Thursday, July 24, 2014

Brother Gary Wednesday Evening 7/23/14



Brother Gary Wednesday Evening 7/23/14
Luk 2:40  And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.

Col 2:18  Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
Col 2:19  And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.

There were Essenes: those that that thought that knew more than God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit of God.  They thought they knew more than the written Word of God. 

I was thinking this afternoon of how the Word of God has stood the test of time.  How dark the soul that thinks that the Word is not good enough for them and that they supersede God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.   They felt that they were in a position where they receive of the angels and don’t need God, or the body of Christ.

The burden of my heart tonight is that God will help every one of us here to know how to be rightly related to God and to Christ so that we can indeed receive nourishment into our soul. 

Paul said:

Col 2:1  For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;

Paul knew and understood some things.  We can thank God when God chooses to use our brother and our sister to draw a good line because they have tested the fruit.  They have drawn a good line because they know it is not according to the Word of God and truth.

Col 2:2  That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;

Everyone that is not rightly related in love sows seeds of discord.  They drop the seed, “I know some things.”  That is an ugly spirit and we need to have a strong back bone to say, “We are going to go have a visit with that one that you know some things about.”

I remember going ice-fishing when an older gentleman came up to me and told me that I ought to treat my wife and friends right.  I asked him if he thought he was talking with Gary Henretty.  He said, “Yes.”  I told him some of the rest of the story and said that we needed to go talk to him.

When people are not rightly related to Christ they love to upset and work trouble with people.

Col 2:2  That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;

We understand why Paul was emphasizing that we need to be knit together and acknowledging God.

Col 2:3  In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

We need to be nourished and receiving from the body of Christ and from God and Jesus.  We need Jesus as the head and we need the body.  He can give us everything that we need of the treasures of the wisdom and knowledge.

Col 2:4  And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.

He was talking of the trouble makers that were trying to hinder the body of Christ.  If I remember right he talks of them three times in this chapter.

Col 2:5  For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.
Col 2:6  As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
Col 2:7  Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

The goal is to cause me and you to realize that the most important thing is to be rightly related to Jesus Christ and the body of Christ.

What God gives us of His truth we don’t want to let any man take away from us.

I meant to bring a picture of Sister Coleman who came to Plains in the 1950’s with several sisters and sowed that rice in the church in Plains.  While she was there, my dad had only been saved for 3, 4, or 5 years, she said to him, “Let no man take thy crown.”

That means a lot to me today.  She came from Los Angeles to hold a revival and God gave her something directly to give to my father that would help him to the day he died.

You can be established.  There is nothing that can keep you from prospering.  You say, “There are rocks in my life…”  God created the natural earth to bring up rocks.  It is the same way spiritually.  He has a way of bringing up that rock and helping you and me to see it and we say, “I want the rocks to come out and my roots to go way down deep.”

Established:  we want to be ready for the storms.  The storms will come.  There was a place for those saints in the dark ages; there were the catacombs and other but God had a way to nourish them.

We are the remnant of the remnants.  We have to have it settled.  We are not looking for an easy road we want to be true to God and take the shield of faith and do our best to be ready for the battle.

Col 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Col 2:9  For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
Col 2:10  And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

Let us remember that God has a set of principles that are set in order to bring to pass the desired result of God.  You might wonder, “How come this didn’t work out?”  God sets things to bring the desired results that will bring glory, honor and praise to His name in His time.

Col 2:11  In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
Col 2:12  Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
Col 2:13  And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
Col 2:14  Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
Col 2:15  And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
Col 2:16  Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Col 2:17  Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

Paul said, “Don’t allow anyone to take you back under the old covenant that is fulfilled through Christ.

Col 2:18  Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

It is a mystery to all of us that are saved that individuals will believe that they can get past Jesus and the Word of God that is forever settled in heaven.

They are vainly puffed up in their fleshly mind.

Col 2:19  And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.

Because we love Jesus there is the natural consideration and love for our brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ.  I have never been to Far Rockaway.  That doesn’t mean that I don’t love those saints.  It is that way throughout the world.  We love Jesus, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit and as a result we love our brothers and sisters in Christ.

