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"And the children of
Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me but
one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing I am a
great people, forasmuch as the LORD hath blessed me hitherto?
And Joshua answered them, If thou be a great people,
then get thee up to the wood country, and cut down
for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the
giants, if mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee. And the
children of Joseph said, The hill is not enough for us: and all
the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have
chariots of iron, both they who are of Bethshean
and her towns, and they who are of the valley of
Jezreel. And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, even
to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great
people, and hast great power: thou shalt not have one lot
only: but the mountain shall be thine; for it is a
wood, and thou shalt cut it down: and the outgoings of it shall
be thine: for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they
have iron chariots, and though they be strong."
Joshua 17:14-18
LESSON 1:
The children of Joseph are two,
Ephraim and Manasseh. They each were given generous tribal
allotments in the Promised Land! It appears the Jacob actually
gave Joseph a "double portion" of territory. That's the
privilege of the oldest son, which Joseph was not! But he was
the favorite son!
In our Text
today, Joshua 17:14, the children of Joseph exhibit both some
positive and negative qualities.
"And the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, Why hast
thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit,
seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as the LORD hath
blessed me hitherto?"
You see, Joshua
belonged to the Tribe of Joseph, Ephraim to be precise. These
seekers may have thought they would again be given favorite-son
status, but such was not the case! Joshua was no respecter of
persons!
The name Joshua
means "Jehovah is salvation!"
The name Joseph
means "Jehovah has added!"
Here are the
descendents of Joseph, nobly living up to their testimony,
asking for more land! Too many Christians today are satisfied
where they are, not yearning for more spiritual growth and
conquest.
Yet they speak
inaccurately too. They say they've been given but one lot! That
was just not true. In fact, they had one territory on the west
side of Jordan for the people of Manasseh, another on the same
side for the children of Ephraim ... plus more land, and a lot
of it, on the other side of Jordan for the rest of the people of
Manasseh. Really they had three "lots!"
I hope this
understatement did not reflect a grumbling spirit! In Jude verse
15 some false teachers were accused of being "complainers." This
Greek word, "mempsimoiros," basically means "to find fault,"
which is "memphomai" in Greek. Coupled with this word is "moira,"
meaning one's lot or inheritance or fate!
Not satisfied!
By the way, the
word "lot" is translated from the Hebrew noun "goral" and means
an item gained by the casting of lots, the drawing of black or
white pebbles from a bag or basket. This seems to be the way God
led His people at times during the Old Testament era. Now, since
Jesus came and died and has been raised from the grave, we are
led by the Holy Spirit of God Who indwells Believers ... and by
the precious completed Word of God! Listen to Proverbs 16:33.
"The lot is cast into the lap; but the
whole disposing thereof is of the LORD." Amen! Men
may cast lots but God determines the outcome!
The word
"portion" is interesting too, in addition to being inspired! "Chebel"
means a rope! A cord, but in this sense: a measuring cord. Hence
... the area such a cord determines or marks! One's area of
ownership!
Joseph was indeed
a great Tribe of Israel! But they didn't have to say so ... at
least not as forcefully as they did here!
"I am a great
people," they thunder in
Joshua 17:24. Paul never said anything like that! He was the
"chief" of sinners in 1st Timothy 1:15. Also Paul admitted to
being "less than the least of all saints" in Ephesians 3:8.
Yet do listen to
what Jacob prophesied for the sons of Joseph! The great
Patriarch said this on his death-bed.
"Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough
by a well; whose branches run over the wall: the archers
have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
but his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were
made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob;
(from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by
the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven
above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the
breasts, and of the womb: the blessings of thy father have
prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost
bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of
Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate
from his brethren." This paragraph is found in Genesis
49:22-26. Isn't that an amazing benediction, and prophecy?
The point of our
verse today is this, at least in part and when considered in its
context: One can be blessed of God, but often he must claim
those blessings before fully enjoying them! Laying hold of them
by faith!
And often
claiming them will require some effort on our behalf!
A vast amount of
land did belong to Joseph. But he was going to have to exert
himself to possess all that territory!
Cutting down
trees!
Expelling the
heathen!
Fighting some
battles!
