BATTLE IS THE LORDS- [Last Sunday teaching- verses from the
Mass and Church Unlimited]
https://youtu.be/TqfUmwkwgXk Battle is the Lord’s
2Chronicles
20:20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of
Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah,
and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be
established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.ON VIDEO-
.Lazarus
.Grandmas question
.God used ‘savage pagans’ to judge his people
.ISIS
.Iraq- Libya- North Korea
.War games
.Cuban missile crisis
.Songs of victory
.Gospels
.Bethany
. ‘Let’s kill Lazarus too’ Huh?
.Easter cometh
.Resurrection- now and later
.Angelic hosts
NEW- Today I shared some of the verses from the Mass and
Church Unlimited.
In Chronicles we see the king under pressure.
The enemies of Israel are on the way- he is outnumbered and
has no idea what to do-
2Chronicles
20:1 It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the
children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against
Jehoshaphat to battle.2Chronicles 20:2 Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi.
2Chronicles 20:3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
So he seeks the Lord and God gives him a prophetic word-
2Chronicles
20:14 Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of
Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of
the LORD in the midst of the congregation;2Chronicles 20:15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.
Ok- he puts it in God’s hands.
Yet- the enemy is still on the way- ready to wipe them out.
The next day they go to the spot- and realize God had sent
‘ambushments’ himself-
2Chronicles
20:20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of
Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah,
and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be
established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.2Chronicles 20:21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.
2Chronicles 20:22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.
The enemies of God were dead- and the people of God
collected the spoils of war-
2Chronicles
20:24 And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked
unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and
none escaped.2Chronicles 20:25 And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.
It worked out pretty well indeed.
I also talked about Jesus raising of Lazarus in John 11- I’ll
add my commentary below.
And Romans 8- how we are now ‘raised from the dead’ in a
sense- because we have the Spirit of God In us now-
Romans
8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you,
he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by
his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
There will be a future resurrection of the body- and the
apostle teaches us we are also raised now-
Ephesians
2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,Ephesians 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Ephesians 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
We are not in an earthly battel against flesh and blood-
Ephesians
6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places.
But in a spiritual battle- the people we think are against
us- are only pawns in the greater game.
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this
world, according to the prince of the power of the
air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
And the enemy wishes to use them- and to throw them away.
When we recognize that it is a heavenly battle- and there
are ‘more with us than them’-
Then the enemy will be defeated.
In Chronicles 20- the enemies of God actually died-
physically.
But what about our fight today?
When the people satan manipulates to do his bidding [all of
us at times- when we walk in the flesh] see the victory that God gives us-
That in itself is a witness of the power of God.
They will think ‘we never saw it like this before’-
Then they too will choose to repent.
Repentance entails dying to the old man- the old ways- and walking
a new path.
So yes- in a sense- they ‘die too’.
But not like the enemies of old.
No- they will die to the sinful nature- the things that the enemy
has used them for.
And when that happens- they will walk a new way- a ‘resurrected’
way- if you will.
The Word of God- functioning thru the church- the ‘prophetic
word’ will ‘slay’ them-
3 And I
will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two
hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
4 These are
the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the
earth.
5 And if
any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their
enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
In the end- when we put our trust in the Lord- no matter
what the odds are against us- we will win.
All of us.
When Jesus said –
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know
not what they do. And they parted
his raiment, and cast lots.
He left an example
for us.
As I have been teaching the books of Acts- Stephen followed
that example-
Acts 7:59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying,
Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
Acts 7:60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord,
lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
And there was a young man who saw it-
Acts 7:57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their
ears, and ran upon him with one accord,
Acts 7:58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the
witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.
He went on to become the greatest missionary of the early
church.
Yes- he died too- he died on the Damascus Road- and was raised
again- to walk in newness of life-
PAST POSTS [My past posts that relate to today’s post
‘Battle is the Lord’s’- verses below]- I added the Russia link because the past
few days I have talked about recent stuff that involves Russia.
(591) John 11[ radio # 594]- Lazarus is sick and Mary and Martha
send for Jesus. They were all friends and supporters of Jesus ministry, surely
they will get special treatment, they know for sure he will be healed! Jesus
waits a few days and lets Lazarus die. When he finally shows up, Martha comes
to ask him ‘why weren’t you here! He would have not died if you were here!’
