What Love Is This? Part Two - Eros

"Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine,"
 Song of Solomon 1:2.

"Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.   Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.  And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?"  (Prov. 5:18-20).

We stated last week that God is the author of all true loves, including eros, or sexual intimacy.  In the right context, it is a beautiful expression of the love shared between a man and his wife.

"There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not: The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid," (Prov. 30:18-20).

Many people have given up on God's pattern for marriage and are simply co-habiting without a lifelong commitment to the relationship.   They have seen so many marriages, even among Christians, fail.  Yet the Word of God declares that "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge," (Heb. 13:4).

Why is there an abortion in America on the average of one every fifteen seconds?   If two people who were truly in love were being fruitful and multiplying, why would they kill their seed?  The fact of the matter is that, when a woman becomes pregnant to a man she doesn't really love and who she knows won't be there to help raise the child... or, when the man doesn't want the responsibility and/or already has children by other women, the enemy causes them to justify or reason why it's better for this "fetal tissue" to be extracted from the body.   The womb becomes a tomb.   As with any holocaust or genocide, those committing the murder must soothe their own conscious by dehumanizing the objects of destruction, calling them anything but a human being.  When eros love is "out of order" the results are devastating.

God meant for procreation to take place in the context of holy matrimony for the purpose of producing a godly seed in the earth.

"Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant. And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth," (Malachi 2:14,15).

What an awesome privilege God has given to mankind: to reproduce life.  Children are meant by God to be a blessing.

^"As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.   Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate," (Ps. 127:4-5).

"For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.  Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord," (Ps. 128:2-4).

When children get to be raised in a loving home by their biological parents, even if they are not Christians, they are still better adjusted, happy and secure.   When children don't grow up with love (storge), their spirit is more vulnerable and prone to engage in deviant forms of "love".   In other words, we all need love, and when we don't get loved the right way, we'll seek to fill that void in other ways.    I often compare this with eating.   We all know that there is a difference between eating healthy and eating junk food.   When we're hungry, junk food is better than no food at all.  Who wants to starve to death?   Perversions of love is like junk food.  When you're love starved because no one has fed you "healthy love", then perhaps masturbation, lesbianism, homosexuality, etc. may be the alternative that Satan brings into your life's experience.  Deep within your spirit, you know it's wicked; if you don't, then it's a sign that you have been given over to a reprobate mind.

"Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:   Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.  For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;   
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them,"  (Romans 1:24-32).

America is becoming as Sodom and Gomorrah, two cities that came under divine judgment and subsequent destruction because they were filled with sexual perversion.   Perhaps you have been snared by sexual sins and you want to be free.  Jesus became sin so that you might become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.  You are not stuck with your sin!  Praise God!  You do not have to come under judgment if you repent and come under the Blood of Jesus instead.

Regardless of how deeply entrenched you may feel the sin is... no matter are great a stronghold it may have become, when you have Jesus Christ on the inside, then greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.   Christ, the anointing that destroys every yoke, is your victory.   Repentance involves a change of heart and a change of mind.  You become transformed by the renewing of your mind. Understand that the stronghold begins in your mind, with imaginations, thoughts, fantasies, etc. that you entertain.  You must begin to cast down every thought, every imagination that exalts itself against the knowledge of God (2 Cor. 10:5).  You must fill your spirit with truth and walk in that truth so that you do not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Gal. 5:16).  Allow God to sever every relationship that is spiritual unhealthy for you.  Recognize Jesus Christ as the Divine Bridegroom and understand that, spiritually speaking, you are His Bride.   You are to be married to Him and you want to live this life in such a way that you are preparing yourself for that great Wedding Day.

"For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ," (2 Cor. 11:2). 

God can restore you.  Jesus will free you.  And whom the Son sets free, is free indeed!  Amen.

God and Divorce

Is God ever in divorce?  Even though He hates it, the answer is a profound YES!  God Himself has been married, divorced and remarried.  In His dealings with Israel and Judah, God looked upon His chosen people as His wife.  When they committed spiritual idolatry and whoredoms, He divorced Israel, but brought her to repentance, and married her again.

⁷ And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.
⁸ And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
⁹ And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.  - Jeremiah 3

 He commanded His prophet Hosea to marry a harlot as a prophetic picture of how His own people had treated Him.

"The beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea. And the Lord said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the Lord," (Hos. 1:2).

