Thanksgiving, Grace & Glory/He Who Is Born Of God Keeps Himself

By Pastor Bill Taylor

A publication of My Father's House, inc. Volume 9/Issue 5

Driving Force

Love’s the driving force in our race

Seeking blessings of God’s abundant grace

For the leading of divine revelation

Giving works foreordained before creation

It’s found in acts of righteousness

Bringing forth fruits of holiness

Faith sets our feet in motion

When God owns our full devotion

Having no time left for sin

For only the holy enter in.

(A poem delivered at “My Father’s House” by Brenda Kerr)

Thanksgiving, Grace and Glory!

“All things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.” (2Cor 4:15) Is the Glory of His Grace for your sakes? And how many saints is it helping? “That grace having spread through the many.” Has the Glory of His Grace spread grace through the many? “That grace having spread through the many may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.” (2Cor 4:15) And how many testimonies have we received from brethren who are so thankful because of what God has done for them through His truths which we’ve made known in the Glory of His Grace booklets?

Dear Pastor Taylor,

Please add me to your subscription list for the Glory of His Grace. I´m so grateful and thrilled to read your expressions and explanations of scripture and doctrine. I simply want more. Thank you for your labor of love in the truth of God´s Word.

Love,

Bro. M.

And because of our liberal sharing with them thanksgiving abounds to the glory of God. While you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. (2Cor 9:11) “For the administration of this service not only supplies the need of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God. While through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men, and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you.” (2Cor 9:12-14) Look at how thanksgiving in the saints is related to grace in you! God gives me grace to help my brethren and then they thank God for giving me the grace to help them.

But consider, if you are thanking God for allowing you to prophesy but the brethren are not thanking God for your prophesy, then something is wrong. You may think you’ve done something good but unless the people you’re ministering to are receiving a gift that is actually useful or helpful to them, then you haven’t really done any good at all. And if they are not thanking God for what you’ve done for them, then God is not being glorified and there’s no evidence of any grace in you. This also shows us a true characteristic of grace is that it causes the one who receives it to be useful to others and it’s not merely “forgiveness of sins” as so many of the false churches erroneously teach, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” (1Cor 15:10) You’ve heard it said that it’s not the gift but the thought behind it that counts but the truth is that if the gift isn’t useful the thought behind it was foolish and not from God or by His counsel. Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established. (Prov 15:22) God is glorified because what you do for your brethren causes them to abound in thanksgiving towards Him. That is not usually what people think of as fruit, but look at “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matt 5:16) It’s when people see your “works” as being especially helpful, needful or useful that they glorify God. Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. (1Pet 2:11-12) Even when they do not rightfully appreciate your good works now, they will understand their error and praise God for you in the Day of the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God. (1Cor 4:5) These verses show that God is glorified and greatly pleased when we do such works as will cause others to be truly thankful to God for what we’ve done. Such works would be called “works of righteousness.” And the work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. (Isa 32:17) Righteousness works, and it works to establish rest and peace on an eternal basis.

Concerning true salvation the New Testament speaks over and over again of the righteousness that comes by faith being the only acceptable righteousness. What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. (Rom 9:30-32) For with the heart one believes (has faith) unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Rom 10:10) “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” (Eph 2:8) And not of self originated works. So we must have a faith that produces righteousness. This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. (Gal 3:2,7-9) Righteousness expresses itself in works. It’s the things God works through our faith that bless the nations. Like when the Macedonians having faith, go to God, asking, what He would have them to do? “Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.” (2Cor 8:1-5) So they went to God and then “heard God” tell them the work He had for them which was to assist Paul. And they became his chief supporters. Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. (Phil 4:15-16) And this is both grace and righteousness to them. But it is God’s righteousness, the righteousness which comes from God through the hearing of faith. (Gal 3:2) And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith. (Phil 3:9) God in His grace sends the Macedonians to Paul and gives them a work to do that they must take up a collection which Paul can share with the Judean church. And that work of righteousness is also grace to the Judeans and causes them to abound in thanksgiving to God and glorify God. (2Cor 9:12-14) So here we can see a true “work of righteousness.” And how there must be grace in every work of righteousness if it is to glorify God. For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. (2Cor 4:15)

Grace is not merely forgiveness of sins but it is expressed in gracious gifts that cause people to abound in thanksgiving to God. Because grace is Christ’s Spirit and love in a believer that does a good work for others through the believer’s “faith” that works by love. To the Macedonians “grace” was “a work” which they did towards the Judeans. But to the Judeans that grace was a “gift” from the Macedonians and God – which then caused them to be very thankful to both God and the Philippians (Macedonians). So people won’t be thankful to God unless what you do is something they needed done; something important to them that they can really appreciate. It’s not just the thought or the intent but it must be the reality that the gift is actually just what was needed if the recipients are to be thankful. And it’s because they are truly grateful that their thanksgiving is glorifying to God. So there must be real fruit that actually brings real thanksgiving if God is to be glorified. The origin of anything that can produce that real thanksgiving and glory to God is God’s grace. But God’s grace comes because somebody has faith. And that explains the problem some have with faith being that even if you have faith to move a mountain if it is without love it profits you nothing. (1Cor 13:2) Because the person who has faith to move a mountain but doesn’t have love will be moving the wrong mountain. He’ll be looking to move the mountain that may glorify himself, but not God. And he won’t be seeing the real needs of the brethren, so when his mountain is moved no-one will say thank you. They may say, “Uhm! that was a great supernatural thing alright, but it did not solve any of our problems.” So there’s no thanksgiving to God and no glory to God. Thus the secret to entering into the grace of God that produces real righteous works and an abundance of thanksgiving that glorifies God is that your faith has to work by love. (Gal 5:6) Then it is very important that one kind of faith you have is for God’s love to be in you. “That Christ may dwell, in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height-- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Eph 3:17-19) The faith for God’s love to be in you is firstly the faith for Christ to dwell in you. If you don’t have Jesus dwelling in you, you can have faith to move mountains but it won’t produce good fruit. Only when you have a real faith for Jesus to dwell in your heart will you know the love of God that passes understanding. (Eph 3:19) And if you don’t have that love you don’t have Christ! Christ is the love of God in me that causes me to pray for God to give me grace that I may bless the brethren.

