Author: Lee A. Robinson

The Authority of God

/ Lee A. Robinson / 3 Comments

Understanding the Gospel – Part 2

He “worketh all things after the counsel of His own will.” Ephesians 1:11

The first feature of the Gospel that we must grasp a hold of is the absolute and supreme Authority of God. Everything in this universe finds its proper place in relationship to GOD. If we are to see the picture clearly it must fit within the frame. “For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.” (Romans 11:36) We exist purely because He willed it to be so: “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure (or, because you desired) they are and were created.” (Revelation 4:11) We were brought into life for God’s purposes; we continue to live here and now for God’s purposes; and one day we will return back to God for his purposes. 

Authority by definition is, “the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.” The Bible is explicitly clear that the world and everything in it is under the complete and total rule of God. “The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” (Psalm 24:1) The universe (including earth) is all in God’s jurisdiction or domain. He is the Lord, not only over the land, but also over all the souls. “Behold, all souls are mine…the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” (Ezekiel 18:4). Jesus’ authority extends, “Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.” (Ephesians 1:21) God owns, rules and controls all lands, souls, spirits, governments, plans, powers, etc. 

AUTHOR

Related to the idea of “Author-ity” is the word Author. An author is an originator or creator of something, especially a plan or idea.  God is the ultimate Author of everything that exists. Everything in this life first existed in the mind of God before it came to be a reality in history. If we could imagine the totality of this world from beginning to end as a giant book, God wrote the whole thing before it was put to the press. The characters and events of the story are not determined by themselves. The author does not ask permission of his characters to make them the way they are. “Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?” (Romans 9:20-21) The Bible is plain that God has endowed man with a will, and that man is totally responsible and accountable for all of his decisions, but in an ultimate, overarching sense man can do nothing to change the will of God. Whether he is directly making it happen (earthquake) or allowing it to happen (bullying), history (His-story) is reading just as He wrote it. “And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?” (Daniel 4:35). 

We find ourselves in quite a dilemma here: God has the absolute “power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience,” and we have to make decisions every day that we will be held responsible and accountable for. There are two ways to respond to this: surrender or resist. But more about that in a little bit. Let’s meditate a little more on how central God is to everything that exists.    

CREATOR 

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) How do we know that there is a Creator? Because there is a creation! Every building has a builder. When we see a building, we do not question how it got there. Most times we do not even question why it is there, because it is self evident. You drive by and see a playscape in a local park. How did it get there and why is it there? We already know the answers. 

Why do we even begin to question the creation of this world? We know how it got here: “The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead.” (Romans 1:20) The Bible also gives us the answer to why mankind so desires to question God as our Creator. It says that men “suppress the truth in their unrighteousness.” (Romans 1:18) They try to smother their conscience so that they can enjoy their sin. Creation points to a Creator; a conscience points to a Moral Creator. We are beings with a con-science (con–with, science–knowledge). The only reasonable explanation is that a Being with-knowledge put us here. A Being who cares more carefully about right and wrong, purpose, meaning, and stuff like that.  

Fallen mankind needs to find out a way to vanquish God if he is going to be the master of his own destiny. The problem is our eraser ain’t big enough. We are trying to press an impenetrable beach ball to the bottom of the ocean and expect it to stay. We can’t even swim down that far; and even if we could the ball would rise to the top before we ourselves surfaced. We are not free to do whatever we want and we know it. 

We must be humbled before God and surrender to his will. Otherwise we become fools. “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.” (Romans 1:21-22) “The fool hath said in his heart, ‘No God’.” (Psalm 14:1).

God remains our Creator. He gets to make the Rules. Need help understanding how to play a new board game? Consult the rule book included with the game which was written by the creators. Need help understanding life? Consult God’s Book (The Bible) and find the answers. Without turning to God we assemble our lives with a bunch of pieces still left over, much of the hardware in the wrong place, and “Oh, no…we assembled it upside down!”

PROGENITOR

Progenitor: A person from which a person originates; a parent. 

