Two Resurrections

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Most of the Christian pilgrimage consists of minor frustrations and irritations—minor compared to the awful tragedies that fall on some people. But once in a lifetime there may come a defining moment. Like Jacob, we are faced with terrible fear; or we may suffer the loss of our treasures; or there may be a seemingly endless denial of our fervent desires. Gethsemane in one form or another enters our heretofore reasonable life.

(3/20/2005) Today’s sermon addressed the idea of the righteous living by faith. The eleventh chapter of the Book of Hebrews is one long definition of what it means to live by faith.

It is interesting that the Holy Spirit teaches us faith from the lives of the patriarchs. We mistakenly believe the new covenant is distinguished from the old by its emphasis on faith. This is not the case. No one under any covenant has pleased God other than by faith. The new covenant is distinguished from the Mosaic covenant by issuing righteousness to us by means of the blood atonement and life lived in the Spirit of God, rather than by obedience to the laws given by Moses.

The Law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came through the Lord Jesus Christ. The distinction is between the Law and grace, not between the Law and faith.

As we seek to understand from the eleventh chapter of Hebrews what is means to live by faith, the first item we come to is hope. Faith is the substance or assurance of things hoped for.

Hope is ranked along with faith and love as being among the highest values in the Kingdom of God. Why is this? It is because the opposite of hope is despair. Indeed there are occasions when we despair even of life. But then we reach up and take hold upon God’s Character and realize that such experiences are for the purpose of teaching us to trust in Him who raises the dead. Thus our hope is renewed. Faith actually is our grasp on God’s unchanging Character.

God is not pleased with pessimism or self-pity. Neither of these reveals that we believe God knows about the details of our life; has the power to bring us to joy; and is bringing us to joy.

Certainly the Father chastens every son whom He receives. Assuredly He wounds us and then heals us. He brings us down to the Valley of Achor; but the place of judgment becomes a door of hope for us if we do not turn away from the Lord.

I have noticed that today many believers are being brought down to the Valley of Decision. I believe a period of great glory is approaching. God is looking to see who really loves and trusts Him. Like Jacob, once our integrity has been established beyond doubt, we will receive a name that is our name in place of the arbitrary name given us by our father and mother.

Who are you anyway? Who am I? Do we actually know? Perhaps we are well established in Bethel, the house of God. But it may be time for us to come face to face with El-Bethel, the God of the house of God. In that Day we will say with Job: "My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes." It at this point we learn our true name.

Much pruning is going on now as God prepares us for a revival of repentance in the United States. Are you being pruned now? What a blessing! Gather up the strange ashes—all that is left of your hopes and dreams. Hold them up before God and say, "You yet shall give me the desires of my heart. Therefore I will continue to trust and obey you, knowing that my end shall be glorious."

Never, never, never give up. The best is yet to come. You yet shall have the desires of your heart if you do not turn away from the Lord and yield to hopelessness. This is how the righteous live.

At night we continued in the eleventh chapter of the Book of Hebrews. Faith includes offering our sacrifice to God with a loving heart, unlike Cain who hated and was jealous of his brother.

By faith we walk humbly with God at all times, as did Enoch.

Noah portrays to us the believer who prepares himself for years as he awaits the fulfilment of the vision the Lord gave him. So we must labor for years as we await the vision God has given us. This is how the righteous live.

It is of note that Noah’s sons did not belong to a "youth group." If they did they would not have worked alongside their father. In order to gain favor with their peers they would have scorned their father as being a crazy old man Recent experiences are suggesting to me that we should not be dividing our families by age groups. When Satan can manage to split off the youth from their parents, such that the youth are gaining their values from their friends rather than from their family, he readily is able to lead them astray.

There are youth leaders today who seduce their charges away from their parents by entertaining them with fun and games. Each pastor needs to watch out for this and put a stop to it. It is destructive.

It is my conviction that the Lord Jesus want to turn the hearts of the young people to their parents and the parents to their children. If we continue to foster "youth groups" we are going to bring the curse of God upon us.

See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse. (Malachi 4:5,6)

I think the prophets are warning us today to withdraw from the teaching of the American culture that would create generation gaps. Let us look to Shem, Ham, and Japheth as our models as they worked side by side with their dad for so many years as he obeyed God. It is time for the family unit to be emphasized.

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