A KINGDOM HEART – XLIII

WBS.073

FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

A KINGDOM HEART – XLIII

Romans 6:1  What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

2  Elohim forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Last week’s post ended with this comment: 

If we merely believe the stories about Yahushua; if we merely believe the doctrines we are taught, and never experience the life consuming desire to do the will of IAUE, we are no more separated unto IAUE than those who regard the Bible stories as myths or irrelevant.  That which separates us unto IAUE, that which makes us different from the rest of the world, is the sanctifying will to do His will.

I can truthfully say that with more than 60 years exposure to and participation in the Christian culture, this idea of being dead to sin is virtually an alien mindset.  Oh, yes, there is an awareness among most that they should not continue to sin; but it is not united with either a fear of IAUE that prevents them from choosing sin, or with any concept that they will experience any real consequence for having chosen to sin.  So ingrained is the idea that they can just confess their sin, once enjoyed, and be done with it (per 1 John 1:9); that it produces a “have your cake and eat it too” attitude about sin.  This is largely thanks to decades of erroneous teaching about that verse.  If they ever realized that they are to confess their sin to another brother or sister in order to receive forgiveness and cleansing from unrighteousness, they would become much less casual and flippant in their attitude toward sin.  Just imagine the impact on the Christian world if they truly believed that their forgiveness and restoration to fellowship with IAUE and with Yahushua were absolutely dependent upon exposing their sins to other people rather than to IAUE.

This concept produces for us another “litmus test” of the genuineness of our humility before IAUE.  If the idea of confessing our sin to our spouse, our pastor, or another brother or sister with whom we have close fellowship causes our pride or ego to feel threatened, then we have pride and ego that needs to be brought to the altar for sacrifice unto IAUE.  If anything within us interferes with the immediate confession or willingness to confess our sins and failures to the family of IAUE, then we have dross that needs to be removed from our hearts in order that we might be pure of heart before our Father.

1 John 1:6  If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

Rom 8: 5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against IAUE: for it is not subject to the law of IAUE, neither indeed can be.

8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please IAUE.

Gal 3:3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.

Heb 10:26  For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,

27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

1 Peter 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of IAUE: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of IAUE?

18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

We read passages like these and:

1. They just go over our head, or
2. We ignore the unpleasant ramifications of their message, or
3. We nullify their message by overriding them with doctrines we have been taught.

It is a wonder how successful the enemy of our souls has been at convincing the church that IAUE expects nothing at all from us.  If we are IAUE’s enemies, now, by our choice to pursue our own will instead of His will in this life, what makes us believe that He is actually going to want to have us around when His Kingdom comes with manifestation?  If we are rebels against his authority and challenge His right to rule our lives now; why do we think we are going to fit into His Kingdom, later?  This is the time that we are to learn how to be humble obedient servants.  We will not have the opportunity to do so, later.

Luke 19:27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.

For 17 months, now, this blog has been devoted to weekly instruction designed to bring to the depths of the hearts of its readers, an awareness of a singular message.

Mark 12:29  And Yahushua answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; IAUE our Elohim is one Master:

30 And thou shalt love IAUE thy Elohim with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

The entirety of the Scriptures could be boiled down to this one objective:  The Father seeks those who love Him.  The gospel is designed to liberate such people to be able to express their love for Him. It isn’t a message designed to bring a train full of malcontents into His presence.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love Elohim, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which Elohim hath prepared for them that love him.

2 Timothy 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which IAUE, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which IAUE hath promised to them that love him.

James 2:5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not Elohim chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

If you do not awake in the morning and consider the new day another blessing of grace to be able to live for IAUE and to express your love to Him through your words, thoughts and deeds; then you should reevaluate whether or not you are in the faith, or just in a religious culture.  Do not allow traditions of men to make the Word of IAUE of no effect in your life.  Seek Him whom your soul loves.  If He is hidden from you, it is only because He wants to be found by you.

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Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance of the will of IAUE.

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A KINGDOM HEART – XLII

WBS.072

FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

A KINGDOM HEART – XLII

Hebrews 10: 5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:

6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.

7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O Elohim.

8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;

9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O Elohim. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Yahushua Messiah once for all.

Last week’s post ended with this comment: 

	He (David) knew he had to develop a dependency upon the strength of his redeemer if he was going to succeed in maintaining a pure heart before Elohim.  So, too, should we.  The question is, how desperately do we want this?  The answer to that question will reveal whether or not we are a disciple…or just a believer.

 

There is a clear message both taught and demonstrated throughout the New Testament; and that is, the gospel of Messiah Yahushua is to produce disciples. Faith in Yahushua is to produce a life that yearns for and is committed to the performance of the will of IAUE. What we see in practice today is a belief system that has produced a religious culture that accommodates believers doing whatever they please, controlling the course of their own lives.  This mindset is alien to the Scriptures.

