1 Timothy 3:15, "...that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."
Acts 8:26-29, “(26) And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. (27) And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, (28) Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. (29) Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.”
(26) And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
(27) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
(28) And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Genesis chapters 1 and 2 contain for us a great and humbling truth:
God created the world for you and I, and He desires to have a covenantal relationship with us.
Will you fully embrace and accept God’s invitation to covenant?
In Moses’ day, Darwin’s theory of evolution did not exist; No one believed the universe “just happened” after a “Big Bang”; and, the prevailing cultural belief of Egypt in that day was that the earth was created by multiples deities.
After all, they would argue, the earth so vast, so full of variety, that surely it was impossible for just one deity to create it all.
These faulty assumptions were upended with one Hebrew phrase written by Moses as he was moved on by the Holy Ghost: “”Bereshit bara Elohim,” or in English, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”[2]
God did it all by Himself.
No other deity partnered with Him. No triune, co-equal, co-eternal, co-existing deities collaborated on the Creation.
Just One God, Elohim, all by Himself, through the power of His Spoken Word – “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”
He said, “Let there be,” and low and behold, there it was.
Malachi 2:10a, “Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us?”
Deuteronomy 4:32-35, “(32) For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it? (33) Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live? (34) Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? (35) Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him.”
Act 4:24, “And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is.”
Isaiah 43:1, “But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.”
Isaiah 44:24, “Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself”
John 1:1-3, 10-13, “(1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) The same was in the beginning with God. (3) All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made….(10) He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. (11) He came unto his own, and his own received him not. (12) But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (13) Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Adam and Eve, the Crown of Creation
The surprising twist in the story of Creation is that as God was building His creation layer upon layer, He was preparing it for a covenantal relationship:
First came the alternation of light and darkness, called “day” and “night” (the passage of time), then the sky, then the sea and land, and so on.
At the end of each stage, God called it good. God was clearly pleased, but He still kept working.
Finally on the sixth day, after He had spoken skies and stars and plants and trees into being, God scooped up a handful of His newly formed earth and began to sculpt it into an “image” of Himself:
Genesis 2:7, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
In addition, God called him “Adam.”
And the Creation account ends with this statement: “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).
God had been working tirelessly for days on end, had achieved something significant.
He reached His goal and then He rested.
What was noteworthy objective?
To make someone in His image and likeness with whom He could have a covenant relationship.
What about This Word “Covenant?”
The word “covenant” does not appear in the Creation account, but clearly, God was establishing His desire to be in covenant with His people.
The only way to live harmoniously with God and His creation is by a covenant relationship marked by acts of separation and acts of naming.
What is a “Covenant?”
The word “covenant” is used 272 times in the King James Version of the Holy Bible.
A covenant it is an agreement between at least two persons or parties and this agreement can cover any number of things, but it is usually contingent on the idea that one side will do thus and so as long as the other side keeps their end of the contract.
In the Bible, we see that often the Old Testament is a covenant between man and God, while the New Testament is a covenant between God and man:
A scriptural example of an Old Testament covenant is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
New Testament example: Hebrews 8:1-13, “(1) Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; (2) A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. (3) For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. (4) For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: (5) Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount. (6) But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. (7) For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. (8) For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: (9) Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. (10) For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: (11) And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. (12) For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. (13) In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.”
The Old Covenant involved physical circumcision, but the New Covenant is a circumcision of the heart.
The New Covenant is a better covenant and is for the entire human family.
“Covenant” as defined in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible:
(Hebrew) H1285, “a compact (because made by passing between pieces of flesh):—confederacy, [con-]feder[-ate], covenant, league.”
(Greek) G1242, “properly a disposition, that is, (specifically) a contract (especially a devisory will):—covenant, testament.”
God “made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is” out of a desire was a desire for fellowship, communion, companionship —to have someone to love and to be loved in return.[3]
To signify the uniqueness of humanity’s relationship with Him, God granted them dominion, sharing His authority so they could rule with Him, caring for creation in their role as His representatives.
Will you embrace the role God has created for you?
Will you pursue the bond with Jesus that He desires to have with you?
Just as it was in the day of Adam and Eve, it is today: We are all created for a relationship with God and He has prepared a unique role for each of us in this world.