Jesus also earlier said ‘I am glad I was not there’ not ‘I am glad I didn’t
heal him’ it’s like Jesus knew if he were there he would have had no choice but
to have healed him, his compassion would have taken over. Martha and Mary knew
it too. These are Jewish friends that are all sympathetic to his cause, they
were known to have been friends with Jesus, they already carried a cross for
him. For him to have let this group down was hard. He knew God had a better
plan, but it still was hard. Martha tells Mary ‘come quickly, Jesus wants you’
Mary gets up and runs to Jesus. I don’t read where Jesus asked for Mary, I
think Martha might have just said this to encourage Mary. Often times the
closest followers of Jesus need to be encouraged. They have been with the Lord
for years, they have given so much to the cause. They see how God is doing so
much for others and yet all things don’t seem to be working out for them. They
feel like Mary ‘what’s the use, I was following him years before these others,
and yet he doesn’t even have time to come and heal my brother, he’s out all
over the place healing everyone else, his so called ‘great ministry for God’
and yet I really needed him’ Mary needed to be encouraged, Martha encouraged
her! Jesus does raise Lazarus and God is glorified. Word gets back to the
religious leaders and they are afraid if they don’t do something they will lose
their influence and power among the people. It was a power issue. Often times
leadership will resist the ‘Body of Jesus’ coming into full functioning
maturity, they are afraid that if the Body of Jesus becomes too influential,
they might lose their place. John the Baptist taught us earlier that this was
to be, the Pharisees had other plans. As they hold a council, Caiaphas the high
priest says ‘leave him alone, Rome
will come and kill him and it will be better. That way they can vent on him
instead of all of the Jewish nation’ he prophesies the truth of Christ’s
substitutionary death, and doesn’t even realize what he’s saying! Often times
you will get a word from the Lord from people that don’t even realize they are
prophesying! NOTE; I forgot something. When Jesus and his disciples are going
to raise Lazarus, they will be entering an area where the Jewish leaders ‘have
a contract on him’ they are looking to get him! Jesus reassures the guys they
will be safe if they walk in ‘the light’ of Gods will. Thomas says ‘Oh great,
lets all go and die with him’. Gee thanks for the support brother! Jesus never
kicks Thomas off of the ministry ‘team’ he lets him stay on. You often hear ‘if
you are the smartest person in your group get a new group’ or ‘evil
communications corrupt good manners’ [scripture does say this]. But we
sometimes teach it in a way that says ‘Don’t ever listen to the naysayers,
eliminate them from your group. They will destroy your team spirit’ while there
is some truth to this, remember Jesus was the smartest person in the group, his
critics actually accused him of having ‘a bad group’ [this man eateth with
sinners] so keep a balance in this. We are here to help the sick, not the well.
If you don’t have some ‘bad apples’ in your sphere of influence than how are
you gonna help them?
[parts]
)ROMAN 8:1-4 ‘There is therefore
now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the
flesh [sinful nature] but after the Spirit [new nature]’. Now, having proved
the reality of sin and guilt [chapter 7] Paul teaches that those who ‘are in
Christ’ are free from condemnation. Why? Because they ‘walk according to the
Spirit’ the ‘righteousness of the law is being fulfilled in them’. Having no
condemnation isn’t simply a ‘legal function’ of declared righteousness, and
Paul didn’t teach it that way! Paul is saying ‘all those who have believed in Jesus
and have been legally justified [earlier arguments in chapters 3-4] are now
walking [actually acting out] this new nature. Therefore [because you no longer
walk according to the flesh] there is no condemnation’! This argument helps
bridge the gap between Catholic and Protestant theology, part of the reason for
the ongoing schism is over this understanding. After the Reformation the
Catholic Church had a Counter Reformation council, the council of Trent. They
dealt with a lot of the abuses of the Catholic Church, things that many
Catholic leaders were complaining about before the Reformation. They did deal
will some issues and reformed somewhat. To the dismay of the more ‘reform
minded’ Catholics [with Protestant leanings] they still came down strong on
most pre reform doctrines. This made it next to impossible for the schism to be
healed. But one area of disagreement was over ‘legal’ versus
‘actual/experiential’ justification. The Catholic position was ‘God can’t
declare/say a person is justified until they actually are’ [experientially].