One of the lessons we can learn from this is where Jesus says, “Father, I know You always hear Me.” (John 11:42) If you have faith for Jesus to dwell in your heart, when you pray it will be Jesus praying through you. And the Father always hears Jesus so your prayers will be answered. This agrees with, “If you abide in Me and My word abides in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you.”(John 15:7) So your prayers will be answered, but what are you praying for? For the most part you’ll be asking for grace for your brethren, because Jesus’ love is in you and what love causes you to do is ask on behalf of others and not self. Thus your faith is working by love. (Gal 5:6) And you’re asking for things to bless your brethren and what God would have you do for them. When the love of God is shed abroad in your heart, (Rom 5:5) the work of righteousness is peace for you and your brethren (Isa 32:17) and that righteousness comes from faith. Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God.” (Rom 5:1)

One definition of the word “justified” in the Greek means “to be made righteous.” Therefore having been “made righteous” by faith we have peace with God. The work of righteousness is peace, but Paul also says, “We glory in tribulation because tribulations produces experience and experience produces hope and hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.” (Rom 5:3-5) Remember, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height-- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Eph 3:17-19) So we are being justified or made righteous by what kind of faith? Faith for Christ to live in me, because that is what causes the love of God to be shed abroad in me. God’s love is Jesus living in me. So we’re back to what kind of faith makes me righteous? Faith for Christ to dwell in my heart that I would know the love of God that passes understanding. As this love of God is poured out in you, your interests will no longer be concerning only yourself but they will be the interests that concern Christ. You’ll be concerned with what pleases God and what the brethren need that will edify and help them. If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (Col 3:1-3) To be in Christ is to care for what He cares for and have your heart set upon things that concern Him. “Remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love.” (1Thes 1:3) You can see that the work of faith is the expression of the righteousness that comes by faith. It is a work that is done by the “hearing of faith” – a work that God has shown you to do. Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.” (John 5:19-20) A work of faith is one foreordained by God. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Eph 2:10) But also a work of faith is a “labor of love” (1Thes 1:3) because love is what motivates us to do the work of faith. Love motivates the true believer(s) to ask God what needs to be done and then to do it on behalf of the brethren. For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God. I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others. (2Cor 8:3-5,8) It is love that motivates them to do the righteousness which is the “work of faith.”

“And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you. So that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness.” (1Thes 3:12-13) Do you want to be holy? Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. (Heb 12:14) To pursue holiness you must pursue love because if you want to be holy you must abound in love. (1Thes 3:12-13) So what does love have to do with holiness? “Present your members as slaves of righteousness unto holiness.”  (Rom 6:19b) What does love have to do with righteousness? If we understand that righteousness concerns works, then what love does causes you to seek the Lord until the Lord gives you works of righteousness which are also works of faith and “labors of love.” Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father. (1Thes 1:3) So righteousness is what you do – and you do righteousness because of love. But holiness is what you are. “Be ye holy for I am holy” and you become holy as you’re set apart by faith for God’s works of righteousness.

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. (2Tim 2:20-21) “Sanctified” means to be made holy. But it also indicates you are dedicated to a specific purpose. The holy have set themselves apart for God’s use. And they fulfill that purpose in a continual working out of His righteousness by the “hearing of faith” which “works by love.” So love leads to works of faith and righteousness. And a life completely set apart to such labors of love will be a holy life having no room for any unclean or unsanctified interests. A good tree produces good fruit. (Matt 7:7) A holy person does righteousness always. Holiness is what you are but because of that righteousness is what you do. But love is the reason you do it. So the work of righteousness is holiness, because when you are completely dedicated to working righteousness it cleanses you, sanctifies you and makes you holy. But love causes you to do righteousness. Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Rom 13:10) That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Rom 8:4)

Hebrews says, “chastening produces the peaceable fruit of righteousness.” (Heb 12:11b) Which means chastening causes you to depart from sin and learn to love your brethren and to call on God to give you “works of grace” towards your brethren, which is another way of saying “labors of love” or “works of righteousness.” But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. (Rom 6:22) When you become slaves of righteousness it is unto holiness. (Rom 6:19) So again, “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness.” (1Thes 3:12-13) Because the key to getting into the works of righteousness is love. And when you are abounding in love toward one another you are filled with the Holy Spirit, Christ is dwelling in you, and you are partaking of all the fullness of God. (Eph 3:19) So how can there be any room for sin? How can you be anything but holy? Jesus says, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” (John 15:7) God will answer your prayers and that answer will be grace and that grace will bring about a work of righteousness, and that good work of righteousness will cause an abundance of thanksgiving unto God and God will be glorified.

God is glorified when you bear much fruit. (John 15:8) Does Jesus say, if you abide in Me you will bear a little fruit or some fruit? This is a big mistake some so-called Christians are making. They think if I bear a little fruit that means there is a little Jesus in me. There is no little Jesus. There is only “King of Kings” Jesus, “Lord of Lords” Jesus. There is only the “above every principality and power and every name that is named” Jesus. There is no little Jesus. So if Jesus abides in you, you bear much fruit or else He does not abide. He didn’t come to do a little thing or to bring forth a little fruit in you. He came to do a big thing. “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” (John 15:8) You shall be My disciple when you bear much. These foolish people who think they have a little Jesus in them do not have Jesus at all! They have a little god and that is not Jesus! If they really knew Jesus they would be bearing much fruit, and that’s what Jesus says about it. He who abides in Me will bear much fruit: 30, 60, and a 100 fold. (Mark 4:20) If you have faith for Jesus to live in you and if you really abide in Jesus, you must be expecting to and actually be bearing much fruit. Much! And the way you’ll bear much fruit is by abounding in love towards one another as Paul says “I abound towards you in love.” (1Thes 3:12) “I’m always thinking what can I do to help the church, what can I do to edify the brethren. And then I do it.” He’s doing! He’s not just thinking about it, he’s doing it. He’s continually asking God what he might do to perfect what is lacking in their faith. (1Thes 3:10) His heart is always reaching for God’s grace on behalf of the church, because he abounds in love towards them. And he also prays for you to abound in love towards one another. (1Thes 3:12) You do that and you’ll begin to ask big. You’ll begin to ask much. And you’ll be bearing abundant fruit. All the fruit you bear will be arising out of the continual flow of your works of righteousness in love and your fruit will be unto holiness.

