DELIVERED! SAFE AND SOUND!

THE RIGHTEOUS REJOICE!!!

May the righteous be glad

and rejoice before God;

may they be happy and joyful.

Psalm 68.1-3

Psalm 1.1 tells us three of the many kinds of destructive experiences with people that damage and limit our lives.

Psalm 3.1 calls the effect of these destructions our "foes."

Psalm 4.1 calls these effects our "distress."

The rest of the Psalms continue to help us identify the destructive experiences and effects in us and by us.

When the Psalmist tells us that he "cries out," "cries aloud," "weeps," and so forth, it is because of his suffering, shame, guilt, failure, pain, shame, and so forth that come from his "foes" and "enemies" that are tormenting him his heart, because of what is happening to him. What is happening usually adds to what has happened, making matters worse and causing hopelessness, fear, anger, hardness, and depression.

Life is hard, and we fight our failures and weaknesses day and night.

Psalm 68, however, speaks of being "happy and joyful."

Psalm 1.3 describes this happy state as being like

"a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaves do not wither."

This happy state comes about from our seeing, believing, and trusting the love, power, and wisdom of God to "deliver us safe and sound." The Psalms help us to see and realize the damage we experience. But, they also show us the grace, goodness, and glory of God that delivers us and establishes us in righteousness and holiness, renews and restores His image within us, so that His glory is reflected to everyone around us.

We must look for, believe, and trust what God says He wants to do for us in these Psalms. We must follow the example and the commands of God they apply to us in daily situations. As we do, the Holy Spirit leads us into more and more freedom, joy, happiness, love, and peace--and much, much more, called "the abundant life" by Jesus (John 10.10).

The "happy state" comes about

1. As we identify ("confess") our destructions with the help of the lists of destructions common to men the Psalms provide for us.

2. As we believe that God will extend to us all the goodness, grace, wisdom, and power of God that the Psalmist lists--and much, much more.

3. As we trust and follow the Lord in the ways of godliness, righteousness, and holiness.

The Lord watches over the way of the righteous.

Psalm 1.6

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will counsel you and watch over you.

Psalm 32.8

The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

Matthew 4.17

Come.

Follow Me.

I will make you fishers of men.

Matthew 4.19

THE TRANSFORMING POWER OF PROBLEMS

HOW JOY IS CREATED IN PROBLEMS

...in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds

...so that my joy was greater than ever.

2 Corinthians 7.4, 7

"My brothers, count it all joy when you face any kind of temptation...."

James 1.2-5.

Jesus said,

"In this world you will have tribulation,

but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world." John 16.33.

In 2 Corinthians, Paul tells us how the Holy Spirit creates joy out of hardships and troubles, making all things, anything, and everything "work out for our good." Romans 8.28.

First, in chapter 7.5, Paul identifies what he means by "trouble:"

1. No rest for his body

2. Harassed at every turn

3. Conflicts all around him

4. Fears within himself

5. All this understandably produced a "downcast" feeling (v. 6), perhaps even depression, coming from the endless and hopeless series of hardships Paul faced throughout his entire ministry.

But, in all this Paul found greater, even boundless joy and encouragement, more than he had ever known. The Holy Spirit tranformed Paul's problems into love, peace, joy, comfort, and encouragement.

How He made Paul's problems produce these great and good things is the way He will do so for us.

First, Paul had become a man of great integrity, honesty, truthfulness, openness, and transparency with others like these Corinthians--2 Cor. 6.11-12.

He neither withheld and withdrew from people, always ""upfront" with others.

This was because He was pure of heart in the presence of God and had nothing to fear from God and therefore, nothing to fear from any person.

Therfore, Paul could ask the Corinthians to "open wide your hearts also." 6.13. He had nothing to fear from what they would say to him, but he also knew how important it was that they be honest about any criticism, fear, anger, resentment, etc., that they felt against him.

Such honesty and openess removes the barriers to trust, peace, love, and joy.