The Protestant side [Luther] said ‘God does justify [legal declaration] a
person by faith alone’. Like I taught before, both of these are true. The
Catholic view of ‘justification’ is looking ahead towards a future reality [The
same way James speaks of justification in a future sense- He uses the example
from Genesis 22, when Abraham does a righteous act] while the Protestant view
is focusing on the initial legal act of justification [Genesis 15]. Here Paul
agrees with both views, he says ‘those who walk after the Spirit [actually
living the changed life] have no condemnation’.
(840)ROMANS 8:5-13 Paul will teach
the impossibility of the ‘carnal minds’ ability to submit to Gods law. Those
who are ‘in the flesh’ [the unregenerate nature- not simply ‘in the body’. We
will get into these distinctions in a minute] can’t submit to God. Society
spends so much time and effort trying to get the ‘lost man’ to do what's right.
The prohibition movement [outlawing liquor], the increase in the severity of
punishment for crimes dealing with drugs. Making the child kidnappers crime
punishable by death. While all these laws are necessary and good [though some
debate the wisdom of the kidnapper one, they think the kidnapper might just go ahead
and kill the victim if the same punishment applies to both crimes] they have
little effect on getting ‘the carnal man to submit’. Paul also says ‘if the
Spirit of him who raised up Christ from the dead dwells in you, then he that
raised up Christ from the dead shall quicken [make alive] your mortal bodies by
his Spirit that dwells in you’. Let’s do a little teaching here. Most
commentators see this as speaking of the promise of the resurrection ‘your
mortal bodies’. I see this more in line with the context of chapter 7. The
discussion of ‘mortal bodies’ [your actual body, the flesh- which is different
than ‘the fleshly nature’ which refers to the sinful nature] speaks of your
actual life now ‘let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies’. Also in verse
13 of this chapter the same theme is seen ‘if ye thru the Spirit mortify the
deeds of the body ye shall live’. I believe Paul is primarily saying ‘if you
are in the Spirit [born of God] the Spirit of life will make alive your
physical life in such a way that you will glorify God in your body and spirit,
which are Gods’ [Corinthians]. Chapter 12 says your bodies are living
sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God. Now later on in this chapter [8] we do
see the resurrection, which is called ‘the redemption of the body’ [verse 23]
so these two concepts work together. The fact that the believer is ‘training
his mortal body’ for God [thru obedience] is sort of a precursor to the
resurrection! Now, some believers confuse the resurrection of the body and the
work of regeneration in ‘making you alive’ [Ephesians 2]. The work of
regeneration brings your dead spirit back to life [born again] when you believe
[which is a Divine imputation of faith at the moment of conversion, a sovereign
act]. This ‘coming alive’ is purely spiritual. This qualifies you for the
future physical resurrection of the body [Ephesians calls this the ‘down
payment’, the ‘earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the
purchased possession’. The word ‘earnest’ here is used in the same way as
‘earnest money’ in a real estate transaction. The fact that we have been
‘sealed’ with the Holy Spirit is our ‘guarantee of future bodily
resurrection’]. Bishop N.T. Wright, the bishop of Durham [the church of
England- Durham is the 3rd most influential post in the Church of
England. Canterbury is at the top] has recently written on the truths of the
resurrection of the body. He is an excellent scholar, way way above my league.
He has been instrumental in ‘re introducing’ the reality of Christ’s resurrection
as well as our future resurrection as a very real Christian belief [and
historic truth as well]. I have read some of Wrights stuff and am a little
surprised at some of the ideas on ‘soul sleep’ and the immortality of the soul.