In the time of Ezra, God led His people, especially the priests, to not only divorce the wives that He never intended for them to marry, but to also send the children from those marriages away.

³ Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.
¹⁰ And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel.
¹¹ Now therefore make confession unto the Lord God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives.
¹² Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do.
¹⁴ Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us.  - Ezra 10

It is good to know the will of God before getting married.  Unfortunately many people either do not seek godly counsel or do not heed it.  After the damage is done, then they look for someone to rescue them from a bad situation.  Nevertheless, they must now go through a process and reap what they have sown and wait for God's timing to release them.  

Will continue this next week.  

 

Note:  In classical mythology, Eros is synonymous with Cupid, the god of love, affection, attraction and desire.

 

What Love Is This? Part One

 

 

"Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law," (Ro. 13:8).

Introduction

In this new series we are going to explore the subject of love.   We will come to understand the various types of love, love versus lust, biblical stories and examples of the nature of each kind of love, and the end-time apostasy of love (Mt. 24:12), and so much more.

God is love (I John 4:8) and all true love originates in Him.   A person who does not love, does not know God.   Love has enemies (Ps. 109:4-5).   Yet, the greatest commandment(s) given to us are in regards to love [Dt. 6:5; 10:12; 11:13; 13:3; 30:6; Joshua 22:5; I Kings 11:2; Mt. 22:37; Mk. 12:30; Lk. 10:27; 2 Thess. 3:5].     

Jesus charged His disciples saying, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another," (John 13:34).   Another word for love is "charity".  The following verses are truer now that when the Apostle Peter wrote them:

"But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.  And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.  Use hospitality one to another without grudging," (I Pet. 4:7-9).

As we draw closer to the coming of Jesus Christ, we must determine to guard our hearts against all attacks against the love we are to show towards others.  So, let's explore our love life, shall we?

EROS, STORGE, PHILEO OR AGAPE?

These four types of love form the foundation for our study.  We use the one word "love" in English to mean many things, but there are different original words in the Bible which we translate as "love" and those words mean very different things.    When you say, "I love you" a friend, to a parent, to a sweetheart, to your child, and to God, it means different things.  

Let's do a brief overview which we will expound on in great detail in future studies.

EROS

We get our word "erotic" from this word.  In the beginning God commanded Adam and Eve to "be fruitful and multiply..." (Gen. 1:28).   Adam "knew" his wife and she conceived (Gen. 4:1).  We understand that  Eros and knowing someone erotically is to be sexually intimate with them. 

God is not against sex!   He's the one who created man with the capacity for Eros love.  Without it, none of us would have been conceived and mankind have ceased to exist.  What God is against is the perversion, the fornication and adultery, the lack of commitment to the relationship, the damage done to the soul, etc.   I'll say it again:  God is not against sex; He's against sexual sins.  This is the area where many people confuse lust with love.  The damage done by sexual sin is far greater than we imagine.  The word of God warns us to "flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body," (I Cor. 6:18).  

¹⁵ Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.  ¹⁶ What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh," (I Cor. 6:15,16).

Without a body, Eros cannot manifest.  Many people get caught up in their bodies and in the bodies of others and can become obsessed with their looks and their "sex appeal".   Many people today have multiple "partners" and have greatly perverted what God meant to be holy and undefiled.  We won't blame this on the devil either.  The perversion of Eros is rooted in the lust of the flesh, not the work of the devil.

¹⁶ This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.  ¹⁷ For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would, (Galatians 5).

STORGE/PHILEO

 

"A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity," (Prov. 17:17).

"Let brotherly love continue," (Heb. 13:1).

 

These two loves are so closely related that we will study them together.  As Eros is rooted in the body, these loves are rooted in the soul.  

 

 Storge love is a natural love and affection that family members have for one another because they are family.  They share the same genetic make-up; they may look and act like each other and have many inherited similarities and traits.  They live together, eat meals together, and know each other on a level of intimacy that bonds them.   They know what each other looks and acts like early in the morning or late at night.  They gain an understanding of one another's likes, dislikes, gifts and abilities, etc.  God placed a natural love of a mother for her child and that bonding takes place while the child is still in her womb.   Family will take care of one another and share a responsibility for each other.

