THE ISSUES OF LIFE
THE ISSUES OF LIFE
Sunday, August 28, 2016, the Year of Our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
This is a day of celebration and rejoicing as two of our church families have brought forth their infant daughters to dedicate them to the Lord and dedicate themselves to be Godly parents in the love of Jesus Christ. In faith they have presented to the Lord their greatest treasure. As I spoke earlier, the parents will take nothing from the earth with them to heaven; but they will take the souls of these beautiful daughters if they follow after the Lord and teach them to give their heart to Jesus Christ.
Proverbs 4:23: “Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
Our time and lines on earth have fallen at a time when people are walking away from Jesus Christ as their first love. His will and kingdom is no longer their first priority. They are busy with their own lives and fighting over issues which are not relevant to the present purposes of God. We see this fighting over the presidential race by the pundits, who fancy them selves to be prophets. This fighting over the issues of life is between races and also between Christians.
Isa. 55: 6-8: “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord.”
Throughout the nation, men are divided over the “issues.”
The temporary, lesser gods of a dusty realm are transcended by the eternal Issue of God.
Every “issue” in the earth has its answer in the heavens, the realm of the Spirit. Spiritual problems require spiritual solutions. Today the creative shaking of the heavenlies (Heb. 12: 25-29) is bringing change in the circumstantial. The unseen impacts the seen. Heaven is now coming to earth mediated by prophetic declaration as moved by the Spirit of God. The supernatural power and strategic wisdom of the Holy Spirit is no longer an option of one’s doctrinal stance or religious pride. A Living God is intervening in the affairs of men.
The Kingdom of God is His purpose; the Church is His instrument. I read today something written by John Owen (1616-1683) “the church consists of the “chosen”, “called” and “faithful,” who have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior through the power of His Blood.
There are many doctrines and many preach “another Jesus.” There is but One Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is the Savior of the world.
Secular politics can be milk and cookies compared to sacred politics. However, during this election cycle because of the upholding of Islam by the present administration, secular and sacred politics are now interwoven into one giant battle of the spirit of antichrist against the Kingdom of God and His Christ.
Chapter two of the Book of Daniel declares that the Kingdom of God will eventually swallow up all other kingdoms. Jesus, the Wisdom of God, is from above. The issues of men are from beneath, governed by other kinds of wisdom.
James 3: 14-17: “If you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. For the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”
Prov. 19:21: “There are many plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”
The Kingdom of God is the extension of God’s rule and dominion in the earth and universe, and is in the Holy Ghost (Rom. 14:17). Simply stated, it is the lordship of Jesus Christ. God’s Kingdom is a theocracy, not a democracy, and is ruled by God. The term “Kingdom of Heaven” shows us where it is from, and the term, “Kingdom of God” shows us who runs it!
1 Cor. 6: 19-20: “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own? For you are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
We belong to the Lord, having been purchased by His blood. Yet many Christians think they still have choices. Their God is like the manager of a heavenly supermarket where one can shop with leisure, picking the church and priest of his choice. These folks save face by raising the smoke screen of doctrinal “issues.” But the real point remains a governmental one: Who governs us? Is Jesus Christ the Lord, the King, the Boss, of our lives?
The spirit of antichrist that fashioned the tower of Babel is still in the world. “Antichrist” means instead of “Christ”. Christ is the image of God; antichrist is any other image (2 Cor. 4:4). Christ is the wisdom and power of God; antichrist is the wisdom and strength of men.
Romans 1: 23-25 says that men have ‘exchanged the truth for “the lie.” Men bartered away their souls to wallow in the pottage of what passes away. They made a deal with the devil, relinquishing their birthright of permanent blessings. The eternal was offered and is being offered on the altar of the temporal.
Every “issue” raised by men cannot last, while the Issue of God cannot die. His Kingdom will never end, for His government and peace is an endless increase (Isa. 9: 6-7). Everything is on His terms.
People want peanuts, popcorn and candy, not the meat of the Word. A quick affair, whether natural or spiritual, in a motel room or before the pulpit, is preferred over a lifelong experience of wedded love. Many would rather enjoy a spiritual one-night stand that a committed relationship to a local fellowship of believers.
Why is American Christianity so shallow? My friend and co-laborer, Tayo Fasan sent this to me yesterday:
“Endurance with an unbroken focus is gradually becoming a “taboo” among believers (2Tim. 2:3/10), and if we are to attain a New Testament edition of the glory Moses attained, we would have to subscribe to and fellowship with God’s custom-made-dealings daily! (Lk. 9:23). According to the carnal timing of the earth, our natural “needs” would seem to linger when God “delays” issuing answers to our “prayers”, but in His infinite wisdom, He uses such golden opportunity to make available great grace for progress in the Spirit, and He expects us to take comfort with such.
