Spiritcode

Commandment Nine 2 Witness to the truth

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses.

Being HIS witness is putting HIM on display in our lives Just as Jesus put his Father on display
John 14:9 If you have seen me you have seen the Father…
John 8:37 and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.

Witness of the Holy Spirit on earth now- John 16:13,14 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me (Put me on display), inasmuch as he will receive what is from me and show it to you. We receive from Holy Spirit to put that on display with him to the world.
Romans 8:15 but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The same Spirit Himself is bearing witness with our spirit that we are the offspring of God… and that if we are together suffering with him we should together be being glorified with him (our life and his on display together).

WHY do we bear witness and HOW do we bear witness? If we know the why we will know the how. The WHY is because there is a new life, a new reality of our I AM that bears witness to the reality of God’s I AM in the earth. There is a range of activities that are the HOW as a witnesses to his reality.

But some doctrinal practices that manipulate peoples’ emotions are actually an untrue witness. They put other things on display instead of Jesus (fake miracles and prosperity - 1Thessalonians 5:19-22).
John 3:21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

The zealous but toxic witness that distorts the purpose of The Holy Spirit by bringing condemnation and guilt instead of Holy Spirit’s mandate of speaking his conviction of light and truth. (John 16:8)
John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world may be being (aorist passive tense) saved through him. (Yonggi Cho).
1Corinthians 4:4… do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.

Sharing your faith
1Peter 3:15 always being prepared to make an answer to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.

God bearing witness to our witness - Paul and Barnabus bear witness to the Gentiles.
Acts 14:3 So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.

Sharing a conscious partnership with Jesus
Holy Spirit feels, sees, hears and knows what we do. We share the knowing with him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do not set aside the grace of God

DO NOT SET ASIDE THE GRACEOF GOD
Luke 5:36-38 No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’”
Leading up to these statements Jesus and his disciples were questioned about eating and drinking with tax collectors and about fasting. Luke 5: 29-34 “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” “John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.” 34 Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? 35 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.”
It’s not about the keeping Laws. It’s about grace. Jesus has called a tax collector and Levi had a banquet at his home for Jesus – Grace. Jesus and his disciples eat with sinners – Grace. The disciples eat instead of fasting – Grace. The future of following God is going to be different. It’s not going to be by sticking to rituals and laws. It’s going to be new – And I think Jesus actually knows there need to be time for his disciples to adapt. When Jesus points out that “new wine must be poured into new wineskins.” He then goes on to say... 39 And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’”
Because what is happening in this passage of scripture is the old having a problem with the new. Because some think the old is better. The old way says to fast and pray - new way says you can eat. The old way says don’t eat with sinners - the new way says you can. The old way says there should be prayer and fasting - the new ways says you don’t have to....Because Jesus...the bridegroom is with them...Yes there will be times of prayer and fasting in the future....But now the bringer of the new way is here...And he is ushering in the new wine...He has the new garment...and it’s not going to be about patching up an old garment...It’s about a new beginning...
Jesus knows the old will be hard to let go of....He is sensitive to that...So he, by grace, is going to teach his disciples the principles of the new way...But as we know from the parable of the garment...The old and the new don’t mix effectively...they are incompatible ...As Christians we can see the incompatibility...

Old way...Frequent Animal sacrifice for sin...New way = Once and only Sacrifice of Jesus..once forever
Old way = A people/nation that God worked through New way = is about a person that God works through – Jesus
Old way = Shows the wrath of God towards sin...New way = Reveals God’s grace towards sinners
When I think of these things it’s difficult to believe anyone can think the old wine is better...But this was a tension for the early church in teaching and practice...in Gal:1: 6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ...And look at what Paul had to confront Peter with...Gal 2:11 When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. 13 The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.14 When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?15 “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles 16 know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
The Old Testament records the giving of God’s Law, and the New Testament shows how Jesus the Messiah fulfilled that Law (Matthew 5:17; Hebrews 10:9).

In the Old Testament, God’s dealings are mainly with His chosen people, the Jews; in the New Testament, God’s dealings are mainly with His church (Matthew 16:18).

Physical blessings promised under the Old Covenant (Deuteronomy 29:9) give way to spiritual blessings under the New Covenant (Ephesians 1:3).

