Pure Dublin Crystal

Eccl. 8:3    “Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.”

Solomon is speaking about a natural king and that it is not wise to flee hastily from his presence (but rather wait until you are dismissed). However, when considering the spiritual application of this statement which is being in the presence of the King of Kings we say "Do not be hasty to leave his presence." This excellent counsel reminds us of Joshua in Exodus 33:9-11; here was a man who was not in a great hurry to leave Gods presence. Exo 33:9-11 “And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses.  (10)  And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door.  (11)  And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.”  But his servant Joshua…departed not out of the tabernacle. Isn’t it interesting to note that here Joshua is called the servant of Moses, not his successor, but in actual fact, he ended up replacing Moses. I have to wonder if maybe it was because Joshua learned how to spend time in Gods presence and loved to hear his voice. We too should linger when Gods presence is manifested to us, waiting to hear His voice. Solomon’s advice was to wait until you are dismissed to leave the kings presence and that counsel becomes even more relevant when God has come to visit us.

The second part of this verse has a more serious tone. The whole context is; do not be hasty to leave the kings presence “…to stand in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him” Do not go from His presence to participate in things He would not approve of, do not stand in an evil thing because also in the king is the power of retribution and he executes this power at his own discretion. In context what this is saying is a very serious thing; we can apply it to one who is one thing while in His presence but another thing when they leave it. We are talking about one who is not true to the Lord out of His presence. They come to church, sing the songs then when they are alone they have a different lifestyle; they are participating in sinful activities. Many times believers have forfeited the touch and blessing of God in their lives by living on both sides of the fence. Loving the Lord while in His presence and with the saints but also loving the world while outside of the influence of God presence. God will try us all in this area; therefore, let us determine to be the same when in the world as we are in His presence, true to the message, a true confession and a true lifestyle. Do not on one hand come into his presence to be holy then leave his presence to participate in evil things. Evil things offend His holiness and whilst God is gracious and longsuffering to be sure He also has the power of life and death. Life for the sincere and upright but eventually hypocrites are dealt with, sometimes with dire consequences. 

Keep the Kings commandments and honor your vows!

Ecclesiastes 8:2 “I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God.”

This is wise counsel from king Solomon; “keep the kings commandments”, in other words, obey his laws. Whist this is certainly true in the natural (because if you abide by the laws of the land you will stay out of prison) it is doubly true in the spiritual. Many of us are familiar with the breakdown of Deuteronomy 28; the first half regards the blessing of keeping His commandments while the second half are the curses that ensue when one breaks them. When we obey His commands there is a blessing (Deut 28:1-15) but when we disobey there are curses (Deut 28:15-68). Mankind does not see things quite so cut and dry; they always want to find the loopholes and the mitigating circumstances. I believe that God does consider one’s circumstances, to a point; however, one must be very careful of carrying this too far and using it as an occasion to not comply with His Word because in the end we will indeed be measured by His commandments.

When making an oath [vow] before God one is accountable to those words do not take them lightly because the angels of God require it Ecc 5:4-6. “When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.  (5)  Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.  (6)  Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?” God does take note when one does not keep their vows. We live in a society where oaths and promises are practically meaningless and yet the Lord takes oaths and vows very seriously. One of the titles of the Lord, which describes His character, is "Faithful and True". In other words what He says He will do! Num 23:19 "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?". God wants His people to be like this as well! 

Ecclesiastes 8:1 wisdom can set the captive free!

Ecclesiastes 8: 1 “Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.”

"Who is as the wise man? Who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? One who has the spirit of wisdom knows how to interpret a thing. The Spirit of Wisdom teaches one to know the interpretation of a thing; this was the anointing upon king Solomon. This anointing opens shut doors (prisons); bondages whose origins are hidden and unknown are revealed by wisdom. Also, the end of the choices one makes is understood by wisdom and also what is the right thing to do in a given situation, these come from wisdom. Wisdom can help shave off years of groping in darkness for answers. One can be bound in some area of their life and never know why but one with this anointing of wisdom can give a single word and open the eyes of those who will hear by giving the cause of the trouble. This may either deliver them immediately or set them on a path of prayer and seeking that will bring the ultimate deliverance.

