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| Truly Educated |
| Back in my student days we were taught that a truly educated person is not one who knows all the answers. We were taught that a truly educated person is one who knows where to find the answers. Well, I for one lay bold claim to being a religiously educated person; better still, I lay strong claim to being educated as a Christian. I know not, I confess, the answers, but thank God, I do know One who knows the answers, who knows the end from the beginning and who does promise to answer if we call upon him. |
| Taylor, Gardner C., from the sermon “A Cry for Guidance.” The Words of Gardner Taylor Volume 2. Ed. Edward Taylor. Valley Forge: Judson Press, 2000. p. 25 |
J. T. Pugh preaching the now classic sermon “The Removal of Humiliation” during the 1988 Because Of The Times conference in Alexandria, Louisiana.
Happy Birthday to me!
“The value of truth is never diminished because of repetition.” -Harold Hoffman
Fruitful Character: Lesson Three:[1]
Jesus and the Calm Delight
Scripture Text: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).[2]
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).
[1] Material gleaned from Ron Wofford’s 2004 series on Christian Character.
[2] All scripture references are from the King James Version unless otherwise noted.
Fruitful Character Series: Lesson Two:[1]
- Our Purpose is to Bear Fruit…to be fruitful
- The Foundation of Fruitful Character is Love
Scripture Text: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).
John 15:1-5, “(1) I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. (2) Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. (3) Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. (4) Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. (5) I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
“Joy is love exalted; peace is love in repose; long-suffering is love enduring; gentleness is love in society; goodness is love in action; faith is love on the battlefield; meekness is love in school; and temperance is love in training.” -Dwight L. Moody
[1] Material gleaned from Ron Wofford’s 2004 series on Christian Character.
Fruitful Character Series: Lesson One
Fruitful Character – The Development of Character[1]
Text: Titus 3:8, “This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.”
[1] Material gleaned from Ron Wofford’s 2004 series on Christian Character. A huge THANK YOU to Ron Wofford for sharing this information with me over 16 years ago. These lessons are a combination of many different sources, but his is the foundation.
Categories
The Drawing Power
Numbers 4:29-33
(29) As for the sons of Merari, thou shalt number them after their families, by the house of their fathers; (30) From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old shalt thou number them, every one that entereth into the service, to do the work of the tabernacle of the congregation. (31) And this is the charge of their burden, according to all their service in the tabernacle of the congregation; the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and sockets thereof, (32) And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords, with all their instruments, and with all their service: and by name ye shall reckon the instruments of the charge of their burden. (33) This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service, in the tabernacle of the congregation, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
Isaiah 54:2-3
(2) Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; (3) For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.
Isaiah 33:20, “Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.”
Brass Pins/Stakes were used in the Tabernacle in the wilderness to secure the gold pillars of the Outer Court upright.
These pins were driven in the ground at one end and fine twined linen was attached to the pins there and to the top of the wooden pillars overlaid with gold to which sheets of fine linen were attached.
This created a type of fence and there was only one entrance into the outer court.
The Ark had one entrance – there is one gate to the sheepfold – 0ne way to enter
The wood of the pillar represents Christ’s humanity.
The gold of the pillar represents Christ’s divinity.
Humanity wrapped in deity.
Fine twined linen was drawn tightly and fastened with the pins.
The relationship between you and God has to be mutual.
There must be as much as a desire on your part to draw close to Him as He has to draw close to you.
These cords speak to us of the drawing power of God and His love for men and women:
“I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love…” (Hosea 11:4).
Without the cords the pins and stakes would be useless.
It is God’s love that constrains us, that holds us together:
“For the love of Christ constraineth [to hold together us]; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)
Matthew 15:8-9
(8) This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. (9) But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
We must keep the cords tied to the stakes and posts.
Consider that your identity with the Father is tied to how you treat those who mistreat you: “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:44-45).
The cord of love is to be drawn tight or everyone.
We are to love each one as our own self.
Our text says, “lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes.”
STORY: Camping one night when the wind began to blow and a strong storm blew in. Someone forgot the fasten the tent to the ground with the provided stakes.
A stake, a pin, will do you no good if left on the ground and not driven into the ground. The strength of the stake refers to its security in the ground, not whether it’s steel, iron, or brass.