The apostles and believers were struggling at times with this new garment and old and new wine...Paul was making it very clear about the hypocrisy of Peter...The Gospel is justification by faith in Jesus Christ....not by the works of the law...The Gospel is a gospel of grace
Gal 2:19 “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
“I do not set aside the grace of God” “for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”...We are not to set aside the grace of God for ourselves or for others...Because if we do.....if we put on the old garment...drink the old wine....try to gain anything through the law....we will set aside Grace.....and the message we live is that Christ died for nothing! Obviously I’m not discounting praying and fasting – financial giving – material giving – caring for others...But all those things can be done legalistically as a way to find favour with God– and if so – Christ died for nothing...It’s the old wine – the old garment!
But when we are motivated by our relationship with Jesus...We may fast and pray because our heart yearns to...We give money because we desire to serve that way.....with no thought of benefit to ourselves...We give not to be seen as being someone special in doing so...it’s a blessing to be able to give...We do things in secret that God sees but no one else...We don’t live in fear of God punishing us if we fail to keep the ‘laws’.
We will fail...But we have Christ...The life we now live in the body, we live by faith in the Son of God, New wine – New Garment – Life in Christ – We will fail – But when we do – let’s not try to use the law to get ourselves back on track...It won’t work – just dig a deeper hole of failure.
Love words of the old hymn...‘Grace will lead us home’...That’s why we are to live – IN THE GRACE OF GOD...Jesus didn’t die for nothing....He died so we might have life abundantly – by the grace of God...Moses – did Moses part the waters – Grace of God did...Noah – build a perfect water proof Ark – God sealed them in – Grace of God...Daniel – hungry lions – honoured God with his devotional life – Grace...Shadrach Meshach and Abednego – made a stand for God – Grace...ALL BY THE GRACE OF GOD
Then there is the way we look at ourselves too...Jesus forgives us...but do we neglect to forgive ourselves...There is no condemnation in Christ (Romans 8:1)....but do we condemn ourselves for failures...Do we accept ourselves as we are – because Jesus does...We must make sure we accept we are children of Grace...Don’t set aside Grace that we need to experience
Do we beat ourselves up over our failures and sometimes perceived failures...Do we punish ourselves emotionally – I deserve to feel bad....Do we think God does not love us anymore....Do we think no one can love us....Do you think you can’t go on any further....We must always remember that Jesus loves us unconditionally...Not based on what we have done or not done....Not based on if we feel good or bad...It’s based on one thing and summed up in three words...“It is finished” – It is finished – reminds us...There is a new garment...There is new wine...I like to translate it as God saying....I love you, here is my Grace
Don’t set aside the grace of God.....Embrace the grace of God and live in it. Matt 13:52
He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old."
Our God is so big that, at least in this life, there will always be something new for us...we need to learn to live in the grace of God embracing the new God gives us...but still being ready and open to the next new thing he has for us.

 

Commandment nine 1 What is truth

Exodus 20:16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.

The first lie that was ever told on earth led to death, which demonstrates the power of what is called false witness (Lucifer/God). A lie has the power to destroy the worth (Commandment 8) and the name of another (Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit). Satan is called 'a liar and the father of it' by Jesus (John 8:44) and the power he wields is based on his own self-deception of the worth of God and God’s name, and his deceiving of others with this same lie.

Bearing witness to the truth
John 18:37 Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all.

Truth (Strongs concordance al??thinos – not concealed, ie, revealed) - that which has not only the name and resemblance, but the real nature corresponding to the name, in every respect corresponding to the idea signified by the name, real, true genuine (it is what it is). It is opposite to what is imperfect and defective.
As human beings and believers we are imperfect and defective, but we believe that we have ‘Christ dwelling in our hearts by faith’ (Ephesians 3:17) so we are conscious that we have the imperfect and defective ‘old self being’ to live out from or the ‘new self being’ created by God to live out from (Ephesians 4:22). One expresses the TRUE nature of God and the other expresses our ‘old self’ nature. One is complete and one is imperfect and defective.

What is truth means truth is what is (Who are we – Which I AM are we – there is a choice)

1John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

John 16:13,14 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, inasmuch as he will receive what is from me and show it to you."
The revelation then, is Jesus; not a system of doctrines, but him. The teaching of Jesus, with his life, death, and resurrection, obviously involves doctrine, but dogmatic formulations can never take the place of the revelation in Christ. God’s will shall be done in and through us as revealed by the Holy Spirit and as heard and obeyed by us at that time. We can’t just grab a Scripture and declare it to happen because we read it.

