Afflictions!

God separates the sin which He hates--from the soul which He loves! 

"Affliction does not come from the dust, neither does trouble spring out of the ground. Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward." Job 5:6, 7

Man is born in sin, and therefore born to trouble. There is nothing in this world we are born to, and can truly call our own--butsin and trouble!

Actual transgressions are the sparks which fly out of the furnace of original corruption. 

Why then should we be surprised at our afflictions as strange, or object to them as severe--when they are the effects of sin, and under God's divine superintendence?

Afflictions are the common lot of man. "Man is born to trouble!" These afflictions are . . .
   grievous,
   various,
   numerous,
   and successive.

None are exempt from afflictions. For wherever there is sin, there is trouble. "Man is born to trouble!"

The poor endure it--the rich are not exempt.

To the pious, a bitter cup is assigned--and the wicked too have aching heads and hearts.

Grandeur, nobility, and royalty--are also associated with trouble.

The heart of the peasant, and that of the monarch--are alike smitten with anguish.

In youth, in middle age, in later life--there is trouble.

In health, in wealth, in honor, in elevation--there is trouble.

In successful enterprise,
in vast financial accumulation,
in places of nobility,
in beautiful mansions, and splendid palaces
--there is no exemption from trouble!

Go where you will, you will find trouble! Take the wings of the morning, and fly to the uttermost parts of the earth, and even there you will find it. Enter the deep shades of solitude, and it is there.

Crown yourselves with royalty;
take the exhilarating wine;
engage in the giddy dance;
listen to entrancing music and convivial songs;
visit the drama, and other theatric performances
--and you may for a season drown your sorrow.
But the clouds of trouble are sure to gather over your heads!

You are born to trouble.

It is your inevitable lot.

You will yet have to sicken, to suffer, and die!

Brethren, you know that, "Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows!" John 16:33

Afflictions are designed for chastisement. Afflictions are designed to awaken--correct, reform, divert from sin and the world--and to transfer the affections to Heaven. They "are for our profit." Hebrews 12:10

By affliction, God separates the sin which He hates--from the soul which He loves!

Two things should comfort believers under afflictions:
  1. That what they suffer is not Hell.
  2. That it is all the Hell they shall suffer.

Our enjoyments are greater than our afflictions.
And our afflictions are much less than our sins.

The source of affliction is not chance or mere natural causes. "Affliction does not come from the dust, neither does trouble spring out of the ground." If afflictions came from chance, there would be nothing wise, intelligent, reasonable, or good, in them--they would be dark, confused, and miserable.

Afflictions are Divinely appointed.

Job could say, "He performs the thing that is appointed for me."

David rejoiced to say, "All my times are in Your hand."

And Paul comforted the Christians at Thessalonica by the doctrine of Divine appointment: "No man should be moved by these afflictions, for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto." 1 Thessalonians 3:3.

That afflictions are appointed by God, is comforting, for it indicates that:

1. Our afflictions will be mingled with mercy. They are appointed by our gracious Father, who knows our frame, etc. They are sent by the God of love. To one who loves God, it is a great comfort to see His hand in everything that befalls us. It is enough, and ought to be enough, that it is the Lord's doing--let Him do what seems good unto Him. "I was silent; I would not open my mouth, for You are the one who has done this!" Psalm 39:9

When Job was deprived of all his substance by the Chaldeans and Sabeans, he said, "The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised!" To have everything ordered and arranged by God, is all that we can desire!

2. Our afflictions are sent in wisdom. It is highly conciliating to view every separate event, as a part of God's one all-wise scheme; and to know that when our plans are frustrated, God's plans remain unalterably wise. He knows what is best for us, and His plans never fail!

3. Afflictions are designed to produce glorious results. "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose!" Romans 8:28

All our present ills are the seeds of future bliss, and will be followed by a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory in the kingdom of God's dear Son.

When such sublime results shall be realized, we shall perceive that "Affliction does not come from the dust, neither does trouble spring out of the ground." Be submissive. God's design for afflictions is our sanctification, and eventual glorification. "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it!" Hebrews 12:11

Afflictions are but blessings in disguise!

~William Nicholson

God Leads Me Into Hard Places

I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness…And I will give her her vineyards from thence (Hosea 2:14-15).

A strange place to find vineyards--in the wilderness! And can it be that the riches which a soul needs can be obtained in the wilderness, which stands for a lonely place, out of which you can seldom find your way? It would seem so, and not only that, but the "Valley of Achor," which means bitterness, is called a door of hope. And she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth!