There are some stakes we need to secure firmly into the ground firmly, and keep coming back to them in order to make sure they remain strengthened.
There are, among many, four fundamentals of faith that I will mention, and these four pins that will keep us attached to the love of God:
- Dogma = One God
- Gen. 1:1, “In the beginning God created…” God here is the transliterated form of Elohim, which means “plenitude of might,” or more simply, “one God whose characteristics are many.”
- Deut. 6:4, “Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God is one LORD.”
- In Colossians 2:9 we are told that in Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead (all the characteristics of God) bodily, and we (the Church) are complete in Him (Jesus).
- Paul did say that the Godhead was a mystery, but then he went on to explain what the mystery was, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” (I Timothy 3:16)
- Only Jesus Christ fulfilled those six points. Therefore, Jesus Christ of the New Testament is Jehovah of the Old Testament
- Duty = Love (to God and to one another)
- Jesus & People
- Discipline = Study of Scriptures
- 2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
- 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “(16) All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (17) That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
- Doctrine = What is right <<Thank you, Harold Hoffman.>>
- Reproof = What is not right
- Correction = How to get right
- Instruction = How to stay right
- Method = Union (Balance) of the Spirit and the Word
- Philippians 4:5, “Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.”
- Modesty, Humility
- 2 Corinthians 3:3-6, (3) Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. (4) And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: (5) Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; (6) Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
- Maintaining a balance in the Word and in the Spirit is necessary for complete growth. Without balance you can get too far on one side of the road. The best way to keep balanced is to realize that the Spirit of God will never contradict the Word of God.
- “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven” (Ps. 119:89).
- A balance of Word and Spirit will result in a heavenly reward:
- Ephesians 1:13-14, “(13) In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, (14) Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”
- Philippians 4:5, “Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.”
Jeremiah 10:19-20, “(19) Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous: but I said, Truly this is a grief, and I must bear it. (20) My tabernacle is spoiled, and all my cords are broken: my children are gone forth of me, and they are not: there is none to stretch forth my tent any more, and to set up my curtains.”
Instability in the Church, in our lives, occurs when we don’t strengthen our stakes and lengthen our cords by drawing closer to God.
James 4:7-8, (7) Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (8) Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Why had this happened? Their hearts were not secured, strengthened, and lengthened.
“…I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. (17) But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; (18) I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. (19) I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: (20) That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
Love the Lord your God.
Obey His voice.
Cleave unto Him – Get as close to Him – draw near to Him
The Father is seeking people who will draw close to Him:
“…the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24).
“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him” (2 Chronicles 16:9a).
There are moment in life where we are overwhelmed by life’s struggles that we begin to think that God is no longer drawing on us, that our walls are about to fall, BUT GOD IS ALWAYS THERE:
“Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined” (Job 23:8-11).
Proverbs 8:17, “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.”
The Drawing Power is here right now…
“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. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.” (Jeremiah 29:11-14).
He wants to bring you home…
The Drawing Power of God is pulling you home.
The Father was looking for the son to come home (Luke 15).
He was seeking for his return.
Categories
Glory to Glory
Text: Ezekiel 47:1-5
(1) Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.
(2) Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side.
(3) And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles.
(4) Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins.
(5) Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.
There are levels to the anointing of God.
It is one Spirit, but many depths.
The depths often display a maturing that takes place in the believer.
2 Corinthians 3:18, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
“The more we behold this brilliant and glorious light, the more do we reflect back its rays; that is, the more we contemplate the great truths of the Christian religion, the more do our minds become imbued with its spirit.” – Bloomfield
One degree of glory – anointing – to another.
Glory is the fullness of God.
His manifest presence: His character, nature, ability, provision, the weight, the splendor of His majesty, and beauty.
All that He is & All that He has
And He has given it to us.
Not like Moses, whose face eventually lost the glow of the anointing of God’s glory.
“All of us, then, reflect the glory of the Lord with uncovered faces; and that same glory, coming from the Lord, who is the Spirit, transforms us into his likeness in an ever greater degree of glory” (GNB).
Glory to Glory[1]
Level 1 – spectator level, mere observers, foot deep experience. This level is in introduction to the experience of salvation, which makes them a glory-carrier of the Spirit of God. Many are content to stay at this level.