And claiming the
Promises of God!
More about that
tomorrow, Lord willing!
I recently saw a
book written by a godly Preacher. It was titled "Live like a
King!" We Christians are children of the King! We are royalty!
Are we living like it?
Have I claimed
and possessed all that God has given me?
Have you?
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 2:
The
children of Joseph had a problem.
They felt their
land allotment was too small!
In the days of
Joshua, as the Promised Land was populated by the Israelites,
God gave to each of the Twelve Tribes a portion of real estate.
The Josephites
seemed to be either dissatisfied with their holdings or were of
the opinion that it was just too small.
They simply asked
their leader, the courageous successor to Moses, for more land!
His answer was
surprising too!
"And Joshua answered them, If thou be
a great people, then get thee up to the wood
country, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the
Perizzites and of the giants, if mount Ephraim be too narrow for
thee." Joshua 17:15
He offered no new
surveys!
No new
acquisitions!
Their request was
denied!
It seems that
Joshua thought God's land gift to the sons of Joseph was quite
adequate!
The problem was
this ... they had not yet appropriated all that was given them!
"There's a lot of
timber on your spread," says the old General! That word for
"wood" in the King James Text is spelled "yaar" in Hebrew. It
means forest, thickly grown timber ... once it is even
translated "honeycomb," apparently because of its maze-like
overgrowth!
And the verb "cut
down" is amazing! It is "bara" and means "to create!" It's the
second word in the Bible! "In the
beginning God CREATED ...."
In other words,
Joshua says: go carve out some more homesteads! Farms! Ranches!
Perhaps the
people of Joseph thought: "You've forgotten something, Joshua!"
Giants live in those woods!
Appropriately, "Perrizites"
means "belonging to a village" in Hebrew. "Perrizziy" it is
spelled. They were wicked heathen people who had slid into a
cesspool of immoral living, polytheism and debauchery. But they
were big!
The noun "giants"
is "rapha" and 17 times is translated just like that, "giants."
But the other 8 times it appears in God's Word it is rendered as
"Rephaim," a transliteration of "rapha" when plural.
A few folks in
Old Testament Bible days grew to great heights. Goliath was "six
cubits and a span" tall, with a cubit being about 18 inches!
Over 9 feet!
Here's the
essence of Joshua's response to the interceding sons of Joseph.
God gave you all
you need!
Go seize your
possessions!
Claim your
victories!
Giants? Not to
the Almighty God! They are "grasshoppers" in His Eyes! See
Isaiah 40:22 for proof.
Besides, God has
promised to fight for you and with you. He WILL drive away those
wicked Perrizites and their big friends!
The land is
yours!
But how can God
do such things?
Here's one way.
He promised: "And I will send hornets
before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite,
and the Hittite, from before thee." Exodus 23:28
What an idea!
All they had to
do was go "walk it off!" Plant their feet on the desired real
estate! Read with me: "Every place that
the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto
you, as I said unto Moses." God said this to Moses in
Joshua 1:3.
You see, one of
the problems the Israelites had was laziness! They failed to do
all God commanded them. They converted the Canaanites into
sources of money, tribute and taxes ... and still tolerated
their wicked presence! "Yet it came to
pass, when the children of Israel were waxen strong, that they
put the Canaanites to tribute; but did not utterly drive them
out." Joshua 17:13
The essence of
our Text today says this: Live on the level God has provided
you!
Claim and possess
His Promises!
It will take
effort.
There are
enemies.
But the victory
is sure!
Is someone today
battling lustful thoughts? A bad habit? Wrong companions?
Temptations to "quit?" Divorce? An "affair?"
In every
situation ... God has promised victory!
"Ye are of God, little children, and have
overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he
that is in the world." 1st John 4:4
Memorize God's
Word and use it, as Jesus did, like a sword to defeat the devil!
"It is written ... It is written ... It is
written!" He said this three different times in Matthew 4
and again in Luke 4, the main "Temptation" accounts. Therefore
... three times the devil was reduced to a powerless tempter!
Oh, the Power of
God's Word!
The old poets
used to say, "Seize the day!"
I say, "Seize the
victory that is your in Jesus Christ! Live up to you potential
as a son or daughter of God Almighty!"