Bishop Wright seems to side with some of the ideas that certain restorationist
groups [7th day Adventists] espouse, that the Catholic Church kind
of corrupted the ideas of heaven and the soul by being overly influenced by
Greek thought. While it is possible for Bishop Wright to have come to his
understanding entirely thru scripture and history, yet I felt it a little
strange to see him make these arguments. For the most part I like brother
Wright and totally agree with his stance on the future ‘new heavens and new
earth’ as the final place of rest [as opposed to dying and going to heaven now,
which is a temporary place] but there is the biblical reality of a present
‘heaven’ and this doesn’t only come from Greek thought. I have often used the
Christian doctrine of the new heavens and new earth while speaking with the
Jehovah’s witnesses, I always agree on the reality of a future kingdom on
earth. I simply steer the conversation back to ‘who qualifies for it’ and get
straight to the gospel. Well anyway we have a promise of a future resurrection,
and also a ‘quickening of the body now’ [God actually using our physical life
to glorify him]. These are both great truths!
(841)ROMANS 8: 14-18 ‘For as many
as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the Sons of God’. Many of us are
familiar with this verse [I hope!]. We often see it as saying ‘Gods direction
in our lives is proof that we are Christians’ true enough. But in context
‘being led by Gods Spirit’ means living the new life thru Christ. The putting
to death of the old man and being ‘made alive’ thru Christ is what this is
saying. Paul agrees with John [1st John] ‘those that do what is
right [led by the Spirit] are of God’. Paul says ‘we have received the Spirit
and a natural result of this is crying “Abba, Father”. I don’t want to do too
much here, but Paul sees the ‘confession’ and heart cry of the believer as
proof, a result of being ‘a habitation of the Spirit’. A sign, if you will, of
being born of God is confessing/ praying to the Father. Paul quoted David in
chapter 4 ‘for this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when
thou mayest be found’ [Psalms 32- actually Paul quotes a different section from
the Psalm, but this theme is consistent with Paul’s view]. Paul knew the
reality of ‘the godly calling upon God’ they have an inner cry of ‘Abba,
father’. ‘We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ’. For many years this
has been a popular verse among many believers, often times it is used to say
‘God owns the cattle on a thousand hills’ [which he does] therefore if we are
heirs ‘give me some cattle’! [stuff]. Here Paul uses this term in speaking of
our identification with Christ’s sufferings. ‘If we suffer with him, we too
shall share [joint heir!] in his glory’ [future glorification at the
resurrection- we shall see him and be changed in a moment, at the twinkling of
an eye. This mortal shall put on immortality]. It’s a symptom of modern
American Christianity to view all these scriptures thru a materialistic lens,
Paul held to the promise of a future reward [at the resurrection] that enabled
him to go thru great difficulty and suffering in this present life. He counted
the suffering as a privilege that he shared with Christ.
(843)ROMANS 8: 19-25 ‘the
sufferings of this present time [are you ‘presently’ suffering?] are not worthy
to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us’. Paul compares the
difficulty to the reward. The reward here is the future resurrection. Paul did
not see suffering as ‘from the devil’ or the reward as something material [monetary
stuff! The resurrection body will be ‘material’ - real]. Paul teaches that the
whole creation is waiting for this day. Not only will we get a ‘makeover’ but
there will be a new heaven and a new earth! The creation itself longs for this
[almost as much as Al Gore!] This resurrection is called ‘the redemption of our
body’. The next verse says ‘we are saved by hope’. John also says [1st John]
that the future reality of the resurrection ‘causes us to be pure in this life’
[every one that has this hope in him purifies himself, even as he is pure].
Why? Because we know God has a purpose for our bodies as well as our spirits!
The ‘getting saved by hope’ simply means the future hope of the resurrection
‘encourages’ us to live clean now. Once again ‘saved’ is a neutral term. In can
apply to all sorts of things. I always found it funny how when you read certain
commentaries, that you see the difficulty Christians have when coming across
these types of verses. There’s a verse that says ‘the woman will be saved thru
childbearing’ geez, you wouldn’t believe the difficulty some writers have when
they come across this stuff. Some teach ‘she will be ‘saved’ thru the birth of
a child [Jesus]’ and all sorts of stuff. I think if we simply changed the word
‘saved’ for ‘delivered’ [which are basically the same thing] that maybe this
would help. But thank God that we have a future resurrection to look forward
to, let this truth ‘deliver’ you from the temptation to think ‘what’s all this
suffering worth, why even go thru it?’ Because we have a great promise at the
other end!
