Sabbath 16/2/29/120
Dear Friends,
In our journey in the faith we find that we are attacked from without and we also suffer attacks from within. The army of God marches on.
In Ephesians 4:1 the Apostle Paul beseeches us to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we have been called. We are in a race moving towards the finish line.
Let us examine where we are coming from, where we are right now and where we are going since we have been on the road for some time.
We would like to reflect on the journey we have embarked on some time ago. We were called out of darkness into light. In our physical state we are dust and unto dust we shall return.
Let us commence our review of the natural state of mankind. That is our commencement point. What is man without the presence of the Holy Spirit working in and guiding the individual?
Isaiah 64:6
We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags;
and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken
us away.
Psalm 39:4-6
LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that
I may know how frail I am.5 Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth;
and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is
altogether vanity. Selah. 6Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they
are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather
them.
Ecclesiastes 3:18-20
I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might
manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.19 For
that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth
them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so
that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. 20 All go unto
one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
Jeremiah 10:23
O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that
walketh to direct his steps.
Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know
it?
Romans 8:7
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the
law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot
please God.
1Peter 1:24
For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass.
The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
We are the weak and base things called out of this world. We will fade away like the grass of the field .The Apostle Paul summarizes the end results of human endeavors as follows:-
Galatians 5:19-21
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication,
uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations,
wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings,
and such like.
That is the leaven that is of the world. Our walk since birth will have earned us death but God has chosen to have mercy on us. We need to be grateful to the Almighty God that He has taken us out of the cesspool of filth that we have ended up in. That was what we were. He has cleansed us through baptism once and has cleansed us once again via the activities since the 1st of Abib.
So where are we in our journey? We have left Egypt, we have crossed the Red Sea and we are crossed through most of the wilderness as we continue our journey towards our promised land, ”to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. “ (1Peter 1:4-5)
It will be a very difficult journey as we know from the accounts of the earlier journey across the wilderness undertaken by the Israelites under the able captainship of Moses. The captain is different. We are still led by the Angel of Presence.
In Exodus 23:20-23 we read:
Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee
into the place which I have prepared. 21 Beware of him, and obey his voice,
provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is
in him. 22 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak;
then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.
They had enemies/adversaries on that journey. So do we. Let us learn from their journey as we do not want to repeat their mistakes.
Romans 15:4 tells us: For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning.
What do we need to avoid? Why were many of them overthrown in the wilderness?
1Corinthians 10:1-11
Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our
fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 And were all
baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did all eat the same
spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank
of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with
many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after
evil things, as they also lusted. 7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of
them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to
play. 8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell
in one day three and twenty thousand. 9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some
of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.10Neither murmur ye, as
some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. 11 Now all
these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our
admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
They were overthrown because they did not adhere to the terms of their contract with God. When Moses had called for the elders of the people and laid before their faces all the words that the LORD had commanded him all the people answered together saying whatever the LORD had commanded they will do. We too have agreed to abide by the terms of our contract. What do we need to be doing to face our adversaries? Paul enlightens as follows:-
Ephesians 6:11-18
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles
of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God,
that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the
breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of
the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye
shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17And take the helmet
of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying
always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto
with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
Let us get to know who our adversary is as we walk towards the finish line.
Peter informs us in 1 Peter 5:8-9:
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion,
walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith,
knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are
in the world.
The adversary is out to pollute our minds. The lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes and the pride of life under the influence of the adversary have defiled mankind. The Messiah put it this way in the gospel of Mark.
Mark 7:20-23
And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 21 For
from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications,
murders, 22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil
eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23 All these evil things come from within,
and defile the man.
As we approach the end of our journey, let us reflect on our humble beginnings so we continue to remove the leaven of malice and evil and put on the leaven of sincerity and truth of the Holy Spirit. We need to be ever vigilant of the adversary polluting our minds to induce us to sin so we are not able to abide by the terms of our contract.
We need to be grateful to the Almighty God for His mercy. Let us continue to encourage each other while watching over each other as we move towards the finishing line and our incorruptible inheritance.
Alan Brach
Coordinator, South Asia
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