We’ve already shown you how the works of righteousness lead to holiness and what the difference is between righteousness and holiness. You enter into a state of being holy when everything you do is righteous. When you’re so filled with works of righteousness, you have no time to do anything but righteousness, then you are holy. That describes Christ in His earth walk. And that’s where God wants to take you. And He’ll get you there when your love is abounding towards each other. When your love abounds towards each other you’ll delight so much in working righteous works for each other that you’ll not have any time nor inclination to do anything but righteousness and that will make you holy. Therefore Paul says, “And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.” (1Thes 3:12-13) And “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds towards each other.” (2Thes 1:3) So in this 2^nd Thessalonians verse God answered Paul’s 1^st Thessalonians 3:12 prayer. And because faith works by love (Gal 5:6) as their love abounds their faith will increase and as their faith increases God’s grace towards them will increase and as God’s grace increases His work of righteousness will increase. Now why did God answer Paul’s prayer? Because Paul has a faith that works through love. And why did Paul pray that prayer? Because Paul loves these brethren and he wants them to be perfected in holiness. So Paul prays the prayer that they need in order that they can be perfected, and he prays exactly what Jesus in him would pray. And we can see that the love of God is shed abroad in Paul’s heart and Jesus dwells in his heart through faith. And God answers Jesus’ prayer because Jesus cannot pray without God saying yes and amen to Him. So you see the brethren received exactly what Paul and Christ prayed for and Paul could see that his prayer was answered. He’s not guessing about it. “I can see the love of every one of you abounds towards each other,” Paul says. (2Thes 1:3) Then he goes on “Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God” (2Thes 3:5a) There are many, many things we could be studying and learning about love. But here God is showing us love is the key to holiness. And love is the key to the glory of God. Because it is love that will produce the works of righteousness and the grace that will cause thanksgiving to abound towards God which brings God glory.

Prophecy: I give rest to those who give Me rest. I give peace to those who are at peace with Me. When I see that My will is being done, I am at rest and at peace with those who are doing My will. But I warn you My people there are times when My will is not being done and My people do not know My will to do it, because they have not sought Me diligently to find My will that they may do it. And when My will is not being done, even though My people are ignorant, I take My peace from them, until they seek Me diligently and until I can reveal to them My will that they may do it and that I may be at peace. Even as you have seen it spoken through the prophet Zechariah, I sent the black horses into the North country and they gave Me rest when they went into the North country and did My will. I tell you there are many who I will send to a place where My will needs to be done and until they go they will not have rest, because until My will is done I will not have rest. Every one of you in some way or another is that horse that I send because I have a work for you and when you do not know that work I will not let you rest until you find it. And when you enter into My work and fulfill it, I will rest and you will rest. So be diligent and do not fall into a place of complacency because you think you are doing all that is expected of you for there are things I expect of you that you do not yet know, and you will not find them unless you draw near to Me and seek Me so that I can show them to you, so that you can do them. Then we can rest together when My works of righteousness that I have foreordained for you are complete, saith the Lord.

Prophecy: My Spirit is even now searching out the deep things to reveal unto those who are asking, “What would you have me do?” Only those who come seeking will find the glory that is yet to be revealed. So come to Me in full assurance knowing it is My perfect will to bring you into greater and greater works of righteousness, unto the perfect day, saith the Lord.  

Prophecy: Say to the righteous it will be well with them and they will eat the fruit of their doings, because they come to Me and ask what they must do and they have the hearing of faith and they take hold of what I want to do and do it. There is rest and peace for them, because they are not on their own trying to do their own will, but My will. Be not as the Galatians who went back to the law and to works of flesh when the Spirit of Christ was right there available to them. But I say woe to the wicked for it will be ill with them because they operate on their own accord. They follow what they think and pursue what they want to do and what they want to hear and what they want to say, and there is no peace for the wicked says the Lord; there is no rest, there is no joy. But there was joy in the Philippian church. There is joy in the churches who hear My words and do them. I say there is joy for the righteous, and it will be well for the righteous, because they take hold of what I say by the hearing of faith and they do what pleases Me, thus saith the Lord.  (Prophecies delivered at "My Father's House")

 He Who is Born of God Keeps Himself!

Take Heed

Be careful My children, take heed what you do,

For if you love a lie, it will soon destroy you.

For lovers of lies are deceived and deceive.

Tho’ they promise you life, it’s to death that they lead.

The father of lies will be your father too

If you follow his ways and his actions you do.

So be children of Light and be lovers of truth.

Tho’ the truth often hurts, it will bring forth good fruit.

Turn to the Lord with your whole heart today.

Repent and be changed, it’s the truth you obey.

For God’s Holy Spirit will reveal what’s not right.

Just turn from what’s dark and step into the light.

(A poem given by the Holy Spirit at “My Father’s House” by Brenda Kerr)

 “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth. He will not fail nor be discouraged, till He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands shall wait for His law.” (Isa 42:1-4) The description of Christ in this passage still stands. This is not a fulfilled prophecy yet; it is an ongoing prophecy. It’s still being fulfilled because Jesus has yet to fully establish justice in the earth but He will do it and He’s involved in doing that right now.

One of the things that He’s doing immediately to establish justice in the earth is in publishing The Glory of His Grace. In these booklets Jesus is showing the truth concerning what real Christianity is and what His real church is like. And that’s part of how He’ll establish justice in the earth. And when God says, He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street it means Jesus isn’t into politicking. Politics, rallies, parades and student marches etc., are often ways men try to sway public opinion not so much by truth as by notoriety and even force. Politicians sometimes say, “If you just get your name out there the people will elect you.” Just because the people recognize the name they’ll vote for you. They don’t know who you are; don’t know what you stand for. Yet they will vote for a name they’ve heard over a stranger’s they haven’t. But Jesus will not force people into the kingdom, trick people into the kingdom, or argue people into the kingdom in that way. What Jesus will do is keep speaking the truth to those who’ll listen. The anointing of God is upon Him and He’ll speak the truth wherever the anointing is working or welcome. Jesus taught in the parable of the sower that you must have good ground in which to sow the Word or you’re throwing it away. And the first bad ground He mentions is the roadside. If you’re throwing the seed by the roadside; you’re wasting it because it’s not good ground; it’s a place where the devil will steal it very quickly.

