Just as the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, so we are slaves to sin. Day after day we sweat in the desert of Egypt. All around us is sand and above us is a blazing sun that sucks the water of life out of our bodies. We long for a drop of water to quench our thirst but we find only sand. There is absolutely no water for miles around that can give us relief. In the same way, our spirits long for a drink of water but we find nothing.
In the world that we live in, we are deceived. All of our hopes, desires and longings come to nothing. (Ps. 112:10). We are like dream, a phantom, our life is but a vapour (Ps 39:6, James 4:14). Everything around us is fading away and decaying. The world and its passions fade away (1 John 2:17a)
They are like a dream when one awakes; when you arise, Lord, you will despise them as fantasies. Psalm 73:20
This world is God’s worst nightmare. As humans our sinful minds come up with some of the most twisted and disturbing things. I am reminded of movies such as the Matrix or I, Robot where the humans create artificial intelligence but after awhile they rebel and start to kill people and suddenly we are plunged into chaotic world where the robots rule. In Resident Evil we try to create life through a virus but the virus turns everyone in zombies that eat human flesh.
When I think about it, this is exactly what happened to God. He creates life and we screw it up. This virus called sin enters the world, turns everyone into zombies that kill, lie, cheat, steal, hate, lust and now we live in a dark and godless world.
I can imagine God looking down at His once perfect world, in utter distress because his creation has turned into little demon monsters. But what gets me, is that it says we’re a dream not even real to God. Its like He’s going to wake up one day and we’ll all be gone, just a figment of His imagination. That’s good for God, but horrible for us.
But in this time when God is “sleeping”, He is also restoring people through Jesus and preparing them for the time when He awakes and brings back the real world. When God’s Kingdom comes those who are part of it won’t even want to remember any thing that happened in this old life.
“See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. Isaiah 65:17
As we come to understand the calling that we have and are changed into citizens of Heaven, the world around us becomes our worst nightmare. We’re not of this world anymore but aliens and strangers in a foreign land (1 Peter 2:11)
However in the in between time, God in His wisdom has appointed that the Children of God live in this spiritual wasteland; it’s not easy. Every we wake up and cry:
O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water Psalm 63:1
My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Psalm 84:2
We look around us and our soul is in utter distress at the wickedness around us. Like Lot living in Sodom.
and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless 8 (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard) -2 Peter 2:7-8
But even though our soul is in distress we are the only ones with water in this dry land. As we go from this life here on earth to Heaven we literally bring heaven down to earth. As we pass by these dry places we pour water around us. Everywhere we go, we bring life.
Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion. Psalm 84:5-7
It says in the bible that we are the fragrance of life (2 Cor 2:16). When people who our hungry and dying smell the life in us they are attracted to us. The awesome thing is that we don’t have to do anything; we don’t have to be perfect for this to happen it is God’s grace that works in us to act in order to fulfill His good purpose (Phil. 2:13). What we need to do is to worship God and be faithful. He takes care of the rest. The above passage says those who’s strength is in the Lord. It means those who completely trust God and draw strength from Him.
As God’s Children we must learn to rest in the shadow of the Almighty. His faithfulness is our shield and rampant. He’s the one that rescues us and even though all around us people may be falling to into sin’s deceptions, He promises keep us safe from evil. A thousand may fall at our right hand, ten thousand at our right side but none of it comes near to us. We sit and watch in awe and give thanks for what God is doing for us.(Ps. 91)
He gives those who trust in him a bubble of grace and the way we gain this bubble, is when we put down our own barrier of sin and pride and allow God to work through us.
Before we believe we walk around and live in the sin all around. After we believe we walk around in a sinful world but are no longer deceived and caught up in it. Our hearts are changed (the red dot) but we will still sin because our flesh is still weak.
The passage says from strength to strength. In the New Testament it says we are being transformed from glory to glory to His image (2 Cor 3:18) and that we are being renewed in inwardly day by day though our outward bodies are wasting away (2 Cor. 4:16). We are so focused on God that we don’t even realize that He’s using us to bring life, we just pass by, our eyes fixed on the author and perfecter of our faith Jesus (Hebrews 12:2.
One of the keys to bringing life to a lost generation is humility. God is looking for people who are humble enough to admit they need God and truly understand that they’re nothing without Him; because of this they just obey. In the bible of there are many great men and women of God who did amazing things and we tend idolize them. We think that they’re super holy people that we can never be like. But what we don’t see is that these people were humble.