"...a man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed." Once one has received wise counsel through this gift the response many times is one of joy because of the release wisdom brings (for those who have an ear to discern it). A good example of this gift in operation would be when Jesus spoke to the woman at the well. She felt she could be fulfilled in relationships but it always eluded her (evidenced by her continual seeking it with another relationship). However, once the Master interpreted her life by the word of wisdom (that her real need was for the living water and not relationships) she was filled with joy and elation and went about telling her friends.

Many times I remember being in anxiety and frustration only to have word of wisdom from the Lord either by a brother or sister or even a word to my own heart. And O’ the joy and release that word brought as it set my mind to understand wisdom from Gods vantage point, what release and what freedom wisdom can be…from perplexity to peace with one word of wisdom!

If You Love Me Then Keep My Commandments...

Jesus was pressed; "What is the greatest commandment?" He responded in Matt 22:36-40 that it is the following: "Love the Lord with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself". Then he added, "Upon these hang all the law and the prophets"  Do we appreciate what our Lord is saying here?  He is saying we, New Testament believers, are still under the constraints of the law. Wait a minute, I thought the law had passed away? I thought we were no longer under the law but we are under grace?  This is a common misconception because some fail to appreciate it was only the ceremony of the Law that passed away not the morality (the 10 commandments were never repealed). Jesus Himself said I have not come to destroy the law but rather to fulfill it! (See Matt 5:17-19).

Then we can follow that statement up with John 14:15 - "If you love Me then keep my commandments" and we understand that in our worship and service to Him He knows we love Him when we keep His commandments and He further declares in John 14:24 – "He that loveth me not keepeth not my commandments..." Also, to further emphasize the point we have John 15:9-10 – in order to abide in his love we must walk in His commandments; those who break His commandments are not abiding in His love. It has been a common practice for many who are not really familiar with the true gospel message to dismiss the morality of Gods law but in reality God is impressed with those who cry out for His commandments to be worked out in their hearts. 

I recently had the priveledge of teaching the book of Romans where it makes it clear that no man shall be justified by the works of the law and so, yes, clearly our salvation is not at all based on our ability to keep His law. This fact does not mean the law never becomes important to us; as we have established if we love Him we will keep His law so there is not a conflicting message here. The message is briefly summarized this way:  We are never justified (born again, saved) by our ability to keep the law but rather we are justified by the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ!  That being said, in order to abide in His love we must keep His commandments otherwise the relationship will wither away and die (John 15:9-10)

Hosea 4 - God had a controversy with Israel; what was it?

Hosea 4:1 No mercy towards each other and no truth as they rejected the knowledge of God. Hosea 4:2 It was that His people were breaking His commandments through swearing, lying, killing, stealing, adultery and violence. In Hosea 4:6 he mde it clear they were not remembering His law "...seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God". They were breaking His commandments in two ways: First of all, In their offending Him through lawless living and idolatry; secondly, they were offending Him in their treatment of each other, no mercy! Many times people use the law to be critical and judge others but in reality the two aspects of the Law from Gods perspective are that it deals with our relationship with God and our relationship with each other. Embracing Mercy and Truth! God is equally offended when either part is omitted, truth or mercy. Some might say, well, I don't really love my brother but at least I am keeping Gods commands but that does not work because loving your brother is part of keeping His commands, remember mercy and truth.

How does God view the breaking of His commandments?

How did God view this situation in Hosea? Their breaking of His laws and mistreatment of each other was to him as the unfaithful bride of Hosea who had treacherously departed from him; it broke Gods heart. You see here is where we must be careful about the true interpretation of the book of Hosea; it is not so much about how low God will reach to save the backslider, It is more about how God viewed Israel’s backsliding, how it greived Him the same way Hosea's wife greived Hosea. God wants a bride who is faithful to keep His commandments and to walk in His ways.

Let me finish this piece with the new covenant; the covenant God desired (as opposed to the old one that no one had the power to keep with its ceremoies and external laws). The New Covenant is neatly sumarized for us in Jer 31:31-33 "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:  (32)  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:  (33)  But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people." This is the new covenant; the law (Truth and Mercy), which was written on tables of stone now are written on the tables of our hearts. Gods desire for us is that we would do by nature those things which delight the heart of God. I think one of the greatest life testimonies in the whole of the Word of God came from the Savior Himself when He testified "I do only those things which please My Father". May God bring each and every one us to this.

Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established

Who are you going to believe?

