Restitution of All Things.

 

Weapons.

 "We cannot tell how Peter was enabled to walk on the water when the waves were rolling about him, but we know that at the command of the Lord he did it. So long as he kept his eye fixed on the Master, divine power enabled him to walk as easily as though it were solid rock underneath, but when he looked at the waves, possibly with a feeling of pride in what he was doing, as though he himself was doing it, fear very naturally took possession of him, and he began to sink. Faith enabled him to walk on the waves; fear made him sink beneath them.

Says the apostle, "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were compassed about seven days." Heb.  11:30. Why was that written? For our learning, "that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." Rom. 15:4. 

Why, is there any prospect that we shall ever be called upon to fight armed hosts and to take fortified cities? No, "for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,  against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Eph. 6:12. But the victories which have been gained by faith in God over visible foes in the flesh are placed on record to show us what faith will accomplish in our conflict with the rulers of the darkness of this world. 

The grace of God, in answer to faith, is as powerful in these battles as in those, for says the apostle:

For though we walk in the flesh,

we do not war after the flesh,

for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal

but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;

casting down imaginations and every high thing

that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God,

and bringing into captivity every thought

to the obedience of Christ.

2 Cor. 10:3-5 "

(Excerpt- March 25, 1889  "The just shall live by faith." Rom. 1:17.

Signs of the Times Articles - by E.J. Waggoner)

2Co 6:7  By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left

Rom 6:13  Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 

Rom 13:12  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. 

Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 

Eph 6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 

Eph 6:15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 

Eph 6:16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 

Eph 6:17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 

Eph 6:18  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; 

1Th 5:8  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. 

Weapons/Armor -- of righteousness, light, truth, gospel of peace, faith, salvation, the Spirit, love, prayer.

Weapons. You envision a sword, a gun, a knife, a chain, a bow and arrow, a bomb, etc. If I ask you for a weapon instantly your mind would go to what would I need a weapon for, and then if I gave you a response that was acceptable to you, you'd ask me what kind of weapon I'd need, or you may even suggest what I might need to use as a weapon. The warfare would determine the weapon. What is needed in cyber warfare? Surely not a gun. You need cyber weapons. If the warfare were chemical, you'd need chemical weapons. If the war were infectious diseases, yes, you'd need infectious diseases to use in combat. In our world we try to match weapon for weapon, forever trying to outdo or at least keep up with the weapons our rival countries have- no matter what kind of weapons they have. In news recently I read about China amassing ships and weapons, and I read about Russia having a new never before kind of weapon out there that puts all other weapons to shame.  The more powerful the country the more powerful the weapons and we try to make agreements to not use these weapons that could literally destroy us. If one uses their weapons, another will use theirs and leave the world as we know it in complete and utter chaos. Weapons. Powerful things of destruction.

The weapons of God, the weapons given to us to use are SPIRITUAL.

Righteousness is a weapon.

Light (knowledge) is a weapon.

Truth is a weapon.

The Gospel of Peace is a weapon.

Faith is a weapon.

Salvation is a weapon.

The SPIRIT is a weapon.

Praying is a weapon.

Love is a weapon.

When we hear that word weapon we think weapons - the things used to hurt, to protect, to intimidate, to boast of possessing. Do you have any weapons? Some people have guns in their homes and they keep them there to protect themselves against others. Others have collections of weapons they've acquired as a hobby. Some use weapons to hunt wild animals for food. This small list tells of weapons that aren't used in an evil manner. We use knives daily in a non-violent way. Various items that can be used as weapons also serve very useful purposes. 

When I ask you to please pass me the knife that is next to you and out of my reach, you don't think that you are handing me a weapon but rather a piece of cutlery. When I ask you to give me the knife when I see a threatening person coming my way, that knife is now a weapon. The intention in the implement truly means something.