Should children obey their parents, or should parents obey their children? Come on, I know you know the answer. The important word here is “should.” We know many children don’t obey their parents, but they should. How sweet it is when children do cheerfully submit to their parents! (The assumption here is of course with normal, loving relationships) The children come from the parent, not the other way around. The child is an extension of the parents’ very nature. A child does not know the responsibility that a parent carries. The parent loves, feeds, protects, guards, thinks about the child, etc. It is proper and right and godly for children to recognize their place.

God is our universal Progenitor.* “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: for in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.” (Acts 17:24-29) This passage also tells us why God made everything and made it the way he did, “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being.” (Acts 17:26-28).

SURRENDER 

What’s the point? Whether we see God as the Author of history, Creator of the world, or the Progenitor of life, the point remains the same – our working properly in this life is inextricably tied to GOD. We did not decide to be born, but here we are. We did not decide the most basic, fundamental things about ourselves (gender, personality, family, nationality, social status, etc.) but here we are. We didn’t request a rational mind and will, but, Oh, do we love to use it! What can we do, but yield ourselves to God? “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea…If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.” (Psalms 139:7-9,11-12) No matter where we go, God is not only there, but is in Control there, and we remain accountable. One says, “I will end my life, so I can get out of this!” But suicide will only escort you to the unveiled, naked Face of God, who is a consuming fire. Suicide is the worst option for avoiding God.

What is the best option? 

Surrender to His Supremacy. Be a loyal subject. Acknowledge your role in His-Story. Sit comfortably on his divine Knee as an obedient child. Play by His rules. Do what David did, “When thou sadist, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Yahweh, will I seek.” (Psalm 27:8) Or even better yet, follow our Chief example, the Lord Jesus Christ! “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” (John 6:38) Also Hebrews 10:7, “Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.”

Our prayers and our posture must be, “Not my will, but thine be done.” It is only then, as we are surrendered to the supreme wisdom and free decision-making of God, that we are in a position to rightly understand the Gospel.

*”God is our universal Progenitor” – This is meant only in the sense that everyone has been created by God. Not everyone born into the world are children of God. We must be Born-Again to become to children of God (John 1 & 3)

Thy Will Be Done – Living the Lord’s Prayer, Part 3

/ Lee A. Robinson / Leave a comment

This is my sermon from this past Sunday. The outline is as follows:

THY WILL BE DONE…

Partnering with God in our lives as well as in our prayers. 

“God, accomplish your will. Fulfill your desires.”

Introductory thoughts :

  1. In one sense – God will accomplish all he has determined. “Father, we know that you are committed to accomplishing all that you have determined to do. Thank you that we can rest in this assurance.”
  • Everything was created because that’s what God wanted. Rev. 4:11
  • Everything (who, what, when, where, why, how, why) that has come into existence was also determined by God. 
  • God has a specific plan for each part of creation as well. His desires for each creation will be accomplished as well. Rom 9 
  • Ultimately, History will be exactly as God had wanted it to happen. Daniel 4  
  1. In another sense – God’s expresses his nature, but doesnt assert his will. “Father, we don’t see your nature being reflected in our lives and those around us. Come and create in us your likeness. Make in us now today that qualities of your character and the realities of heaven.”

God is Love. God is generous; he is a blesser; he delights in forgiveness and reconciliation. He is a savior, redeemer from all danger and harm. This is who He is. We can choose to reflect those attributes in our thoughts, words and actions, or we can choose to resist those attributes in our lives. 

We are free to cooperate or not. 

How do we cooperate with God to see this prayer come to fruition ? 

SCRIPTURE – saturate in scripture General will

  • God’s desires are most purely communicated to us through his Word. 

The Word imparts to us the nature of God. what he loves, what he hates. What he values alot, what he values little, etc.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Matthew 18:14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. 

John 6:38-40 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. 

Ephesians 1:1,4-5,9,11

[1]Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:

[4]According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

[5]Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

[9]Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

[11]In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

2 Corinthians 8:5 And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

The poor Macedonians gave generously to supplying the needs of other poor saints. The desire for them to do this is traced back to the will of God.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-4 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;

Gal. 1:4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father.  

