Possessing the Land - Presentation

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=168 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="129a11c3.png"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Welcome to the Heart4God Website!"><U><B><IMG SRC="4b55a500.png" border=0 width="90" height="80" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Writings of Joseph Herrin"><U><B>Writings by Date</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id212.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Writings of Joseph Herrin Organized "><U><B>Writings by Topic</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.heart4god.ws/Audio/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.heart4god.ws/Audio/index.htm"><U><B>Audio Files</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id690.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Videos"><U><B>Videos</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id323.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Writings of Others"><U><B>Other Authors</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id324.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id339.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Questions and Answers"><U><B>Q&A</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id328.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Heart4God Email List"><U><B>Heart4God E-mail List</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com"><U><B>Parables Blog</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id306.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="File Downloads"><U><B><IMG SRC="2b264140.png" border=0 width="100" height="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <bR> <div> <B>Possessing the Land - Presentation</B></div> <div> <IMG SRC="c2827160.png" border=0 width="807" height="22" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="c5d164f0.png" border=0 width="278" height="335" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> One of the great themes of the Old Testament is found in the story of Joshua leading the people of God to go in and take possession of the land of promise. A major portion of the Old Testament is devoted to this account. As Christians we must understand that all of these things were recorded for OUR benefit. Yahweh has always had in mind this present age when He would raise up spiritual children after His image. To help this present generation to understand both His desire for them, and the manner in which they would attain to this desire, He has given us the history of Israel for our instruction.</div> <bR> <div> Even as the Israelites went in to take possession of the land Yahweh promised to them, we also have a land promised to us. Even as they had to face the enemies in the land and drive them out, we too have enemies that must be conquered. What is this land that the born again child of God is to take possession of in order to establish the kingdom of God on Earth?</div> <bR> <div> To discover where this land is that the Christian is to take possession of, we need only look to the words of Christ and see where He said the kingdom of God exists. Even as the Israelites of old sought to establish a kingdom for God in the land of Canaan, so too must we work to establish the kingdom of God.</div> <bR> <div> Luke 17:20-21</div> <div> Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”</div> <bR> <div> This passage identifies where it is that God seeks to reign. It identifies where Yahweh desires to set His throne, and what land He seeks to bring under complete subjection to His rule. This kingdom is within you and I!</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="c5e38dd0.png" border=0 width="312" height="221" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> Genesis 2:7</div> <div> Then Yahweh God formed man of dust from the ground...</div> <bR> <div> Consider for a moment how Yahweh has created a perfect parable in the long warfare of Israel as she sought to conquer the land of Canaan. The Israelites were seeking to establish a kingdom in the earth. The kingdom we must establish is in the earth of man’s flesh for Christ said “the Kingdom of God is within you.” </div> <bR> <div> In Genesis chapter two we are told that man’s body was formed from the dust of the earth. Each one of us is walking around in a little piece of real estate. Each one of us is clothed with a body formed from the earth. It is Yahweh’s desire that we bring this piece of land that we inhabit under complete subjection to His rule.</div> <bR> <div> When man sinned this earth we inhabit fell under the curse of sin. Darkness descended upon the land, and many evil creatures entered in under the curse of death and darkness. Even as the Israelites had to face giants, strongholds, fortified cities, and a myriad of enemies, so too do we find that the same things exist within us.</div> <bR> <div> The apostle Paul wrote, “In my flesh dwells no good thing.” “Sin dwells in my flesh.” There is much that is evil that resides within us, and it must all be brought under subjection to the rule of God.</div> <bR> <div> Proverbs 16:32</div> <div> He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,</div> <div> And he who rules his soul, than he who captures a city.