Tag: religion

Exodus 27:18 Fine twined linen…

January 4, 2020

Exodus 27:18 The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass.

Now this fine linen is all over the tabernacle. The entire court is surround with it. The first curtain over the holy place and the holiest of all is made of fine linen. You look at the holy garments of the high priest: the ephod, the coast, the breeches, the curious girdle, the mitre. They were all made of fine linen. All the three entrances (the court, the first veil, and the veil to the holiest) are made of fine linen. There was fine linen all over the tabernacle, the dwelling place of God. So it seems important to me. 

The bible says of the saints, the bride of Christ: (Revelation 19:7-8) His wife hath made herself ready. 8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And again the bible says when we return with the Lord Jesus Christ to this earth, there we are again clothed in fine linen. (Revelation 19:14) And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. The fine linen is the righteousness of saints. The bible says this directly. And what is our righteousness, but Christ? So this is not a type made up of bible scholars. Someone didn’t just see this here on this side of the bible and say, Hey, this sure looks a lot like this thing over here on that side of the bible. But this type is given to us directly by God himself. The fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

(1 Corinthians 1:30) But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: He is our righteousness. (Romans 10:4) For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. Paul said (Philippians 3:9) And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: And if Christ is our righteousness, and the fine linen is the righteousness of saints, then the fine linen must be Christ. He is the door, the rock, the lamb, the bread, the firstfruits, the living water, the rose of sharon, the true vine, light of the world, the morning star. Why not the linen?

(Matthew 22:8-14) Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. 9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. 10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. 11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: 12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. 13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

I think it’s a serious thing. Make sure you’ve got the right garment! Make no mistake! That garment is the fine linen; the righteousness of saints. Cotton is not going to work. Polyester is not going to work. Cashmere is not going to work. And wool is not going to work. It’s got to be fine linen. And I want to explain why. I want to look at the process used to make fine linen. I want us to see that this is not some random fabric that God chose for the saints; but it was chosen with purpose. So being that God saw fit to cover the entire tabernacle and his high priest in fine linen, and he saw fit to give us directly this type that the fine linen is the righteousness of saints, I thought it would be good to spend a little time on this fine twined linen.

Linen comes from the flax plant. I honestly knew nothing about linen, where it came from, or how it was made until recently. Being from South Texas, I’m a bit familiar with cotten. It’s easy to see the fibers in the cotten that is picked and one can easily imagine a process from cotton plant to cotton fabric. But I never really gave much thought to linen. It’s not like the cotton plant that produces a nice little ball of fibers to work with. Linen is actually taken from the stock of the flax plant. It doesn’t look like cotton. It looks like hay. There are thin fibers running through the stock of the plant. Much like celery. They are extracted, twined together into thread, and then woven into fabric. Now, if you already knew this, then that’s great! I didn’t. I just never gave it a whole lot of thought. But now that I have, now that I’ve learned about this process used to produce fine linen clothe, and what it takes to accomplish this, I saw such a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ, I just had to share this.

Sowing the flax seed

(Luke 1:31) And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. Linen fabric must begin by sowing the flax seed. Here the process begins. Our redemption began in the womb of a virgin. A child was conceived. The seed of God was planted; God’s child; God’s son. Isaiah said (Isaiah 53:10) When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed. The lamb of God is the Son of God. He is the only begotten of the Father. Jesus said to Pilate as he sentenced him to death: (John 18:37) To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world. The main purpose of sowing flax seed into the dust of the ground is none other but to make fine linen. And we begin to see God’s plan of salvation in Christ, the righteousness of saints, by the manner in which Christ came into the world.

Paul said to the Corinthians, And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. (1 Corinthians 15:45) Adam was taken from the earth and formed from the dust of the ground. (Galatians 4:4) But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law. Christ, the last Adam, the righteousness of saints, was made of the same stock as Adam; made of a woman. And so fine linen comes from the ground; from a plant that for the most part would either rot away, blow away, or burn away. Fine linen comes from a plant that comes up and dies and withers as the grass. From the this plant that is subject to corruption comes forth fine linen that is masterfully crafted into a garment that will last years and years and years. But like any other plant, it first must be sown in the soil, as a seed.

Into the dirt it must go. David said (Psalm 51:5) Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. He said in (2 Corinthians 5:21) For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Was it at Calvary that he was made sin for us? No, but in the womb of Mary. (Romans 8:3) For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh… So into the dirt the seed must first go.

