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Fred R. Coulter
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Greetings, everyone! Welcome to Sabbath services! In looking out and seeing how the world is, there's a lot of trouble and difficulty and things are building up toward the climax toward the end. It's good that we watch and understand what's going on, but it is also important for us to realize that these things do affect us. Sometimes they affect us to the point that we mourn.
Matthew 5:4: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Being able to be comforted, in spite of everything's that going on around you, can only from God and from His Holy Spirit.
Let's see something important concerning how God looks at us living in this world. We're seeing all the things that are going on. Sometimes it's just overwhelming. As I mentioned in part one, we have to understand what is happening, but we can't let ourselves get carried away with it and become totally discouraged.
That doesn't mean that we don't have empathy. That doesn't mean that we don't understand what's going on. This just merely means that we don't let it overwhelm us to the point that we suffer from it to the degree that it affects our salvation. We're going to see how this comfort and protection—yet, our feelings and how the world is going, because it's difficult—comes directly from God and with it also comes protection from destruction.
Ezekiel 9:1: "And He cried in my ears with a loud voice, saying, 'Let the executioners of the city draw near, even each with his destroying weapon in his hand.' And behold, six men came from the way of the Upper Gate which faces north, and each had his slaughter weapon in his hand…." (vs 1-2). We know that this is a duplicate prophecy similar to what happened with the destruction of Jerusalem.
When these things are cut loose, as we see in the Middle East today, they are really tremendously causing grief and difficulty for millions upon millions of people. We ourselves are affected by it.
All of this comes from God. "…And one man among them was clothed with linen, and a writer's inkhorn by his side. And they went in and stood beside the bronze altar. And the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherubim where it had been, to the threshold of the temple…." (vs 2-3); all of these things now directly from God. This is why it's important for us to understand that:
- God loves us
- God cares for us
- God is with us
In this case, here is protection that comes from God because we are grieved and mourn at the things that are going on in the world.
Verse 4: "And the LORD said to him, 'Go through in the midst of the city, in the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark on the foreheads of the men who are groaning and are mourning because of all the abominations that are done in her midst.'" This is a sign of protection in time of trouble.
Verse 5: "And He said to those in my hearing, 'Go through the city after him, and slaughter. Let not your eye spare, nor have pity.'" That is something! That's quite a thing! We're going to see a lot of difficulties come like this.
Let's look at another situation how it's going to affect the world. This is what we need to do to:
- strengthen ourselves in God
- strengthen ourselves with His Spirit
- understand the things that are going on
realizing all of the time that we are a part of that solution of God. That it's the most important thing that we do that in spite of what's going on:
- we don't get discouraged
- we don't get down
- we do not let these things overwhelm us
We need to understand that God is going to end it all when Christ returns. Then we will have a part in correcting it! Always keep that in mind.
Isa. 24 talks about what's going to happen to the earth. Notice that it's going to get so bad that it says the earth mourns. I don't know if you've ever heard an earthquake, but listen to this:
Isaiah 24:1: "Behold, the LORD makes the earth empty and makes it waste, and turns it upside down, and scatters its inhabitants. And as it is with the people, so it shall be with the priest; as with the slave, so with the master; as with the handmaid, so it is with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the debtor. The earth shall be completely laid waste, and utterly stripped; for the LORD has spoken this word" (vs 1-3).
Notice what happens to the earth, v 4: "The earth mourns and languishes; the world withers and languishes; the proud people of the earth wither. And the earth is defiled under its people; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, and have broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore, the curse has devoured…" (vs 4-6). Quite a thing! That's why in Ezekiel, those who are God's are set aside. We also understand there are two categories that will be at the end-time:
- the small group that will go a place of safety
- the greater number left behind will be the martyrs
Even in those instances, we need to have comfort in our mind, because God can give that comfort.
That's why in these days, let me tell you something that will help you a lot. It's helped me a lot. Go through and study the Psalms and read them and re-read them. The Bible is so fantastic that every time you read and study it, you learn something. Then you come back and you read and study the same thing over again and you learn more. The Word of God is layered with understanding.
Notice how David cried out to God in the terrible circumstances, Psalm 55:1: "Give ear to my prayer, O God…" What a way to open a prayer and say, 'O God, hear me.' He will! Remember, the Spirit of God is in us! With the earnest of the Spirit of God, Jesus Christ and God the Father are dwelling in us! Never let that thought go.
Now you can understand why where it talks about Jesus in Heb. 12, that He willingly laid down His life and despised the shame of it all because He had the joy of understanding the outcome of it. This is what we need to do. This is a great blessing and comfort that comes from God.
