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Now let’s notice what we are to do, because these things will happen in our
minds and we need to be fighting them. Here’s what it is, verse 5.
“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing [or thought] that exalteth
itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every
thought to the obedience of Christ.” So when that happens you repent,
and ask God to strengthen you, and ask God to help you, to add His Spirit to
you so that you can overcome bringing every thought into captivity to the
obedience of Christ. “And having a readiness to revenge all
disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled” (vs. 5-6).
Now when we do that…Let’s come back to Romans 8 and let’s understand
something so that you don’t have to go around and have a guilty conscience.
You don’t have to feel as though God has gone way off and has deserted you.
He hasn’t. This is your battle that He will do to give you the
strength with you. But you have to do the fighting.
Now notice here Romans 8:1. “There is therefore now no
condemnation…” God does not condemn you because of it. Because
you are looking to Christ. You are repenting. You are walking in
the ways of God. You are bringing every thought into captivity.
There is no condemnation “… to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walked
not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” See you’re not walking
after carnal ways, you’re walking after spiritual ways. “For the law
of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me [justified] free from the
law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:1-3). It hasn’t been taken from you, but
you have been justified from it, and that is why when we pray every day we
ask God to forgive us our sins and forgive us our debts and so forth.
Now that’s not the monetary debts that we owe, that is the debt of sin,
which only Christ can take care of. Then there is not condemnation.
Then we are walking in the way of God. Then we are walking and doing
the things that are right, you see.
Now, let’s notice over here how to be spiritually minded. Verse 9,
“But ye are not in the flesh…” Now this tells us very clearly.
“…But in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.”
That’s what’s important. “Now if any man have not the Spirit of
Christ, he is none of His.” So you see, when it gets down to who is a
Christian, God really knows. It’s the ones who have the Spirit of
Christ. Those who don’t are not.
“And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin;
but the Spirit life because of righteousness. But if the spirit of Him
that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ
from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His spirit that
dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the
flesh, to live after the flesh. For if you live after the flesh, ye
shall die: bit if ye through the Spirit do [put to death] mortify the deeds
of the [flesh] body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the
Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (vs. 10-14). And to be led.
Now notice all of the things that we have to look to. Notice that
there will be suffering that we will go through. But here is how we
are to count these battles, and here is how we are to count these sufferings
that we go through. Now notice, “For ye have not received the spirit
of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of [sonship]
adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” The greatest thing in the
world, brethren, that we can come right to God the Father in heaven above in
a personal one to one relationship with Him and Jesus Christ. “The
Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of
God: and if children, then heirs…” You see, the whole thing that we
need to keep our minds on is not the sin, but the goal. Not the
process and the difficulty that we are going through, but the end. We
are “…heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer
with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon
that the sufferings of this present time are
not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us”
(vs. 15-18). And that then is how you bring every thought into
captivity unto the obedience of Christ. And this is the battle that
you can win and overcome, but it’s going to be a continuous thing. But
we have the victory through Christ.
Now we also have to over come the world. Now, just like the children
of Israel, let’s come to 1 John 2 now. Just like the children of
Israel when they were out there suffering in the wilderness. They
said, “Oh, we need the flesh pots. Oh, it was so nice when everything
was fine. And, yeah I had a good master, and he really treated me
fine. You know, I just had it just right.” Satan’s going to come
along and he is going to tempt you. And much more so today because the
way that the world is today with everything that is out there. With
all of the goods and services and foods and homes to live in, and clothes to
wear, and cars to drive, and things to do, and places to go. The lure
of the world is going to be there and remember the cares and riches of this
world are deceitful.
Now let’s pick it up here in 1 John 2:15. “Love not the world…”
Now we are to love God. “…Neither the things that are in the
world.” That’s how we overcome the world. We don’t let it entice
us. We don’t let it pull us in. We don’t go along and agree with
it. Just ask yourself a question: Which commandment of God am I
breaking, Old Testament and New Testament, because I conform to the world?
