CONSIDER THE LILIES

Matthew 6:28-30 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 

When winter comes all the lovely flowers of the garden are gone. Certain plants and bushes are cut down to the ground, while others shed all their beautiful leaves and flowers and look like wooden skeletons throughout the entire winter. They look dead and gone forever.

But then Spring comes and this incredible miracle happens. The lilies that seemed to be gone forever sprout again and we behold their beauty for yet another season. And that bush that we were ready to cut down, because we thought it had died during the winter, because it was slow to bloom, suddenly becomes the most beautiful shrub in the whole garden.

Sometimes certain situations in our lives look like that bush we thought was dead. But our God, who is the God of triumphant resurrection life, gives us hope in those situations that we thought were beyond hope. And while we patiently wait in faith for Him to work in our lives, we come to know Him as the God of all comfort.

2 Corinthians 1:3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;

Psalm 39:7 And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.

Psalm 62:5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.

Psalm 130:5 I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.

Isaiah 4:6 And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.

Isaiah 25:4 For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

Isaiah 32:2 And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

THE COMMONWEALTH OF ISRAEL

Galatians 3:7-9 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

Ephesians 2:11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past GENTILES in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;

GENTILES (ethnos) a race, i.e. a tribe; specially, a foreign (non-Jewish) one (usually, by implication, pagan): Gentile, heathen, nation, people.

Ephesians 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being ALIENS from the COMMONWEALTH of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

ALIENS (apallotrioo) to estrange away, i.e. (passively and figuratively) to be non-participant: alienate, be alien.

COMMONWEALTH (politeia) citizenship; concretely, a community: commonwealth, freedom.

STRANGERS (xenos) foreign ; by implication, a guest.

Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Ephesians 2:14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of PARTITION between us;

PARTITION (phragmos) a fence, or inclosing barrier (literally or figuratively): hedge (round about), partition.

Ephesians 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

Ephesians 2:16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

Ephesians 2:17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.

Ephesians 2:18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

Ephesians 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but FELLOWCITIZENS with the saints, and of the HOUSEHOLD of God;

FELLOWCITIZENS (sumpolites) a native of the same town.

HOUSEHOLD (oikeios) domestic, i.e. (as noun), a relative, adherent:–(those) of the (his own) house(-hold).

Ephesians 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

Ephesians 3:6 That the Gentiles should be FELLOWHEIRS, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

FELLOWHEIRS (sugkleronomos) a co-heir, i.e. (by analogy) participant in common: fellow (joint)-heir, heir together, heir with.

 

MY HEALING TESTIMONY (2002)

The following is a chronology of a healing I received in early 2002.

MONDAY: My husband and I were ministering at the local nursing home when I suddenly began to have a sharp pain on my left side. I knew what it was because I had experienced the pain before.

TUESDAY: I went to the doctor and was put on antibiotics. At this point I didn’t find it necessary to take a pain reliever. My thinking was that I would soon start to feel better.

WEDNESDAY: The pain got worse and began interrupting my sleep. I started taking pain medication.

THURSDAY: Although I continued taking the pain medication, my sleep was interrupted again that night. This time it hurt so much that I had to get out of bed. I went downstairs and sat on the couch. I became concerned because I had been on the antibiotics since Tuesday and thought I should be feeling better by now. I was thinking that maybe I would have to go into the hospital, or maybe I would need surgery. In any event I knew that if I didn’t improve I would need to go to the emergency room in the morning.

I started to read the bible and pray for healing. I read Psalm 40.

Psalms 40:13 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me.

Psalms 40:17 But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.

After I prayed I went back up to bed.

FRIDAY: I woke up around 5 am. The antibiotic didn’t seem to be doing much good, and the pain medication was becoming less effective. The pain I felt was similar to the throbbing of a bad toothache, only it was on my side not in my tooth. I started to pray again . . .

“Lord, I know I need to go to the doctor or emergency room today because this is getting worse. Maybe you want me to witness or minister to someone who might be in the hospital room with me. But if that’s not the case Lord, please heal me.”

This time, to my amazement, the pain stopped immediately. I thought to myself the Lord is comforting me until I can get medical attention. When I got out of bed a couple of hours later I was waiting for the pain to start again as I began to walk around. It didn’t. In fact it went away and stayed away. That was the end of it. I do believe in going to doctors, and I would have gone back to the doctor if the Lord hadn’t healed me. But the Lord, in His Sovereignty, did choose to heal me at that particular time, and I am most grateful.  Jesus Christ healed people when he walked this earth, and he still heals people today.

Psalms 40:1  I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST THAT WAS IN THEM…

The Spirit of Christ in the Old Testament …

1 Peter 1:9-11 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST WHICH WAS IN THEM did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

1 Corinthians 10:1-4 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; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: AND THAT ROCK WAS CHRIST.

ISRAEL – The Promises and The Remnant

Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of God’s promises and blessings to Israel, and these promises and blessings now flow to all nations.

Romans 2:28-29 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Throughout the Old and New Testament there has always been a remnant, and so it is to this day.

Romans 9:27 Isaiah also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:

THE PROMISE:

Genesis 12:3

And I WILL BLESS THEM THAT BLESS THEE, AND CURSE HIM THAT CURSETH THEE: AND IN THEE SHALL ALL FAMILIES OF THE EARTH BE BLESSED.

Genesis 22:18

And IN THY SEED SHALL ALL THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH BE BLESSED; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Genesis 26:4

And I will make THY SEED to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto THY SEED all these countries; and IN THY SEED SHALL ALL THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH BE BLESSED;

Genesis 28:14

And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and IN THY SEED SHALL ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH BE BLESSED.

Deuteronomy 18:18-19 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him

THE FULFILLMENT OF THE PROMISE:

Galatians 3:8

And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, PREACHED BEFORE THE GOSPEL UNTO ABRAHAM, SAYING, IN THEE SHALL ALL NATIONS BE BLESSED.

Galatians 3:14

That the BLESSING OF ABRAHAM MIGHT COME ON THE GENTILES THROUGH JESUS CHRIST; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Galatians 3:16

NOW TO ABRAHAM AND HIS SEED WERE THE PROMISES MADE. HE SAITH NOT, AND TO SEEDS, AS OF MANY, BUT AS OF ONE, AND TO THY SEED, WHICH IS CHRIST.

Galatians 3:28-29

There is NEITHER JEW NOR GREEK, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. AND IF YE BE CHRIST’S, THEN ARE YE ABRAHAM’S SEED, AND HEIRS ACCORDING TO THE PROMISE.

Acts 3:23 And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.

AND THIS IS THE TRUE BLESSING:

Acts 3:25-26

Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And IN THY SEED SHALL ALL THE KINDREDS OF THE EARTH BE BLESSED. UNTO YOU FIRST GOD, HAVING RAISED UP HIS SON JESUS, SENT HIM TO BLESS YOU, IN TURNING AWAY EVERY ONE OF YOU FROM HIS INIQUITIES.

Galatians 6:14-16

But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.