 

Phileo is the love of a friend.  Sometimes the bond with a friend is so strong that they can feel like family.  Friendship love is formed when you find someone with whom you share things in common.   Perhaps you like the same kind of music, or sports teams or you like to engage in the same kinds of activities such as fishing or bowling or gardening. There is an emotional tie that causes you to not only enjoy one another, but whatever activity you engage in becomes "more fun".  You laugh harder when watching a comedy when you're watching it with a friend versus watching it alone.

 

Your strongest relationship(s) can be determine by who you first share your greatest joys and pains with.   When you have good news, who is the first person you call?   Whoever you share with first tends to be the person you are closest to.  

 

Phileo love is not organic.  It's not something you're born with, but rather, something you develop with someone.  You can live without it, but life wouldn't be nearly as meaningful or rewarding.

 

"A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother," (Prov. 18:24).

AGAPE



"And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God," (Eph. 3:19).

God is a Spirit and so His love is not rooted in the flesh, or in the soul, but in the spirit.  This love has height and length and depth and breadth.  It's full of mercy and compassion and power, wonder and awe.  It's truly incomprehensible!   It's stronger than death and the one who possesses it has the power to overcome all things because this love "never fails"  (I Cor. 13:8).

God's love is characterized as an unconditional love for the unworthy... a love given irrespective of merit.  It is a love that seeks to give rather to receive.   It is a gift, not a reward; it is not earned.

"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren," (I John 3:16).

This love was lavished upon us while we were yet in our sins.  It demands that we love our enemies, that we bless them that curse us, do good to them that hate us and pray for them that despitefully use us and persecute us (ref. Mt. 5:43-48).  This love challenges us and changes us.  Romans 13:8 is in reference to this kind of love; it is a debt that we owe one another.  The Apostle Peter tells us to love each other fervently with a pure heart (I Pet. 1:22).  

Agape is so immense.  Jesus demonstrated the Father's love and whenever He was moved with compassion miracles occurred.  When a believer allows the love of God to be shed abroad in his heart, he too will see great miracles occur.

No one can stop you from loving like this except you.  If you allow this kind of love to flow out from you to others, you will unlock a life of unbelievable beauty and power.  Nothwithstanding, there will also be great pain and suffering.  Jesus was the greatest Lover ever born, and they crucified Him.  But, He rose again.   When you love like that, death cannot hold you down.   Beyond the suffering is a joy that is unexplainable.   You can tap into it; it's a choice.   I pray that as we go into the depths of this study, you will make a quality decision to move into the realm of God's agape and take up residence there forever.  Amen.






















 

First, Peace. Then, Power - Conclusion



"...God hath called us to peace," (I Cor. 7:15b).

 

"But the fruit of the Spirit is ... peace..." (Gal. 5:22, excerpt).

 

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body..."

(Col. 3:15).

 

 

I don't know who else this message may be for, but it is certainly for me.  One inmate wrote this week in response to these blogs on Peace: "The more I give in to anger, the less joy and peace I feel.  I make some excuse about this place [prison]; but, I can leave and get away from the person [that's making me angry].  But in truth, if I don't change on the inside, it's the same no matter the event or person."

 

All week long my peace has been challenged.  One frustrating event after another has come crashing down upon me.  In these days when Satan knows his time is short and he is seeking whom he may devour, he will use his weapons to disturb our peace and to cause the cares of this life to choke out the Word of God until it becomes unfruitful (Mark 4:19).  Luke 8:14 says that the cares of this life keep the Word of God from bringing any fruit "to perfection".  In other words, we do have the word of God in us, but we will birth to the wind, as it were.   We need to maintain the peace of God.  It has taken several weeks of pondering on this message and praying, to come to this realization:  If there are things in my life that continually disturb my peace and it's obvious that I have not received the grace of God to deal with it, then it is something that needs to be cut out of my life.

 

Any message we get from God must find practical application in our lives, meaning, the Word must bring about a change somehow.  If this word isn't changing you, you will not be ready to walk in the power that God wants to release to you.  It may take much struggle and warfare to get to the place of righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Ghost, but here is what  we learned last week about these things (righteousness, peace and joy which is the substance of the kingdom of God):

 

"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.   For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men," (Romans 14:17,18).