Just as Adam and Eve were specifically designed for relationship with God and given specific abilities to fulfill their purpose (“Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth”)[4]
You have skills, abilities and a work to do for God that only you can do.
I come to the garden alone
God built a special home for Adam, His image bearer. It was a garden eastward in Eden and a place of pleasure and delight.
Despite all the “good” that God had declared beforehand, and regardless of the paradise Adam was presented with two unexpected phrases burst forth from the pages of the Book of Beginnings: “And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.”[5]
Disrupting the “good” God saw something missing from Adam’s life that reminded Him of His own isolated existence:
“And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.”[6]
Adam was created in God’s image so he could share fellowship with God, but that meant Adam also needed fellowship with another human—one who was like him.
Eve, the Perfect Helper
Genesis 2:21-24, “(21) And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; (22) And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. (23) And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. (24) Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Eve was God’s gift to Adam, perfectly matched to meet his needs.
Eve was created from Adam (specifically, from his side).
Eve was created as Adam’s help, who was meet (matched) to him.
Throughout the Book of Psalms, this term “help” becomes an image of God’s covenantal relationship with humanity:
Psalm 54:4, “Behold, God is mine helper.”
Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Adam was not the only one created in the image of God; Adam and Eve together (male and female) comprised the totality of God’s divine image.
In fact, God called them together “Adam.”
Genesis 5:2, “Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.”
Adam was incomplete without Eve and they needed to work together to fulfill the massive task allotted to them: keeping God’s gift of the Garden.
Separation and Identity
Creation is a study on separation and identity:
Genesis 1:2-5, “(2) And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (3) And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. (4) And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. (5) And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.”
God separated the light from the darkness, and then He identifies the light by giving it the name “Day.” Next, He names the darkness by calling it “Night.”
By separating and naming each specifically God gave them identity, purpose and function.
God then separates the firmament from the waters and identifies that as Heaven, and that is when our atmosphere comes into existence.
Gen 1:9-10, “And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.”
Eventually, this whole idea of separation and identity reveals the necessity of order in Creation.
Other examples of separation and identity abound throughout Scripture:
In Genesis 12 God called Abram to separate himself from his pagan culture by leaving his “country…kindred, and…father’s house” (Genesis 12:1).
Later God gave Abram and Sarai new names in order to mark the couple’s new function as nation-makers even though they would be barren for a long time.
In Acts 2, In the upper room either on the southern steps leading to the Temple, or overlooking the Temple courtyard, Peter called his hearers to separation from the world through repenting of their sins and taking on themselves the name of Jesus through water baptism (Acts 2:38).
God’s invitation into covenant is corporate and individual
God’s call to a relational covenant is offered to each individual person. The choice to join God in covenant relationship will always come to the individual; no one else can make that choice for you.
Once you accept God’s individual call you come into fellowship with the body of Christ.
Covenant teaches us that we have more than just a personal relationship with Jesus Christ (as vital as that is); we also have a relationship with His body, the church, a relationship that is also vital to our spiritual health.
When you enter that covenant with Jesus it is simultaneously a call “out of” sin and the depravity of a fallen world and a call “into” a renewed life established on God’s original purpose and design (covenant).
When we enter into covenant with God, we become “in” the world but not “of” the world:
(14) I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. (15) I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. (16) They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. (17) Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. (18) As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.[7]
Having been separated from the world you take on a new name in Christ and with that a new identity with a new purpose.
Conclusion
Psalm 101:1 – Integrity Psalm.[8] The Maintenance of the Covenant:
“I will sing of mercy and judgment: Unto thee, O LORD, will I sing” (Psalm 101:1, KJV).
“I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O Lord, I will make music” (Psalm 101:1, ESV).
Mercy, Steadfast love, is “sticky love.”
“It is the sort of love you can’t shake off. It sticks to you through every high and low, every success and failure, every malfunction and sin,” every victory and defeat. -Tom Nelson
Tom Nelson – “This attachment love” is the basis of the covenant that the wall of love between you and Jesus is built upon.
You are attached to Jesus by love and the enemy wants to destroy that attachment by disintegrating the wall of relationship, mutual trust and integrity between you and Him.
But the song of stedfast love is the song of God’s mercy: “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”[9]
Marriage is a covenant of companionship:
Malachi 2:14, “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.”
God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. That is why he put up with their murmuring in the wilderness.