Psalm 55:1: "Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not Yourself from my supplication. Attend to me, and answer me; I am distraught in my trouble and moan in my complaint" (vs 1-2). Remember, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." We will see that will be the comfort in our emotions and in our minds, as well as the comfort that comes from the resurrection.
Verse 3: "Because of the voice of the enemy; because of the oppression of the wicked—for they cast mischief upon me, and in anger they hate me. My heart is pained within me… [these sound very much like some of the words of Christ] …and the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling have come upon me, and horror has overwhelmed me" (vs 3-5). Sometimes you feel like that. Yes!
Verse 6: "And I said, 'Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. Lo, then I would wander far off; I would lodge in the wilderness. Selah'" (vs 6-7).
For us, it's going to be that we will have the angels take away and we won't fly into the wilderness. They are going to carry us to the Sea of Glass.
Let's look and see some other things concerning what God is going to do with us. Comfort comes from God! There are quite a few places in Psa. 119 that talks about God intervening to help in every way. We need God to help us in every way. Listen! God is there with us every day—day and night—in everything we do. So, this is quite something.
Psalm 119:82: "My eyes fail for Your Word, saying, 'When will You comfort me?'" This is how we can approach these things. Come to God if these problems and difficulties in your life and what you see in the world are affecting you. Ask God to comfort you. "…When will You comfort me?"
Verse 83: "For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, yet I do not forget Your statutes. How many are the days of Your servant? When will You execute judgment on those who persecute me?" (vs 83-84). Notice all the blessings that come when we cry out to God in our troubles and difficulties.
Verse 85: "The proud have dug pits for me, men who do not act according to Your Law. All Your commandments are faithful; they persecute me wrongfully; help me!" (vs 85-86). That's quite a thing that he is crying out to God needing help.
Here is how we start receiving comfort. Verse 49: "Remember the word to Your servant upon which You have caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction…" (vs 49-50). We all have afflictions. 'Many are the afflictions of the righteous.' But remember the blessing—'God delivers them out of them all.'
Notice the approach we need to have here, v 50: "This is my comfort in my affliction, that Your word has given me life. The proud have utterly scorned me, yet I do not turn aside from Your law. I remember Your judgments of old, O LORD, and have comforted myself" (vs 50-52).
That's why we have the whole Bible, so that we can use it, so that we can grow, change and overcome. When these difficulties come along, we will be able to yield to God, let His Spirit, let His Word comfort us,
- give us life
- give us hope
- give us mercy and forgiveness
We need all of those things. Yes, indeed, we do!
Psalm 86:15: "But Your, O LORD, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and Truth. Oh, turn to me, and have mercy upon me; give Your strength to Your servant and save the son of Your handmaid. Show me a token for good, so that they who hate me may see and be ashamed because You, LORD, have helped me and comforted me" (vs 15-17).
How does that comfort come? The Spirit of God in our minds, and the Word of God combined, to give us the spiritual strength to overcome the problems that we look out and see, all the moaning and groaning and sin and evil that is going on in the world. We have a difficult problem. God has given the blessing that those who mourn will be comforted!
Let's see how that comes directly from God. Notice that this is a blessing; this is a promise.
- every promise is a blessing
- every difficulty is an opportunity to overcome
- every difficulty that comes along is also an opportunity for us to come to God and lay it before Him and let God help us with it
He will!
If you're having difficulty, and you need comfort, let's read this here in Isaiah 51:11: "Therefore, the redeemed of the LORD… [That's us and also applying to Israel when they return out of tribulation.] …shall return and come with singing into Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head…." That's what we need—everlasting joy from God.
Remember what Jesus said, 'In the world you'll have tribulation; but have courage, I have overcome the world' (John 16:33). Let's see how that fits in here.
"…Gladness and joy shall overtake them; sorrow and mourning shall flee away. 'I, even I, am He Who comforts you….'" (vs 11-12). That's what God says. Claim that promise.
"'…Who are you, that you should be afraid of a man that shall die, or of the son of man who is made as grass? And you forget the LORD your Maker, Who has stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth…'" (vs 12-13). How much help and strength and power you have from God, because you are on God's side.
"'…And you dread continually, every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy. And where is the fury of the oppressor?'" (v 13). God is going to take care of it. You do not have to worry about it. That's quite a section there in Isaiah.