 

 

The place of peace is in itself, a place of power.  When you can maintain peace in the midst of a crisis, you are demonstrating the power of peace.  That peace is so powerful that it can extend itself to cover and protect others around you.  What might have happened if  Jesus had not spoken peace to the storm (Mark 4:35-41)?  What if He hadn't been on the boat that day?   What if the outcome had been left totally up to His disciples?  Perhaps the water would have filled the boat to the point of sinking.  However, when Jesus said, PEACE, BE STILL, a great calm came over the sea and wind.

 

As our Prince of Peace who has caused us to inherit HIS Peace, what can you and I accomplished through the power of that peace?

 

I recall an event that happened in my home some years ago when a rather contentious, unpleasant man and his wife were spending the weekend with us.  From the moment he arrived, the whole atmosphere of our home darkened with his negative words and self-centered conversations.  While trying to be good hosts, we had "given the floor" to him to speak; but the more he spoke, the worse we were all feeling.   We could feel the conflict between good and bad, light and dark.  The love and peace and joy that was normally prevalent was replaced by irritation, anger, confusion and a myriad of negative thoughts and energy. 

 

I had a hard time sleeping that night.  When morning came, I felt depressed, knowing that this man was in my home and I wasn't looking forward to another day like the day before.   So, I began to pray and ask God for wisdom on how to restore the peace that we were accustomed to.  As I spent time alone with God in my bedroom, praising and worshiping Him to strengthen my spirit, He showed me that I was to take the private praises and make them "public", as it were.   In other words, when I stepped out of my bedroom, I came out with a praise on my lips and declaring that this was a day that the Lord had made and that we would rejoice and be glad in it.  I kept lifting my voice in praise before everyone in the house until I felt the darkness break and the peace return.

 

What was so amazing in that experience is that the countenance of our guest not only lightened up with smiles, but his conversation that day was not negative, bitter or self-centered.  Instead of us entering his "atmosphere", we made him enter ours.  And it lasted the remainder of their time with us.  Speak peace.  Praise God and He will set a table before you in the very presence of your enemies.  Someone's spirit is going to dominate an atmosphere.  If you are carrying the peace of God, it might as well be your spirit! 

 

How ironic that the devotional I use on a daily basis, gave me this verse this week:

 

"And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children," (Isa. 54:13).

 

I am praying for all of my children - both natural and spiritual - that the Word and Will of God become firmly established and manifested in their lives.   When we walk in righteousness, God extends His favor to our seed (children).  I can stand on this promise:  that MY children will be taught of the Lord, and MY children shall have GREAT peace.  Amen.  You can claim those promises too.   Your peace is not just confined to you.  It will spread out and cover and protect others as well.

 

 

FIRST PEACE, THEN POWER

 

^"Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you," (Luke 10:19).

 

In our first message on peace (April 21, 2013) we shared the story from Luke 10 about how Jesus sent 70 unnamed disciples two by two into every city that He was going to visit.  Read Luke 10:1-19 again.  Did you notice that when Jesus sent them out as sheep among wolves with the message about the kingdom of God being near, that they could only heal in places where they were accepted?  If they entered a city where they were not accepted, they were instructed to shake the very dust from off their shoes and move on to the next place.   They were not to engage in any conflict because He had sent them out in peace. 

 

It's not until they return successfully from this assignment, that Jesus then says to them, "I give you power...".  That's present tense.  In other words, I believe because they had followed instructions and returned successfully, they were "promoted" to another place.  God always rewards those who are obedient.  Never think that your labor is in vain.  When you do the right thing, there is a reward, beloved.   It's easy for me to believe that these 70 disciples were among the 120 that were gathered in the upper room when the Day of Pentecost was fully come.  Oh, yes!   "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth," (Acts 1:8).

 

When the resurrected Lord appeared to His hiding disciples this is what He had to say to them:

 

"Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you" (John 20:19).

 

Jesus' first words were of PEACE.  

 

"And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.

²¹ Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you," (John 20:20,21).

 

A second time, the Lord Jesus Christ speaks the word of Peace to His disciples.   First Peace.  Then...

 

"And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost," (John 20:22).

 

We know that they were to receive power AFTER that the Holy Ghost had come upon them (Acts 1:8).   So, this then is a principle in the Word of God:  He gives you peace before He gives you power.   What happens when a person has power, but not peace?   That is not the order of God. 

 

The anti-Christ understands that in order to look and act like God, and be accepted through deception, he must come in peaceably:

 

"And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many..." (Daniel 8:25).

