Chapter 15
THE WALK OF FAITH
Before we begin this study, let us pray,
Dear Heavenly Father,
Almighty God, I come before You through my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Lord please grant me spiritual wisdom and understanding so I can know You better and the great hope to which You have called me. Help me Lord to see and understand the things of Your Kingdom and grow in faith, trust and belief in You. Holy Father in Jesus Christ’s name I ask.
Amen
INTRODUCTION
There are many aspects to the born again believer's walk or life of faith. However, for this particular study we will see that in order to live a life pleasing to God we must place our faith in Him to do it for us. In other words, as it was through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ to save us from our sins that we received the Holy Spirit and became born again, it is also through faith that God will enable us to live our Christian life in a manor pleasing to Him.
Since this chapter addresses two specific issues relative to the born again believer's walk or life of faith, it is partitioned into two parts. The first part addresses the issue of avoiding sin whereas the second part focuses upon the life motivated by love.
To accomplish these objectives we will first,
1. Cover some background material to find what faith is and see that true faith is a gift from God.
2. Explore some of the spiritual power that, through faith, God has graciously made available to the born again believer.
Then in,
Part I - We will find that through faith we are to fight off the temptations and power of sin and the attacks of the evil one.
And in,
Part II - We will see that through faith in God, God the Holy Spirit will bring forth His fruit of love from within us.
A QUICK REVIEW
Before we begin our study of the believer’s walk or life of faith, let us recall that in our last study we discovered that in addition to believing and professing that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, our discipleship is to be characterized by the fruits of our lives. Another way to understand this is by observing that once we have been born again, our God commands us to avoid sin and perform acts motivated by love. To see this, let us first read an excerpt of an exhortation to the people in the church of Colosse to avoid sinful ways.
Colossians 3:5-10
"[5] Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. [6] Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. [7] You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. [8] But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. [9] Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices [10] and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
Let us notice the following verses,
9-10 … Since we are born again and have put off the old man or old self, that is our old self was crucified with Christ and buried in baptism, we are no longer to perform the deeds of our old self. In other words, being a born again believer in Jesus Christ we are to avoid sinning and live our lives under obedience to the Holy Spirit living within us.
Examples of the type of deeds we are to perform can be found in,
Romans 12:9-21
"[9] Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. [10] Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. [11] Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. [12] Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. [13] Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. [14] Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. [15] Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. [16] Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. [17] Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. [18] If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. [19] Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. [20] On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." [21] Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
After reading Scriptures such as the above and out of our desire to please and be acceptable to God, we tend to forget that it was by faith we were saved. As a result, we tend to try and complete what our God has started within us by going forth, in our own strength, to produce and perform these good works. Unfortunately, in doing so we fall into the same error that the Israelites did when God, through Moses, gave the Ten Commandments. Specifically, they did not recognize that God had called them to a walk of faith. To see this, let us read the reason why we, the born again believer, have been declared righteous in God’s eyes and why the Israelite of old missed it.
Romans 9:30-33
"[30] What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; [31] but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. [32] Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the "stumbling stone." [33] As it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.""
Let us notice the following verses,
30 … The righteousness that we have is the righteousness that comes by faith. In other words, the righteousness that we have is not ours but is what we receive from God through faith.
32 … The Israelite missed it because they were pursuing righteousness as if it was attained by their deeds or works.
33 … Those who trust or put their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ will never be put to shame.
With this introduction, let us now begin our study of the walk or life of faith that the born again believer has the privilege to live.
Since faith is so critical to our Christian life, we begin by reading the
DEFINITION AND SOURCE OF OUR FAITH
God the Holy Spirit defines faith in,
Hebrews 11:1
"[1] Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
To help us better understand this definition of faith let us read about the time when the prophet Elisha and his servant were surrounded by the hostile Syrian army. This incident occurred after the king of the Syrians realized that, through the prophet Elisha, God was revealing to the king of Israel his strategies for attacking the people of Israel. To read what happened we go to,
2 Kings 6:14-17
"[14] Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city. [15] When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked. [16] "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." [17] And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."