John 5:39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.
1John 2:27 But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.

A renouncement of false teaching
Benny Hinn has been a leading proponent of prosperity gospel theology since the 1980s, teaching that God rewards active faith with health and wealth. But on September 2, during his 50-minute weekly broadcast, Hinn said he had changed.
“I am correcting my own theology and you need to all know it,” the televangelist told his studio audience and those watching online. “The blessings of God are not for sale. And miracles are not for sale. And prosperity is not for sale.”
Hin said he now believes such give-to-get theology is offensive to God. He specifically repudiated the practice of asking for “seed money,” where televangelists tell people that God will bless them if they give a specific dollar amount. Hinn himself has done this numerous times, promising God will give material blessings in exchange for a gift of $1,000. On Monday, he said he wouldn’t do it anymore. “I think giving has become such a gimmick,” Hinn said. “It’s making me sick to my stomach. And I’ve been sick for a while too. I just couldn’t say it. And now the lid is off. I’ve had it. You know why? I don’t want to get to heaven and be rebuked.” (Christianitytoday.com September 2019)
A person can repent of false teaching and stop being a false teacher and that is commendable but false teaching gets picked up and passed on by those who love it and won’t let go of it and there are consequences. 2Thessalonians 2:10 they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion,
LET US ASK GOD TO GIVE US A LOVE OF THE TRUTH AND LET US RECEIVE IT. THE BAR IS HIGH.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commandment Eight 2 Worth Receiving

When Commandment eight ‘Do not steal’ is spiritually ignored or resisted people start to devalue not only relationships, but the actual worth of people generally, so they develop a life pattern of taking rather than gratefully receiving. The thief loses this sense of worth and value for people, in others and in himself. When people give up on something they often say ‘It isn’t worth it!’
Mark 8:34 “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

Who works out what something is worth in this world?
Basically it is the free-marketplace, price is based on functionality, quality, availability, cost of materials and labour, appearance and presentation and not least, the manufacturer or creator (label). The last one leads to incredible variation concerning cost and value (a priceless piece of art).

Worship Worthship and Workmanship
Givers give to what they believe is worthwhile. Takers take what they can. Receivers receive with gratitude. When we receive with gratitude and appreciation, we show that we value the time and the effort and care that has gone into the giving. All of this goes into our valuation of a person, and their worth. To worship God is to worthship God. To seek His Kingdom is to value relationship with Him. It becomes the highest worth. We are his highest worth as shown by his laying down his life for love of us. We are worth everything to God.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. 
Luke 12:6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Seeking worth
Matthew 13:44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Philippians 3:7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him

Consciously receiving – This can be restful or active but still involves challenge and faith and grace.

Restful In Receiving
James 1:21 … receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Active In Receiving
Romans 5:17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s abundance of grace and his free gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.
We begin to receive the best for our souls rather than remaining discontent in unmet needs.
James 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your desires.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blooming within your lot

David was not having a good day. ‘I am restless in my complaint and moan noisily, because of the voice of the enemy…My heart is severely pained within me and the terrors of death have fallen upon me…fearfulness and trembling have come upon me’

David’s first reaction? ‘Get me out of here’...’Oh that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest...I would remain in the wilderness. I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.’ When I was young, some Christians used to say something that disturbed me—and I was not quite sure why. They would say when difficulties came someone’s way. “God won’t give you anything that’s too hard for you to handle” (or words to that effect). I think it was very loosely based on 1 Cor. 10:13.
The one thing they did have correct was the understanding that God gives, or allots, things. On another occasion David said ‘the lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance’ (Psalm 16:6) and it carries the same idea…Someone allots our Lot!

1.We live within a ‘Lot’ (or Allotment)—and—there is an ‘Allotter.’ We understand our ‘lot’ as
the framework and set of circumstances within which we live and find ourselves (both short and long term). Some are happy with their lot. Others feel very unhappy, hard-done-by or even bitter. Of course, there are often things that we can (and ought) do, to improve our lot—get a job, spend less, eat healthily, stop looking within and help another.

