THE GOLDEN SECRET
PSALM 16 – THE GOLDEN SECRET
Sunday, November 25, 2018, the Year of Our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
“Keep me safe, O mighty God.
I run for dear life to you, my Safe Place.
So I said to the Lord God,
‘You are my Maker, My Mediator, and my Master.
Any good thing you find in me has come from you.”
And he said to me, ‘My holy lovers (saints) are wonderful,
My majestic ones, my glorious ones,
Fulfilling all my desires.’” (Ps. 16: 1-3) – Passion Translation
“(A Michtam of David) Preserve me O God, for in You I put my trust.
O my soul, you have said to the LORD,
‘You are my Lord,
My goodness is nothing apart from you.’
‘As for the saints who are on the earth,
They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.’” (Ps. 16: 1-3) NKJV
The Hebrew word Michtam has several translations. The major ones are golden, graven, a permanent writing, precious, hidden, or jewel. The Septuagint renders this, “a sculptured writing of gold.” Perhaps the most accepted translation of Michtam is engraved in gold.”
This speaks of the divine nature engraved into our hearts by the Word. A new humanity, the one new man, is now stamped with God-life engraved in his golden glory.
Thank you to Rev. Allen Farley and the Eastgate Church family for excellent stewardship over Eastgate Church in my absence as I ministered to my family and was ministered to by family. Thank you to Sonya West for accompanying me to Missouri to assist with the celebration of my mother’s 98th birthday. I can say that 2018 came in with a major life changes as it was necessary to put my mother in Assisted Living in January. The subsequent months of 2018 have required my personal oversight of her care and well being. She is happy again and well adjusted in her new surroundings. We had a joyous gathering of family, old friends and now new friends at the Assisted Living. The lady residents and staff were delighted with the party favors given by the women of Eastgate of their outdated costume jewelry. At the suggestion of Kirk Harris, I bought miniature cars as party favors for the men.
On my return, I made my way by car through the Texas Prairie via San Antonio to the Texas Hill Country of Kerrville, Texas. It is truly one of my happy places at this juncture of my life. Despite the damp and cold mist, Shanna lit the bon fire. The country side was ablaze is red, gold, and orange foliage mixed in the dark green Cedar trees.
Friday morning was crisp and bright. As I was packing for my return to Houston, the sun beams and angels was shining and dancing on the ripples of the creek. I joined my soul with the song of creation thanking God for his goodness to me at this stage of my life.
“Lord I have chosen you alone as my inheritance.
You are my prize, my pleasure, and my portion.
I leave my destiny and its timing in your hands.
Your pleasant path leads me to pleasant places.
I’m overwhelmed by the privileges
That comes with following you,
For you have given me the best!”
(Ps. 16: 5-6) – Passion Translation
“O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You maintain my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places,
Yes, I have a good inheritance.
(Ps. 16: 5-6) NKJV
I learned early in life to overcome fear of lack and insecurity through faith in God’s promises. “My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever.” (Phl. 4:19)
In my young adult years and mid-life my husband and I faced all of life’s challenges with this faith. As I stood by that stream of water watching the sunlight dance over the song of the creek, I told the LORD whatever my latter days looked like, my cup was full this day, and the joy of the present is enough to sustain my joy and peace for my journey on earth. O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; I have chosen you. I am overwhelmed by the privileges that comes with following you and serving you. Thank you for the blessing of Eastgate Church family and the blessing of my great family. For you have given me the best.
The purpose of God is to engrave humanity with His own divine nature and image. The goodness, mercies, one’s securities, welfare, associates, worship and ambitions have been engraved into our soul through the blessings of the goodly heritage (which is God Himself!) Any good thing you find in me comes from you.
At Tuesday Bible Study on November 13th, we may have touched a realm of Heaven of God’s divine love from which John was preaching in 1 John, Chapter 4.
John challenges the Church to the level of divine fellowship which is actually companionship with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. There are many levels of earthly fellowship in Churches; but John is speaking here of the Spirit’s witness from one spirit to the other that we are sons of God. Such fellowship is apart from any other dimension on earth. It provides an avenue to communicate on a level beyond the capacity of earthly love and earthly fellowship. There is an inward sense of “knowing” which removes barriers normally associated with social exchanges. Such is and will be the characteristic fellowship of heaven. John defines and refines this truth that we are to experience this divine love on earth as it is in Heaven.
Built around the knowledge of Jesus and the fellowship he had with the Father, John declared that early disciples simply entered into their intimacy. We, too, are invited into that intimacy. Within this fellowship there is no darkness, un-forgiven sin, or hatred.