Let us notice the following verses,
14 … Intending to capture Elisha, the King of Syria's army surrounded the city where Elisha and his servant were staying.
15 … Seeing the enemy forces, Elisha's servant became extremely frightened and asked Elisha; “How were they going to escape?”
16 … Elisha professed his faith in God by telling his servant that there was more of an army on their side than on the side of the Syrians. We must remember that even though Elisha was certain of God's protection, God's army was not in physical view. In other words, Elisha was sure of what he hoped for and certain of what could not be seen.
17 … Even though Elisha had faith that God was protecting them, to comfort his servant, Elisha prayed and asked God to show him the army that was there to protect them.
With this incident in mind, let us once more read the definition of faith as given in,
Hebrews 11:1
"[1] Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
This now leaves us with the question of, “How does one receive this faith? How do we get this assurance that Hebrews 11:1 talks about?” The Bible teaches us that,
FAITH COMES BY HEARING GOD’S WORD
Even though God can and may speak to us in various ways, such as visions, dreams, thoughts, etc. for this study we will focus our attention to the message we hear from Him by reading or listening to His Word, the Bible.
Let us begin by reading what the Bible teaches us on how we receive faith in God. It is recorded in,
Romans 10:17
"[10] … faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ."
Notice this is a two part verse. The first part tells us that faith comes by hearing the message, which is the Word of God.
Romans 10:17(a)
“… faith comes from hearing the message, ..."
Why does faith come by hearing the message, which is God’s Word? First of all the Bible teaches us that God is Truth and therefore will not lie. Not only does the Bible state this truth but also provides numerous examples to illustrate this fact. Thus, as we read His Word, we come to a better knowledge and understanding that God is faithful and trustworthy. As a result, we continue to receive a stronger assurance about Him and His faithfulness to fulfill or accomplish what He said in His Word.
A great example of the faithfulness and trustworthiness of God is what one discovers with respect to the spiritual lineage of Jesus Christ.
As we read the Old Testament we find the spiritual lineage of Jesus was also foretold. To see this it is noted that in approximately 580BC it was prophesied that there will be a time when God would come and dwell among us. Furthermore, when He does come, He will shepherd us as a shepherd cares for his flock of sheep. As we read the following prophecy notice who is speaking and who was going to go and rescue the sheep, that is God’s own people.
Ezekiel 34:11-16
""'[11] For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. [12] As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. [13] I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. [14] I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. [15] I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD. [16] I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice."
In the Old Testament God also foretold, through His prophet Isaiah, He would enter into our world through the birth of a virgin. To read this we go to,
Isaiah 7:14
[14] Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."
To see that the birth of Jesus Christ fulfilled the above prophecies, let us read about the circumstances surrounding His birth as recorded in,
Matthew 1:18-25
"[18] This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. [19] Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. [20] But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. [21] She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." [22] All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: [23] "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" --which means, "God with us." [24] When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. [25] But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus."
Let us notice the following verses,
18 … Mary was with child before she and Joseph came together, that is before they consummated their marriage.
20 … An angel told Joseph that what was conceived in Mary was from God the Holy Spirit. In other words, the angel told Joseph that the Father of this child was God the Holy Spirit.
22-23 … The virgin birth of Jesus Christ fulfilled the above prophecy recorded in Isaiah 7:14. Notice Jesus’ name of, Immanuel, means God with us. Thus, Jesus was also the fulfillment of the prophecy given through the prophet Ezekiel that God would come to save and care for His people.
25 … Joseph and Mary had no union until after she gave birth to Jesus. Consequently, there can be no legitimate argument that Jesus’ birth was not a miraculous conception by God the Holy Spirit.
Thus, in Jesus Christ, God demonstrated His faithfulness and trustworthiness by fulfilling the promises He gave through His prophets Ezekiel and Isaiah.
Let us now return to the second part of the verse in Romans. This portion of the 17th verse teaches us that the message is heard through the Word of Christ.