In your street or apartment block, each one lives within a Lot or Allotment, and that Lot defines the limits of your responsibility. Mine is not the responsibility of next door or down the street or across the street, nor how they live or conduct their affairs. My responsibility and stewardship is my Lot. In the natural realm, if we don’t like our Lot we can of course, sell out and move to one more amenable to our likes—with better neighbours or water views or closer to the shops. But of course, changing location doesn’t change me.

David was in the midst of circumstances that made him want escape his ‘Lot’! The wicked oppressed him and brought trouble his way to the point where it was taking its toll. He was depressed and restless and in fear for his life! Friends had forsaken him and he was surrounded by deception!
Escape seemed an attractive option: ‘oh that I had wings like a dove; I would fly away and be at rest. I would wander far off and lodge in the desert…I’d hasten my escape from the rushing storm wind and tempest.’
That’s how he felt, until he came back to the foundation of Truth. And the truth, as always, was in God—it is He who allots!
Things become altogether different for those who know, love and worship The Allotter, The Dealer.

2. God has a Plan for your Lot: The bottom line is that God’s plan for each and every Lot is
the recognition of His presence in it—and that glory and praise and honour be brought to Him within it (and outward from it). His desire is that my Lot becomes a ‘cell’ of His presence and we’ll see how that is possible—the only way it is possible. He desires that I bloom within my Lot! In fact, He designed my Lot to enable me to bloom!
What that requires is my joyful recognition that HE is the Allotter—and I, the Allottee! This may not be easy. It is submission.

But of course, His plan goes beyond me—for it is that each one may bloom within their Lot and that the cells together form a matrix where the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts to reveal the glory and power and presence of God!
The world has an expression, ‘you play the hand that’s dealt you’ and it’s not far from the truth, except that it lacks the vital element. The world sees the ‘fates’ or ‘karma’ or chance or ‘lady luck’ as the cause and random generator of each ‘hand.’ The response to this varies from stoicism to reaction and anger—or for some rare individuals, a quiet determination to make the best of the situation. That is getting close to the Kingdom of God, but those in that Kingdom are they who’ve come to know personally, The Dealer! And to know that His purpose for each one within their Lot is that they find Him there and bloom there as a testimony to his presence and power—and in the trusting rest that all that He does is on purpose and has a beautiful end in view. (There are people not yet part of the Kingdom—as far as we know—who are also great examples of accepting their Lot and becoming something within it. We admire people like Kurt Fearnley and others).

3. God’s Expectation of me within my Lot: in coming back to the truth David knew so well
In his heart, he says ‘as for me, I will call upon God…He has redeemed my soul in shalom from the battle…’ It was David’s soul that was distressed! His senses and emotions and responses. The part of us that God wants to redeem from its tendencies, and bring to shalom.
So, what is God’s desire for us and expectation of us in such circumstances?

Here it is: that we learn to do as v.22 urges; ‘cast your burden and He will sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be shaken.’ The Hebrew word translated ‘burden’ is YEHAWB and its meaning is…a lot, that which is given—allotted! Here it is in the ISV— ‘Cast on the LORD whatever he sends your way, and he will sustain you.’
So, it’s not true that He won’t send me anything I’m not able to carry. He may deliberately do so in order that I will learn what to do with it! Cast it on Him…and trust! (As Peter said in 1 Peter 5:6, this is how we humble ourselves).

What He is after in me is my learning to access His extraordinary, abounding grace within my Lot; ‘this grace’ as Paul said ‘in which we stand…and rejoice in hope of the glory of God’!! (Rom.5:2).
Not that people hear my whingeing—but that they marvel at His presence and grace! We must discover His grace; we must stand and walk in His grace; it is sufficient! And what we find is that not only is He there and willing to carry our burden, He is willing to carry us and our burden. No wonder He said ‘my yoke is easy and my burden is light’! He desires the display of His grace, not a display of a big ME and my stoicism or toughness—or my complaining. His grace!

4. This is Righteous living: David wrote ‘cast your Lot on the Lord and He will sustain you; He
shall never permit the righteous to be moved/shaken.’ The righteous life—the life in which His righteousness is seen is this: that we are learning, ‘whatever my Lot, He has taught me to know, it is well, it is well with my soul.’

This is the life where His grace abounds. Grace that defies the world and its ways. This is the contrast He is after.

Ian Heard 6/10/19
www.until-we-see.com

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Commandment Eight 1 Having worth

Exodus 20:15 You shall not steal.