You think on that one. Now, “If any man love the world, the love of
the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the
lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not
of the Father, but is of the world.” And even though it looks so
permanent, even though it looks so stable, “…The world [is passing] passeth
away, and the lust thereof: but [the one who is practicing] he that doeth
the will of God abideth for ever” (1 John 2:15-17). And you wanting
eternal life, that is exactly how you stay right with God.
Now let’s come to Luke 9:25. While we’re turning there remember the
temptation that Jesus went through. Remember that? Yes. He
offered Him the whole world, didn’t he? He took and he gave Jesus a
panoramic view of all the kingdoms of the world and all their glory and the
power of them, and he said, “All this is delivered unto me and I give it to
whomsoever I will. So if you bow down and worship me all shall be
yours.”
Now let’s come here to Luke 9:23. Here then is how we overcome the
world, and all the pulls of the flesh, and all the temptations of the world
that come along. “And He said to them
all, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up
his cross daily, and follow Me.” Now that’s interesting. He said
daily, cause that shows the burden and the difficulty to live a spiritual
life in a wicked, carnal, sinful world. “For whosoever will save his
life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for My sake, the same
shall save it.” And that’s what God is going to give us, eternal life.
“For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself,
or be cast away?” (Luke 9:23-25). It says another place, lose his
soul. So that’s how we do it. We deny the things. We don’t
yield to any temptations of the world.
Now, we also have some other scriptures which are important. And if
you get discouraged, and you get down remember this, Jesus said, “Be of good
cheer, I have overcome the world.” And again, we can go to Christ and
He can give us the strength. And He can give us the help and we can
overcome.
The next thing to overcome is religion. There’s plenty of it.
Oh, there is so much of it, it is unreal. They like to come in sheep’s
clothing and present an easy, good way. The smooth way, the ecumenical
way, the political way, the get-along way. The get-along and go-along
and don’t rock the boat, does that sound like Laodicean, a little lukewarm?
Sure does. You’ve got to overcome religion. And what are they
going to do? Let’s come back to Matthew 7 again, because that’
ties right in with the rains coming and the water and the wind beating.
Because a lot of the doctrines that will come up will come just like that.
And we are being tempted from many sides. More so than any other
generation in the history of the world, because we have it coming through
radio, television, audio cassettes, video cassettes, internet, mailings,
people sending things to you, infiltrators within the Church - those sent to
deliberately to deceive you and take away from Christ. Now there are a
lot of them out there and Jesus said, “Let men deceive you by no means.”
And all the way through He said, “Don’t let anyone deceive you.” And
that’s one of the last things He told His disciples right there when He gave
the final prophecy there in Matthew 24. He said, “Beware that men do
not deceive you, for many shall come in My name saying I am the Christ and
shall deceive the many. And they shall give them the broad way.”
Now you look at the big broad ecumenical movement that’s taking place in the
world today and know that they’re all false prophets.
Let’s read it here. Matthew 7:13, “Enter ye in at the straight gate…”
That means the narrow gate. “…For wide is the gate, and broad
is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which to in
thereat.” Just like lemmings running off the cliff. There thy
go. Just like sheep going astray. How does it come?
Verse 15, “Beware of false prophets , which come to you in sheep’s
clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. You shall know them
by their fruits” (vs. 15-16). Verse 21, “Not every one that saith unto
Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven…” That’s why
not only is God proving us, but He allows false doctrine to come so that we
are going to prove God’s way, and God is proving us through it. That’s
what we have to understand. That’s what we have to realize. So
this is another battle that we need to fight. And only those who are
doing the will of the Father in heaven above is the one that is going to be
receiving salvation.
“Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy
name? and in Thy name have cast out [demons] devils: and in Thy name done
many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew
you: depart from Me, ye that work [lawlessness] iniquity” (vs. 22-23).
Then right after that it talks about those who build their house upon a
rock, which is Christ. And the winds of false doctrine and the things
that Satan sends against us will not affect us, will not take us off the
rock that we have built on, on Christ.
