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Never Forget!

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Amos 1:9,11 ….because they [as middlemen] delivered up a whole [Jewish] population to Edom and did not [seriously] remember their brotherly covenant….11 because he pursued his brother Jacob (Israel) with the sword, corrupting his compassions and casting off all pity, and his anger tore perpetually and his wrath he kept and heeded forever.

Human nature is a funny thing. We are only a month and a few days to an event that happened twenty-four years ago: September 11, 2001. Never Forget was the common refrain used to remember the September 11th terrorist attacks and honor the victims, first responders, and all those affected by the tragedy. Fast forward twenty-four years later and the headlines read: Zohran Mamdani wins NYC mayoral primary over Andrew Cuomo. He is known as a Shia Muslim, and a democrat socialist. Never Forget? We can rest assured many have fallen back to sleep and have totally forgotten. In fact it’s an interesting parallel between the Scripture reference above, Esau and his descendants, who kept his wrath and heeded it forever.

Forgetfulness is a big deal to God. Some say we are to forgive and forget based on the Scripture in Micah 7:19 that states God hides our sin in the sea of forgetfulness. Isaiah 43:25 echoes this metaphor stating: “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins. One Biblical theologian from my teen years stated: It’s not that God forgets our sin – it’s that He chooses to not bring them up anymore. He chooses to release us from the debt He knows we owe Him. This is why forgiveness is an even bigger deal with God than forgetfulness. There is an interesting connection between forgetfulness and forgiveness. Dt. 4:23 Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God which He made with you,… Dt. 6:12 states: …beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Don’t forget where you came from, and don’t forget Who you have made covenant with. Jesus amplifies this in His Parable of the Unjust Servant. Matthew 18:23-30 Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 27 Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.28 “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 30 And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. 

We fail to forgive when we forget the debt that has been paid for our sins. It’s really that simple. Only those who aren’t aware of the depths of their sin can casually throw another in to the prison of their making. Sadly many a person have forged their own chains through unforgiveness being tormented by something far worse than a measly offense. Psalm 119:165 states: Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble. Those who know the Word know it’s Jesus. Jesus is the Word. Jesus is the Law or the Instruction or Teaching. Those who can’t remember, can’t forgive, stumble over the Stumbling Stone of the Chief Cornerstone, Jesus. Why? 1 Peter 2:7-8 explains: Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,” 8 and “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.”They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. They stumble because of their disobedience, and their disobedience reveals what they consider to be precious.

Come Further Up and Further In!

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Joel 1:14 Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land in the house of the Lord, your God, and cry to the Lord [in penitent pleadings].

Preaching Today gave the following illustration regarding fasting: A woman from Omsk, Russia, is reportedly suing McDonald’s over an advertisement featuring cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets, which she said caused her to break her fast during Lent. Ksenia Ovchinnikova, an Orthodox Christian, said she was trying to stay away from meat and other animal products during the six-week period leading up to Easter. She said, “When I saw an advertising banner, I could not help myself. I visited McDonald’s and bought a cheeseburger.” In her official complaint, she explains: “In the actions of McDonald’s, I see a violation of the consumer protection law. I ask the court to investigate and, if a violation has taken place, to oblige McDonald’s to compensate me for moral damage in the amount of one thousand rubles ($14 US dollars).”

It’s easy to laugh at the irony of this woman’s spiritual condition but truth be known it actually mirrors the spiritual condition of many. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus described Kingdom Citizens as those who gave, prayed and fasted. He didn’t say, If you give, pray and fast – He said WHEN. The value of getting closer to Jesus was forfeited for a fourteen dollar cheeseburger (and may I add, not a very good cheeseburger). How much was getting closer to Jesus for this woman? $14! Throughout the Bible you discover characters selling out for far less (Esau sold out for a bowl of soup). At least Judas held out for thirty pieces of silver (approximately $340 US). Ananias and Saphira held out for recognition and praise from men. (Which didn’t turn out so well for them).

The whole point of prayer and fasting is to sanctify, or set apart time to seek to draw near to God; to enter into His manifested presence. To make this issue even more pointed Rom. 1:7 states: To [you then] all God’s beloved ones in Rome, called to be saints and designated for a consecrated life….We are called to be saints which derives from the word where we get our english derivative, sanctified. 1 Cor. 6:11 states: And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. In other words, you were set apart – for giving, fasting, and praying. But Scripture doesn’t end there. 1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts,…If we are sanctifying as Lord in our hearts – we are setting apart Jesus as Lord of our heart; the Lord of our mind, will, emotions, personality, and body.