We don't normally consider righteousness, knowledge, truth, peace, faith, salvation, the Spirit, praying and love as weapons because that gives the connotation of using those things for purposes that aren't of God. Yet, it is God who tells us they are our spiritual weapons because we ARE fighting against things that AREN'T flesh and blood-

Principalities

Powers

Rulers of Darkness

Spiritual Wickedness

Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 

We CAN'T SEE THESE THINGS! 

We CAN'T TOUCH THESE THINGS!

THEY ARE ALL REAL!

Are these things real-- righteousness, knowledge, truth, peace, the gospel, faith, salvation, the Holy Spirit, praying, love?

Yes, they are all real. 

If they are REAL and UNSEEN- not tangible for the most part- why do we doubt the reality of their counterparts of evil?  We know there is evil, we live with it every day. We are exposed to evil all the time, it exists. 

We are TOLD to use the Spiritual Weapons against Spiritual Evil. 

The unseen evil that fills the lives of those who have abandon the truth of God. The unseen evil that swarms around us all seeking to enter our lives in any way possible. It's real.

We need all the weapons God provides. 

God's righteousness, knowledge, God's truth and peace, God's gospel, the faith and salvation that are God's, the Holy Spirit God, praying by God, loved by God, loving through God. All the GLORY is God's, all of it! It's through God these weapons are used. It's through God these weapons work. We must believe, we must trust- all in God. All through the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior we will use His weapons as He needs and wants us to, for His will, for His purposes, knowing all we do for His glory is righteous and good- for us, He only desires our ultimate good found only in Him. 

Overcoming.

 "All the promises of final happiness are to the overcomer. 

To him that overcometh," says Jesus, "will I give to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne." Rev. 3:21. "He that overcometh shall inherit all things," says the Lord. Rev. 21:7. An overcomer is one who gains victories. 

The inheriting is not the overcoming; that is only the reward for overcoming. The overcoming is now. The victories to be gained are victories over the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life, victories over self and selfish indulgences. The man who fights and sees the foe give way may rejoice; nobody can keep him from rejoicing, for joy comes spontaneously as the result of seeing the enemy give way. Some folks look with dread upon the thought of having to wage a continual warfare with self and worldly lusts. That is because they do not as yet know anything about the joy of victory. They have experienced only defeat. But it isn't so doleful a thing to battle constantly, when there is continual victory. 

The old veteran of a hundred battles, who has been victorious in every fight longs to be at the scene of conflict. Alexander's soldiers, who under his command never knew defeat, were always impatient to be led into the fray. Each victory increased their strength, which was born only of courage, and correspondingly diminished that of the vanquished foe. Now how may we gain continual victories in our spiritual warfare?

Listen to the beloved disciple:

I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live;

yet not I, but Christ liveth in me;

and the life which I now live in the flesh

I live by the faith of the Son of God,

who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Gal. 2:20.

Here is the secret of strength. 

It is Christ, the Son of God, the One to whom all power in heaven and earth is given, Who does the work. 

If He lives in the heart to do the work, is it boasting to say that continual victories may be gained? Yes, it is boast; but it is boasting in the Lord, and that is allowable. 

Says the psalmist, "My soul shall make her boast in the Lord" and Paul says, "God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world." Gal. 6:14.

The soldiers of Alexander were reckoned invincible. Why? Was it because they were naturally stronger and more courageous than all their enemies? No, but because they were led by Alexander. Their strength was in his leadership. Under another leader they would often have been defeated. When the Union army was fleeing panic- stricken before the enemy at Winchester, the presence of Sheridan turned their defeat into victory. Without him the men were a quaking mob. With him at their head they were an invincible army. If you had listened to the remarks after the battle of the soldiers who served under those and similar leaders, you would have heard the praises of their general mingled with all their rejoicing. They were strong because he was; they were inspired by the same spirit that he had.

Well, our Captain is the Lord of hosts. He has met the chiefest foe of all and has vanquished him single-handed.  Those who follow Him invariably go forth conquering and to conquer. Oh, that those who profess to be His followers would put their trust in Him and then, by the repeated victories that they would gain, they would show forth the praises of Him who has called them out of darkness into His marvelous light.