Now let’s come to 2 Timothy 3 and let’s see what these religious people are
going to do. And they are going to be deceiving. Now they think
that they are going to bring you the right things, but they’re not.
Here, 2 Timothy 3:5, “Having a form of godliness…” And that’s what
this whole ecumenical thing is, a form of godliness. They can’t have
godliness because they don’t want to follow God. So they have a form
of it that looks like it. “…But denying the power thereof: from such
turn away.” Now let’s come down here to verse 13. “But evil men
and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.”
And who are they going to deceive?
Let’s come to Matthew 13, and let’s understand something concerning the
spiritual leaven of religion which Jesus warned His disciples concerning,
which very few people today really are alert and some have been taken down
by all the silliness and stupidity of the different arguments that people
have. Some even listening to Sunday preachers who are saying, you
know, “There’s universal salvation for all men.” I mentioned that
before. Well then there’s no need for the lake of fire. There is
no need for going through the things that we do. There is no need to
grow and overcome. There is no need to keep the commandments of God if
everybody is going to be saved. Now that’s a bunch of nonsense.
Now let’s come here to Matthew 16:6. “Then Jesus said unto them, Take
heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”
That is religious leaven. That is sin. Now the disciples didn’t
understand it because they thought, well He spoke that because they
didn’t bring bread. And He said to them verse 11, “How is it that ye
do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that
ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?
Then understood they how that He bade them not beware of the leaven
of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”
Now those are the teachings.
Now again we are going through some calendar things and all kinds of people
coming in with Judaism. How to pray with a prayer shawl or a yarmulke.
Or calendar things again. Now I was sent this. I get things
every day. Now this is worth reading because this woman thinks
she’s very sincere in it. But she doesn’t have a clue. Let me
read this.
“Last year, God brought some information to me about the holy days and it
took several months of the Holy Spirit working on me to finally get my
attention.” Well, God’s Holy Spirit will not lead you to error, so
it’s the wrong spirit. “I finally realized that I needed to do some
checking and research on my own about the way the Church of God groups keep
the holy days. When I was at the feast last fall I was talking to a
Jewish lady…”
Now let me tell you something that has happened here. Last year
before the Feast of Tabernacles we got calls from Jewish groups saying, “Let
us come in and give you a seminar on how to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.”
And I told them, “You don’t know how to keep the Feast of Tabernacles
because you don’t know Christ.” And we don’t keep it the way the Jews
do. And the Jews don’t keep it the way they ought to, and why should
we accept any teachings from those who have rejected Christ. Now this
Jewish woman probably infiltrated. Now that’s another reason we don’t
spread far and abroad where our feast sites are. We want to have
feasts where we have love, and joy, and understanding, and fellowship
together. We don’t want to have to have Feast of Tabernacles where we
are fighting people coming in with prayer shawls, and sacred names, and
different days, and observing of the moons, and all of these things.
So let me finish this letter here now.
“…And she told me that we weren’t in alignment with the way God commanded
them to be kept.” Remember this: the New Testament interprets the Old
Testament. And not only do we keep the commandments of God, but we
keep them in spirit and we keep them with the meaning of Jesus Christ, and
the meaning of the New Testament. Not the meaning of the Old
Testament. And how can anyone who has rejected Christ teach us
anything about keeping the feasts of God?
“So I started doing research and project on my own to seek the truth.”
She didn’t go far. “I am paying the price so I can strive to observe
those things God’s way and not mine.” She’s observing them Jewish
ways. I’ll show you in just a minute. “It’s the tough difficult
way but will be the blessed one in the end. I encourage all the
Churches to get the information out of the Karaite Jews in Jerusalem.
And seriously consider the days the Churches are observing.”
The long and short is: they believe in the observable moon. And they
are two days late. They do not even know what the new moon is.