Growing the flax

Now the plant has got to grow. The stock has got to grow up tall and the linen fibers have to develop within the plant. And this takes about 3 months. (Isaiah 53:2) For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. Now flax doesn’t look special. To the flax farmer it looks great, but to someone like me, it looks like over grown coastal grass. It looks like hay. Now Joseph and Mary returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth, with Jesus, the boy. And there he grew up as a carpenter. Though he was Lord of all lords, he did not grow up a nobleman, but as a common peasant. He had no following, no money, no stature. And for 30 years, as a tender plant, he grew.

(Luke 2:40) And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. Out there in the field, the little flax plant grows. It was acclimated to the wind and the rain and the sun and the bugs. It must endure the elements of the world. The bible says (Hebrews 4:15) For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Jesus had to grow. Growing takes time. And I think it an amazing thing that Jesus, son of the almighty God, subjected himself to time, and all the elements of this old sinful world, just like us. The bible says that the child grew!

Now when the flax plant is grown to maturity, which is about 3 mounts, it is harvested. There is an appointed time when the fibers are ready. And it is not cut like most all plants. It’s pulled up with the roots. This is because the fibers go all the way into the root. (Isaiah 11:1) And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: So the flax plant is pulled up from the ground roots and all. I’ll say this. I’m not a Jew, but my Savior comes from the roots and stem of Jesse. 

Retting the flax

The first thing they do before they do anything else is to place the stocks in water to soak. This was known as retting. (Not wetting) The purpose of this is to help the unwanted part of the stock to decompose and separate from the linen fibers. Nowadays, they lay it out like hay and let the rain and dew have their way with the flax. Unlike hay, you want it to rain on your flax. For most things harvested, no rain is good. Not so for flax. You want rain. Now to speed up the process you could soak it in containers. But back in the day before Rubbermaid, they would place the flax in low-lying areas like ditches that are very wet and moist. Or they took them out to the river bottoms where there was much water. (Matthew 3:13) Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. Something special happened at the Jordan River. That tender plant that grew up was now retted in the waters of the Jordan river. Before any attempt to make linen was tried, the plant must be first retted.

Now, more and more I see that Jesus, at the River Jordan was filled with the Holy Ghost. And I’m learning more and more from this about what it means for us, his people, to be filled with the Holy Ghost. Sanctification is a process of separation; separating the unwanted from what is wanted. It’s the means in which we give unto God the things that are Gods. In the flax plant, that process begins with death. It begins in the water. The water facilitates decomposition. [Have you ever radishes that still had their stems. You leave them wet in a plastic bag in the fridge and the next day they’ll already be decomposing and stink] As the stock decomposes, the unwanted chaff begins to separate from the linen fibers. It doesn’t happen all at once, but it starts with the retting of the flax. Crossing that Jordan River into the land of Canaan is a wonderful picture of the Spirit-filled life. Nobody gets to Canaan but by the wilderness first. There is no other way. In the wilderness is where the carcasses will fall. In the wilderness is where God’s dwelling place was built and filled. Sanctification is necessary journey through the wilderness for the child of God. There is no other way. 

Now back to Jesus’ baptism. He said to John at his baptism, (Matthew 3:15) Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Jesus Christ is the righteousness of saints; the fine linen garment. He said, John, there is just not going to be righteousness if this step is left out. There is no other way. Listen, you’ll never get linen out of flax unless it’s first properly retted. The stock has got to decompose.

Spreading the flax

After the rhetting process, after it’s been thoroughly soaked, the flax is spread out thinly out in the open fields in order for it to now dry. Now I thought about this, and one of the last things I’d want to do with something I valued is put it out on the lawn and expose it to the elements; where anybody can walk on it; hurt it, or damage it. It seems to me to be a very vulnerable place for that flax. But that’s how it’s done. When Jesus stood before the high priest, he was asked of his doctrine. (John 18:20) Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing.

He taught in the temple. He taught in the streets. He taught in the mountains. He taught on the sea. He taught in the synagogues. He taught in the houses. He taught by the river. He taught his disciples. He taught the multitude. He taught the women. He taught the children. He taught the Pharisees. He taught the scribes. He taught the lepers. He taught the Samaritans. He taught the publicans. He even taught the adulterer. He said in secret have I said nothing. Just like the flax was spread upon the earth, so was Jesus spread out so all could see; all to judge; all to criticize, and at all times vulnerable. They could have taken him at any time. When they finally came out to arrest him, he said (Matthew 26:55) Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. 

The spreading of the flax was the three year ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was spread out upon the earth for all to hear and see. And as the flax stock dried and browned and hardened, the day approached closer and closer that the beautiful fine linen would be revealed.