“The Lists” exercise (see WBS006, June 2, 2013) terrifies believers because it exposes the intensity of their resistance to the will of IAUE and their rebellion against His authority to rule their lives.  They do not want brought into the light what they have so carefully kept in the dark because it upsets the comfortableness of their delusion that they can walk in darkness and still enjoy the fruits of the children of light.  Disciples, on the other hand, relish the exposure of anything within them that would dare to interfere with their performance of their Father’s will; hence, James words “count it all joy when you endure divers temptations,” because the experience of temptation exposes to the light wicked desires rooted in the heart and/or mind that must be eradicated lest they interfere with our true desire to serve IAUE.

One of the most popular verses quoted by Christians today is:

Psalm 37:4 Delight thyself also in IAUE: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

They envision that by embracing the religious culture of Christianity this will guarantee that IAUE will give them a better job, a better car, a better house, the perfect spouse, etc.  All such desires betray the fact they have not delighted in IAUE.  Look at how David expressed his delight.

Psalm 119:16 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.

Psalm 119:24 Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counselors.

Psalm 119:35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.

Psalm 119:47 And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved.

Psalm 119:70 Their heart is as fat as grease; but I delight in thy law.

Psalm 119:77 Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for thy law is my delight.

Psalm 119:92 Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction.

Psalm 119:143 Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: yet thy commandments are my delights.

Psalm 119:174 I have longed for thy salvation, O IAUE; and thy law is my delight.

David’s delight was in learning, understanding and doing the will of IAUE.  He delighted in IAUE; so what kind of desires did this produce within him?

Psalm 27:4 One thing have I desired of IAUE, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of IAUE all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of IAUE, and to enquire in his temple.

Psalm 73:25 Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee

David’s desire was for more of IAUE; not to be distant from Him; but to be near Him to behold His beauty and to sit in His presence.  IAUE Himself was the object of his desire.  Yahushua had the same desire, and explained this to his disciples:

Matthew 6: 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if Elohim so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of Elohim, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

The material needs of this world should no longer occupy a place of concern or even planning in the life of a disciple.  The Father knows what we need.  Supplying those needs is His job.  Devoting ourselves to the loving performance of His will is our job.  This brings us to today’s verses.

Hebrews 10:7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O Elohim.

8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;

9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O Elohim. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

Messiah came to set aside the Torah which was powerless to change men’s hearts; and to replace it with…A WILL, a DESIRE…a desire to do the will of IAUE.  He told his disciples that he did always those things that pleased his Father; and that he did nothing unless he first saw His Father do it.  Yahushua had one desire…one thing…to attend to every word coming forth from His Father’s mouth; coupled with an earnest desire to do absolutely anything and everything He wanted him to do.

10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Yahushua Messiah once for all.

We are sanctified, set apart unto Elohim, by having that same will…the predisposition to hear and obey the will of IAUE.  If we merely believe the stories about Yahushua; if we merely believe the doctrines we are taught, and never experience the life consuming desire to do the will of IAUE, we are no more separated unto IAUE than those who regard the Bible stories as myths or irrelevant.

Hebrews 12:14  Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see IAUE.

That which separates us unto IAUE, that which makes us different from the rest of the world, is the sanctifying will to do His will. 

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Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance of the will of IAUE.

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A KINGDOM HEART – XLI

WBS.071

FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

A KINGDOM HEART – XLI

Psalm 19:12  Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults.
13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O IAUE, my strength, and my redeemer.

Last week’s post ended with this comment: 

The next time, and every time you are tempted, say this out loud:  “I have a choice.”  When you declare to yourself the awareness of the choice that is before you; you cannot succumb to temptation without the full realization that doing so would defy the purpose of your discipleship to Messiah, disobey the will of IAUE, and prove whom you love most. You will also know that you are subjecting yourself to the disciplinary action of IAUE.  The choice will reveal to yourself whose will you are committed to obey; and for whose kingdom you are preparing your heart.

 

So, did you do it this past week?  Did you face each temptation with the declaration, “I have a choice.”  It was illuminating, wasn’t it?  You came face to face with the awareness of how recklessly you have been living your life; how callously you discard your allegiance to the Master for the sake of temporary pleasure; and how little it has mattered in the past for you to do what you know is against the will of IAUE.  No more, however, can you choose to follow temptation’s lead in ignorance of the incredible consequences of your choice to do evil.

For those of us who genuinely long to be pleasing to the Master, this exercise was a revelation of how easy it is to avoid giving in to temptation; and how we can be grateful through the surfacing of temptation to be shown conditions of wickedness in our heart, dross that needs to be purified.

Temptation, however, is not always so cut and dried…so apparent to us that we can tell ourselves we have a choice to make.

Psalm 19:12  Who can understand his errors?  Cleanse thou me from secret faults.

The Psalmist recognizes that there are forces within his life that cause him to sin...almost against his own will.  They are "errors" ...mistakes.  They are the kind of things that, after we have done them, we are amazed at ourselves and wonder why we did them; that is, if we even noticed that we did them at all.   The Psalmist may not have recognized his issues on his own.  His blind spots may have been pointed out by friends or family.  The really valuable thing to see here is the posture of David's heart.