That’s why God has solved the calendar problem with the perpetual calculated
Hebrew calendar so that we don’t fall into the pitfalls of this leaven of
the Jews. In this case the Karaites. They couldn’t even for 500
years determine the right holy days and now they’re trying to tell us what
the right holy days are.
Now let’ me just read something here, and you’re going to be shocked.
“If Abib is found on March 26, 2001, then the new moon for that month is on
March 27, 2001. If it is not found then, then on March 26, then you
postpone a whole month and you go to April 25, 2001.” First day of
Unleavened Bread, April 10. Two days late. And once more, this
woman in seeking to keep things the way that God has said, has ended up
rejecting the Passover because they don’t even keep a 14th
Passover. Now I could go through the whole thing and show how that
they don’t even know when these days are to be kept. They have here
for the Feast of Trumpets, “To Be Announced”. For Yom Kippur, “To Be
Announced”. The first day of Feast of Tabernacles, “To Be Announced”.
They don’t even know. And yet she writes and says, oh, this is some
new thing. No, it isn’t. It’s some old thing that is always
been. It is terrible. So there are people going out there.
There are even some ministers even in certain branches of the Church of God
coming around and saying, “Well, let’s teach you how to have a Passover
Sedar. Jesus kept a Passover Sedar. Won’t that be nice?”
And he leads the people right into Judaism. Listen, if someone comes
along bringing Judaism, obey Jesus Christ and beware of the leaven of the
scribes and Pharisees, which is their doctrines and their teachings.
And how can anyone who has rejected Christ teach us anything. They can
teach us nothing.
Then I’ve got another letter here. It says, “Now we are being
bombarded on all sides by people with various different doctrines.”
Brethren, you’re being proved. Do you love God? Do you love the
Father? Do you know the word of God? If you don’t know the word
of God you’re going to be taken down. And Satan is going to keep after
you, and keep after you. God is going to prove you with it. Do
you love Him? Are you going to prove these things the right way?
Now this woman here, I’m going to answer her letter and I’m just going to
tell her the same thing that I’ve told you on the tape. How can anyone
show you the right way if they don’t even keep the Passover on the 14th
of Nisan as Jesus Christ has commanded, and according to the commandments of
God? Now spare me.
Now concerning the new moon, to show you the difficulties in it. The
Moslems seek a common system for determining Ramadan. “Ramadan, the
holiest month of the Moslem calendar, will begin in late November.”
This was last year. “But whether it starts on November 26th
or 27th is a matter of astronomy.” Well, to make a long
story short, what they have to do is this: they have different ones watch
for the new moon. And if they don’t see it then they call other
countries where the Arabs are watching for the new moon, and if there are
two locations that see it then they declare the next day as the beginning of
Ramadan. So that’s why God gave the calculated calendar. When
you observe the calendar and the feasts of God worldwide, you’re always
going to have the problem: invisibility of the new moon. So that’s why
we have it the way it is. That is the leaven of religion.
Now we also have the problem of Sunday-keeping, all of those things
assaulting the people of God. All of that is religious leaven and we
need to stay away from it completely, and be on guard and overcome it and
resist it.
Now the last thing we need to over come is Satan the devil. And he is
out there to come and get us. Now we know that it says in Revelation
12:9 that Satan is deceiving the whole world. And that he’s going to
raise up prophets that will do signs and wonders insomuch that it would
deceive even the very elect. So we’re living in those days. And
how will they come? They will come with deceit. They will come
with lies. But they will come as slick as can be. That’s why you
need to prove everything by the scriptures, the way that God has said that
we need to prove them.
Now, let’s come here to James 4. Let’s see that Satan is out there.
He works with the world. That’s why we are not to love the world.
That’s going to help keep us from Satan the devil. But here, James 4,
let’s notice this. This is really important for us to understand.
James 4:4, “Ye adulterers and adulteresses…” And that’s what’s
happened when people have fellowship with the religions of this world.