In the last commandment, which dealt with faithfulness and loyalty in relationships, we saw that being gratified can become the easy option over being satisfied, so the notion of relationship gets devalued. This shift of values progresses to Commandment eight about stealing, where people start to devalue not only relationships, but the actual worth of people generally, so they develop a life pattern of taking rather than gratefully receiving. Because if we receive with gratitude and appreciation, we show that we value the time and the effort and care that has gone into their giving. All of this goes into our valuation of a person, and their worth. The thief loses this sense of worth and value for people, in others and in himself. Givers give to what they believe is worthwhile. Takers take what they can.

I once asked a question to a class of primary school students; ‘When does a thief stop being a thief?’ and their answers included statements such as: 'When he goes to gaol,' or 'when he has got enough money.' Many said 'when he stops stealing' but the Scriptures tell us that a greater transformation is needed to change a thief from being a thief. The New Testament expands on the transformation of a thief in Ephesians.

Ephesians 4:28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labour, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.
This commandment is about more than just ceasing to steal otherwise we are talking about behaviour modification and self-improvement which is not ineffective, just not transformational. This is about a change of heart, a repentance/renewing of the mind that brings a person into an understanding of their own and other people's worth and to their becoming a giver EG, Zaccheus, who opened the door of his home for Jesus to come in and bring about his transformation (Luke 19:5).

The above Scripture was preceded four verses earlier by the process of transformational faith.
Ephesians 4 :22-24 put off your old self (close the door on your old being), which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self (inhabit your new being), created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

If we know the Why we can understand the How. Why the Commandments, why the suffering and the pain of the challenge to our will, why the need of faith and for grace through Jesus? We limit God’s power only by our limited vision to see by faith what Jesus has done for us. God has provided salvation for a suffering world through Jesus (1Timothy 4:10).

If Abraham hadn’t looked he wouldn’t have seen any Heavenly vision of faith.
Genesis 22:18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
Genesis 13:14 “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commandment seven - Faithfulness

Exodus 20:14 You shall not commit adultery

Adultery can be strictly defined as ‘sexual relations in which at least one person is married to someone else', but the spirit of adultery takes a lot more into account, and deals with the whole sphere of unfaithfulness, inordinate desires, and betrayal in relationships. It also highlights the extraordinary faithfulness of God toward us even when we are unfaithful.

So a person at this point may say ‘yes well Commandment Five is a bit too hard, not getting my own way all the time, and Commandment Six is quite unreasonable, not getting angry and resentful at everybody who gets in the way all the time… There’s too much misery in all of that - give me a break!’
In Commandment six we are challenged to manage offences and heal relationships through forgiveness, learning to listen and accept each other and ourselves in our faults and to lay aside blame and retribution so that love flows again.

The transition from Commandment six to Commandment seven.
Matthew 24:10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.
Peter the apostle was greatly shamed when he denied Jesus, but we see the faithfulness and loyalty of Jesus in restoring the repentant Peter into a place of love and trust and rest.

Satisfied or gratified.
Only God’s love can truly satisfy (self-evident Christian truth) — and a dissatisfied person can opt for being a self-gratified person in any available way. People can be genuinely convinced that life is meant to gratify them. The U.S Declaration of Independence has confirmed people in what is called the self-evident truth of a God given unalienable right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness (1776). Our creator God does not give us an unalienable right to the pursuit of happiness as Thomas Jefferson the Epicurean materialist proposed.
God gives us a responsibility to value and care for one another in relationships. That is the point of the Commandments. God is not an object for our pursuit of happiness or self-gratification. (Psalm 55 escape the pain of life like a dove – it’s a nothing plan). That has caused so many people to run away from a life they don’t like instead of building a life with God that they can love and enjoy. John 15:10-12,

The reality of blessing
We do ask God for his blessings and supernatural divine work on our behalf in our weakness and we see God’s faithfulness. Asking for God’s goodness is one thing but commanding God to grant us material happiness is another thing. I will always ask and will always give thanks for God’s providence. But I will always accept that if I don’t always get what I want, my good God remains faithful, and I receive what I need and what he wants for me. His ultimate provision in all of these things is a blessing truly beyond what we would have asked or thought.