There are basically three voices in the world: 1) The Holy Spirit, 2) The Devil and 3) Our human spirit. King Jehoshaphat (a godly king of Judah) instructed us 2 Chronicles which one we should listen to. 2Chron 20:20  “And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.” Jesus Himself punctuated this instruction further when He said in John 6:29 “Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” He is, of course, speaking of Himself.

Who we listen to and more specifically who we believe is very important; it forms what eventuall do. Belief is very important; belief can make us obedient or disobedient.

• Noah believed God was bringing a flood; he moved in the fear of the Lord to build and ark. He was obedient to Gods command to Him because he believed, as God said to him, that a flood was coming. He preserved the human race by that belief.
• Saul who had been told to wait and Samuel the prophet did not believed Samuel would  come so he sinned and crossed a very sacred line which led to his ultimate rejection and demise..

Israel, as a nation, did not guard what they believed either and it caused them to sin and fall short of Gods promises. God called it an evil heart of unbelief (Hebrews 3:12-14). They believed the giants they had run across while coming into their inheritance instead of the Word of the Lord that God Himself had spoken to them; Num 13:25-33  “And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.  (26)  And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land.  (27)  And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.  (28)  Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.  (29)  The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.  (30)  And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.  (31)  But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.  (32)  And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.  (33)  And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”

Here is the result of listening to the wrong voices; they believed the wrong voices:

1)      The giants could overcome them – “they are mightier”
2)      The giants could prevent them – “but the giants are there”
3)      Make void the promises of God – God said Yes/Giants said no…the giants won
4)      The giants were stronger than their God…the conclusion of their conviction

cHere is what they would have believed if they listened to the right voice:

1)      Gods prophet – Moses,  Num 13:1 – God spoke not Moses, he was just a vessel
2)      Gods message – “I will bring you in to a land that flows with milk and honey”
3)      Gods integrity – God is not a man that He should lie Num 23:19-20
4)      Gods might – “we are well able” Num 13:30

In conclusion let me say this: Our adversary is a believer too; let me tell you what he believes about you! He believes he can get you to doubt the leadership, Gods promises, Gods integrity and Gods ability to fulfill His promise in you. In a practical sense here is what happens, God allows us to experience drought, hunger, heat, pressure, inconvenience, loss and the like in order to find out what we really believe (Deut 8:2). For those who believe Him in spite of other voices (evil or human) they enter in to the good land and see the promise fulfilled. Those, however, who believe otherwise, end up missing it. Let’s hold fast to what God is saying. Is He as good as His word or not? Remember in a trial it is not really just you that is on trial it is the word God has spoke to you.

Take My Yoke (it is lighter than the one you now bear)!

Matt 11:28 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”.

This command goes out to all those who bear heavy burdens; to those for whom life itself has become a burden. The Lord will go on in the next few verses show us how to enter into perfect rest and thus alleviate our burdens. We will see from His instruction that actually the rest of God (which is the secret to lying down you burden) resides in getting into His yoke with Him.

V:29    “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls”.

“Take My yoke upon you…” This yoke of Christ is in contrast to the yoke one already wears; the yoke of bondage put upon us by our adversary (Lev 26:13).  There are only two yokes in life; the devils yoke and the Lords Yoke. Jesus indicted those of His day by essentially telling them they were yoked up with the devil (John 8:44 “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do…”). The Lord is encouraging the reader to take His yoke because in fact it is much lighter than the yoke of the enemy.

The enemy is subtle yet scheming; he convinces man that he is a "free agent" and is free to do anything he pleases. Yet he completely understands the trappings of sinful choices that it places an iron yoke around one's neck that will enslave them to sin. When we are born again Christ breaks that yoke and seeks to yoke us together with Him that at the end of our life we might have a reward for our labors.

I want to focus on this statement: "Learn of me..." Learn what? Learn what it means to walk in His yoke and to surrender yourself to His will for your life. Learn how to walk in His yoke by following His example for He Himself walked in a yoke with His Heavenly Father (to the cross). As we surrender ourselves to His yoke we learn of His ways. I have seen the end of those who reject His yoke and their way is fraught with snares and pits, it is better in the end to go His way all the way.

“For I am meek and lowly of heart…” This is one of the extraordinary aspects to the Godhead; it is the fruit of meekness. This virtue is defined thusly:

WEBSTER dictionary.