1 Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

1 Peter 2:15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:

1 Peter 3:17 For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.

1 Peter 4:19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

SURRENDER – Surrender to the Spirit Specific will 

  • Rom. 12:1-2 “Help me to die”

If our minds are not renewed – – – we might trick ourselves into thinking that what seems right to us must be what God wants.  (American dream)

  • Jesus greatest example of surrendered life. 

He was a completely surrendered channel through which the will of God was expressed in the real world. 

John 4:34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. 

John 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. 

John 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 

Hebrews 10:7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

Matthew 26 *Gethsemane

The Spirit is WILLING to do the WILL of God. 

Angels came and strengthened him. 

He arose and boldly faced what was coming with the Cross. 

Scripture is where we find the General will of God. 

Prayer is where we discern the specific will of God, and the strength to do the will of God.

Denominational Superciliousness

/ Lee A. Robinson / 9 Comments

Or, Is it possible they could be godly too?

A couple questions to start with…

Question #1 may seem like a weird question, but do you believe that there are genuine, Born-Again Christians who identify with a different denomination than your own? I said it might sound like a weird question, but the reality is, that some Christians truly do think that the only real believers are the ones in their own tradition – or even that the only true believers are to be found in their own local congregation! Some believe this wholeheartedly and will come right out and say it. Others may not actually verbalize it, but in their heart and mind, the salvation of another is at least highly suspect, if they do not identify with their particular denomination. I hope you do not fit into this category.    

Now that you have taken a deep breath, and feel content that you do not fall into the first category we just mentioned, here’s the second question: Do you believe that there are godly, Born-Again Christians (or churches) who identify with a different denomination than your own? In other words, Do you think it is possible, for believers (or churches) different from your own, who are just as holy, wise, humble and mature; just as zealous for the Gospel; just as surrendered to Christ; just as important to the kingdom of God; and just as beloved and precious to the Father? Or, even another to put it: Is it a possibility that the most Christ-like, Spirit-filled person in the world, identifies with a denomination different than your own??? 

I hope there are some people who read this who are immediately convicted, and long for their hearts and minds to be changed about how they view and treat God’s precious people. I know believers personally, who immediately doubt the genuine character of another brother, sister or church on the simple hearing of their affiliation with a different denomination. This doubting, or we could say ‘judging,’ is not on the basis of examined fruit from another’s life (or, life of a church), but upon the mere mention of denominational affiliation. “My brethren, these things ought not so to be.” (James 3:10)

Who is on the Lord’s side? 

One day the disciples of Jesus encountered a man who was casting out devils in the name of Jesus. John reported to Jesus (and it seems from the context in a sort of proud spirit), “We forbade him, because he followeth not with us.” (Luke 9:49) Apparently the loving disciple John came to the presumptuous conclusion that the only worthy ministers of Christ were to be found in his group. Did Jesus praise him for sticking up for “the team?” No, Jesus rebuked him, “Forbid him not: for he that is not against us, is for us.” (Luke 9:50) Mark’s account adds Jesus saying, “There is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part. For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.” (Mark 9:39-41) Jesus here makes a blanket statement that we should really give heed to: “He that is not against us, is for us.” This means that if someone from another denomination is a Christian, then you are on the same team. The prerequisite for the team is not having every jot and tittle lined up with your own. Those who make the cut for the team, according to Jesus, are those who “belong to Christ.” If you want to be right with God, and do right by yourself, then you need to begin thinking of other believers in these terms. 

Jesus has one team, one family, one bride, one house, one vineyard, etc. “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Ephesians 4:4-6) There is only one Holy Spirit who washes and regenerates sinners who trust in Christ, regardless of which denomination they are a part of. There is only one Jesus who saves them all. There is only Father in heaven whom all Born-Again believers pray to. There is only one Heaven that all Christians look forward to, and no, there will not be separate divisions of Heaven for the various Christian communities. Those other believers in your area from other churches are your family members, and they will be for all eternity. 