</div> <bR> <div> In this proverb King Solomon uses the illustration of a man capturing a fortified city to serve as a parable of a man ruling over his own soul. Warfare in the Old Testament serves as a parable for the spiritual warfare of the saint today. Whereas the patriarchs of old battled with natural enemies, the Christian must contend with spiritual enemies.</div> <bR> <div> Consider Solomon’s point here. He is acknowledging that it takes a better man to rule over his own soul, than it takes to capture a city. If you have read of the warfare of Israel as they sought to conquer the land of Canaan, and you thought it was a difficult warfare, understand that this warfare simply stands as a type and a shadow of the warfare the Christian is called to enter into.</div> <bR> <div> Have you ever thought of what it would be like to live in days of old when men were faced with such physical enemies, as were the kings of Israel and their leaders? Have you ever thought that you would like to experience warfare and victory after the manner of David when he slew Goliath, or when he conquered the cities of the Philistines? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have followed Joshua as he led the people of God in to take possession of the land of promise, while driving out all the evil inhabitants of the land?</div> <bR> <div> This is precisely what God has called you and I to do today! We are to enter into battle and rule over the land of this flesh. In our flesh are enemies. In our flesh there are giants and strongholds and walled cities. We must completely conquer the land, bringing it under the rule of God. <U>Then the kingdom of God will be established in us.</U></div> <bR> <div> Genesis 9:22-25</div> <div> Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside... When Noah awoke from his wine, he knew what his youngest son had done to him.  So he said, "Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants he shall be to his brothers."</div> <bR> <div> The Israelites went in to take possession of the land of Canaan. It is therefore instructive for us to understand who Canaan was, and the character of the inhabitants there. Canaan was the grandson of Noah. Canaan’s father Ham did an evil thing in acting rebelliously toward his father Noah. Ham found his father drunk and naked in his tent, and rather than covering his father and not speaking of his condition, he went and broadcast it. The Scriptures tell us that love covers over a multitude of sins. Ham, however, was not walking in love, but in selfishness.</div> <bR> <div> It is interesting to note that when Noah realized what Ham had done, that he cursed Ham’s offspring Canaan. This is a symbol that the fruit of rebellion and selfishness is cursed. We see that this same rebellion and selfishness that was in Ham was also in his offspring, and they waxed worse and worse until God determined to remove them from the earth.</div> <bR> <div> This land of Canaan is a symbol for the land we must conquer, even the land of our flesh. As Paul stated, “In my flesh dwells no good thing.” In Genesis 15:16 we find Yahweh speaking to Abraham and promising that He will give the land of Canaan to his descendants. Yet He said that the time for them to possess it had not arrived, for the sins of the people of the land had not yet come to its fulness. Only when there was no good thing left in the land was God ready to destroy its inhabitants.</div> <bR> <div> We must acknowledge that this is the condition of our flesh. There is no good thing in it. So at the fulness of time God sent His Son to begin to destroy the works of the Devil, and to deliver a spiritual people from bondage to sin. It is our calling to follow Yahshua as He leads us to engage in warfare to bring all that is within us into subjection to the rule of His Father.</div> <bR> <div> The leader of the Israelites who led them in to conquer the land of Canaan is the same name as our Lord who leads us in to take possession of the land of our flesh. Joshua is the English form of the Hebrew name Yahshua. This is the same name as the Son of God. The first Yahshua stands as a type and symbol for the other. First the natural, then the spiritual.</div> <bR> <div> Even as Yahshua told His disciples to choose between serving God or living to satisfy the desires of their soul, Joshua urged the people to make a similar choice.</div> <bR> <div> Joshua 24:14-16</div> <div> Now therefore, fear Yahweh, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve Yahweh! And if it seems evil to you to serve Yahweh, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve Yahweh."</div> <bR> <div> Yahweh promised the Israelites that if they would serve Him with a whole heart and separate themselves from the idols of the nations around them, then they would always rule over their enemies and dwell securely in the land. However, we know the history of Israel and how they compromised their devotion to Yahweh by serving other gods. They did not pursue Yahweh with a whole heart, and therefore they knew constant defeat at the hands of their enemies.</div> <bR> <div> This is a parable for the Christian today. If the Christian does not pursue God with a whole heart, but instead seeks after the same idols as the nations in which they dwell, whether that be an idol of materialism, or comfort, of pleasure, of entertainment, of ease, of sexual immorality, or any other such god of this world, the promises of God become null and void to them. Such a saint cannot expect to walk victoriously over sin, Satan and the world.