Lets begin again in 1 Peter 5... The first few verses of 1 Peter 5 begins with instructions to the shepherds - calls them elders (or pastors) in watching the flock, but then begins to address the flock in verse 5, Likewise, ye younger (non elders)... He then says, ...submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:5b-8). Satan is wanting to DEVOUR the flock... it says, ...seeking whom he MAY devour. However, God is wanting to exalt the flock, ...that he MAY exalt in due time, but theres one word that makes the difference - MAY. The word MAY speaks of ability, permission... and its those who are humble. He MAY exalt the humble in due time...however on the other side, Satan MAY devour the proud, but the good side of that is - He MAY NOT devour the humble. Thats because the humble have humbled themselves UNDER the mighty hand of God (1 Peter 5), just like those who dwell in the secret place of the Most High abide UNDER the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1), a place where they cannot be devoured. See, we have (1) an ADVERSARY, the Devil, (2) who WALKS about, seeking whom he may devour... and over in Job 1, lets go over there, and I want to show you something here... Job 1:7 says, And the Lord said unto Satan... Now, the word SATAN, in the Hebrew, is the word ADVERSARY. Its still referring to Satan, who John 10:10 says, comes but to steal, kill, and destroy. So, with that in mind, lets read on... Job 1:7 says, And the Lord said unto Satan (Hebrew: ADVERSARY), Whence comest thou? Then Satan (ADVERSARY) answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from WALKING up and down in it. What was he doing??? He was WALKING up and down it, WALKING to and fro in the earth... doing what??? The Bible - 1 author, many writers Is it possible, the ADVERSARY, Satan, was WALKING, seeking whom he may devour? Then we come to a guy named Job, but Job had something on him... Job 1:8-10 says, And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. Now, in my writing on THE BLESSING that I am currently doing, I go into further detail on this, and have a view thats really interesting... Maybe Ill share it sometime, but Job had this hedge - or THE BLESSING WALL, and Satan couldnt devour him. So, in praying in the Spirit, the Lord led me to Ezekiel 34 this morning... Ezekiel 34:25-28 says, And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing. And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them. And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid. Notice: Neither shall the beast of the land devour them (sheep), but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid. Now, why were the sheep being devoured by the beasts?? Ezekiel 34:5 says, And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. Why were the sheep scattered? The flock wasnt fed, wasnt strengthened, wasnt healed, wasnt bound up, wasnt brought back that were driven, neither were sought after... Isnt that what Jesus came to do? Luke 4:18 says, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, That was a fulfillment of Ezekiel 34:11-12, For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. Notice - this will take place on a CLOUDY and DARK day... what type of day was it that Jesus said, It is finished? Then verse 13 says, And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country. If you read further - youll find THE BLESSING...what am I saying? That BLESSING is available to us NOW, and heres how you enter it - repent and believe the gospel!! Same gospel that God preached to Abraham, that in you shall all nations of the earth be BLESSED!
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 14:59:38 +0000