Breaking the flax

After all the flax straw had been spread out and dried, the process of preparing it for the mill began. At this point the stock was stiff and hard and still very much looked like hay. The first step of that was to break the flax. For this they used an instrument of wood that had a chopping motion that would violently bend the flax between itself in order to break up the dried up stock that was surrounding the linen fibers. The stock was dry and separate from the soft linen, but the linen was still inside the stock. And they way got it out was to break it. So by bending it sharply and violently through this instrument, the linen fibers would come loose from the broken stock.

In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus was broke. The bible says he began to be sorrowful and very heavy. (Matthew 26:38) Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. So broken and weak was he that an angel appeared to give him strength (Luke 22:43). The bible says that he was in agony. (Luke 22:44) And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. But it was there in his sorrow and in his brokenness that Jesus said (Matthew 26:42) O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. You know Jesus did ask, if it be possible (Matthew 26:39) to let this cup pass from him. Say what you will, but I think that it’s clear that Jesus did entertain the possibility of not going through with Calvary. But I think by the end of that prayer, Jesus had come to the point of no return. He said, Thy will be done.

In the breaking process, the fine linen is now separate and disconnected from the stock and it now begins to emerge from the dead plant. In the garden, Jesus prayed (John 17:5) And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. Hid behind the veil of earthly flesh was the glorious Son of God, the righteousness of God, the lamb slain before the foundation of the earth, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And in the garden, through this bending and breaking, the righteousness of saints begins to emerge.

Scutching the flax

Now after the breaking the flax plant is now limp. It’s no longer a hard stock anymore. You essentially have a bundle of linen mingled with the decomposed chaff of the stock. They’re separated from each other, but they’re still intertwined together into one bundle.

The next step was called scutching. Now they took the bundle of flax, which was much softer now, and they laid it over what they called the scutching board. And there they beat it. They would hit with a piece of wood in a scraping motion that would knock out most all of the broken stock. It takes little imagination to see the Lord Jesus Christ in the scutching of the flax. (Luke 22:63-64) And the men that held Jesus mocked him, and smote him. 64 And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face… The bible says that the soldiers had mocked Jesus and put a reed in his right hand as if it was a kingly scepter, but then (Matthew 27:30) They spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. They said (John 19:3) Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands.

The bible says that after he stood before Pilate, he was scourged. And you can see that the words scourged and scutched have similar roots. (Matthew 27:26) Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus… That means that before they led Jesus away to his death, he was thoroughly beaten. He was whipped, flogged; most people believe that he was scourged with a cat-of-nine-tails and that may be very possible. We see by the prophet the scutching of the Lord Jesus, (Isaiah 53:5) But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 

Fine linen throughout history has been always considered the best of the best and very pricey. Pricey because of all the work that was put into making it. Wool and Cashmere and Cotton can almost be spun right off the bat, but not linen. There was much of work to be done to get linen out of flax. Consider all the work that went into the righteousness of saints; all that the flax endured to become linen. Now after the bundle of linen was scutched, you were left with what was now mostly linen. Most of the stock was gone now. But there was still just a little bit of stock left in the bundle and for spinning you wanted mostly long fibers so the short fibers along with the remaining stock needed to be removed. 

Combing the flax

So then, the final step before the linen was pure and ready for spinning was to be hackled or combed. (Luke 23:33) And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him. (Matthew 27:26) Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, then he delivered him to be crucified. 

This is what happened next: The bundle of linen was literally run through a bed of nails. The comb looked like an upside down brush that was fastened to a table. It was simply a piece of wood and the bristles were nails going all the way through the wood. The bundle of linen fibers were run across this brush of nails to take out the last of the stock and to comb the linen fibers into one direction. The final result was a soft bundle of linen ready for spinning. 

Consider all the work that went into the righteousness of saints; all that the flax endured to become linen. The flax was sown. It was grown. It was harvested. It rhetted. It was broken. It was scutched. And finally it was hackled on the bed of nails. Paul said (1 Corinthians 2:2) For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. (1 Corinthians 1:18) For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. (Galatians 6:14) But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ… (Philippians 2:8) And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

It was there at the cross God’s precious fine linen was pierced through with nails. (Zechariah 12:10) And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. Jesus was run through a bed of nails. It brings to mind the words of that song Crimson River:

There’s a river flowing deep and wide,
Coming from the Savior’s side;
From His hands, His feet and brow,
Underneath this river I’ll abide.

His hands, his feet, his brow, his side! Jesus was pierced with thorns. (John 19:2) And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head. Jesus was pierced with nails. Thomas said, (John 20:25) Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails… They pierced his head. They pierced his hands, his feet. And they pierced his side. (John 19:34) But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. Jesus was pierced.  