</div> <bR> <div> We must put away all idols from our lives at the very beginning of our warfare. If we have idols in our heart and go forth to establish the kingdom of God within, we will fail. We will not be able to subdue the enemies that dwell in our flesh. Even as Joshua challenged the Israelites at the very beginning of their campaign to examine their devotion to God, we as Christians are instructed to do the same.</div> <bR> <div> <U>If we are not wholly devoted, if we have not counted the cost of following Christ wherever He would lead us, then you are already crippled in your fight to possess the land and walk as an overcomer. We must be 100% devoted to Christ, holding nothing in reserve.</U></div> <bR> <div> Luke 9:62</div> <div> But Yahshua said to him, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."</div> <bR> <div> Tragically, there are few saints today who have heeded the call of Christ to give Him all of their life. Few have the mindset that they are no longer their own person and therefore they can no longer choose for themselves the life they will live, the choices they will make. They belong totally to God.</div> <bR> <div> I Corinthians 6:19-20</div> <div> Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that <U>you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price</U>...</div> <bR> <div> It is precisely this lack of understanding the total ownership of God over the saint that is responsible for so much defeat among the body of Christ today. How can a man wage war effectively against the flesh, the world and Satan if he is not totally committed to Christ, if he is divided in his loyalty and affections?</div> <bR> <div> Consider the words of Paul to Timothy:</div> <bR> <div> II Timothy 2:3-5</div> <div> Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules. </div> <bR> <div> This level of commitment is not merely for ministers of the gospel. Christ said “No man can be My disciple who does not hate even his own life.” How then can a man fight the good fight of faith if he is also pursuing the things of this world? How can a Christian expect to walk as an overcomer when his pursuit of the things of the world is identical to that of his lost neighbor?</div> <bR> <div> Paul declares that an athlete cannot win the prize unless he competes according to the rules. <U>The first rule of discipleship in Christ is to count the cost of giving all to Him</U>,<U> </U>turning our backs on our former vain way of life, and <U>agreeing to accept whatever the Father has chosen for us</U>. If we seek to skip this step it is no different than an athlete who seeks a shortcut by cutting across the center of the field, rather than running the designated course around the track. Any Christian who does not count the cost and commit all to Christ will be disqualified from receiving the crown of the overcomer.</div> <bR> <div> Luke 14:33-35</div> <div> “So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”</div> <bR> <div> There can be no victorious life without a complete surrender of all things to Christ. This is the first requirement of a overcoming life. If you do not commit all to Christ, you will not be able to walk victoriously over all things. If there is even one thing you will not surrender to Christ, then you have an idol in your heart, and the idol will become a snare to your feet and keep you from complete victory in Christ.</div> <bR> <div> Some of you understand that there are serious things wrong in the churches today. You understand that there is little victory among the saints, for they are as enslaved to their lusts and evil habits and worldly pleasures as the world. One chief reason is that there is no cost of discipleship proclaimed to the church. A gospel of ease has replaced the preaching of the disciple’s cross.</div> <bR> <div> A church that avoids counting the cost of discipleship is doomed to failure. Such a church can never attain to the desire of Yahweh, or reach conformity to the image of Christ. That is why in this Bible Study God has not let me deliver to you more truth before you have demonstrated a willingness to walk in the truth already delivered to you.</div> <bR> <div> The church of this hour would never place such a requirement upon its members. But the Spirit of Christ demands that we obey those things He has delivered to us already. Christ is determined to daily bring every true disciple to confront the cost of following Him, and to accept the cost willingly. Only then can we have any hope of walking in victory over the sins that are resident in our flesh.</div> <bR> <div> This then must be settled first. Will you commit all to Christ? Will you count the cost of losing mother, father, wife, sons, daughters, possessions, and even give up your own right to self direction? <U>If you do not accept the cost then you are wasting your time seeking to be found pleasing to God; you are wasting your time trying to walk as an overcomer and attain victory over the flesh, the world and Satan.</U></div> <bR> <div> Continue to <A HREF="id615.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Possessing the Land Page 2"><U>Next Page</U></A></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>