(845)ROMANS 8:26-28 ‘Likewise the
Spirit also helpeth our infirmities’ why does Paul say ‘likewise’? He is saying
‘not only does the future hope of the resurrection sustain us, but also Gods
Spirit helps us’! He knows how to make intercession for us in ways that we
cannot. I just finished an hour prayer time, not an ‘official’ intercession
time [which I do a few times a week now]. But an ‘unofficial’ time where I try
and hear what the Spirit is speaking. When you are ‘praying in the Spirit’
[which can include the charismatic expression of tongues] you are depending
upon the Spirit to transcend your limited ability to articulate what needs to
be said. ‘All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who
are ‘the called’ according to his purpose’. A very famous verse indeed. What
does it mean? It means what it says! Over the years I have heard so many
excuses for trying to get around difficult things. Why do the righteous suffer?
Some taught it was because of their ignorance of scripture. Why did the things
that happened to Job happen? Some said it was because he ‘feared’ that the
things would happen [this group seems to miss the whole underlying reason for
the book. Job’s friends are continually looking for a reason thru out the book.
The point is, sometimes there is no reasonable explanation. I realize you can
pick apart certain statements from Job and come up with ‘reasons’, but the
meaning of the book is God is sovereign and we shouldn’t always think we can
figure him out or ‘work the system’]. Here Paul says ‘whatever is happening to
you right now [even very bad stuff!] will eventually work out for you benefit’.
What about Hitler? Did he love God? I don’t believe so. This scripture says ‘to
them that love God’. Your only responsibility thru the difficulty is to ‘love
God’.
(846)ROMANS 8:29-30 ‘for whom he
did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed into the image of his
Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did
predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified:
whom he justified, them he also glorified’. Let’s talk a little. When I first
became a Christian I began a lifelong study of scripture, where I continually
read a certain amount of scripture every day for many years. Over the years I
have varied on how fast I should read [that is how many chapters per day and so
forth]. But during the early stages I always took these verses to teach
predestination in the classical sense. Simply put, that God ‘pre chose’ me [and
all whom come to him] before we ‘chose him’. The Fundamental Baptist church I
began to attend [a great church with great people!] taught that ‘classic
Calvinism’ [predestination] was false doctrine, and they labeled it ‘Hyper
Calvinism’. I simply accepted this as fact. But I never forgot the early
understanding that I first gleaned thru my own study. I also was very limited
in my other readings outside of the scripture. I did study the Great awakenings
and Charles Finney. I read some biographies on John Wesley and other great men
of God. These men were not Calvinistic in their doctrine [which is fine], as a
matter of fact Wesley would eventually disassociate from George Whitefield over
this issue. Whitefield was a staunch Calvinist! Over time I came to believe the
doctrine again, simply as I focused on the scriptures that teach it. Eventually
I picked up some books on church history and realized that Calvinism was [and
is] a mainstream belief among many great believers. I personally believe that
most of the great theologians in history have accepted this doctrine. Now, for
those who reject it, they honestly struggle with these portions of scripture.
Just like there are portions of scripture that Calvinists struggle with. To
deny this is to be less than honest. The Arminians [Those who deny classic
predestination- the term comes from Jacob Arminias, a Calvinist who was writing
and studying on the ‘errors’ of ‘arminianism’ and came to embrace the doctrine
of free will/choice] usually approach the verses that say ‘he predestined us’
by teaching that Gods predestination speaks only of his foreknowledge of those
who would choose him. This is an honest effort to come to terms with the
doctrine. To be ‘more honest’ I think this doesn’t adequately deal with the
issue. In the above text, as well as many other places in scripture, the idea
of ‘Gods foreknowledge and pre choosing’ speak specifically about Gods choice
to save us, as opposed to him simply knowing that we would ‘choose right’. The
texts that teach predestination teach it in this context. Now the passage above
does say ‘those whom he foreknew, he also did predestinate to be conformed into
the image of Christ’ here this passage actually does say ‘God predestinated us
to be like his Son’. If you left the ‘foreknowledge’ part out, you could read
this passage in an Arminian way. But we do have the ‘foreknowledge’ part. So I
believe Paul is saying ‘God chose us before we were born, he ‘knew’ ahead of
time that he would bring us into his Kingdom. Those whom he foreknew he also
predestinated to become like his Son.’ Why? So his Son would be the firstborn
among many. God wanted a whole new race of ‘children of God’. Those he
predestinated he ‘called’. He drew them to himself. Jesus said ‘all that the
Father give to me will come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no way
cast out’. Those who ‘come’ are justified, those who are justified are [present
tense] glorified. Gods design and sovereignty speak of it as a ‘finished task’
like it already happened. God lives outside of the dimension of time. I believe
in the doctrine of predestination. Many others do as well. You don’t have to
believe it if you don’t want to, but I believe scripture teaches it.
