'Fellowship of the Saints'

"Adonai" LORD Master

*Psalms 86:7-10, "In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me. Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works. All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name. For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone."

Every one of us go through different stages of our lives. There's the infant stage when we are dependent upon those who care for us to do everything for us. There's the toddler stage where everything is new and adventurous. There's the preteen stage where we feel awkward and sometimes downright ugly. Then there are those marvelous teenage years when we are invincible and just old enough to do things that can get us in a lot of trouble.

When we reach maturity; however, reality sets in and we step out on our own. It's those first steps that lead to the rest of our life that are the most important. What guides us through those first steps can be the most important decision we ever make in our life, because, in the latter years, we will have to look back and say why we are where we are at that point in our life.

Some may look back and say, "These are the people who influenced me the most in my life." While others may say, "These are the people who routed my life forever." Which ever way you look at it there are people who move in and out of our lives that do make a difference in the way we mature and become the person we are.

When we are fully matured what we have been filled with before we reach that point in our life will  be what is spilled out over the years to come. Spilled out into the lives of those we come in contact with over the remainder of our life. Reaching maturity can sometimes be a very painful process it is what we become when we have reached that point in our life that makes a difference in others.

*II Kings 17:1-18, "In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him. Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents. And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison. Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made. And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city. And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree: And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger: For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing. Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets. Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God. And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them. And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only."

Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king of Judah and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. He did that which was right in the sight of the LORD according to the ways of his father David.

In the first month of the first year of Hezekiah's reign he opened and repaired the doors of the temple of the Lord and gathered the priests and the Levites together and said, "Listen to me Levites, sanctify yourselves and the house of the LORD God. Remove the filthiness that is in the holy place because our fathers have trespassed doing evil in the eyes of the LORD our God. They have forgotten Him and have turned their backs to the habitation of the LORD. They shut up the doors of the porch and put out the lamps. They have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel. As you can see with your eyes, the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem and He has delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing. Because of this, our fathers have fallen by the sword. Our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity. Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel to turn away His anger. Do not be negligent, because the LORD has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, and that you should minister and burn incense unto Him."

So they gathered their brothers and sanctified themselves according to the commandment of the king. Then the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD to cleanse it. They brought out all the uncleanness found in the temple of the LORD into the court then carried it to the brook Kidron. In eight days they sanctified the house of the LORD and, on the sixteenth day of the first month, they were finished.

Hezekiah sent letters to all Israel and Judah calling them to keep the passover in the second month in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem. Establishing a decree to make a proclamation throughout all Israel from Beersheba to Dan, the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah declaring; "Children of Israel, turn again unto the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and He will return to the remnant that are escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria. Don't be like your fathers and like your brothers who trespassed against the LORD God, Who, because of this, gave them up to desolation. Don't be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the LORD. Enter into His sanctuary which He has sanctified for ever. Serve the LORD your God so that His wrath may be turned away. If you turn again unto the LORD your brothers and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive. They shall come again into this land, because the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away His face from you if you return to Him."

The posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Zebulun but they laughed and mocked them. Nevertheless, many of Asher and Manasseh and of Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. The hand of God also moved in Judah to give them one heart to do the commandment of the king and of the princes. Many assembled at Jerusalem to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the second month. So, the children of Israel that were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness: and the Levites and the priests praised the LORD day by day, singing with loud instruments unto the LORD.

There was great joy in Jerusalem. There wasn't anything like it in Jerusalem since the time of Solomon. Then the priests the Levites arose and blessed the people and their voice was heard as their prayer went up to God's holy dwelling place in heaven. Hezekiah prospered in everything he began with all his heart to seek his God in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandments.

In the chronicles of Hezekiah's life, the scriptures tell us that God saved Jerusalem from the kings of Assyria for Hezekiah's faithfulness. Many brought gifts to the LORD and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah. Because of this he was magnified in the sight of all nations; however, "Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem," *II Chronicles 32:25.