Paul is a New Testament example of the indwelling Christ who will not cry out in the streets: “And they neither found me in the temple disputing with anyone nor inciting the crowd, either in the synagogues or in the city.” (Acts 24:12) And we can see throughout the book of Acts the contrast in how the Jews were always inciting the people against Paul and the Christians. But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they came there also and stirred up the crowds. (Acts 17:5,13) This constant provocative behavior in the Jews indicates that they did not know their own scriptures or have any understanding of the real character of their Messiah. “For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him.” (Acts 13:27)

Jesus warned them that they would miss their true Messiah and follow another. “I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.” (John 5:43) They wanted a warrior king who would lead them in a revolution to overcome the Romans and other gentile enemies and reestablish the Davidic/Solomon type kingdom. They were in fact looking for a Messiah who would cry out in the streets to incite the people to insurrection, then lead them in battle. This was their downfall. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.” (John 11:47-48) They rejected the “harmless” Christ, who would not cry out in the streets or lead the people in revolution against the Romans; the Christ the Romans would not have feared or resented. Yet again and again they received and followed rebellious criminals who incited violence against the government. “For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing. After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed.” (Acts 5:36-37) These insurrections continued to increase from the time of Christ up to about 70AD when the Romans finally had enough with the unruly Jews and completely destroyed their nation and temple. So the very thing the Jews feared would happen to them because of Jesus, happened to them because of their rejection of Jesus and God’s Word. My son, fear the LORD and the king; do not associate with those given to change. (Prov 24:21) Change here means “revolution.” What the Jews had never learned is that throughout their history whenever they were in a state of disobedience to God, they would go into captivity to some gentile nation. The way out of that captivity was not “insurrection” but repentance. Everytime they would repent, the Lord would send them a deliverer. But when they would try to free themselves without repenting things would only get worse. The most notable example of this was the rebellions against Nebuchadnezzar which resulted in the destruction of Solomon’s temple and the Jewish captivity in Babylon. The Christ who would not cry out in the streets would have led the Jews to a real repentance that would have allowed God to act on their behalf and grant them the freedom they so desperately desired. But they wouldn’t have Him. Similarly, are “political christians” really listening to Christ today?

And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient. (2Tim 2:24) We see Christ in the true believer does not quarrel or strive or cry out in the streets to generate revolution against God given governments. Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. (Rom 13:1-2) Wherever Paul encounters striving or quarrelsome opposition to the gospel, he leaves. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul. Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.” And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them, “Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” (Acts 13:45-46; 17:32; 18:6)

There is a kind of crying out in the streets that God permits. Wisdom calls aloud outside; she raises her voice in the open squares. She cries out in the chief concourses, at the openings of the gates in the city she speaks her words: “How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge. Turn at my rebuke; surely I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.” (Prov 1:20-23) This crying out is not a call to insurrection but a call to repentance. This is not an inciting the crowds against some worldly government or perceived enemy, but it is a calling of individuals out of the world and to God. And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” (Acts 2:40) On the day of Pentecost Peter preached in the streets, but he preached a message of deliverance from this evil world system by means of repentance and spiritual separation from evil, not insurrection.

Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? (2Pet 3:11-12) This world is doomed to destruction. We know that “feminine” wisdom is the wisdom of Christ embodied in His bride the true church. She does cry out in the streets, not to reform or repair this doomed world, but to rescue the elect by calling them out of the world and into the Kingdom of God before it is too late. Therefore she doesn’t strive or quarrel, but offers salvation to those who will hear her. But to those who won’t – Because I have called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded, Because you disdained all my counsel, and would have none of my rebuke, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes, When your terror comes like a storm, and your destruction comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, They would have none of my counsel and despised my every rebuke. Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled to the full with their own fancies. For the turning away of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them.” (Prov 1:24-32) This was the very fate that befell the Jews who rejected Jesus, the peaceable Messiah, in favor of rebellious warriors. The kind of calling Jesus does in public places is the call to salvation. On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:37-38) The kind He doesn’t do is the call to political change, insurrection or rebellion against established law and government. He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench; he will bring forth justice for truth. (Isa 42:2-3) The elect behave like Jesus even in “not crying out in the streets” because election is established in Jesus being in you. And if Jesus is in you, you’ll be involved in the work He’s doing and in the way that He does it. So when God says, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, (Eph 1:4) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works… (Eph 2:10) Then the elect must be holy and they must be participating in God’s foreordained good works. And the good works we are specifically created for are the works Jesus is ordained to do. And we must be doing them in Him and He doing them in us to fulfill the Scriptures concerning Christ and His church. I have put My Spirit upon Him; indicates that what Jesus and His church will do to establish justice in the earth will be done in and by the Spirit in a way that is not raucous and offensive.

Recently I mentioned I don’t have TVs and radios blaring in my home because that’s just letting people whose voices are “heard in the streets” distract you. Wherever you have a commercial radio or news station turned on, you’re hearing the arguments of those crying out for their causes. Everyone has a cause. The worldly “christian” might think, “I’ve got to get out there and cry out for God’s cause.” But that’s not what Christ is doing. When it comes to the gospel, He’s not participating in the ways everybody else pushes their things and we are not meant to promote the gospel in the way politicians promote their political interests, or gay rights advocates forward gay rights, etc. Every political group, every power base group, everybody that has a cause seems to be waving their sign and crying out in the streets, but that’s not the way of Christ.

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (James 3:13,17-18) Thus anything God does to promote the gospel has to be done in the “meekness of wisdom.” It must be done in such a way as can be “anointed” by the Holy Spirit. Look at the book of Acts. All the way through the book Paul, Silas, and Barnabas are looking for someone who wants to talk about the Lord. And they’re led by the Spirit to people like Lydia whose heart is opened by God. (Acts 16:14) Or to people who want to have a discussion. (Acts 17:19) Or to a proper environment like in the Synagogues. And after the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, “Men and brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.” (Acts 13:15) It is to the Jew first so there has to be an opening up of the doors of the Synagogues to the gospel. But the environment is one where there’s not a wild competition of ideas; not a whole bunch of people screaming, “Listen to me, listen to me,” and this cause and that cause and the other! For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. (James 3:16) You’re looking for a place where you can speak the Word effectively without excessive distraction and the people that are interested can hear! For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. Let all things be done decently and in order. (1Cor 14:33,40)

So God works a miracle. And all the people saw him walking and praising God. Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed. So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? (Acts 3:9-12) The people want to hear about it, so Peter preaches to them. On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the Word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul. Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the Word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.” (Acts 13:44-46) Whenever the atmosphere becomes distracting and unpeaceable Paul and Barnabas leave. The devil loves to get “Christians” into a place where their work will be unfruitful and keep them there wasting their time if he can. But as soon as Paul and Barnabas see that confusion is reigning – they depart to a more fruitful place to preach. So when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening. And some were persuaded by the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved. So when they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had said one word: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers, saying, ‘Go to this people and say: “Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand; and seeing you will see, and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.’ Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!” And when he had said these words, the Jews departed and had a great dispute among themselves. (Acts 28:23-29) When the Jews become disputative Paul rejects them.