And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect [knew, favorable regard] unto them.[10]
The Bible begins with a Marriage (covenant) and ends with a Marriage (covenant):
Genesis 2:18, 21-24, “(18) And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him”….”(21) And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; (22) And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. (23) And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. (24) Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”
Revelation 19:6-9, “(6) And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. (7) Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. (8) And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. (9) And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.”
Revelation 21:2, 9, “(2) 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 there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”
[1] SOURCE: God’s Word for Life. Covenant. Fall 2025 Lesson Guide. Lesson 1 – Creation. Pentecostal Publishing House.
Apostolic Life Cathedral | June 23, 2024 | 6:30 PM
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.”
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).
Apostolic Life Cathedral | April 16, 2024 | 7:00 PM
Text: Ephesians 2:19-22, “(19) Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; (20) And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; (21) In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: (22) In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”
“When the Word of the Lord is properly delivered, the sinner gets evangelized, the saint gets edified, and the Lord is glorified. Because, when the name of Jesus is preached it establishes the house of the Lord.”
-Harold Hoffman
I have been revisiting the topic of the oneness of God recently in my studies and in my research I read a two-part article printed in 1926 in The Christian Outlook, and written by E. N. Bell, which is entitled: “A Glorious Tribute to Jesus Christ.”
Tonight’s study borrows from elements in that article that I think accomplishes what Harold Hoffman said preaching the name of Jesus does for the house of the Lord…establishes it.
Since you are the house of the Lord…I hope this lesson tonight creates a construction zone for you as you “are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:20-22).
And that “the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 5:10-11).
To be apostolic is to have a full apostolic vision of who Jesus is, and Jesus Christ is Jehovah.
Jehovah of the Old Testament is Jesus Christ of the New Testament.
Jesus Is Jehovah
Isaiah 40:3-5
(3) The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
LORD in the Old Testament (KJV) is Jehovah
Same rule applies with “Spirit” in the New Testament: “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13).
(4) Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
(5) And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
2 Corinthians 4:3-6, “(3) But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: (4) In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (5) For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. (6) For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Jesus to Philip: “…he that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (Jn. 14:9).
Malachi 3:1, “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.”
In Matthew 3:3, John the baptist is revealed to be “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.”
Jesus is the Lord or Jehovah whose way was being prepared for by John.
Lord here in Malachi is referring specifically to the Messiah.
Jesus is the King of glory…the Jehovah of glory:
Psalms 24:7-10, “(7) Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. (8) Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. (9) Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. (10) Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.”
1 Corinthians 2:8, “Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
James 2:1, “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.”
James is identifying the Lord Jesus Christ as the Lord of glory.
Jesus is Jehovah our righteousness:
Jeremiah 23:5-6, “(5) Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. (6) In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
1 Cor. 1:30, “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:”
Jesus is Jehovah above all:
Psalms 97:9, “For thou, LORD, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.”
John 3:30-31, “(30) He must increase, but I must decrease. (31) He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.”
John speaking of Jesus Christ
Jesus is Jehovah, the first and the last:
“Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God” (Isaiah 44:6).
Jesus speaking, “Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death” (Revelation 1:17-18).
Isaiah 48:12 & 16, “(12) Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last….Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me.
Revelation 22:13, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”
Jesus Is the Eternal God and Creator
Psalms 102:24-27, “(24) I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations. (25) Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. (26) They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: (27) But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.”
The writer of Hebrews, in chapter 1, quotes this passage and applies it to Jesus:
(8) 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….(10) And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: (11) They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; (12) And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.
Jesus Is the Mighty God
Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
Jesus is Wonderful in His person, in His glory, in His Beauty, in His mystery:
“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” (1 Timothy 3:16).
He is the Counselor in whom is hid all the wisdom and counsel of God.
He is Mighty God, One True God, God the Mighty One.
He is the everlasting Father, the Father of the everlasting age, the Father of eternity.
Jesus is the Prince of Peace: The word “peace” here is more than just being made whole, safe, prosperous, well or complete.
It also has to do with recompense, or payment given to make an action or transaction complete.
So, the atonement is the payment made by the Prince of Peace.
Revelation 1:7-8, “(7) Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. (8) I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
Jesus Is the True God
Jehovah is called “the true God”
Jeremiah 10:10, “But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God…”
Jesus is called “the true God”
1 John 5:20, “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
He Is Emmanuel, God with Us.
Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Matthew 1:18-23, “(18) Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. (19) Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. (20) But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. (21) And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. (22) Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, (23) Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
Deut. 10:17, “For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible…”
Revelation 17:14, “These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.”
1 Timothy 6:14-16, “(14) …keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: (15) Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; (16) Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.”
Jesus is the Lord from Heaven: “The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven” (1 Corinthians 15:47).
Jesus is Lord of all:
Acts 10:36, “The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)”
Romans 10:11-13, “(11) For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. (12) For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. (13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
The name of the Lord is Jesus.
Jesus of Nazareth
The Christ – the Anointed One – Messiah
Jesus Christ
Lord Jesus Christ
If you have the Name tonight you have life.
John 20:31, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”
If you have life in your body, then you have blood.
Leviticus 17:11, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.”
If you have the blood of Jesus you have remission (pardon, freedom, deliverance, forgiveness, liberty)[3].
Hebrews 9:22-28, “(22) And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. (23) It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. (24) For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: (25) Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; (26) For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (27) And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (28) So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”
Jesus is our Prince of Preace – our atoning agent
He paid the price to complete the transaction that would redeem us from our sins and reconcile us to the Father.
That is why when we speak of Jesus being Jehovah, God manifest in the flesh, we also speak of His Name.
Philippians 2:5-11
(5) Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
(6) Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
(7) But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
(8) And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
(9) Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
(10) That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
(11) And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Text: Hebrews 12:28-29, “(28) Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: (29) For our God is a consuming fire.”
Ancillary: 2 Timothy 1:6-7, “(6) Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. (7) For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
The Civil War hit home in the Cabell County town of Guyandotte on November 11, 1861. Union troops burned the town in retaliation over a raid pulled off the day before by Confederate cavalry.
Joe Geiger, who has written a book about the Civil War in Cabell County, says Guyandotte’s fate was the result of suspected collaboration with the Confederate raiders and the town’s secessionist reputation.
Geiger said, It’s not really clear exactly how many buildings were burnt. But practically the entire business section was burned and a number of houses as well.
It’s interesting to note Confederate sympathizers’ houses were not the only ones targeted. Many houses belonging to people of Union sympathies were burned as well.
In the fall of 1861, Guyandotte served as a hostile host to a Union recruit camp. The recruits weren’t able to put up much of a fight against the raiders. They were taken prisoner and forced to march to New Bern, Virginia.
According to Geiger, some of the animosity came about because of the march of the prisoners. It began at a full run. They were tied two-by-two with rope and were herded out of town. Apparently, quite a few of the Guyandotte secessionist women were dressed up with their aprons and were yelling at the prisoners and such. The march was very torturous…
The Wheeling Intelligencer newspaper called Guyandotte the “ornaryest place on the Ohio River” and said it ought to have been burned earlier.
That event is called
“The Burning of Guyandotte.”
I’m praying that another fresh fire will begin to burn in Guyandotte tonight and its flames will burn through the Tri-State.
One hundred years ago, In 1924, a Pioneer of the Pentecostal Movement, Lill Horton had a dream. She was in a Church full of stoves, but she was shivering with cold. So, she sought for an interpretation and this was what she received:
“There’s plenty of people (stoves) who need to have the fire of God kindled in them, but they do not have the Holy Ghost to kindle the fire. You need to go where the Holy Ghost fire is burning.”[2]
You are in a Church tonight where God’s fire and shekinah falls and fills the stoves of all who will willingly reach out to Him in faith, call out in repentance and praise Him with their whole heart.
Others in this room tonight have received the Holy Spirit of God, but you’ve allowed the flame to become a barely glowing ember.
You need to hear, heed, listen and obey Paul’s words to Timothy:
“(6) Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. (7) For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:6-7).
It is absolutely necessary that you stir the embers and bring forth a fresh fire tonight.
For 100 years there has been a fire in Guyandotte.
It started in Guyandotte and that same Holy Ghost fire is here tonight.
This campus in located at 350 Staunton Street in the Guyndotte section of Huntington…
But this fire I’m preaching isn’t confined to any street of section.
