STUDIES FROM BRETHREN IN CHRIST

8/21/2016 ~ The Rock

⚒   rock1am.mp3 (40m 40s) rock2pm.mp3 (47m 04s)   TheRock.pptx Darkness has no corner. Rising from nothing, all substance is of God. ... greatness to our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He. ~ Deuteronomy 32:3-4             GOD = THE ROCK   HIS WORK = PERFECT   HIS WAYS = JUSTICE + TRUTH             GOD = RIGHTEOUS + UPRIGHT   His creation holds proof beyond question for that it is. ◄┓                                          We may not always be able to see what the intent of the Lord is, but we are assured that His method is sound, and sure, to accomplish His purpose of nurturing autonomous goodness inviting His creation to live eternally, in union with Him. It is God that declares righteous upright justice in truth. They sacrificed to demons, not to God, To gods they did not know, To new gods, new arrivals ... ~ Deuteronomy 32:17-18                                                                                                           ┏► To fall away from God’s truth. Man too often has chosen his own rule and or immediate distorted desires, disregarding the sensible and just will of God. It was never in God’s plan to have man sacrifice his children to the carnage of human atrocities. To forget God is to forget decency. For their rock is not like our Rock, ... of Sodom And of the fields of Gomorrah; ... of serpents, And the cruel venom of cobras. ~ Deuteronomy 32:31-33 Exalting objects over eternal purpose is what amplifies the lustful destroying the innocence of youth and all higher noble qualities. "For the LORD will judge His people And have compassion on His servants, ... ~ Deuteronomy 32:36-38 The Lord watches and waits while man argues in ways of excusing wrong for right, away from God’s truth, justifying rebellion with empty lies. God regards only those in service to His ways. There is no refuge for the fallen. Woe to him who says to wood, 'Awake!' To silent stone, 'Arise! ... ~ Habakkuk 2:19 For that which can never be, man cannot create life. In his faux attempt, he creates dead objects to assimilate his power over life. Pompously knowing is not the same as humbly wondering. Whatever this world may create or produce, it can never express the glory that comes from that which made it all. Earth in all its glory is just a fragile rock rolling in space. Worshipping creations of man blurs vision to the point of blindness. ... who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, ... ~ Romans 1:25 False ideas infect the whole of humanity finding delusions as truth. The ignorant flock to the manipulations of man. The truth of God is a call to be upright in spirit seeking out His will, over the blind stumbling's of those that would continue to find worship in the material world, over that of the unseen where hope intersects love. God is not found in golden crosses or ornate structures that magnify man over God. God is not an object more than an essence.                                                ┗► God is felt over that which can be envisioned. "Therefore by their fruits you will know them." ~ Matthew 7:20                                                                   Language is the force of spirit. ◄┓ Humanity is spoiled by those that fester in what is rotten. Holiness is lost when evil putrefies the whole. And He said, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." ~ Exodus 33:14 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; ... ~ Psalm 16:11 IN HIS PRESENCE = FULLNESS OF JOY It is acknowledging the presence of the Lord that gives us our strength, and it settles one in to rest in Him which is peace of mind. We all live in the shadow of His salvation. No one is holy like the LORD, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God." ~ 1st Samuel 2:2 Holy is God in the pureness of His creation whereby comes the rock of His truth.                                                            ┗► For us to take self-control in faith. "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield ... ~ 2nd Samuel 22:2-3                                                                                                                                            ┏► His truth instructs. A true believer of God in Christ does not act rashly on impulse, but methodically reserves thoughts carefully. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, ... ~ Psalm 18:2-3 In an anguished world living in the flesh, to find a strength of reliance within to that which is greater than self delivers the soul. Knowing He is the savior shelters the heart. Sanctuary can not be taken if trust is not the shield of salvation. "... who is God, except the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? God is my strength and power, And He makes my way perfect." ~ 2nd Samuel 22:32-33 GOD = MY STRENGTH + MY POWER Confidence in Him is where life becomes more tolerable knowing our return is to Him. "The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let God be exalted, The Rock of my salvation!" ~ 2nd Samuel 22:47 He is the truth of eternal salvation. The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, ... ~ Psalm 18:30-31 HIS WORD = PROVEN HE = A SHIELD IF TRUST IS IN HIM The word the Lord delivers is upon all decent and upright, wherein a call to return to original holiness shines out. ... He is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God. ~ Psalm 62:6-7 No helper is greater than the creator of all. Where we place our confidence is what defines the rock we worship. God is: ● My Rock ● My Salvation ● My Defense ● My Glory ● My Glory ● My