Christ’s greater riches, designed to make us co-owners of the Gospel (Rom.1:1/1:16/2:16/16:25a), ONLY comes after we have embraced the reproaches of the gospel (Heb. 11:26/Rom .1:16a/2Tim. 1:8/1Pet. 4:14). This is when and where God makes men rich towards him (Lk. 12:21), and appoints unto them authority, yea; the very dominion in His kingdom (Lk. 12:32/22:29)
God’s glory only follows the-faith-building-trials-of-Christ (1Pet. 1:11/5:1), and this takes place as we allow the dismantling of the wrong life (disobedience/death/darkness), which we all inherited in the first Adam but have been destroying IN Christ Jesus.
Blessed is that believer (Ps. 65:4), who is either presently in a wilderness (dealing), or just coming out of a wilderness experience, or just being prepared to be ushered into another wilderness, for such a one would thereby partake of THE BREAD (MEAT) OF HEAVEN, which in turn would deal with corruption (death) and cause us him or her to LIVE AND ABIDE in His sight (1Pet. 1:23)
Any believer who is a stranger to such provisions, cannot live by the daily bread (commandments/revelations of righteousness) that proceeds out of the mouth of the father, and is prone to drawing back (Heb. 10:38), losing the measure of life previously acquired (Matt. 1312) and, but for accelerated repentance, such might ultimately lose reward hereafter, but that won’t be our portion, amen. Blessings!” Tayo Fasan.
Acts 8:33 says the Messiah was “deprived of justice.” Early in our lives we are taught to fight for our “rights”. What a shock when we come into His Kingdom, the place of His reign and rule, the place without options. When the Lord called me into full time public ministry, one of His first commands to me was: “Carolyn build an altar and lay on it all of your rights and righteous indignation.”
There are situations wherein we are 100 percent right, yet still blamed. Our good is sometimes spoken of as evil. Our words are sometimes twisted to say what we never said. We are misrepresented and maligned, persecuted for righteousness sake. Like the Master, we must not complain or sin with our mouths. A dead man need not defend himself.
Every preacher in his/her immaturity has a point to prove, and usually will kill for it. Some casualties in the Kingdom are due to ignorance and arrogance of the sword of “issues”; not the sword of the Spirit of God. The good news for preachers is God forgives.
Moses and Paul were two great preachers. Both had to mature and lay aside the issues of men.
There are at least over 200 doctrinal issues that preachers, denominations and congregations disagree on which are the “issues of men.” They are majoring on minors. Men prefer to preach from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil rather than from the Tree of Life. Revelations become a stumbling block of pride.
1 Tim. 1:4: “Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions rather than godly edifying which is in faith; so do.”
1 Tim. 6:3-5: “If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.” (NIV)
Out of the heart are the issues of life. Jesus came out of the bosom of the Father. Jesus is the true issue, priestly in nature. In relationship to the Father in heaven, Jesus is the Worshiper, the Son of God. In relationship to all men in the earth, he is the intercessor, the Son of Man.
Mt. 12:35: “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.”
Out of the heart are the issues of life.
Jesus came forth from the heart, or the bosom of God the father. Jesus is the Issue of God.
No words can adequately describe the worth of the Treasure who came from the bosom of the Father, Jesus, the unspeakable Gift, is the essence of wealth, the legal covenantal Heir of all things in heaven, in earth and under the earth. The wealth of the universe is in Him and through Him. He is the inestimable Bounty from the lap of God. Our heavenly Boaz is a Man of means. He is the Treasure and the Pearl, and His people are the treasure within His chambers (Mal. 3:17; Matt. 13: 44-46).
Beloved, the day you were conceived was a special day. Fearfully and wonderfully made, the word within the Word, you have something unique to say that no one else can say the way you can. You have something special to do that no one else can do the way you can. When God was ready to say something good to his planet, you were born.
Shanna gave me an angel figurine many years ago which reads, “God danced the day you were born.” I keep it on my desk all the time.
Today we have celebrated the birth of two unique and special children, Melody Renee Ibert and Jay’lah Skye Williams who have been called, set apart, and sealed into this glorious Kingdom. God sends them to us from His bosom with a message of their worth as His treasures sent from His heart to our heart. The wealth of the universe is in Jesus Christ. We have this hope which is our faith the song of the Lamb will be sung from generation to generation and through eternity.
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries Church
Scripture from K.J.V. and N.I.V. as noted. I entered into the labors of The Issues of Life by Kelly Varner (1949-2009) and Tayo Fasan as noted. Also I quoted from John Owen (1616-1683).