ABIDE... IN THE MIGHTY LORD OF ALL!

Transcription

1 2 8 The Beauty of the Ascended Christ 1 ABIDE... IN THE MIGHTY LORD OF ALL! Our Standing IN Christ and the Mystery of the INDWELLING Christ. Publication of Endtime Ministries... Women for Christ

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3 2 6 DON T BE COWARDLY IN THIS REGARD, BE BOLD IN THE LORD. Personal Revival 3 SEPARATION in the Bible is especially to do with separation from false teachers and preachers. They are vessels unto dishonour. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master s use, and prepared unto every good work. 2 Timothy 2:20, 21. Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds. 2 John 1:8-11. May God bless you ALL as we move steadily into the last of the Last Days. BACKGROUND ANALYSIS FROM SOUND SOURCES: Scofield Study Bible; Holiness J.C. Ryle; The Basics Gene Cunningham; Chuck Missler; The God of All Comfort Hannah Whitall Smith).

4 4 ABIDE IN THE MIGHTY LORD OF ALL! Greetings in the Glorious Name of Jesus Christ our Lord. God the Father has said: But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. Hebrews 1:8, 9. What blessings we have in Jesus Christ, how filled with joy we should be. We who are the redeemed in Him have no fear, no enemy or circumstance that shall be able to conquer us, for we have the much more of these wonderful verses: 1. But where sin abounded grace did much more abound. Romans 5: Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. Romans 5:9. 3. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. Romans 5:10. Look carefully at these much mores of scripture Romans 5:20 tells us that SIN abounded, but God s glorious GRACE much more abounded. What is abound? It is to thrive or flourish. We were a part of the horrible sin-filled, sin-flourishing human race. But God s grace much more than sin saved us out of our dilemma We are justified by His Blood alone, declared righteous in Him alone, sins removed forever by His Blood. But MUCH MORE than that, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. What is this wrath? It is God s orge or righteous anger and punishment because of SIN. MUCH MORE than even our initial salvation will we be saved from any judgement falling upon us from the Almighty God. This means that FO R EX AM PL E, you may have to mix with those who are working with the environ-mental groups, who are working to save the planet and reverse so-called global warming. They may be your relatives or neighbours; you can seek to warn those people of the dangers within the political environmental groups, of their New World Order involvement and so on. Some Christians call these groups watermelons because they are red inside and green outside. You can be kind and patient in your attempts to wake other people up. However, never should you assist them in any way, not handing out leaflets, or donating a cake for a stall, or agreeing with them in order to be polite. Jesus was our example; He was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners. A NO TH E R EX A MP LE. You might know very nice people who go to a church in your area. You know that the doctrines of that church are not Scriptural, that they are compromising in a number of ways. You should never go to that church in order to be friendly and loving. You should not accept their doctrines as being just their denomination s way of looking at things or compromise God s clearly shown Word in order to get along with others. 2 5 SEPARATION applies whether it is to do with churches, places of employment, ways of entertainment, the friends we make, political involvement and so on. Separation is not from contact with the world, but with complicity with and conformity to it.