Jesus said in John 15 repeatedly, If you abide in Me….Jesus hadn’t yet ascended to the Father when He spoke this to His disciples in the Upper Room. It must have sounded strange to their ears. (Most of the time they didn’t understand what He was talking about). It wasn’t till later they connected the dots. For Jesus to make this command, and expectation, He knew they would connect this saying with how, and what He taught. In other words, later on they would know what it meant to abide, or remain in Jesus; to stay in close proximity to Him. Since they knew what it meant to abide, or remain in Him, they also knew what it would take to not abide, or remain in Him. Not only did they understand this aspect of abiding they also knew there was more of Him. They saw Jesus as C.S. Lewis described Aslan carrying the children of Narnia into the New Narnia: “Come further in!” Aslan cries, with laughter in his eyes. “Come further up!” (C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle) The Unicorn, of The Last Battle, in the last of the seven novels of the Chronicles of Narnia, entered the New Narnia, describes drawing near to Jesus well: “I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been look- ing for all my life, though I never knew it till now. The reason why we loved the old Narnia is that is sometimes looked a little like this. Bree-hee- hee! Come further up, come further in!” He shook his mane and sprang forward into a great gal- lop — a Unicorn’s gallop, which, in our world, would have carried him out of sight in a few moments. But now a most strange thing happened. Everyone else began to run, and they found, to their astonishment, that they could keep up with him: not only the Dogs and the humans but even fat little Puzzle and short-legged Poggin the Dwarf. The air flew in their faces as if they were driving fast in a car without a windscreen. The country flew past as if they were seeing it from the windows of an express train. Faster and faster they raced, but no one got hot or tired or out of breath.

Small Things

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2 Samuel 1:14-15 David said to him, Why were you not afraid to stretch forth your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed? 15 David called one of the young men and said, Go near and fall upon him. And he smote him so that he died.

Throughout Scripture from the fall of Adam and Eve to the crucifixion of Christ, from the writings of Paul to the end of the Book of Revelation – one fact remains: the wages of sin is death! The Amalekites had proven themselves enemies of God since the Exodus as described by Moses in the Book of Exodus: And the Lord said to Moses, Write this for a memorial in the book and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens.…And he said, Because [theirs] is a hand against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation. (Exodus 17:14,16) On the surface David’s response against this messenger of doom seems to be a little extreme. But underneath this narrative lies a larger monster that hides beneath the shadows lurking along the edges like a ravenous wolf ready to pounce upon its prey. First of all, this Amalekite is lying. He did not slay King Saul. Saul had taken his own life. Secondly, the messenger had looted what belonged to King Saul and the people of Israel – Saul’s kingly crown, and the bracelet on his arm. Thirdly, this man exposed his greed and lust for more. It wasn’t enough that he had plundered the crown jewels. His plot was much more twisted and devious. He had reasoned that there must be an even greater reward for the one who would kill Saul. Rather than taking the crown and bracelet and cashing in on his prize. He chose to up the ante. Finally, this man failed to realize that David was God’s man – God’s anointed – and God’s enemies were his enemies. But there is an even greater story unfolding before our eyes and Exodus 17:14,16 gives us the clue: I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens.…And he said, Because [theirs] is a hand against the throne of the Lord…

Did you catch that last part? The Amalekites had not simply lifted their hand to destroy God’s people. They had actually lifted their hand against God Himself. Against His Throne, Kingdom, and Reign. Consciously or unconsciously, this Amalekite was participating in the sins of his fathers and mothers. Ultimately, he was reflecting the heart of his spiritual father – Satan himself. For you see, the Amalekites, and their descendants could be traced all the way to King Herod himself, an Idumean (a descendant of the Edomites from which Amalek had come). Amalek had come from Esau’s son who had married a descendant of the Horites – and they were descendants of the demonic hybrid of the Nephilim (half-demon, half human. Think Goliath)

King Herod sought to kill Jesus – God’s Anointed King of Israel. Why had God said that He would personally fight against Amalek? Because they represented an Anti-Christ spirit. An anti-Christ agenda.

But how does all of this apply? Romans 8:7 states the carnal mind is at enmity with God. The carnal mind being our soulish mind or our propensity to rely more on our thinking, will, emotions, and personality or temperament to have things our way. This way of doing things is an enemy to God and the things of God because it hearkens back to the Garden of Eden, and you shall be gods. In other words having it our way is not doing it God’s Way. God’s Way obviously being Jesus Himself – The Way. But rest easy: the Lord will have war with (it) from generation to generation.

In Mark 8 Jesus warns of the leaven or yeast of the Pharisees, Herod, and the Herodians. (Matthew 16 adds the Sadducees). Leaven is a small thing – but it’s the small things that lead either to the anti-Christ rising in our lives or Jesus, the Bread of Life. Question is, Are we utilizing the yeast of the Kingdom of God or the yeast of satan himself? Remember it’s the small things that make all the difference in the outcome of what’s reigning in your life. What we sow into will determine the “rain” that falls in our lives.