Let's refresh our memory again about the ministry of Jesus Christ. We see that all of this is a spiritual work from God. Remember, God created us
- to receive His Spirit
- to live our lives by His laws and commandments
- to love Him because He loves us
- to love each other
- to not let any of the difficulties overwhelm us
—though we get to the point of moaning and groaning. Ask for the comfort that comes from God.
Remember in Luke 4 Jesus read this from Isaiah and applied it to Himself and the preaching of the Gospel. He said, 'Today this is fulfilled in your ears.' Now we are living part of this. Look at what God does and how He handles it.
- look at the comfort
- look at the relief
- look at the things that God does
They all are coming from Christ through the Holy Spirit.
Isaiah 61:1: "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me because the LORD has anointed Me…" They understood what that meant, because the word Messiah means the Anointed of God. So, when Jesus said this in the synagogue in Nazareth, they understood what that meant, but they weren't willing to accept it and got angry at Him.
"…because the LORD has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor…" (v 1). Not the rich, not the elite, but the poor.
"…He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted…" (v 1). All of us have had our lives turned upside down and have had disappointments, problems, difficulties, depressions and things like that. So here's the blessing that comes from God.
- God is going to lift it
- God is going to change it
- God is intervening in our lives
"…to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to preach the acceptable year of the LORD…" (vs 1-2). That's where Christ stopped (Luke 4). His first coming was not the day of vengeance of the Lord; that's His second coming. Here's a good example of how prophecies are—a little here, a little there, line upon line, precept upon precept, that we may take it and put it together and understand it.
"…and the day of vengeance of our God…" (v 2). Then it goes right back to the purpose of why He came and helping us out of our sins, forgiving our sins, helping us in our troubles.
"…to comfort all who mourn" (v 2). Didn't Jesus say, "Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted"? That can be repeated over and over again. Think of the great comfort that's going to come at the resurrection. That's going to be amazing.
Verse 3: "To appoint to those who mourn in Zion, giving to them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the mantle of praise for the spirit of heaviness; so that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified."
We could take each one of those phrases and develop a study and sermon for each one of those. The thing that's important that we need to understand is that God doesn't want us having a 'religion.' He wants us to have a relationship with Him, through loving Him and then loving each other and helping and serve each other! Even if you are alone:
- you can pray for those who need help
- you can pray for those who need to be lifted up
- you can pray for those who need to be healed
Always remember that even though we have Church at Home, and it is really going to be a wonderful thing in the times of difficulties that lie ahead, that we can have everything for you in your home. Think of that. Many people are going to be helped.
Let's come to the New Testament now. One of the main works of the Holy Spirit is to comfort. As a matter of fact, the Holy Spirit is called the Comforter. Think on that! We have the Spirit of God. We have connection with God the Father and Jesus Christ:
- They are dwelling in us
- They love us
- They want us
But that doesn't mean we're not going to have troubles and afflictions. Did not Jesus love the Father? Yes! Did not the Father love Jesus? What did Jesus go through for us?
- so we can be saved
- so we can be redeemed
- so we can be comforted
- so we can be His very sons and daughters
Remember this: 'All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose!' There is hope, there is comfort even in the midst of the most difficult things that happen.
John 14:15: "If you love Me, keep the commandments—namely, My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that it may be with you throughout the age." That's this time before Jesus returns. So we have comfort available all the time.
That's why we need not get discouraged. That's why we need to realize that everything that is happening is all going to fold together to fulfill all the prophecies of the end-time. We can be comforted, even in the middle of that process. That's why we have the Holy Spirit. God said, 'I, even I, am the One Who comforts you.' Notice what the Spirit does; notice what the comfort does. What is the greatest thing we have to comfort us?
Verse 17: "Even the Spirit of the Truth…" That's what God gives us. This is how we overcome self, sin, Satan, society and all the difficulties that come. The Spirit of Truth is the Comforter.
Verse 25: "I have spoken these things to you while I am yet present with you. But when the Comforter comes, even the Holy Spirit, which the Father will send in My name, that one shall teach you all things, and shall bring to your remembrance everything that I have told you" (vs 25-26). Then it could be written down for us today. That's why we have it.
Think of all that have gone before us. Think of all down through history and here we have the result of it. Just like Jesus said. He told His disciples:
John 4:21: "Jesus said to her… [the woman at the well] …'Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you shall neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem worship the Father. You do not know what you worship. We know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers…'" (vs 21-23).
That tells you there are false worshipers. What do false worshipers do? They profess to worship God, but follow their own traditions and laws! They profess to serve God and obey Him, but keep their own Sunday, holidays, or in the case of Muslims: Friday.