A main point I am trying to make is, that there are believers different than yourself, who are not merely sneaking into Christ by the skin of their teeth, but are rather first-string, special forces, champions in the faith. In every Bible-Believing denomination there are people you will find that are weak in the faith, and strong in the faith. In each tradition you will find people strongly committed to the authority of the Bible and some not; you will find zealous, passionate witnesses and you’ll find believers doing very little for Christ; you will find mature, holy, strong character and you will find carnality and worldliness; you will find strong, loving biblical home life as well as weak, hurting dysfunctional family life. You will find vibrant, Spirit-filled churches, and you will find dead and dying churches. 

So, what is the common denominator? Why are there strong and weak representatives from each tradition? It is clear that the difference is not the fine points that make the groups distinct. Godliness is not the result of loyalty to denominational distinctives, but rather loyalty to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Spiritual strength is produced from obedience to the Spirit of God and the Word of God. I hope you realize that Spirit and the Word of God is not only in the possession of your church, or kind of church.

Another thing to consider: If it is true that there are mature believers in other denominations (and there are), then that must mean that the grace of God is abundant in places where you might not feel personally comfortable. Does that make you happy or angry? Do you want the grace of God reserved for you and your own, or lavished all over? Do you have sins of your own and weaknesses? Is your church perfect, with bright clear vision in every area of doctrine and practice- or is it possible that it may have some weaknesses or blind spots? If Jesus is in their midst, why would you be ashamed to be associated with them? 

Men and brethren, what shall we do?

Repent. If you have looked down on, written off, or been partial in your judgments towards other believers and churches purely on the basis of names, that is sinful (Read 1 Corinthians). If you think that your kind are automatically the greatest in the kingdom simply because they are in your group, there is some pride that needs to be exposed and put to death. I know that with some people this mindset is in large part a result of ignorance – they have never been exposed to the ministries of other believers, or have never met a godly person from another tradition. But sins of ignorance are still sins, and as soon as you are aware of them, you should humbly repent of them. 

Receive them. Romans 15:7 says, “Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.” How has Christ received you, since you have placed your faith in him? Has he received you part way? Like a step-brother or something? No. Absolutely not! He has received you fully! So, receive your brother as Christ also received you!  This instruction in Romans 14 & 15 is the conclusion of Paul’s discussion about Christian Liberty. Paul lays out the fact that it is to be expected that there will be differences of opinions (in minor issues) among believers. These differences are not supposed to divide the believers. Those who desire to be mature in Christ will follow the instructions, “Let not him that eateth despise (have a low opinion of, reject, disdain) him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge (prefer, separate, pass an unfavorable judgment on) him that eateth: for God hath received him.” (Romans 14:3) There are believers different from you. Don’t despise them; don’t think little of them or write them off; don’t automatically have low opinions of them; don’t judge them – don’t consign them the Hell, or to being perpetually second class citizen-saints just because of some differences of opinion.

Remind yourself that there are some crazy characters in your own circle- Immature, carnal brothers. Are they that way because of your mutual convictions? No. It is because of a lack of obedience to Christ and his Word, not a lack of obedience or adherence to your particular denominational emphasizes.

Be open to meeting believers from other stripes. Come to admire their godliness, zeal, and faithfulness to Christ. What accounts for this? It is not the particular fine points of their denomination, but rather the result of a humble submission to Christ, the Spirit of God and the Word of God. You don’t have to approve of everything they teach and practice to be their friends, or even to work together at certain levels. Unity is possible without uniformity.

Check your fears. Who do you fear more – God or Man? Are you afraid of what people in your group might think about you if you befriended Chrisitians from other persuasions? If Jesus has received them, then why would you stand back from them? If Jesus came to your town, do you think he would visit churches other than your own? Do you think he would be friends and laugh with those other Christians down the road? You say – “I think Jesus would visit those churches, but I also think he would be carrying a whip!” So he wouldn’t have any reproofs or warnings for your church if he visited there? It seems to me, that there are some of us, who would rather keep our distance from Jesus if it meant being close enough to other Christians and possibly being associated with them. “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.” (Proverbs 29:25)