When the Bible says, “I have put My Spirit upon Him” it is also speaking of the true believers. We’ve been chosen in Him to be the people who He works through to fulfill the scriptures. Therefore we have the same Spirit that He has upon us. You see it in: It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. (Ps 133:2) We’re the body, Jesus is the Anointed Head, but the anointing flows down from the Head on to us the body. And the servant of the Lord does not strive and does not quarrel. (2Tim 2:24) This doesn’t mean we cannot “rebuke sharply.” (Titus 1:13) But it means we will speak our piece and leave – not becoming engaged in tit for tat arguments and endless answering backs! We do not try to get our views across through the wicked means that carnal people use – ruckus; demanding attention by being noisy, loud or rude.

When you get in your car, you know you’ll see a thousand signs every mile flashing at you from all different directions; the highways are not usually a peaceable environment. And even if we can’t control how we’ll be exposed to a lot of these things, we can control some of it. If the things we can control we do control, God will then protect us from the rest and sanctify us. I usually don’t even have a radio on when I’m in the car. There’s times when it’s ok to listen to tapes and things like that because you know what you’re getting but I almost never listen to “christian radio.” Too often it contains propaganda for various false “christian” causes, not truth. And I’m pretty careful about music. Even so-called “Christian music” is mostly ear tickling and not agreeable to God’s Word. The Lord showed me that concerning contemporary christianity there is a great error in what they do not say not just what they do say. This is particularly true in “Christian” music. They’re usually too smart to espouse things that are in blatant disagreement with God’s Word – but they will completely ignore and not mention things that are an important part of God’s gospel but are not popular or comfortable to communicate. So they lie by omission, saying things that everyone already “knows” over and over to excess but refusing to consider unpopular but needful things. If you feed yourself a constant diet of their “sweets” you’re like a child who gets no vegetables – your meal is unbalanced and your christianity is sick by what it lacks even more than by what it has. I find no peace in listening to these deceivers who lie by omission. What I’m looking for in all I do is a peaceable environment so I can hear the Spirit and be led by the Spirit. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. (Col 3:15)

Another aspect concerning this is if I want to have as much peace as possible in my life then I don’t want to be doing to other people things that aren’t peaceable. You’ll reap what you sow. So if I’m a person who’s creating distractions I’m going to get distractions. There’s not much good in knocking on doors to witness, or telephone soliciting type witnessing. Anything in which you’re pushing your way into somebody else’s life at what may be a very inconvenient time and without being invited doesn’t agree with our scripture. He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. (Isa 42:2) We should be looking by the Spirit for someone God can reach and when we see they’re interested, then offering them what the Spirit gives. Isaiah tells us the Spirit of Jesus who is the elect one, the chosen one, doesn’t behave in an uncomely manner. He’s not distracting and offensive and that’s the Spirit that’s in me if I’m Spiritual, if I’m born of Christ. A rare exception to this is where Christ is defending God’s habitation, the Temple, from the wicked. (John 2:15-16)

 Now compare, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! (Isa 42:1) to, And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matt 3:17) Also, While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Matt 17:5) Why does God delight in Him? Can you see in 1^st Samuel how Saul grieved God. Saul rejected God’s Word; he didn’t obey it carefully, diligently or completely. Saul was careless in his obedience so he disappointed God. On the other hand God chose David and God gave a reason. There are very few scriptures that give the reason for election because God doesn’t have to give a reason. God is God and He has the right to choose.

Often times election has to do with just settling arguments. The Head makes the choice so there’ll be no argument. And this goes on even in a household. The head of the house has the right to decide what the household will do. It isn’t always that “this is better than that.” Sometimes you don’t know which is better but somebody has to choose or the people involved cannot move forward and until somebody decides what to do nothing is going to happen. So somebody has to be in the position to make the decision otherwise you’d spend the whole day arguing about which restaurant you’re going to, because every child wants a different restaurant and nobody gets fed. And the choice isn’t, “which one is the nearest?” “Which one is the cheapest?” It just ends up that someone has to choose and somebody has to have the authority to make the choice and get the show on the road. God has the right to put the discussion to an end by choosing, and He can do that without explanation. He’s the authority and it’s right for Him to make the choice.

Authority often exists just so we can get on with things without arguing over them or even endlessly discussing the fine points of this versus that. Hopefully we won’t be making wrong decisions. But in some cases it just doesn’t matter. You get to Miami if you take I-95 and you get there if you take the toll-road. But you’re not going to get there if you don’t choose something. So somebody has to choose and authority is there for that purpose.

God delights in Jesus and He delights in David. And the reason He delights in David is, “David, whom I chose because he kept My commandments and My statutes.” (1Kings 11:34) David’s diligent obedience is the reason God gives for David’s election. So Saul was rejected because he didn’t keep all the commandments of God. David was chosen and was beloved because he diligently obeyed God. Concerning My Elect One in whom My soul delights if God delights in David because David keeps His commands then that tells you that Jesus is also a delight to God because of His obedience. And this is such an indictment of the silly “christianity” that thinks believers can disobey God and God still delights in them. “He delights in Jesus’ obedience and doesn’t count our disobedience.” That’s such garbage! If Jesus is in you, God delights in Jesus being in you because you behave like He’s in you and that’s why we know He’s in you. And so the behavior of the elect is the kind of behavior that delights God. He’s not delighted with disobedience. He’s delighted in Jesus because Jesus is perfectly obedient and He’s delighted in the elect whom He’s chosen in Jesus because they behave the way Jesus does; they too are obedient because the obedient Jesus is in them. So in considering your election the first thing is that if you’re in Christ then obedience must define your behavior also; if you’re a part of Christ’s ministry then you must be doing it the way Christ does it. So it’s not just that you’re preaching Jesus, but you must preach in the way Jesus preaches. He’s the way. He’s not just what you’re doing, He’s the way you’re doing it which has everything to do with Spirituality. Spirituality is the way you do things. You do them by the Spirit; as in “who through the Eternal Spirit offered Himself up to God.” (Heb 9:14) Jesus doesn’t do things just to do them. He does them because the Spirit is doing them. So we can only be delightful to God if we are operating in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. He will be delighted with the obedience of Jesus Christ because that obedience is in us and we’re obedient to the Spirit just as Christ is obedient.