Moses was the humblest man in all the earth (Num 12:3). It would make sense that the humblest man would be the man most used by God. Moses was so humble that when the Israelites were opposing him in the desert he fell facedown before them. The people were about to stone Moses but he didn’t care about man; He had no pride. God’s glory appeared over the tabernacle and Moses started to intercede for his enemies so that God would spare them. People would probably think twice before messing with Moses after that. But Moses didn’t do anything he was fully focused on God (Num 14:1-24)
We need to be careful; there are many people who try to work for God but not many who are humble enough to be used by Him. Many will say on that day: Lord Lord, did we not prophecy in your name and in your name drive out demons? And He will say depart from me, I never knew you (Matt. 7:22)
In Noah’s generation no one was seeking God, every one was evil. God was grieved and was about to destroy man. But Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord he was a humble and righteous man. It says he was a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5). So you have to imagine that throughout the 100 years or so Noah was building the ark, people would be watching (it’s pretty hard to hide a giant boat) and as the people came to see Noah, he would be preaching to them! In the end, his obedience and perseverance is what saved the whole human race!
The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. 6 The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. 7 So the LORD said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” But Noah found favour in the eyes of the LORD. Genesis 6:5-8
Our generation is quickly heading toward the days of Noah. And when God decides to wake up, the world is not going to know. Jesus says that when He comes again people will be living their normal day to day lives.
As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Matthew 24:37-39
The bible prophecies that despite everything that God tries to do to warn people, they will still not repent of their iniquity (Rev. 9:21). We need to be the people who will find grace in the eyes of the Lord. The people who can partner with God to bring His will into existence because he does not find pleasure in the destruction of the wicked (Ez. 18:23) and it’s His will that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4)
As in the days of Noah, the same spiritual reality exists today but instead of a flood it says:
That is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12(NASB)
God sends them a powerful delusion. The word flood in Hebrew is mabbuwl and it means deluge which is the root word for delusion. The delusion overwhelms us and is extremely powerful. The most powerful delusion isn’t people who believe in different philosophies or people who clearly live in immorality but it’s the delusion of religion. Jesus warns us many times to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees (Matt 16:6). In the Old Testament, God says that He would rather have people live in outright opposition to Him than wear a mask of religion. In the days of Jeremiah, both Israel and Judah were living in opposition to God, but Judah still pretended to worship God.
The LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel is more righteous than unfaithful Judah. Jeremiah 3:11
To be faithless is better than being unfaithful!
The story of Peter gives a good example of someone who was deluded by religion. Right before Jesus dies Peter boasts that he would die with Jesus after Jesus clearly told him he would deny him. Peter’s response should have been to repent, but instead he put his trust in his own flesh and religion. Jesus brings Peter to pray with him in the garden of Gethsemane to test him and as a way for him to keep watch so that he would not fall into temptation later on in the night! Peter fails this test and when the time came he was so disconnected from God that he tried to kill a man with a sword! It wasn’t until after Jesus’ resurrection that Peter fully understood what God’s intentions were.
and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. Matthew 24:39-42
When the end comes two people living together on earth will suddenly be separated. The person who is swept away will not understand until it is too late! In context of the passage, the one who is swept away is the one who fell into judgement. In the spiritual sense, those who do not know God are already swept away, the people that you go to school with the people that you work with.
Some people take this passage as a reference to the rapture. Paul does write about rapture “those who are alive will be caught up in the clouds” (1 Thess. 4:17) When it comes to the rapture we as Christians must understand that it will not happen before the tribulation period. The Left Behind series isn’t biblically accurate.
Jesus prays not for God to take them out of the world but that we are protected from evil.
My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by[d] the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. John 17:16-19
God’s desire is that we would be in the world as agents of light (Matt 5:14). In the last days we are to be sent into the world to be witnesses, to be the Noah to our generation that is being swept away by the delusion.
Submit to God, Resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7). We need to stand and resist the devil not just run away! Jesus doesn’t leave us unequipped to do this. He covers us, He also desires us and He edifies us to do His work!