Level 2 – ankle deep experience. At this level, many have been born again, but rarely go beyond Acts 2:38 & John 3:5. God would take them deeper into His glory, but some are content with just a trickle and miss the overflow.
Level 3 – knee deep experience. Here, those who are hungry for more venture out into seeking deeper knowledge and experiences. This is the level where people begin to learn how to pray, but there is more glory to experience.
Level 4 – waist deep experience. Here, influence begins, and reproduction takes place as the believer becomes active in church and its ministries. They contribute to the edification of the body of Christ and the harvest of souls, but they are not completely immersed in the glory of God.
Level 5 – waters to swim in. People are immersed in the glory and anointing of God. They have learned to walk by faith and not emotion. Romans 8:14, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” They are now fully immersed in the power and anointing of God’s glory they are now a glory-bearer. This level moves from carrying God’s Glory to now showing His glory by bringing blessing, life, hope, joy, and healing to those in bondage. BUT, to get here it takes hunger, desire, and passion.
You need a daily dose of fresh oil to remain immersed in the glory of God:
- Num. 11:8, “And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil.”
- Psalm 92:10, “But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.”
- Give us this day our daily bread – Every Day!
David progressed through these levels:
- Shepherd boy anointed by Samuel
- Killed a lion and a bear, which prepared him for Goliath
- Kills Goliath and promotion came and he was brought to live with king Saul
- Psalms 75:6-7, “For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.”
- “…Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts” (Zech. 4:6).
- He led armies, won battles and Saul became jealous to the point of trying to kill him.
- Saul has killed his thousands…“If people come against you, do not fear them, because the One who anointed you is going to preserve you.” –MVMUTHU
- David’s great test in this period was to keep himself from a spirit of bitterness
- David’s anointing kept him from harm even though Saul pursued him.
- King of Judah and then King of all of Israel.
- David still had to struggle before becoming King in this level
- David went through 5 levels, but he had one moment where the anointing came upon him and he grew from there.
- He did not touch God’s anointed and stayed covered.
Go beyond your initial empowerment and move from glory to glory:
- Acts 2:1-4 – initial outpouring
- Acts 2:41 – 3,000 souls
- Acts 3 – feet and ankle bones
- Acts 4 – the believers knelt and prayed and were filled with anointing and power
- Acts 5:12-16, “(12) And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch. (13) And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them. (14) And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.) (15) Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. (16) There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.”
That same glory is here tonight and you can take it with you.
[1] Levels based on evangelist MVMUTHU’s book River of God’s Glory.
Categories
12 Stones
Text: Joshua 4:1-9
(1) And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying,
(2) Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,
(3) And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.
(4) Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:
(5) And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel:
(6) That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?
(7) Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.
(8) And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.
(9) And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.
A Memorial of Twelve Stones[1]:
Memorials are extremely important in our society, so that we will remember our heritage and the sacrifices we and others have made to make them possible.
Importance of spiritual memorials for our personal lives and for the church.
A Memorial for Israel, Joshua 4:1-8
- Commanded by God.
- Fulfilled by Joshua and the people.
- Twelve stones from Jordan.
What about the Twelve Stones?
- Represented all the people (twelve tribes), verse 2.
- Participation by the people, verse 3.
- Related to the miracle, verse 3.
- Permanence because of the durability and number of the stones.
The Purpose of the Memorial, Joshua 4:20-24
- A reminder that God is the one who performed the miracle of deliverance.
- Just as He did for previous generations.
- A sign to future generations.
- A sign to other nations of the power of God.
- So that Israel would fear—honor, respect—the Lord forever.
What about it?
- We need memorials in our lives. Example: our family’s testimony of conversion.
- We need visible memorials that every family and church member participates in.
- Not a dead memorial, but a living one, for the same reasons as in Joshua 4.
- Heartfelt and demonstrative worship.
- Personal and group prayer, including the prayer closet, the prayer room, and the altar.
- Praying in the Holy Ghost – Speaking in tongues.
- Visible standards of holiness.
- Personal witness.
- Of course, a memorial is no good without the continuing reality of a transformed life.
Continue shoring up the memorials in your life.
[1] Source: italicized parts – Bernard, David K. (2004). Preaching the Apostolic Faith. p. 83.
The Pillar and Ground of Truth 