WHEN IT'S TIME TO GO BACK
TO THE PLACE WHERE JESUS LAID

October 12, 2003 pm
MF Blume

2 Peter 1:2-10 (2)  Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, (3)  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: (4)  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (5)  And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; (6)  And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; (7)  And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. (8)  For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (9)  But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. (10)  Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 2 Kings 4:17-21 (17)  And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life. (18)  And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers. (19)  And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother. (20)  And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. (21)  And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out. 2 Kings 4:32-35 (32)  And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed. (33)  He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD. (34)  And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm. (35)  Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. Peter taught that Christians have need of adding to their lives of faith, when first saved, in order to ensure their calling and election, and to never fall. Simply feeling the thrill of the moment of first realizing Jesus Christ's salvation and glory can often lead many to jump into the church and actually experience salvation. However, there is much obligation and responsibility one must realize is involved with living the christian life. This is a LIFE. Peter spoke of all things that pertain to life and godliness. Its not enough to simply say you believe in Jesus. You have an obligation to live a WHOLE LIFE that is GODLY. And when we only joy at the thrill of the moment in a church service, and do no not look far off ahead and see a life that He wants us to lead in godliness and real christianity everyday, we forget the value of what God did for us. He purged us from our old sins. There is a life to live in this old earth until we make it to glory forever. Life's circumstances will hit you hard, because the devil is not going to sit and watch you grow and work for God. Without knowing truth, you will think you can coast along in spiritual ignorance. But a circumstance will arise that will slay you since you were not prepared for it. I've seen domestic troubles cause the believer or believers to absolutely lose out with God. Their minds could not comprehend how God could allow this or that to happen to them. Had they known the word, they would have known how to deal with such things. And the Lord showed me how this is the reason many believers lack strength to go through the things that the world and the devil hurl at us as Christians. The story of the Shunnamite woman's son sheds some light on this manner of understanding. The woman became a mother. She speaks of the church. The son speaks of a believer who is born again into the kingdom of God. God gave the son to her, as a person is given by God to be in the church. Time came for the child to grow and walk out to the reapers where his father worked. At twelve years of age a boy in Israel became matured to work and profit society. He was old enough to work. Christians all are intended to grow and mature spiritually until they are involved in the kingdom of God and doing something, whatever the Lord has gifted them to do. And all believers are gifted to do something for God. You might be a prayer warrior, a Sunday School teacher, or a preacher. But there will be something for you to do. And its not something that anybody without the Holy Ghost can do. There will be something that will require your faith and prayer and seeking God in order for you to be able to do it for the Lord. If you are not doing anything that God is empowering you to do through the power of the Holy Ghost, and you have been in church for several years, then its time to get out of the house clinging to mama's apron strings, and work for God. The reapers speak of everyone working together in various capacities indifferent giftings that bring in a harvest for God. The souls we win, the fruit we bear, the glory that is produced for the Lord causing others ot praise Him are all the things we reap in this world. We multiply our talents, and not bury them by sitting in mama's lap, just coming to church, instead of actually serving God in the Kingdom. God wants you to do something for him. If you have not yet sought God to find out what your gift is, and are simply coming to church and being part of the furniture, then start seeking him today. You will be required to show something for the kingdom one day. And remember it is going to have to be something that required a leaning on the power of the Holy Ghost for you to do. So the boy is ready and willing to work for God. But the very day he seeks to go to the field and work with his father, he grabs his head and cries out "My head, my head!" The father sends him back to his mother where he lays on her lap until noontime and then dies. When you set out to serve God, the devil gets angry. It reminds me of Isaac being weaned, only to see Ishmael stir up and give him trouble at that very day. The devil will not sit back and watch you set out to work for God with the reapers. When the boy hollered about his head, we see some significance in the thought that THE DEVIL WILL ATTACK YOUR MIND. And if you have not added to your faith some knowledge and virtue and other things that are suited for living an entire life for God in this world of sin, you are going to fall down and spiritually die. The battlefield is the mind. The head! We must cast down imaginations. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (4)  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) (5)  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; Imaginations are thoughts in your minds. The knowledge of God is going to be attacked.  