Think carefully about what is your actual standard of orthodoxy. What do I mean by this? Ask yourself what are the doctrinal and lifestyle guidelines by which someone could potentially be classified in your mind as a “good brother,” or “sound, or mature in the faith.” Actually write them down. Then ask yourself this all important question: “Are these standards the same as God’s?” Do I know for sure, that this particular standard comes from Scripture or is it derived from my own opinion; is it from the doctrinal standing of my local church; is it from non-spoken standards of my circle of believers? An example of what I mean would be this – If a church has a different form of church government than yours, what category do you place them into in your mind? Can they still potentially be on the starting team for Jesus? If not, then where does it say in Scripture that you should demote a believer based on their form of church government? Soon I would like to post another article expanding on this topic. 

Yeah, BUT…

There are many, many objections I can hear coming from people who read this. This article has a specific purpose and is not meant to cover the entire field of discussion as it relates to how believers from various persuasions should interact with each other. Doctrine is important – there are cardinal beliefs that other “Christians” do nothold that should cause us to separate fellowship from them. There are also lifestyle issues, sin issues, that should cause us to rightly separate from other believers. Also, just because another denomination is “Christian” does not mean that they are actually Christian. I am not suggesting in the least bit that we should abandon all our convictions and just be all one church (ecumenicism). I hope to address some of these details in future writings. The point here is to strive for understanding and unity where God is striving for unity; for us to seek to know and understand other believers instead of just judging them from far away.  

Psalms 133:1 “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”

Biblical Sexuality Sermon Sunday

/ Lee A. Robinson / Leave a comment

Teaching begins at the (11:53 Mark).

Canada just passed a new law (Bill C-4), which makes it illegal to freely teach the Bible’s doctrine on sexuality, calling it a “myth.” Anyone (including pastors and even parents!) could be sentenced to 5 years in prison for teaching that the only right form of sexuality is between one man and one woman in lifelong holy matrimony.

Pastors from around Canada and the US committed to defy this ubiblical, unrighteous, evil, hateful law by publicly preaching sermons yesterday on January 16, 2022. I decided it was appropriate to do the same. This video is the sermon that I preached yesterday.

Thy Kingdom Come: Living the Lord’s Prayer – Part II

/ Lee A. Robinson / 2 Comments

Our Papa is a King. He is the King. He has a domain, or realm over which he reigns, and his royal rule is absolute. Where is this country, or territory that is ruled by our heavenly Father? It is everywhere! When Jesus ascended back into heaven he proclaimed, “All authority is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (Matthew 28:18) How much authority does Jesus have? All authority. Does he have all authority now? “All authority is (present tense) given unto me.” There is no place where Jesus is not King. Jesus has the right and power to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience everywhere. This article will substantiate from Scripture how Jesus’ kingdom has already come, is in the process of coming, and one day will be fully consummated. Our prayers and our lives must be seeking for and submitted to his kingdom. 

Jesus’ dominion is already established.

Heaven, of course, has been and is under the complete sway of Jesus. All of the angels receive commands from him and turn not to the left hand or to the right. All of heaven worships Jesus on his throne as God, Lord and King.  

What about among demons and their god, Satan? Surely there must be some dark den somewhere that is ruled only by the Devil. Fortunately, they too fall within the jurisdiction of King Jesus: “And having spoiled (disarmed, stripped off) principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly (public disgrace, shame), triumphing over them.” (Colossians 2:15) At his first coming, Jesus came upon the Devil, disarmed him and fatally wounded him. Most specifically this happened at his crucifixion and resurrection:

“Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.” (John 12:31)

“And I will put hostility between thee (the serpent) and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it (Jesus) shall bruise (compress with violence, trample) thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15) This promise came to pass at the cross. 

“It pleased Yahweh to crush him (Jesus); he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin (the Crucifixion), he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days (The Resurrection), and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand…Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong.” (Isaiah 53:10,12)

“When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armor wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.” (Luke 11:21-22) Jesus penetrated the Devil’s fortress, disarmed him, bound him and carried away the spoils. 

