Cornerstone Christian Fellowship Jacksonville

Giants and Grasshoppers - Come On Down

June 13, 2021 Cornerstone Christian Fellowship
Cornerstone Christian Fellowship Jacksonville
Giants and Grasshoppers - Come On Down
Show Notes Transcript

One off message of Giants & Grasshoppers brought to you digitally while we are with the body in North Carolina.

Re 2:4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen....

Today's message continues the Giants and Grasshoppers series, drawing from the Book of Nehemiah for our type.

The full text of this message can be found here.

Sunday June 13th 2021 Giants and Grasshoppers Come On Down

1). Re 2:4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.

We had seen a couple of weeks ago that the Christians comprising the Church in Ephesus had attained spiritual maturity with regards to the Word of the Kingdom through the abundance of the teaching they had received.

a). And we might remember that they had been the recipients of Paul’s letter that bore their name as well as the ‘Books’ of 1st and 2nd Peter and the Revelation of Jesus Christ from the pen of the Apostle John. Not to mention the time that Paul, Priscilla and Aquila, Apollos and Timothy spent with them.

b). They were also the recipients of the instructions for the spiritual warfare, and yet despite all of this, it is this same group of Christians, the Church in Ephesus, that is seen to have left their first love, providing the beginning point for a progressive corruption of the Word of the Kingdom that over the 2000 years of this dispensation has brought us to the time of the Laodicean Church.

Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

In Ephesians Chapter 2 we see that these Christians, like us, had been ‘made alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and

 

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raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.’ Raised up to sit with Christ in heavenly places is where they began but not where they finished. When we see them in the Revelation they are told to ‘remember therefore from where you have fallen.’

c). The extent of the distance, in a figurative sense, that they fell, from being seated with Christ at the right hand of the Father in the farthest recesses of the north, to the world governed by Satan, is mind- boggling to imagine and yet within their daily experience this same mind-boggling fall was made possible by just one short step away from the truth of the Word of the Kingdom, toward the deception that they then followed.

d). If we all stood on the top of the highest cliff and were told to jump, I would like to think that we wouldn’t do it, and yet this is exactly what our enemy encourages us to do every day. To abandon our high calling and embrace instead the baseness of the world below.

e). If we continue with the verses from Ephesians Chapter 2, we will find this – Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

From the day we became eternally saved we were to be involved in a great work, the good works for which we were created in Christ Jesus, the righteous acts of the saints, works to make certain our inheritance in the coming Kingdom, works of gold silver and precious stones, works that God had prepared beforehand for us to walk in them – Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

The good works in which we are to be zealous as we await the appearing of Christ’s glory, can only be undertaken through the man of the spirit, never the man of the flesh. These are works that can only emanate from

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our positioning in heavenly places with Christ. To walk in these good works is synonymous with staying on top of the mountain, synonymous with producing fruit for the Kingdom. And this, as we know, is what the enemy of our soul wants to stop. And through deception he attempts to entice our old man to bring us down from the mountain top to the plain below.

2). In the Book of Nehemiah, we can find a type for our enemy’s enticement that will be instructive for us. Nehemiah had returned to Jerusalem, a city built in the hill country, about 100 years after the end of the Babylonian captivity to rebuild it, with a view to restoring the city, the walls, and the people to their former glory but the Jews’ enemies wanted to stop this from happening.

a). In the first 5 Chapters of Nehemiah, an account is given of Nehemiah’s return and the work begun to restore the city walls and hang its gates.

b). The rebuilding of the walls and the hanging of the gates would provide protection for those in the city from their enemies. And it is interesting to note that the work being done was a corporate work, with different individuals being responsible for different sections of the wall, a work that God had prepared beforehand for them to walk in –
Neh 2:17 Then I said to them, “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.” 18 And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king's words that he had spoken to me. So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they set their hands to this good work.......... 3:3 Also the sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors with its bolts and bars. 4 And next to them Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz, made repairs. Next to them Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs. Next to them Zadok the son of Baana made repairs.

All worked together towards a common goal. Each one working to complete his individual section of the wall that would then benefit all. And in the work among the stones, a work that would support everyone

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else, we can find a picture of the role of Aron, Hur and Moses in the battle with Amalek from – Ex 17:11 And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

The actions of Aaron and Hur in support of Moses in Exodus Chapter 17 and the individual work on the wall for the corporate benefit in Nehemiah, find their antitype in the function of the ‘Church’, as set out by Paul for those in Ephesus – Eph 4:15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

1 Co 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.

In the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem in Nehemiah’s day, a good work that God had prepared beforehand for them to walk in, we can also find the work of God in the lives of Kingdom seeking Christians in our own day – 1 Pe 2:4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Col 2:6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

Jude 1:20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal [age lasting] life.

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1 Co 3:11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it.....

3). Ne 4:16 So it was, from that time on, that half of my servants worked at construction, while the other half held the spears, the shields, the bows, and wore armor; and the leaders were behind all the house of Judah. 17 Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon. 18 Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me.

