"DEVALUING CHRISTIANITY"
MICHAEL F BLUME
SEPTEMBER 12, 1999 am
Song 4:1-3 Behold, thou [art] fair,
my love; behold, thou [art] fair; thou [hast] doves' eyes within thy locks:
thy hair [is] as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead. Thy teeth
[are] like a flock [of sheep that are even] shorn, which came up from the
washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none [is] barren among them.
Thy lips [are] like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech [is] comely: thy
temples [are] like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.
Song 4:7 Thou [art] all fair, my love; [there
is] no spot in thee.
Song 4:11-16 Thy lips, O [my] spouse, drop
[as] the honeycomb: honey and milk [are] under thy tongue; and the smell
of thy garments [is] like the smell of Lebanon. A garden inclosed [is]
my sister, [my] spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. Thy plants
[are] an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with
spikenard, Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees
of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices: A fountain
of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon. Awake, O
north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, [that] the spices
thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his
pleasant fruits.
In our Thursday night Bible study we touched on this topic and something
in that study caught my heart so powerfully, and the Lord impressed upon
me the need for people to realize what God does to our lives.
God gives the kind of salvation to people that is so extensive and profound
that many, many people simply do not grasp its full glory.
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They shoot so much lower than they really can reach when reaching out for
salvation.
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They do not comprehend all of the ramifications of what God said when He
said, "He whom the Son sets free is free indeed."
And so sinners look at the boring voices of professing believers across
the land and find nothing desirous about what they offer.
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And believers limp along in their Christian walks as though they are WORTH
NOTHING.
Watered down Christianity offers that dreaded dullness.
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But true-blue Christianity, the way God meant for people to know it, is
VIBRANT.
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It is POWERFUL!
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It is EXCITING!
But as a result of the watered down Gospel, believers are left in a state
in which they must be ministered to about their true privileges.
Reve 1:5-6 And from Jesus Christ,
[who is] the faithful witness, [and] the first begotten of the dead, and
the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed
us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto
God and his Father; to him [be] glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
True salvation makes you a powerful person in this world.
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KINGS.
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PRIESTS.
Ephe 2:5-6 Even when we were dead in
sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly
[places] in Christ Jesus:
And Christians feel intimidated by the thought of sitting with Christ on
His throne.
Therefore Jesus sets out to make them feel comfortable with sitting
with Him on His throne.
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We act as though we do not belong there.
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We reel and falter at the thoughts of sitting there.
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We hesitate when we are invited to come and sit.
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That affects our relationship with God.
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We can't be free with Him, like He wants us to be.
God can't wait until you get past the dreariness of hesitating because
of what people think of you.
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For example, many think someone will laugh or mock if they let loose and
praise Him like we feel to.
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He so hopes for us to get past that and forget about anybody else and HAVE
A WONDERFUL TIME WITH HIM.
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He'll carry you into heights of splendour if you'll let go.
Or else it is simply shooting too low.
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We expect nothing big from God because we wonder what WE deserve.
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We have the attitude that we don't want too much from God -- just a little
bit of His time and a small, teeny blessing or two.
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Maybe a healing once in our lives, or a little miracle.
I noted to some here that they should let go and give forth a prophecy
since they are hearing from God right in service, but they hesitate and
wonder what the others will think of them.
And God looks at us and wishes we knew how much He loves us!!!!
We come into His presence and we hesitate and waver and are not free
with Him.
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We don't think we are ready for a wonderful outpouring of His Spirit so
we cannot enjoy it.
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We only enjoy what we have faith for.
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As our faith is, so be it unto us.
Matt 9:29 Then touched he their eyes,
saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
How high are your own expectations of your Christianity?
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You'll go no further than what you can believe for.
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I want to help you shoot higher than what you are.
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I want to help you see your potential in God.
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I want to encourage you to break out of the confinement of your limitations
imposed upon yourself and show you what greater vistas and horizons God
has opened up for you and given to you.
Ephesians says God raised us up to sit together with Him in heavenly places.
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Our place in on the throne by His side.
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But we spin and become dizzy with the thought of that.
Jesus shed His blood upon the cross.
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We died with Him there.
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We, here, know that quite well now.
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We have preached that and preached that here, drilling it into our hearts.
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We joined Jesus at the point of His death and not before He shed His blood.
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That is where you must start if you want to know Jesus and be saved.
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Don't look for awesome, tingling feelings.
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You must start at the right place.
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You must GET THIS TRUTH!
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You begin by understanding Jesus died AS YOU.
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That means you can say that YOU DIED ON THE CROSS.
But After Jesus died and shed His blood on the cross, he took that blood
somewhere else.
Hebr 9:12 Neither by the blood
of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy
place, having obtained eternal redemption [for us].
Jesus took His own blood into the holy place.