 

Yes, Satan will come in sheep's clothing, but Jesus warns us that we are to inspect "fruit", not gifts.  (read Mt. 7:19-21, 22-24; 2 Thess. 2:9).

 

Do not be deceived!  Do not be impressed by prophetic gifts or people working miracles, signs and wonders.  No not be impressed by the "appearance" of peace.  Check out the "results" of a person's lifestyle and ministry.   Do they have the fruit of the spirit as listed in Gal. 5:22-23?   There is no substance to artificial fruit.   How is their life affecting the lives of others:  for better or worse?  There is a peace of God that rules in our hearts.  If something or something disturbs that peace... if a "red flag" goes up in your spirit, be diligent to seek the Lord and know the reason for it.  Do not be naïve.  This is a day to stand strong.

 

In Jesus' name.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



First, Peace... (Part Two)

 

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid," (John 14:27).

Jesus is our Prince of Peace; therefore, the peace we inherit from him is a supernatural, divine force - a godly enablement to maintain an inner tranquility when all the forces of hell are attempting to break us down.   The evil days we're living in are only going to get worse.  Men's hearts will fail them for fear of the things they see coming upon the earth (Luke 21:26).  Nevertheless, we can prevail in the power of peace. 

The spirit of peace will keep you in control.  When you lose your peace, you give the control of your emotional state over to another spirit.  God's kingdom within you comes in righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost (Ro. 14:17).  When you lose your peace, you stop acting like who you are in Christ; you stop acting like the righteousness of God and you definitely lose your joy.   Nobody can take these things away from you unless you allow them.  The Bible says that if a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him (Prov. 16:7).   Whatever you do, make sure your ways, your works, and your words that come into the ears of Almighty God are not anything that you'd be ashamed of; make sure you don't lose either the peace of God or your peace with God.

At least six times in the New Testament God is called the God of Peace:

-   Ro. 15:33                     

-   Ro. 16:20

-   Phil. 4:9

-   I Thess. 5:23

-   Heb. 13:20

-   2 Cor. 13:11

We're told to

a)     Live in peace (2 Cor. 13:11)

b)     Be at peace among ourselves (1 Thess. 5:13)

c)     Bear the peaceable fruit of righteousness (Heb. 12:11)

"Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them..." (Ezek. 37:26).

There is such a vast difference between the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the condemnation of the devil.   One gives us the ability to approach a merciful and loving God when we know we need forgiveness and cleansing from sins; the other makes us feel ashamed, unworthy, guilty, unloved, unwanted, and punishable.   We can get angry at ourselves for our failures and shortcomings; and/or we can be upset with others for theirs.   We may struggle with forgiving ourselves and allowing ourselves to find peace with God enough to enjoy His presence and fellowship.   Yet, Jesus left a legacy of peace as a means to comfort His people.   It's His peace - a peace that passes understanding.

God made provision for peace offerings in the O.T. Levitical priesthood (Lev. 3:1-17).  There was one of three reasons for a peace offering: to perform a vow, as a voluntary offering, to show forth thanks.   The peace offering represented communion and was a meal shared with the priest and God.

Have you lost peace with God and want to know how to restore it?   Of course, repentance is always the first order of spiritual reconciliation.  As part of the royal priesthood of believers, our offerings to God are sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving.

"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name," (Heb. 13:15).

It's important to create a spiritual atmosphere of peace in your soul; worship the Lord and enjoy Him forever!   Your communion and your confidence in the covenant He has established will lay a foundation of strength and stability in your walk with God.

When people would come to Jesus to get their needs met, He would not only meet the need, but pronounce peace to remain with them even in parting from Him.

- to the repentant prostitute:  "Your faith has saved you.  Go in peace" (Lk. 7:50, NKJV).

- to the woman healed of her issue of blood:  "Your faith has made you well, Go in peace" (Lk. 8:48).

At the very birth of Jesus the angels sang, Glory to God in the highest and on earth, PEACE, good will toward men! (Luke 2:14).   God's will towards men is still a good will.   Although sin and wickedness has greatly increased and evil men wax worse and worse, God's Word declares that where sin abounds, God's grace abounds even the more (cp. Romans 5:20; 6:1).

The Gospel is a gospel of peace (Ro. 10:15).   Part of our calling is literally a call to peace (I Cor. 7:15).   Peace is also a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22).   Do you war within?  End the battle.  Let the peace of God RULE in your heart  (Col. 3:15).  God wants to take you somewhere, beloved; but it's first going to require you to establish a foundation of peace.   First, peace...