“…Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?
whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”
Now here’s how to overcome it. Because what happens when you get out
there and in the world and all the pride? “Do you think that the
scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
But He giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith, God resisteth the proud,
but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God.”
That’s how you overcome Satan. “Resist the devil, and he will flee
from you.” Because he can’t stand to be where there is righteousness and the
name of Christ. “Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.
Cleanse
your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye
double minded” (James 4:4-8).
Now let’s come to 1 Peter 5 where we have the same thing given by Peter,
only a little differently. Now you see, Satan is out there going
around seeing who he can capture. And many people are taken by him
very easily. Some people he works on over a period of time and chips
away, and chips away, and chips away. And if you don’t have your guard
up then you’re going to be in difficult straights trying to fight Satan the
devil.
Now here 1 Peter 5:6. “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty
hand of God…” Notice how similar to that it is. Back there when
James wrote, and when Peter wrote there were the infiltration’s within the
Church of carnal men, and pride was coming up, vanity was coming up.
So he’s saying, “Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, that He may
exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for
you” (1 Peter 5:6-7). Remember this. When all else fails, God
loves you. That’s why God has called you. Never ever forget
that.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring
lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour…” And haven’t we seen
him devour thousands. Yes, indeed. Well, he’s still after the
few that are left. “Whom resist steadfast in the faith…” You’re
not going to resist him with carnal means or methods. It has to be in
the faith. “…Knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in
your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who
hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have
suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you”
(vs. 8-10). Again, to prove you. Again, to prove your faith.
Now, let’s go to John 8. There’s something very important, and we
need to understand here with this. And here’s how we resist.
Let’s come here to verse 29, follow the example of Christ. “And He
that sent Me is with Me: the Father hath not left Me alone; for I do always
those things that please Him.” But was Satan continually after Him?
Yes, he was. And God even let him think that he triumphed over Christ
in the crucifixion. But that was really a victory for God. And
when He was resurrected, it was a total defeat for Satan the devil.
“As He spake these words, many believed on Him” (vs. 30). There are a
lot of people who believe on Jesus but don’t follow through with faith.
Now notice what Jesus said to those who believed on Him. “If you
continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall
know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” So they said, “We
be Abraham’s seed.” And He says, “I know that. But you don’t do
the works of Abraham.”
Let’s come down here to verse 41. “Ye do the deeds of your father.”
And these were all the religious people, right? “Then said they to
Him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love Me: for I
proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of Myself, but He sent Me.
Why do ye not understand My speech? Even because ye cannot hear
My word.” Why can’t they hear the word. Because they don’t want
the truth. They want their lies. “Ye are of your father
the devil [you listen to him], and the lusts of your father ye will do.
He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because
there is no truth in him.. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own:
for he is a liar, and the father of it” (vs. 41-44). And so realize
that Satan is out there after you, to come after you with these false
religions.
Now, we need to understand that God is going to fight for us. God
will deliver us. Now in Ephesians 6 we’re told to put on the whole
armor of God. And that we may be able to stand and resist the wicked
spirits in high places. And to put on the breastplate of
righteousness, and the helmet of salvation, and to follow with the word of
God, which is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
That’s why we are to know the word of God, brethren. Now when we do
that God will fight for us.
Now let’s come to Psalm 27. Let’s have total faith in God that He
will fight for us, that He will watch for us, that He will help us.
Psalm 27:1, “The LORD is my light and my salvation…” And that’s
the whole purpose of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, right? Yes.
“…Whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of
whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and
my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war
should rise against me, in this will
I be confident. One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I
seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my
life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in His temple.
For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion…” (Psa. 27:1-5).
Remember, we are to pray every day that we are not to be delivered into
temptation, and that we are to be delivered from the evil one.
Now notice how God fought for David here in Psalm 18. This is really
quite a Psalm. God is really perfect in what He did here. Now
notice…and these trials then produce the love for God because He helps you.
He says, “I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my
rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will
trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be
saved from mine enemies” (Psa. 18:1-3). Yes, the Lord He’ll fight.