Imaginations are going to pummel your minds. The fiery darts of the wicked are going to fire at your mind and thought-life. Notice that Paul wrote how the weapons of our warfare are associated with OUR MINDS. But there is no sense in simply saying this will happen. We must know what to do when it does happen. In other words, when you are struck by the enemy through the means of some tragedy occurring, or some event in life or circumstance that simply causes you to absolutely stumble in your walk with God, the Bible speaks of a remedy. The father sent the boy to the mother. People, the Church is your mother. You are to be sent to the body of Christ and the ministry and other believers who are members of the body whom you need for recovery. Never distance yourself from the church when times get rough. Be spiritual enough to realize that the church is so much your mother, that it is truly and actually God's means of nurturing you as a child of God. So many keep their troubles to themselves. Now, I am not speaking about the hypocrite you thought you could trust, who was more damage than good to you before. DO NOT cast away the whole church because of one hypocrite. You are saying God's word is a lie if you cannot go to the church for help. There is a real body of believers in every congregation that preaches the truth. The ministers of God are also your means of recovery, although you can find false ministers as well. Too many people do not trust God's Word when it says that the Church is the mother of your soul. And when the child died at noon, at the brightest time of the day, when Christian life should be at a climax, the mother knew what to do. The church knows what to do. She took the dead child to the prophet's room where he laid in times past, and laid the child on the very place where Elisha laid. The church will take you and once again bring you back to the place where Jesus laid when He died for your soul. When its time to go back to the place where Jesus laid. When your mind is overwhelmed by the events you face, which are actually events the devil engineered for your destruction, unless you know better, you will allow those things to overcome your thoughts until you forget all about being saved. And if you forget that, then you certainly not realize you can come against the enemy of your soul! We must be taken back to where we first found Jesus and His salvation. The place where Jesus first laid in His death for our sins and salvation was the tomb. Baptism is where we first identified with Jesus' death and were buried into his death to be saved. There we died and our old lives and sins were destroyed. I am not saying we need to be baptized again when we are destroyed. Baptized in the Holy Ghost again, yes, because that can happen many times, and SHOULD happen many times. But the baptism of Romans 6:3 is not to be repeated. But what I am saying is that we have to have the church help us again with our understanding that we were purged from our old sins and set free. Peter told us to add knowledge to our faith. We have to get some truths back into our hearts. If we want the faith that once saved us in the beginning, we must get into the WORD and TRUTH of the WORD. Not even prayer will answer this situation. Faith does not come by praying. It comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word. You need faith in order TO pray. 2 Peter 1:3 (3)  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Everything you need for a true Christian Life and true godliness is found int he knowledge of Jesus. ...the truths of the Lord and His work of the cross and resurrection. So listen, and listen closely today. Go back to the fact that you were buried with Christ into his death. Go to the place where Jesus laid. And you lay yourself there by IDENTIFYING WITH HIS DEATH ONCE AGAIN. Believer, when He laid in the tomb in death, He laid there in your place as you. You can say by faith that YOU were buried in that tomb 2000 years ago, because He did it in your place. Rom 6:6-7 (6)  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. (7)  For he that is dead is freed from sin. You were freed from sin. You died with Christ, and anyone who dies is freed from sin. Now, Its because Jesus died and resurrected that He is alive unto God forevermore. Paul said in Romans 6:8 that if we died with Him, then we also will live with Him. How shall we describe this life we can live, if its true we died with him to be able to live with Him? Well, look at the sort of life He lived after the resurrection, for there you will find the sort of life that IS NOW YOUR'S TO LIVE! Rom 6:9-10 (9)  Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. (10)  For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Death cannot dominate Jesus anymore, because Jesus died the only single death that anyone needs to be freed from sin's influence and strength. Notice we read, "IN THAT HE DIED," and then "IN THAT HE LIVETH". This actually means "In regards to his relationship with death." And that relationship with death was that so far as death was concerned, HE DIED ONCE, and thereby became totally freed from it. "And in regards to his relationship with life," HE IS EVER ALIVE FOREVERMORE UNTO GOD. He keeps on living for God! THAT is the quality of the kind of life that we are saved to be able to live! We need to know we have this quality of life at our disposal because Satan is going to try to shove you back, and attempt to influence you to stop serving God. And he shoves you back through numerous means of circumstances that hit your life. Someone in your family loses out with God. That is a SHOVE from the devil to also try to get you to stop serving God. Or it may be sickness, or even a close Christian brother who betrays your trust and hurts you in some way. Now, many think that any bit of resistance should never come to a Christian. They do not know their Bibles. They think an automatic barrier is up around them to stop anything like that from happening to them. When you go out to the reapers to do something for God, Satan is going to come and confront you and shove you back. But if you know the truths that you were buried with Christ into His death, so that you could live as Christ lived, then you know that you were freed from sin! You know that sin shall not have dominion over you! And you will march right back up to the devil and put forth your hands and shove him right back, himself, in Jesus' name! You know that satan has no legal reign over you any more, since the time you died with Christ were freed from sin. He cannot make you do anything! Why do some people sin, then? If its true, why do some sin? It is because they allowed the SHOVE to take their minds off their victory and did not know it was really satan, and that they could SHOVE BACK, and rebuke him. And they let the battle overwhelm them! Psalm 77:2-12 (2)  In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted. (3)  I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah. (4)  Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak. (5)  I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. (6)  I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search. (7)  Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more? (8)  Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore? (9)  Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah. (10)  And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High. (11)  I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. (12)  I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings. Think of the power of God. The right hand of God was Jesus Christ who died for our sins! Recall what God did for you through Jesus Christ. Recall the works of God through the cross! You lose out when your mind is messed up in being overwhelmed. Gird up the loins of your mind and think. Go over the works of God through the cross. Meditate once again about the death of the cross that freed you from sin to live a life for God! The devil attacks people in their MINDS, and they are damaged by many thoughts. "You're a loser and a failure since your own children could not serve God. So stop believing for them." Or, "You sinned the same sin so many times, that you will never succeed to serve God in victory.  