5 2 4 ARE YOU UNITED IN COMMON PURPOSE WITH SINFUL PEOPLE OR ORGANIZATIONS? I will close on this topic because we all want God to bless us in these perilous times, He wants to bless us, be assured. Something, however, makes it impossible for God to fully bless us. That is, if we are in compromise or if we participate with evil. We are looking at the final global setting-up of the Antichrist system in our day, I fully believe that. Various and many are the manifestations of this system in our society here in Australia. As Christians we should not support or agree with this evil world -system, nor of course with any evil at all. Are you under an unequal yoke of some sort? PRAY and THINK about this question as we probe more. SEPARATION from the world can never be from actual contact with evil in the the world. We live on an evil planet and often encounter evil. Separation in a Biblical sense is keeping from going along with, or suppo r t in g and co nf or m in g to sinful systems, organizations or people. We must be SEPARATED from the evil world in our desires, our motives, and in our behaviour. We are to be in the world but not of the world. The richest of rewards awaits those who obey the Lord in this vital issue, the reward of obedience is the: FULL MANIFESTATION of the DIVINE FATHERHOOD OF GOD! Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. 2 Corinthians 6:17, when God s judgement falls upon the ungodly in the Tribulation period of seven years which is coming to this earth, the redeemed, the Church of Jesus Christ, will not be under that judgement in any way. Praise God we will be taken in the Rapture before the Tribulation. God s orge and judgement will never fall upon His children who are under the Blood For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. Romans 5:10. This verse has a much more that is so often overlooked by God s people. There was a glorious salvation provided for us in Christ Jesus. We were the enemies of God, lost in our sin, when the Holy Spirit drew us to the Lord and we were saved, and regenerated by the Spirit of God. We were reconciled to God by the death of His Son. But, dear ones, much more even than that stunningly marvellous blessing, being now reconciled, at peace with God, we shall be saved by his life! Here is the wonderful news, much more than even receiving salvation, He will do everything for us, by filling us with His own life. He will do the much more - saving us from the power of the sin nature, saving us from being in need and despair, He will take care of us daily in all our ways, He will enable us by His life to live triumphantly. Much More indeed. Romans chapter 5 tells us of this MUCH MORE five times in all. When God wants us to take note He repeats it, for we are often dense in spiritual matters. Here is another one of these MUCH MORES which is of great importance: For if by one man s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:17. Do you reign in life? Or do trials, sickness, gossip, unkindness, sin, tempers, worry, fear, overcome you and cause you to sink in the storms of life? You should have the MUCH MORE of ABUNDANCE OF GRACE and the GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS so that you can REIGN IN LIFE BY ONE - JESUS CHRIST. This is what Beauty for Ashes is all about - finding out what our privileges and gifts given to us in Christ actually

6 6 are, and finding out from God how to assimilate these wonders, to receive what is your very own in the Precious Son of God. And the last of the five MUCH MORES in Romans: Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 5: The Law in the Old Testament brought into vast contrast the difference between the righteousness that a Holy God requires and mankind s sinful, unsaved state. But a compassionate, merciful God sent His own Son to die for Sin so that Grace did much more abound. Sin brought death, but grace much more brought righteousness and eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. Let us not be overcome by thoughts of sin and death, for Grace has triumphed and much more abounds, righteousness and Life should reign in our hearts and lives. THE MEDICAL PROCEDURE. This week I had to go to hospital and undergo a medical procedure that was testing for cancer. I had an endoscopy and a colonoscopy. It was an interesting experience in many ways; I have no cancer by the way, praise the Lord. Being completely helpless, knocked out, and under the control of other people, totally, was strange. The doctor and anaesthetist tricked me, they slipped me into unconsciousness whilst distracting me. It seemed like five seconds, I was talking to them lying in my hospital cot, then was told it is all over now by a nurse some hour and a half later - it seemed no time at all! I had trusted myself to their hands for this time of exploration, and do not have even a single memory of that period of my life under anaesthetic. The Lord Jesus controlled all events through these medical people, yes, but they were His instruments. How MUCH MORE should we trust our entire lives to the Lord Jesus. Can He not handle everything for us, even our death, or the Rapture, or any suffering that may lie ahead? If I can lie down and trust a bunch of strangers to knock me out, knowing they are going to My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me. And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest. Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah. Psalm 55: 4-7. Then David says later on: Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22. THIS WORLD SYSTEM COULD DRIVE US CRAZY if we let it! It causes frustration, turmoil, fear, and loss of peace - if we let it. Here are some promises we need to rest in right now and for the Promises for needs: Matt 6:33; Rom 8:32; 1 Cor 1:9; REST OF OUR LIVES : 2 Cor 9:8; Philippians 4:6-7; 1 Tim 6:6-8. Promises when discouraged: Isaiah 40:31; Heb 4:15-16, 13:5 Philippians 1:6, 3:13-14; 2 Tim 1:7;. Promises when in trial: 2 Tim 1:7; Romans 8:28, 31; Exodus 14:13-14; 1 Cor 10:13; 1 Sam 17:47; James 1:2-3, 12; Psalm 4:8, 56:3; 1Peter 1:7; 5: 6-7. Isaiah 41:10; I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. Psalm 56:3. 2 3