Jesus was broken. He was scutched. And he was put through the comb of nails and hackled just like the flax. This was the final step to prepare the linen for spinning and weaving. You started with a stiff dried up plant and what you had left was a soft bundle of pure linen, combed nice and soft. It looks like a pony tail of hair, but linen. Jesus said (John 19:30) It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

Spinning the flax

Now this bundle of linen fiber was ready for spinning. That’s where you took the fibers of linen and twisted them together nice and tight to form thread or yard. This thread would be used to make cloth or nets or whatever was needed. Sometimes wax or oil was spun in to the thread to help preserve it from moisture or wear. Next on the scene was Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus. These were God’s heavenly spinners.

(Proverbs 31:19) She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. The distaff was a staff, a stick or pole, that the perfectly pured combed linen was hung. And there we see again the cross. Jesus said, And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. (John 12:32) We all know the song At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light… Well, the third verse, I remember years ago when it dawned on me that the third verse, Well might the sun in darkness hide and shut his glories in, when Christ, the might Maker died for man the creature’s sin.

The other day I was thinking about that darkness. And I really wonder if that can give us an understanding of what we call Holy Ghost conviction. I remember when my wife was under conviction, she said, God showed me that I was in outer darkness. When I got under conviction, God gave me a glimpse of what was inside of me and I saw a darkness so terrible I could never put into words. But do you know what happened in the darkness between the sixth and ninth hour? The veil was rent from top to bottom. That’s the time to get in. As the darkness lifted that day at the ninth hour, there he was up on a hill far away. And nobody understood the words of John Baptist until that day at the ninth hour: Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29) There he was. The songwriter went on to say, Thus might I hide my blushing face, While his dear cross appears. When the darkness lifted, there he was, the righteousness of saints, the God’s heavenly fine linen bundle hanging upon the distaff.

Now what the spinner would do is draft the linen fibers from the distaff. Drafting meant to draw down the fibers carefully from the distaff. (John 19:38) And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.

Jesus, the broken, scutched, and combed linen hung there on the distaff, and Joseph of Arimathaea, the fine linen spinner, drafted him down to do the work. Then came Nicodemus with a hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes, and the bible says (John 19:40) Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. God’s heavenly spinners went to work. The fine pure linen from the flax was drawn down the distaff, wound, twisted and spun into thread. And they laid the wound body of Jesus there in the tomb.

Linen cloth

After the spinners were done making the thread it was handed off to the weaver, where he would take the threads and weave them into cloth. Typically, the weaver was always someone who worked independently of the flax farmers and spinners. In fact, it was not uncommon to find the children of the farmers do the spinning. As early as 5 years old, children were taught to spin. It was relatively easy and uncomplicated. Weaving, however, was a specialty and required an artisan. Even the bible makes a distinction. (Isaiah 19:9) Moreover they that work in fine flax, and they that weave networks… The weaver didn’t necessary only work with flax. They strictly wove. So in the building of the tabernacle, God had set apart and equipped certain people in every trade to get the job done. (Exodus 35:35) Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer… and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work. So you see everybody played their specific part.

Man did all he could do in the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was man that betrayed him. It was man that scourged him. It was man that nailed him to the cross. Peter told the Jews (Acts 2:23) Him… ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: And it was even man that took him down off the cross and wrapped him up and buried him in that tomb. But there was one more things that needed to be done and man could not do it. What was now left to be done was something only God could do. They left the body of Jesus in the tomb and closed it with a great stone. Even the chief priest authorized the tomb to be guarded. The bible says (Matthew 27:66) They went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.

And there behind the veil of the stone, God performed the final task. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;  Man took care of that part. 4 And that he was buried,  Man did all that, but it was God that had to do the next part: and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: God the master weaver had to do that last task. It was God that raised Jesus from the dead.

Peter stood up on the day of Pentecost and preached Jesus, (Acts 2:24) Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. He said (Acts 2:32) This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. When Paul was in Antioch, he stood up in the synagogue and preached Jesus, and he said (Acts 13:29-30) And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. 30 But God raised him from the dead:

When they closed up that tomb, it was there in the darkness that God did the work. In the tabernacle, the candlestick was not on the same side of the veil that the ark and the mercy seat were on. There were four layers of curtains covering the holy place, two of which were like leather. It was dark in the most holy place. The only light in there was the candlestick on the other side of the veil.  And high priest went alone behind the veil. Nobody went with him, and nobody saw what went on behind the veil. The bible says (Leviticus 16:17) And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel. Until the work was done, nobody was allowed in.

When Moses went up into the mount to receive the law, the oracles of God, the tables of stone, the bible says, And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables. (Exodus 32:16) The bible says, 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. (John 1:17-18) When they closed the door to the tomb, It was just God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. It was just like it was in the beginning when the earth was void and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And God went to work. 

