The thing I’m after for myself and for everyone who is connected with this fellowship is we be taught of the Lord.  Not told what to do, but taught of the faith that came in Jesus, the faith that is the chief of all things, that created all things, that holds all things together. 

I enjoy hearing all the different voices sharing what they see from the foundation of Christ crucified.  I thought the message my mom preached last week was powerful.  It got me thinking on being delivered from evil, and the power of God to deliver us from evil.  When the psalmist says I will fear no evil for you are with me Lord he’s talking about being delivered from evil.

In Matthew 6 when Jesus is teaching the disciples how he prays with the Father he ends off by saying “You lead us not into temptation, but you deliver us from evil. 

Luke 21:25-26 speaking of the coming of the Son of Man says … And there shall be signs in the sun, and the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Matthew 24:12 speaking of the same distress in the earth says … And because iniquity will abound the love of many shall wax cold. 

I know these verses are referenced a lot to try and hammer down whether we are in the last days or not.  Or whether they already passed or not.   That’s not my motivation for bringing up these verses.  Let me just say if you are reading those verses trying to determine the specific time of the last days you are missing it.  

For anyone who is concerned about the last days and when they are … listen we’ve been in the last days since the Lord Jesus ascended on high and sat down at the right hand of the Father, having received in his body the very glory and immortality of God, pouring out of himself the Holy Spirit on all flesh.   The last days/the endtimes are the days and the times leading up to the day where there is no more sin and death anywhere in creation.  We can say its the last days of the existence of death in the earth.  It’s the end of the time where death can be seen in creation.  You can say it’s the end of the time of keeping time itself.  If you want to be prepared as the scriptures say the way you prepare is by believing on the faith that was revealed in Christ Jesus.  

The verses in Luke and Matthew talk about peoples hearts failing them through fear because of the distress they see in the earth.  Fear is the currency of the world.  The currency of the world and its systems is fear.  The world stands in awe of the death and the corruption and the calamity in the earth, and because the meditation of their hearts is all the time the evil they see in the earth, their steps are ordered; their hearts are moved by fear instead of the love of God.  

The psalmist says in psalm 23 yea though I walk through the valley shadowed with death I will fear no evil for thou art with me Lord.   

As my mom so beautifully pointed out last week this verse isnt saying you must keep yourself from fear.  Its talking about the strength of God to keep you from fear. 

The word fear used in psalm 23 doesnt only mean to be afraid or to be scared of something.  It also means to stand in awe of something or to have reverence for something, where it’s lifted up in your heart to a place of honor and respect.  It’s where you are in awe of somethings greatness, not necessarily that you think it’s good, but that you’re in awe of its strength and might and ability.  

If we look at the fear of death.  Yes death can make you afraid as it did with Adam in the garden.  But, it must first be lifted up in your eyes before it can make you afraid.  The fear of death at its root is to stand in awe of death.  Its for death to be lifted up in your sight to the place where you revere it as being great.  Not good, but full of power and might.  Hebrews could just as easily say we were all our days in bondage because we stood in awe of the death thats in the world.  We were all our days in bondage because the death and corruption in the earth was great in our sight.  

So the psalmist says Even though I am living in a world that is surrounded with death and corruption and distress, my heart does not esteem the death.  The death and corruption and tribulation I see isnt lifted up in my sight, as if its full of power and might to be able to steal from me and destroy me.  (New Testament language -Strongman-strongman bound in my heart- prince of this world has nothing in me)

The psalmist tells us the how and the why by saying “for you are with me Lord.”    The psalmist saw God.  They stood in awe of God.  God was lifted up in their sight. Their fear was before God.  They saw something about God that lifted Him up in their hearts to a place that was seated above the death in the world.  They saw something in God that caused their hearts to esteem God above the death they were surrounded by.  

In exodus 20:20 Moses speaking of the tablets of testimony, that is the law that was written by the finger of God, and given through the angels, because Moses couldn’t see the face of God and live, says fear not, God is come to prove you; that your fear might be before Him, and you do not sin/miss the mark.  

God says to the people through Moses … Do not be afraid I have given you this law that prophesies of my lamb; that prophesies of the lamb I will provide, & how my lamb will take away the death that’s in the world.  The reason I’ve given you this law is so the death in the world would no longer be lifted up in your hearts, and you stand in awe of Me and my life instead.