We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; But he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. (1John 5:18) It’s a necessary part of election that you be born of God; if you’re not born again you aren’t elect. To be elect you must also be a Son of God, and to be a Son of God you must be walking in the Spirit. (Rom 8:14) So you can’t consider yourself elect unless you’ve been born again and are walking in the Spirit. But here we see a very important characteristic of being born of God is he who has been born of God keeps himself. Now when you consider this idea of “He keeps himself” what do you think? Jesus is born of God. Didn’t Jesus keep Himself? How well did Jesus keep Himself and how did Jesus keep Himself? Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him. But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. (Matt 12:14-15) Jesus wasn’t recklessly throwing Himself into the hands of the people who wanted to kill Him. Jesus could have died a martyr’s death many times. There were many opportunities where He may have given Himself up. But He kept Himself because He wasn’t just to offer Himself as a martyr. He was to offer Himself through the Eternal Spirit. How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Heb 9:14) Jesus willed to give Himself up only when the Spirit said so and not until the Spirit said so and not in anyway except the way the Spirit said. Thus Jesus became the example of the Spiritual sacrifices that we are to give; we’re to be a habitation for God in the Spirit to offer Spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God. (1Pet 2:5) Meaning that what we do, we do just like Jesus did, in the timing and the method that the Spirit chooses, according to the will of God. Consider Moses; over and over the scriptures said of him how perfectly he and the people working with him kept God’s instructions concerning the building of the Tabernacle. (Exod 39:42-43) And that’s exactly the reason why God is pleased with Jesus in how perfectly He obeys the Spirit. The Spirit is God and Jesus perfectly obeys the Spirit. So He doesn’t give Himself up on His own terms or anybody else’s but only on God’s terms. He keeps Himself; He withdraws when it’s needful and He behaves prudently, wisely.

 And great multitudes followed Him, and yet He warned them not to make Him known, (Matt 12:15-16) One reason you can see He doesn’t want to be made known is so the Jews don’t kill Him out of season. But remember also, “He will not quarrel nor cry out nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.” (Isaiah 42:2) Jesus is not interested here in forcing a confrontation with the enemy. He’s interested in preaching the gospel in an environment conducive to getting people saved. Also Jesus doesn’t pursue the multitudes, they pursue Him. He goes into the wilderness and they come to Him because they want to hear what He has to say. It was the same with John the Baptist. “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.’” John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. (Mark 1:3-5) In the wilderness Jesus doesn’t have the Pharisees continually assaulting Him like they usually do in the temple. It’s a more peaceful place out there. In the wilderness is where He often holds His best ministry, and the scripture is fulfilled that He’s not politicking, not trying to make a show. He’s trusting the Father to bring people to Him in an environment where the gospel can be heard. Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote-- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” (John 1:44-45) They found Him!

After feeding the 5 thousand Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. (Matt 14:23) Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. (Mark 1:35) And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. (Mark 6:31) Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away. And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray. (Mark 6:45-46) …and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. (Luke 5:15-16)  Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. (Luke 6:12) Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. (Luke 9:28) Also remember the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus leaves the disciples while He goes apart to pray. Jesus never, never gets out of the Spirit because He always responds to the Spirit to do whatever is needed to do to stay in the Spirit. He keeps Himself!

Your election is demonstrated by Christ in you. Every creature that God has created has built into it the necessary things to sustain it’s own life in the sense of how to find food; how to know when you’re hungry and need to eat; how to know when you’re thirsty and you need to drink; how to know when you need to breathe. It’s all built in so that you can sustain your life. If you didn’t have a sense of when to breath you’d be dead. You’d just stop breathing and wouldn’t know it. If you didn’t have a sense that you need to eat you’d die of starvation. That’s what anorexia is; people lose their sense of needing to eat, can’t eat, don’t eat and starve themselves. Now what God is showing us is the new man has built into him every sensitivity necessary to stay spiritually alive. The new man knows when he needs to get apart to pray. He knows when he needs to spend more time in meditation and the Word. Jesus is able to minister to multitudes without losing His spirituality because He knows when the Spirit man needs to be fed. He keeps Himself. Jesus knows in His heart and in His Spirit “I must get back into the fullest presence of the Father. I need to regain My spiritual strength.” And so He sends the people away. He does not keep on ministering until He drops. He’s not stupid. He demonstrates His ability to keep Himself. We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. (1John 5:18) Is Jesus in you? If you are elect Jesus must be in you. If Jesus is in you then the Jesus in you will keep Himself too! If you let Him, He cannot fail but to keep Himself. So if something is going on in you that’s not keeping yourself it isn’t the new man. You’ve let go of the new man. If you’re not keeping yourself Spiritually, you’re not demonstrating election.

To keep yourself, you must have faith to walk in the Spirit. You must keep yourself in that place of faith that Jesus is in you if He’s to be demonstrated in you. You must have faith that the Spirit will keep you in the Spirit. Do you have faith for the Spirit to keep you or have you been trying to do it on your own? The Spirit is perfectly equipped to keep Himself and He’ll keep you in the Spirit if you have faith for Him to do it and you’re obedient to Him. But you can’t keep yourself in the Spirit by the “flesh.”

The last time I went fishing we spent 2 or 3 hours at the beach and came home with enough fish to feed the whole family for three separate dinners. But catching fish also requires cleaning fish. So even when the fishing is good and it’s easy to catch the fish I don’t just keep fishing because all the time I’m looking at how many fish are in the cooler, I’m thinking, “I’ve got to clean these fish and I also must keep myself Spiritual. So I’m not going to get wrapped up in cleaning fish all night.” Therefore I limit how many fish I catch. And that’s a very practical example of keeping myself. So when the Spirit tells me, “We’ve got a few good meals here and that’s enough” I’ll stop. Then when I go home I’ll keep the fish on ice. I don’t necessarily clean them immediately but I wait until the proper time. There’s many times when I’ve waited till after church to start the cleaning. And then even when I’m cleaning fish I might clean 2 or 3 fish, keep the rest on ice, and go back to my room to read my Bible for a while because I won’t let the work push me into the flesh. It’s more important to stay in Christ and in the Spirit than to get the “work” done.

After Jesus defeated the devil satan waited for an opportune time to come back. (Luke 4:13) When do you think satan feels is an opportune time? Wouldn’t it be at times when you’re hungry or physically worn out, or distracted with temporal things that he thinks he can maybe slip something by you. That’s his opportune time. So if I’m to keep myself I’ll look at how I’m doing Spiritually and physically. If I’m getting to where I’m physically worn out then the devil might see it as an opportune time so if I’m wise I will stop to pray just like Jesus often does. I’m going to take a rest and get away from things that are distracting me. There’s a very practical wisdom in the way Jesus keeps Himself. And if Jesus is in you He’ll do the same thing. He’ll show you when you need a break to get built up or recharged spiritually. If you’re trusting God to keep you, you must trust the Spirit to show you when you need to “withdraw.” And if you’ll obey Him and turn aside when He calls, He’ll keep you Spiritual. He’ll guide you to get away from whatever might push you into the flesh. The Spirit is able to keep the Spirit man. Obey Him, pay attention to Him, and He’ll keep you Spiritual.