And after that tomb was opened up, Mary Magdalene was the first to come upon the tomb. It was still dark. She didn’t go in. Instead she went and got Peter and John. John got there first, and in his gospel, he records what he found. And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying… (John 20:5) there in the tomb.

You know I’ve heard many times people say, especially when Easter rolls around, We got an empty cross and we got an empty tomb. And I’m not fussing or anything, but that tomb wasn’t empty. There was something in that tomb that Jesus saw fit to leave. In fact, it was so important that the bible declares it twice, Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes… (John 20:6) The bible says that by the mouth of two or three witness let every word, every matter, be established. God left his disciples a perfect picture in the tomb of the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ, (Revelation 19:8) And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

That tomb was not empty. God left something there. When the body of Jesus was laid there and the tomb was closed, it declared to a lost and dying world that the wages of sin is death. But when it was opened, what was left in that tomb, the fine linen, declared the gift of God which is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord, the righteousness of saints. Listen, as Jesus said, the wedding is ready. There is no reason in the world to show up without a wedding garment. God himself has provided it. 

Conclusion

Fine linen is the righteousness of saints and Jesus Christ is our righteousness. Therefore, the fine linen is Jesus Christ. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.(Matthew 6:33) Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. (Matthew 5:6) 

(Revelation 19:7-8) His wife hath made herself ready. 8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. I’ve said all this to say Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, the righteousness of saints, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. (Romans 13:14)

When he shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in him be found,
Dressed in his righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.
On Christ the solid rock I stand. 

Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ!

 

Romans 8:12 We are debtors…

September 25, 2018


(Romans 8:12-14) Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

I came across this the other day. It really did something for me. I thought maybe I would share it. It’s from the book When the Holy Ghost is Come by Commissioner Brengle of the Salvation Army.

During the American Civil Ware certain men committed some dastardly and unlawful deeds, and were sentenced to be shot. On the day of the execution they stood in a row confronted by soldiers with loaded muskets, waiting the command to fire. Just before the command was given, the commanding officer felt a touch on his elbow and, turning, saw a young man by his side, who said, ‘Sir, there in that row, waiting to be shot, is a married man. He has a wife and children. He is their bread-winner. If you shoot him, he will be sorely missed. Let me take his place.‘

‘All right,’ said the officer; ‘take his place, if you wish; but you will be shot.’

‘I quite understand that,’ replied the young man; ‘but no one will miss me.’ And, going to the condemned man, he pushed him aside, and took his place.

Soon the command to fire was given. The volley rang out, and the young hero dropped dead with a bullet through his heart, while the other man went free.

His freedom came to him by blood. Had he, however, neglected the great salvation and, despising the blood shed for him and refusing the sacrifice of the friend and the righteous claims of the law, persisted in the same evil ways, he, too, would have been shot. The blood, though shed for him, would not availed to set him free. But he accepted the sacrifice, submitted to the law, and went home to his wife and children. It was by the blood; every breath he henceforth drew, every throb of his heart, every blessing he enjoyed, or possibly could enjoy, came to him by the blood. He owed everything from that day forth to the blood, and every fleeting moment, every passing day and every rolling year but increased his debt to the blood which had been shed for him. 

Paul said (Galatians 2:20) The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I have to admit, I never realized the extent of my debt to which I owe. Somehow, the great salvation that Jesus has purchased on our behalf is viewed as something to be waited for; something in the future. And it is. But it’s not. Forgive me for being so unspiritual. But, I’ve heard it and even sung it, but I don’t think I’ve truly grasped it. 

Every moment of my existence now I owe him. By all rights, I should be in hell. I should be dead; not just spiritually but physically dead as a door nail. But no. I got saved. God has given me a new life; another chance, so to speak, to live to the glory of Himself. He has provided another opportunity and a new and living way that I can actually live and not fall short of the glory of God. And it began the moment I got saved. 

This passage spoke to me because the man that was set free had to choose to go back to his wife and children and live right now. Now why is this significant? Well, he was already a husband and father, and now he was to go back to being a husband and father. But now, he is afforded this opportunity by the blood of that righteous man. I’ll tell you what comes to mind.  (2 Kings 6:5) But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.  