V

Everywhere Jesus went He preached the kingdom of heaven through the cities and villages teaching while He journeyed toward Jerusalem. Then all the publicans and sinners drew near to hear Him, and the Pharisees and scribes murmured against Him saying, "This man receives and eats with sinners." Speaking a parable, He said to them, "What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after that which is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders rejoicing and when he arrives home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying, "Rejoice with me! I have found my sheep which was lost." I say to you, that there shall be joy in heaven over one sinner that repents more than over ninety-nine just persons who do not need repentance."

Then He said to his disciples, "There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. So he said to his steward, "What is this I hear you have done? Give an account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward."  Then the steward said to himself, "What shall I do? My lord has taken the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig and I am ashamed to beg. I know what to do so when I am put out of the stewardship they will welcome me into their homes." So he called every one of his lord's debtors and said to the first, "How much do you owe my lord?" He said, "An hundred measures of oil." Then he said to him, "Take your bill, sit down, and quickly write fifty." Then he said to another, "And how much do you owe? The second debtor said, "An hundred measures of wheat." Then he said to him, "Take your bill and write eighty." So the lord commended the unjust steward because he had done wisely because the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light."

I say to you, "Make friends of the mammon of unrighteousness so, when you fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. He that is faithful in that which is least is also faithful in much: and he that is unjust in the least is also unjust in much. Therefore, if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? If you have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters because either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

We live in a world that is fast paced, an age of great expectations. There have been more advances made during the past century than ever before in history and unless you are moving in the direction the world is going it is easy to get left behind. Much of what the world serves, however, leaves much to be desired. It is a dog eat dog world and it will use and abuse in order to achieve its goals.

Along life's path we may meet people who seem to have the best of intentions. They may start out with all the right motives and seem to be achieving goals in life by which they want to benefit others. Too often than not, their motives change direction and instead of leading us into financial achievements or social advancements we find that life takes a curve and you feel like you are going over Niagara Falls without a barrel.

Throughout our life we may find ourselves in a position where we are asked to do things we are not quite convinced are the correct choice. Decisions that could mean the dissolution of our profession or our freedom. Decisions that may make us feel nauseous; however, the voice of others involved might just sway us to do something inappropriate. It's knowing how to make the right choice that keeps us on a path going in the right direction.

The voice of the Lord has never been silent. We have been given instruction throughout the ages through the prophets of old, the scriptures, good teachers, and the still small voice of the Holy Spirit. Hezekiah started out with good intentions and for all the right reasons but when he gained fame of the nations around him, when he achieved financial gain, his heart became lifted up. The determination of his will changed direction.

Jesus said we cannot serve two masters.  Paul wrote the Galatians, "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law," (5:16-18). Being led by the Spirit of Christ means placing all that we are on the altar of God. Allowing Him to move in and through our life. Giving Him the authority over all that we do and say, because in Him we live and move and have our being.

Allowing the Lord to be Master over your life means acknowledging Him as Lord and Master. You have been called by a holy calling to be a servant of God and of His Christ. When you place all that you are in His hands the Holy Spirit in you will never lead you astray. He will reprove you of sin, keep you righteous, and give you good decisions in any circumstance that you may encounter.

Staying in focus and fellowshipping with other believers encourages you to follow along the path the Lord has placed before you. When you acknowledge you do need and have someone to whom you are accountable, decisions are based on what fellow believers, your family and your friends, see in you and what the world should see in you, the image of Christ. 

Listen to the voice of the Spirit. He has been sent to comfort you and to guide you. You are not alone. God has sent Him to be with you and in you to keep you even until the end of the world. God has not appointed you for wrath but to obtain salvation by Jesus Christ our Lord and Master. 

P  When God spoke through the Old Testament prophets there was one thing they all understood: unless Israel heeded their words, turned around and repented, they would be swept away with the same judgment. However, they all held one promise close to their heart, God would always leave a remnant in Israel. 

*Revised May 28, 2007