Pray as did Moses
of old, daily I mean: "And it came to
pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said,
Rise up, LORD, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them
that hate thee flee before thee." Numbers 10:35
Amen!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 3:
The
children of Joseph came to Joshua one day, wanting more land!
Their territory
was insufficient!
Joshua refused
them!
He said something
like this: God has given you a tribal allotment. That is
sufficient. You have not claimed all the real estate that's
yours! Much of your land is wooded. Cut down that timber! It
will require much work to do so, but the extra space will be
just what you need! Now go! Obey the Lord! Claim your
possessions!
Here's the exact
verse I have in mind today. "And Joshua
answered them, If thou be a great people, then get
thee up to the wood country, and cut down for thyself
there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if mount
Ephraim be too narrow for thee." Joshua 17:15
I was thinking
earlier today. What does the Bible say about the "woods," the
thickly grown land areas that Joseph's sons had not claimed?
I was surprised
to find several things the Scriptures suggest are in the "wood"
area of our neighborhoods, at least spiritually!
First of all,
God's Word lists "she bears" as occupants of the woods! When
Elisha was being abused and cursed by a gang of rebellious young
people, God did something dramatic! We are told about this in
2nd Kings 2:24. "And he turned back, and
looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And
there came forth two she
bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of
them." In the woods were some wild animals, ones that
help us remember to honor God's Men! To respect the Preacher! We
need some time in those woods for sure!
Secondly, read
with me 1st Chronicles 16:33. "Then shall
the trees of the wood
sing out at the presence of the LORD, because he cometh
to judge the earth." This is speaking of the glorious Day
when Jesus returns I believe. Again the "woods" are associated
with judgment, but joyfully so! Singing in the woods, while we
expand our territory! "Joy" ... in the woods!
Thirdly, the
trees in the woods can be used, the timber I mean, to build
things in your life. The ones mentioned in 2nd Chronicles 2:16
specifically were headed to the Tabernacle, the place of
worship! "And we will cut
wood out of Lebanon,
as much as thou shalt need: and we will bring it to thee in
floats by sea to Joppa; and thou shalt
carry it up to Jerusalem."
No time in the woods, no worship ... at least like it should be.
Fourthly, read
Psalm 80:13. "The boar out of the wood
doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it."
There are wild hogs, "boars," in those woods too! Unclean
animals need to be driven away! Separate from them. The best way
to do so? Cut down the forests. Build your homes, advises Joshua
to the growing Tribe of Joseph. They were double sized you
remember.
Fifthly, and now
we go to Solomon's writings, there is a Bible association
between the woods and "gossip," the uncontrolled tongue!
"Where
no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there
is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth." This is found
in Proverbs 26:20 for those of you who want to know. The danger
of fire in the city is diminished if the overgrowth and brush
and woods are trimmed away from town.
Then, lastly,
there is some concern Biblically about idolatry in those woods!
Then, if so, cut them down! Jeremiah 7:18 tells us:
"The children gather
wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women
knead their dough, to make cakes to
the queen of heaven,
and to pour out drink offerings
unto other gods,
that they may provoke me to anger." No wood ... maybe no
fires to offer be used in offering sacrifice to the gods of the
heathen!
Am I writing
today to a Christian, or maybe just to a church-member, who is
still living by the woods, the ever encroaching woods, never
retreating from the city limits.
You have lost
your respect for God's Men!
Has your song
gone silent?
Too long since
you've been to the House of God?
Too near the
filthy "hogs" of this world?
Not worried about
the fiery tongues around you all the time? If you live near the
woods, be careful!
And do remember,
idols are made out of that stuff, wood! It's up in those hills,
under every green tree, where idols are worshipped!
Spiritually
speaking, buy a chainsaw. Sharpen your cutting tools! Learn to
better use your Sword!
Start "thinning"
out the woods. As they go ... you will have more space to grow,
spiritually speaking.
Now this is
indeed a great Bible case of someone "enlarging his coast!"
Amen!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 4:
Objections!
That's what the
Sons of Joseph are raising as they oppose Joshua's plan for
further land acquisition!
They needed more
territory. And indeed they were a large tribe!