I got saved as a church member. No doubt some of you have also. I was already going to church. I was giving and tithing. I was faithful. I worked hard for the church. I preached. I had turned from much worldliness. I wasn’t at the bar, or the honky-tonk, or anythng like that. But I was lost. I’m not saying that I was good or anything righteous. I’m just saying I was already in church. Now the bible says (2 Corinthians 5:17) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. Now what was this supposed to mean for me? I’ll be honest with you: Things for me just didn’t change much. I didn’t start going to church. I didn’t join the choir. I was already doing this stuff. So understanding the newness that Paul wrote about has been difficult for me, to say the least. (Romans 7:6) But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

And I know people in my condition will say It’s just different now. And I can relate and say the same thing. But for me, it’s been hard fought. Before I got saved, I loved the church, I loved the brethren, and I loved the house of God. So the newness in all this for me has been a relearning of things I thought I already knew. So that’s why this fella on death row has really spoke to me. He was to go back to do the same things he’d done before, but now because of the circumstances, his heart will be different toward the work. I want to thank God for the wonderful, blessed circumstances to which I take this very breathe. 

When someone is brought under Holy Ghost conviction, he is transported to the eternal trial of man; to a place called Calvary; a place where he can be set free. I often consider those three hours of darkness as Christ hung on the cross, and I remember the fearful darkness that God had let me see in my own soul. And I remember what my wife said of her conversion: I was in outer darkness. I think that darkness that overtook the world between the sixth and ninth hour on that dreadful day is a type of Holy Ghost conviction because it was in those hours that the bible says (Matthew 27:51) And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; The way to the holiest of all was opened up in those dark hours. That’s the only time you can get in.  You’ve got to come to the trial.

You must see the writing on the wall. (Daniel 5:25-27) And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. 26 This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. 27 TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. Belshazzar came to the trial. Or maybe the trial came to him. And he didn’t make it past the night. Oh, but our circumstances are different. I was finished? Yes. I was found wanting? Yes. But someone more righteous that I took my place. I came out of that trial a free man; a freedom provided by the precious blood of Christ. 

I still attend an old-fashioned Independent Baptist Church, and much of my circumstances have remained the same. I still have to live in this flesh. The devil is still there. Temptations are still there. The world is still there. Responsibilities are still there. Bills are still there. Trials, sorrows, and difficulties are still there. But I can say with honesty and excitement: (Galatians 2:20) The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Do you see what I’m saying? That guilty man had a responsibility to his wife and to his children. His indictment did not change his responsibilities; nor did the trial; nor did his guilt; nor did his freedom. Let me say this too: His propensity to fail his wife and children didn’t change either. But the circumstances in which he now addresses those responsibilities have changed. He should never have seen his wife’s lovely face again. Never would he hug his dear children. But now, every breathe, every moment, every experience, every vision, every thought, every sound, every everything has been purchased by the blood of that righteous man. 

I don’t feel like I’m conveying adequately what I’m thinking. Let me try one last time. It’s not so much that my circumstances have changed, but that every circumstance that I have the privilege to now experience I am now allowed by the mercy of Jesus Christ. And in that respect, all things have become new. Praise His holy name! So, I am a debtor. O my soul! The debt is growing every second I contemplate this. 

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let that grace, Lord, like a fetter,
Bind my wand’ring heart to Thee

John 5:14 Behold, thou art made whole…

September 17, 2018

This is a very interesting text. It only appears in the gospel of John. I usually hear this text referred when preachers are preaching on Holy Ghost conviction. “It’s whosoever! It’ whatsoever! But it’s not whensoever!” Good preaching. I like it. I’m probably not going to get into it on those lines. In fact, my thoughts are a bit scattered on this. Here’s the text.

(John 5:1-16) After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. 5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. 8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath. 10 The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. 11 He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk. 12 Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? 13 And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place. 14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.15 The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole. 16 And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.

So here’s a few things that stand out to me:

(Verse 6) That case…

For thirty-eight years this man had this infirmity. There were many there at the pool, blind, halt, and withered. Why this certain man? Why his case? And why now? And what about the other sick folk? No telling how long some of them had been sick; some more and maybe some less. They were all sick. They were all waiting. But of all those there, it was this certain man’s case that Jesus would deal with that day. It was his day. I wonder at the care and length that God would go for just one person. I know it’s God so loved the world. But it amazes me how God could single out a certain sinner. The hunter invests much to track down and win his prize.

My head spins at the remembrance of all the miracles that surrounded my conversion; the wonders that the Holy Ghost performed in order that I might be saved. I had a case of my own. For me it was a 30 year wait. I wasn’t into drugs and alcohol. No, I was steeped in religion. I was a whitened sepulchre, filled with dead men’s bones. I was decieved and blinded. But somehow, by the grace of God, I took the gospel; hook, line, and sinker. And God slowly reeled me in until I was close enough I suppose to cast the net. We might be all sick unto death, but each case is still different.