If you read in the scriptures about the Hebrews exodus from Egypt.  Just as the scriptures in Luke and Matthew describe the hearts of people failing them.  The hearts of the Hebrews were all the time failing them, and filled with iniquity because the distress they saw all around them was lifted up in their sight.  

In the very same way before God sent Jesus He saw the world was standing in awe of the death and the corruption and the calamity in the world.  He saw the death in the world was lifted up in our sight; that we were basically worshipping death; that all our steps were ordered by death; that every imagination of our hearts was filled with the corruption and distress we saw in the world.  He saw that we loved the darkness.  Meaning He saw we were captivated by the darkness in the earth.  

As the letter to the hebrews says God wanted to cleanse our conscience; he wanted to provide a lamb that could purge our conscience from the death/distress in the world.  He wanted our fear to be before Him.  He wanted our hearts to revere Him and the life He has in Himself.  

What He did is He put the death that was lifted up in our sight next to His life in the body of Jesus’ death and resurrection.  He conducted an experiment in our midst using the flesh of Jesus.  A body He prepared for Jesus, to put the death in the world and the life He has in Himself on display.  Jesus took the full weight of death into himself on the cross so we can see what is greater, the death thats in the world or Gods life.  Yes Jesus is the Son of man but He is also the very life of God.  In Johns gospel Jesus says I AM the resurrection and the life.  And in another place Jesus says the Father has given that I have life in myself.  

God came and disrespected death in our midst when Jesus stood up out of the grave having consumed death to the uttermost, being free from sin, free from death, never to be able to be touched by weakness again.  He did this so the distress in the earth could be disesteemed in our hearts, and our imaginations be captivated with His life, and we stand in awe of Him and the life He has in Himself.  And by that delivering us from evil.  

If you look at the life of Abraham it testifies of this same thing.  We talk so much about what Abraham did as if the account of Abraham is about His faithfulness.  You might say wait a minute Greg doesnt the scripture talk about being blessed with faithful Abraham?  Yes, and the word faithful there doesnt speak of Abrahams faithfulness towards God, it speaks of Abraham’s heart esteeming Gods faithfulness towards him.  Meaning Abraham stood in awe of God’s ability to make dead flesh alive.   He stood in awe of the lamb God would provide.  He stood in awe of Gods ability to overcome the deadness in his body and the deadness in Sarah’s womb.

I use Abe a lot as an example because the scriptures say he is the father of the faith ……There was a time in Abe’s life when his fear was in the weakness he saw in himself.  The deadness he saw in his body was lifted up in his sight as if it could keep him from life.  He was standing in awe of the death he saw.   That’s why he said to God what shall you give me seeing I have no heir; that’s why he laid with Hagar to produce a Son.  His steps were ordered by the deadness he saw.

Well God desired for Abe’s fear to be before Him.  He wanted His life to be lifted up in Abes heart.  So God revealed Himself to Abraham in Genesis 17 as the Almighty God.  He revealed Himself as the one who possesses the power to raise the dead, and to heal the flesh from death.  God came to Abe and revealed that He possesses within Himself a life that overcomes death in the flesh so Abe would stand in awe of Him and His life instead of the deadness.  That’s why Paul says in Romans 4 that Abraham didnt consider the deadness in his body or in Sarahs womb but he gave glory to God.  Abe’s fear was not before the deadness in his body or in Sarah’s womb.  His fear was before God.  

Phil 4:7 says And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

Beholding the life that manifested in Jesus, having overcome death in the flesh, is what will keep your heart  and mind in peace.  God delivers us from evil by keeping our hearts and minds from the death and distress we see in the earth.  And the way He keeps our hearts and minds is through Christ Jesus, and the incorruptible life he has in himself.  

Isa 54:13  And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children. (Taught of my life)
Isa 54:14  In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.(in the power of my incorruptible life shall thou be established)
Isa 54:15  Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.
Isa 54:16  Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.(Jesus)
Isa 54:17  No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

The condemning voice comes when we see distress in the earth, and we see the fruit of death all around us instead of the fruit of life.  God just said through Isaiah sing ye that were barren.  Barrenness speaks of death.  Its speaks of being dead in sin.  The condemning voice was on account of the barrenness they saw.  God manifested His life inside of the body of Jesus’ death so our hearts would condemn the voice that comes from the death and distress in the earth … and we be delivered from evil.