But after Joshua
suggested they just go and clear their remaining land, heavily
overgrown with trees and brush, they balked.
And Joshua's idea
about conquering those giants? Well, that was dangerous!
Listen to their
rationalization.
"And the children of Joseph said, The hill
is not enough for us: and all the Canaanites that dwell in the
land of the valley have chariots of iron, both they who
are of Bethshean and her towns, and they who
are of the valley of Jezreel." Joshua 17:16
They're talking
about the hill country of Ephraim and Manasseh. These two
groups, Jacob's grandsons by his favorite boy, constitute the
Tribe of Joseph. Of course the land is not roomy enough ... yet!
There are many square miles of nearly impenetrable trees and
forests and overgrowth that needed to be cleared!
The land was
theirs, but strenuous effort would be required to utilize it, to
build upon it and farm it productively. The Hebrew word for
"hill" or "mountain" is "har," as in Harmegeddon ... Armageddon
as we know it ... the hill at Megiddo!
The word for
"enough" surprisingly is "matzsa" and means that which has
"befallen" a person. God's allotment to them was not all that
pleasing it seems! They're dissatisfied!
The Canaanites of
course were the godless heathen of the land, folks that were
supposed to have already been defeated in war! Some scholars say
the word means a "peddlar," one who traffics or sells
commodities. They are money people, merchants!
The verb "dwell"
is "yashab" and means to remain in a place permanently! These
idolaters did not plan to move anywhere, did they?
The noun "valley"
translates "emeq" and means a depressed or low place, hence a
vale. It looks like the enemies had the best part of the land
... only the mountains remained! Thus God said to Joseph: Go to
war! Defeat the wicked! Claim your possessions!
"Chariots of
iron" are military vehicles that have sharp sword-like
protrusions coming from the rims of their wheels. That device
could speed through an army and chop men to pieces in no time!
One Bible Dictionary says: "The valley of Jezreel
is the broad low valley which sweeps between the mountains of
Gilboa and the range of little Hermon eastward down to the
Jordan." This may be the very place where the world's next vast
war will be fought, again I refer to Armageddon!
"Bethshean"
means the "house of ease!" Is that not where the wicked are
living yet today?
Excuses!
Excuses!
Excuses!
Here are the
two so-called reasons why the Josephites could not conquer the
land God promised them!
1. The
inhabitants of those lovely valleys are fierce men with vastly
superior weapons! Impossible to defeat!
2. Also they
outnumber us drastically, town after town after town!
This is the
same attitude the ten spies had when they returned from scouting
Canaan during Moses' days. "We be not
able to go up against the people; for they are stronger
than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which
they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land,
through which we have gone to search it, is a land that
eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we
saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw
the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants:
and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in
their sight." Numbers 13:31-33
But God
says, "Charge! Attack! I will give you the victory!"
Yet I suggest
we Christians today act the same way!
God tells
us: "Let not sin therefore reign in
your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof."
Romans 6:12
And ...
"We know that whosoever is born of God
sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and
that wicked one toucheth him not." 1st John 5:18
But we say
... "Lord, we can't live up to that!"
Who is
right?
You tell me!
But remember
Titus 1:2 says of our Lord: "God, that
cannot lie!"
And Hebrews
6:19 goes even further: "It was
impossible for God to lie!"
Looks like
we are just living far below our calling and potential and duty
in Christ Jesus!
Believing friend, claim God's
promises for your life!
Live up to the calling He's
given you!
Possess your possessions in
Jesus Name!
That's living by faith!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 5:
This Text
might be sub-titled "How to correct someone lovingly, kindly!"
Joshua, the
great Old Testament General, has been forced to say "no" to the
Children of Joseph.
They
demanded more land, other than that which the Lord gave them in
the conquest of Canaan.
Joshua
refused them, teaching them that much of their own land remained
unpossessed! He suggested a two-fold strategy. Much wooded area
remained untamed. Plus other expanses of their land was still
inhabited by ungodly heathen people. Joseph should have driven
them out long ago!
Grab your
axes and thin the woods!
Adorn your
swords and remove the Canaanites!
But ... in
the process of saying NO, plainly and bluntly, Joshua the Man of
God did so kindly and graciously.
