Egypt
for some is the ground of bondage and defeat. Even though
we may be the Lord's children, may be Blood-bought, may
have come out on redemption ground, yet we may be
defeated because of an inadequate apprehension of the
meaning of that precious Blood.
I believe that there will
be many who will lose that thing that God has in view as
a special vocation in His heavenly kingdom, because they
are not wholly devoted to God now. I do not believe that
we will be brought into that willy-nilly.
If you want the
world, even as a believer, want a little of it - well,
you may have it at this cost, the loss of that for which
God has preeminently called you, the heavenly kingdom in
a marvelous vocation, you will lose that.
Paul was after
that. Paul strained every nerve, spiritually, for that;
left the things which were behind for that, to be
preserved unto His heavenly kingdom.
There are many
Christians who will lose that because they do not go all
the way with the Lord; not lose their salvation, but that
specific vocation in glory and honor; they will lose it
because they did not recognize and honor the full virtue
of the Blood in the totality of their consecration and
abandonment to the Lord.
But those who go through, who overcome in
trial, are they that overcome because of the Blood of the
Lamb in this second meaning, the absolute abandonment of
the Lord Jesus to the will of His Father even unto death;
who are standing in the virtue of His consecration, and
making their consecration, by His grace, as utter as was
His.
We shall never have to let go what He let go in His
obedience to the will of God. We have not got it to let
go, but what the Lord is looking for, beloved, is a
people who are with Him completely, with undivided heart,
and that is the ground of our victory and of Satan's
defeat.
Oh, let it be
seen that the Blood of the Lamb in its absolute
perfection of holiness and sinlessness as representing
His being, His substance, His essence, His nature and His
complete surrender, His capitulation to the will of His
Father, is the ground to stand on; something to be
appropriated by faith and held on to. More, it is
something to be taken up as a weapon against the enemy.
~T. Austin Sparks~
Beauty!
It’s a mighty thing, an almost over-awing thing in
its strength, its power to resist and endure and stand,
and yet it is one of those wonderful things about the
Lord, the Lord Jesus, and it's one of those wonderful
things about anything or anyone in whom He fulfills His
purpose is the combination of strength and beauty.
The balance of strength – it’s not all strength
and it’s not all softness – marvelous balance
in the Lord Jesus, look at Him! These two things brought
together... and that is what the Lord would have.
And
finally, costliness. How costly was Solomon’s
building, the gold of Ophir! There was a great, great
cost bound up with those houses that he built, with the
city, the foundation of the walls; all manner of costly
stones… something very precious, something very
valuable to the Lord.
Here there is nothing cheap, there
is nothing cheap in what is of God. Remember
that! Everything that is of God is costly. It
has a great price attached to it. There is nothing here
contemptible, mean; it is the embodiment of suffering
– costly stones.
Notice
that on these twelve foundations were the names of the
twelve apostles of the Lamb and the first was jasper,
clear as crystal. Who was the first of the apostles?
Simon Peter. Jasper, clear as crystal; all the mixture
has gone out – transparent, clear – but what
suffering! Look at him: “he went out and wept
bitterly”.
Peter in his letters has quite a lot to
say about fiery trials to test us, to try us. Peter knew
suffering. Yes, but you see it produced something very
precious, valuable and costly to the Lord. Was it not
Peter who used that word, “unto you that believe is
the preciousness…”?
If you again think
of the Lord’s ways with us, you cannot fail to see
that the Lord is prepared to use a lot of time and a lot
of energy and a lot of money in order to get essential
spiritual value.
~T. Austin Sparks~
Pro
18:24 A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly:and there is a
friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
Stay~Lonely Pilgrim...you
who are searching for fellowship.
Stop here and find "A FRIEND.
THERE IS A FRIEND though all the world deny it.
One who is always TRUE and FAITHFUL. ONE who NEVER LEAVES and NEVER
FORSAKES. No brother or sister will or can abide as HE.
Will you be friend to
JESUS as HE IS FRIEND to you?
We WORSHIP YOU LORD We TRUST ALL TO YOU And
Recieve from YOU LORD all PEACE all GRACE all needed POWER to do and be
what pleases YOU LORD.
You are our NEVER ABSENT FRIEND. Amen and Amen.
Psa 24:8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
No life can be lived for GOD in these difficult days without terrific conflict. Foes within and foes without assail each saint continuously.
Principalities and powers are arrayed against the child of GOD who seeks to serve his Master.
We have no might with which to meet "this great host that cometh out against us," BUT JEHOVAH, Mighty In BATTLE, is our Saviour, our Intercessor, our Elder Brother, our ever-present Friend. He fights for us in this battle!!!
Jehovah Our Almighty GOD increase our courage, LORD. Amen