(847)ROMANS 8: 31-39 ‘What shall
we say then to these things? [what things? The fact that God predestined us and
has guaranteed completion of the purpose he has designed us for!] If God be for
us, who can be against us?’ Paul teaches that Christ is the only one with the
‘right’ or authority to pass judgment. If the only person in existence who can
‘officially’ condemn and pass legal judgment has actually died for us for the
purpose of ‘freeing us from a state of condemnation’, then who ‘gives a rip’
about others opinions and views of us? Most of us struggle with how others view
us. Paul did teach that Elders should have good character and a fine reputation
in the community. But there is another type of ‘persona’ that preachers can
fall into. A sort of ‘concern’ about what the critics are saying. In this
context Paul says ‘If the opinion of the only person in existence whose opinion
really matters, is one of “I accept you unconditionally, I declare you free
from what others think, you are my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Ever
since I have known you, you have been pleasing in my sight” [all true
scriptures by the way] Then who cares what others think! Paul also teaches that
nothing can separate us from Christ’s love ‘not tribulation or distress or
famine or persecution’ IN all these things we are more than conquerors thru him
who loved us. Most times we view this passage from a ‘Calvinistic’ lens. I want
you to see the impact of this statement thru a different lens. In the American
church we have taught people ‘would a good father not pay the bills of his
kids? Would a good father allow his kids to suffer? If you were really
partaking of the New Covenant you would have it made’. While I do realize that
many well meaning ministers have taught these viewpoints with honest and sincere
hearts, I also have seen how this mindset accuses the saints. It basically
tells the struggling believer ‘what kind of father do you have? If he really
loved you would you be going thru these things’? In essence we are saying
‘tribulation and distress and persecution’ are all signs that ‘you have been
separated from Gods love’! Paul blows this false [materialistic] mindset out of
the water. He says it is thru these things that we are more than conquerors. It
is the ability to look into the face of Pontius Pilate and say ‘you have no
power over me, my father has permitted these things to take place. I am here to
lay my life down for his glory’. Paul said all these things we are suffering
are opportunities to glorify our father. To look into the face of society and
say ‘nay, we are more than conqueror's thru him that loved us’. The early
church set the world on fire when they were laying their lives down for the
cause, refusing to deny their Lord even at the point of death. They were ‘more
than conquerors’.
(848)ROMANS 9: 1-8 Paul returns to an earlier theme ‘Christ
came, as pertaining to the flesh
[parts]
VERSES-
2Chronicles 20:1 It came to pass after this also, that the children
of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites,
came against Jehoshaphat to battle.
2Chronicles 20:2 Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat,
saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this
side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi.
2Chronicles 20:3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek
the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
2Chronicles 20:4 And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help
of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.
2Chronicles 20:5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of
Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court,
2Chronicles 20:6 And said, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou
God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in
thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand
thee?
2Chronicles 20:7 Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the
inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of
Abraham thy friend for ever?
2Chronicles 20:8 And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a
sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,
2Chronicles 20:9 If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword,
judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy
presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction,
then thou wilt hear and help.
2Chronicles 20:10 And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab
and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of
the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not;
2Chronicles 20:11 Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to
cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.
2Chronicles 20:12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have
no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we
what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.
2Chronicles 20:13 And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their
little ones, their wives, and their children.
2Chronicles 20:14 Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son
of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of
Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation;
2Chronicles 20:15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye
inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto
you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the
battle is not yours, but God's.
2Chronicles 20:16 To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they
come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook,
before the wilderness of Jeruel.
2Chronicles 20:17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set
yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah
and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for
the LORD will be with you.
2Chronicles 20:18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to
the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the
LORD, worshipping the LORD.