There are two sides to the keeping. We’re fellow workers with Christ so there’s the keeping that God does and then there’s the keeping that you do. We have our part and Christ has His part and both parts work together. That is one way we are fellow workers. We don’t do it independently of Him, but he doesn’t do it independently of us either. And if you’d like to consider yourself among the “elect,” remember the elect one is the one who trusts God to keep him but also keeps himself. Keep me as the apple of Your eye; (Ps 17:8) The Psalmist is praying to be kept. So the elect ASK to be kept. And; You shall keep them, O LORD, you shall preserve them from this generation forever. (Ps 12:7) God answers their prayer. God keeps the elect and preserves them from this wicked and perverse generation. Keep my soul, and deliver me; (Ps 25:20) Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, (for Your elect) you shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. (Ps 31:19-20)  Blessed is he who considers the poor… The LORD will preserve him and keep him alive, and he will be blessed on the earth; (Ps 41:1-2)

Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. (1John 2:3) It’s up to us to keep His commands. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments. (1John 3:22) Previously we showed you God delights in Jesus because Jesus keeps His commandments perfectly. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.  For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. (1John 5:2-3) Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. (1John 5:21) So we’re trusting God to keep us but He is trusting us to keep ourselves too. And that includes our obeying His commands. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. (2Tim 1:14) Our part in keeping is to rely on the Holy Spirit to give us the grace to keep what is committed to us.

If we’ll do the natural part to keep ourselves, God will do the supernatural part. Keep yourselves in the love of God.  Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, (Jude 21,24) God can keep you from stumbling. If I’m crucified with Christ and I don’t live anymore; if Galatians 2:20 is true for me, then my identity has become the identity of the new man, Christ in me. The new man keeps himself. He knows when its time to pray. He knows how to stay in love. He knows what he needs to do to abide continually in the Spirit of God. He knows what to do in order to keep these things that were committed to us through the Holy Spirit. He knows when he needs to read the Bible. He knows when he needs to meditate. He knows when he needs to rest. Just like your fleshly body knows when it needs to eat, the Spirit man knows these things that are necessary to maintain the Spiritual life! And because I’m completely united to Christ and don’t have a life of my own, I know too. And I believe I keep myself very well. And yet I wouldn’t glory in the fact that I keep myself because it’s Christ in me who keeps me and I would glory in Christ and in His ability to keep me. Yet I also realize that we still have problems with some people in the church who are not keeping themselves in Christ. You have no real sense of the Spirit of God that what you are doing is in Him, of Him and for Him. You’re not in the place where Christ is in control at all times. Because to keep yourself in the Spirit you must consciously look to Christ and crucify your flesh continually. If Christ is really to lead you, you must listen for the nuances of His leading, and be watching and praying and awake and alert to anything that may get you out of the Spirit. People don’t get to be where I am in the Spirit without having stumbled a few times. It’s the stumblings that teach you, “Don’t do that again. What mistake did I make there, Lord? How did I get out of the Spirit there?” And I can look back on some mistakes, for example, and say, “I worked too long and I got irritable.” And being irritable is being out of the Spirit. Then I said something that I shouldn’t have said. Well guess what? From now on Lord, I won’t over work. I’ll listen to You and when it’s time for me to take a break, I’ll take a break. Because the Spirit will show you what you need to do to stay in the Spirit; He protects Himself.

All of God’s creatures keep themselves. They all know what they need to do to protect themselves except when they have a foolish spirit; the fool doesn’t see evil, he just blunders on. But a foolish spirit is a curse; something from hell; something God lets get on you because He doesn’t like what you’re doing. In the natural state even the basest creature has a survival instinct. It’s absolutely inconceivable that God would give you the new man and that new man wouldn’t have the ability to maintain himself and keep himself in the place where he’s strong in the things that pertain to spirituality, faith, godliness and such as that. Of course he does! He knows what to do. But you need to trust him and expect him to keep Himself. “To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling.” (Jude 24) Is He doing it from the outside or is He doing it from the inside? When the scripture says, “He’s able to keep me from stumbling” what do you expect of Him? It’s almost never an external keeping. He keeps you from stumbling by putting His wisdom inside of you to know the right thing to do and what not to do and that’s Christ in you; it’s His light; it’s His mind; it’s His love. And you must trust Him; trust His leading. You must have faith for Him to lead you and then be alert to identify and respond to His leading because if you’re still stumbling around doing things that obviously aren’t from God, what is leading you is flesh. And you must recognize the flesh and crucify it before you can know the Spirit and be led by Him and be kept by Him. You must learn to discern the difference between good “the Spirit” and evil “the flesh.”

 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. This is among the most beautiful prophecies of Christ’s first coming. But look what it says next, “Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. (Is 7:14,15) Do you know what curds are? We probably think of it as cottage cheese though actually it’s more like sour milk. When they didn’t have refrigerators milk would sour pretty quickly, but it was still edible. What do you think yogurt is? And sour cream? If milk sours in the refrigerator, people usually throw it out; but it’s perfectly edible. It doesn’t taste like milk anymore; it tastes like sour milk; curds. So “curds and honey” means He’s being fed something sour and something sweet. Not everything will be sweet in Jesus’ life. Not everything will be sweet in your life either. It takes some sour and it takes some sweet to get you to see the difference between good and evil. Jesus is without sin but He learned obedience by things which He suffered. (Heb 5:8) He ate curds and honey. He ate the bitter and the sweet. Some foods are an acquired taste. You have to stick with it until you awaken your taste for it. And as you get more experience you develop discernment. First you may have thought it tasted wierd, but after you eat it a few times you get to know it better and there are good things that you didn’t recognize at first. The fact is God is giving Jesus a broad diet, a broad experience because He wants Him to know how to choose good and reject evil. “Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.” (Isa 7:15) We know this isn’t talking about food here; when the prophet says curds and honey it’s symbolic of life experiences; the sweet and sour ones. And the sweet and sour will teach you how to recognize good and evil. I don’t have to do evil to know its evil. I can learn to know evil when it’s done to me and that’s “curds.” But I also learn to know good by having it done to me and that’s “honey.” Of course we’re not permitted to do evil to others and Jesus didn’t. But there’s another understanding of how to do good found in “it’s better to give than receive.” (Acts 20:35) And so there’s a better honey found in giving and Jesus did that too. He learned to know how to choose the good and reject the evil.