“Our God Is A Consuming Fire”
The fire of the Holy Ghost crosses rivers and bridges
Social divisions, economic disparities, prejudicial thinking, generational gaps
The Holy Ghost fire I am talking about is a cord of flame uniting every Spirit-filled believer together in their faith and experience:
“For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13).
Our God is a consuming fire!
Look at our text: Hebrews 12:28-29, “(28) Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: (29) For our God is a consuming fire.”
This kingdom that began on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 (And when the day of Pentecost was fully come), placed in those 120 Holy Ghost divine power:
“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).
This kingdom cannot be moved.
It is built and established on a Rock – The Lord Jesus Christ – and the gates of Hell cannot prevail against it.
A consuming fire?
God in Christ is a consuming fire. Our Lord Jesus is “full of grace and mercy, yet He will appear in great wrath to His enemies, who will not let Him reign over them.”[3]
There is a payday someday.
So, we worship Him with reverence – a humility recognizing our unworthiness, and Godly fear – a desire from our most tender area of faith and affection not to offend God.[4]
Why? Although we see Him in this present church age as a God of mild majesty, He still possesses the tremendous power He displayed at mount Sinai, and one day, maybe tonight, He will break forth as a consuming fire against all those who violate His law and despise his gospel.[5]
I used the fire pit last night while cleaning out my garage,
The fire was hot, bright and even singed hair on the back of my hand.
The smoke got all over my clothes, my skin, hair, and even nostrils were full of the smoke…the lasting residue of the fire.
Paul told us what lasting effect the Gift, the fire, of the Holy Ghost has on us:
Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:6-7).
No Fear – no timidity, no cowardice, but boldness
Power – a holy courage, dunamis, miraculous power, strength,
“Power to encounter foes and dangers; power to bear up under trials; power to triumph in persecutions.”[6]
Love – God & Man
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18).
Sound Mind – To think clearly. Discretion. The Mind of Christ.
Philippians 2:1-11, (1) If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, (2) Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. (3) Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. (4) Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. (5) Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (6) Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: (7) But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: (8) And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (9) Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: (10) That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; (11) And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
(13) And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?
(14) And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
(15) And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
Matthew 1:18-25
(18) Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
(19) Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
(20) But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
(21) And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
(22) Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
(23) Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
(24) Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
(25) And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
“To know” and “to understand” are different from one another.
Many know the name of Jesus,
But they don’t understand the greatness of the Name.
Name refers to the fame, authority, report, honor, character and record of God.
In the Hebrew the Name was known as far back as Moses.
It was not the articulation of the Name,
But what He who had the Name would do.
In this passage, the LORD established His eternal name as a record and a memorial with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Therefore, He was also their God as the children of those patriarchs.
The “I AM THAT I AM” is the progressive revelation of the name.
It simply means that Jehovah,
the Self-Existent One who exists all by Himself,
has no beginning or ending,
and needs no other to validate His existence.
He is to you what you let Him be to you.
So, when you understand that Name you find that the Lord is everything we need:
He is our Salvation
Genesis 49:18, “I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.”
Psalm 3:8, “Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.”
Isaiah 12:2-4, “(2) Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. (3) Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. (4) And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.”
He is our Redeemer
Isaiah 49:16, “…and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.”
Psalm 19:14, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”
He is our Saviour
Isaiah 43:11, “I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.”
Isaiah 63:8, “For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour.”
Luke 1:46-47, “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.”
This all deals with the work of God to deliver people from sin and harm by paying the price necessary for their deliverance.
This great salvation we have was bought with a price: 1 Peter 1:18-21
(18) Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
(19) But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
(20) Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
(21) Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
“…and thou shalt call his name JESUS:
for he shall save his people from their sins.”
“This is my name forever” refers to God’s record and fame, his authority and character,
But when Gabriel spoke to Mary the name he told her to name the child was a proper name.
That name, the name of Jesus, held within it all the fullness of the record, fame, authority, character and honor of the I AM.
Colossians 2:9-10, “(9) For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. (10) And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:”
You need to get a personal and continuing revelation of Jesus Christ.
His first responsibility was to “save His people from their sins.”
How? Immanuel = God with us.
The only way He can reveal to you the superiority of His name is through you daily experiences.
You will never understand how God works until you get to the place where you allow Him to work.
Then you will begin to understand His Name.
The name of Jesus is a continuous and increasing revelation of His greatness.