7 2 2 How silly of them not to come to Jesus, how proud and unrepentant they are, you might say. But, God is also offering the Christians the rest of spiritual growth and prosperity freely; Will you take Him up on His offer? There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Hebrews 4:9. Let God be Lord of your life, trust Him and let Him care for you. Stop worrying and fussing and stressing The rest God gives will be shown to be eternal as we move into our eternal future. It is eternal rest right now; do not be robbed of this in your earthly existence. Seek Faith-Rest with all your heart. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. Revelation 14: Those who reject Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord will have eternal unrest. Revelation 4:11. Why? Because they were created for God and they will not receive and worship Him, and the only place to find life, peace and rest is in God - that is in the whole cosmos! The unsaved do not want the very purpose for which they were created. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created Even David would have liked to fly away from his problems, but we must be those who stand up in the midst of our various affairs and lean upon our God alone. 7 stick cameras into unmentionable places, and yet be at peace, I can certainly trust my Beloved One to take me through anything life may bring, and trust Him to handle all things even unto death: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Psalm 23: 4. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Romans 8:37. What are you and I? Are we the conquerors or are we slaves to our circumstances? Are we reigning with Christ the triumphant, or are we being reigned over by many things? Christians can be reigned over by irritable tempers, the fear of relatives, how much is in the bank, thoughts about that nasty man who did them a bad turn, anxiety about the New World Order, even such little things as the back yard is a mess and Aunty Meg and Uncle Bob are coming tomorrow! It is just not righteous that we are not continually reigning as conquerors, it is dishonouring to Jesus Christ and His victory. We need to receive the abundance of Grace that is in Christ Jesus. The Almighty God Himself has called us to be kings in His Son, our dominion in Christ should be MUCH MORE powerful than our previous bondage to sin and our self-life. We need to use the faith that God has given us in the Spirit and believe what He tells us in the Bible. We have a promised victory over sin, fear, distress, and the pressure of the old Adam nature, and even over our own temperament. We must and should be free of all care. Are you? Or are you a person of little faith? If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? Luke 12:28.

8 8 YE OF LITTLE FAITH? Are you responsible if you are of little faith? Certainly you are, for God is not a liar, and to mistrust Him and refuse to have faith in His Word is an insult to our Heavenly Father. Faith is a fruit of the Holy Spirit; you must yield to Him and be filled with the Holy Spirit of faith. It is no good just using a promise box, or memorising Bible verses to chant out like a mantra. The Bible leads us to trust in a real, close, Divine Friend, Who is not just a promise or a mantra; He is your dearest Friend and wants to be your constant Companion. For instance, it would do me little good to quote Psalm 23:4 if I did not know that the Lord Himself is with me. HE is the comfort, HE is the safety. A note from her father held in the hand of a child who must cross a dark field at night is nothing like the presence of her real Dad himself holding her hand tightly. Jesus is reality; you and I need HIM so very much - all the time. He wants to be with you and loves you; respond to Him with love and devotion. Let your 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. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. Hebrews 13:5, 6. Someone said to me recently that, after all, we cannot expect to have things easy all the time just because we are Christians. This lady reminded me of Corrie Ten Boom who suffered in a concentration camp during World War II. She couldn t have peace all the time or be filled with the joy of the Lord, surely, this lady declared. The Bible tells us all about such matters, let us investigate further and extend faith towards our Almighty Companion and Master. II Corinthians 12:9, 10: And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I 2 1 He wants you to be always in PEACE-REST by FAITH. Seek to live in the kingdom of God right now. For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Romans 14: Outside of FAITH IN GOD there is always, alw ays, cha os, distr ess, fea r, and confusion. Spiritual rest cannot be ever found by those who will not believe God and trust Him. Look at Jesus our Saviour, not at the problems. Isaiah 28:12; 30:15; 57:20-21; Matthew 11: GOD has provided in His Word a solution to every difficulty, every distress, every problem we can ever face. Believe His Word, and rest in it. Hebrews 4: We all have friends and family who will not seek God and find in Him the rest and safety they so desperately need. They continue to be stray and lost, wandering in misery. It is not God s fault, for Jesus Christ is offering the rest of salvation to the whole world. He invites all to come: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28.