Ø      "Softness of temper; mildness; gentleness; forbearance under injuries and provocations. 1. In an evangelical sense, humility; resignation; submission to the divine will, without murmuring or peevishness; opposed to pride, arrogance and refractoriness”.

Matt 11:29 is educating us on the virtue of meekness "...ye shall find rest unto your souls." You see that a major component to finding rest is meekness. The Lord Jesus Christ epitomizes meekness (Speaking in prophetic essence Psalm 45:4; V:8 describes the garments or the characteristics of Christ and myrrh equates with meekness); He was completely submissive to the Father's will. When you think of the power He had access to and yet He allowed shame and spitting; physical pain and smiting; the Son of Royalty who up to His earthly ministry had known only wonderful and reverential treatment (Even the Satan rebellion did not inflict one physical scar on Christ). But in the ignominy of His crucifixion He settled once and for all the absolute power and triumph in the Godhead trough meekness.

V:30 “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light”.

The Yoke - it is easy, does not bind, chaff or harm the wearer in any way. In other words, it is a perfect fit...if we will but come into it and plough in His field we shall find it very comfortable. When does it chaff or cause us difficulty? When there is a conflict between our will and His.

Let us consider an account where this was so. Jonah 1:1-3 - Jonah found the yoke burdensome; it conflicted with his own will and so he paid the fare and fled from God. And as a result he released a firestorm of Gods dealings (Jonah 1:9-12; V:15) in his life that took him to the very gates of hell (Jonah 2:1-2; V:6). You see, it is an easy yoke when you consider the alternative.

You will find people unable to accept the Lords yoke, they say it is too hard: Isa 49:20 "...the way is too strait" This word strait is unique in Isa, it means "too narrow" or "too tight" We are told to enter in at the "Narrow" gate for “Broad" is the way that leads to destruction. This yoke is only hard for those who reject it, for those who prefer to do their own will instead of Gods (the way of transgressor is hard!).

Grace for Obedience Romans 1:5

I am in preparation for teaching the book of Romans in our local Bible Certificate Program (see schedule down and to the right in the widget with the map, if you are in Erie or the surrounding area you are welcome to attend free of charge. There is a nominal charge for books but auditing is free). I spoke on this verse (Romans 1:5) in our church on a Sunday evening and I am going to share my thoughts here on my blog because I feel grace, in some circles, is greatly misunderstood (based on discussions I have had with various believers). Let me first highlight for you what has been communicated to me as a definition of "Grace"; it has be purported that grace is the ultimate "get out of jail free card". It is, to some, the reason why they do not have to pursue holiness or lead a disciplined christian life. To these, well meaning, believers it is the substance that lets them misbehave and not mature because it covers all their weaknesses and misconducts. It is not my position that I am an example myself of what real grace is, however, I can say I am certainly striving for its true reality to be realized in me.

What I am about to share concerning grace does not come from my own religious interpretation of it but rather a simple understanding of 1) God's nature and 2) What the scriptures say about this most important subject (after all we are what we are by the grace of God, Amen?).  First of all let's consider this verse Rom 1:5 "By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:" We have this phrase..."we have received grace...for obedience to the faith...". This, for me, identifies the true meaning of the word grace. It is not to excuse us (although I do want to be careful because there is most definitely this element to grace, to cover sin, so I am not dismissing that (See Rom 3:24)). It is important, however, that we absorb all the scriptures say about this, consider other verses that support this assertion that grace is for obedience to the faith (and not just to exempt us from judgment): Rom 5:20; Rom 6:1-2; Rom 6:14 and the list goes on and on. Grace is intended to help us overcome sin not just to cover it up!

Finally, let me end this little piece with a very valid definition of the word grace as defined for us using the original Greek. Romans 1:5 Grace - "...the divine influence upon the heart and it's reflection in the life..." In other words, it is not a covering at all but rather it is the influence of the Holy Spirit upon our lives to make the right choice, to go the right way. We should view the grace of God as the influence coming upon us to make right choices, the influence to go the right way and the influence to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord. In our pursuit of Gods plan for our lives, let's look at grace as that influence of God that comes upon us to help us to always those things that please Him and to depart from sinful ways.  "Grace for obedience..."

