Bro Kale Sunday Morning 3/25/12

Bro Kale Sunday Morning 3/25/12

Eze 48:35  It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there.

What is said of this city is prophetic; it couldn’t always be said of this city what is said here.  “The Lord is there.”  The lord being there depended on their obedience.  Thank God for the New Jerusalem.  If you are in it, it is because the rebellion is gone from within you.  We want others on the outside to be able to look on emphatically and say, “The Lord is there.”

We’d like to speak on the topic proving that the Lord is there. 

Zec 14:7  But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.

In the evening time it shall be light.  We want to have all the Gospel of this evening day.  God help us that we will not fall short.  The most important sign of God in our midst is the sign of holiness.  Without that we don’t have anything.  Our vision is impaired if we don’t have holiness.  If we don’t have it here then we won’t have it over there.

Joe 2:17  Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?

We don’t want to see the enemy prevail in any of the assemblies: in any congregation.  We cannot necessarily have power over what other people do, we can pray, but we do have power over what we do.  By the grace of God we can prove where the Lord is, prove that God is here among us.  Instead of hearing people saying, “Where is their God?”

Zec 8:23  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

“We have heard that God is with you.”  Don’t you want that to be?  It may take economic depression to bring this about.  People trust in their own abilities and wealth many times.  It may take God pulling the rug out from underneath them.  We need not dread an economic disaster because it may translate into souls being saved.

The churches of the world say that if you serve God you will prosper.  We don’t preach this message of literal prosperity; we preach of spiritual prosperity. 

You don’t have to live in spiritual poverty.  This richness will carry on over into the other side.  We want people to say, “I want to come with you, God is among you.”

His wife, Abigail, spoke to the king David:

1Sa 25:29  Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul: but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the middle of a sling.

All God’s people are being pursued by the enemy of their soul.  Are you bound in the bundle of life with the Lord your God?  This is a safe place to be.  We didn’t just arrive in one fell swoop when we got saved.  His purging will sling out our enemies, our personality traits that are not of God and other enemies as out of the middle of a sling.  We want the world to look on and say this.  We have enemies. 

Sinners have enemies.  The way of the transgressor is hard.  The way of sin is not easy.  The devil promises a lot but gives little.  He writes checks that he cannot back up.  We don’t want to commit our way to a liar.  Why would we commit the most valuable thing that we have, our eternal soul, to a liar?  God help us to stay in the bundle of life with the Lord.

Jos 2:8  And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof;

Jos 2:9  And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.

Jos 2:10  For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.

The enemy’s camp has heard of us.  They have heard that the enemy is destroyed among us.  Sin is destroyed.  People that love sin will church all around and yet don’t darken the doors of the church.  Why?  They realize that the people here have victory.  They don’t want to be threatened by that.  It is part of the insanity of sin that they don’t want to give up what is destroying them.  They take fire into their bosom; shall they not be burned?

There is still some good ground.  If there weren’t then the Lord would have come.  The long suffering of God is salvation.  There are still some honest hearts out there.

Jos 2:11  And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.

“God is with you.” She said.

Jos 2:12  Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true token:

Jos 2:13  And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.

“God is among you and saving you, I want to be saved too.”  Don’t you want people to say that?  This is the Gospel Day, the day of grace.  “Where sin abounded grace does much more abound.”  There was a day that sin abounded in my life.  Thank God we tasted of that river and now the grace of God does much more abound. 

Rahab was looking for the victory and the security that they had.  We are the salt of the earth.  God help us to not fall short of the victory that He has for us.

Job 28:7  There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen:

This path is the path of holiness.

Job 28:20  Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?

The carnal man thinks the things of God are foolishness.

Job 28:21  Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.

Job 28:22  Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.

Job 28:23  God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.

Job 28:24  For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;

Job 28:28  And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

Do you have the spirit of the lion, the predatory spirit of the vulture?  The vulture is an opportunist.  They don’t always stick to carrion.  They make take a few bites before the creature is dead.  We are not overstating the ugliness of the self-man when we compare to that.  The self-man is an ugly thing.  They will get what they can get just about at the expense of anything. 

There are millions of children that have been slain because they were not convenient.  I want no part of that.  The self-man is an enemy.  Thank God that the Lord has slung that thing out of my life as in a sling.  He is showing me any residual that remains in my life and is slinging it out as well.  The Spirit takes us by the hand and leads us ever higher. 

Sanctification is not arriving at a goal, it is taking the entry test and just starting in God’s college with the Spirit of God as your personal tutor.  He gives you the keys of His library and says, “Take and read with your personal tutor to guide you.”