At the cross & resurrection Jesus put the dominion of Satan and sin to death. His return home to heaven was a glorious, triumphal procession! “When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.” (Ephesians 4:8) It was a common practice during the Roman Empire for a city to host a festive victory parade for conquering soldiers as they were coming back home, a part of which they would give gifts to the soldiers. Imagine what the heavenly parade was like when Jesus came home as the conquering Son of God! Jesus not only defeated the most formidable foe, but he also rescued countless prisoners from him; and instead of the host of heaven showering Jesus with gifts, Jesus himself as the conqueror gave gifts to us, the redeemed, rescued souls!!! Ultimately he gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit! He, “delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.” (Colossians 1:13)

Do you remember when wicked Haman had to parade Mordecai through the streets of Shushan? Try to imagine Satan, that old serpent, the devil, who deceived the whole world- bruised, bloody, defeated- parading Jesus through the streets of Heaven, proclaiming, “Jesus is Lord!” Glory, Hallelujah!!!!!!! “Thank you, God!” We could stop here, but we’ll continue on… 

Is Jesus the Sovereign only in heaven, or the spiritual realm? “All authority is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” This verse should be sufficient for us to see that his sovereignty is also currently over all of the earth, but in case we need more proof: 

God the Father “raised him (Jesus) from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things…” (Ephesians 1:10-21) Jesus lord’s over Biden, Trump, C*v*d, mandates, America, Democrats & Republicans, the Supreme Court, Facebook, Google, China, Bill Gates, the Taliban, Islam, etc…Whatever new infamous name crops up in the future Jesus will lord over them as well. 

The Father has given to Jesus “authority over all flesh…” (John 17:2) Authority not only over all spirits in the heavenly realms, but also over all flesh and bone bodies in the earthly realm,

Daniel, “saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14) Notice that this ‘coming’ would happen when the Son of man would come to the Ancient of days, not from the Ancient days. This is a vision of the Ascension of Jesus, not the Second Coming, which means that this is already in play. If this is true, according to this verse Jesus already has dominion over all peoples, nations and languages of the earth. 

Coupled nicely with Daniel’s prophecy is Isaiah’s, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7) Jesus has an increasing government that will have no end. 

Jesus’ kingdom is in the process of coming

If Jesus truly is reigning right now over all people and places, how do we explain the presence and power of evil still at work in the world? There are still wiccans, prisons and evil politicians; sickness, sinners, sin and death are still here?

God has always been completely sovereign over all things. He works everything after the counsel of his own will. In his lordship he has given his creatures a certain level of freedom to make choices. Evil has a certain allowance, but only according to the authorization of Christ. However, something decisive did happen at the first coming of Christ, which we have already seen biblically. The Gospel is the beginning of God actively beginning to reclaim the kingdoms of this world. But the process by which he has chosen to do this is a slow process (at least by our standards).  

A couple parables in Matthew 13 help to demonstrate this point:  

“The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.” (Matthew 13:31-32)

Jesus came into the world establishing his kingdom with small beginnings, but at the end of the first century it was beginning to take over an empire. The kingdom does not plop down out of heaven on a completely evil world. The seed of the kingdom was planted at Christ’s first coming. The tree has been growing ever since. Branches have been growing around the world. Some branches have even been cut off, but others shoot out this way and that. One day the tree will be fully grown. 

“The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.” (Matthew 13:33)

Here leaven is used in a positive sense to illustrate how the kingdom of God comes. Like the yeast in dough, it is invisible at first, but slowly permeates the entire loaf. This is how the kingdom comes. 

Since the advent and enthronement of Christ, God has been actively enforcing his Lordship in new and permanent ways in the earth: The Gospel has been unlocked to the nations; the house of God is now worldwide instead of isolated in Jerusalem; The gift of the Spirit has come to reside forever in his people, to purge the conscience and make our bodies holy temples for him; “Christianity” is the largest religion in the world; freedom and the rule of law has gained ground like never before in history; etc. The tree has been planted and is growing, certainly. The house of God is past the design phase and is under construction. 