You proved that yourself! So give up now." Had you known the truth of the cross, you would know that new birth requires time for you to grow. It takes time to learn. You must have thought there was nothing to learn. You did not look  very far off to see a life that requires time to mature and serious bible studies and sermons and prayer. Your salvation does not disallow Satan from slapping your face. And you must also understand that you will mistaken many of his tactics to be everyday events, never attributing them to the devil's designs. And you will let those events overwhlem your mind so that you forget about God's will. When you go forward for God, and suddenly strange things occur in your life, you must realize that its no coincidence. Satan is scared. You can be so aware of the devil's devices, that you are not distracted by anything the devil hurls your way, and you do not forget your place in Christ and your life for Him. And you deal with the devil as he should be dealt with. SIN DOES NOT HAVE TO PUSH YOU AROUND. Rom 6:12 (12)  Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Rom 6:14 (14)  For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. Reckon yourself to be dead as much as Christ died on that Christ, since you died with Him. And realize you're as much alive from the dead as Jesus was after He resurrected, so much so that you realize NOT EVEN DEATH COULD STOP HIM NOW! Before the Cross He could be stopped by death. But once He died and arose again, not even death could stop him. THAT is how much of a life you can live unto God now! Rom 6:10-11 (10)  For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. (11)  Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Take what's true of Him and apply it to yourself, because YOU DIED WITH HIM TO LIVE WITH HIM AS HE LIVES. When you lay in the place where Jesus laid... In other words, when you go back over the truths of DYING WITH CHRIST IN THE SAME DEATH TOMB HE LAID DEAD IN.... You will receive such faith and strength that you will stand up and drive sin down to its knees and tell sin you'd like to see him try and intimidate you now. Your mind won't be dazed in confusion next time he sends out some circumstance to dissuade you. You realize now that God caused you to die with Christ to be so completely free from sin that you can actually live the life of victory that Jesus lives now that He is resurrected from the dead. Read it again... Rom 6:10-11 (10)  For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. (11)  Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. There's nothing left to be done to ensure you succeed! When God did this through Christ for you, there was no stone left unturned. He's not a half-way God. Whatever you face on your journey, you can overcome it. What is the victory that overcomes the world? OUR FAITH! Did not John said it overcomes the world???? Too many are afraid to agree with that. Here is that faith. You died with Jesus to rise and live with Jesus. And that means that if He has no more susceptibility to death's demands and power, then neither do you! But you have to know that in order to act upon it when you need to. You are going to need to act upon that in times. You are going to need to know that and recall that. And THAT is what you are doing when the church, the mother, takes you and lays you down once again in the very place where Jesus laid. You go over the truths in your mind and meditate on them once again, that you were buried with Jesus. You reminisce in your mind the wonderful truths of the Gospel. And the church has helped you lay in the place where Jesus laid, once again. Elisha laid on the boy's body. He put his eyes where the son's eyes were. He put his mouth on the son's mouth. His hands on the son's hands. This tells us that we should not vaguely understand we died with Jesus. We were so perfectly identified with Jesus in His death, that his eyes were our eyes, as they lay shut. His mouth was our mouth. His hands were our hands. He perfectly identified with us. That means HIS DEATH PERFECTLY COUNTS AS YOUR DEATH, to such an extent that God actually considers you alive from the dead IN CHRIST now. He actually sees you as one who died and resurrected. It was so complete, that you are to actually consider your old lives as destroyed, and your present existence as an absolutely new creature in Jesus Christ. THIS TRUTH WILL ENLIVEN YOU! It will give you Faith! It will resurrect you from a backslidden state! 2 Kings 4:34-35 (34)  And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm. (35)  Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. Adam Clarke said, "When the nervous influence began to act on the muscular system, before the circulation could be in every part restored, particular muscles, if not the whole body, would be thrown into strong contractions and shiverings, and sternutation or sneezing would be a natural consequence; particularly as obstructions must have taken place in the head and its vessels, because of the disorder of which the child died. Most people, as well as philosophers and physicians, have remarked how beneficial sneezings are to the removal of obstructions in the head." Obstructions in the head.... Those lies that the devil put into your head to confuse and confound you, that killed your spirituality, ARE OBSTRUCTIONS THAT ARE TOTALLY -- (SEVEN TIMES infers totality) -- removed from your mind. When you appreciate the work of the cross for you, by allowing this mother of the church to take you back in your spirit to the place where Jesus' laid in death, to teach you once again that you died with Him... You are going to be freed from the lies that hurt you. And your eyes of your understanding are going to be opened! You will not be blind and unable to see afar off any more! You will SEE clearly! And you will go forth into the reaping fields and work for God as He always meant for you to do!