Yes, God knows our need of the wilderness experience. He knows where and how to bring out that which is enduring. The soul has been idolatrous, rebellious; has forgotten God, and with a perfect self-will has said, "I will follow after my lovers." But she did not overtake them. And, when she was hopeless and forsaken, God said, "I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her."

What a loving God is ours!

We never know where God hides His pools. We see a rock, and we cannot guess it is the home of the spring. We see a flinty place, and we cannot tell it is the hiding place of a fountain. God leads me into the hard places, and then I find I have gone into the dwelling place of eternal springs.

~L. B. Cowman~

War In Your Heart # 38

Victory Through the Victor (continued)

Two Hours In God's Calendar Crisis - Climax (continued)

"This Hour"

John 12:27: "Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour."

Certain Greeks, who were Gentiles, came to worship at the feast and said to Philip: "We would see Jesus." The Gentile world was reaching out to Him. Their request had a strange effect upon Jesus. The Gentiles were coming to Him, but for what? Would they say: "We know Thou art a great Teacher and Miracle-worker come from God, and we have come to worship and to follow Thee"? But had He come into the world as a teacher and a miracle-worker, whether that world were Jewish or Gentile? Or had He come to the world of men as a Saviour? Had He been born into this world to live or to die? It is not recorded that Jesus received the Greeks or made any reply to them. But their request to see Him was the Father's green light to His Son and He knew the crisis hour in God's calendar was at hand and with majestic calmness and assurance He said:

John 12:23: "The hour is come."

"The Hour" when the centuries-old prophecy-promise of Genesis 3:15 would be fulfilled had come at last, when the bruising of the heel of the woman's seed would take place; when "the child born" would die. "The hour" was the hour of the Cross; the noon hour not only of time but of eternity; the  pivotal hour in the life of both heaven and earth; the hour of the Saviourhood of the Son.

John 12:24: Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

John 12:25, 26 throws a floodlight upon the words in Hebrews 12:2: Who for the joy that was set before him endured the Cross!

The joy of the "much fruit." Those redeemed by His precious blood "out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation"; a people for His own possession, the Church His Body, who in union with Him in His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension would be forever with the Bridegroom, the King, upon the throne on which He would reign! Yes, with what measure of joy the Son of Man could look forward to the Cross as the place of the redemption of man, even though the cost to Him would be so terrible!

But Jesus did not stop there. Let us read on:

John 12:27, 28: Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from This Hour: but for This cause came I unto This Hour. Father, glorify thy name.

"Now is my soul troubled." Why and over what? "Save me from this hour." Was that possible? No, because for "this cause" He had come unto "this hour"? Why could He not be saved from "this hour"? We are at rock bottom at this very point in the  teaching of the Word as to the deepest meaning of "the crisis hour of the Cross." "Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground" and know with deepest discernment the cost to that dear Son of that simple word of prayer, "Father, glorify thy name."

~Ruth Paxson~

(continued with # 39)

The Believer's Purpose

Galatians 5:13

God has a purpose for your life. If that weren't true, He'd have taken you home to heaven at the moment of salvation. Do you ever wonder why He left you here?

The Lord intends to influence others through you. Our purpose is to be a vessel through which Christ overflows to others--touching those who hurt and desperately need a Savior. Once we are saved, Scripture teaches, our involvement is threefold.

First, we love others. Jesus clearly stated that this was one of the two greatest commandments (Matt. 22:38-39).

Second, we share the good news of salvation (Acts 1:8). Some travel across the world to spread the gospel, while others teach neighbors across the street. The Holy Spirit will direct us to the right people if we are willing to obey.

Third, we serve in a variety of ways, like helping those in need, sharing our resources, and lifting others in prayer. Jesus is our perfect example of all three. His entire life was marked by caring for people--both those who loved Him and those who did not. In fact, the Bible teaches that He humbled Himself and became like us, willing to give up His life for our redemption. There is no greater love; there is no greater act of service.

Scripture clearly defines the believer's purpose. Aligning ourselves with God's intentions for His children--loving others, witnessing, and serving-- bring us great satisfaction. In fact, we're still on earth not merely to hear more teaching but to act on it and share with others what we learn.