"Who can understand his errors?" This question was not an attempt at defending himself for wrong behavior originating from issues programmed from childhood, or reactions that are at first believed to be proper responses to circumstances .  No, it was a desperate appeal for help.  It was an admission that there are things we do that come from places inside of us we are not even aware exist.  It was one of wanting to be purified of anything that was not perfectly pleasing to his Master.

"Cleanse thou me from secret faults."  David offered an earnest plea for Elohim to purify his heart of all that offended or displeased Him.  The Hebrew word used here means "secrets" or things "hidden"...it does not really include the idea of "faults."  David was asking Elohim to cleanse him of his secrets...his hidden life.  David wanted to walk in the light as He is in the light (1 John 1).  To walk in darkness, to keep anything in our life hidden in the dark, kept a secret, causes us to make many mistakes in our walk.  It is the principle avenue through which the devil retains influence and sway in our lives.  Springing forth from those secrets are behaviors that have become a part of the network designed to keep them secret; so they quite naturally are expressed without our even making the choice to do them.  We become alert to what we have done after we have done it.

Psalm 19:13  Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

David repeats his plea of verse 12 by restating it in another way.  The errors, the spontaneous sins, that proceed from our secrets, the parts of our life that we keep in the dark, are "presumptuous sins."   The Hebrew word used her for, "presumptuous" is found 13 times in the Scriptures; and in all of the other 12 passages it is translated "proud." In other words, the sins that proceed from areas of our life that we refuse to bring to the light lest they be exposed for the wickedness they are emanate from nothing more than pure pride.  This makes sense because anything we keep in the dark is kept there because we believe that we are important enough to have it in our life despite IAUE’s disapproval; thus all behavior emanating from those things we keep for ourselves are dripping with the pride that comes from the love of self.  

Proverbs 8:13 The fear of IAUE is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

It is important for us as disciples of Yahushua to learn, and to learn quickly, that any part of our life that is kept in the dark, is an aspect of their life that is turned over to the authority of the enemy of their soul.  Satan is the ruler of the darkness of this world.  The Psalmist recognizes this terrible truth and prays that IAUE would prevent these prideful sins from having dominion over his heart.  Yahushua said that no man could serve two masters.  When we keep any part of our life secret from man and kept out of the light of IAUE, we create a two-master lifestyle, and fail in our service to Elohim only.  Satan enjoys any service that he can receive from us.  IAUE does not.

The Psalmist recognizes, however, that if he brings his life into the light, and allows IAUE to cleanse him of the error of his way, his life shall once again be "upright" and he "shall be innocent of the great transgression."  What is the "great transgression?"  David does not tell us, but we could speculate that at the very least, it is any sin that causes Elohim to be displeased with him.  For David, any time he lost the smile of IAUE, it was a great transgression regardless of what he may have done.  Like Yahushua said of himself, David longed to do always those things that pleased His Elohim.

Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O IAUE, my strength, and my redeemer.

The Psalmist had been to the Great Physician and his condition had been diagnosed.  His public life was beset with sins of pride because he had harbored in his heart, secret sins.  The divine surgeon, however, had been entreated to purge the defilement.  When David brought that which was once dark into the light, IAUE cleansed him of his secrets.  Like any good physician, IAUE does not let his patient exit without supplying him with the appropriate medicine to insure that good health is maintained. [We must understand that prideful behavior is habitual.  It is like the cigarette smoker who has "quit," yet still finds it very difficult at those times in his day when he was accustomed to automatically reaching into his pocket for a cigarette.  He has to learn to do something else with his hands or his mouth to reclaim that part of his life from the habit that had ruled him. ]

King David reveals that the prescription for recovery of our heart from prideful sins, AFTER we have allowed the Light of IAUE to expose our secret sins, is to: "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O IAUE..."  David guarded his mouth and his heart.  He took up a conscious evaluation of his words and his thoughts, not to permit secret sins back into his life.  This does not happen automatically.  It requires prayer and the personal commitment of one to purify and to guard his heart, knowing that out of it flow the issues of life.

With his words, David could lie or tell half-truths, or speak with guile to put people off the track of what he was doing or contemplating (secret sin).  In his heart, David could meditate on the sins he wanted to commit until those meditations took on plans and strategies for enabling the sin.  These are the two functions of our life that get us into the most trouble.  We should take note of wise David if we intend to prepare a Kingdom Heart for our Master, Yahushua the Messiah.

David did not depend on his own strength to do this.  He depended upon "O IAUE, my strength, and my redeemer."   He knew he had to develop a dependency upon the strength of his redeemer if he was going to succeed in maintaining a pure heart before Elohim.  So, too, should we.  The question is, how desperately do we want this?  The answer to that question will reveal whether or not we are a disciple…or just a believer.

James 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

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Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance of the will of IAUE.

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