WTFMT 84 (FROM HGM ON 27 OCT 20)

WILDERNESS TRUTHS FOR MODERN TIMES-84

TEXT:  "And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer."  (Genesis 21:20)

 

 I.   A DWELLING PLACE

 

     A.  Ishmael and his mother Hagar found a dwelling place in the Wilderness of Beersheba and later in the Wilderness of Paran.  Away from their earthly help and provisions away from Abraham.

 

     B.  Why not live in the Wilderness of Beersheba?  Where God can meet you there.  There is a well of water there that never runs dry.  Do you want to leave go elsewhere?  If so, there is a great risk you take to leave the well on your own initiative, to take your own direction.

 

     C.  You can only take with you what you can bear or carry.  What you have been strengthened with while you were drinking at the well.  You have only this bottle of strength.  If you go out from this well you most certainly will come into far worse predicaments. 

 

     D.  But here in this place, you have the Well (God).  You cannot take the well (earthly water) with you.  (Some try)  But you can stay with the well.  Don't insist that the Shepherd follow you; follow the Shepherd.

 

     E.  Beersheba became for Ishmael a dwelling place.  He was brought there.  He made the necessary adjustments to that situations which was quite different from the conditions in Abraham's tents. 

 

     F.  After his experience (the need, the meager supply, the revelation, the provisions), he made an adjustment.  And in this place, a new, strange and desolate place, Ishmael lived under the blessings of God.  The second key was used, that is, adjustment was made and further discoveries followed.

   

     G.  We too are able to live in the wilderness.  God is there; revelation is there; provision is there.  What else do we need?  Must we insist upon having a rose garden without thorns?  Do we want to set up some other type of situation which is more to our liking?  

 

     H.  Rather than attempting to change our situation, we change.  All that we NEED is now existing, where we are.

           "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?"  (Matthew 6:26)

God knows what we NEED to grow physically and spiritually.  He has a plan for our nourishment and growth. 

 

     I.  If He personally feeds birds, whom His Son did not die for, how much the more does He care for us.  How much the more, He knows what we need to take into our body, mind, and spirit to be able to soar like an eagle in the heavenly with him.

         "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31)

 

     J.  He knows those things that we NEED in our lives that will make us to become a runner that can run and not become weary.  Those things that we NEED to strengthen us to be able to walk mile after mile down life's many roads without fainting.  Receiving strength to mount up, to run, and to walk comes out of waiting on God where you are.

 

     K.  All too often we want to mount up and run off to some other place on earth, and even in God, without receiving the strength and vision to move, the direction/focus, and even the purpose/plan. 

 

     L.  Wait upon Him to feed you, to strengthen you, so that you will be strongest enough to move when He give you the command to move.

 

 II.  PARTING THOUGHTS

 

      A.  Do not press forward with your desires to alter your circumstances, believing that your NEEDS will be met through such means.  Adjust to what God is feeding you.   Enjoy the banquet table He has spread before you in the wilderness.

            

       "Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? ²⁰ Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people?"  (Palms 78:19-20)

Yes, and more God can provide to His children in the wilderness.  More than a bottle of water and bread.

 

      B.  Let this place, where ever you are right now, not another place, become for you a dwelling place.  Live there until the Shepherd takes you elsewhere.

WTFMT 83 (FROM HGM ON 13 OCT 20)

WILDERNESS TRUTHS FOR MODERN TIMES-83

TEXT:  "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. ³ He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake."  (Psalms 23:2-3)

 

 I.   A PLACE OF REST

 

     A.  Isaac came to Beersheba after living in Gerar a distance of about 22 miles.  Gerar was the capital of Abimelech King of the Philistines.  Isaac's experience in Gerar was one of strife over wells.

           "And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him."  (Genesis 26:20)

 

    B.  When Isaac moved far enough away from Gerar the strife ceased.  He found enlargement in Rehoboth (meaning "room or space").  He had comfort, a large household, and great holding of cattle. 

          "And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land."  (Genesis 26:22)

 

     C.  Yet he left this land of room and fruitfulness for the wilderness of Beersheba.  

           "And he went up from thence to Beersheba. ²⁴ And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake."  (Genesis 26:23-24)

 

     D.  A walk with God will entails the leaving comfort and the making on one's way toward uncertainty.  The Hebrew verb ("nahal"  #5095 translated "leadeth") indicates more than "to lead."  "Nahal" is saying that the Shepherd brings a person from one place of water to another place of water.