Let me show
you what I mean.
"And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, even to
Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people,
and hast great power: thou shalt not have one lot only."
Joshua 17:17
First of all
our verse explains something, something important. Here the
"house of Joseph" is identified more specifically. Having a
double portion as Joseph obviously did, the whole Tribe was
often called "the sons of Ephraim" or "the sons of Manasseh,"
depending upon which Grandson of Jacob was their forefather.
The noun for
people, "am" in Hebrew, suggests a closely knit group, relatives
in this case, fellow citizens. An organized assembly!
The
adjective great is spelled "rab" and means much or many,
especially in the quantitative category. According to the
Scriptural census in Number chapter 26, Joseph as a tribe had
more families than any other Jewish brother. They totaled 85,200
men, twenty years old and upward. For comparison purposes,
Reuben the firstborn only reached 43,730. And even dominant Judah
only numbered 76,500.
Great
"power," an unusual word, is spelled "koach" and means stout,
unrelenting or firm! Think of the resolve Joseph had as he lived
for God, one of the most faithful characters in all the Bible!
Remember that Reuben was "unstable as water" according to Jacob
his father in Genesis 49:4.
Look!
Even in
saying no, in denying their request for more land ... Joshua has
praised these Children of Joseph!
You men will
have to stay within your God-given borders, but your sheer
numbers and power are so thrilling to us all! Go conquer all
your land, live up to the promises of God in your collective
lives!
Then, one
more quick point today. Joshua also mentioned a blessing that
these folks had apparently overlooked. They believed themselves
to have only one "lot," just like the other Jewish Tribes, but
not so!
Ephraim
himself had a land grant, just north of Benjamin in the heart of
the country!
Manasseh had
two! One on each side of the Jordan River!
I'm not all
that great at math, but I get a total of three land lots!
See today's
verse again!
"And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, even to
Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people,
and hast great power:
thou shalt not have one lot only."
Notice the
words I've capitalized.
Things often
are better than they appear!
Did I say
"Often?"
With the
children of God, "always!"
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that
love God, to them who are the called according to his
purpose."
Romans 8:28
Or if you
prefer it in Old Testament language:
"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." Jeremiah 29:11
Praise the
Lord!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 6:
God's
leaders are invested with wisdom, wisdom from above!
Likely it is
part of the Lord's empowerment, after he has called them to
preach!
James in the
New Testament shares with us a description of such wisdom.
"But the wisdom that is from above is
first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be
intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality,
and without hypocrisy." James 3:17
One accurate
way of defining such Wisdom is by identifying it with God the
Holy Spirit! He IS Wisdom! Of course, so is Jesus and God the
Father! In fact, Jesus in John 10:30 said the Godhead is One!
Joshua,
Moses' successor and military General par excellence, displayed
such wisdom again and again.
Once when
the Tribe of Joseph, also known as the children of Ephraim and
Manasseh, asked for more land ... Joshua brilliantly responded
with some clear instructions. These were carefully crafted
instructions based on the revealed Will of God.
Instead of
leaving the Holy Land altogether, or overrunning the land of
their neighboring Jewish Tribes, Joshua required two things.
First, clear
the rest of the land you already own! That's yours legally! God
gave it to you upon entering Canaan, now Israel! We have learned
that the land was thickly grown with timber and brush and
vegetation.
Secondly,
drive out the enemy, the ungodly heathen that have stubbornly
remained on your property! The Israelites should have already
done this long ago.
Brilliant
advice, Joshua!
No doubt,
Holy Spirit directed!
Here's what
he said word for word: "But the
mountain shall be thine; for it is a wood, and thou shalt
cut it down: and the outgoings of it shall be thine: for thou
shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots,
and though they be strong." Joshua 17:18
Common words
are used here for the first few parts of speech in this inspired
sentence. Mountain is "har" and wood is "yaar," a thickly grown
forest area. However, the verb "cut down" is "bara" and means
"create" or "make" in 45 of its 54 Bible appearances.
The
Josephites were to "create" their own environment, based on
God's Will for their lives.
They just
had to claim what God had already provided them!
Fight, if
necessary!