Quite something. How do you worship God? "'…shall worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth… [comes with the Holy Spirit, the Comforter] …for the Father is indeed seeking those who worship Him in this manner. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and in Truth" (vs 23-24). The word must means obligatory. It's from the heart, from within, not the external ritual.
Let's see some more about the comfort of God. All of these promises are blessings that we can claim. Is it not a blessing to have the Spirit of God? Yes, the greatest blessing of all, to have access to God the Father and Jesus Christ. Unsearchable, but it's given to us in God's love for us:
- He will help us
- He will comfort us
- He will give us of His Spirit
John 15:26: "But when the Comforter has come, which I will send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of the Truth, which proceeds from the Father, that one shall bear witness of Me. Then you also shall bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning" (vs 26-27). That keeps on going down through every generation.
You think about it! I think about it; I know you do, too. What is it going to be like at the resurrection? That is going to be a fantastic event.
Jesus, after telling the disciples He was going away, told them, 'Listen, you're going to go out and you're going to be kicked out of synagogues. People are going to kill you and say they are doing service to God. I didn't tell you those things when I was with you, but now I'm telling them to you.'
John 16:7: "But I am telling you the truth. It is profitable for you that I go away because if I do not go away, the Comforter will not come to you…." In other words, He had to ascend to the Father, be accepted as the perfect sacrifice, come back down to the earth the same day. Then spend forty days teaching the disciples the understanding of the Word of God. They probably learned more in that one single forty-day period than they did through the three and a half teaching that Christ gave them during His ministry.
Then on the Day of Pentecost they were empowered with the Spirit of God and the dynamics of the work of God within them. That's what we need again today.
Notice what the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, will do, v 7: "…However, if I go, I will send it to you. And when that one has come, it will convict the world concerning sin… [the true meaning of sin; sin begins within] …and righteousness… [the true righteousness based on the love of God] …and judgment" (vs 7-8). Judge righteous judgment!
Sidebar: What is the difference between righteous judgment and being judgmental? Whenever we make a choice, it's a judgment!
Judgment: We choose to do this or to do that or to do the other or we choose not to do this or not that. Those are all judgments. We look at situations, we are told that we know people by their fruits. You have to make a decision on what they are doing. You judge what they are doing.
Being judgmental is when you profess to know what the individual is thinking, rather than looking at their fruits. Their fruits will tell you what you need to know What they are thinking, God will judge. No man has the power to do that. So, if you make a righteous judgment, then you are not judgmental.
Verse 9: "Concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me."
Let's see what Jesus told the Jews, and when they heard this, knew exactly what He meant. This is quite an exchange. You talk about a witness. Did Jesus have the Holy Spirit within Him? Yes, full measure of it!
John 8:20: "Jesus spoke these words in the treasury while teaching in the temple; but no one arrested Him because His time had not yet come. Then Jesus said to them again, 'I am going away; and you shall seek Me, but you shall die in your sin. Where I am going, you are not able to come'" (vs 20-21).
Listen to how they were thinking, v 22: "Therefore, the Jews said, 'Will He kill Himself? Is that why He says, "Where I am going, you are not able to come"?'"
Notice Jesus' answer back to them, v 23: "And He said to them, 'You are from beneath; I am from above… [I came from God] …You are of this world; I am not of this world.'" That applies to us because Jesus said that we are to be kept from the evil one because we are not of this world, like He was not of this world. Think of that as a blessing. Think of all of these things, all of the promises that come. They are all blessings from God.
Look what He told them, v 24: "That is why I said to you that you shall die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I AM, you shall die in your sins." In the Greek that's the emphatic 'ego eimi.' They knew that I AM was a name of God. If you don't believe that, "…you shall die in your sins…" because there's no forgiveness of sin in any other way than through Jesus Christ.
This gave them pause to think, v 25: "Then they said to Him, 'Who are You?' And Jesus said to them, 'The one that I said to you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge concerning you; but He Who sent Me is true, and what I have heard from Him, these things I speak to the world.' But they did not know that He was speaking to them of the Father. Then Jesus said to them… [He told them exactly what they were going to do] …When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you yourselves shall know that I AM, and that I do nothing of Myself. But as the Father taught Me, these things I speak'" (vs 25-28). With the Holy Spirit given, the Holy Spirit:
- the Comforter
- the power of God
- the Truth of God
- the Spirit of Truth
notice how it's going to convict the world:
John 16:9: "Concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; Concerning righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you no longer will see Me; And concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged…. [not yet removed] …I have yet many things to tell you, but you are not able to bear them now'" (vs 9-12). One of the major ones was, 'I'm not telling you how long it is until I come back.'
