Wednesday 07/29/15
Series: Abiding in the Vine X
Message – Abiding in the Vine X.mp3
Now remember our purpose for Wednesday nights is as a supplement to Sunday’s teachings on the soils. So that we can learn how to have good soil…abide in our Vine and produce fruit unto Godliness by the Power of the Gospel of Christ! Right!?
Tonight we are going to spend some time discovering HOW to do what we learned last week.
So far we have seen how the Holy Spirit comes to our rescue and gives us aid in
- Prayer through Tongues
- Being our inner desire to work out our soul salvation
- Being the Reveler – the One Who reveals God the Father through Christ Jesus the Son!
Again I will tell you that tonight’s teaching along with the last 3 weeks of teaching, could awaken a deep and completely surreal experience of fellowship or Co-partnership with Him IF YOU WILL LET IT.
Are You ready?
Say this 2xs…
“Blessed am I because my eyes do see and my ears do hear!
I anticipate God’s revelation in my life!”
What are some things we learned last week about the Holy Spirit and His work of revealing, teaching and guiding us into the truth?
- He ALWAYS talks about Jesus
- He talks about Jesus to show us the Father
- He unveils the heart and character of God in and through the word of God.
This is something We know that David almost certainly did not know. All the words of God are a revelation of His character and that He speaks forth those words in a mystery so that those who have eyes to see and ears to hear may inwardly take on His likeness.
Remember the verse in ~ Jer 9:23-24,
“Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the LORD.”
Jesus has been made unto us – wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption from God the Father.
1Cor. 2:9-16,
“But, on the contrary, as the Scripture says, What eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man, [all that] God has prepared (made and keeps ready) for those who love Him [who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed]. [Isa. 64:4; 65:17.] (10) Yet to us God has unveiled and revealed them by and through His Spirit, for the [Holy] Spirit searches diligently, exploring and examining everything, even sounding the profound and bottomless things of God [the divine counsels and things hidden and beyond man’s scrutiny]. (11) For what person perceives (knows and understands) what passes through a man’s thoughts except the man’s own spirit within him? Just so no one discerns (comes to know and comprehend) the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. (12) Now we have not received the spirit [that belongs to] the world, but the [Holy] Spirit Who is from God, [given to us] that we might realize and comprehend and appreciate the gifts [of divine favor and blessing so freely and lavishly] bestowed on us by God. (13) And we are setting these truths forth in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the [Holy] Spirit, combining and interpreting spiritual truths with spiritual language [to those who possess the Holy Spirit]. (14) But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated. (15) But the spiritual man tries all things [he examines, investigates, inquires into, questions, and discerns all things], yet is himself to be put on trial and judged by no one [he can read the meaning of everything, but no one can properly discern or appraise or get an insight into him]. (16) For who has known or understood the mind (the counsels and purposes) of the Lord so as to guide and instruct Him and give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart. [Isa. 40:13.]”
But how do I get to the place where I not only experience His regular intervention of revelation in my life and grow to anticipate it?
My Story
As Teri & I were talking on Thursday after I taught last week, she suggested that my experience is probably different than many people’s….perhaps due to my calling….my gifting….my own life experiences and how I reacted to them…some combination of the above or something entirely different. So we talked about what may have contributed to the state I now live in of constant anticipation of revelation…a constant belief that there is nothing I cannot know or at least understand why I cannot know now.
I do not want to take the time to type out even a summary of my testimony so if you are interested in that part you will have to listen to the mp3 or video.
David’s Journal
The enemy knows what God is doing in His body and always seeks to counter it by drawing the simple minded astray. People (and particularly Christians) need to be careful to guard their hearts against the lies of our enemy. Paul said of the early church that they gave the devil no opportunity because they WERE NOT IGNORANT of his devices….sadly that is NOT true of the average American Christian today. We are so easily led into error by simple-mindedly believing anything “sold” on TV, that we don’t make for much of a challenge for the enemy at all. Every time the world throws some unsupported claim about the bible into the night air on TV, it is designed to rob people from a truth God would have them be focusing on and when Christians fall for it, they are the losers.