(Verse 7) No man…

The impotent man said I have no man. But Jesus said I am that man. I can’t help but think that this is just about where every sinner gets when he or she is about to get saved. You come to a point where no man can help you; no man on earth at least. But there is a man in heaven, with nail-pierced hands and a wound on his side, that can help your lonely condition. That woman at the well said (John 4:29) Come, see a man! They put the crown of thorns upon his head and the purple robe and Pilate brought forth Jesus and declared to all the world (John 19:5) Behold the man! 

(1 Timothy 2:5) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; That poor impotent man got the helping hand he so desperately needed that day. Christ, the man, is our mediator, our helper, our paraclete. He is our heavenly advocate. Full of grace, he is able to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. He is our appointed counsel, for we could not afford one on our own. He wasn’t paid to do the work he did. He didn’t work pro bono either. Instead, he paid a great price to be our gracious advocate. I thank God I can say I had no man, but now I do.

(Verse 11) The same…

When the Jews told the healed man that it was not lawful to carry his bed, (John 5:11) He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk. Can I say this? (Romans 8:9-10) Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ be in you… That man that was healed at the pool answered simply I’m obeying he that made me whole. And that is what God’s people long to do. I’ve been thinking much of that song: I am thine, O Lord. I have heard thy voice and it told thy love to me… Ah, it was a wonderful day that I heard the voice of God. I remember when he leaned down over heaven and whispered in my wretched sinful ear, But I still love you. 

And I’ve been ruined ever since; ruined to this world because the voice from another world still speaks. That song from Fanny Crosby goes on to say But I long to rise… (John 5:8) Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. Being saved, meeting the Lord Jesus Christ, was glorious, but I long for more. The word of God says (Galatians 5:25) If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Paul asked us this question: (Galatians 3:3) Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? I’m going to listen carefully for the same voice that told his love to me. I’m going to obey the same voice that called me (1 Peter 2:9) Out of darkness into his marvellous light:

(Verse 14) Jesus findeth him…

The bible says that the man did not know who it was that made him whole, (John 5:13) For Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place. There were just too many people there; too much hustle and bustle; too much commotion. But then after a little while (John 5:14) Jesus findeth him… Maybe it’s time to ditch the multitude. The bible says to (James 4:8) Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. You can’t draw nigh to God and stay nigh the multitude. He said (Song of Solomon 2:13) Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. 

I know the bible says that (Deuteronomy 4:29) But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. But it’s not just us that seeks to find. No no no. (1 John 4:19) We love him, because he first loved us. I thank God for the times, since the days of my conversion, that he’s found me. It’s easy to lose your way in the multitude of distractions. But the loving eyes, hidden alone in the shadows, are seeking and waiting and longing to catch the eyes again of his love, to lay hold of her hand, and lead her away with him. His eye is upon you and he waits patiently for you to break from the crowd; to get off the beaten track; and give him that opportunity.

(Verse 14) Sin no more…

Once Jesus found the man, his message for him was this: (John 5:14) Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. A stern prescription from the Great Physician who healed this man. This teaches us one sure thing; that sin will always have consequences. And this is a hard one to understand, I believe, for many people. Here’s the question that it demands. How can we be eternally forgiven from our sin, yet still suffer consequences of our sin? I mean, are we forgiven or not? Am I the only one that asks this question? I think not.

I’ve come to realize that there’s just alot about sin that I don’t understand. God’s grace is sufficient, yes. But grace from God implies utter and absolute unworthiness and insufficiency in us. And to this we give the credit to sin. Paul said concerning sin, (Romans 7:17-18) Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. Follow me. If it’s not I that does it, then it’s not I that is charged. But if it is sin that dwells in my flesh, then it’s in my flesh that the consequences are manifest.

Remember, (Romans 8:10) If Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. You may be saved, Christ in you, but the body is still dead because of sin; because the wages of sin is still death. That hasn’t changed and will never change. We talk about separation from the world, but I think what is more needful and will do us more effectual good is to separate from the flesh; drop that dead carcass and cross over the River Jordan. I think Verse 14 is the call to all that were made whole to be filled with the Spirit. I think real biblical separation lies in the revelation of that great truth that Paul demonstrated: (Romans 7:25) So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Concluding Remarks

I’m looking forward to visiting this text again. Much preaching could be done from here and volumes could be written from this miracle. The gospel of John is very different from the Synoptic Gospels. Sorry there’s no three-point outline today but I could barely wrap my head around this one.

Wiley, But Not Wiley

September 16, 2018

(Romans 8:28) And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

The devil cannot be a dumb robotic thorn in our flesh who repeatedly bangs his head against the wall with us and God. God can take the wiles and snares of the devil and turn them around to our benefit, surely. But I think that is not the rule but the exception. If the rule, then why keep doing it? Is he that stubborn and foolish – like Wiley Coyote? I think not.