Because Paul was "real," genuine, sincere, the Corinthilans knew he was trustworthy, and they responded to his appeal. They and Paul learned to respect, honor, appreciate, and trust one another more than ever before.

This was "growth" and increase.

This was more of the fruit of the Spirit that Paul knew about --Galatians 5.16-24--and that Jesus had promised--John 15.

These are incredible benefits that the Holy Spirit provides for us when we

1. "...deny ourself and take up our cross daily."

2. Become disciples who "abide in and with Christ daily," every day, day and night, all day, all night.

3. Abide in Christ, like a branch of a vine, we are filled with His life, by the Holy Spirit.

4. Are being filled with and by the Holy Spirit, walking in the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit and bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit, as Jesus promised.

5. Like Paul, find love, joy, and peace in ever greater portions.

6. Abound in abundant life with the Lord Jesus and one another, as we grow in grace and knowledge of His glory, honor and praise--2 Peter 3.18--filled with all the fulness of Christ--Colossians 2.9-10; John 1.16-18.

"Now unto Him Who is able to do

exceedingly, abundantly, above

all that we can ask or think,

be praise, honor, and glory, now and forever.

Amen.

Ephesians 3.20-21.

LIVING IN CHRIST

LIVING IN AND WITH JESUS CHRIST

I am the way, the truth, and the life;

no man comes to the Father but by Me.

John 14.6

I am the Way.

We must ask (and you will receive) Jesus to lead us.

I am the Truth.

We must seek (and you will find) knowledge, understanding, and wisdom from the leadship of the Holy Spirit, not of the "flesh." "He (the Holy Spirit) will guide you into all truth...." John 16.13

We must knock (and the door will be opened) and enter the new area of life the Holy Spirit has directed us to.

The Holy Spirit is our Teacher and Counselor, carrying out Psalm 32.8 for us daily--I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.

The Holy Spirit imparts the wisdom and power, the personal teaching and guidance we need in order to follow Jesus.

Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Mt. 4.19

If any man will come after Me,

he must deny himself,

and take up his cross daily,

and follow Me.

Luke 9.23

ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD!

SO CAN WE

Remember Your word to Your servant,

for You have given me hope.

Ps. 119.49

Hope waits for things promised but not yet given.

In this hope we were saved.

But hope that is seen is no hope at all.....

But if we hope for what we do not yet have,

we wait for it patiently.

Romans 8.24-25

While we wait God preserves and prepares us.

My comfort in my suffering is this:

Your promise preserves my life.

Psalm 119.50

While we wait we search the Scriptures, God directs and prepares us to be like "an oak of righteousness for the dislplay of His glory." (Isaiah 61.3)

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

and in His word I put my hope.

My soul waits for the Lord

more than watchemn wait for the morning,

more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Psalm 130.5-6

The reason and goal of God in "making us wait" is that He sees much more in our situation than we see. There are always more things that need to be taken care of than what we are experiencing.

While we are waiting with God, the Holy Spirit will be leading, directing, correcting, cleansing, instructing, transforming, developing......preparing us to bear fruit, more fruit, much fruit, to become wiser, stronger, better in righteousness and holiness, wisdom and power, with goodness and kindness,

compassion and mercy, forgiveness, genuineness and sincerity of faith and love.

He will identify and free us from the effects of adversity and tribulation that have deep roots within our heart and soul (Hebrews 12.15; Psalm 129.23-24.)

It is our searching the Scriptures for this cleansing and correction that God uses in our troubles that reveal and transform our heart, soul, mind, and body.

2 Timothy 3.16-17; Hebrews 4.12; Psalm 19.7-14.

It is essential that we understand that during our wait we are to read Scripture to find corrections and transforming redirections that will renew, rebuild, and restore the image of God within us, body, soul, and spirit. Ephesians 4. 22-24; 1 Thessalonians 5.23-24.

The Holy Spirit wants to do a thorough work of transformation and freedom that will reflect the glory praise, and honor of the Lord Jesus in and through our lives. Impatience on our part hinders and prevents this from happening.