Romans 10:17(b)
" … and the message is heard through the word of Christ."
In other words, the ability to hear, which is to understand, God’s Word comes from our Lord Jesus Christ. To see this, let us read what Jesus did while He was talking to His disciples after His resurrection but just prior to His ascension.
Luke 24:36-45
"[36] … Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." [37] They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. [38] He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? [39] Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." [40] When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. [41] And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" [42] They gave him a piece of broiled fish, [43] and he took it and ate it in their presence. [44] He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." [45] Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures."
Let us pay particular attention to verse 45 and consider all the time Jesus spent with the disciples teaching them about the Kingdom of God. Yet, it was not until Jesus opened their minds that they could understand the Scriptures. So it is with us! In other words, before we read or listen to the Bible we are to come before Jesus and ask Him to open our minds to understand.
As we consider the above, we come to realize that Godly faith is a gift. It is not something we work up. In fact, this is exactly what the Bible teaches in,
Ephesians 2:8
"[8] For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--"
Just as it is written, Jesus Christ is the Author and Perfecter of our faith. This beautifully expressed in the following exhortation from,
Hebrews 12:2(a)
"[12] Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, ..."
SPIRITUAL POWER
With this understanding of faith, let us now apply this knowledge and see how we can exercise our faith to live a life pleasing to God. Before we do this let us first read a prayer that Paul used to ask God to enlighten us with respect to the spiritual power that is available to the born again believer.
Ephesians 1:15-21
"[15] … ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, [16] I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. [17] I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. [18] I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, [19] and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, [20] which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, [21] far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come."
For this study, let us pay particular attention to verse 19. To do this, let us reread this verse as it is translated in the Amplified Bible.
“And so that you can know and understand what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength …”
In reflecting upon the above one might ask: “What is Paul praying for?” “What is He asking God to show us?” The answer to these questions is that he is asking our Lord to grant us the ability to understand and comprehend the great spiritual power that is available to the born again believer. In the last half of Ephesians 1:19 and then in verse 20 this power is described as the same tremendous power and authority that raised Jesus Christ from the dead and seated Him above all things!
To illustrate this point, let us read about an incident with respect to the healing of the boy with epilepsy.
Matthew 17:14-20
"[14] When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. [15] "Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. [16] I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him." [17] "O unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me." [18] Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment. [19] Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" [20] He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.""
Before we go astray the question to be asked is; “Does this mean that whatever we ask for will be given or done for us?” No! We must never forget the admonition in,
James 4:3
"[3] When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."
To understand this principle in a more positive way let us read from,
1 John 5:14-15
"[14] This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. [15] And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him."
With the above glimpse of the spiritual power that is available to us in Jesus Christ; “What by faith can we ask for, knowing that it is in God’s will?” From the Scriptures we read at the beginning of this study, we know that it is God’s will for the born again believer to: (1) resist the temptation to sin and (2) love one another. With this in mind, let us now see how through prayer and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ we will be given the spiritual power to resist sin and live a life of love.
PART I - POWER OVER SIN
Let us begin by exploring how we are to use the faith God gave us to stand up against the attacks of the evil one and resist the temptation to sin. To do this we will,
1. Refresh our memories that through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross He not only made atonement for our sins but also redeemed us from their power.
2. Review the defensive plan that God has given us so we will be able to be victorious over the power of sin and the strategies of the evil one.
3. To see the practical application of the principles identified in God's defensive plan for victory over sin and Satan's strategies, we will read the account of King Hezekiah and the Assyrian army.
WE HAVE BEEN REDEEMED FROM THE POWER OF SIN
The first step in exercising our faith to resist sin and the attacks of the evil one is for us to realize and truly believe that Jesus Christ redeemed us from the power of sin. In addition, we must also bring to mind that we were crucified with Christ and in baptism we buried our old self and was raised to a new life in Christ Jesus. Consequently, as the Bible states, sin shall not be our master,
Romans 6:14
"[14] For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace."
