01/12/2020
Last Sunday we preached about praying from God's rest
Rest is possible if we are aware of God who is helping us.
Rest is connected to faith, and it is what attracts God. It attracts the hand of God, but it also attracts the presence of God and favor of God.
God is looking for people who actually trust Him, so He can do something for them.
Because most of the people on earth behave like God does not exist, and like promises of God have no application in their lives.
After the original sin of Adam and Eve, man does not see the reality of God anymore. He has withdrawn himself from the spiritual reality.
We have lost spiritual eyesight and spiritual senses.
2Ch 16:9 KJV For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.
This verse tells us that God wants to show Himself faithful to people who are faithful.
God wants to show Himself strong on people's behalf, but there is not much people who are there to receive this.
God wants to be real for us.
Learning about rest and about trusting God is not just about our own benefit, but also about pleasing God.
God is looking for people for whom He is real.
2 Kings 6:8-23
Now, this miracle of God was possible for one reason - there was one man in the nation of Israel, for whom God was real. Very real.
Those angel armies existed regardless of Elisha and regardless of all the people there.
But they came and they did a miracle, because there was a man there for whom God was real.
Man who was willing to look not only with his physical eyes, but he was also willing to look with the eyes of faith.
God is not unwilling to help us in our need, but it is often us, who disqualify ourselves.
God is on the lookout. He is actively searching throughout the earth for those who have the heart which is right toward Him.
So, we need to develop our spiritual senses.
We need to develop our spiritual sight, and our spiritual taste, and our ability to sense things spiritually.
And we can do this, as children of God, if we align ourselves with faithfulness of God.
When we rely on God and His promises, we are giving Him credit. We are acknowledging His reality.
We are aligning ourselves with who God is. We acknowledge His character.
So, He will have someone here on earth who knows Him. Someone He can connect to.
God is looking for such people. People who are willing to live beyond what they can see with their natural eyes.
Psa 9:10 ISV Those who know your name will trust you, for you have not forsaken those who seek you, LORD.
But most of the people on earth remain hidden from God.
And don't care of the spiritual reality.
And, as we read, God is looking for those who are faithful.
Let's read
Gen 3:8-9 KJV 8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. 9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
So, God is still looking for those who will stand in His presence and acknowledge the invisible God. And invisible reality.
God wants someone who is willing to stay in His presence. To walk with Him. To hear Him.
Joh 3:18-21 KJV 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
If we want to recognize God, to acknowledge His presence, to obey His voice, we can.
The reason that most of human race doesn't experience more of God in our lives is because we are not faithful, and we withdraw from His presence and from His promises.
Psa 9:15 KJV The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.
Jud 1:19 ASV These are they who make separations, sensual, having not the Spirit.
Now, if we want to walk in God's presence, in some ways we will need to learn to walk by our spirit and heart. And not always according to our natural mind.
What does this mean?
This means sometimes our spirit will tell us to chose the direction which looks naive to our mind. To chose God. To build life on His faithfulness.
We will need to be childlike. Not cynical and sceptical.
Mat 18:2-3 ISV 2 Calling a little child forward, he had him stand among them. 3 Then he said, “I tell all of you with certainty, unless you change and become like little children, you will never get into the kingdom from heaven.
We will need to learn to walk backwards from what we are used to.
What do I mean by this?
We need to start conquering territory that we never experienced before. We need to take someone at His Word, although it contradicts all our life experience
(that Someone is God).
That is how we enter the realm that Bible calls the Kingdom of God.
Taking steps of faith, relying on God, even if it contradicts our natural mind.
Now, last time we spoke about Lazarus' resurrection. And this time I want to mention one disciple from the report about Lazarus.
I want you to pay special attention to the contrast of Jesus, and what he says about walking in the light.
And I want you to pay attention to the behavior of disciple called Thomas.
