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Date of message: 14 October 2002
Subject: The LORD Associates With Us
Shalom, Boker-tov (good morning),
This past week I was in Colombo City, Sri Lanka and although I was thousands
of miles away from home, I know I am not alone. Yes, I do feel homesick
especially in the evenings when I have to come back to my hotel room alone
and yet I know I am not alone. I know my Savior is with me for He lives
within my heart in my spirit. Immediately my spirit is renewed. What a
privilege we all have in Christ!
And yet this privilege is only for us after Jesus died on the cross. Before
His death, Jesus was human and could only be in one place at one time
just as we are. He was as much a human as we are, with all the emotions
and physical attributes just like us. He walked and He talked; He ate,
He felt tired and slept; He wept and He laughed and He had great compassion.
After He rose from the dead, ascended and He sent forth His Holy Spirit
to come and live among us and in us. Before Jesus came into this world
as a human, the Holy Spirit was called the Spirit of God as in the Old
Testament but after Jesus went home to Heaven, the Holy Spirit came to
be called the Spirit of Christ.
Was Jesus ever present with the people in the Old Testament? Are there
any recorded instances where He was with the children of Israel? Yes,
indeed. The LORD was very much in the midst of the people of Israel, His
chosen people.
" When the LORD told Noah to build the ark and when he completed
it after more than 100 years working on the ship, the LORD told Noah to
bring his family into the ark and He sent rain. Interestingly enough,
the Hebrew word for Noah's Ark and the ark that Moses' mother made out
of weeds and cane from the River Nile and floated him in it are the same
- Tebah ( pronounced as "tay-baw" ) which is Hebrew for a vessel.
In Genesis chapter 6, Noah was given further instructions to cover the
vessel with pitch which is equivalent to tar and is an excellent sealant
for water seepage. It has the same meaning as 'salvation' which speaks
of the work of Jesus on the cross. The ark also gives us the picture of
Jesus carrying us through life-storms and saving us from the wrath of
God as exemplified by the Flood.
" Throughout the book of Genesis, we often read of the Angel of the
LORD and interestingly enough, the word is spelt with a capital 'A' which
is another way of referring us to the Holy One of Israel. Each time the
person of 'the Angel of the LORD' appeared in Genesis, it was to specific
persons for very specific needs. The book of Genesis is very much an account
of the LORD's dealings with specific persons and specific families.
" When the LORD appeared to Moses in Exodus 3, He chose a burning
bush to symbolize His Presence with His people. Israel was enslaved to
serve the great Egyptian empire and they were exposed to the blazing sun.
The work was hard and their treatment from the Egyptians was harsh. Under
those circumstances the LORD showed His concern with His people and therefore
He chose to appear in a fire in the bush.
" When the people of Israel came forth from Egypt, the LORD led them
in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night ( Exodus
13: 21 -22 ). Because of the intense heat in the desert by day, the pillar
of cloud acted as a natural covering over the whole nation and it became
a natural air-conditioner in the desert. At night this same pillar of
cloud changed into a pillar of fire to warm the place where the people
had their tents.
" Throughout the wilderness journey, the people were living in tents
and hence the LORD chose to be housed in a tent as well. Detailed instructions
were given to Moses on how to build that tent for the LORD and it came
to be called the "tent of meeting" for Moses to meet with the
LORD every day. And the LORD refused to allow King David to build the
Temple in Jerusalem but gave him instructions on what to collect and make
ready for his son King Solomon to build Him the most expensive building
ever built in all history. The reason given to King David for His refusal
was because the people were still very much involved in warfare and had
not settled down to live in peace.
" Just after the children of Israel crossed over the Jordan River
and entered the Promised Land, on the night before the army of Israel
were to wage war against Jericho, Joshua was met by the Captain of the
LORD's army who came to him with a drawn sword. The army was preparing
to go to war and the LORD chose to appear as their Captain ( Joshua 5:13
- 15 ).
" When the Law was given to Moses, he was instructed to build an
Ark of the Covenant ( Exodus 25: 10 ) and to place the Law within the
Ark. Above the Ark, Moses was told to make two cherubim's with extended
wings spread out to cover the mercy seat. The Hebrew word for this Ark
was "Aw-rone" or coffin ( Genesis 50: 26 ). The mercy seat is
the place where our Lord Jesus dwelled in the Old Testament and it was
there that the prayers of the people would rise up to and the LORD received
them and He blessed them. The Ark was also a symbol of the Presence of
the LORD. Everywhere the army of Israel went to wage war over the surrounding
regions, the Ark would be brought forth into battle, being carried on
the shoulders of the ministering priests and the army of Israel would
then enjoy a bountiful victory.
" In Daniel 3: 19 - 30, there is an account of three Jewish men,
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who refused to bow down and worship the
image of King Nebuchadnezzar and who were being thrown into the fiery
furnace for their disobedience. But when the king looked into the furnace,
he was socked to see not three men in the fire but there were four persons
in the fire and the fourth "had the appearance of a son of the gods"
(Daniel 3: 25). The Lord was so concerned with His own that He came personally
to deliver them from their "hot" dilemma.
In the Old Testament, the LORD appeared in the midst of His people taking
the form of whatever circumstances that they were in. He was with them
only on the external and He never stayed for long. He would come and leave
since He was in Spirit form.
But thanks be to the LORD for today, the Holy Spirit had been sent and
He dwells in our hearts and in our spirits. He is now closer than ever
before. No wonder King David longed to see our day, to be able to experience
the very presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. For King David, the
Holy Spirit came and empowered him for a specific task and once that task
had been accomplished, the Spirit would leave. But praise the Lord! It
is not so for us today.
The Bible tells us in Galatians 4: 6 that "because you are sons,
God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba!
Father!'" My friend, if you have not yet received Jesus into your
heart and today, if you want to take the opportunity to do so, I invite
you to pray this simple and yet powerful prayer inviting Jesus into your
heart and you will experience the great transformation in your life.
Our Abba Father, thank you that You love all of us so much that You did
not leave us alone in our sins but gave us Your beloved Son, our Lord
Jesus Christ. Jesus came, loved You and loved us and was obedient to You
even to the point that He died for all our sins and now we are made righteous
before Your presence.
Thank you Lord Jesus that You took all our curses in Your body so that
we can receive Your blessings in our lives. Thank you that we are made
righteous by Your righteousness and that we are now children of the LORD
and joint heirs with You in Your kingdom. Come, Lord Jesus, into my heart
and take up precedence over my life.
Thank You Father that because of Your Beloved Son's death, I am now a
child of Yours and I am greatly blessed, highly favored and deeply loved.
Thank you and I pray all these in the most precious and holy name of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, our Yeshua Ha'Mashiarch (Jesus, the anointed
One). Amen.
If you have prayed that prayer for the first time, welcome to the Family
of the Father (and it is a very large universal family). It is important
that you are not alone facing your personal trials but that you can obtain
good help wherever you are. Why not take the time to find your own local
Christian family (local church) and worship the Father together? You will
be greatly encouraged when you meet together to worship the Father, for
fellowship and for the study of the Word of Christ.
The Lord blesses you and keeps you,
The Lord makes His face shine upon you and be gracious to you and all
your loved ones,
The Lord lifts up His countenance upon you and gives you His shalom peace.
Numbers 6: 24 - 26
Have a blessed week ahead, Shavrou-tov
Shalom,
Andrew L W Lee
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http://www.oocities.org/fibredrive/index.htm
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