Notice what the Holy Spirit is going to do. Here's the blessing with the Spirit of God. Not only is it a comforter, it is a teacher, it will guide us, it will lead us.
Verse 13: "However, when that one has come, even the Spirit of the Truth, it will lead you into all Truth…"
- all Truth necessary for salvation
- all Truth necessary to understand the Word of God
- all Truth necessary to understand the times that we are living in
all Truth that God:
- loves us
- cares for us
- comforts us
- is with us
- will help us
- will strengthen us in everything
"…because it shall not speak from itself, but whatever it shall hear, it shall speak…." (v 13).
Just like this recording that we're doing right now. We're going to send it to you in DVD/CD form and you'll put it in your player and it's going to say exactly what we recorded and sent to you. Or if you download it online, you have it there. The Holy Spirit is the power of God and it's directed by Christ and will do nothing of itself because it is not a person. That is a great truth to understand.
"…And it shall disclose to you the things to come'" (v 13). You carry that forward to the book of Revelation.
When you read that or when you hear the recording that we did, either the audio or the video version of the book of Revelation, it makes me wonder what the Apostle John thought when he saw all of those things. It was such a great mystery, but he wrote it down. God has given us the blessing of being able to understand nearly all of the book of Revelation through the power of the Holy Spirit. It will lead you into all Truth, the Comforter!
I, even I, says the Lord, am He who comforts you. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted!
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Matthew 5:3: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (vs 3-5).
Think about that for a minute. That is mind-boggling verse. Yet, it was prophesied in the Old Testament. The earth is the inheritance! Let's understand about inheritance. This is quite a thing when we inherit eternal life through Jesus Christ. We inherit what Jesus inherits. This is important! What I want you to think about is that every one of us when we were first conceived, we were just a pinpoint of life, speck of dust. Look at us now.
What is it going to be like to be a spirit being? This life and what we are is a speck of the Spirit to be fully manifested in its full being at the resurrection. That's a blessing! "Blessed are the meek… [the opposite of the proud] …for they shall inherit the earth."
Romans 8:14: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God…"—with the Spirit of God within them, the Comforter, the Spirit of the Truth. I want you to think of all of these blessings, though it doesn't necessarily say 'Blessed are…' All of these are blessings. All of the promises of God are blessings. All of the things that God gives us spiritually are blessings. They come directly from God the Father and Jesus Christ.
Verse 14: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. Now, you have not received a spirit of bondage again unto fear…" (vs 14-15). That's what we had in the world. Who is 'the prince of the power of the air' that spreads that spirit around? Satan the devil!
"…but you have received the Spirit of sonship, whereby we call out, 'Abba, Father'" (v 15). You can't get a relationship any closer than that.
Sidebar: Sacred names are not required. This is an example of the Aramaic 'abba,' which means father. If it were required to have sacred names in the New Testament, God would have put them there. Jesus revealed that the sacred name of Jesus, given by God Himself, is Jesus the Christ. That's His sacred name. He revealed the Father to us and that is His name for us. So, you don't have to be bothered with sacred names, because what counts more than anything else is what is in your heart and how do you yield to the Spirit of God.
Verse 16: "The Spirit itself bears witness con-jointly with our own spirit, testifying that we are the children of God." His children! That's what it says in 1-John 3. 'Now are we the children of God and it does not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him because we will see Him as He is.' Is that a blessing? Look at all the blessings we have covered.
Verse 17: "Now, if we are children… [which we are] …we are also heirs—truly, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ…" That is amazing! Joint heirs! We are going to own parts of the earth and the universe with Christ—joint heirs!
What did He inherit? There are certain basic Scriptures that we have to go back and repeat. We learn more every time when we do. These verses are profound:
Hebrews 1:1: "God, Who spoke to the fathers at different times in the past and in many ways by the prophets, has spoken to us in these last days by His Son." This is who is speaking to us now through the written words that God breathed and inspired to be for us.
Verse 2: "Whom He has appointed heir of all things…"—the universe! They have a special thing that they advertise on the radio every once in a while that you give as a gift, which is a picture of a star. We're not going to receive just a picture, we're going to receive the real thing.
"…all things, by Whom also He made the ages; Who, being the brightness of His glory and the exact image of His person…" (vs 2-3). We're going to be like Christ. Are we not the Father's children? Yes, indeed!
