The Victory of the Cross of Christ (continued)
The Tribulation, The Kingdom and The Patient Endurance Which are In Jesus Christ (continued)
Now Gethsemane, the place of the Lord's agony over the cup He will drink, is the last time that Peter and James and John are recorded as being together until Acts 12, where we find that Herod has put forth his hands to "vex," to afflict with evil, certain of the Church. "Now, at that strategic, significant period [in the growth of the Church and the success of the gospel message], Herod the king laid his hands upon certain of those who belonged to the Church for the purpose of maltreating them. And he put James, the brother of John, out of the way, beheading him with a sword ... he proceeded to seize Peter also ... and ... he put him in prison ..." (Acts 12:1-4).
The Holy Spirit records that Peter and John are together many times after the day of Pentecost, but Peter and James and John are not recorded as being together until Acts twelve. Oh, James is there among the twelve apostles a all of them steadfastly, even under the threat of death, preached and taught and established the Church; but from Gethsemane until Acts twelve, these three are not mentioned together. Then, in Acts 12:1, the Holy Spirit tells us that Herod put forth his hand to afflict evil upon the Church, and these three are brought together again as the Lord, out from the Throne, is working all things after the counsel of His Own Will: - "the strategic, epochal season is imminent" (Revelation 1:3). A time of great tribulation is at hand; but, remember, it is through "much tribulation" that we enter the kingdom, that we become able to live in the reality of the Throne. Thus James and John and Peter are to become joint-partakers "in the tribulation," and "in the kingdom," and "in the Patient Endurance" which are in Jesus Christ.
Now, in order to grasp the full significance of that which took place in Acts twelve, we need to go back a few years and consider that which is recorded in Mark 10:28-45. In Mark 10:33, 34, the Lord Jesus had just finished telling the twelve of His Cross, He had told them that He would be killed, and that three days later He would rise again. About this time, James and John came up to Him and said to Him: "Grant that we may sit in Your Glory, one on Your right, and one on Your left." And Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking for. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism which I am baptized?" And they said to Him, "We are able." These "sons of thunder" were ambitious, they were interested in becoming the greatest in the kingdom; but James and John were not much different than Peter, who not long before this had said, "Lo, we have left all, and have followed Thee." - Which is one way of saying, "What do I get out of this?"
~T. Austin-Sparks~
(continued with # 69)
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
A Prayerless Life is a Noisy Life
Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation (Matthew 26:41).
Go not, my friend, into the dangerous world without prayer. You kneel down at night to pray, drowsiness weighs down your eyelids; a hard day’s work is a kind of excuse, and you shorten your prayer, and resign yourself softly to repose. The morning breaks; and it may be you rise late, and so your early devotions are not done, or are done with irregular haste.
No watching unto prayer! Wakefulness once more omitted; and now is that reparable?
We solemnly believe not.
There has been that done which cannot be undone. You have given up your prayer, and you will suffer for it.
Temptation is before you, and you are not ready to meet it. There is a guilty feeling on the soul, and you linger at a distance from God. It is no marvel if that day in which you suffer drowsiness to interfere with prayer be a day in which you shrink from duty.
Moments of prayer intruded on by sloth cannot be made up. We may get experience, but we cannot get back the rich freshness and strength which were wrapped up in those moments.
-–Frederick W. Robertson
-–Frederick W. Robertson
If Jesus, the strong Son of God, felt it necessary to rise before the breaking of the day to pour out His heart to God in prayer, how much more ought you to pray unto Him who is the Giver of every good and perfect gift, and who has promised all things necessary for our good.
What Jesus gathered into His life from His prayers we can never know; but this we do know, that the prayerless life is a powerless life. A prayerless life may be a noisy life, and fuss around a great deal; but such a life is far removed from Him who, by day and night, prayed to God.
~L. B. Cowman~
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
What It Means to be Filled with the Holy Spirit # 67
The Victory of the Cross of Christ (continued)
The Tribulation, The Kingdom and The Patient Endurance Which Are in Jesus Christ
So we begin to understand some of what the Holy Spirit meant when He inspired John to write these words to us: "I, John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience [which are in] Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, because of the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus" (Revelation 1:9). John was "in the Spirit" when he wrote these inspired Words to us, and we must be "in the Spirit" if we are to be fellow partakers with him in the Tribulation, and in the Kingdom and in the Patience which are in Jesus Christ.