Jeckyll or Hyde?

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What’s happening to the Church in America? Would our normal Christian experience be considered abnormal to the Apostles and the Christians of the 1st century? Why is it becoming progressively difficult to distinguish a Christian from a non-Christian? Why are Scriptural references to anything related to the Holy Spirit ignored, pushed aside, or dismissed altogether? Why are things of the Spirit stranger and stranger for a 21st century church attender to grasp?

You’ve seen the movies, possibly even read the book written by Robert Louis Stevenson, about     a Doctor Henry Jekyll. The fictional doctor who produced a serum enabling him to transform into a monster he called Mr. Hyde. In this fictional novella, Mr. Edward Hyde, the doctors alter ego, is permitted to indulge in unstated vices, evil, and self-indulgence living solely for himself. Unfortunately the ravenous appetite of the self-centered monster, Mr. Hyde, can not be slaked. Dr. Jekyll’s veneer of sophisticated, self-control is wrenched from his grasp as Mr. Hyde emerges as the stronger of the two. And Dr. Jekyll? He is seen no more. What’s startling about the 19th Century allegory is that it’s not far being an allegory of the spiritual condition of the 21st Century Western Church. But why is that? What has caused the average church attender’s disconnect? How is it that it’s becoming progressively difficult to distinguish a Christian from a non-christian?

Galatians 4 provides us with a clue: But we, brethren, are children [not by physical descent, as was Ishmael, but] like Isaac, born in virtue of promise. Yet [just] as at that time the child [of ordinary birth] born according to the flesh despised and persecuted him [who was born remarkably] according to [the promise and the working of] the [Holy] Spirit, so it is now also. But what does the Scripture say? Cast out and send away the slave woman and her son, for never shall the son of the slave woman be heir and share the inheritance with the son of the free woman. So, brethren, we [who are born again] are not children of a slave woman [the natural], but of the free [the supernatural]. Galatians 4:28-31 

In this passage, the Apostle Paul, is using Scripture as an allegory painting for us a portrait of the two sons of Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac. Christians are seen as the true sons of Isaac whereas sons of Ishmael only live to satisfy their carnal, or soulish man (composed of mind, will, emotions and personality. The disturbing truth is that the church, along with the cultural Christian, has been taught to cater to Mr. Hyde’s hunger blinding us to its horror. Like Dr. Jekyll we’ve been attempting to live a double life whose hunger knows no bound or equal. We’ve assumed with the proper “formulas” the beast within can be controlled, squelching its behavior. Unfortunately avoidance of Truth (Truth is a Person) has led us to our present condition. For years I read the Scripture, Jacob I loved but Esau I have hated, being offended by its implications. (Romans 9:13) I puzzled over Israel’s behavior as he crossed his arms to give prophetic blessings to the sons of Joseph. And I pushed aside the nudges of curiosity as to why David, the youngest of all his brothers, was ignored and left to tend sheep, as Israels’ prophet Samuel sought to discover God’s chosen one, King Sauls’ replacement. Truth had been staring me in the face all these years, that is, until now. 

1 Corinthians 15:45-48 Thus it is written, The first man Adam became a living being (an individual personality); the last Adam (Christ) became a life-giving Spirit [restoring the dead to life]. But it is not the spiritual life which came first, but the physical and then the spiritual. The first man [was] from out of earth, made of dust (earthly-minded); the second Man [is] the Lord from out of heaven. Now those who are made of the dust are like him who was first made of the dust (earthly-minded); and as is [the Man] from heaven, so also [are those] who are of heaven (heavenly-minded).

From Paul’s writing we can deduce, First comes the physical then the spiritual. The first Adam represents or symbolizes the earthly-minded or soulish man, whose offspring find themselves  ruled from within by their souls – mind, will, emotions and personality. Yet, the Last Adam, the younger Jesus, represents those born of the Spirit and Promise. These son’s of our dread Champion, the Last Adam – Jesus, live for the things of the Spirit, being spiritually minded, inclined and focused. 

Unfortunately, as in the fictional allegory, the conclusion is that the building of God – the Church, along with its attenders have been overtaken by the sons of Cain, Ishmael, and Esau. The Good News is that Jesus’ Body, sons and daughters of the King’s Dominion, know His Garden is growing on the inside refusing to ingest self-serving formulas to live duplicitous lives. No, choosing to be crucified daily with their Savior, they have relinquished their rights for their Beloved, seeking to be filled and empowered – DAILY – with His Precious Holy Spirit. These over-comers know that it’s not by might, nor the power of carnal man that will achieve their victory. No, they know that in their weakness, and foolishness He is their strength and wisdom. They grow the Garden for their Beloved seeking for it to bear fruit for HIs Name.