In reflecting upon this promise from God we are greatly encouraged. However, when the temptation comes, what do we do? How do we not succumb to his wiles, trickery and power? As it turns out the Holy Scriptures provide us with,
GOD’S DEFENSIVE PLAN
The defensive plan that our Lord has given us to use at the time of temptation and/or the spiritual attack of the evil one is provided in,
James 4:7
"[7] Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
Notice the above verse contains three parts. The first two parts teaches us what we must do when facing temptation: (1) submit to God and (2) resist the devil or the temptation to sin. In the third part of the above Scripture God promises that if we do our two parts then the devil or the temptation will flee from us. In other words, He will restore us.
To help us better understand God's defensive plan, let us now explore each element or part in a bit more depth.
As we read in the above Scripture (James 4:7) at the time of temptation the first thing we are to do is to,
Submit To God
The reason for this is that we must remember that in our old natural self we cannot effectively fight off sin and the evil one. Thus, we must come to our Savior for help. Let us recall that Jesus came to this earth as a man to set you and I free from the law of sin and death. To remind us of this fact, let us read from,
Romans 8:1-4
"[1] … there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, [2] because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. [3] For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, [4] in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit."
Let us notice the following verses,
1-2 … We are no longer under condemnation because Jesus set us free from the law of sin and death. In other words, in Jesus Christ the born again believer no longer lives under the law of sin and death but lives under a new life, the law of the Spirit of life.
3-4 … In other words, we could not and cannot comply with God's ways in our natural self, that is our old sinful nature. Thus, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ God condemned the sin that is in sinful man. He did this so that through faith in Jesus Christ we can now live with the power of the Holy Spirit, Who, through His love, will fulfill the law for us.
Thus, during the time of temptation, knowing it is God's will to fulfill all these promises for us, we submit to Him and confidently pray for help. To see this, let us read from,
Hebrews 4:14-16
"[14] … since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. [15] For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. [16] Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."
After we have submitted ourselves to God and are waiting for His deliverance and grace to come, God the Holy Spirit in James 4:7 tells us to,
Resist the Temptation to Sin and the Strategies of the Evil One
We do this by standing firm in the strength of our Lord, knowing that we are His and that He will deliver us. To see this, let us read,
Ephesians 6:10-17
"[10] Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. [11] Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. [12] For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. [13] Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. [14] Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, [15] and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. [16] In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. [17] Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. [18] And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests….
Let us notice the following verses,
12-13 … Our struggle is not among ourselves, which is not between flesh and blood or fellow human beings. Our struggle is with all the spiritual forces of evil. This is why it is so necessary for us to wear the full armor of God and stand firm. Notice the Scripture does not tell us to attack, but tells us to stand firm.
14-17 … This is the armor of the born again believer: (1) we have God’s Word, the Truth, fastened around our waist, (2) we carry Jesus’ righteousness around our heart, (3) we step into shoes of readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace, (4) we place our faith in God, not in the weapons of this world, (5) we put on the helmet of knowing that we are saved and belong to God Almighty and finally (6) we pick up the sword which is God’s Word so that we can pray in God’s will and also be able to extinguish the lies of the evil one.
18 … Once we have shored up our defenses, we are to humble ourselves and again pray.
After we have submitted to God, put on our armor and resisted for a period of time, God promises that,
He Will Restore Us; Put another Way, the Evil One Will Flee
To see this, let us read the following excerpt from,
1 Peter 5:6-11
"[6] Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. [7] Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. [8] Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. [9] Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. [10] And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. [11] To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen."
In reflecting upon the above, one might say that this is nice theology; however, are there any Biblical examples that bear witness to the truth and practicality of this doctrine? The answer to this question is … Yes!
To see this, let us look to,
THE EXAMPLE OF KING HEZEKIAH AND THE ASSYRIAN ARMY
As we read this account, we first come to realize that Hezekiah was a good king and trusted God. To see this, let us read from,
2 Kings 18:1-7
"[1] In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. [2] He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother's name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. [3] He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done. [4] He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.) [5] Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. [6] He held fast to the LORD and did not cease to follow him; he kept the commands the LORD had given Moses. [7] And the LORD was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him."