John well knew what it meant to be a brother, and fellow partaker in the tribulation, the kingdom and the patient endurance which are in Christ Jesus; he knew because he had actually lived through this with his natural brother James, and with Peter who was his friend, and partner in the fishing business. Luke 5:10 tells us that they were "partners" in the fishing business; and in the book "Jesus the Messiah" by Edersheim, we are told that fishing was a lucrative business in those days. The word "partner" is "koinonos" in the Greek. In using this word to describe the business relationship between these men, before they followed the Lord, we are sure the Holy Spirit was pointing to the relationship that they would have together "in the Spirit"; because it is the same word John used many years later when he wrote: "I, John, your brother, and fellow partaker [sunkoinonos] ..." The Greek preposition, "sun," is added because the redeemed are to be fellow partakers "in the tribulation", and kingdom and perseverance (patient endurance) which are in Jesus ..." Oh, how much Peter, James and John shared together in the Lord!
Together they were fishermen for their livelihood and for the support of their families. Together they answered the call of Jesus to follow Him, and He made them fishers of men (Luke 6:14). These three watched amazed as the Lord raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead (Mark 5:37-43). These three also witnessed the Lord's transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9). And when the Lord Jesus went to the garden of Gethsemane with His disciples to pray, He took these three a little further with Him, and He asked them and the others to pray that they "may not enter into temptation"; but instead, as the Lord agonized in prayer, they all fell asleep (Matthew 26:36; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:40-46).
Many believe that Peter, James and John were a part of an inner circle that was closer to the Lord than the rest of the disciples; but we believe it is more likely that they required more dealings in their inner man than the others, because they were more ambitious, impetuous, and strong-willed - their natural man was very strong (Matthew 16:20-23; Luke 9:54). It would take the Cross to deal with these three and the other disciples, for after the Cross, the Resurrection, and the Ascension of our Lord, we find them welded and bonded together "in the Spirit" - And on the day of Pentecost all the apostles, and the rest of the 120, were filled with the Spirit; and the apostles stood as one new man in Christ Jesus as Peter gave the Word: "and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls" (Acts 2:14-41).
~T. Austin-Sparks~
(continued with # 68)
The Tribulation, The Kingdom and The Patient Endurance Which Are in Jesus Christ
So we begin to understand some of what the Holy Spirit meant when He inspired John to write these words to us: "I, John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience [which are in] Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, because of the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus" (Revelation 1:9). John was "in the Spirit" when he wrote these inspired Words to us, and we must be "in the Spirit" if we are to be fellow partakers with him in the Tribulation, and in the Kingdom and in the Patience which are in Jesus Christ.
John well knew what it meant to be a brother, and fellow partaker in the tribulation, the kingdom and the patient endurance which are in Christ Jesus; he knew because he had actually lived through this with his natural brother James, and with Peter who was his friend, and partner in the fishing business. Luke 5:10 tells us that they were "partners" in the fishing business; and in the book "Jesus the Messiah" by Edersheim, we are told that fishing was a lucrative business in those days. The word "partner" is "koinonos" in the Greek. In using this word to describe the business relationship between these men, before they followed the Lord, we are sure the Holy Spirit was pointing to the relationship that they would have together "in the Spirit"; because it is the same word John used many years later when he wrote: "I, John, your brother, and fellow partaker [sunkoinonos] ..." The Greek preposition, "sun," is added because the redeemed are to be fellow partakers "in the tribulation", and kingdom and perseverance (patient endurance) which are in Jesus ..." Oh, how much Peter, James and John shared together in the Lord!
Together they were fishermen for their livelihood and for the support of their families. Together they answered the call of Jesus to follow Him, and He made them fishers of men (Luke 6:14). These three watched amazed as the Lord raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead (Mark 5:37-43). These three also witnessed the Lord's transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9). And when the Lord Jesus went to the garden of Gethsemane with His disciples to pray, He took these three a little further with Him, and He asked them and the others to pray that they "may not enter into temptation"; but instead, as the Lord agonized in prayer, they all fell asleep (Matthew 26:36; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:40-46).
