasant contrast for all. From nothing to abundance would certainly magnify the blessing of plenty.

C. God wants to illustrate to us light, He can take us into darkness, and then into light. That would make an impression upon us. If He wants to put joy into our soul, He could take us through sorrow, and then plunge us into joy. D. God will bring us through great contrast in order to emphasize certain qualities, and establish them in us. If we are taken from joy into greater joy, that second joy will not be too much emphasized. But if we are brought from sorrow into greater joy, it becomes greatly impressed upon our life.

E. Often He will reverse the contrast. If He wants to impress upon us a degree of the sorrow His Son experienced, He will bring us into great joy, then plunge us into sorrow. That way, we shall not only learn about the Man of Sorrows, we shall experience some of His sorrow. It will change us. It will equip us to comfort those who sorrow.

F. The contrast of light with darkness will teach us many things and enrich our spiritual life.

G. As we walk with the Lord His presence will be so near and intense that we may not be able to eat nor sleep on a regular schedule. We love the light. But after several weeks, maybe months that wonderful climate will lift and we will find ourselves in total darkness and dryness.

H. We then are impressed, terrified, amazed, puzzled. We are learning darkness and drought. We are learning those things which can be learned only in a wilderness. We are learning that God is faithful to us, even in a desert land, and He could be our light, even in darkness.

I. As always with the Lord, there is a deeper lesson He desires to teach us as we are faithful to Him. During this time in the wilderness He desires to give us the treasures contained in the darkness. "By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not." (Song 3:1-2) Those treasures contained in the unknown, silent and still, moving in a direction we do not know ones that will build a foundation of total trust in us that no matter what we face, we will not be moved. Those that will develop a love relationship with Him.

 

II. PARTING THOUGHTS

A. There are two areas of blessing which relate to the wilderness. One concerns the blessings that are within the wilderness; the other the opportunity for blessings based upon the wilderness itself and our proper responses. The Promised Land was the opportunity for blessings based upon how the children of Israel responded to God in the wilderness.

B. There is no way the Israelites could get from Egypt to Canaan without going through the many wildernesses. After the wilderness, a dip into the land of milk and honey revealed the blessings.

C. But, before the blessings come, before the land of milk and honey, before we inter into the joys of the Lord we must walk in the footsteps of obedience and faithfulness to the Lord. "His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." (Matthew 25:21)

D. In the wilderness all too often our vision is sorely limited. We see the lack and the difficulties. God's provisions cannot be seen very clearly if at all. Many believers do not know that God can provide a table for the needy even in the wilderness.

E. The provisions and power of God do not determine whether we fail or succeed in our walk with God. His provisions and power are always at hand and without limit. The ability of God to work in and through us is not the determining factor in our failure or success. God is more than able always.

