Brother Bill Sunday School 3/23/14

Brother Bill Sunday School 3/23/14

Rev 3:14  And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

Rev 3:15  I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

Rev 3:16  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

He’d rather us be cold or hot.  God wants us to be hot, on fire for Him.  There is a danger of being lukewarm for Him, if people are not cold in the thought of not having a profession.  He’d rather people that are not saved to not have a profession.  Unless they realize their need, how can they get right with God? 

It is a bad spot to be where people are going through a form but don’t have the goods.  Being out all the way is better than being in the middle where you have a profession.  When you try to work with those people, for them to admit that they have a problem they must first lay down the profession that they have and say, “This is not of profit.” 

People that have a religious profession that I have dealt with have acknowledged that they are a sour grape but believe that God is with them anyway.

Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

He was saying, “You need to get spiritual groundwork laid.  You need to be saved.”  In the lukewarm state in the church of God:  We are so used to having devotions in the morning and at night.  We are used to raising our hand when we sing and getting up to testify.  We are used to going through the movements. 

We need to have a close relationship with God and worship Him.

Rev 3:19  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Rev 3:20  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

This was the message to our day:  “Come and sup with me.  I will knock on your door.  Come and spend time with me.”

At this seventh seal age, God is trying to express to us the thought, “Commune with me.” 

Behold I stand at the door and knock if any hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and sup with Him.  When we spend time with God and we bring out our praise, our burden, our cares, He is partaking of all we are bringing to Him.  He says to cast your care upon the Lord.  He cares about us and has a love for us.  He wants to share what we have with Him.  He also wants us to sup with what He brings out.

There is something about spending time with God more than just morning and evening devotions.  You get up from prayer and you feel that you have been touched.  You feel that you have been affected by the Spirit of God.  You feel that “It is good that I took the time to do that.”

You are probably like I am.  I get home and sit around and either read a book, or pull out the I-Pad or get on the computer.  Then a voice comes, “Spend time in prayer with me.”  You lay that aside and spend time in prayer with God and you get up from that and you feel like you have received a touch from God.

I really like the character of God.  He is no respecter of persons.  In human form, people are not always like that.  I like the character of God that He is not that way.  I am just as special to Him as the next person.

When God has a lesson to teach us He doesn’t hammer us but teaches us in a way that it is a joy to take.  God doesn’t misunderstand us but knows the intentions of our heart.

Son 2:3  As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.

Son 2:4  He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.

Son 2:5  Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.

Son 2:6  His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me.

Son 2:7  I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.

“I went ahead and got alone with God and communed with Him.  I sat under His shadow and His fruit was sweet.”  This is a picture of God with us. 

“Don’t bother Him; don’t disturb Him from being with me.”  If you’ve been in the situation where you are in prayer with God and you feel the Spirit of God come down, you don’t want to depart from that because His presence is there.  You want to keep saying something so that you stay in that atmosphere.

Part of the banner that is over you is that He is claiming you, “He is mine.”  We are the apple of His eye. 

“Alone with God the world forbidden, alone with God oh safe retreat...”  We have been there.  We must get alone with God and do that sometimes.  Separate ourselves.

Son 2:10  My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.

Son 2:11  For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;

Son 2:12  The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;

Son 2:13  The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

“The time of dormancy is behind us.  The time of beauty, singing, fruitfulness is right there before us.  It is a time for us to spend time with Him.  It is a fertile time for growth and prosperity.”  It is a beautiful time if we will just take advantage of us.

There is no time for winter in spiritual life; the tree of life yields fruit every month.  It is a continual blossoming and bringing forth fruit.  That is the way that God works.

Jas 4:8  Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

He says, “If you draw nigh to me then I will draw nigh to you.” 

The Hidden life by Brother Orr: chapter, “Drawing near to God.”

If we draw near to God, He will draw near to us.  If we stand before a mirror, our image is pictured just as far in the back ground as we are from the mirror.  As we approach the mirror our image comes near the front then we can see the image more distinctly.  As we come near to Him, He will come near to us.

How near do you want God to you?  I can have just as much of God as I can.  I can draw just as near to God as I can.  If I will pursue that then I can bond closer and closer to God.  He wants to bond with you. 

Deu 34:10  And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,

Deu 34:11  In all the signs and the wonders, which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land,

Deu 34:12  And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel.

God talked to Moses face to face as a man talks to his friend.  When I read, “there arose not a prophet since…”  I got to thinking, we can come close second.  You can get as close to God as you possibly desire. 

How close do you want to get to God?  You can get to God as close as you want to get to God.  

Eph 3:20  Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

How big is your faith?  Get just as close to God as you can.  Only God knows the effects that will come.

The Hidden life by Brother Orr: chapter, “Drawing near to God.”

Drawing near to God includes getting a deeper conscience of our nothingness.  The nearer we get to God the more clearly we see His greatness and the smaller we become.  The closer we get to God the more clearly we see Holiness.  If you would know whether there are any imperfections in your heart and life draw near to God and you will make a discovery. 

You might be told but will never understand until you get near to God.  If God’s children could understand the love God has for them they would not fear.  God gave me such a vision of His love that almost overwhelmed me.  He cares about the sparrow that falls and the lily, “Ye are much more to me than they.” 

If you understand then it will take the fear from your life.  God is real and you will understand Him as you get near to Him.  The character of God will be imaged in our souls just as we see it to be in Him. 

Don’t you want to be more like God?  We have a box-load of jewels and treasure that is at our disposal if we will draw near to God.  I can have more of His grace; I can see more of the imperfections in me so I can get them taken care of.  I can have more of Him.  Just draw as close to Him as you can.