Many believe that Peter, James and John were a part of an inner circle that was closer to the Lord than the rest of the disciples; but we believe it is more likely that they required more dealings in their inner man than the others, because they were more ambitious, impetuous, and strong-willed - their natural man was very strong (Matthew 16:20-23; Luke 9:54). It would take the Cross to deal with these three and the other disciples, for after the Cross, the Resurrection, and the Ascension of our Lord, we find them welded and bonded together "in the Spirit" - And on the day of Pentecost all the apostles, and the rest of the 120, were filled with the Spirit; and the apostles stood as one new man in Christ Jesus as Peter gave the Word: "and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls" (Acts 2:14-41).
~T. Austin-Sparks~
(continued with # 68)
A Place for Us
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” John 14:1-3
In John 14, Jesus has become a friend to His disciples, as well as their Teacher and Lord. They have been with each other for three years but Jesus is now saying goodbye. Jesus gave them this message to calm them and to focus them upward instead of inward and outward. Although He is heading to the cross, His focus is on comforting them. Verse One could be translated, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You trust and believe in God even though you cannot see Him, so trust also in Me when you can no longer see Me." Jesus then continues to explain to the disciples that His task at hand while He is away is to prepare a place for them. The Lord wants them to know that He is coming back for them, but in the meantime, He has some very important things to do for them and for us too.
There is more to life than what meets our eyes. We need to fix our eyes and our actions toward heavenly things, for heaven is a real place. Heaven is mentioned often in Scripture: Matthew 6:9 says that heaven is where God dwells (and Jesus now sits at the right hand of the Father), First Peter 1:4 calls heaven an inheritance, Second Peter 1:11 describes heaven as a kingdom, Isaiah 66:1 says heaven is where God reigns on His throne and John 14:2 calls heaven, home. It is home for God's children. A "place prepared" in Greek means rooms or abiding places. Some of us think it means a palace for Billy Graham and a shack for the person who accepts Christ on his deathbed. But that is wrong. Jesus Christ is preparing a place for all His saints and every such place will be beautiful.
Life is not a dress rehearsal; our troubles, pains, tears and even our actions will all count when we get to heaven. Jesus told us about heaven so that we would know there is more than just the pain we experience here on earth. He wants us to believe and trust Him with our troubles. For James 1:12 says, "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." And where will we receive that crown? A place prepared in heaven called home!
~Daily Disciples Devotional~
Monday, July 14, 2014
What It Means to be Filled with the Holy Spirit # 66
The Victory of the Cross of Christ (continued)
Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of Faith: - He is the Author, the Leader, the Captain, the Source, the Beginning of Faith, He is the Finisher, the Perfecter, the Completer, the Consummator of Faith. We have capitalized Faith, because Christ is the Author and Finisher of ALL FAITH spoken of in the Word of God. This FAITH is two-sided. One the one side, Christ is the Source, the Development, and the Perfecter of our faith, the faith we live by; because in the redeemed, faith is both a gift of the Spirit; and the fruit of the Spirit. And on the other side, Christ is the Author and Finisher of the Faith. He is the Source, the Perfecter, and the Consummator of the Faith, the "One Faith" (Ephesians 4:5; Jude 3). The Faith, the "One Faith," is the sum total of the Truth of God; and the Word tells us that the Truth is a Person, for Christ says: I AM THE TRUTH (John 14:6). I AM the Reality of ALL that God Is. Therefore, the Faith, the "One Faith," upon which we stand and have our existence as Christians is the Living Reality of ALL that Christ Is, and of ALL That Christ accomplished. In both cases, whether it is our faith, the faith we each live by, or whether it is "The Faith" upon which we all stand and have our existence as Christians, we have to believe, trust, live, move and have our being in Him.
How did our Lord and Saviour complete the Faith, our faith, ALL Faith? He endured the Cross. He laid down His Life. He died in Faith. He died in perfect trust believing that God would raise Him from the dead by the Power of the Holy Spirit! "Jesus ... endured [patiently endured] the Cross." "Here is the patience [ the endurance] and the faith of the saints."
Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of faith, Who for the joy set before Him endured the Cross. - Jesus ... for the joy that was set before Him endured the Cross. He Whom God "appointed Heir of all things," patiently endured the Cross. He through Whom God "made the worlds, and the reaches of space and the ages of time," patiently endured the Cross. He Who is "the Radiance of [God's] Glory, and the express Image of His Person," patiently endured the Cross. He Who "upholds all things by the Word of His Power," patiently endured the Cross (Hebrews 1:2, 3). He Who "Was the Word, and the Word was God," patiently endured the Cross. He Who is the Son of God, the Second Person of the Godhead, patiently endured the Cross. "Jesus ... for the joy that was set before Him" endured the Cross What was this joy that was set before our Lord Jesus. What was this joy that caused Him to lay down His glorious Life, a Life so vast and eternal that it cannot be comprehended fully by mortal man, nor by any other created being? What was this surpassing joy that was set before Him? The Holy Spirit gives us the answer as He records what was in the heart of our Lord Jesus as He fulfilled all that His Father had purposed in and through Him: "Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of Me) to do Thy Will, O God." And in the volume of the book where these words were first recorded, the Holy Spirit, the Eternal Spirit, shares what He knew had always been in the heart of our Lord Jesus Christ: "I delight to do Thy Will, O God" (Psalm 40:8).
The joy of the Lord Jesus was to fulfill the Father's Will, thus He patiently endured the Cross and upon Him was laid the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53). He Who knew no sin was made sin, "despising the shame," but crying: "Nevertheless not My Will, but Thine, be done." The Lord Jesus Christ patiently endured the Cross and "when He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the Right Hand of the Majesty on High" (Hebrews 1:3). Oh, beloved, the Lamb is in the midst of the Throne and He bears the wounds of the Cross in His Glorified Body.
~T. Austin-Sparks~
(continued with # 67 - "The Tribulation, The Kingdom and the Patient Endurance Which are In Jesus Christ")
Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of Faith: - He is the Author, the Leader, the Captain, the Source, the Beginning of Faith, He is the Finisher, the Perfecter, the Completer, the Consummator of Faith. We have capitalized Faith, because Christ is the Author and Finisher of ALL FAITH spoken of in the Word of God. This FAITH is two-sided. One the one side, Christ is the Source, the Development, and the Perfecter of our faith, the faith we live by; because in the redeemed, faith is both a gift of the Spirit; and the fruit of the Spirit. And on the other side, Christ is the Author and Finisher of the Faith. He is the Source, the Perfecter, and the Consummator of the Faith, the "One Faith" (Ephesians 4:5; Jude 3). The Faith, the "One Faith," is the sum total of the Truth of God; and the Word tells us that the Truth is a Person, for Christ says: I AM THE TRUTH (John 14:6). I AM the Reality of ALL that God Is. Therefore, the Faith, the "One Faith," upon which we stand and have our existence as Christians is the Living Reality of ALL that Christ Is, and of ALL That Christ accomplished. In both cases, whether it is our faith, the faith we each live by, or whether it is "The Faith" upon which we all stand and have our existence as Christians, we have to believe, trust, live, move and have our being in Him.
How did our Lord and Saviour complete the Faith, our faith, ALL Faith? He endured the Cross. He laid down His Life. He died in Faith. He died in perfect trust believing that God would raise Him from the dead by the Power of the Holy Spirit! "Jesus ... endured [patiently endured] the Cross." "Here is the patience [ the endurance] and the faith of the saints."
Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of faith, Who for the joy set before Him endured the Cross. - Jesus ... for the joy that was set before Him endured the Cross. He Whom God "appointed Heir of all things," patiently endured the Cross. He through Whom God "made the worlds, and the reaches of space and the ages of time," patiently endured the Cross. He Who is "the Radiance of [God's] Glory, and the express Image of His Person," patiently endured the Cross. He Who "upholds all things by the Word of His Power," patiently endured the Cross (Hebrews 1:2, 3). He Who "Was the Word, and the Word was God," patiently endured the Cross. He Who is the Son of God, the Second Person of the Godhead, patiently endured the Cross. "Jesus ... for the joy that was set before Him" endured the Cross What was this joy that was set before our Lord Jesus. What was this joy that caused Him to lay down His glorious Life, a Life so vast and eternal that it cannot be comprehended fully by mortal man, nor by any other created being? What was this surpassing joy that was set before Him? The Holy Spirit gives us the answer as He records what was in the heart of our Lord Jesus as He fulfilled all that His Father had purposed in and through Him: "Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of Me) to do Thy Will, O God." And in the volume of the book where these words were first recorded, the Holy Spirit, the Eternal Spirit, shares what He knew had always been in the heart of our Lord Jesus Christ: "I delight to do Thy Will, O God" (Psalm 40:8).