You may be struggling with you present circumstance and having a difficult time with the “why” of it.
It may be that this is what God wants for you right now so that He can reveal more of Himself to you.
God love you too much to allow you to stay static, stagnant, and motionless.
Now would be a good time to give Jesus the credit for all the good things in your life.
For example, “Thank you, Jesus, for keeping me free from sin all day long.”
The Lord has different ways that He reveals Himself to us continuously.
A prayer this morning: “Lord, I want a greater revelation about and of You.”
To say as Paul, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings…” (Philippians 3:10).
Salvation has come to this house
Luke 19:1-10
(1) And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
(2) And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.
(3) And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.
(4) And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
(5) And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.
(6) And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
(7) And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.
(8) And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
(9) And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
(10) For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Notice: Jesus is the salvation coming to Zacchaeus’ house
V. 5 – Jesus said, “To day I must abide at thy house.”
V. 9 – Jesus says, “This day is salvation come to this house…”
_______
Acts 4:12 – there is no other record, fame, authority whereby you must be saved.
You need a name change.
Your soul has not lived until you get a name change.
This can only take place when you are baptized in the only saving name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Moses changed Oshea’s name to Jehoshua.
Joshua had a job to do and his name was changed to fit his job.
(13) For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
(14) Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
(15) And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
(16) For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
(17) Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
(18) That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
(19) Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
(20) Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Hope, in the New Testament, is generally defined as “anticipation, expectation, confidence, faith.”[1]
However, in this passage it is best defined as that which we “have, hold, own, or possess.”[2]
Another way to view hope in our text today is “to hold one’s self to a thing, to lay hold of a thing, to adhere or cling to.”[3]
George Beverly Shea wrote “In Times Like These,” and it contains these words:
In times like these you need a Savior
In times like these you need an anchor
Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!
This Rock is Jesus, Yes He’s the One
This Rock is Jesus, the only One
Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!
With all the uncertainty of our day, it is abundantly clear that we need something, or someone to hold on to.
Something, or someone, to cling to.
That Rock is Jesus, He is the one we anchor our hope upon.
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name
On Christ the solid rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand
At some point everyone will have a testing of their faith.
When those tribulations come, you need to be anchored in Jesus.
You need to anchor into Jesus from several points.
Six anchor points are suggested when you moor a boat.[4]
We need multiple mooring/anchor points in our lives.
Approach truth from every angle.
You have scripture and an experience to match the Word of God.
Anchor points that help you to hold on to your faith.
Truth comes by revelation from the Word of God.
Reason is not the final authority, but God is the final authority.
Postmodernism = the idea that there is no absolute truth and what works for me “in the moment” is my truth, but it’s relative and may change at any time.
When you don’t have a personal experience with the Lord Jesus Christ all you have is theology.
Always choose the side of truth, righteousness, & holiness.
How we choose to obey and follow Jesus in our relationship with Him is key to a life of holiness.
When we don’t have a long term goal we often fall short ofour potential.
Live with an awareness of eternity.
What if Jesus were coming today.
Live for today and live for that Day when He comes for us.
Six Anchor Points
Hebrews 6:1-3, “(1) Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, (2) Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. (3) And this will we do, if God permit.”
Six Anchor Points:
We must believe there is a God.
Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
Jesus is the one true God manifest in the flesh to be our Savior.
The Bible is the Word of God.
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.”
We must believe, obey, and experience the New Birth.
Faith, Repentance, Water Baptism in the Name of Jesus Christ, and the Infilling of the Holy Ghost Speaking in Tongues.John 3:5-8, “(5) Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (6) That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (7) Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. (8) The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”
Acts 2:38, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Life in the Spirit.
Laying on of Hands = Operation of the Spirit and its Fruit and Gifts.
Romans 8:12-15, “(12) Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. (13) For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. (15) For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”
Life of Holiness.
Acts 2:40, “And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.”
How? Living a life of holiness.
1 Peter 1:13-16, “(13) Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; (14) As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: (15) But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; (16) Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
The Life to Come.
Jesus is coming.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, “(13) But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. (14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. (15) For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. (16) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: (17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (18) Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
If you feel adrift today then you need to go back and secure the lines of your hope and reattach your anchor on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Rock.
When you have made sure these six anchor points are secure, then you can weather any storm.
The Pillar and Ground of Truth 