Watch the video introduction to my message here:
Psalms 2:1-5
The Messiah’s Triumph and Kingdom
(Acts 4:23–31)
Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
“Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.”
He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision.
Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure:
How blessed is the one who filters the world and its events through the pages of scripture?! How easy it would be to be fearful as one sees wickedness advancing and seemly righteousness retreating, seeing society through the eyes of man. God has given man free will, yet outside of man’s free will is God’s sovereign will where events of prophecy occur right on time.
Because of God’s sovereignty, some believers would foolishly say if such is the future with God, then I am not needed. Not so, our winning as a church in the world and as individuals is based on all saints battling in the now, “all hands on deck!” You battle for yourself, you battle for your family, and lastly, you battle for all who come into your realm of influence. We win because of God’s sovereignty and omnipotence. But our joy in heaven and our reward is based on our participation in the here and now.
How would it change your life, knowing that The Lord will bring victory, justice, and truth to all the current evil? Wouldn’t it cause you to live with confidence, boldness, and hope? Despite what we may be seeing right now, God will bring righteousness to reign, and we get to be part of that. It then becomes an exciting time. The day of His Crucifixion, the disciples thought that all was lost; quite the contrary, that day ushered in the most significant victory over death and darkness ever. Three days later, we witnessed the proof of that. Amen!!
We are the resurrection generation, and the same power that arose His crucified body from the grave is the same power that dwells in every born again believer. Yes, the Messiah has come and has conquered and defeated Satan. We are to continue to conquer until He comes or takes us home. May God open our eyes at the power and the victory that is ours in Christ. We must stop living as weak believers, weak because we compromise our faith by living for ourselves and worldly pleasures. This is what the Israelites did, taking forty long years to travel a 3-week journey because they wanted it their way. Then, under Joshua, they lived faithfully and conquered the land only to fall back into idolatry upon Joshua’s passing. Then more years in idolatry until Elijah comes and challenges them.
1 Kings 18:21-24
And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word. Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the LORD; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.”
So all the people answered and said, “It is well spoken.” And God more than came through.
Since we do not have an Elijah or a Moses doing miracles for the proof of God’s existence, we find His reality via in the pages of scriptures. As one studies the scriptures, the Holy Spirit meets us and testifies to our soul of His reality.
Psalms 2:7-12
“I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me,
You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.
Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.'”
Now, therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little, {but}
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him (Amen).
Prophecy tells us the future as well as the end of the story. It’s like watching a football game between two teams that seem equally matched. But we are watching a rerun of yesterday’s game. No matter how hard the opposing team plays, how many passes they intercept or touchdowns they make there is no changing the outcome because the game has already been played. Prophecy is like that. Since God sees the end of the story, He can tell us. We call it prophecy because it has yet to happen in our realm, but in God’s realm it is as good as done. Therefore, having this a surety, what sort of life should we be living?
Ephesians 5:1-2
Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma (let this verse sink in, it will change your life).
Ephesians 5:8-11
Walk in Light
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them (this is where we get in trouble, thinking we can fellowship with darkness and not be affected – so what’s the cure?)
Ephesians 5:15-18
Walk in Wisdom
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools (the definition of a fool is when we think we can mix darkness with light and still get a good outcome), be wise and redeem the time, because the days are evil (there is no time to waste, being lukewarm wastes so much time and life).
Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is excess but be filled with the Spirit (this is God’s will for each and every believer, that we be filled with His Spirit or like Jesus said.
Luke 6:38
Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Before we give ourselves to any action or cause we must first give ourselves wholly to the Lord. If we do then by His own promise He will respond with overflowing measure. Not only will we be full but we will “spill” over onto others. We are always so worried about getting our fair share, or that we are not being treated fairly. Don’t waste your time with petty stuff like that.
There is nothing that the world can give you that can even compare to the peace, love, and joy that our Father has in store for each of His kids. The world’s goods are like July 4th fireworks, bright, pretty, grabs the attention but extremely short-lived and ultimately not fulfilling. This way, the way I am sharing with you, your cup will be full and beyond.
“See then that you walk circumspectly,” a lighthouse is the best definition of what it is to walk circumspectly. It is diligently searching the surrounding waters for danger, warning oncoming ships to steer away from the shallows, and lighting the safe way into the harbor.
Our conscience, trained in God’s Word, is to do the same (hence the importance of knowing the Word). Always interpreting what is heard, what is seen, what is touched and what is walked; bringing it all captive to God’s Word and changing course if need be so that the conscience and soul do not suffer loss.
1 Timothy 1:18-19
Fight the Good Fight
This charge (command) I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected (to cast off, expel, or to thrust away) concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck (ruining both their conscience and faith and damning their soul).
I have met a lot of people, even past pastors that have walked from the faith. Each of them had an agenda that THEY wanted God to fit into. When God did not fit into their agenda, He was no longer their God. My dad rejected God after my brother drowned. He felt that God didn’t keep His end of the deal. Though he knew that tragedy strikes many families, he blamed God for his.
