FUEL
FOR DEDICATION AND RELIANCE ON GOD'S SPIRIT
September 9, 2012
MF Blume
Joshua 9:3-6 KJV And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what
Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, (4) They did work
wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old
sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound
up; (5) And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old
garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and
mouldy. (6) And they went to Joshua unto the camp at
Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a
far country: now therefore make ye a league with us.
Joshua 9:12-14 KJV This our bread we took hot for our provision
out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now,
behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy: (13) And these bottles
of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and
these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very
long journey. (14) And the men took of their victuals, and
asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.
We studied this passage last week and noted the false bread and wine
was corrupted.
· Bread and wine stand for the body and blood
of Jesus.
· The bread was broken and the wine was poured
at the last supper to indicate Christ’s physical death and
bloodshed for our salvation on the cross.
· But all of that occurred so that He would
resurrect from the dead as immortal and incorruptible.
· He died to rise again and bring us to
resurrection life.
· It is the resurrection experience that put
Him on the throne of the Kingdom.
· Without resurrection, the death and burial
would accomplish nothing.
· Everyone dies and is buried.
· But the significant thing about Jesus is
that He resurrected after three days.
The reason the third day was the resurrection day was because of the
following:
Acts 2:27-33 KJV Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell,
neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
(28) Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make
me full of joy with thy countenance. (29) Men and brethren,
let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both
dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
(30) Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn
with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the
flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; (31)
He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his
soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
(32) This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are
witnesses. (33) Therefore being by the right hand of God
exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy
Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
The resurrection is integrally connected to the ENTHRONEMENT OF JESUS.
· Three days and then resurrection would
disallow for His body to corrupt.
· Therefore, the moldy bread and broken
wineskins depict a perverted gospel message that does not focus on the
kingdom and the incorruptibility of Christ being given NEW SUPERNATURAL
LIFE.
· Because He would resurrect and not see
corruption meant He would have supernatural life.
· So moldy bread and broken wineskins depict a
message where there will be no third day resurrection.
· The resurrection would occur so that his
body would not corrupt, so moldy bread could not fit the message of
that vital element.
· And He would not corrupt and resurrect in
order to rule on his kingdom throne.
· So the whole idea of corrupted bread and
wine shows a message that does not lead to KINGDOM concepts and
supernatural life.
· This is a vital thing to notice because when
supernatural is not involved, NATURAL LIFE is left.
· And we have such a bad problem with trying
to serve God by walking after the flesh through SELF EFFORT TO MAKE
OURSELVES BETTER that the last thing we need is a gospel message that
does not home in on our need to DEPEND UPON A HIGHER LIFE THAN OUR OWN.
· We have a hard enough time learning to
depend on His Spirit KNOWING the message of Kingdom living by a higher
Life of God’s Spirit empowerment without someone neglecting to
even preach the reliance on the Spirit we require.
He KNEW “THE WAYS OF LIFE”.
· Resurrection power.
· Above-natural life – supernatural.
Notice how the Bible teaches that the resurrection of Jesus was
accomplished by the same SPIRIT that we rely upon to overcome sin.
Romans 8:11-14 KJV But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus
from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead
shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in
you. (12) Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the
flesh, to live after the flesh. (13) For if ye live after
the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the
deeds of the body, ye shall live. (14) For as many as are
led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
The resurrection of Jesus was accomplished by the HOLY SPIRIT.
· That is the same HOLY SPIRIT that Romans
8:11-12 says will quicken and empower our mortal bodies that we do not
have to live after the flesh.
· So resurrection is so vital to us because
THE SPIRIT of resurrection is our source of empowerment for living a
victorious kingdom life, as it raised Jesus and set him on the throne.
Oh, how we need to learn to depend upon the power of the Spirit in our
daily lives.
· Our whole defeat in sins and messed up lives
and bad relationships is due to running life by natural human power.
· It is the false message of TRYING OUR BEST.
· The false message of MAKE YOURSELF HOLY by
the things you can physically DO.
So, it’s knowledge of good and evil all over again, as opposed to
what we need to receive in the FRUIT OF LIFE!
This is how moldy bread and broken wineskins depict a false message.
But there is HOPE if we have fallen for such a deception!
Joshua 9:17-27 KJV And the children of Israel journeyed, and came
unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and
Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim. (18) And the
children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the
congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the
congregation murmured against the princes. (19) But all the
princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the
LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them.
(20) This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest
wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them.
(21) And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them
be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as
the princes had promised them. (22) And Joshua called for
them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us,
saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us?
(23) Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be
freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for
the house of my God. (24) And they answered Joshua, and
said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy
God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to
destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we
were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this
thing. (25) And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it
seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do. (26)
And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the
children of Israel, that they slew them not. (27) And
Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the
congregation, and for the altar of the LORD, even unto this day, in the
place which he should choose.
Joshua did something that is highly of utmost spiritual significance.
· He made HIS MISTAKE into something that
would provide WATER AND WOOD FOR THE ALTAR OF THE LORD.
· Notice the phrase, “in the place which
he should choose.”
· That speaks of the CITY God would later
choose out of all of Israel for them to call JERUSALEM, and BUILD THE
TEMPLE OF GOD that would stand for God’s name.
Deuteronomy 12:5 KJV But unto the place which the LORD your God
shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto
his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come:
1 Kings 11:36 KJV And unto his son will I give one tribe, that
David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the
city which I have chosen me to put my name there.
The PLACE OF THE TEMPLE.
In other words, THE PLACE OF WORSHIP and dedication to GOD IN RELIANCE
UPON HIM FOR THEIR LIVES would be where these people would work as
servants.
Reliance on and dedication TO HIS NAME.
THEY WOULD PROVIDE THE FUEL FOR THE ALTAR FIRES!
WATER for washing the priests hands…. All for the altar.
In other words, TAKE YOUR MISTAKES of not seeking God when you should
have and winding up allowing your enemy to survive and TURN IT INTO A
MEANS TO FUEL YOUR WORSHIP AND DEDICATION TO GOD’S LIFE, ANYWAY!
· Had we originally depended upon the LIFE of
the Lord, and been sensitive to that issue enough to recognize how the
enemy was getting an inroad through OUR LACK OF SUCH RELIANCE, we would
have relied on the power of the Spirit and NOT MADE THAT MISTAKE.
· Our enemy would have been overcome.
· But if he survives, then WE ARE GOING TO
MAKE IT FUEL FOR OUR DEDICATION and reliance on GOD’S SPIRIT.
Joshua realized the truth after THREE DAYS.
· Three days is when Jesus resurrected from
the dead.
· Three days after they made a league with the
deceivers was the time they arrived at their city GIBEON.
A ONE Day or TWO Day understanding of the cross is incomplete.
· It only involves the death and burial.
· No emphasis on the RESURRECTION LIFE that is
represented by the THIRD DAY REVELATION, because the third day was when
Jesus resurrected by the SPIRIT.
· Lack of the full three days’
experience of Jesus will leave out the ALL-IMPORTANT NOTE OF
RESURRECTION LIFE, which is ETERNAL LIFE that cannot die.
· THAT is the LIFE that defeats the devil who
had the power of DEATH.
Let’s fuel our need to rely on Jesus by these mistakes.
· It is wonderful that MISTAKES CAN BE TURNED
AROUND TO BECOME SOMETHING BETTER if we love God.
Romans 8:28 KJV And we know that all things work together for
good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his
purpose.
Make your mistakes FUEL to burn your hunger and desire to rely on God.