Patience in tribulation--Romans 15.4, 13; James 1.2-5--will allow God to do far more than we can possible ask or think, things much greater, mightier than we have any awareness at the time of our troubles.

Patience with God, in His word, seeking wisdom and grace to grow in the knowledge and likeness of the Lord Jesus, for this present trouble, will fill us with greater riches from His kingdom than anything we can ask for our own comfort.

Submit yourselves, then to God....

Humble yourselves before the Lord,

and He will lift you up.

James 4.7, 10; 1 Peter 5.5-6

THE GREATEST SECRET REVEALED

BY THIS HE MEANT

Whoever believes in Me...

streams of living water will flow from within him.

John 7.37-39

The "secret" of the Christian life is in the flow of the grace of Jesus Christ from the Holy Spirit into our hearts and out of our lives.

This "flow" from the Holy Spirit takes place as we "abide" in and with Christ.

I am the vine and you are the branches.

If a man remains in Me and I in HIm, he will bear much fruit;

apart from Me you can do nothing.

John 15.5

This "abiding" is to take place continuously, just as vine pours life into the branch continuously. This is the same as "Pray without ceasing." For the Christian life to be what Jesus came to live and die for, we must give Him not just "top priority," but all priority.

"If any man will come after Me,

he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily,

and follow Me."

Luke 9.23

If we will dedicate the time to be with Christ and then follow His will for our life by faith, believe, trust, and obey in an abiding, continuous way, then the Holy Spirit will be able to bring the grace and glory into our lives continually. In this way we will be filled continually, growing wiser, stronger, and better day by day. As we grow we will bear more fruit, because we will be being filled with the Holy Spirit and His work within us so that we bear more and more of the fruit of this life in the form of love, joy, and peace and much, much more.

"Be filled with the Spirit."

Ephesians 5.18

If we are abiding in Christ, we will be being filled with the Spirit and we will be walking in the way the Holy Spirit leads us. He Holy Spirit will remove "dead" branches and dead works from our lives that we may produce more good fruit for the glory of Jesus.

If you walk in the Spirit,

you will not fulfill the desires of the sinful flesh.

Galatians 5.16

If we set our minds on what the Holy Spirit desires, we will live in accordance with what the Spirit desires, not what our sinful nature desires. If we set our minds of the things of Christ, the Holy Spirit will fill our hearts with the Glory of Jesus, and we will know the secret things of God in Christ.

"God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles

the glorious riches of this mystery,

which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

Colossians 1.27

This glorious mystery, this secret of the Christian life is ours. We only have to ask and seek with all our hearts, and follow the doorways the Holy Spirit opens for us.

THE GREATEST SECRET

THE MOST GLORIOUS RICHES

God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles

the glorious riches of this mystery,

which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Colossians 1.27

The greatest reality of all of eternity is

the glory our Creator has for us

today!

That greatest, most glorious reality is

Christ Jesus is in us--

today! Right now!

Jesus said,

"Abide in Me and I will abide in you."

Jesus said, "Come to Me...Follow Me."

He said, "Seek My Face...If you seek Him, He will be found."

We need only spend time in ASKing:

Ask--we will receive.

Seek--we will find.

Knock--doors will open for us.

Seeking means the effort to set our minds on the things the Holy Spirit shows us as we search the Scriptures. "You have been raised with Christ--

set your hearts on things above

where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

Set your minds on things above,

not on earthly things."

Colossians 3.1-2

And how does this happen?

"When He, the Spirit of truth, comes,

He will guide you into all truth.

He will not speak on His own;

He will speak only what He hears,

and He will tell you what is yet to come.

He will bring glory to Me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.

All that belongs to the Father is Mine.

That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is Mine and make it known to you."

John 16.16

No eye has seen, no ear has heard,

no mind has conceived,

what God has prepared for those who love Him--

but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit...

We have the Spirit Who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us...

We have the mind of Christ.

Let this mind dwell in you which is is Christ.

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Set your mind on the things of God.

Ask in prayer.

Seek from Scripture.

Knock in obedience.