NOT AS THE WORLD GIVES...

It's okay to relax and enjoy the things of this life that Jesus gave us richly to enjoy.  Yet, none of those things should serve as a substitute for real peace with God.   Many people find ways to conjure peace without any communion with God.  That's not the kind of peace we're after.  Rather than real peace, there are ways that reduce stress and give people a feeling of mental and/or emotional well- being... if just temporarily.  I'm referring to things such as recreational drug use or casual sex.  Perhaps it could be things less sinful, such as that morning cup of coffee, a "good" movie, a vacation on the beach.  Maybe it's a night out on the town, reading a good book or relaxing while listening to classical music.  For some it may be an escape into the arts or just getting off alone somewhere for "peace and quiet"... tranquility.  Different strokes for different folks, as they say...

Jesus' peace comes with precious promises.  He has gone to prepare a place for us.  He has promised to come and get us and take us to where He is.  He gives us hope and a future.  He sent His precious Holy Spirit as a Comforter to be with us as a constant Companion and spiritual aide.  He's given us everything we need pertaining to life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3).

At the time Jesus spoke peace to His disciples, change was coming.  He was about to leave and they would feel uncertain about the future without Him being physically present as He had been in the past.  Jesus spoke of going away to a place where they could not follow.   What were they supposed to do in the meantime?   Often there is a strong temptation to fear... to lose our peace.... when we don't know what to expect... when the future doesn't make sense... when there are major upheavals in our lives.  That's why we must trust God and remember all that He has spoken to us. 

"You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You," (Isa. 26:3, NKJV).

God has ordained peace for us (Isa. 26:12).   Notice what Haggai declares concerning the latter day house of God:

"The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts," (Haggai 2:9).

The prophecy of the Psalms tells us that "But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace,"  (Ps. 37:11).

The prophet Jeremiah reveals God's heart and thoughts towards His people, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end," (Jer. 29:11).

Amen!

" Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,  Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." - Hebrews 13:20-21

 

We will continue next week, beloved.

 

First Peace... (Part One)

I hear a word from the Lord as a prophetic revelation and warning, so I am changing the direction of my teaching and will be sharing a secret principle which was shown to me by our Lord some years ago.    As with most things the Lord shows me, before the revelation can be fully understood, a foundation must first be laid.   So, grab your Bible and let's begin.   We need this message now more than ever before.  Why?  Because it's time for the Body of Christ to activate the latent power and authority that has been dormant within.

JESUS SPEAKS PEACE TO THE STORM

There are some lessons to be learned from the incident recorded in Mark 4:35-41.  A group of ships were caught in a great storm of wind while Jesus lay fast asleep on a pillow  in the hinder part of one of the ships.  So much water was pouring into the ship that the disciples feared they would all perish.  What did they do? Probably the same thing we would have done.  They went and woke Jesus up!

^"And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm," (vs 39).

The result of their action was this:  Jesus arose; he rebuked the wind and calmed the sea.  Mission accomplished!  No more need to fear.   After he rebukes the wind, Jesus further rebukes the disciples:

"And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?" (vs 40).

Now personally, I was a little stumped by Jesus words, "how is it that you have no faith".  Let's be real:  wouldn't we consider turning to Jesus in the midst of a storm... wouldn't we consider that an act of faith?   After all, if we didn't believe Jesus could do something about the situation, why would we approach Him?   I understand that they were afraid and that fear [False Evidence Appearing Real] and faith are opposites.   But, to say that they had NO faith, rather than say that they were operating in at least a little bit of faith.  Hmmm.

"And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" (vs 41).

It would seem that it's easier to calm the sea than to calm men.  After Jesus calms the sea we see that the root of fear remained within His disciples so much so that it had intensified and they now feared "exceedingly".   The storm was over; a great calmness was upon the sea.  What are they afraid of now?   They were afraid of a man who could exercise authority like no man they had ever known before.

They missed the point...
We don't get it yet either...
But we'll come back to it later...
Remember, we're just laying a foundation right now. 

The word for "peace" is "shalom" [7965 in Strong's Exhaustive Concordance].  This word represents not only a feeling of being safe, well, happy and friendly, but also "welfare, i.e., health, prosperity, peace and rest."   Instead of saying "hello" as we do in greeting people in our culture, the greeting of "shalom" was a way of imparting a blessing to the person being greeted.