9 2 0 would still be out there in misery and worry. So it is with us. Let God be the One who handles your whole life, all your affairs, body, soul, spirit, family and possessions, everything. Not to be mindlessly irresponsible, but casting all your care upon Him to handle and inspire and lead you into the right way in all things. Trust in and have a living hope in the Lord. Our cat has not a care in the world - now Supplication means to make a petition. We have giants in the Promised Land to make us realize that we cannot do anything on our own. WE NEED GOD! When you are tempted to be worried and anxious simply go face-to-face with God, clearly tell Him of your needs and desires, give thanks and be aware of the solutions He is already providing and wait for more to come. Then you will have peace. This peace is the fruit of the Holy Spirit: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5: Adjust yourself to the Holy Spirit! HOW CAN WE HAVE FAITH-REST IN THESE AWESOME TIMES? 1... REAL rest in the emotional life, the spirit and soul, cannot be worked up by ourselves. It is only found in the Presence of the Living God: And he [God] said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. Exodus 33:14. Psalm 116: 6-7: The LORD preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me. Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee Rest cannot be had by escaping from our problems! If we are not at rest in God anything, any little thing, can upset us. If you have gotten rid of one problem, you will be distressed by the next problem and so on. Peace and rest of soul are only found in God Himself, and rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. This epistle was written by Paul in AD 60, after the events of Acts 19:23-20:1-3. Was Paul the apostle having a great time of prosperity and was he having fine success before men? No, he was in physical weakness, and weariness, and he was suffering pain. The spiritual problems were many. The law-teachers were trying to overthrow Grace Teachings, the Jews and even some Jewish converts to Christianity were giving Paul great trouble, and they were denying his teachings and even saying he was not an apostle at all. Many were those who fought against Paul because of the new revelation from God of the doctrines of Grace. Paul spoke of awesome things happening to him in II Corinthians 11: Being whipped, shipwrecked, being stoned and beaten with rods, perils of robbers, perils by his own country men, perils by the heathen, perils in the city, perils in the wilderness, perils at sea, perils amongst false brethren. Weariness and painfulness, hunger and thirst, watchings (always being on alert), being hungry, cold and even naked. He talks in 2 Corinthians 12:20 of debates, envying, wraths, strifes, backbiting, whisperings, swellings, tumults, fornication and lasciviousness (unbridled lust). And yet, and yet, Paul says in II Corinthians 12:9,10 all the wonderful words above. He took pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ s sake. Why? Because when he was weak then he was strong in the Lord. We have to KNOW MORE about this! None of us could possible out-do Paul for the sufferings he went through for Christ, how will we cope if we have to suffer for Him as well? We will not cope ourselves, but Jesus will do it all for us if we let Him, as He did for Paul. And we will be able to say that God s GRACE is sufficient for us too, and we will glory in the fact that in our weakness the power of Christ rests upon us. We need to grasp the conditions for such glory to rest upon us and hold us in peace, and we need to know and enter into this right now. 9

10 1 0 THE THRILLING SECRET - GOD S HIDDEN LIFE. If we have the riches of Christ we will be able to reign in life by Him, no matter what. The joy of the Lord will be our very strength.nehemiah 8:10. Paul took pleasure in his various infirmities, persecutions, distresses and so on because those very experiences pushed him into the realization that he was not strong in himself, he was simply a weak, needy man. When this happened he was impelled to seek the Lord God alone to handle his whole life situation, and then the Lord Jesus Christ was able to pour out His power upon him. This should be our own experience. How many Christians do not allow God to do this for them because of lack of faith, disbelief which is dishonouring to God. Stop now and consider, are you going to believe God or not? Are you going to be centred in Self or in Christ? God moves us away from trust in self by various difficulties which we cannot handle. We cannot keep our eyes fixed upon Jesus and His power and riches if we are fixing our eyes upon our selves all the time. No power comes from looking at self, thinking of ourselves, our sins and failures, our temptations, our difficult circumstances, how we will endure and so on. So God teaches us by allowing problems we cannot handle to enter our lives, and we are supposed to move deeper and deeper into Christ and His fullness. Some Christians do not move into Christ deeper and deeper, they simply moan and complain like the Children of Israel in the wilderness. They do not realise that Christ Jesus can take them through anything, with flying banners, they can be much more than conquerors - if they will only come to their blessed Saviour Who will save them to the uttermost: Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28. Someone once said, For one look at self take ten looks at Christ. THIS MIRACLE OF GOD, THE SAVIOUR, LIVES WITHIN US BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. God has designed a Way for us to have peace at all times. This peace is not outside us, it is inside our souls and spirits, and the door to perfect peace opens by the key of FAITH. Philippians 4: 4-8: Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation [epieikes or sweet reasonableness] be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. [He is near us, close to us, about to reveal Himself to the world]. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Epeikes is to be gentle, patient, mild, even-handed and unbiased Be careful or anxious for nothing. This means stop worrying. Don t be a habitual worrier. STOP WORRYING In everything give thanks to God, and turn all your affairs over to God. DO IT. The word for prayer is interesting; it is proseuchomai, meaning to approach face-to-face with God. He is able to take care of your needs. We have a new pet; he was a lost cat, a stray. He was in a shocking state when we took him in. Now he has comfort, food, love, a soft bed and safety. He lets us handle everything instead of trying miserably to care for himself. What if he refused to let us take over? He 1 9