Therefore we must conclude that he must receive some great gain, some exceptional pleasure, and tremendous satisfaction in vexing us. There exist for him a compelling reason to walk, seek, and devour. His success must be much more compelling that his failure.

Romans 8:28 outlines the exception to which has been wonderfully and graciously applied to us, God’s people. That verse is for one people, them that love God. So therein lies our protection and peace from the wiles of the devil, to love God.

Evil things happen and come to us by the hand of the devil and his devils, but by the hand of God, it can be turned upside and inside out to instead bring us gain. What was meant to be a curse to us, God can make a blessing; an amazing work that Jesus can do but for one question: Lovest thou me?

Those that love God can be assured and rest in the care of our Father. But all else will succumb to the power of the devil. (Psalm 1:6) For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. Thank God for the Rock on which is built Jesus’ marvelous church! Thank God that the gates of hell will not prevail!

Matthew 9:32 The dumb spake…

September 3, 2018

(Matthew 9:32-34) As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil. 33 And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel. 34 But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.

#1 They brought to him a dumb man…

We typically look to the lame man that was lowered through the roof by four men when we want to speak about the faith of others and it’s bearing on that one lame man’s forgiveness and healing. Jesus saw their faith and helped the lame man. We use this to encourage the church to bring them in. So I just want to point out that this man also was brought to Jesus.

Bring them in, bring them in,
Bring them in from the fields of sin;
Bring them in, bring them in,
Bring the wand’ring ones to Jesus.

(Luke 4:40) Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them. There is the lame man brought by the four. This dumb man that was brought to Jesus. The nobleman wanted to bring Jesus to his son. The man with devil in the synagogue said Let us alone. Jesus was brought to Peter’s mother-in-law. The centurion at first besought Jesus to come and heal. The man in the synagogue with a withered hand was not looking for Jesus to be healed. He was healed to teach the Pharisees a lesson. Jesus was moved in compassion by the widow’s tears and raised her dead son from the dead. Jesus made a special visit to Gadara just to cast out Legion. Jairus begged Jesus to come to his house and heal his daughter. I’ve covered about half of Jesus’ miracles and in most of them, it was not the sick seeking the physician. It was either somebody that loved them or Jesus himself. This is the reality of evangelism.

#2 A dumb man possessed with a devil…

One day I want to preach a message on Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due. We need to give God the credit where credit is due. We need to give the flesh credit where credit is due. And I see this verse and think that we need to give devils credit where credit is due. I wonder how man ailments that people have are truly devil possession. We send them to the hospital when they really need to go to church. A doctor will do them no good. They need Jesus. When Paul was speaking about examining ourselves before the Lord’s Supper he said this, (1 Corinthians 11:29-30) For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.  I know this verse doesn’t deal with devil possession, but it does illustrate some things; that some physical problems are just truly not physical, but spiritual. Most people would probably throw a fit if you suggested to them that their diabetes or their high-blood pressure was really devils. But I can see the wisdom in the enemy’s strategy; to exploit the weaknesses and infirmities of man. Why not? Doctor’s do it shamelessly. Anyhow, it’s something to consider.

#3 When the devil was cast out…

The dumb man spake and the multitudes marveled. Things happen when Jesus saves sinners. Things happen to the sinner and things happen to the spectator. When a sinner gets saved, it has an effect on the people around them. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. People notice new things. If you show up to work or church with a brand new King Ranch F350 Duelly, people are going to marvel. I would.  What’s new about you? (Luke 7:22) The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. Has what God done in your life make the multitude marvel? Why wouldn’t it. Is not Jesus marvelous? Is not his love and mercy marvelous? Don’t sell Jesus short. Maybe you just need to speak up.

# But the Pharisees said…

Who cares what the Pharisees said! The Pharisee is the nay-saying, self-righteous critic that has nothing good to say about anybody. Their words don’t help, they hurt. When they speak, they put everybody else down in order to lift themselves up. The Pharisee is not the preacher who preaches against sin and, in love, reproves, rebukes, and exhorts with all long-suffering and doctrine. No. That man is trying to help you. The Pharisee is the one that will speak ill of this man every chance he gets. The Pharisee is the straw-man basher. The Pharisee will twist and turn the work of God into the work of the devil. The Pharisee has always got to mischaracterize the people of God for their own gain. They’re know-it-alls; ever-teaching, never learning. A Pharisee is a well without water. He’s the king without clothes. They’ll criticize those who stand for something and glory in their stand for nothing. Who cares what the Pharisee said?