FIRST SAY, "PEACE"

Read Luke 10:1-9.  Many lessons can learned from this passage and we're going to take time to look at some of them because they will be relevant to our overall message.  The Lord Jesus Christ appoints seventy "no-names" to go into places, two by two, where he would eventually come himself.

Notice several key points from these nine verses:

1.     They were "appointed", not "anointed"
2.     Instead of following "behind" Jesus, they were going "ahead" of (or before) Him.
3.     They would be "lambs among wolves"  [and wolves love to eat lambs!]
4.     They were to carry nothing with them
5.     They were not to stop to salute (or greet) anyone along the way [no distractions]
6.     Upon first entering a home, they must pronounce, "PEACE to this house"
7.     They would discern peace in the house, a sense of rest and could remain in that house
8.     They were not to go house to house, but remain only where peace was dwelling
9.     They were to humbly receive whatever food was set before them
10.   They had the ability to heal the sick and to proclaim that the kingdom of God was near

In the following verses (10-11) Jesus instructs them not to remain in any city where they are not received.  In other words, they were not to try to do any kind of spiritual warfare to "take the city".  No!   If they were not received, they were to shake the very dust from their feet and simply leave.  Why?  They were lambs among wolves and the covering of peace would protect them from becoming lamb chops.  If they had stepped into an arena of conflict, we might not have the testimony of verse 17 which tells us that "the seventy returned again...".  In other words, not one of the 70 were lost.

THE SEVENTY REPLACED ONE MAN WHO LEFT THE PATH OF PEACE

That's right.  You want to know why it was necessary for the Lord to raise up these seventy unnamed disciples?  To finish the work of John the Baptist.

"And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways," (Luke 1:76).

We are typically called to follow Jesus.  Yet it was the unique call of John the Baptist to prepare the way (coming) of the Lord by going before Him.

John the Baptist's assignment was to minister the knowledge of salvation and "To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace," (Luke 1:79).
In other words, John was meant to walk as a lamb among wolves; but, what did he do?  This man of the wilderness began "wolfing" against wickedness in high places...even in the palace  (Mt. 14:3-4; Mk. 6:16-18).   And it cost him his head.  I believe John the Baptist died prematurely, with his work undone; therefore, the Lord had to raise up others to finish the work.   

It took seventy men to replace the one.  All because he stepped outside the boundaries of peace.  I know we live in a time of much spiritual warfare, but I must caution some of you:  if you are not anointed to deal with principalities and powers, leave it alone!   If God appoints you as an ambassador of peace, do not get involved in the conflict!  Honestly.  It's NOT for everybody!  Even those who are called to spiritual warfare must first be men and women who carry the love of God and the peace of God.  We'll explain why and show the scriptural support for this statement as we get deeper into this message.

PEACE LOST IN EDEN

There was peace in Eden and in Adam until sin entered in.  One of the things that sin brought was a disturbance of the peace.  That's when guilt entered in...and fear...shame...accusations against one another...division...confusion...loss of prosperity...pain...frustration...worries...concerns...stress.   The first couple had no peace of God after they sinned; therefore they hid when God came seeking for them in the cool of the evening.  They could only fellowship with God if they had peace with Him.  Once that peace was broken, fellowship was impossible until peace was restored.

Peace is the spiritual atmosphere and attitude God has towards us through which He works His loving kindness to draw us back to Him.  Peace is the power of reconciliation.  When there is no peace, there is war.  The absence of peace leaves you with confusion, bitterness, fear, worry, stress, murderous thoughts, feelings and actions.  

When peace is broken, it takes something to re-establish it.   It cost Jesus His life; His Blood.  Despite what He had to go through:  the rejection of his own family, the misunderstanding and hatred of the doctors of the law, the betrayal of his own familiar friend, the fleeing of his inner circle, the physical abuse and torment, etc., He never lost his inner peace; He never called down fire upon his enemies, never cursed them or prayed for their destruction.  He endured the contradiction of sinners against himself (Heb. 12:3) and won the crown whereby we call him the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6).

BEWARE OF FALSE PEACE!

"And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many..." (Dan. 8:25).
"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," (I Thess. 5:3).

We will deal with this and more... next session.