11 1 8 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; II Thessalonians 2:3. What is falling away in this verse? It is the Greek apostasia, to forsake the Truth; it is apostasy, to fall away from the Truth and sound doctrine. OUR WONDERFUL LORD. Jesus Christ is THE MIRACLE of Grace, right down to His very genealogy. Here is an example I want you to imagine. It has to be fiction, you cannot attempt to write it in fact. Suppose I ask you to write out a genealogy of your family tree. Here are the rules you must follow: The number of words you use must be an exact multiple of SEVEN. The number of letters must be divisible by SEVEN. The number of vowels is to be divisible by SEVEN. The number of words that begin with a vowel must be divisible by SEVEN. The number of words that occur more than once must be divisible by SEVEN. The number of words that occur in more than one form must be divisible by SEVEN. The number of nouns must be divisible by SEVEN. The number of names shall be divisible by SEVEN and only SEVEN other kinds of nouns will be permitted. The number of male names shall be divisible by SEVEN. The number of generations shall be divisible by SEVEN. HOW COULD IT BE DONE!!! But this is the genealogy of Jesus Christ found in the opening eleven verses of the Gospel of Matthew, in the Greek. This structure was discovered by Dr Ivan Panin, born in Russia, December 12, He discovered the heptadic structure of Scripture in about 1890 and spent the next fifty years of his life in bringing forth forty-three thousand pages of research on the Bible structures and related subjects. Hannah Whitall Smith said, It is even better to take NO looks at self at all, but look only and always at Christ. We must abandon relying on self, living in self s will instead of God s will, having a MUCH LESS kind of weak faith instead of a firm declaration of the MUCH MORE abundance of Grace that the Lord requires of us. Move on people of God; live in the SECRET PLACE of the Most High: Psalm 91. He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. 1 1

12 1 2 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation. 1 7 What is this SECRET PLACE? It is the abiding place in Christ Jesus for all who are the redeemed in Him. We need to understand abiding and to practice abiding fully, this is a condition for entering into the secret life of God. ABIDING IN CHRIST - John 15:7-11: If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This passage presents a number of vital issues for us all to embrace. Other passages in the Bible taken in context present a clear picture on abiding in Christ: 1... To abide in Christ is to have all sin confessed and abandoned. No sin being indulged in or allowed habitually. The Return of the Lord in glory, this is in preparation for the new heavens and the new earth. Isaiah 65:17-19; 66:22; 2 Peter 3: 10-14; Revelation 21:1. Keep in mind as you grieve over the apostasy of many of the present day churches that this apostasy is one of Seven Signs that the Day of the Lord is near. One other sign is the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:17). But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-4.