The Lord knows where wisdom is.

Job 28:28  And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

This is the beginning of wisdom.  Those in darkness ought to know about God’s people.  “I’m in darkness, but I know where to go when the dark time comes.”  When crunch time comes and the world starts to fall apart they know where to call for prayer. 

They have a clear option knowing where the light is and can turn to it if they choose.  Sad to say they are not willing to run to that haven in prosperous times.  God is able to bring about a situation where prosperity is taken away and they are able to see the end of a life of sin.  Would to God that more could come to the quick end of sin.

God’s people have never been in majority.  The song says, “One man in God is always a majority.”  Thank God that we haven’t gotten down to as bad as Noah’s day.  He preached 100 years and only was able to save his family. 

Mat 18:19  Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.

Mat 18:20  For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

This is a mouthful to say, “In my name.”  There are a lot of people that are gathering supposedly in His name.   

But they really are not.  How do we know this?  The scripture: “Why do you call me lord and do not what I say.”

It is not only vanity to call Him Lord and not do what He says, but it is harmful.  Some are turned away by it.  Why do they call Him Lord and don’t do what He says?  It is just in name only not in fact or in truth. 

Thank God that where two or three obedient little ones of God gather together then God is among them.  I will take two or three that God is among rather than the mega churches that are around.  There may be thousands there but there is one vital one that they are missing.  His spirit was never there. 

There is no accountability set up to man that will be any good.  There is no person that will follow you around everywhere you go.  The spirit is the only one that can be with you constantly.  We must personally have Him constantly on board. 

We cannot have the preacher on our mind thinking that if he is not watching you then you are ok.  There is an all seeing eye watching you.  In Zechariah it talks of the eye for every church age in the Gospel Day seeing that every church is built right. 

In order for this to be the case then every member must be in line with the plummet.  If I am building a wall and there is a stud sticking out of alignment, there is no way that I can make the wall straight.  If it is too crooked then the stud gets chucked in the fire. 

Thank God we can be in line with His will.  We can have his name really truly among us because of having His presence among us because we are obedient to His Word.

Col 3:17  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Whatever we do in word or deed, do it in the name of the Lord.

Col 3:16  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

‘Let’ in the spiritual realm is an active word, not passive.  There is something that we need to do in order for the Word to dwell in us richly.  We need to actively pursue the Word of God in order to ‘let’.  Jesus is the Word.  If you say you love Jesus and have Him and are not seeking in the Word then you have Him in name only.

1Pe 2:2  As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

We must never lose the appetite for the Word that we had when we were first saved.  We cannot get over weight spiritually; no need to worry about overeating.  We cannot let it get old or stale among us.

1Co 10:31  Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

If we are doing all things in His name then we will have his approval.

2Ti 2:19  Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

If He is our seal then we will have departed from iniquity.

God has more for us then just departing from iniquity.

2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

2Co 6:18  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Thank God we can be His son.

2Co 7:1  Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

The saints are looking for more than just to be called by His name.  Paul said, “I press to the mark.”

We can perfect holiness.  If for some reason or some manner we are coddling something that we shouldn’t then God will reveal it to us.

Isa 9:7  Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

His government and peace increase.  Have you found it so?  If not then have you halted or have you turned back?  Halting or turning back will leave you in darkness living way below your privileges.

As we walk in the light then we will show people where He is.

Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Those that are lead by the Spirit of God are the sons of God.  As you are faithful in secret He will reward you openly.  The testimony will be there openly if you are pleasing God.  If you think that you are hiding something then think again.  You cannot counterfeit the Spirit of God. 

Where you stammer and stutter the Spirit of God still gets through to them.  This comes by secretly obeying God whether the preacher is looking or not.  I don’t want to have the Pseudo spirit or something counterfeit. 

The only way to have the true Spirit of God is to 24 hours of the day walk in the light.  If I begin to stray, thank God He is faithful.  He helps us get back in line.  I don’t want to be as the saying is, “The crooked little man in the crooked little house.”  No, we want them to see God here. 

I remember years ago coming to the church here in Paradise.  I had a choice.  If I had a desire for God I would go with my grandmother to Paradise.  If not I would go to an ‘in name only’ church with my cousin.

I knew somehow that God was in the church here.  When I wanted to draw near to God I would follow my heart and go to Paradise.  I wish I would have made it stick.  I didn’t.  Thank God He pursued me and didn’t give up on me.  He got my feet on solid ground and established my goings. 

We want that to be the testimony:  God is there.  We want people to think, “When I go there I know that they must be doing something right all the time because God is there.”  We must be in line with God all the time in order for this to be the case.  We cannot be just religious.  Let’s leave that testimony out here in the Church world.