Joh 11:3-16 ISV 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus and told him, “Lord, the one whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness isn’t meant to end in death. It’s for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 Yet, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed where he was for two more days. 7 After this, he told the disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.” 8 The disciples told him, “Rabbi, the Jewish leaders were just now trying to stone you to death, and you are going back there again?” 9 Jesus replied, “There are twelve hours in the day, aren’t there? If anyone walks during the day he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks at night he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 These were the things he said. Then after this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I’m leaving to wake him up.” 12 So the disciples told him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will get well.” 13 Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was speaking about resting or sleeping. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died. 15 For your sake I’m glad that I wasn’t there, so that you may believe. But let’s go to him.” 16 Then Thomas, who was called the Twin, told his fellow disciples, “Let’s go, too, so that we may die with him!”
Now let's take a look:
9 Jesus replied, “There are twelve hours in the day, aren’t there? If anyone walks during the day he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks at night he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
What is this comment about?
If we are not enlightened by Spirit, if we do not walk with the eyes of faith, we will stumble. Kingdom of God will make no sense to us. We will not be able to see God's purposes.
And just couple of verses further we can see disciple called Thomas. He is not applying faith in his walk, so his comment is "let us go and die with Lazarus"
He cannot discern purposes of God. He doesn't get it.
We can see that he is stumbling. He sounds desperate. He does not see.
Like Jesus said:
But if anyone walks at night he stumbles, because the light is not in him.
Now, if we look for Thomas again, in the Gospel of John, we find him in
Joh 14:2-6 ISV 2 There are many rooms in my Father’s house. If there weren’t, I wouldn’t have told you that I am going away to prepare a place for you, would I? 3 And since I’m going away to prepare a place for you, I’ll come back again and welcome you into my presence, so that you may be where I am. 4 You know where I am going, and you know the way.” 5 Thomas asked him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
We can again see Thomas is out of context. While Jesus is walking in the Spirit, and talking about spiritual reality, Thomas does not see in that realm. He cannot grasp the purposes of God. Even Christ's words sound like foreign language to him. Cause he is thinking earthly.
So, why am I telling you this? About Thomas.
Because his story has a conclusion, about how we can walk in faith and how we can see in the spiritual realm.
Let us read
Joh 20:24-29 ISV 24 Thomas, one of the Twelve (called the Twin), wasn’t with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples kept telling him, “We’ve seen the Lord!” But he told them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, put my finger into them, and put my hand into his side, I’ll never believe!” 26 A week later, his disciples were again inside, and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were shut, Jesus came, stood among them, and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he told Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Take your hand, and put it into my side. Stop doubting, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus told him, “Is it because you’ve seen me that you have believed? How blessed are those who have never seen me and yet have believed!”
So here is the key answer how to go from one, sensual realm which is separated from God and His Kingdom, how to go from this everyday reality, into reality where we can see in the spirit, and sense in the spirit, and walk in the prophetic realm.
How we can walk with God.
There is a principle explained by Jesus.
Jesus told him, “Is it because you’ve seen me that you have believed? How blessed are those who have never seen me and yet have believed!”
So, we need to believe God's reality BEFORE it makes sense to our natural mind. BEFORE we can see it with our natural eyes. BEFORE we can understand it with our natural understanding.
This is how we can bridge our separation from the presence of God.
Jud 1:19 ASV These are they who make separations, sensual, having not the Spirit.
Sensual means those who rely only on their natural senses and natural reasoning. Those who do not have and don't follow the light of God. Voice of God.
Sometimes trusting God means going against our experience and our logic.
Mat 18:2-3 ISV 2 Calling a little child forward, he had him stand among them. 3 Then he said, “I tell all of you with certainty, unless you change and become like little children, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.
He says, "never get into the Kingdom of Heaven."
Those are big words.
Let us pray for humility, and let us be ruled by our spirit and faith, and let us not be anymore merely human in our walk.
Let us not lean only on our natural mind.
Let us find the courage to be childlike in our faith in God and in His Word.