Romancing the Stone - Part 7
Writer Author Jerry Lee Kay Sr.
Christian Article
:
Christian Living
- Fiction No
It has been said, Poppa talks in parables. I may do that, it is not intentional, I have read and studied this book for fifty years and it comes natural. I had the best teacher of all time, the Master of parables, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Here is a parable for you.
I heard about a little boy who used to get out of his bedroom any time he wanted to, by climbing down an old fruit tree that stood right outside his bedroom window. Many times he would be banished to his room to be punished, and he would escape by climbing down that tree to go play. One day his father said that he was going to cut down that tree because it had not born fruit for years. Well, that night that boy and his brothers went out and got a basket of pears, and, under the cover of darkness, climbed into that tree and tied fruit on those unproductive branches..The next morning they waited anxiously to see their father's response. He came and sat down at the table and said to his wife, "Mary, I can't believe my eyes. That old fruit tree that has been barren for years, is all of a sudden covered with pears!" Then with a twinkle in his eye, he looked at his son and said,"That's a miracle!" ...The boy said, "Why do you say that Dad?" His dad said, "Because it's an apple tree."
The tree can be not only a type of the church, but also a type of you and I as individuals, for we are the church...Amen?..The pears are a type of what some have tried to sell the world and the church, to be fruits and gifts of the spirit. Problem is, even the carnal man can see a pear growing on an apple tree!..Can you say Amen?
Poppa is still down in the well standing in 3 ft. of muddy water and sand. Dear neighbor there is water here but it is not the kind of water that can be used for sustaining life. Much like the apple tree with pears hanging on it, you can eat the pears but they are not the intended fruit for that tree. We as the Church of the Living God must wake up in this hour and start realizing what is the fruit of the Spirit and what is religious entertainment, and form and repetitious habit...Can you say Amen?..As I started dipping the old useless water, Papa Orb pulled it to the surface, dumped it and sent the bucket back to the bottom. Every time he pulled a load up, the water sloshed and drenched me to the core, I was soaking wet with muddy nasty water. Often times when the Holy Spirit starts removing the debris out of our lives it can get to be a nasty thing for us to endure, Hebrews 12:26 says God is in the shaking and cleaning business, Quote: "Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven." What is that all about Poppa? It is about what you see happening in this hour in which we live. God Almighty is doing what He said He will do. He is shaking the Church that He may get rid of the junk we have accumulated. Bless the name of the Lord! He is shaking.. "pears off of the apple tree"....will you give me a witness? The falling away you see in the church is God shaking it hard enough to get rid of stuff that ought not be there..Come on and say Amen!
Some are running about screaming the church is dead, the church is dead. Bless God dear neighbor they haven't read the book of Joel nor the book of Acts where Peter preached his finest sermon. "But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But "this is that" which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath."
He said, "This is That"...and I might add, (no where in the word of God does it say "This Is That" is not for today). The messenger was sent on that day and He is still working today to bring the church to that place appointed by none other than God Almighty Himself.
Later the writer of Ephesians said, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. Ephesians 5:27. Dear friend that is as plain as day, The Holy Spirit is still gathering the church!
In the Song of Songs 2:3-13 the Beloved speaks, She begins, 'Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my lover among the young men.' This motif recurs in 8:5. This is the image that the woman uses to describe her lover. There is an interesting parallel with what he has said of her, when he described her as a lily among thorns. In true love, lovers must see one another as unique. It does not matter how tall or grand or ancient, how beautiful or striking, other trees may be˜she has eyes only for her apple tree.This 'apple tree', does two things there in the potentially inhospitable forest. It provides restful shade and it bears delicious fruit. Therefore, it stands out among the trees of the forest. She says, 'I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste' (2:3). To be in the presence of her lover gives pure contentment˜it is both pleasant and edifying. He offers protection and pleasure, defence and delight. Poppa still talking about "Romancing the Stone" Come on and say Amen!..