13 1 6 PSALM 110. The deity of Jesus is shown in the first verse of Psalm 110. If you carefully examine the verses in the New Testament which are in context with Psalm 110:1 you will see a glory of revelation about Jesus Christ being God indeed: Psalm 110:4 Matthew 22:41-45; Mark 12:35-37; Luke 20:41-44; Compare this with Hebrews 5:5, 6; Hebrews 7:1-28; Acts 2:34, 35; Hebrew 1:13; 10:12, 13. Announces the eternal priesthood of Christ Jesus the Messiah. 1 Timothy 2:5, 6; John 14:6. This Psalm 110 begins amazingly with the ascension of Christ; look up the Bible verses that correspond with this for a thrilling view of the One we love. John 20:17; Acts 7:56; Revelation 3:21. Psalm 110: 2, 3 is prophetic as well. It looks forward to the time when Christ Jesus will appear as the Rod of Jehovah s strength. He will be the Deliverer out of Zion, and through Him Israel will be converted. Romans 11:25-27; Joel 2:27; Zechariah 13:9. The prophecy of Psalm 110:5, 6 leads us t o glimpse G od s judgement upon the Gentile pow ers which are holding sway on earth before Christ comes to set up His glorious Kingdom. COMPARE: Joel 3:9-17; Zechariah 14:1-4; Revelation 19: The Battle of Armageddon is shown in Revelation 19. In the future God s judgement will come upon the wicked of this world; the Scriptures show us these events. The Bible shows us as well the great and mighty clean up of the earth, until finally the earth will be purged by fire: 2... To abide in Christ is to have no interest, entertainment or business affairs that He cannot be brought into. No life at all that He cannot take part in. 3...The abiding one does not handle his/her life themselves; to be an abiding one we must take all trials and burdens to Jesus. We are not to depend on our own wisdom, life or strength. To abide we draw all wisdom, strength righteousness and life from Christ alone The abiding one does not allow anything which will separate them from the Lord Jesus. All self will, self dependence, self-righteousness, pride and self-seeking have been confessed and abandoned forever. None of this is possible for self alone to manage; but it is commanded and wrought by Christ Himself within us. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. Romans 6:

14 1 4 A STRANGE TIME ON EARTH. We can look around us in 2010 and feel shocked by the mess that the world is in. The events that shock us keep proliferating each day that passes; and these events are impacting every person on earth. Christians are not exempt; they are being messed around by economic events, environmental disasters, crazy doctrines and church distresses and heresy, wars and rumours of wars, families in suffering circumstances - all sorts of things going on. We look at the mess and it hurts so much to see it! Come Lord Jesus, come soon, is on many lips today. I was thinking about this and the Lord caused me to remember my recent spring-clean in the kitchen. The kitchen looked quite nice to the casual observer, but I knew where the hidden grubby spots were, the awful messy cupboards, the jars with dried up contents, and the junk under the sink. So I got to and pulled everything out and onto the benches, I got a bucket of warm soapy water, a good mop, and cloths. Soon the room was covered in stuff, plastic bags to cart away rubbish, jars everywhere; it was like a disaster zone after a storm. But I knew I was doing it at last, I was on my way to getting that kitchen into order - the mess was really about me getting under way with the solution. This period we are living through is about God getting under way with the solution. He cannot set up the Millennial Reign of Christ without the great clean-up happening. God has to let iniquity have its full sway, then Christ Jesus will return in the Second Advent and put down the wicked powers under Lucifer s control. Amazingly we will one day not even remember these shocking conditions on earth - it will be all over then, in the time when God creates the new heavens and the new earth. For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. Isaiah 65:17. and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name. Isaiah 62:2. When I came out of the anaesthetic after my recent hospital procedure, I had no memory at all of any of the tests and very intrusive 1 5 goings-on that had taken place for an hour and a half. They happened, sure, but I did not know. We know now about the last of the Last Days and the perils thereof, one day it will be as though we had never gone through anything, and our joy will be full in a righteous earth forever, and in God s peace. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:1-4. WHO IS THIS JESUS CHRIST WE SERVE & LOVE? The Bible gives us a portrait of Christ Jesus that is stunning in perspective. We will not understand fully until eternity what we have actually entered into by accepted Christ as Saviour and Lord, there is massive everlasting blessing in Him. We will wonder then why we did not love Him more, obey Him instantly, and cast all our anxieties upon Him all the time. We will be amazed that we were so foolish. Let us make our text Psalm 110 to look into this further, as that Psalm is given remarkable prominence in the New Testament. It showed hundreds of years before the birth of the Messiah the glories of Christ the Lamb of God.