Jesus is in heaven with his crown of glory. We are on earth far below…
1.When we sin Jesus covers us in His blood so that we can stand in His presence (the black lines are sin that comes from our flesh)
2.Jesus desires us and shares His heart with us. The strength of the communication line depends on the individual person and is always being broken and re-establish because of sin (the black lines.
3.Jesus also edifies us to bring us to be where He is in heaven. He speaks truth in our lives to encourage us to keep running!
The key to resisting the devil is through pray and worship by God’s power not ours! Humility comes from prayer. Leonard Ravenhill a famous pastor has said “A man is only as great as his prayer life.”
The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only. Luke 4:5-8
The strategy the devil uses is to deceive is to get people to worship themselves, to gain glory for themselves. The devil tried to tempt Jesus to glorify himself and not give glory to the Father. Jesus knew that His kingdom wasn’t on earth but that the he would take the Kingdom of the world for the Kingdom of God. Satan has the authority and glory in this world. He’s the prince of this world. When we fell we gave the glory that was originally meant for humans to glorify God to Satan. Satan gives that authority to whom he pleases the politicians, judges, artists, journalists etc and they use that authority to glorify themselves. The exaltation of self is actually worship to Satan.
Where there is light there is no darkness. When we worship God, the spiritual condition in air in hearts change. Through faith, the power of Christ dwells in us (Eph. 3:17) so that we are able to evangelize effectively.
When we first believe our hearts are changed but weak and can’t do much. As our faith increases through worship Jesus gives us strength and the power in our hearts get bigger so that we can shine light into the dark places. Eventually the faith that we develop stays in our hearts in our day to day lives!
Wherever we go we are to be the fragrance of life. We do this simply by submitting or leading in a way that glorifies God in the places of influence we are in families, Workplace, school etc. by submitting we open up a door of grace for God to work.
Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 1 Peter 3:1
To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. 13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.1 Corinthians 7:12-14
The family is the basic foundation of human society. In the household, if the parents are believers they are able to effectively minster to their child. As long as the child submits their parents they are “clean” If the child is a Christian, through their actions they can also minister to their parents.
In the bible the word heaven is shown in three different contexts. Once to refer to the place where God dwells Our Father who art in heaven (Matt. 6:9), Another time to refer to spiritual forces of evil outside of the physical realms For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph 6:12) and another to refer to the physical heavens (space and sky) The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. (Ps 19:1) Paul writes about an experience where he was caught up to the third heaven. (2 Cor. 12:2) From this we can conclude that there are three “heavens,” God being in the 3rd heaven, Satan having dominion over a spiritual realm “heaven” that can delude people on the earth and the physical heavens which we can see. Of course God owns everything and is at the top. When we pray God ends us power directly from where He dwell and pierces the spiritual forces in Satan’s realm. The parents receive this grace from God and can pass it to the child. The mountain represents the area of influence.
In the marriage relationship the wife through submission in a Christ like way is able to minster to her husband and the husband is able to minster to the wife by leading her in a Christ like way. This can only happen if the unbelieving partner is willing to live with the believer. The actions of the man or woman is what God will use to save.
The relationship between Father and Jesus is reflected in the relationship between the man and woman as well as the relationship between Christ and the church. The Son loves the Father and so submits to Him, the Father loves the Son and so gives Him all authority to Him. In this way the relationship is circular! In the same way the wife submits to the husband but the man loves the wife and so brings her up to his level!
Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone. Titus 3:1
In the school and workplace the same concept applies. When we live godly lives we gain the respect of those in authority to us and through the respect we are given opportunities to speak truth and minister to them. As Jesus grew he was able to gain the respect of those around Him even as a child! (Luke 2:52)
The one who is lower on the structure gives grace to the higher and the relationship between them is one full of grace.
Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us 1 Peter 2:12
In our friendships we are also able to minister in an equally yoked relationship. We can share our lives and live out our faith in a more personal way.
Not only can we minister to non-believers but also other believers as well. When David was being hunted by Saul, it says that Jonathan helped him find strength in God (1 Samuel 23:16).
Christians restore the disorder that is caused by our sin. A key way that we administer grace is through good works. It says in the bible:
Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives. Titus 3:14
As we seek the Lord we must also be ready because the doors are open for Him to work as He pleases through our lives.
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect 1 Peter 3:15
Remember setting Christ apart in our hearts always comes first! If Christ is first than it is easy to give a genuine love filled answer to those who ask!