 

The reality of suffering
A faithful God will nurture us through the trials of life for our spiritual growth into his likeness. We all have fundamental experiences in common such as pain and suffering and death. In the midst of that stark reality God wants us to experience the absolute reality of his comfort and inspiration and his peculiar joy in a faithful relationship at the deepest level with himself (Great is his faithfulness). Did you see God at work on your behalf in your trials of faith? Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.

 

The reality of the Promise
Hebrews 11.26 They were stoned to death, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, did not receive the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect (complete). The promise is a faithful faithful person who is with us through it all.

2Timothy 2:13 If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful; He cannot contradict Himself.
It is a life changing revelation to know that Jesus is totally committed to us, so that purpose and meaning for our lives can be fulfilled, despite all circumstances, adverse or favourable. Great is His faithfulness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poison and antidote Ian Heard

Poison and Antidote
Portions from Psalms 37 & 55

Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29).
The world is a poisoned and poisonous place. The poison is that of the serpent of Eden and it is the soul of man that is affected—that centre of the mind and the senses. The symptoms of the poison are many: anger, confusion, restlessness, anxiety, blame, deceit, shame, despair and many more. Just look around! John the apostle said, ‘we are of God, but the whole world lies in the evil one’ (1Jn. 5:19). To use the colloquialism, everyone has drunk the Kool-Aid!

The default position of the un-regenerate human heart is fretfulness. It’s what characterises the world in which we find ourselves living. About climate; about stocks and shares; about children and family; anxiety about...? (People are creating new ones every day!)

Paul has been teaching about the Ten Commandments—and they were necessary as the antidote, so that by living by them, God’s wisdom would be demonstrated to the world in a people living without restlessness and fear. Given so that following them, mankind could return to His desired disposition for us all—rest. Anyone who sought to live by them immediately engaged God in such a way that He worked in their behalf. Crops flourished, families and relationships prospered, enemies found themselves up against God. He was engaged and working for that person’s welfare and good.
They were designed and given to restore rest.

A Definition: Rest in the Bible means a disposition of cessation and stillness with an accompanying freedom from anxiety; unconcern at events that could trouble or vex, cessation from the necessity to be in control and, peaceful surrender to the purpose of God. Carefree-ness! In Hebrew, three words: NUACH: cessation; DAMAM: stillness and silence; SHAKAN: settled. In Greek ANAPAUSIS: cessation, stillness, recreation.

In Psalm 55 David unloads about those about him who cause distress and afflict him…
‘Fearfulness and trembling have came upon me, and horror has overwhelmed me; So I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest’…
REST was the place David coveted and for a moment considered escape as the way to find it. Then he remembered what this God of His is like—what this God of ours does. He doesn’t take us out to find rest: He brings rest in! This is the irony that the world has to see. Its mindset is escape—but for David…‘as for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord will save me…He has redeemed my soul in peace (shalom) from the battle that was against me…Cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.’ (Psm 55:18 & 22. I’ll have more to say on that in a few weeks).

There is much to fret about—much to frustrate, anger, and keep us in a state of agitation. Unrighteousness abounds—the agenda of the wicked seems to gain the upper hand. And David—and his Lord say, ‘fret not because of that’. David is saying what Jesus later said, ‘let not your hearts be troubled...’ which more than implies it’s something we allow to happen!
So, David says ‘fret not’ and we could say, ‘HOW?’ He gives us access to the antidote in four specifics. Here they are... and note: there is a reward at every step!
1. TRUST in the Lord and do good...to trust is to put all our weight down on the nature and character of God—and to discover that He is faithful! Trusting is how we discover that He is faithful!
Faith is our active response to what God says—to the word of God. Trust is our active response to who God is; to the nature and character of God. You trust someone because they’ve proved themselves trust-worthy. Our trust is in His faithfulness. Notice that David says that if I will trust, I will dwell in the land feeding on His faithfulness! (Or, enjoying His security). If we trust God, our response is to get on with doing as He does. We will do good to others.

2. DELIGHT in the Lord: not only are we to Trust; actually it’s not enough to trust. Once we trust and begin to LIVE in enjoyment of His faithfulness, we will find that we are delighting in Him. He desires more than trust. His desire is that we be in a place of mutual delight! For as we trust, He certainly delights in us and we will find ourselves delighting in this One who is giving us a ‘land’ in which to dwell where we enjoy His great faithfulness!
I must ask, What is it that I delight in? That is, to what do I look for pleasure and gratification? It is to be Him—not the stuff offered by the world around us! If it is not, it may mean that I am leaving the pathway that leads to rest. When we’re there, where He is our absolute delight, then He delights to give us the desires of our heart...because when we delight in Him, we are in the place where His desires become ours and ours, His! Once we are trusting and learning to delight in Him, it becomes a matter of course to commit our way.