Recently there was an “mini-series” on the History Channel that lined up some “Theologians” to attest to the notion that King David was an especially mean and unlikable king – not at all the way the Bible portrays him. Of course they offered nothing more than conjecture and fabricated circumstantial evidence and to “partial, cherry-picked” statements from prominent Christian leaders who were both respectable and not-so-much, in order to support their claims. Nevertheless, because it was the “History Channel”, I am MORE than certain several pastors have now begun to teach that David was a tyrant.
The David of actual history…the David revealed in the Bible was NOT an ungodly, tyrant, but a very humble and godly king who loved God and His people. More than nearly any other person under the Old Covenant, David loved the Lord and he pursued Him with all of his heart – for all of his life!
It is for this reason that we want to look at him and some of his characteristics and habits in order that we might better understand what made him a “man after God’s own heart” in his pursuit of knowing Him.
- David was a young shepherd boy who spent a lot of time alone.
- In many ways he identified with and dearly….tenderly loved the sheep.
- He took the stories he’d hear in his youth of God’s deliverance and love for Israel to heart….he made them personal. God was NOT just the God of Israel he was “MY” God (David speaking). God is NOT just the Shepherd of Israel He is “MY” Shepherd….
- He knew and trusted in God’s protection for himself and those under his care. When he tended sheep it was trust to slay lions & bears. When he Attended to Saul it was trust to slay a giant, when he was king it was trust to protect a nation…..all because he KNEW his God…not just about Him…HE KNEW HIM!
So, let’s end tonight by become a bug on the wall as we see the pursuit for revelation of God in David’s life.
(Psalm 119:1)
How happy are those whose way is blameless, who live according to the law of the LORD!
Here you have a man who sees blameless behavior as happy. Many Christians today see behavior that is regulated by scripture as stifling, restricting and altogether unpleasant. David, an unregenerate man under the old covenant knew and saw better and LOVED and LONGED for godly behavior!
(Psalm 119:2)
Happy are those who keep His decrees and seek Him with all their heart.
Here again we see a man who finds pleasure in doing God’s will and seeking Him with all his heart.
(Psalm 119:3)
They do nothing wrong; they follow His ways.
Here David says that those who long for God, delight in waling blameless and seek Him with all their hearts “do nothing wrong, but follow His ways”. Notice also, it is God’s ways they follow, not just a set of rules.
(Psalm 119:4-6)
You have commanded that Your precepts be diligently kept. If only my ways were committed to keeping Your statutes! Then I would not be ashamed when I think about all Your commands.
This is perhaps the single most important statement this generation of Christians could learn from in this entire Psalm. Here David is NOT desiring to lower the bar to accomodate his behavior, but LOVE God’s commandments so that his only sadness comes from having a heart that does NOT always keep them. His cry, “If only my ways were committed to keeping Your statutes! Then I would not be ashamed when I think about all Your commands.” says a lot about him as a man. Notice that the shame he felt when he read things in God’s Holy Word that he knew he often failed to keep, did not lower his love for the command, but instead heightened his desire to keep it so that when he read it we would have no cause to be ashamed. In today’s world, Christians so often either make excuses for their behavior, compare themselves to each other to lessen the blow of the shame they feel, or they simply avoid reading it altogether. David did NONE of these things. He continued to read, meditate, sing about the Word and if it reveals shame from time to time, it only drove him further towards seeking God and loving Him more!
(Psalm 119:7)
I will praise You with a sincere heart when I learn Your righteous judgments.
Sincerity accounts for a lot with God and it is brought up many times in scripture. David praises God when he learned of any of God’s righteous judgments.
(Psalm 119:8)
I will keep Your statutes; never abandon me.
(Psalm 119:9)
How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping Your word.
The word “keeping” would be better translated as “by taking heed to”.
(Psalm 119:10)
I have sought You with all my heart; don’t let me wander from Your commands.
(Psalm 119:11)
I have treasured Your word in my heart so that I may not sin against You.
Much of our attention in life is centered upon things we value. David treasured God’s word! It was not a religious duty to him, it was a heart passion. He wanted to know God.
(Psalm 119:12)
LORD, may You be praised; teach me Your statutes.
In this last verse we see David’s desire to have God be his teacher. This is an amazing request revealing again the nature of David’s relationship with God. Asking the Almighty to be your instructor was quite the bold request, but David knew something of God’s tender heart towards “His lambs” and so dared to request His mentor-ship.
I hope this teaching will challenge you and encourage you to place your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and learn to abide in Him by the help of the Holy Spirit.
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Blessings!