All the
while begin guaranteed by God great success and ease in
appropriating their blessings!
The noun
"outgoings" is new to us in this Text. It is spelled "totzsaah"
and means borders, extremities, or the limits of the property
lines!
It appears
that these folks were not living anywhere near their own
borders, maybe due to fear of certain "neighbors."
To "drive
out" the Canaanites translates "yarash," a verb suggesting
"seizing, occupying, expelling or dispossessing" anyone
encroaching on one's given territory.
The
Canaanites, by definition mind you, were zealous merchants,
money men, who reflected the spirit of exalted commercialism!
Serving the god of mammon as Jesus would have expressed it!
Having the spirit of Nahum 3:16, exalting and multiplying their
merchants above the stars!
God, our
living Heavenly Father, must have ... demands in fact ...
allegiance and honor and worship far above that of
anything else on earth.
We've already
discussed those iron chariots. Deadly weapons, cutting edge
technology for that day! They were equipped with sharp knife
blades perpendicularly protruding from the wheels of their
machines, blades that would chop any interfering soldiers to
pieces as the chariots furiously sped through the battlefield!
Admittedly,
the enemy was "strong!" And "chazaq" means just that, especially
"stout, firm hard, mighty!" Also the King James Text uses it to
say "impudent, loud, hot and stiffhearted!"
Yet it's
true. The bigger they come ... with God in control, the harder
they fall!
The
Canaanites, the Perrizites, were indeed mighty ... but our God
is All Mighty! "And when Abram was ninety
years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto
him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou
perfect." This Name, as used here in Genesis 17:1, is
also employed nearly 60 more times in the Scriptures.
Problem
solved!
All the sons
of Joseph had to do now was ... obey!
And it's the
same with us today!
Rest your
faith in the Promises of God!
Lean on His
mighty Word!
Let His
Power flow through you!
Claim what
is yours in the realm of the Spirit!
You CAN
quit ______________. Go ahead, fill in the blank! Name that
pesky sin! That habit you can't seem to break! You may not need
more information, rather more inspiration! God has already won
for your the victory!
You CAN
start _____________ too. Now write that good thing you have been
neglecting. Like Bible Study or prayer or witnessing or more
faithful Church attendance! That too can be added to your life
... with help already promised from above!
Brethren and
Sisters, let's start possessing our possessions in Christ Jesus!
Let's live
up to our status as born-again children of God!
Lord, help
us to do so!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 7:
God, in His
Word, has commanded us to be faithful. In fact, such a trait is
part of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit Himself! It's required of
our leaders that they be faithful according to 1st Corinthians
4:2. "Moreover it is required in
stewards, that a man be found faithful." And since God's
Commands are never given without His empowering the saints to
obey them ... living faithfully can be based on the promises of
God!
Jesus is
Faithful! It's even One of His Names or Titles! See Hebrews
3:1-2 and Revelation 19:11. And we are going to be more and more
like Jesus, as we grow to maturity in our Christian lives!
Faithful!
But I know a
young man in the New Testament who was not faithful! John Mark
initially was a quitter! Luke tells us about it.
"Now when Paul and his company loosed
from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia:
and John departing from
them returned to Jerusalem." This Acts 13:13 event
happened on a dangerous leg of Paul's first missionary journey,
just when John Mark was needed most!
Later Mark's
unfaithfulness caused a major rift between Paul and Barnabas.
Read it here. "And some days after
Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren
in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord,
and see how they do. And Barnabas determined to take with
them John, whose surname was Mark.
But Paul thought not
good to take him with them, who departed from them from
Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. And the
contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder
one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto
Cyprus; and Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by
the brethren unto the grace of God." Acts 15:36-40
John Mark
was not living up to the high standards of faithfulness that God
requires ... and provides ... for His children.
But, good
news here, later in his life John Mark had "claimed" his
possession! He had "appropriated" the promise of God ... that
saints are faithful people!
Hear Paul
again, late in his life now. He is writing to Timothy.
"Take
Mark, and bring him with thee: for
he is profitable to me
for the ministry." Here in 2nd Timothy 4:11 "Mark" of
course is John Mark.