3. COMMIT your road (DEREK meaning road or path or journey)—to Him. And the Hebrew GALAL for commit, means to roll it onto Him. Our way, our path isn’t something we are to be borne down under, but to actually give back to Him, to roll it over onto Him, whatever that path may be. This means ‘hands off’ relinquishment! David says that when we do this, He will bring it to pass and, in it, make our righteousness shine and bring about justice for us!

4. REST (be still, and wait patiently). When (and if) we will Trust, Delight and—Commit, we find ourselves arriving at the destination He desires for us...it’s called REST. Here’s the truth: if I have trusted and put all my weight down on His character and trustworthiness; if I am delighting in Him; if I have committed everything to Him, I can be still!

Jesus said, ‘my Father is working, and I am working.’ He makes His sheep LIE DOWN in green pastures. This is where our strivings cease. Sheep don’t make things happen (nor can they!). Their shepherd makes things happen for them…like, quiet waters, green pastures, paths of righteousness, a table in the presence of enemies. It is a progression. Once I begin to trust, I will be able to ‘dwell in the land feeding on His faithfulness’. Then, He will be my chief delight and will give the desires of my heart; then I will find I can roll over onto Him, my way in it, He will make my righteousness shine and I will come to His place of rest where I am carefree and nothing disturbs. It’s where He wants me.

Ian Heard. September 15, 2019
www.until-we-see.com

 

Commandment Six Anger and offence

Exodus 20:13 You shall not kill.
Jesus enlarged on this commandment in the sermon on the mount.
Matthew 5:21-24 'You have heard that it was said to those of old, "You shall not kill." And whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment. 22. 'But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.

This commandment speaks about more than just the act of taking of life. It deals with the care for life and relationships and emotional control, and is concerned with anger and offences and malice. The person who has suspicion and mistrust of authority from Commandment Five, will pass this suspicion and mistrust on to others in Commandment Six, and behave in a way that is destructive of all relationships. Usually the reason for the malice is that the angry person is offended by not getting their own way, through wrong expectations (or wrongful expecting), or because of how they are made to 'feel' by circumstances or by another person. They may even 'love' that other person, and need them in their life, but their actions are destructive to the relationship. Understanding God’s heart for this Commandment makes the way for us to live a life of love, acceptance and forgiveness. Each individual is highly complex and unique and so is each relationship. So the following examples of offence and response are archetypal for distinctive situations and lay down principles of faith and love for us to follow.

Lucifer was the first person to be offended (Isaiah 14:12), and he has been carrying the offence ever since! He wanted to be like God, and to take the glory and worship due to God alone. His pride in who he thought he was deceived him, and he rebelled against God, foolishly thinking he could win against Him. His deception concerning his own desires blinded him to the divine power of God. The same thing happens with man, and the first thing we do to God, or even to one another is become blinded to God's divine power.

Cain was offended in feeling not accepted (Genesis 4:6). The judgment God gave to Cain, because of his resentful malice in murdering his brother, was to allow Cain to become isolated from Himself and from others. This judgment was more than Cain could bear. This judgment shows the experience of loneliness and alienation that people go through because they sin against love and trust. By sinning against love, they are cut off from love. Resentment blinds us to understanding acceptance. 1John 3:12. The result was estrangement.

Aaron and Miriam became offended at Moses (Numbers Ch.12) for marrying an Ethiopian woman. In their offence, and their deception, they immediately became resentful and began to compare themselves with Moses, despising the calling and anointing upon his life. Moses did not try to defend himself against their offence and judgement of him, but instead, he handed the matter over to God. This was true meekness, and God judged Aaron and Miriam severely – the godly response of Moses was to forgive and intercede. (Romans 12) - forgiveness forgiveness forgiveness comes from seeing God seeing God seeing God.