Everything was going well and fine for King Hezekiah and the people of Judah. However, in the fourteenth year of his reign, the Assyrian King, Sennacherib came against the fortified cities of Judah and took them. To save the remainder of the kingdom, King Hezekiah apologized to King Sennacherib for rebelling and paid him a tribute of approximately $288 million.
2 Kings 18:13-15
"[13] In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah's reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. [14] So Hezekiah king of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish: "I have done wrong. Withdraw from me, and I will pay whatever you demand of me." The king of Assyria exacted from Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. [15] So Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the temple of the LORD and in the treasuries of the royal palace."
As we read further we find that this apology and tribute was not enough to satisfy King Sennacherib. Thus, he came a second time to destroy King Hezekiah and Jerusalem. Note, that during the first invasion King Hezekiah attempted to fend off the Assyrian king by normal or natural means. As with our fight with sin and Satan, it does not work!
With this background, let us now read about the second Assyrian invasion from,
2 Chronicles 32:2-8
"[2] When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he intended to make war on Jerusalem, [3] he consulted with his officials and military staff about blocking off the water from the springs outside the city, and they helped him. [4] A large force of men assembled, and they blocked all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land. "Why should the kings of Assyria come and find plenty of water?" they said. [5] Then he worked hard repairing all the broken sections of the wall and building towers on it. He built another wall outside that one and reinforced the supporting terraces of the City of David. He also made large numbers of weapons and shields. [6] He appointed military officers over the people and assembled them before him in the square at the city gate and encouraged them with these words: [7] "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. [8] With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles." And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said."
In contemplating the above account there are several things to consider. First, let us notice that as we, in preparation for our spiritual battles, are to shore up our spiritual defenses (remember Ephesians 6:10-17 above), King Hezekiah, being attacked physically, shored up the physical defenses needed for the protection of the city. However, let us notice verses 7 & 8. Even though Hezekiah’s battle was a physical one, he believed and had faith that it will be the Lord who would help them and fight their battle.
The second item to consider is that during this time of human history the Assyrian army was virtually unstoppable. They basically conquered every nation and land they fought against. In fact, the confidence and physical power of the Assyrian army was so high that one of King Sennacherib’s field commanders told the people in Jerusalem that not even their God could deliver them from their hands. To read what he said we go to,
2 Kings 18:28-35
"[28] Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew: "Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! [29] This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you. He cannot deliver you from my hand. [30] Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the LORD when he says, 'The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.' [31] "Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern, [32] until I come and take you to a land like your own, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey. Choose life and not death! "Do not listen to Hezekiah, for he is misleading you when he says, 'The LORD will deliver us.' [33] Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? [34] Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? [35] Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?""
Can you imagine the situation here? Can you imagine how intimated the people must have felt; how hopeless the situation must have seemed? Well, just as we, when under the attack of temptation and the evil one and the situation seems so hopeless and overwhelming, are instructed to submit to God and pray, so did King Hezekiah. He submitted to God and sent two servants and the leading priests to the prophet Isaiah to intercede in prayer for them. To read what occurred we go to,
2 Kings 19:1-7
"[1] When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the LORD. [2] He sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. [3] They told him, "This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the point of birth and there is no strength to deliver them. [4] It may be that the LORD your God will hear all the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule the living God, and that he will rebuke him for the words the LORD your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant that still survives." [5] When King Hezekiah's officials came to Isaiah, [6] Isaiah said to them, "Tell your master, 'This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard--those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. [7] Listen! I am going to put such a spirit in him that when he hears a certain report, he will return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.'""
Let us notice the following verses,
6-7 … Isaiah responded to King Hezekiah’s request and told the messenger that God said He will send King Sennacherib back to his own country where he will fall by the sword. In other words, God told King Hezekiah that the Assyrian army will flee from them. Can you just imagine how foreign and almost unbelievable these words must have been to King Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem? Much like what we read in James when the Holy Spirit said that if we submit to God and resist, then the evil one will flee from us.