I remember one day my mother-in-laws cat had cornered a mouse in the driveway. The cat wasn’t killing the mouse, but rather abusing and taunting it before it would kill it. I have never experienced a cat move or make sounds like this cat did as it tortured the horrified mouse. The cat would dance around it, and if the mouse tried to escape the cat would pounce its paws on it, securing it’s soon death again. I think this is a good picture of the relationship that the devil has to our King, Jesus. The devil is the mouse, Jesus is the cat. The cross and resurrection “cornered” the devil. Jesus in his infinite wisdom and good plan, is allowing the devil to continue to be active in the world, but only according to his perfect plan.     

This truth is similar to our relationship as believers with sin as well: 

“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin…death hath no more dominion over him. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin…” (Romans 6)

As believers we are free from sin and death, they do not have dominion over us. But sin and death are still active. They are pests, but not princes Christians.

Jesus’ kingdom will fully come one day 

“Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down (destroy, abolish, do away with) all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” (1 Corinthians 15:24-27) There will be an end, when Jesus will completely abolish, or do away with the devil, sin and death. He is currently reigning, until he puts every enemy under his feet. This is going to happen at his second coming. 

Paul charged Timothy that he should, “keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: which in his times he shall shew (make manifest), who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;” (1 Timothy 6:14-15) Jesus is currently the blessed and only Potentate. It may not look like it right now, but there is coming a day when he will make it clearly known to the whole world who truly reigns over all.  

How are you relating to the kingdom of God?

Are you in the kingdom of God? 

“The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” (Matthew 13:45-46)

This kingdom is worth forsaking all for to obtain. This world and everything in it will come to an end. God’s kingdom is the only eternal kingdom. Is Jesus your king? We must experience the new birth in order to enter into his kingdom: 

“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) To experience this spiritual birth we simply must confess our sinfulness to Christ, humble ourselves at his feet and receive him as our Lord and Savior. His promise is to receive all who truly come to him, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37)

To believers – Are you merely a citizen in the kingdom or are you a soldier?

Are you glad that Jesus has rescued you and brought you into his kingdom, but are content watching others labor with Christ to advance his kingdom in the world? 

“See ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33) Place God’s kingdom work at the top of your priority list. Don’t be afraid. God will lead and feed us if we serve him. 

“Father in heaven, thank you for coming into this world and gaining victory for yourself. As you said, “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world,” help us to understand the kingdom you have won. May every soul who reads this be rescued and joined to your kingdom. Help us to yield our minds, hearts, bodies, homes and family to your service. May your kingdom be more and more established in our cities and nations we live in. We look for and long for the day when it is fully manifested that you are the blessed and only Potentate. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

Living the Lord’s Prayer – Part I

/ Lee A. Robinson / 1 Comment

The “Lord’s Prayer” gives us amazing insight into what is important to God. It’s as if God is saying, “Look, this is what you really need to focus on in your life.” The Lord here condenses all that we could pray for into six concise statements. Now, if God laid out a template for our prayers, wouldn’t that also serve as a good template for our priorities in life? How can we pray a focused, passionate prayer about specific things, then leave without those same things being the focus of our lives? I want to focus on how the Lord’s Prayer-Template can also be a good Lifestyle-Template. Take a few moments of meditation on each one of the six themes in the Lord’s Prayer, and ask yourself this question, “Am I cooperating with God in my life as well as with my prayers?”

Matthew 6:9-15 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:  For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:  But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 

Hallowed be thy name

Each of the requests in the Lord’s Prayer is in the imperative mood, which means that they are actually commands (in Greek study we called it a “sweet command” because it is being addressed to God; more like an entreaty). So, an accurate way of translating this would be, “Father, Make your name holy.” We are requesting of our Father that he would, by his power, make his name (which represents all of who God is) consecrated, or hallowed in our experience. The desire is for God and his reputation to be viewed as sacred, holy, unique, special, or elevated above all else to us. If this happens anywhere, it is surely a work of God- only the Spirit of God can create reverence for the one true God. But our question is- “Am I cooperating with God after I pray this prayer?” Are you requesting for God to make himself special above all else to you, but your decisions are not working towards that end?  