~Dr. Charles F. Stanley~

War In Your Heart # 37

Victory Through the Victor (continued)

The Second Advent - The Sovereign Comes (continued)

With the first Advent, the coming of the Saviour to die on the Cross, the was with satan was won. From the vantage point of the Father's throne, satan is a defeated foe. But as yet there is no established peace on the earth nor will there be until the  Lord Jesus Christ comes again as the Prince of Peace to take the government upon His shoulders; to establish the kingdom of God openly on earth and to rule from His own Throne as King of kings and Lord of lords over the kingdoms of this world. There must be a second Advent - the coming of the Son to reign as Sovereign. This coming will be the coming of the King in great power and resplendent glory. (Matthew 24:27-30; 25:31; Revelation 11:15; 19:11, 16)

During the Millennium when the Son and Heir will have come into His inheritance, and will have been set upon the holy hill of Zion (Psalm 2:6), there will be but one throne and but one will in all God's universe. God's calendar has in it a V-S day. Where are we now in relationship to it?

Two Hours in God's Calendar Crisis - Climax

 In the working out of His eternal purpose through His eternal Son, God has two great glorious hours in His time calendar of events on earth. One is the hour of crisis; the other, the hour of climax.

The Hour of Crisis

Jesus was born into the world for the express purpose of dying and He knew it.

"My hour."  From the very beginning of His public ministry the Son of Man had a brooding anticipation of an "hour" that was to come; a crisis hour that would be the culmination of His ministry on earth when that which He came to do would be accomplished and there  could be written over His work on the earth the words, "It is finished."

In the gospel of John, were the conflict between light and darkness, life and death, love and hate is so vividly pictured, Christ spoke repeatedly of "my hour" or "my time" as a calendar day which had not yet come but which was certain to come.

John 2:4: Mine hour is not yet come.

But as he proclaimed His Messiahship and His Savourhood, the Jews were angered beyond measure and such bitter hatred filled their hearts that they sought to kill Him. Yet they could not for God's clock had not yet reached the Crisis hour.

John 7:8: My time is not yet full come.

How significant are those words "full come." The shadow of the hour of midnight darkness had fallen over His life. It was late twilight and from that time on He would walk in ever deepening darkness. At the feast of tabernacles Jesus was brought into open conflict with the Jews over the origin and authenticity of the truth which He proclaimed, and they made another attempt upon His life. But it was unavailing for God's clock had not struck "His hour."

John 7:30: Then they sought to take him: but no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come.

The truth regarding Himself as "The Son," the Messiah and the Saviour, was proclaimed even more boldly and His words were proved by His works. Light gained the victory over darkness when the man born blind was given sight. Life won the victory over death when Lazarus came forth from the tomb at Jesus' word of command. Liberty was winning the victory over bondage as many captives were being set free from satan's possession and control. Christ was being the Victor in battle after battle. This intensified the hatred of satan into fury which culminated in the betrayal of Jesus by Judas, the human archtraitor of all time; and in the instigation of the demand of the chief priest and elders for Jesus' death. (Luke 22:52, 53).

"Your hour." Yes, this crisis hour was satan's hour as well as Jesus' hour. From the moment of the birth of "the child" satan had sought in every conceivable way to kill Him but had been foiled and defeated. Now the swelling rivulet of ill-will becomes an unfathomable ocean of hate.

"Your hour." The Pharisees and Sadducees, who were not even at peace with each other, united in their mutual hatred of the Son of Man to make the last attempt to put out this "Light of the world" (John 8:12); to put to death this "Prince of life' (Acts 3:15; to bind with the chains of death this Liberator of captives (Luke 4:18).

"Your hour and the power of darkness." By God's permission satan, the archtraitor, would be allowed to show to the world to what lengths those five openly declared "I wills" of Isaiah 14:13, 14 would take  him; to what height and depth of calumny he who was "a murderer from the beginning" (John 8:44) would go when self-will was unleashed to do all that it purposed to do. The crisis hour had come when satan would unify "the spiritual hosts of wickedness" in one terrific challenge of the Son and Heir of God, who had invaded his world domain in order to regain God's throne-right to sovereignty over the earth and mankind.

"Your hour and the power of darkness" when satan would stand unmasked; revealing himself for what he is; the very personification of the darkness of hate and of treachery; the devilish, diabolical instigator of the murder of all the ages - the murder of the seed of the woman, the Son of Man. The Cross of Calvary was satan's hour when he revealed himself, the exact opposite of God and the archenemy of God's Son.