"…and upholding all things by the word of His own power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." (vs 2-3).
What a summary of the Gospel that is. Think of what God is doing. This is why we're going through these things as we come down toward Pentecost, so that we can have a full grasp of what God is doing and how God is doing it.
Romans 8:17: "Now if we are children… [which we are] …we are also heirs… [which we are] …truly, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer together with Him…" We're to count the sufferings as blessings, because these give us the deep character of God through His Spirit. These perfect us!
Doesn't it say that Jesus was perfected through the things that He suffered? Even though He was God in the flesh. Even those we count, though they're difficult to go through. Always, always, alwayslook to the end. Don't just look at the circumstances right in front of you as the whole story. We need to look at the circumstances in front of us, but we need to always project forward to the end of that.
"…if indeed we suffer together with Him, so that we may also be glorified together with Him" (v 17). Think of what that's going to be like.
Let's see what meekness means. There are two versions of it: Num. 12 and Matt. 11. Think about Moses and let's understand the position that he held, and understand his relationship with God. He spoke directly to God. He was also strong toward God, beseeching God with his prayers.
Moses was not lifted up in vanity when God said, 'Let Me alone and I'll destroy them and I'll raise up with you.' If Moses would have been prideful, he would have said, 'Yes, Lord, what an opportunity. Go ahead and destroy them all. Yes, I'm so important.'
No! Moses humbled himself and prayed and said, 'Oh, Lord God, I know that Your people have sinned, but pardon their sin. What will the Gentiles and the nations around think? They will say that You brought them out in the wilderness to kill them! You didn't do that. Yes, I know they have sinned. By the way, pardon the sin of Aaron, my brother.' God heard him. He beseeched God and talked directly with Him. He wasn't arrogant and lifted up!
Numbers 12:3: "(Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all the men on the face of the earth.)" Think of that!
Sidebar: The Jews say that Moses gave them the oral tradition separate from the written word. Being the meekest man on the face of the earth, do you think that Moses would dare? Do you think that the thought would even come into his head to give silly, nonsensical human traditions—which formed Judaism, to this very day—if he were meek? Of course not! He wouldn't think of it. He wouldn't do it.
So just that, with this verse, makes null and void every tradition of the Jews. You need to think on that.
Let's see what about Jesus. Let's see what Jesus tells us. Let's see what His ministry was. Look at Moses, what he did. Is that a blessing to us? all the words of God that he wrote down? all the love and obedience that he had to God? Yes, indeed! He wrote of the coming of Jesus and he said that 'God would raise up a Prophet like me and Him you will hear.' That was Jesus Christ, not some man who purports to be the head of a Church of God. He is not that Prophet. Anyone who makes that claim is arrogant and missing the whole point. That's the opposite of meekness.
Matthew 11:25: "At that time Jesus answered and said, 'I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and have revealed them to babes.'"
We understand things that the most intelligent people in the world do not have a clue. They have so foolish and have their idol of evolution that they lose all true thinking and intellect. It is by the trillions impossible for everything to just happen. That's why God tells every atheist, 'Get your own dirt. Make your own dirt and make your own universe, if you can.' And they can't!
Notice what Jesus said, v 26: "Yes, Father, for it was well pleasing in Your sight to do this…. [to exclude them] …All things were delivered to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; neither does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son personally chooses to reveal Him" (vs 26-27).
What did Jesus say? 'None can come to Me unless the Father draw Him and none can come to the Father except through Me.' That tells you why all the so-called Christian religions of this world are wrong. They're not coming through the true Christ. Jesus said He was the door of the sheepfold. 'All who come in differently are thieves and robbers.'
What does that say about those religions in the world? What does that say about the blessing of God? Quite a thing! 'All you wise and intelligent of this world, all gather together and come to Me.'
No, Jesus says, v 28: "Come to Me, all you who labor and are overly burdened… [the poor of the world] …and I will give you rest…. [rest is comfort] …Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me… [He is teaching what comes from the Father, not traditions of men] …for I am meek and lowly in heart..." (vs 28-29)—not prideful, not uplifted.
In order to handle power you must be meek, not filled with pride. What happens when people have power and they are all lifted up in pride, they start warring and fighting against each other. Christ is going to be the one Who is going to end all war.
"…and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light" (vs 29-30).
- He will carry it
- He will lift us out of it
Let's see where this was prophesied in the Psalms about 'blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.'
It's amazing! You have to always keep studying the Bible, because there is so much in here because it is inspired by the Word of God. These are living words based upon living laws, based upon living relationships that God has given, so that we can have the relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ.