What we will see here at once is that the work of building continued amid the ever-present possibility of an attack from their enemies. And because of this, each one was prepared for war as he carried out the work.

a). And there are 3 ways in which the preparedness for war is presented in these verses. Firstly, we see that that half of my servants worked at construction, while the other half held the spears, the shields, the bows, and wore armor. Secondly, Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon. And thirdly, Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built.

b). And putting these three together will give us an overview of the inextricable connection between the good works, which are the righteous acts of the saints, and the spiritual warfare. If we are to build correctly upon the foundation, then the spiritual warfare will be engaged. Our enemy does not allow for anything else.

c). In these verses from Nehemiah Chapter 4 we can see the command from Hebrews – Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

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And this from – Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

The spiritual warfare then is an individual battle with the enemy of our soul that is fought within a corporate context alongside those fighting the same battle, with the battle itself belonging to the Lord.

d). Let’s return to some verses we had looked at earlier from Colossians Chapter 2 and add another verse to them – Col 2:6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

We are involved in the great work of being rooted and built up in Him, to be established in the faith, to build on the foundation with gold, silver, and precious stones, just as the Jews in Jerusalem worked at rebuilding the city walls. Then amid this work comes the warning, ‘Beware’. And that which we are to beware of is deception, ‘according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world’.

e). And if we return to Nehemiah, deception is what we see as their work progressed – Ne 6:1 ¶ Now it happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and that there were no breaks left in it (though at that time I had not hung the doors in the gates), 2 that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, "Come, let us meet together among the villages in the plain of Ono." But they thought to do me harm. 3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?" 4 But they sent me this message four times, and I answered them in the same manner.

The enticement to come down from the wall to the plain of Ono came before the work was brought to completion and it was clearly persistent. Nehemiah, however, was determined not to come down from the wall to

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engage in dialogue with his enemy, realizing that the offer of peaceful negotiation was pure deception. And in Nehemiah’s determination "I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?" We find a parallel withJoshua’s and Caleb’s determination at Kadesh – Nu 13:30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”

And a parallel with David’s determination against Goliath –
1 Sa 17:45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD'S, and He will give you into our hands.”

And a parallel with Ruth’s determination to go on to Bethlehem –
Ru 1:16 But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people,
And your God, my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.”

And all these examples point to what must be our own determination to see our work brought to its completion and our sincere and resolute engagement in the spiritual warfare to that end. In other words, they all point to the belt of truth, that we must have in place if the whole armor of God is to be ours, so that we might stand against the wiles of the devil Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth...

Sanballat and Tobiah, both descendants of Lot through the incestuous relationship with his daughters, along with Geshem, the Arab, had one

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end in mind, persuade Nehemiah to come down from the wall into the plain below. To leave the high ground which he occupied to go down into the plain where they had jurisdiction. And in this they form a type of the man of the flesh. And the purpose in the historical account is obvious, But they thought to do me harm. To get Nehemiah to come down from the wall to the plain would result in his death. And in this plan, we can find the Amalekite taking the crown from Saul’s head, after he had fallen, the man of the flesh taking the crown of the Christian.

f). To go down to the plain of Ono was the enticement for Nehemiah and the word Ono, figuratively, has to do with wealth, goods, substance. An echo of the cities of the plain from Lot’s day - Ge 13:10 ¶ And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. 11 Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. 12 Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom.

The deception is the same and the enticement is the same and was first seen in the Garden – Ge 3:4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

Jn 8:44.........for he is a liar and the father of it.

It is the same tactic used by Satan against the Lord in the wilderness – Mt 4:8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."

As we read these very familiar verses, let’s just think for a moment.

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Where had Satan taken the Lord? Up on an exceedingly high mountain. And so, where would all the kingdoms of the world have been in relation to this? On the plain below. For the Lord to have taken those kingdoms and to have worshipped Satan, then the Lord would have had to come down from the exceedingly high mountain to the plain below, to have stepped away from His deity.

g). What we should learn from this is clear, the enemy always works to draw us away from our high calling through deception, to engage with us in the realm over which he has jurisdiction and for obvious reasons – Mt 13:22 "Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

h). The enticement of our enemy has been identified for us – 1Jo 2:16 For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world

Ga 5:7 You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump.

4). The enticement to come down into the plain of Ono will continue persistently until the day our race is run. But if we will be like Nehemiah and keep the proper perspective, continuing to build on the high ground and refusing to come down from it, then victory can be ours.

a). God’s purpose for us is neither hidden nor open to speculation and has remained unchanged from the beginning – ‘Let them have dominion’.

b). Let us remember that we are citizens of heaven, members of the household of God, part of the Body of Christ. We are the church, the ones called out of this world to an inheritance in the age to come.

c). This world, under Satan, is not our home, instead we are ‘looking for the city with foundations whose builder and maker is God’ – we are strangers and aliens in this world, just passing through –
Heb 11:12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude--innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore. 13 These all died in faith, not having received the

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promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

The Scriptures admonish us - Col 3:1 ¶ If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

Ro 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Heb 12:2 looking [from this world] unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

If we will give the more earnest heed to the things, we have heard we will not be seduced to go down into the plain.

d). Let us remember where our allegiance lies – Col 1:13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love..

When the enticement comes to go down into the plain let us remember the words of God, given to His servant Nehemiah - "I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?"

We will continue with the spiritual warfare next time – if we remain and the Lord is willing.

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