~Ruth Paxson~

(continued with # 38

The Vital Sign of Pride

Pride and self-sufficiency are unmistakable signs of a heart that is in desperate need of reviving.  Isaiah 57:15 tells us,

For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:  "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."

To have a contrite heart literally means you break easily.  Even at the thought of grieving God's Spirit you break and repent very quickly.  It means you walk softly in your heart before God. 

God says He will revive those with a humble spirit and a contrite heart.  But one of the great dangers among Christians today—especially for those living in the western world with all of its abundance—is a belief that we don't need anything.

More than ever we need to read the words of Jesus in Revelation 3:17,

"Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked."

How can you be miserable and naked and not know it?   It's obvious that Jesus is speaking of their inward, spiritual condition.  Apparently, their outward wealth blinded them to their inward poverty.   They fell into the trap of pride, which is one of the inherent dangers that comes with prosperity.  As Christians living in a very prosperous western world, we need to heed this word!

At Disneyland there is a ride with cool little cars.  I remember once seeing a little boy on the ride with his dad, and his feet didn't even reach the pedals!  But Junior thought he was driving, oblivious to the fact that Daddy was actually driving the car and making it go. 

We need to remember that our feet don't even reach the pedals, and that Daddy, our God, is the One who makes this thing go.  We need to maintain a humble heart.

~Bayless Conley~

War In Your Heart # 36

Victory Through the Victor (continued)

The Second Advent - The Sovereign Comes

The Father had promised His Son a throne of His own. Sitting at the right hand of the Father on His throne was the Father's reward to His Son for the blood-bought victory of the Cross. But it was also the earnest of the fulfillment of the Father's promise that one day the Son would sit upon His own throne.

Revelation 3:21: To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his Throne.

As Heir of God, the Son of God has an inherent right to the throne and to reign over the kingdoms of this world. Ex-king Michael of Romania was the rightful heir to the throne of Romania and ruled there as king. But according to his own statement an enemy dethroned him and took over the rule of his country and its people, and he was forced into exile. He expressed his hope of some day returning to Romania as king, to rule over his people. But he frankly stated that that hope would never be realized except there was a war in which the enemy would be defeated and put out of Romania.

Did lucifer, who once abode in the truth and was 'full of wisdom," know the Father's Son was also His heir, and did he covet this position for himself?  Could it have been such pride that in self-will he purposed to be on an equality with God, even as the Son was, and to have a throne of his own, even the throne of God Himself?

Anyhow, Scripture clearly reveals that an enemy of God appeared and set up a rival throne and through treachery and intrigue had gained dominion over the earth and mankind. "The kingdom of this world!" were his by cunning usurpation (Matthew 4:8, 9). They must be won back and restored to the rightful Ruler. But how? Only by a way in which the enemy would be defeated, dethroned and exiled forever in the lake of fire.

In Genesis 3:15 there is a crystal clear blending of the Cross with the throne. There is double bruising prophesied. Th Saviour's heel, the serpent's head. Let us note that "the Lord God" is speaking to "the serpent" and that He is speaking in judgment. There is not the slightest trace of grace manifested toward the archapostate and archtraitor. The hatred toward God revealed in his act of rebellion and in his revolt against God's throne was a fixed attitude. By a second deliberate act he had carried his revolt to earth to bring rebellion and anarchy there. His was an unchanged and unchangeable attitude - that of a traitor. God's throne is a throne of "holiness" which must act in grace toward all its subjects. But it is also a "throne of judgment" which must act in wrath toward one who continues in planned rebellion and open treachery.

In heaven and upon earth satan had begun "a cold war" against God. Now God brings it out into the open and declares a war to the finish with the serpent and his seed. God acknowledges "the power of satan" (Acts 26:18), but He proclaims the even greater power of the Cross which will bruise the serpent's head. God's blow will be a staggering one from which there can be no permanent recovery: a blow that will wrest from satan every vestige of right to dominion over the kingdoms of this world; a blow that will ultimately cast him into the lake of fire forever.

The die is cast. There is now no turning back. A warfare between two seed has begun and will continue until there is the utter defeat of the one and the ultimate victory of the Other. One of the most fascinating studies is to trace this warfare down through the centuries as recorded in the Word and observed in human history up to the very present moment as one reads the daily newspaper or listens on the radio. Such a study reveals unceasing warfare without one single armistice. Battles have been sometimes won on both sides. In all warfare, however, there must sometime be decisive battle. Some particular day will be V-day.

~Ruth Paxson~

(continued with # 37)