John says that he that is born of God overcomes the world, through faith. Faith lays hold of the arm of God and His mighty power does the work. How the power of God can work in a man, accomplishing that which he could not possibly do for himself, no one can tell. It would be as easy to tell how God can give life to the dead. Says Jesus, "The wind bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth; so is everyone that is born of the Spirit." John 3:8. 

How the Spirit works in a man to subdue his passions and to make him victorious over pride, envy, and selfishness is known only to the Spirit. It is sufficient for us to know that it is done and will be done in everyone who wants that work wrought in him, above all things else, and who trusts God for the performance of it."

Php_1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ

March 25, 1889  "The just shall live by faith." Rom. 1:17.

Signs of the Times Articles - by E.J. Waggoner (Excerpt)

What God Does With Our Sins.

Live ... By Faith.

 

I've Been Bought.

 "Take me, O Lord, as wholly Thine."

I want to be Yours completely.

"I lay ALL my plans at Thy feet."

All that I do I want You to be in control of, Lord. Anything I make plans to do let those plans be done as You will. My plans are Yours to control, Lord, all of them, every single plan I have.

"Use me today in Thy service."

I need to you use me as Yours, I belong to You, I am not my own, I am Yours. Take me and use me in Your service, please. Whatever You need me to do, please let it be done in me, through You, all through You and Your glory, Your power.

"Abide with me, and let all my work be wrought in Thee."

Please. Please. Please.

You have purchased me, Lord. I belong to You.

1Co 6:20  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. 

I was bought with a price.

Act 20:28  …which he hath purchased with his own blood.

Purchased with the Blood of Christ.

Heb 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. 

Heb 9:13  For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 

Heb 9:14  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

By the Blood of Christ through the eternal Spirit offered to God.

1Pe 1:18  Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 

1Pe 1:19  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot

Redeemed with the PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST.

2Pe 2:1  But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

The LORD that bought them… bought US.  BOUGHT US.

Rev 5:9  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation

Redeemed us to God by THY BLOOD.

We have been PURCHASED by the BLOOD of our LORD JESUS CHRIST. We have willingly given ourselves to Christ to buy with his blood. Bought! We are OWNED by Jesus! And He will take us and use us for His purposes because we KNOW this is LOVE! No use that our Savior has for us is a use without love. He will use us for His purposes and WE will know that those purposes no matter how inexplicable they may seem to us, will ultimately be for good because our Savior is LOVE. 

Bought.

Excerpt 

'This is consecration. And thus it is a daily, an hourly, a constant recognition, in gratitude and thankfulness, that we are His own. So each day, "consecrate yourself to God in the morning. Make this your very first work. Let your prayer be, Take me, O Lord, as wholly Thine. I lay all my plans at Thy feet. Use me today in Thy service. Abide with me, and let all my work be wrought in Thee.' 

This is a daily matter. Each morning consecrate yourself to God for that day. Surrender all your plans to Him, to be carried out or given up as His providence shall indicate." Say, "I am the purchased possession of Jesus Christ, and every hour I must consecrate myself to His service." "Thus day by day you may be giving your life into the hands of God, and thus your life will be molded more and more after the life of Christ." This is consecration. And it is not a burden, but a living, everlasting joy.'

Purchased Possession.

 Present Truth Articles - Consecration-  by A.T. Jones

Consecration is simply the constant recognition of the fact that we are the Lord's and not our own. He who learns  that this is a fact and lives in the constant living presence and recognition of it as the great fact--he is  consecrated, and this is consecration.

Nor is this a hard thing to do in itself. People make it hard for themselves by thinking it to be something that it is not, and trying to accomplish it in a way that is not the Lord's way, and even then they miss it. And, in truth, going about it in another than the Lord's way, they cannot possibly do anything else than miss it.