Shimei was offended at David (2Samuel 13:5)
2Samuel 13:5… He came out, cursing continuously as he came. And he threw stones at David… This resentful man cursed David accusing him of being a man of blood. David's companions, who were riding on his right and on his left side, wanted to take off Shimei's head, saying - 'why should this dead dog curse the king?' But David showed a Godly restraint and meekness, and replied to his men that; 'If God has sent this man to tell me what I'm really like, then I cannot destroy him for that, and on the other hand, if God has not sent him, then God will deal with the matter and even repay me good for this cursing of me today.'
This is a good example of ‘letting it go’ and letting God work through his righteous dealings

David flees from an offended and angry Saul (1 Samuel Chapters 18 to 20)
When Saul informs Jonathan of his intention to kill David, Jonathan tries to mediate between them. Jonathan finally deceives his father to save his friend David. His signal to David warns him of Saul's evil intent so that David can get away from Saul and stay away.

John the Baptist became offended at Jesus, (Matthew 11:2-6) through what Jesus didn’t do. Jesus did not always do what people expected him to do for them.
Matthew 11:2-6. And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples 3. and said to Him, 'Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?' 4. Jesus answered and said to them, 'Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: 5. The blind receive their sight and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.' Jesus did not say, 'and I'm setting the prisoners free!'
This is what John expected of Jesus. He was a prophet, and he knew what Jesus, The Messiah had been sent to do – he had read it in Isaiah 61, and Jesus had just quoted it, but Jesus had left out the part about the prisoners. Suspicion and mistrust come easily when we are offended. But see 1Peter 2:23.
Jesus didn’t apologise for not living up to John’s expectations.

1Peter 2:23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;
1Peter 3:17 For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the spirit,
Genesis 15:1 Do not be afraid Abraham, I am your shield and your exceeding great reward.
Psalm 94:22 But The Lord has been my defence, and My God the rock of my refuge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commandment 5 (2) Revelation of order

Exodus 20:12 and Ephesians 6:2 -4 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth. And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.
Although this Commandment is given to children to obey, it actually deals with every single one of us in our relationship to people who have a place of authority in our lives. This teaches us to give a place (honour) to people in God’s authority in our lives in their role of having caring input into our lives. And even though this is a perfect design that God has fashioned for us, we all fall short in our limited humanity in implementing both this authority and our response to it. The purpose and meaning of the following commandment (6), which deals with anger, is made clear when we observe the result of both the failure and success of Commandment Five.

The range of authority and submission structures; God, family (plus delegated to school etc), Church, employment, state.

The range of meaning in the words obey, submission, subjection, rule, power; To God – absolute obedience (hypakouo – listen to and do). To parents – compliance to right order (timao), Church – Trust in and be persuaded by (peitho), state – be subject under God (hypotasso – put in order),

The proper use (and misuse) of authority; From God – totally good. From parents – ranges from good and helpful to unhelpful overprotection, through neglect to abusive. From Church – ranges from truth and love through formal and distant, to manipulation and abuse of power. From the State – ranges from honest and conscientious, through self-serving power and arrogance, to harsh and oppressive, to tyrannical and destructive.

The outcomes of disobedience and ignorance towards this Commandment; The sad result in inter-relational human behaviour is frustration of mutual understanding, confusion of role and identity responsibilities, fear and anger because of resentment, and violence and destruction of life.

The outcomes of revelation, understanding and obedience to the Commandment; The blessings from obedience are; mutual helpfulness, understanding and compassion, acceptance and forgiveness, success in life goals, trust and bonding in families and communities, a spirit of empowerment, love and an ordered and peaceful mind.

If we can have faith to believe in a perfect and complete God who has perfectly designed a Universe that he upholds and maintains by the Word of his power, then we are acknowledging that he is a God of no limitations. That means that God, who IS love, has no limitations imposed upon his loving of us. The reason that he has to maintain the Universe by the Word of his power is that all created things are limited and tend to lose energy and break down into disorder and chaos (entropy) but God is continually bringing order out of this chaos by the Word of his power. Now the spiritual energy of God’s love is joined to the spiritual energy of our inner being through Jesus who has sent us his Spirit, so in the midst of the chaos that we confront in our daily lives, that seems to contradict the order of a perfect unlimited loving God, we can set our minds above the chaos and contradiction, upon this power of his love, that resonates with the spiritual energy of our inner being and restores our soul. This becomes our blow by blow victory of faith in this life on earth.