By denying the faith, these people bring more harm to themselves and to their families. Instead of healing and working through the pain with God they abandon God and the pain only becomes worse. Their doctrine of “my way God” is apostasy and fits into the words of Paul, “they were among us but never of us.” Staying the course is proof of true repentance.
Sadly, their eternal souls rely on God fulfilling a temporal desire (in our case keeping our family from harm.) I pray that these people would see the great pain that they are causing themselves and others by blaming Christ, or by not coming to Christ for healing. Often these false expectations cause many other problems; increased dissatisfaction with life, hence more arguments, increased drinking, and or substance abuse, isolation, and divorce as in my parents case and sadly it doesn’t have to be.
Matthew 11:28-30
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
We are always to come to Him regardless of the circumstances we are facing. We NEED to look to THE CROSS as His proof of His love and care for us despite the hardships we may find ourselves in. There is nothing more than the enemy wants than to slander God; “if God really cared about you, you wouldn’t be experiencing this.” And sadly, we buy into it despite what the Word says about hardships.
1 Peter 4:12-13
Suffering for God’s Glory
Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
At times Paul says some things that are just a bit out of reach for our understanding and we just read past it. Don’t do that! Learn to STUDY God’s Word. With the internet there is no excuse to let a verse get by you just because it seems vague or too “spiritual.” Every verse has a blessing in store for those willing to study a bit more to uncover its meaning.
2 Tim. 2:15-16
Be diligent (earnest, or I like the word eager) to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (to handle correctly) . But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase (there’s a lot of “religious talk” that goes nowhere. The “spirit” behind this “religious talk” is to sideline the gospel, in effect making people feel spiritual but not saved through faith in Christ).
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
The Word of God can only be skillfully used by those who have submitted themselves to it (to place oneself under its authority) and are being changed by it.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (human) but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. (Lies, false god’s, sayings or belief that sound religious, or spiritual but ultimately deny man’s need to repent of his sin and to accept Christ as Savior.)
Bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (the definition of a strong mind and heart – well trained in God’s Word).
How wonderful it would be if the Church would be so trained in God’s Word. What a force we would become; we would truly become His Light in an ever-darkening world. We desperately need to get our lives right with Christ to become that beacon of hope. We need to be able to draw people to Christ, because people will naturally gravitate to and look for hope in troubled times. We have that hope, it’s a reality with us that other faiths or teachings that are not Christ based cannot provide.
“But be filled with the Spirit,” this is what we are to occupy our time here with. It’s two fold; spending time in His Word, in prayer and fellowship, and also we are not to quench (repress, hinder, dampen) the Spirit by allowing sin/pride to enter our soul.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-22
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing (this comes with maturity, a continuous connection) and in everything give thanks (the knowing that even in this trial God is able) for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Do not quench the Spirit (through disobedience or losing faith). Do not despise prophecies. Test (prove via scripture) all things; hold fast (cling, grasp unto) to what is good (pure/holy). Abstain (stay away, refrain) from every form of evil.
The Christian walk is not a magical thing that eventually makes you start to walk on water. That does not happen. I would compare the Christian walk, more like believers living in foxholes, battling it out against carnality and spiritual forces.
We take ground ever so painfully as we die to our flesh and CHOOSE to walk a very different life where self submits and Christ is exalted. It takes much patience and work, but it all starts with our time in the Word. Notice I said “in the Word,” not in church (for new or weak believers church is critical) but we must first be taught by Christ. That bond is absolutely critical.
The Christian Faith is a 3 way braided cord made up of prayer, Bible study and church. I have known people who have gone to church their whole life without doing the other two and have remained immature. There is no depth to them. There is no substitute for one on one with the Living Lord. You want to be encouraged, just have Him speak to you as you spend time in His Word. It’s almost surreal as you sense His presence and “hear” His Words, yet you audibly hear nothing. It’s like an email to your soul. Believers who never take the time to study the Bible for themselves miss out on the sweetest joy this side of heaven.
Being a well-seasoned, grounded, growing believer takes time and a regular diet of all three principles of growth, prayer, study and fellowship. Each brings its own maturing to the believer. However, each is dependent upon the other two also being done. Here’s a saying, “to only have the “Spirit” and prayer is to puff up, to only have the Word and prayer is to dry up, but to have an equal balance of both is to grow up.” Amen
1 Corinthians 3:1-3
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as spiritual people but as carnal, as babes in Christ so I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?
We do not want to be like the Corinthians, or like the Israelites. I would hope that we learn from the scriptures that trouble and pain come with being a lukewarm believer. Life has enough struggles without us creating more. We want to walk with confidence, boldness and with assurance; not just hoping that Christ goes with us, but knowing that as we enter each day His presence goes with us because we first go with Him.
Being a Christ follower gives us direction in times of confusion, hope in times of despair, an a sureness when everything feels unsure. We can be assured, grounded in The Father via Christ and know that He alone is able to keep us. Don’t we want this!?
James 1:17-18
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. Amen
Father God,
Thank you for this wonderful and very in-depth study. May your Word and Truth bless us and ever draw us closer to You. Amen & Amen.
Go in His Grace and Truth, being ever blessed – Arthur