Again we’re reminded that because of obedience God delights in Jesus and because of their obedience to Christ in them He delights in the elect. The elect have Christ inside and they’re obedient to Him so they bring great pleasure to God. They also delight themselves in God. “I delight to do His will.” He delights in seeing me delight to do His will. That’s Jesus! “Here is My Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, (Luke 3:22) My Elect One in whom My soul delights.” (Isa 42:1) Then for us to be demonstrating, “My Elect One in whom My soul delights” we must be demonstrating the obedience of Christ. And in the “curds and honey” scripture we see that Jesus very quickly learned the difference between good and evil and learned to choose the good at all times. So also our election will be demonstrated by what we choose. We all have to make choices but when we make the choices that please God we are doing what Jesus does; we’re showing that He’s in us and we are truly the elect of the Lord.

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; (Deut 30:19) Compare this to, For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Rom 8:5-6) Therefore choose life, choose to walk in the Spirit, choose to set your mind on the things of the Spirit. The Old Testament and the New are saying the same things here. The elect one who is keeping himself is choosing to follow the Spirit and that’s choosing life. You have a choice of doing what the flesh wants or what the Spirit wants. Which one are you choosing? A lot of so-called “christians” are choosing what the flesh wants and not even giving the Spirit a chance. They’re just running with the flesh; death; instead of crucifying the flesh.

Do not envy the oppressor, and choose none of his ways; (Prov 3:31) The way of the oppressor is to use force or intimidate people to do his will; choose none of his ways.  The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray.  (Prov 12:26) Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” (1Cor 15:33) It is part of keeping yourself to choose your friends carefully. For thus says the LORD: “To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, and choose what pleases Me, and hold fast My covenant,  …I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. (Isa 56:4-5) An everlasting name is election. If you want to be elect choose what pleases God. I have chosen the way of truth; (Ps 119:30) Which way have you chosen? Let Your hand become my help, for I have chosen Your precepts. (Ps 119:173) How can you expect God to help you or “keep you” if you don’t choose to obey Him?  How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver. (Prov 16:16) Most people today are not all in agreement with that. They think it’s much better to get gold than wisdom. Where do you go to get wisdom? It starts with the Word of God. You can see how little people regard the Word of God today.

When God first revealed Himself in me, I was in the gem business making $100,000 + a year. That was a lot of money in those days. But I immediately started putting the business away in order to get the wisdom of God. Once I knew God was real I didn’t lust for money anymore, I wanted wisdom. I wanted to know God. Today I don’t have a business but I sure have God’s wisdom! I found what I was after and I made the best choice. You can’t serve God and mammon – I couldn’t have become so well acquainted with the scriptures as I now am if I continued pursuing “money.” There isn’t time for both.

 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,  (Prov 22:1) Again, most people don’t believe that. Many are willing to ruin their name to get rich. In a righteous society you need to protect your good reputation so people can trust you. And the Kingdom of God is a righteous society. But then there’s the Name above all names and you should choose that one more than riches. The young ruler made the wrong choice. (Matt 19:22) He should have chosen the name of Jesus. It would have been better if he’d chosen to identify with Christ even in His sufferings than to have chosen riches. Moses chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, (Heb.11:25) Moses made the right choice. “But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42) When Jesus says, “My sheep know My voice and no one can snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:27-28) it’s a similar thing. They’ve chosen the good part and it won’t be taken away from them. God says if you choose the good part, He’ll protect your choice. But of course you have to choose it from the heart. You have to make a quality choice that shows you really want it. But when you make the right choice, like you choose to be a Spiritual Christian and you’re willing to pay the price, God will not let the devil or the devil’s people or all the world take it from you. He’ll give you the grace to overcome anything or anyone that may try to take that choice away from you. Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. (1John 4:4) When you make the right choice God guards your choice for you and in you. Which is back to, “He who is born of God keeps himself.” That’s why you have a hope of glory because He who is in you keeps Himself; and the wicked one can’t touch Him. But it’s all based on your continuing in faith and making right choices. Mary made the right choice. Whenever you find that you’re not in the Spirit, then you’ve made a wrong choice. You’ve opened yourself up to evil and to harm by making a wrong choice. You’re not any good to God or the brethren when you’re in the flesh.

So it all comes down to having faith that God will keep you in the new nature if you’ll keep yourself and if you’ll listen to the Spirit. But you can’t go back to some worldly thing you want to do without losing that sanctification where God keeps you when you choose to keep yourself. So, it’s a continual choosing. I choose to believe the Spirit keeps me. In every case you can choose to believe that God is in complete control. It’s like every day you get up and see God’s manna on the ground. It’s a miracle. There is a fresh supply for everyday because God is keeping me. Everyday He gives me a message from Heaven. It doesn’t always come in the same way. Sometimes it is a half hour before I’m getting ready for church, then all of a sudden I start seeing what God wants me to share. When I was younger in the Lord if I had only a half hour to prepare to preach I’d fall into a kind of unbelief where I’d think, “I don’t have enough time to get this together.” I never think that way anymore. Now I choose to think, “God knew I only needed a half hour to get this together.” And I always do get it together because I believe that God is right on time and He knows just what I need and He gives me just enough time to do it and I’m never going to be short because I don’t believe anymore in being short because God is never short. The Spirit in me is never short because the Spirit in me is Christ in me and He always knows just when to start and just when to stop and just what to do and He’s always on time and that’s the way it works for me because that’s what I choose to believe and that’s the choice that God wants you to make. Faith! Choose to have faith for God to lead you, for God to keep you. Then keep yourself by obeying Him.

Prophecy: Thus saith the Lord, this is My will for you, even your sanctification. And I admonish you, cry out for Me to sanctify you completely. Cry out every day that I would pour My Spirit upon you in such measure that nothing that is not of Me could come thru or get thru to you, that I would keep your thoughts, that I would keep your heart, that I would keep your actions, your deeds; that I would keep all things in accordance with My will; sanctify you completely by My Spirit so that you are completely Mine; completely hearing My voice; doing My will continually; loving with My love, walking together with Me. Every problem you have comes from a lack in the area of sanctification. That something else gets in because you aren’t alert, you haven’t seen it, you haven’t cried out for Me to help you and keep you in the light in the way that you ought to. You haven’t kept your faith in Me to sanctify you. Now I admonish you, stir up your faith to be set apart for Me and I will pour My Spirit upon you. Come out from these other things and keep yourself separate and I will be your God and you will be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord.

  Prophecy:

God’s Church

My people, God’s child

Doesn’t let flesh run wild

He puts his trust in Me

And he’s not in bondage but is free.

So let Me rule and reign in you

And your election shall be true.

Thus saith the Lord.

(Prophecy/poem given at “My Father’s House” by Rebekah K. 11 years old)

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