He fought for the children of Israel, didn’t He? He will fight for
you. And He will strengthen you and raise you up in everything that
you do.
Now let’s come to Psalm 34. Let’s understand that God is with us.
God is for us. God will fight those battles. Just like Moses did, he
said to the children of Israel, “Stand still and see the salvation of the
LORD.” Well, so will likewise here. When you are confronted with
these problems and trials that you find in your own human nature, that you
find in the world, or the assaults of false religions, or as Satan coming
after you, then here is the solution.
Let’s pick it up here in verse 4. Here’s what you need to do.
“I sought the LORD, and He heard me…” Why did He hear? Because
He listened to God. “…And delivered me from all my fears.” Now I
want you to circle that, “all my fears”. We don’t need to have any
fears brethren. “They looked unto Him, and were lightened: and their
faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him,
and saved him from all his troubles.” Again, circle “all”. Now
all fears and all troubles. “The angel of the LORD encampeth round
about them that fear Him, and delivereth them. O taste and see…”
That’s what the whole purpose of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is. To
eat that unleavened bread, which then is the flesh of Christ. And to
drink of that wine, which is His blood, which means tasting of Christ.
Then we taste of the word of God. And it fills and it satisfies like
no food because it is spiritual nourishment, and spiritual strength you see.
“Taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man
that trusteth in Him.” And what we need to do to end this Feast of
Unleavened Bread is to just ask God to help us trust in Him at all times.
To look to Him to help us in everything, regardless of what it may be.
“O fear the LORD, ye His saints: for there is no want to them that
fear Him” (Psa. 34:4-8).
Now let’s come down here to verse 14. “Depart from evil…”
That’s the whole theme of Unleavened Bread, getting rid of sin, walking away
from Egypt. “…And do good…” That is doing the commandments of
God, having the fruits of the Spirit of God and doing that good.
“…Seek peace and pursue it.” Never give up. Never doubt. Never
hold back.
Verse 15, “The eyes of the LORD are
upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry.” God
knows, God hears. And so that’s why when you have these trials and
difficulties go to God continually. God knows you’re going through
them. Ask for His help, His strength, His faith, His wisdom, His
purpose, and to learn the lesson that comes from it. “The face of the
LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them
from the earth. The righteous cry [crying out to God], and the
LORD heareth…” Brethren, God will hear. Now notice the rest of
this verse. “…and delivereth them out of all their troubles” (vs.
15-17). So notice you’re delivered from your fears, you’re delivered
from your troubles. He says it twice. And you are delivered from
the wicked one.
Now here is the key, verse 18. “The LORD is nigh unto them
that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth
him out of them all” (vs. 18-19). Christ will deliver you.
Christ will save you. Have total faith and confidence and trust in
God, even in the darkest hour of your trial. Even at the lowest moment
in your life. Never give up. And realize that this trial is a
proving of your faith, that you can grow in grace. That you can grow
in faith. That you can grow in knowledge and understanding.
Let’s come to the book of Hebrews 13 because there’s something that you
really need to understand, and you really need to grasp, and you really need
to claim this promise. Let’s pick it up in verse 5. “Let your
[conduct] conversation be without covetousness; and be content with
such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor
forsake thee.” Now this means, “I will never, no I will not ever in
any way leave you.” Christ will not leave you. He will be there
all the time. Christ will never fail. “So that we may boldly
say, the LORD is my helper…” And yes, the Lord will help us,
and He will strengthen us, and He will deliver us, and He will intervene on
our behalf. “…And I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (vs.
5-6). Now that’s the confidence that we need to have.
Now verse 8, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”
So with that then brethren, you will be strengthened in faith. And
then you will not be led away by anyone or anything, or even be deceived by
your own human nature. And remember in this, the reason that you go
through these things is because God loves you and God wants you in His
Kingdom. And so this is the full meaning of the Feast of Unleavened
Bread and the trials that we go through.
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