In order for this body to work, I have to be connected, related to the head.  Our dear brother Kale that is suffering in his body where the part of his foot is numb:  We know that there is something in the alignment of that body that is wrong. 

It is the same with every one of us.  We want to keep the nourishment coming into our soul so that we only go where God leads us.  I don’t want to go where God doesn’t lead me or position myself so that I cannot worship Sunday.

I don’t want to position myself in a position where I cannot pray for or help my grandchildren and your grandchildren that are on the auction block of sin. 

I think of children where the world is the only thing that is coming in: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.  Those little souls, some of them do not have devotions, are not in Sunday school, not in church.  Think of it going on for a week, then a month, and then a year.

We are so blessed.  We cannot make choices for someone else, but we make the choices for us.

God help me to receive nourishment that would come into my life from the head.  Help me to be in the congregation where I worship and to be what God wants me to be.  Our nourishment is also in our fellowship with one another, our greetings, our prayers.

Col 2:20  Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,
Col 2:21  (Touch not; taste not; handle not;
Col 2:22  Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?
Col 2:23  Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.

We realize that we don’t want to touch those things that are detrimental to our soul.

Our emphasis is our source of nourishment is in Jesus Christ

Joh 6:35  And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

Every one of us needs the bread of life.  I like to eat toast and coffee early.  My wife can go for hours without eating when she gets up.  There is nothing like toast, coffee and the Word of God in the morning.

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

This is an evident bible truth.  Babes need milk.  They need milk to grow; they don’t stay on milk for their entire life but they have bread and milk so that they grow.

Isa 28:9  Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
Isa 28:10  For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
Isa 28:11  For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
Isa 28:12  To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
Isa 28:13  But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

We must be weaned.  Precept upon precept:  God will give you understanding of the bible truths. 

We want to remember when someone comes around as in the days of the church of Colossi, “I have a direct link to the angels and know a little more than everyone else.”  The bible says that it will be precept upon precept.  Where are the precepts?  Right here in the Bible.

Those that are weaned from the milk and take the Word of God line upon line and precept upon precept have rest.  There is a rest.  How many times have we proved this to be true?  There is a rest when we take the Word of God.

Mal 4:2  But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

Ye shall go forth and grow as calves of the stall.  You that understand farming know that if you really want to fatten something up you must keep food before them.  Spiritually it is the same.  We must stay at the stall and eat that clean provender that God provides.

Heb 5:13  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
Heb 5:14  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

As much as we love God, we come to the strong realization that milk is for babes and we have to get past the milk.

Having our senses exercised:  it is a job that we must all enter into to help the babes recognize, “It is good that you got saved, but you need to go on and be baptized, sanctified, and reach the point where you know if you get an alarming phone call to say, “I’m going to pray.  This is something to get me messed up and get me where I shouldn’t be.  I’m going to hold faith and walk on with God.”

Isa 30:10  Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:

A disgrace!  There are people that all they want is smooth things.  They want the preacher to put a Band-Aid on.  “Their road in life is hard; they have been misunderstood since a child.  The only time that they will not be misunderstood is in heaven.”

We need to preach what God sends.  When we are working with someone, whether our daughter, our son in law, our neighbor, or whoever it is, smooth things will not get them there.

If you have family members that are Babylonian, or half saved, or half backslid.  They ask you to pray; they want smooth things and don’t want to come to the standard. 

Psa 93:1  The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.

We are blessed to be able to get a hold of God that is in control, clothed with majesty, and with strength.  I have struggled physically the last few days.  We have a God to get a hold of that has strength for us.  He has strength for us mentally, emotionally, and physically.

Psa 93:2  Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.

Psa 93:5  Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, for ever.

What God did for them is the testimony of God.  What God did for you when you got saved is your testimony.  If you find someone that is sick of sin and wants new friends and a new road to travel then your testimony is what they want to hear.

The bible speaks of the beauty of holiness.  “Holiness becometh thine house O Lord forever.”

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