Refuge Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. ~ Psalm 95:1 Is not salvation where life lives? In Him we live resoundingly! ... time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. ~ Psalm 27:5 In the lowest ditch, His hill reaches out, becoming a merciful mountain comforting the meek to sit higher. Earth is but a pebble in the rock of His creation. Fluid are the brushstrokes He paints with time. What He gives us is Psychic Protection just by knowing He is there. "Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than heaven-what can you do? ... ~ Job 11:7-9 This concept of God as our rock is rhetorical. From the highest to the lowest and all that is in-between, it involves that which is greater than all known, more solidly fundamentally than the simplest of observations. One can not measure God in relation to the material. The creator of mountains, His glory screams in all that we can perceive. Credit needs to be given where it is deserved, and regarding His omnipotence brings the honor He merits. No one can see God for He is all things formed and beyond. The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. ~ Psalm 19:1 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, ... ~ Hebrews 12:22 God is our destination and our home. When one sees eternal life in the offering of His Grace, no rock of truth is greater. More solid than what we temporarily see in mortal life, eternity opens realms unseen drawing us to something larger than life. Those realizing our brief exposure in His sight are surely humbled for the undeserved gift that will lift us into life in Him. He waits as much as we do and more. Even if we were to stand upon the highest peak or gaze from the utmost view, it would utterly be short of His great heavenly glory, as His staircase opens to eternity’s light. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. ~ Psalm 40:2 To be right with self, others, and God, one must confer with the majesty of God’s own truths and allow Him to lift you. In life many pits can surround one in struggling to achieve a higher sense of sanctuary. Without God, only a grim descending abyss awaits with no saving handle holds in sight for climbing to a higher spiritual safety. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. ~ Psalm 61:2 To reach out endlessly is to find the sure help He gives. As a part of that which is greater, solid quiescent peace connects all that would become. God is the celestial Rock of all. No rock on earth can match the magnitude of God’s majestic glory. God's truth rises to touch all. If you have not come to the Lord and His light of truth, life is at best a fading gleam. More than all the earth could ever surrender is His gift rising past all that has ever been to a heavenly realm only imagined where He is the undeniable pulse. Darkness suffers with the bottom of nothing. As light cuts truth, appreciation is the ladder that carries a heart. Sometimes the cross we carry feels like a crushing boulder upon our backs. No one can deny that mortal life is like climbing a sharp cliff to reach a better view. The question is what is it we are climbing for? Many become stuck for one reason or another paralyzing their ability to act. They remain stationary waiting for time to take its course with no real influence over the outcome. Stuck between mortal crushing powers greater than one is able to overcome, relying upon the Lord extracts one from this limited stifling grip of human bondage. His is a call to rise. "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say? ... ~ Luke 6:46-48 It is a choice not to be left just hanging waiting for circumstance to decide one’s destiny. Only for those that chisel out a deep foundation of spirit planted in a contemplative soul endure the inevitable conflicts that invade the lives of all. The faithful have the confidence of God. "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: ..." ~ Matthew 7:24-25 The storms will arise and remain catastrophic for those unprepared. Without the words of God, the heart is left dry to be washed away. "'Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, and declared it? ... Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.'" ~ Isaiah 44:8 The light of God has never abandoned us in that it remains for all to see. He is, and we choose to see or not to see the glory of all. There is one light that leads all. "... You who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug." ~ Isaiah 51:1      ┏► Rejecting God’s knowledge advances suffering. Suffering unjust lies is the root of all of our becoming's. As we rise to know awareness, He asks we consider the source of life, and from there we can realize all that is higher than self. It is when His ways are dismissed that oppression by the few reduces life to that of hardship without mercy. What God is telling us is to listen and remember that suffering is what He is saving us from. ... You came down also on Mount Sinai, And spoke with them from heaven, ... ~ Nehemiah 9:11-13 God has spoken timeless times to multitudes of people. His ark is the tabernacle of life in the light. His knowledge is abundantly sufficient to decide, either for His ways, or the dead end terminal ways of man’s despicable decadent constructions. Turning blue is the color of death. So easy is the forgetfulness of man to disregard the rock solid virtues given by God. ... and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. ~ 1st Corinthians 10:4 The presence of God has never left us. Goodness has been established to be known. It is man that chooses to forget. Christ is God’s flame of spirit. ... Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; ... ~ Romans 9:30-31 Anyone can submit to God as He is the only true God. God is that He is. In pursuit of His Spirit of goodness, righteousness is obtained. It is not earned, it is lived. Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. ... ~ Romans 9:32-33 For all that see themselves only as great and accomplished fail to see the need for redemption from the darkness, from the corridors of all of our shameful hearts. Many claim to have no sin while basking in their perceived splendor discounting His mightier glory. It is not man that approves man, but that honor is reserved for God’s discretion.                The Lord sees if a heart is true to His good truth. ◄┛ ... "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily. ... ~ Isaiah 28:16 For this reason Jesus came to call all to be humble in heart to know self through Him and God in life. It is a call to be thoughtful. ... to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone," ... ~ 1st Peter 2:7-8                          ┏► Unjust acts avoid answerability. For the conniving and schemers, true God is more than an inconvenience, He is an active annoyance to consider in any purposed thoughts, especially concerning accountability. The conscience of the wicked has no mercy, which is one of God’s greatest wills, for man to man, to show compassion for one another. The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. ~ Psalm 118:22 "... on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." ~ Matthew 16:16-18                                                                                                  He came for us to know God. ◄┓ The life of Christ, His crucifixion, and then resurrection, is the rock of truth that shall not go away. It is the expression of God to sacrifice on our behalf, releasing each of us to our own lives, rising to be that we are. Christ builds His church upon Himself calling to individuals over manipulative conglomerates of man that blur His purpose for a relationship with Him over man. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. ~ 1st Corinthians 3:11                                                ┏► Love for God and not a creation of man. It is in truth the resonance of Jesus Christ that sets the air of life in God. It is not Buddha. It is not Muhammad. It is not Joseph Smith. It is not John Calvin. It is not Pope Doe. It is not called deities of any other exalted colorful names or falsely appointed mavericks. No substitution can replace that which is declared by God Himself, Jesus Christ, in fact, the truth stops here. Each of us will be judged according to how we build our life upon Him and no other comparison has as much value. It has come to be through Him, and not by others, and this is the test of an honest godly relationship. Man does not supersede God. "... And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder." ~ Matthew 21:42-44 To find God in truth humbles the soul in it’s exaltation of Him. Rising in His light of truth, over those that would prefer other made-up exits leading to the dust of destruction, proclaims the destiny of a soul. "... And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth." ~ Daniel 2:34-35 ... it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. ~ Daniel 2:44 ... broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold - the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. ... ~ Daniel 2:45 It was foretold that God’s own kingdom, overtaking men and their ways, would be established, remaining supreme to the ends of the ages. He is the Rock of our salvation. All paths lead to God. ... refused to receive correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; They have refused to return. ~ Jeremiah 5:3 His heart is as hard as stone, ... ~ Job 41:24 Many have fallen bitter hearted with an angry fist raised against God. More than a cold stone, God asks us to become softly alive in Him. If one only becomes dead to feeling love, choosing rage for others, their death walks with them. Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, ... ~ 1st Peter 2:4-5 His Rock is our rock. What declares our rock is the walk we choose in life. To refuse the light He offers dulls the spirit and turns the heart dark. "... who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name ..." ~ Revelation 2:17 To be chosen exposes strength of character in Him over hostile creations of man. We wait for His revealing and our becoming. It is eternal identity that God offers each penitent soul that comes to Him. ● God is a Rock of justice, truth; righteous and upright ● Evil god’s manifest when one forgets and ignores God ● There is no refuge in creations of one’s own making ● Man’s makings & lies cannot replace the truth of God ● Trust in God delivers strength; the refuge of salvation ● God is the Rock of our defense ● It is a mighty spiritual Rock found in Jesus Christ ● Faith and belief in God leads to this righteous Rock ● The truth of Jesus Christ is the Rock of His church ● Jesus Christ is the only foundation set by God ● Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of God’s church on earth ● No society of man is greater than the Rock of God ● As living stones we offer holy sacrifice in His image God’s Rock                                       Holy         Christ Upright   Spiritual   Justice     Living   Deliverer            Truth    God is The Rock   Righteous         Salvation   Refuge       Strength   and Power           Chief     Cornerstone         A Shield No religion can replace true relationship in God. It is a call to the soul for the spirit to come. Darkness has no visible path.