2Chronicles 20:19 And the Levites, of the children of the
Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD
God of Israel with a loud voice on high.
2Chronicles 20:20 And they rose early in the morning, and went
forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood
and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the
LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye
prosper.
2Chronicles 20:21 And when he had consulted with the people, he
appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness,
as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy
endureth for ever.
2Chronicles 20:22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the
LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which
were come against Judah; and they were smitten.
2Chronicles 20:23 For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up
against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and
when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to
destroy another.
2Chronicles 20:24 And when Judah came toward the watch tower in
the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead
bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.
2Chronicles 20:25 And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take
away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the
dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more
than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil,
it was so much.
2Chronicles 20:26 And on the fourth day they assembled themselves
in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the LORD: therefore the name
of the same place was called, The valley of Berachah, unto this day.
2Chronicles 20:27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and
Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem
with joy; for the LORD had made them to rejoice over their enemies.
2Chronicles 20:28 And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and
harps and trumpets unto the house of the LORD.
2Chronicles 20:29 And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of
those countries, when they had heard that the LORD fought against the enemies
of Israel.
2Chronicles 20:30 So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his
God gave him rest round about.
2Chronicles 20:31 And Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah: he was
thirty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and
five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of
Shilhi.
2Chronicles 20:32 And he walked in the way of Asa his father, and
departed not from it, doing that which was right in the sight of the LORD.
2Chronicles 20:33 Howbeit the high places were not taken away: for
as yet the people had not prepared their hearts unto the God of their fathers.
2Chronicles 20:34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first
and last, behold, they are written in the book of Jehu the son of Hanani, who
is mentioned in the book of the kings of Israel.
2Chronicles 20:35 And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah
join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly:
2Chronicles 20:36 And he joined himself with him to make ships to
go to Tarshish: and they made the ships in Eziongaber.
2Chronicles 20:37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah
prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with
Ahaziah, the LORD hath broken thy works. And the ships were broken, that they
were not able to go to Tarshish.
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which
are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath
made me free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak
through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and
for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Romans 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in
us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Romans 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of
the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
Romans 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be
spiritually minded is life and peace.
Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it
is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Romans 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so
be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of
Christ, he is none of his.
Romans 8:10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of
sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the
dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken
your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Romans 8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh,
to live after the flesh.
Romans 8:13 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.
Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are
the sons of God.
Exodus 15:1 Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song
unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath
triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
Exodus 15:2 The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my
salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God,
and I will exalt him.
Exodus 15:3 The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.
Exodus 15:4 Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the
sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea.
Exodus 15:5 The depths have covered them: they sank into the
bottom as a stone.
Exodus 15:6 Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power:
thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.
Exodus 15:7 And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast
overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which
consumed them as stubble.
Exodus 15:8 And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were
gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were
congealed in the heart of the sea.
Exodus 15:9 The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will
divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword,
my hand shall destroy them.
Exodus 15:10 Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them:
they sank as lead in the mighty waters.
Exodus 15:11 Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is
like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
Exodus 15:12 Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth
swallowed them.
Exodus 15:13 Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which
thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy
habitation.
Exodus 15:14 The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall
take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina.
Exodus 15:15 Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty
men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan
shall melt away.
Exodus 15:16 Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness
of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O
LORD, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased.
Exodus 15:17 Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the
mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which thou hast made for
thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O LORD, which thy hands have established.
Exodus 15:18 The LORD shall reign for ever and ever.
Exodus 15:19 For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots
and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought again the waters of
the sea upon them; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of
the sea.
Exodus 15:20 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took
a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and
with dances.
Exodus 15:21 And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he
hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
Exodus 15:22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they
went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the
wilderness, and found no water.
Exodus 15:23 And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of
the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called
Marah.
Exodus 15:24 And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What
shall we drink?
Exodus 15:25 And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a
tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there
he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,
Exodus 15:26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the
voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and
wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none
of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am
the LORD that healeth thee.
Exodus 15:27 And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of
water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the
waters.
And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by
the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Romans
12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing
of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect,
will of God.
Note- Please do me a favor, those who read/like the posts-
re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read them on- Thanks-
John.#
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