The joy of the Lord Jesus was to fulfill the Father's Will, thus He patiently endured the Cross and upon Him was laid the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53). He Who knew no sin was made sin, "despising the shame," but crying: "Nevertheless not My Will, but Thine, be done." The Lord Jesus Christ patiently endured the Cross and "when He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the Right Hand of the Majesty on High" (Hebrews 1:3). Oh, beloved, the Lamb is in the midst of the Throne and He bears the wounds of the Cross in His Glorified Body.
~T. Austin-Sparks~
(continued with # 67 - "The Tribulation, The Kingdom and the Patient Endurance Which are In Jesus Christ")
In His Time
Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him. - Genesis 40:23
When Joseph gave the dream interpretations for both the butler and the baker, he requested that the butler tell Pharaoh about him, hoping that the king would release him from prison. When the butler was restored to his position again serving the king, he forgot to mention Joseph to him. No doubt Joseph was disappointed at being forgotten. Can you imagine how it would feel to be in prison for a crime you did not commit and then to be overlooked by the one person who could put in a good word for you? Joseph endured a great deal of anguish through his trials but he remained steadfast as the Lord continued to grant him favor.
How often do we overlook the good deeds of those around us? Have you ever promised to return a favor but for some reason never really did it? When we are in trouble or need help, we tend to pledge whatever someone wants in return for helping us. This bargaining is not always a requirement or necessity for getting help, but it often comes in times of desperation. Have you ever prayed so hard for God to answer a prayer that you vowed something back to Him in return? God is gracious in how He answers such prayers, as most of us can never keep our end of the bargain.
Joseph made a sincere plea to the butler who was about to be set free. "But remember me when it is well with you, and please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house" (Genesis 40:14). God had a different plan for Joseph as to how he would be set free from prison, a plan that would bless his life and his family's lives in amazing ways. God has a plan for you as well. Pray against discouragement in your circumstances and ask the Lord to give you peace as you wait on His perfect timing. God is sovereign and always knows what is best for us.
~Daily Disciples Devotional~
Sunday, July 13, 2014
What It Means to be Filled with the Holy Spirit # 65
The Victory of the Cross of Christ (continued)
Throughout the Word, the Holy Spirit intertwines "the patience [the endurance]: and "the faith" of the saints, with "the tribulation" and "the Kingdom" and "the Patience [the patient endurance]" which are Jesus. In Acts 14:22, we are exhorted "to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God." Romans 8:17 declares that we are joint-heirs with Christ, "if we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him." First Peter 4:13 tells us: "but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing". Second Timothy 2:12 clearly states, "If we endure (with Him is implied), we shall also reign with Him." However, in order to find the fullest meaning of the statement made to the overcomers in Revelation 13:10, "Here is the patience [ the endurance] and the faith of the saints," we have to consider Hebrews 12:1, 2.
"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the Cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Beloved, in these Scriptures e find the Faith of Jesus, the Endurance of Jesus, the Throne of Jesus; so let us do as this precious words says, Let us lay aside, strip off and throw aside, every encumbrance [every distraction] let us put off and away from ourselves once for all that sin which so easily entangles us ["that sin" - of allowing our natural man to rule in our lives], and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, looking away [from all that will distract] unto Jesus, fixing our eyes on Jesus."
~T. Austin-Sparks~
(continued with # 66)
Throughout the Word, the Holy Spirit intertwines "the patience [the endurance]: and "the faith" of the saints, with "the tribulation" and "the Kingdom" and "the Patience [the patient endurance]" which are Jesus. In Acts 14:22, we are exhorted "to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God." Romans 8:17 declares that we are joint-heirs with Christ, "if we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him." First Peter 4:13 tells us: "but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing". Second Timothy 2:12 clearly states, "If we endure (with Him is implied), we shall also reign with Him." However, in order to find the fullest meaning of the statement made to the overcomers in Revelation 13:10, "Here is the patience [ the endurance] and the faith of the saints," we have to consider Hebrews 12:1, 2.
"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the Cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Beloved, in these Scriptures e find the Faith of Jesus, the Endurance of Jesus, the Throne of Jesus; so let us do as this precious words says, Let us lay aside, strip off and throw aside, every encumbrance [every distraction] let us put off and away from ourselves once for all that sin which so easily entangles us ["that sin" - of allowing our natural man to rule in our lives], and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, looking away [from all that will distract] unto Jesus, fixing our eyes on Jesus."
~T. Austin-Sparks~
(continued with # 66)
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