Reading further we find that King Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem stood firm and placed their faith in God and what He said through His prophet Isaiah. Let us now read the fulfillment of God’s promise to King Hezekiah,
2 Chronicles 32:21-22
"[21] And the LORD sent an angel, who annihilated all the fighting men and the leaders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he went into the temple of his god, some of his sons cut him down with the sword. [22] So the LORD saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all others. He took care of them on every side."
Thus, through the exploits of King Hezekiah and the Assyrian army we see the truth in the fact that in our spiritual warfare, if we submit to God and resist the schemes of the evil one, God will be faithful to His promise and deliver us from the temptations of Satan and the power of sin.
A Word of Encouragement
Suppose I fail? Suppose that my faith wanes and is not as strong as King Hezekiah’s and I fall into sin? Does this mean that I am no longer His? Does it mean that I do not belong to Him? No! Consider the following,
1 John 1:8
"[8] If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us."
In other words, we are not perfect. We must never forget that we are sinners, saved by God’s Grace and Mercy. As the Bible provides us, through the account of the invasion of the Assyrian army, an example of the faith of King Hezekiah and the truth of God’s Word, it also reveals to us that he as us are sinners. To see this, let us read about the time when, because of all the glory he received, King Hezekiah became proud and sinned. To see this, let us return to the Old Testament and read what happened after King Sennacherib was killed.
2 Chronicles 32:22-26
"[22] So the LORD saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all others. He took care of them on every side. [23] Many brought offerings to Jerusalem for the LORD and valuable gifts for Hezekiah king of Judah. From then on he was highly regarded by all the nations. [24] In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. He prayed to the LORD, who answered him and gave him a miraculous sign. [25] But Hezekiah's heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore the Lord's wrath was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem. [26] Then Hezekiah repented of the pride of his heart, as did the people of Jerusalem; therefore the Lord's wrath did not come upon them during the days of Hezekiah."
Let us notice the following verses,
23 … As a result of God’s deliverance, King Hezekiah became a great and respected king throughout the land.
24 … The account of King Hezekiah’s illness and how God healed him is provided in 2 Kings 20:1-7.
25 … Because of his wealth, power and reputation, Hezekiah became proud. So much was his pride that God was very angry and about to strike him.
26 … Hezekiah and the people repented and humbled themselves before God. In other words, they recognized their error, were sorry and confessed their sin to God. As a result, God held back his wrath from them.
Well, the same with us. At the time when we recognize our sin, we too are to be sorry, humble ourselves and confess it to God. To see this, let us return to the New Testament and finish reading from,
1 John 1:9-2:2
"[9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. [10] If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."
"[2:1] My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. [2] He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.’
PART II - THE WALK OR LIFE OF LOVE
Now that we saw how through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ we are delivered from the power of sin and the strategies of the evil one, the next question to be addressed is, "What must I do so that the Holy Spirit will bring forth His fruit of love in my life?" The answer is the same. Through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit living within us, we are to believe and trust the promise that God will bring forth the fruit of love in our lives. To see this we will,
1. Refresh our memories that without God's love as the motivator for our good deeds, we gain nothing.
2. Find that it is through our day by day faith in God that the Holy Spirit will bring forth His love from within us.
THE NECESSITY OF GOD’S MOTIVATING LOVE
To strengthen our belief in this truth, let us review the fact that even though we may perform great works of Christian service, without love we gain nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
"[1] If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. [2] If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. [3] If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."
Let us recall that the love God is talking about is not a human or natural love; it is the love that can only come from Him. To understand this, let us read how God defines this love by reading from,
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
"[4] Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. [5] It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. [6] Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. [7] It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
In reflecting upon the above, the question comes to mind of; "How does the love of God come forth from our lives?" The answer to this question is,
THROUGH FAITH THAT GOD WILL BRING FORTH HIS LOVE FROM WITHIN US
To exercise this faith, we must first remember and believe that as a born again believer in Jesus Christ, we are a temple of God the Holy Spirit. This truth is clearly revealed to us in,
1 Corinthians 6:19
"[19] Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;"
Secondly, we are to recall that one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is love,
Galatians 5:22-23
"[22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness and self-control ..."