    

     E.   In the wilderness a place of water is also a place of rest.  The strife over wells which Isaac experienced in Gerar is over.  This rest is reflected in the name "Sheba" which means "seven."  From the word comes the Hebrew word "shabat"  (sabbath) or the day of rest.

 

     F.  Rest is a renewing.  This relates to the wilderness of Beersheba as a place of new beginnings.  The New Covenant is in the picture here.  This enfolded in the name "Sheba," also meaning "oath" (strong's #7650-7652), having to do with repeating an agreement seven times.  Abimelech comes to Isaac at Beersheba to make a covenant (Genesis 26:26-31), or to renew the covenant which he had made earlier with Abraham (Genesis 21:32).

 

    G.  Abraham, Isaac, and Hagar discovered water (rest) in the wilderness of Beersheba that led to a covenant.  We too are brought into the wilderness to discover water and rest.  We too are brought into the wilderness to discover God's adequacies that will lead to a covenant between God and us.

 

   H.  Unlike Hagar the children of Israel never found rest they never saw their inadequacy.  This replaces Hagar's spent bottle of water which represents her inadequacy.  The truth moving in this story are reflected in the Gospel of John,  Chapter 4.

 

 II.  PARTING THOUGHTS

 

      A.  Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well.  Jesus said to her,

            "Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:¹⁴ But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."  (John 4:13-14)   In the New Covenant this "well of water springing up into everlasting life." is provided for the "whosoever" in John 3:16.  The well in you is provided for your own sake and the sake of others.

     

      B.  The well replaces Hagar's little bottle of water.  It replaces as it did in the life of the Samaritan woman the coming again and again to those things which temporarily satisfy.

 

      C.  The meager supply, the dissatisfying supply the insufficient supply, is inundated by the Well.  The focus is changed from the supply to the Supplier.

 