AlI I am
saying is this. A young Preacher began his ministry lacking
something God had already provided for him. Providing it through
the Holy Spirit and His Fullness! But that godly young man
fought the devil, overcame selfish tendencies, and laid hold of
what he needed, a faithful heart! Then he wrote a Gospel
accurately depicting our Lord's life, death and resurrection!
Failures
becoming successes!
That's what
Joshua 17:14-17 teaches!
Quit
grumbling!
God has
provided us all we need in Christ Jesus!
You lack
nothing!
Claim your
inheritance and live it day by day!
Elsewhere in
Scripture, Peter denied!
Thomas
doubted!
Habakkuk
questioned!
But, after
fighting for his God-given birthright, Peter died for the Lord,
as a martyr apparently! What loyalty ... for a former weakling!
And Thomas'
last words were: "My Lord and My God!"
Doubts gone!
And Habakkuk
no longer asked questions, he made assertions! Listen:
"Although the fig tree shall not
blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the
labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no
meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there
shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the
LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation." Habakkuk
3:17-18
Folks, take
what's yours!
What God has
provided you!
Turn that
spiritual "currency" into power to live for God every hour of
every day!
Amen!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 8:
The
Apostle Paul wrote these words. They convey an amazing truth,
often under-emphasized. "For if, when
we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his
Son, much more, being
reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." Romans
5:10
See it?
We are
"reconciled" by Jesus' Death on Calvary, by the precious Blood
He shed for us old sinners! That verb, "katalasso," means "to
exchange." In other words, Jesus took my place on that old
rugged Cross! He died for me!
But ... look
at what the verse says additionally!
"We are saved by His Life!"
That verb, "sozo,"
means delivered or rescued or made well or brought to peace.
Jesus'
Death, according to this verse, saves us from Hell!
Jesus' Life,
according to the same verse, makes possible the victorious
Christian walk, day by day!
The very
fact of Jesus sitting at His Father's Right Hand, interceding
for His Own children, no doubt praying the very petitions He
used in John 17, makes it possible ... no, makes it essential
... that we live right!
What I am
trying to show you is this: our dear Lord has not only provided
for our eternal well-being, but also for our moment by moment
existence on earth, consciously abiding in His Love!
Victory
awaits over yonder then, when we get there!
But also
victory is available now; Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday and
Thursday and Friday and Saturday and Sunday too!
The Old
Testament, in Joshua 17:14-18, illustrates this principle.
The sons of
Joseph, of course being the grandsons of Jacob too, had been
"born" of Jewish parentage. They inherited their own land in
Canaan, three huge lots of it, and could live on those plots
anywhere they pleased.
However,
there was one more issue, really two more.
Some of
their land was quite wooded, uninhabitable as it then stood.
Other parts
of their allotment were still indwelt by foreigners, Canaanites,
who hated God and lived base and sensual and reprobate lives.
Now these
sons of Israel, the people of Ephraim and Manasseh, would have
to not only be Jews, holding a deed to the land
... but also be warriors claiming God's promises
for victory in battle, thus appropriating what had been
supernaturally provided for them!
Owning the
land was one thing ... living in it, all of it, day by day was
quite another!
Jesus'
Death, His Blood, gave me a place in the land called Heaven,
eternal life ... but His Death also gave me the weapons and the
power to live victoriously while I travel to Heaven, still
living on earth!
Again, "For
if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death
of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by
his life." Romans 5:10.
It seems
that often during the day, I can just sense the Presence of our
dear Lord, our Heavenly High Priest, interceding on my behalf!
His Blood,
now in Heaven for sure, still has power, mighty power, almighty
power! Through It Jesus gives us the strength to do whatever is
necessary to defeat the devil; to live godly, serve faithfully
and believe consistently until we are called to Heaven!
What a
wonderful truth this is!
I, having
already been redeemed, born-again ... am now saved by His Life
as well!
Constant
on-going enduring power and victory ... in Christ Jesus our
Lord!
Glory to
God!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
MAY THE LORD HELP US ALL TO GROW IN GRACE
AFTER WE HAVE STUDIED THIS GREAT BIBLE TEXT! LET'S POSSESS OUR
POSSESSION IN CHRIST JESUS!
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