Is it a fact, then, that we are the Lord's?--Of course it is; for it is written: "Ye are bought with a price."1Corinthians 6:20. And the price is, "the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." 1Peter 1:19. For He "gave Himself for us." Titus 2:14 This "price" was paid for every soul that is on earth, and for everyone who ever was or ever shall be on earth; for "He died for all." Having died for all; having paid the wondrous price for all; having given Himself for all, it is certainly a fact that all are His. Therefore it is written: "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." 1Corinthians 6:19-20

He not only gave Himself for us, but for all there is of us--yes, even for our sins. For again it is written that He "gave Himself for our sins." Galatians 1:4. And He did it "that He might deliver us from this present evil world;" that He might "purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works;" that He might present us "faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 24)--in one word, "that He might bring us to God." 1Peter 3:18

He so loved us that He wants to save us. But He cannot save us in our sins. He will save us from our sins.

And as our whole self is sin and sin only, in order to get us, in order to buy us, He had to buy our sins also. So in giving Himself for us, He gave Himself for our sins too. And as we are His, because He bought us with that great price, so also our sins are His, for He bought them with the same great price.

Then will you let Him have the sins which He has bought? or will you hold on to these yourself? Will you let Him have what is His own? Will you let Him do what He will with His own? And what will He do with these sins? Oh, He will forgive them! 1John 1:9. He will make them as white as snow. Isaiah 1:18. He will put them away. Hebrews 9:26. He will cast them into the depths of the sea. Micah 7:19. He will remove them from us as far as the east is from the west. Psalm 103:12. He will cast them all behind His back. Isaiah 38:17. And when they are all cast behind His back, He and His own throne will stand between us and them, as the pledge that we are free from them; and the rainbow round about the throne will be the sign--the token--of the everlasting covenant that our sins and iniquities will be remembered no more. Hebrews 8:12

Thus in giving Himself for our sins, He gave Himself to us. In giving Himself for us, He gave Himself to us. So when we let Him have our sins, we get Him instead. When we let Him have ourselves, we get Himself instead. Would you rather have Him than your sins? Then let Him have them. Make the blessed exchange today.

 Would you rather have His way than your way? Would you rather have His life than your life? Would you rather have His disposition than your disposition? Would you rather have His character than your character? Would you rather have Him than yourself? "To be sure I would," you say. Then, oh! let Him have you now; make the blessed surrender and exchange now and for evermore.

 This is consecration. And thus it is a daily, an hourly, a constant recognition, in gratitude and thankfulness, that we are His own. So each day, "consecrate yourself to God in the morning. Make this your very first work. Let your prayer be, Take me, O Lord, as wholly Thine. I lay all my plans at Thy feet. Use me today in Thy service. Abide with me, and let all my work be wrought in Thee.' This is a daily matter. Each morning consecrate yourself to God for that day. Surrender all your plans to Him, to be carried out or given up as His providence shall indicate." Say, "I am the purchased possession of Jesus Christ, and every hour I must consecrate myself to His service." "Thus day by day you may be giving your life into the hands of God, and thus your life will be molded more and more after the life of Christ." This is consecration. And it is not a burden, but a living, everlasting joy.

Therefore, "reckon ye also ye yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. . . . Yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you." "Sin shall not have dominion over you"--is that promise worth anything to you? It is worth all that God is worth to the one who reckons himself to be dead indeed unto sin, and alive unto God through Jesus Christ; and who yields himself unto God, and his members unto God as instruments for God to use. To this one God has declared, "Sin shall not have dominion over you." 

Thank the Lord for this blessed promise of freedom from sin and all the power of sin. And this promise He will make a fact in the life and experience of every one who reckons thus and yields to God. You furnish the reckoning, He will furnish the fact. You yield to Him, and He will use you. You yield to Him your members, and He will use them only as instruments of righteousness. And so, "sin shall not have dominion over you," for God is

stronger than sin.