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Where is that?
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What is he referring to?
Hebr 9:24 For Christ is not entered
into the holy places made with hands, [which are] the figures of the true;
but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of
God for us:
It refers to Heaven.
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He is comparing the high priest entering the holy place with blood during
the Old Testament to Jesus entering the ACTUAL holy place of HEAVEN, that
the holy place of the temple only represented.
He took His blood INTO HEAVEN.
And as the High Priest sprinkled blood on the MERCY SEAT OF THE ARK
OF THE COVENANT, Jesus fulfilled that prophetic illustration by putting
HIS BLOOD ON THE THRONE OF HEAVEN.
God set Him In Heaven.
Ephe 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ,
when he raised him from the dead, and set [him] at his own right hand in
the heavenly [places],
And we are seated together with Him!
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So not only did we die with Him on the cross, but we are also SEATED WITH
HIM ON THE THRONE.
Later in Eph 2 we read:
Ephe 2:12-13 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: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are
made nigh by the blood of Christ.
We've come a long way, baby!!!
We're so close to Jesus that we are seated with Him on His throne.
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But we sit there uncomfortable.
Our address is in Heaven, but we don't feel at home there.
In our opening text, we read where the Shulamite woman, the King's beloved,
has to be told by the king that she really is beautiful.
Song 4:7 Thou [art] all fair, my
love; [there is] no spot in thee.
This is noteworthy.
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The King tells her that she is fair, beautiful.
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THERE IS NO SPOT IN THEE.
We have taken verses out of the Bible and said they describe the place
where we are trying to reach, but are not there yet.
Ephe 5:25-27 Husbands, love your
wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That
he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot,
or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
We read that and think we are filthy believers and must get to the place
where we are without spot.
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And the word will get us there.
WRONG!!!
WE ARE ALREADY THERE.
It said Jesus gave Himself for the church.
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That means HE DIED FOR IT.
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And then it says the reason He died for it was to CLEANSE IT with the washing
of water by the word.
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Do you know what the washing of water refers to?
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WATER BAPTISM, because we are BAPTIZED INTO HIS DEATH.
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But it is not the water that does the work.
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IT IS WASHING OF WATER BY THE WORD.
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Our FAITH IN THE WORD of in dying with Jesus along with our act of faith,
baptism, causes God to CLEAN US FROM ALL SIN.
And we are WITHOUT SPOT.
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He told the Shulamite that she was without spot.
Song 4:7 Thou [art] all fair, my love;
[there is] no spot in thee.
We go by feelings and by what others say.
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GO BY WHAT THE BOOK SAYS.
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STAND ON THE WORD.
Song 4:12 A garden inclosed [is] my
sister, [my] spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.
Notice this:
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She is the best kept secret around, and God is trying to get her to open
up.
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She is INCLOSED.
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The Hebrew says she is BARRED UP.
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A Garden barred up.
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A Garden is something that is meant to be seen.
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Its beauty is meant to be enjoyed.
We are saying we need this to happen or we need that minister.
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NO!
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WE NEED TO SEE WHO WE, THE CHURCH, ARE.
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We are our own best-kept secret.
She is a fountain sealed!
A Spring shut up.
If she would open up then the Lord could flow forth through us and touch
this dry, thirsty world.
Even those who do not know God yet are still in His image.
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The potential of a person who is God's image is awesome.
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They are made to fit God just right.
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He fills people with His Spirit.
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And He wants to flow forth through them.
Humanity has downgraded itself into atheism.
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It has lowered itself into trite unbelief.
Your hesitation only holds God back.
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If you'd let go and go for what God has for you, you'd never regret it.
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And you would regret all the time you wasted in hesitating.
I recall going to bible school.
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I preached upon occasion and did what I could.
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But one service I and watched a fellow student get up and preach.
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He "let 'er rip!"
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Did he ever preach!
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God used him and he flowed powerfully.
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He just let go of all inhibitions.
That was it!
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I said to myself if God can use him then God can use me.
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And when I got a chance to preach after that, I let it go.
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I threw out all hesitation and PREACHED!
God taught me a great lesson!
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Be all you can be in GOD!!!
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Let go of foolish hesitation and stop hindering God from using you and
let Him flow through!!!
Song 4:16 Awake, O north wind; and come,
thou south; blow upon my garden, [that] the spices thereof may flow out.
Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.
After she hears him tell her these truths, SHE BELIEVES THEM AND PRAYS
TO OPEN UP.
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The WIND is the SPIRIT OF GOD.
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NORTH WIND.
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FROM ABOVE.
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And she seeks to be opened and to let the Spirit flow through her and let
the sweet smell of the spices come forth.
We are seated in heavenly places, but we must appreciate it and accept
that, so we can feel comfortable AT THE THRONE WITH HIM.