Psalm 37:3: "Trust in the LORD, and do good… [that's a blessing] …dwell in the land, and cherish faithfulness." Look at how the attitude needs to be:
Verse 4: "Delight yourself in the LORD… [that's a blessing] …and He shall give you the desires of your heart." God is not trying to hold things back from you. He wants to give you a share of the earth and the universe. We've got to be meek and humble, not lifted up in pride. So, here's how we do that:
Verse 5: "Commit your way unto the LORD; trust also in Him, and He will bring it to pass." God is the One Who is going to bring us to the resurrection. We have our part; we have our works. We need to do what we need to do, but God is one Who is going to do it.
Verse 6: "And He shall bring forth your righteousness like the light, and your judgment like the noonday…. [when we are spirit beings] …Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret yourself because of him who prospers in his way; because of him who carries out wicked schemes" (vs 6-7).
We're going to cover some other blessings right here because every one of these are a blessing from being meek in heart and inheriting the earth. We need to understand that.
With God's Spirit we can do this, v 8: "Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret yourself, it leads only to evil." Again, let all these things just run off you like water off a duck. You know they're going to happen. You know it's going to take place. Leave it all in God's hands.
Verse 9: "For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait upon the LORD, they shall [1]inherit the earth." We're going to see how many times that he says to inherit the earth.
Verse 10: "It is but a little while, and the wicked shall be no more; yea, you shall diligently consider his place, but he shall not be there." He will be ashes as the result of the Lake of Fire.
(Here's the quote in Matt.5), v 11: "But the meek shall [2]inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."
What I want you to see is that when it says, 'Blessed are the meek,' that is just the heading. The multiple blessings come in many forms from there. That's what we are reading.
Verse 22: "For those blessed of Him… [we are] …shall [3]inherit the earth; and those cursed of Him shall be cut off…. [Matt.25] …The steps of a good man are made firm by the LORD, and He delights in his way…. [that's a blessing] …Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the LORD upholds him with His hand" (vs 22-24). Amazing how fantastic the words of God are!
Verse 29: "The righteous shall [4]inherit the earth and well in it forever. The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue talks of justice. The Law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide" (vs 29-31).
Let's understand something important concerning the Word of God. If it says it once, it will happen. Four times—shall inherit the earth. How's that for reinforcement?
Psa. 25 shows the relationship that we have with God, which is a blessing; Psalm 25:1: "To You, O LORD, do I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in You; do not let me be ashamed, let not my enemies triumph over me" (vs 1-2).
What did Jesus say? 'Do not fear him who has the power to kill the body but cannot kill the life. But fear him who has the power to kill the body and to destroy the life in Gehenna.' They won't triumph over us.
Verse 3: "Yea, let none who wait on You be ashamed; let them be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths" (vs 3-4). That's a blessing, coming from God through His Spirit.
- What did Jesus say of the Spirit? It shall teach you things to come!
- What else does it say of the Spirit? It will lead us!
Verse 5: "Lead me in Your Truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You do I wait all the day long. Remember, O LORD, Your tender mercies and Your loving kindness, for they have been of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; according to Your loving kindness remember me for Your goodness' sake, O LORD" (vs 5-7). What a tremendous thing that is. You see with this:
- when we connect with this
- when we do this
- when we have this frame of mind
- when we claim these promises
- when we claim these blessings
- when we live by them
—yes, it's fantastic!
Verse 8: "Good and upright is the LORD; therefore He will teach sinners in the way. The meek He will guide in judgment; and the meek He will teach His way" (vs 8-9). That's wonderful and fantastic!
Sidebar: As we go through all of these things, do you now understand why an overbearing hierarchy is wrong in the Church of God? Yes, it is! God does not want the ministry to control the people. God wants the ministry—the teachers, the elders, and so forth—to teach the people, to teach the brethren God's Word so they can live their lives directly connected with God the Father and control themselves through the Spirit of God.
Therefore, there does not need to be any ministerial control over the brethren. However, if someone gets out of line, we have full authority to deal with it in whatever degree of severity that is necessary. That becomes not the pattern of things to do constantly, but the exception when a difficulty arises.
Verse 10: "All the paths of the LORD are mercy and Truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies." That is absolutely fantastic.
I tell you this. The more I study the Psalms, the more I read the Psalms, the more that I learn out of them. The Bible is made so we are to learn and learn and learn. Add layer upon layer, line upon line, precept upon precept.