LORD Forgive Me

Without a doubt these are the most important words we can speak in our lives when we come before a Holy God, but they will only be important and life changing if we mean it from our heart. I am afraid there are millions of people who call themselves a Christian because they have spoken these words out from the movement of the piano (music in general is very dangerous to our spirit) swaying their emotions or the enticing and persuading words of the evangelist or preacher, but in reality there is no real intention in their heart for repentance and forgiveness. Sadly this scenario plays out day after day, Sunday after Sunday, or whenever the opportunity to make things right before a Holy God. Saying it and not doing it (meaning it) in our heart and life is very dangerous indeed and could cost us our eternal salvation. Now I cannot judge the heart nor can I say someone is or is not a Christian, but I do by the authority based in the word of God judge the fruits (words and actions) in the lives of people who call them self a Christian. In these politically heated days I wonder how a person who calls them self a Christian, who pulls the lever for supporting the Democratic Party (which support abortion, homosexually, Black Lives Matter (BLM), LGBTQ, Antifa, and justifies rioting, looting, arson, and murder yet will NOT allow the word God (even taking God out of the Pledge of Allegiance during the DNC Convention) to be mentioned in their political platform, oh no they lie and the truth is not in them. Here are some key things to look out for so you will not be caught down the rabbit trail of deception (it does matter my friend) calling someone saved and them really not. Do they enjoy assembling with like believers? Paul tells the Christians who are straddling the fence (what the Book of Hebrews encounters and discusses, Jesus Christ being a better sacrifice, etc.) of either going back into Judaism or continuing on into Christianity, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." (Hebrews 10:25) Now notice he did not use the word Christian (some were some probably not) and notice he did not say assemble at a church (which was established then), but he was saying that we are to assemble "as the manner of some is" with the folks that are of the same spirit, the same desires, the same passion, and love for Christ. Do they support the spiritual concepts and beliefs of the Bible. If not they lie. Do you see them praying, reading the Bible, or investing time and resources into "good works" for the LORD? Here we must be careful because it is easy to give money and time working for God, but never ever becoming the work of God. Do you hear them saying they enjoy reading the Bible, praying for people, sacrificing to see people come to Christ? Do you hear them say they love Jesus Christ? How can you say you love someone and never read about them or talk to them? I love Karen (my wonderful wife), but if I never talk with her or tell her I love her where is the truthfulness of my heart and intention? If these examples are not present in someone's life then I am afraid you can sadly say they are not a Christian and if they say they are then they lie and the truth is not in them. Now here is the real dangerous and scary part. I guess they do not believe God knows all things. My friend God knows all things. He knows if we are telling the truth and He knows we know we are not telling the truth when we say we are asking for forgiveness. Oh my friend this is serious business. For the last three weeks I have been sharing a message from the LORD on WJCV radio on how can you call yourself a Christian and vote for darkness? How can you say you are of the light, but vote and support people when all they speak about is darkness and the destruction of people and our nation. Again they lie and the truth is not in them. John teaches us this truth very well, "This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him (calls them self a Christian) , and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:5-8) This is the true spiritual state of a person who calls themselves a Christian and votes for the Democratic party. They have been deceived by the demonic gods of this world. Okay so why is this such a bad thing to do? I can vote for democrat candidates who support abortion (willful murder) homosexuality, LGBTQ, (both willful perversion) BLM, etc. to get my beliefs in power then later ask God to forgive me. Ah now we get to the heart of the article. Paul in Hebrews addresses this question and believe me my friend the answer is very sobering if you have spiritual discernment and the understanding to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying. Paul in Hebrews writes to the same Jews who were straddling the fence; Judaism or Christ, "For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries." (Hebrews 10:26-27) Did you get that? "If we sin wilfully after we received the knowledge of the truth" (or become a Christian understanding the truth), "there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins." I do not know about you my friend this scares the bejeebies out of me. Maybe this is what happened to Judas "after" he went back and returned the blood money he kind of repented, without asking Jesus to forgive him, but it says, "there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins." Maybe Judas crossed the line in his heart. Of course Paul was talking about animal sacrifice for that was the way sin was covered for people in Judaism and Paul was making an analogy if they sin "after" they come to be a Christian there will be no animal that could be sacrificed that could cover their sin. But this thought goes much deeper in the Spirit realm (since we do not do animal sacrifice) for us today. Please take it from one (me) who has sinned, I believe not all sins are the same. Now the act maybe so: to know right, but do wrong or to miss the mark, but the heart of the sin now that is a different animal. Yes all sin can be forgiven and that is up to God, but I believe God does not forgive "willful" usually a repetitive or continual sin like He forgives unwilling or accidental sin. And of course if we unknowingly sin (mentally challenged) then God does not hold that sin against our charge. As the price to know God's power is different than to know His person, all sin can be forgiven, but the price we will pay and the consequence God will require for us is also different. It is more than just asking, it must be from a heart of brokenness and devastation. "Oh blessed devastation!" We must see what sin has wrought in every relationship we have and everything we do in our lives. "Oh blessed devastation!" Anyone who ever was forgiven of sin in the Bible there was a dealing and judging of God in their lives and then there was a turning away (repenting) (both must happen dealing and repenting) if not then the sin was NOT forgiven and the person continued on in their sin and finally walked away from God. This is why the "once saved always saved" doctrine of most main stream Baptist denominations (and others) is so ungodly. Now you may say how can you say that, well Paul said it better than I in Romans, "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them." (Romans 1:28, 32) Did you get that? They did not allow God to deal in their heart and mind, so God gave them over to a "reprobate mind" or a mind that does not know right from wrong, who has no desire to a sk for forgiveness or come into the things of Christ. And verse 32, "Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death." They knew, they had the truth, but walked away from it. So God not man "gave them over to a reprobate mind" where they CANNOT be saved no matter how much money they give the church, how often they cut the grass of the church yard, or even give themselves to be burned. God is no joke as Karen always says. He is serious business and we must get serious if we want to deal with Him. Well, how could this happen? They never in their heart truly asked God to forgive them and they continued in their religion and rebellion. Their confession did not stick. Their words were mouthed, but in their heart it was far far from the LORD. This was the case in the Prophet Isaiah's day, "Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:" (Isaiah 29:13) Oh LORD forgive me from my heart. Written by David Stahl