2012 New Years Message - The Grace of God

When I reflect upon the personal words the Lord has given me at the beginning of the last two New Year events (2010 & 2011) I find two things to be true: 1) The words came to pass in my life and 2) They were fulfilled in ways that were much different then I expected (They were fulfilled negatively, although Romans 8:28 always works). They were personal words to me, they would have very little significance to anyone else but to me they were life altering even if by crisis. Therefore, I have been reluctant to ask the Lord for a word for 2012 because I had concerns that more of the same would come to me (Not very considerate of the Lord, I know, trust me I have already chastised myself for it). Never the less, the Lord did speak to me one word for 2012; it is the word "Grace".

Recently, I was waiting on the Lord before a service when this thought pierced my mind... "Everyone who makes good in this world (past present and the future) does so because of the deposit of grace bestowed upon them." And as this thought was germinating in me and spreading like leaven in my spirit such a cry came out in my spirit "O' God please, please, please, give me more and more of Your grace so I do not have to fail you". Suffice it to say, without going into too many details, that within 1 hour I had been called to the front of the church by a visiting minister who was unaware of my plea which was said only in my heart and not out loud "The Lord is going to meet with you and put his deposit of grace on you and it is going to be sufficient" (paraphrased). I am very very encouraged because I already begin to feel it working in me.

It is an encouragement to me to have God speak clearly that "2012 is a year of Grace" (and I feel this word is for many, many more than just myself or else I would not put it on this blog) but to be fair we need to consider two more things where grace is concerned. Before there can be grace deposited in us there needs to be 1) a terrible need that cannot be overcome by one's self and 2) the brokenness of heart in the recipient to receive it (Proverbs 3:3-4; James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5). So...we conclude that in order to receive grace we must have a need and in need cry out in brokenness. Finally, we must also receive the Grace of God when offered, for it is possible to fail of the grace as stated in Hebrews 12:15 (usually though bitterness, hardness, pride or idolatry (idolatry by not wanting to give up something God is requiring)).

So, does this mean there are challenges yet ahead for 2012? You bet there are but what is the key to survival, what is the key to victory and endurance?  It is the grace of God! I have one other little exhortation  to share before we conclude this little piece. When we say the hindrances to grace are bitterness, hardness and pride how is it that these sins are manifested? Is it not through the lips? I will maintain that one must profess a good profession in order to receive grace. Speaking bitterly, harshly or in pride does not move the heart of God to release this tremendous gift of grace. Charity, meekness and humility in our speech releases the heart and the Grace of God. Colossians 4:6 - "Let your speech be always seasoned with grace..." God bless you all and I pray God will manifest His grace in remarkable ways this year!!

Proverbs 8:2-3 Wisdom exalts those who embrace her!

V:2  “She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths.”

"She [Wisdom] standeth on top of the high places"; In other words wisdom stands on the high places and will also exalt those who embrace her to a high place (Proverbs 4:7-9). Though wisdom is crying out in the streets her place is elevated and those who embrace her are also honored as they dwell with her on the high places. She is standing "By the way, in the places of the paths" - she is on the path beckoning travelers to choose the good way which we understand is the fear of the Lord.

V:3  “She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.”

She is at the place where choices are made, she is there beckoning, entreating. Wisdom, as we see here is not passive, she cries out to passers by. At the point of entry she is there to counsel to advise those who have a heart for her counsel, she has a message and she has an agenda, it is seen in Proverbs 8:5-8. Those who are wise are instructed by her, they make their choices by good counsel.

Proverbs 8:1 Are We Hearing Wisdom Crying Out to Us?

Proverbs 8:1 “Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?”

In order to put this into perspective consider women of the Middle East, that go about in the streets crying out, they are announcing their wares which are for sale; in this case, however, Wisdom is crying out "look upon me and take what I have to offer". Wisdom and understanding are far from passive voices, they cry out; it is almost as if one has to intentionally drown out or ignore their voices (Proverbs 1:20-25).

In reality true wisdom is to seek for wisdom, understanding, discretion and knowledge and certainly any one who seeks for these will find them (Proverbs 2:3-6).  Also let’s add this thought, where is wisdom crying out? The answer is found in Proverbs 1:20-21 20  “Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,” She is in the places where she is most needed to be heard, where there is commotion, where there is temptation, where there are the simple ones who are in need of her instruction... but alas, there are few that turn into her and benefit from what she is offering as we see in Proverbs 1:24-26.