Where should we expect this prayer request to begin to be fulfilled? Would it not be in our inner life: inside of our heart, mind and soul? Why should we expect the White House, Wall street or White-Castle to consecrate God in their midst if we ourselves are white washed tombs? “Father, make me a holy place. May all my thoughts be pure and pleasing to you. May my soul tremble and rejoice when you speak.” Are you praying this prayer? And are you cooperating with God in your choices?

Romans 13:14 commands, “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.” 

Are you putting on the Lord Jesus Christ, or only putting on the t.v. or your phone? 

Are you putting Scripture into your mind, or putting on pornography and ungodly entertainment? 

Are you putting on modest clothing and surrounding yourself with God’s humble, holy people, or putting on skimpy, immodest dress and finding fellowship with unholy people?

We could go on, but you get the point. 

We cannot pray for God to make our minds a holy temple if we are desecrating it with our choices. This would be like an Old Covenant saint praying for the Temple to be filled with God’s glory after offering swine on the altar and hanging up a picture of Chemosh near the veil.

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

After the inward parts, we must move to our home. The plea is, “Father, may your name have a sacred, holy place in my house and among my family. May it be clear to everyone- dwellers and visitors, that God is specially honored, respected and obeyed. Amen.” This is a great prayer. Are you doing what is in the power of your hand to facilitate that happening? Is there anything unclean or dishonoring to God on your walls, in your movie cabinet or in your closets? Would your heavenly Father be at ease in your home the way it currently is? Would you be at ease if he came for an unexpected personal visit?

Do you pray that God’s name would be respected in your home, but as a parent you cheapen or even defame his name through hypocrisy your children regularly see? Perhaps the Lord would stoop down to bless your home if he saw you stooping down more often to ask your children to forgive you for the sins you commit in front of them? Do you long for God’s blessed presence to fill the air in your home, but you allow bitterness, unforgiveness, verbal fire-darts and unclean media to fill the air? If you allow devilish things to come through the screens into your home, what kind of spirits do you think will literally visit your home? Clear out the air with repentance, humility and confession. Give family Bible-time and prayer an honored time-slot, and then ask for God to hallow his name there. Make church attendance and service to others in Jesus’ name a priority over sports and extracurricular activities, then request his anointing on your family.

Thirdly, we should pray for God’s reputation to be celebrated in all of the world around us. “Father, make these streets clean and safe; make all of these churches faithful to you, glorifying Christ and his Word only; make our schools academies of truth and godliness; make our businessmen honest and fair; make our law-makers, police and judges upright and just. Make every person and every place humbly submitted to the Lordship and adoration of Jesus Christ!” Amen. Those are good prayers. We should be praying them regularly with specific names attached. But are you cooperating with these prayers? 

Are you praying the church-house is hallowed but you spread gossip about the saints? Do you stride into the service dressed so all eyes look upon you and then sing “Turn your eyes upon Jesus.”? Do we ask for the manifest presence of God while employing fleshly music and tailoring our preaching to the unregenerate?

Public schools are committed to training up animals and you still send your children there, but you’re begging God that they come home saints??? And you don’t speak out at the meetings? 

Are you praying for an awakening in your society, but you don’t preach the Gospel? Praying for the seeds of the gospel to sprout up new conversions but you are not sowing the seed? Praying that God would send forth laborers into his harvest and not considering it might be you that he wants to send?           

Our Lord Jesus Christ is worthy of deep, unrivaled respect and adoration. This is a work of the Holy Spirit of God that we should beg God for. But our prayers should have feet on them. 

“Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” (Isaiah 40:3). Make room for God to do his work and then wait upon him! 

In this prayer-template given by the Lord, holiness is at the top of the list. Should it not be at the top of the priority list in our lives? 
Remember, this prayer is addressed to your heavenly Father. He does not deal with us as criminals, but as favored sons and daughters. If we simply confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). He is not looking for a slight slip to judge you. Not at all. He is very patient, kind and long-suffering. But we must yield to his authority. A broken and a contrite heart God will not despise (psalm 51). If you have not been cooperating with God, be humbled before him today and ask him to give you strength to yield your life to him. Amen.