Thus, just as I am to walk in the Spirit to combat sin and evil, I must also do the same so that His fruit of love will become manifest in my life.
One might ask; “How do I walk in the Spirit?” The answer to this question is just as I placed my faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ to save me from my sins and the snares of the evil one, I must also place my faith and trust in Him, that through the Holy Spirit living within me, His fruits will be manifested in my life. In other words, before we begin our day or even a task, we should submit to God and in prayer ask Him to bring forth His fruit of love in our life. We then proceed with our day, performing the tasks or deeds that He set before us. Since it is His will for us to walk in love, we know He heard our prayer. Thus, we are now to trust Him to bring it forth from within us. To remind us of this, let us read what Jesus said to the Jewish people during the great feast of Tabernacles.
John 7:38-39
"[38] Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." [39] By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive ..."
A good example to see how the Holy Spirit can and will bring forth His fruit of love occurred during the time His disciple Stephen was being stoned to death for his faith. This stoning took place after Stephen presented the Gospel to the Jewish ruling body of elders. To read what occurred we go to,
Acts 7:54-60
"[54] When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. [55] But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. [56] "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." [57] At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, [58] dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. [59] While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." [60] Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep."
Let us notice the following verses,
54 … After presenting the Gospel to the high priest and Jewish ruling council, they became infuriated with what Stephen had to say.
55 … Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit.
57-59 … Because of his witness and testimony to Jesus Christ, they stoned Stephen.
60 … Even though Stephen was being stoned to death, the love of the Holy Spirit came from within him and he prayed that God would forgive his attackers. Can you just imagine the physical pain and suffering Stephen must have gone through? Yet, in all his anguish the love of the Holy Spirit was so strong that he (Stephen) was still concerned for their eternal well being.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF IT ALL
The importance of this issue to live the remainder of our lives by faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, can not be overstated. When we do not live our life by faith in Jesus and slip into the trap of attempting to please God through our own efforts and resources, we find ourselves attempting to fulfill spiritual laws and principles with earthy or physical means. The result of this action not only leaves the born again Christian frustrated, burdened and defeated, but more significantly, it also strains our relationship with Jesus Christ. To see this, let us prayerfully consider the words of correction and exhortation given to the church in Galatia,
Galatians 3:1-3
"[1] You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. [2] I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? [3] Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?
Let us notice the following verses,
2 … Let us remember that each and every one of us was not and never will be good enough to earn our citizenship in Heaven. It was out of God’s love for us that He extended His Mercy to deliver us from our helpless situation. Thus, through the faith He gave each one of us we received the Holy Spirit and were born again.
3 … In other words, we began our walk or new life with God the Holy Spirit by faith in Jesus Christ; how could we possibly think we can complete the journey or perfect ourselves by our own effort?
To expand upon this a bit, let us now read the consequence of when we attempt, in our natural self, to justify ourselves to God through works of law,
Galatians 5:4
"[4] You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace."
In other words, if I think, in my natural strength and will power I can now live in obedience to the law, then I am basically saying I no longer need God’s Grace and my Lord Jesus Christ. Pretty sobering, isn’t it?
SUMMARY
So what is the point of this chapter? What have we learned? Perhaps it is best summarized as follows:
1. As a born again believer, God has given us all we need to live a life pleasing to Him.
2 Peter 1:3-4
"[3] His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. [4] Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires."
However, to experience this tremendous grace from God in our lives, we must not forget that,
2. As a born again believer, our old self has been crucified with Christ and we are now to live our new life by faith in Him.
Galatians 2:20-21
"[20] I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. [21] I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!""
Now with all this in mind, let us close this chapter by reading what our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ said in,
Matthew 11:28-30
""[28] Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.""
AMEN and AMEN