The world/kosmos has no knowledge of the fellowship with the divine love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Nothing in the natural mind of man can perceive the depths of this privilege. What the world/kosmos determines as fellowship cannot be equated to this holy communion.
Love comes from God, whether manifested in God or in man; love is of divine origin being God’s own nature. Divine begetting preceded the love; divine love is an activity of the implanted eternal life, and is therefore a proof that the life and love of God is present.
Ps. 16:8: Because you are close to me and always available, my confidence will never be shaken, for I experience your wrap-around presence every moment. (Passion Translation)
Ps. 16:8: I have set the LORD always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. (NKJV)
Verses 8-11 of Psalm 16 were quoted by Peter in his first sermon, after the pouring out of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. He tells us expressly that David is prophesying concerning Christ and his resurrection. Yes, these verses in Psalm 16 are applied to all good Christians as well as to David’s personal holy elevations towards God and heaven. David was carried by the spirit of prophecy quite beyond the consideration of himself and his own life to foretell the glory of the Messiah. Yet, today, these same verses carry, guide, and animate Christians to experience the golden secret of Heaven while on earth because of the death and resurrection of Christ.
Psalm 16:7: The way you counsel and correct me makes me praise you more, for your whispers in the night give me wisdom, showing me what to do next.
Psalm 16:7: I will bless the LORD who has gives me counsel. My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
The night seasons can mean our dark times when life’s challenges are before is. It can also apply to the LORD speaking to us in our dream and visions of the night.
16: 9-10: My heart and soul explode with joy-full of glory! Even my body will rest confident and secure. You will not abandon me to the realm of death, nor will you allow your Holy One to experience corruption. For you bring me a continual revelation of resurrection life, the path to the bliss that brings me face to face with you. (Passion)
16: 9-10: My heart is glad, and my glory rejoices. My flesh also will rest in hope. You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will you allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
This is the Golden Secret engraved in the hearts of all mankind who received Jesus Christ as their LORD AND SAVIOR. The path of life is that course of life which enables the godly to fulfill his destiny. Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father. We are “in Christ.” Therefore, we are seated with Him in Glory.
Jesus Christ is here prophetically spoken of as the Holy One and His Resurrection. However, chaycid means faithful, kind godly, holy one, saint, pious. The godly one who is living by God, for God and in God, no longer looks upon death as a threatening present reality; in the presence of the Living God it loses its importance…the godly one lives in an eternal present.
1 John 4:16-18: Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him, and he in God. We have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love; and he that dwells in love dwells in God and God in him. Herein is love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear; because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love.
By living in God, love has been brought to its full expression in us so that we may fearlessly face Death and the Day of Judgment, because all that Jesus now is, so are we in this world. As a young Christian, I lived my life in fear that if I did something wrong, that I would bring judgment on me and my family. This was not living in the love of God. The Lord took me through a breaking and broke that off my life. I no longer live in fear of anything. Death has no power over me. All that I will live and walk through on this earth, the Lord will carry me through. I have no fear of life, the future, or the day of judgment.
We will have open faces on the day of judgment “for the true believer filled with God’s love, the day of judgment and/or death is not to be feared but looked forward to, for perfect love will have made us completely like Christ. Love provides us with no reason to fear the future or to fear punishment from God; or fear the day of judgment on the earth.
I do not preach fear; I preach love because when our love is made perfect, there is no fear.
Because all that Jesus now is, --- not like Jesus was, but because of grace, we are like he is now; pure and holy, seated in heaven and glorified. Faith has transferred his righteousness to us.
1 John 4:18: Love never brings fear, for fear is always related to punishment. But love’s perfection drives the fear of punishment far from our hearts. Whoever walks constantly afraid of punishment has not reached love’s perfection. Our love for others is our grateful response to the love God first demonstrated to us.
Ps. 16:4: Yet, there are those who yield to their weakness, and they will have troubles and sorrows unending. I never gather with such ones, nor give them honor in any way. (Passion Translation)
Ps. 16:4: Those who hasten after another god, their sorrows shall be multiplied. Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, nor take their names on my lips.
David contrasts the godly and the apostates (those who have been seduced by heathenism) in society.
The Golden Secret, the hidden jewel, engraved in gold is written in the life and death of Jesus Christ that we through His Holy Life and Resurrection now live in eternity with Him. The challenges of life, death and judgment have no fear to us who are following wholly after the LORD .
It is sealed! It is Michtam! It is the Golden glory of living in eternal glory.
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries Church