Isa 4:1  And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.

This is speaking of the nominal church world.  “We’ll do our own thing and let self reign but we want to be accepted as Christians.  We also want to be accepted by the world.”  This is paganism in a different form.   There was no victory in paganism.  There was the lifting up of sin.  The same happens in Protestantism.  As a Protestant sinner, they are no more headed for heaven then an old pagan. 

Isa 4:2  In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.

This speaks of God’s true people.  They are beautiful.  Holy.

Isa 4:3  And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:

Isa 4:4  When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.

Thank God for the spirit of judgment and burning, it is none other than the Word and Sprit of God working on the soul.

Isa 4:5  And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence.

Isa 4:6  And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.

When people come in they see the cloud and glory.  There are some things that you cannot hide or imitate.   Upon all is the glory of defense. 

The presence of young people in a congregation is indicative of the health of the congregation.  A toxic environment will cause the canaries to die in the mineshaft.  When the Spirit of God reveals this and removes the toxins and fresh air comes in then there is a revival that happens. 

We hope to see not only revival but growth, personally and numerically.  The glory of God in the camp is a defense to young people.  The devil has all sorts of entertainment to offer.  We must have something better to offer.  If we become apathetic then what will happen to the defense?  Lukewarmness is a foul spirit and it will cause a toxic environment.  If it is among us then the canaries will start to drop.

John 17 speaks to us:  The Lord prayed for us and spoke many good things about keeping His people, “That they may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee.”  He prayed not only for His disciples but also for those that would believe because of their word. 

He said that He did not wish that they be taken out of the world but kept them from the evil.  We don’t want to raise our children contrary to this.  We can actually raise children in a bubble and protected in such a way that they have no idea what is out there. 

You cannot teach in a classroom the theory of the world.  There are many subtleties that can only be taught by immersion:  The teacher reacts to Johnny who is acting out and many other examples teach a child subtle lessons that you cannot teach by theory.  You must immerse.  Be careful of raising children in a bubble.  We can create an artificial world for our children and leave them unprepared for the real world.

Keep them one.  He gave us His glory that we might be one.  If we have something other than the glory of God then we will not be one. 

Rev 3:1  And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

Those that have a name that they are living and are dead then there is a separating wall between them and God.  Sin separates.  If it has a name that is religious it can still be sin. 

If there are things that the Lord is bringing to your mind of “You are too curt with people it offends them.”  Or anything else then let the Word and the Spirit cleanse you.  When held to the fire some say, “It is just a part of my personality.”  If we don’t let the fire take it then it will usurp the place of God and become an idol to us.  Let go of things marked for the fire.

People need to see that God’s people are in heavenly places.

Mat 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Mat 28:20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Lo I am with you always:  The promise was conditional.  If you go out and preach the gospel in all the world, then I am with you always.  We must Preach and live the Gospel in all the world that we come in contact.  Be industrious and employed in the King’s business

Jud 1:17  But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Jud 1:18  How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

Jud 1:19  These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.

Not operating by the spirit of God but according to spiritual things, having not the spirit, instead having a false spirit.  We do not intend to be one of those that allow an element of sensuality to separate us.  Where flesh is involved then it will separate us.  This element will take us out.

Mat 24:26  Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

What is the desert and what are the secret chambers?  If you take the ‘re’ from secret then you have sect.   This is what the secret chambers are, the password to sect religion is “Will you ignore my sin and embrace my doctrine? Then you can be a part of us.” 

The gospel is for whosoever will.  I don’t have to be intelligent or anything else.  I just have to be a ‘whosoever will’.

The desert is an unpeopled place.  Many people are running off to their own little group or their own little family group.  Christ is not in the desert.  He is not in your little family group.  Those that think they are far above everyone else so worship in their family don’t have Christ with them.  A selfish spirit accompanies that.

Mat 24:27  For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

The Gospel is for all to see.  If it is shining out of them then it will gather people.  Saints gather where the Spirit of God is.  People will gather where they see the Spirit shining out of God’s people.

2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

We want to be partakers of the divine nature: Chips off the old block.  The block is the Rock of all Ages.  We want people to come among us and say, “They are chips off of the old block.”  Thank God we can be little chips off of that block: witnessing to others that God is with us.

No one person is the body of Christ.  When we gather together then we become the fullness of the divine nature.

1Co 14:24  But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:

1Co 14:25  And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.

This is a happy ending.  This is what we want to see.  We want people to come in and fall on their faces and say, “God is among you.  I want God in me.  Will you help me?”