OUR CHRISTIAN PROFESSION

What do you believe and why do you believe it? What is the profession of your faith? Most Christians do not know what and why they believe things in God. Most Christians are confused with the word "salvation" because they have been taught "salvation" only deals with our sins. We will talk about that later. There are websites where you can pick the church of your choosing (and call it God's leading) to use your God given ability and talents. Whatever happened to God directing our steps? Most Christians see the Christian job market as a way of life. Thinking this small church is a stepping stone to something greater. Whatever happened to greatness in God is being in His will? Why you can even get a Dove Award for being a great Christian singer. Whatever happened to God's reward being enough? And recently Hollywood has discovered Christians have wallets stuffed with money too with the making of "faith based" movies why they do not even call them Christian movies, well maybe they are not. Ah yes we can get a job (that pays quite well) in the Christian world, but that is not the profession I am talking about. Just ask all of the folks on Christian TV or pastors of those so called churches on TV. There is much money to be made on the backs of widows and good hearted folks who do not know better than to tune in and watch these charlatans or even the good hearted folks who do not know better than to attend crusades, conferences, and churches of apostate pastors (like T.D. Jakes, Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar, Benny Hinn, Rick Warren, Rod Parsley, sadly the list go on and on) who preach and teach a prosperity, humanistic, or seeker sensitive message that is pure anti-Christ. Paul told the Christians at Galatia, "O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?" (Galatians 3:1) Today these thieves and charlatans have "bewitched" the feeble minded unlearned people to the truth of the word for personal gain and power it is no wonder most Christians do not know what they believe. Now I am not talking about such things in this article, but what I am talking about is what we as Christians ought to profess of our faith. Now the word "profession" (secondary meaning) is an interesting word and means, openly declaring what ones believes. Not too many Christians openly declare what they believe. In most cases most Christians are closet professors. For years I have wondered why so many Christians have to be pinned down (almost like in a fire fight) in a conversation before they will admit they are a Christian. Why so shy and backward in admitting their allegiance for Christ? Now I can understand why in some places of the world where sharing your allegiance can mark you for death, but in countries (like America) where we have Christian liberties to share what we believe, it just blows my mind to know most Christians hid the good news of the Gospel, and in their shame of the Gospel, by hiding their profession (what they believe) of their faith in confusion and deception. In reading the Bible it is critical we keep all things in context if not then we will get the precept (foundational truths) wrong and if we get our precepts wrong then we will get our concepts (our ways of daily Christian living) wrong. A prime example of this is how we have neutered the word salvation. We today equate salvation with the removal of our sins, but in reality "all of his benefits" are include in our salvation. David said in the Psalms, "I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted: 11 I said in my haste, All men are liars. 12 What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?" (Psalm 116:10-12) There are more "benefits" in salvation than just our sin removal. I will save this for another article. Many mainstream denominations walk the Roman Road of salvation: Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Romans 5:8, Romans 10:9, Romans 5:1 to tell one how to be saved, but these verses are NOT the profession (what we believe) of our faith. Read them for yourself and do not make the same mistake. As wacky as the many Baptist dominations march up and down the Roman Road of salvation many Pentecostal denominations (Oneness types, United Pentecostal Holiness, and the like) profess Acts 2:38 as the only verse for salvation. Foolishness just foolishness, yet they push their half truths (which is a lie) out deceiving good hearted folks. I do not know about all of this stuff (sounds like a lot of religion to me) you judge, but all of these are not about our Christian profession (or what we believe as Christians) they are about the dos and do nots for salvation. The dos and do nots are not what we believe (our professions), but how we can be saved and usually are works focused. Even the wonderful verse of salvation found in John, "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) Is not a profession of our faith, but a verse that shows us how to be saved. There is a huge difference between our salvation and our profession of faith. Sadly the word salvation has become a religious cliché that only talks about our sins being forgiven, but salvation is much much more that. If you believe your sins are forgiven and if you would die today you would go to heaven, but you are not experiencing: joy, peace, healing, wholeness, spiritual growth and development, even prosperity, and daily battle with a sin consciousness then you do not understanding grace and faith. In days gone by the church never really struggled with the profession of faith. In the past the "church" was united on what it believed based upon a common creed statement. Today every one believes what they want to believe maybe that is why there is little to no unity within the Body of Christ. A creed (also known as a confession, symbol, or statement of faith) is a statement of the shared beliefs a of a community of believers in the form of a fixed formula summarizing core tenets. A creed is one of the three cords that ensure no heresy in the church: Scripture, creed, hymns. Ah the Scriptures and hymns two other foundational church pillars being displaced by the contemporary movement in the Body of Christ. The first creed was developed in 325 AD at the first Council of Nicaea and was based on Christian understanding (or belief) of the Canonical Gospels the letters of the New Testament and to a lesser extent the Old Testament. Affirmation of this creed which describes the Trinity, is generally taken as a fundamental test of orthodoxy for most if not all (then and through the years) Christian denominations. The Nicaea Creed reads: I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made. Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end. And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father [and the Son]; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets. And I believe one holy catholic (universal) and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen. How could you not get behind that? Well most denominations (even the Assembly of God and Church of God) would dispute the facts of the Scriptures as delineated in the Nicaea Creed. Go figure. So what do we profess as our statement of faith? As essential as salvation is there must be more and it must come from the word of God. Paul in Ephesians gives us (in my humble opinion) the foundational truths that enable the profession of our faith. We read, "That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:7-10) If our salvation is of us than it cannot be from God. And if we miss the mark in understanding correctly "grace" and "faith" than we will be confused and the profession of our faith will be skewed from the truth of the word o God. There is a critical balance we MUST walk with the two. If we get "grace" wrong in our daily living then we will get over into sins of lascivious or sins of the flesh, the end product is cheap grace where we think we can do whatsoever we want and God will forgive us. If we get "faith" wrong then we will get over into the law and believe we are saved through a performance based (saved by good works) religion like most if not all of the mainstream religions. Our salvation and our daily Christian living which makes up our profession of our faith must be founded in "grace" and "faith" (two things of the Spirit of God, but not of man) if not we shall never see the requirement to become the workmanship of God. It is not what we can do or not do for God that drives the profession of our faith, but what we can become in God, "For we are His workmanship." For this to ring true in our heart and lives it must be pressed into our spirit as God presses us, molds us, and shaped us. The age old truth still rings true knowledge is not truth until it becomes personalized to our heart and lives. Richard Wurmbrand said, "a man really believes not what he recites in his creed, but only the things he is willing to die for." What do you believe and why do you believe it? What are you willing to die for? What is the profession of your faith?