- grow in love
- grow in faith
- grow in understanding
- grow in trusting God
The Psalms are a great and magnificent part of that.
Psalm 130:1: "Out of the depths I have cried unto You, O LORD." Sometimes you get into problems and difficulties that you feel like you are way down deep in it.
Verse 2: "LORD, hearken unto my voice, and let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications." A tremendous thing! What a blessing that is! 'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.'
- they have to develop the character of God
- they have to develop the mind of God
- they have to yield to God in everything
All of those are sub-blessings out of the blessing of 'Blessed are the meek, they shall inherit the earth.'
Verse 3: "If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O LORD, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared. I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, and in His Word do I hope" (vs 3-5).
We, of all people, need to have the greatest hope in the world because we have the full Bible, to have the complete absoluteness of the hope of God. How far down the road it is to the resurrection we don't know. One thing we know for sure: we are closer to getting there than we ever have been, and it's further away than we have calculated.
Verse 6: "My soul waits for the LORD more than those who watch for the morning; I say, more than those who watch for the morning. Let Israel hope in the LORD; for with the LORD there is mercy, and with Him is plentiful redemption. And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities" (vs 6-8).
We're going to have a part of that. Just stop and think for a minute. As bad as the world is, and as difficult as it is—all under the deception of Satan the devil—yet, God is going to remember every single individual. For those who have not committed the unpardonable sin and those are the ones who never had their minds opened, God did not call them. They went their own way! God is going to give them a second physical life, for a first opportunity for salvation. That is awesome! That is a tremendous thing. When we look out and see the world and everything going the way that it is, remember that.
However, on the other hand, those who have committed the unpardonable sin, they will be cast into the Lake of Fire. That is God's judgment and it will happen that way.
Psalm 131:1: "O LORD, my heart is not proud…" We are not to be lifted up in pride and vanity. 'Man at his very best state is altogether vanity.' He's like a wind that comes and goes, like a smoke that disappears.
"…nor my eyes lofty; nor do I involve myself in great affairs, nor in things too wondrous for me" (v 1). Yet, when you are with your relationship with God, you are involved in things that are too wonderful for us. But it comes from God, not from us.
Verse 2: "Surely I have calmed and have quieted my soul… [here is what the comfort is going to be; the kind of mind that is going to be given] …as a child weaned by its mother; my soul within me is like a child weaned. Let Israel hope in the LORD from this time forward and forever" (vs 2-3). Think of what God has done!
The reason that I have this Psalm concerning children is because there is also a reference in Matt. 18. Let's see what Jesus said. Remember, we are to be satisfied, like a full baby that has been nursed by its mother. Our mother is Jerusalem above. Our nurture comes from the Spirit of God and the Word of God! This is to make us meek. Notice what Jesus said, quite a lesson for us and the disciples, as well.
Matthew 18:1: "At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, 'Who then is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?'" Is it going to be Peter? John? James? Philip? Bartholomew? Who is it going to be? Notice how Jesus answered:
Verse 2: "And after calling a little child to Him, Jesus set him in their midst, and said, 'Truly I say to you, unless you are converted… [deeply converted] …and become as little children, there is no way that you shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven'" (vs 2-3).
How do we become like little children, yet, grow up in Christ? By completely trusting and yielding to God and His promises! 'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.' We will be the children of God! Think on that!
Scriptural References:
- Matthew 5:4
- Ezekiel 9:1-5
- Isaiah 24:1-6
- Psalm 55:1-7
- Psalm 119:82-86, 49-52
- Psalm 86:15-17
- Isaiah 51:11-13
- Isaiah 61:1-3
- John 14:15-17, 25-26
- John 4:21-24
- John 15:26-27
- John 16:7-9
- John 8:20-28
- John 16:9-13
- Matthew 5:3-5
- Romans 8:14-17
- Hebrews 1:1-3
- Romans 8:17
- Numbers 12:3
- Matthew 11:25-30
- Psalm 37:3-11, 22-24, 29-31
- Psalm 25:1-10
- Psalm 130:1-8
- Psalm 131:1-3
- Matthew 18:1-3
Scriptures referenced, not quoted:
- Hebrews 12
- John 16:33
- Luke 4
- 1-John 3
- Matthew 25
Also referenced: DVD/CD—Book of Revelation
FRC:lp
Transcribed:5-31-15
Formatted: bo—6/1/15
Copyright 2015—All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes, no part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner. This includes electronic and mechanical photocopying or recording, as well as the use of information storage and retrieval systems.