Down to more recent times apple trees have graced many a love song, as in 'Don't sit under the apple tree with anyone else but me,' Do you hold your love in high esteem? Is your fiance or spouse someone you regard highly and respect? Are you happy to be in his shade, so to speak? Further, is there a longing for intimacy with him (or with her)? Are you eager for the fruit he (or she) can offer? That is how it should be between prospective husband and wife, or man and wife. On another level, do you hold Christ in high esteem? Do you see that He is unique? Do you think of Him as an apple tree compared with other trees? Do you long for intimacy with Him? Do you long to know His shelter and comfort, enjoying the fruit of the Spirit that He alone can give? He is 'your shade at your right hand' if you are His. (Ps. 121:5). 'Taste and see that the Lord is good' (Ps. 34:8). In 2:4-6 the beloved expresses her longings for intimacy as she looks forward to that coming point in her relationship with her lover. She is full of anticipation and expectation as she looks forward to such familiarity. How eagerly she longs for what is ahead! She waits with confidence, with aching and with longing.,
Now we also must face the fact, whether we like it or not, if we are to have the flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives we must endure the discomfort of getting the job done. It is especially hard when the things He is dealing with us about are not necessarily what we consider to be gross sin... Well Poppa, what does God expect from me? I go to church and pay my tithes when it is convenient, I gave up smoking and drinking, lying and cheating, I treat my neighbors as I would be treated, and I pray when i'm in a bind. What else could God possibly want from me?...The answer to such a well stated case is a Question, Yes, but are you walking in the Spirit, are you in the will of God for your life. Or are you just doing what everyone else is doing?..Or maybe doing what you like to do, and calling it the will of God? Then wondering why the joy you once felt has waned, something is missing and you find yourself secretly thirsting for the way you felt when you were in your "First Love" Yes dear friend I am still talking about "Romancing the Stone." I am talking about restoration of the fire that once burned deep inside of you as you drank of the Living Waters of the Holy Spirit, revival of the joy of the Lord, the joy of knowing you are walking, talking and living the will of God for your life.....O'My!, I gotta settle down, I am teaching and I feel like preaching...Can you say Amen?
In Exodus the 23rd chapter beginning at verse 20.
"Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him. But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. For My Angel will go before you and bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will cut them off. You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars. So you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. "I will send My fear before you, I will cause confusion among all the people to whom you come, and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before you. I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beast of the field become too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land. And I will set your bounds from the Red Sea to the sea, Philistia, and from the desert to the River. For I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you."
God said that he was sending an angel ahead of them. He was a divine messenger. That is what the word 'angel' means˜a messenger.
He was someone to whom the Israelites were urged to pay special attention. They were not to rebel against him. The reason was because he bore the name of God in himself. His words were the actual words of the Lord. This is why God said that they were to 'listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say. In the New Testament, too, we read about one who goes ahead of us to prepare the way and whose words we are to obey. Jesus told his disciples, 'Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms... I am going there to prepare a place for you... I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am' (John 14:1-3). And God said of Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, 'This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him' (Luke 9:35). As the Israelites were to follow the angel of the Lord and listen to him, so we, today, are to follow Jesus and listen to what he says. The Lord Jesus came down to this earth to preach the good news of sins forgiven. He came to this earth to take hold of those of us who believe in him and to lead us, eventually, into his promised land. This land is described as a very large place. It is a land which is flowing with milk and honey. It is a land in which there are no tears, sorrow or death. By his death on the cruel cross of Calvary the Lord Jesus Christ stooped down and lifted us up out of our sin and sorrow and gave us new life, and one day he will take us into that blessed land called heaven. 'There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away' (Rev. 21:4). All God's redeemed people, from Old Testament times to the present day, will one day experience these blessings in all their fulness when they are finally made free from sin and brought by Christ into the eternal home he has prepared for them.
Now listen to me!..Although the Israelites were told that the angel would go ahead of them to take them to the place that he had prepared for them, they would not be able to enter into all those blessings at one time. Indeed most of those to whom these words were first addressed never actually entered the promised land, but died in the desert as a result of their unbelief. Just as sin caused our first parents to be cast out of the Garden of Eden, so the sin of unbelief kept them from entering the land. The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews warns us not to fall into the same sin of 'an unbelieving heart which turns away from the living God', but to hold firmly to the end our confidence in Christ.
Jesus came and accomplished our salvation, as He is about to ascend to His place with the Father and sit at His right hand. He said, Don't worry, I will send my messenger, you have always had one, (Poppa's interpretation) and it shall not change. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; John 14:16
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. John 14:26.
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: John 15:26... Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. John 16:7...
Dear friend I call that, "The Angel of the Holy Spirit" for He truly is none other than the messenger of our Holy Father and The Lamb of God and we are to treat Him as such. "Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him"..Isn't that what Jesus said about the Comforter He was sending for you and I in this Hour?
A local pastor of a good sized mainline denominational church came to see me. While we were visiting he said, "God has led me to teach a 10 part series on the Holy Spirit, and my deacon board and some of my members have bowed up on me as if I am teaching on some satanic philosophy". They told him it sounded like he is trying to turn them into a Pentecostal church and they will have no part of it! I asked why he thought the Holy Spirit has led him in that direction. His answer was, "I have about 400 members on Sunday morning and 30 on Sunday evening and Wednesday evening, and the worst part is, many of those missing on those services are Sunday School teachers and deacons. He said, when we have a singing group or something special, most will be there, but for the teaching of the word and prayer meetings most are missing in action! I asked him if it is just for this particular subject matter, He said no it is always this way and I know it is because of a lack of Holy Ghost Fire. The very thing they need to come out of such a passive state they fight! First Love is something they have put on a back shelf and say it is normal, "The Thrill is Gone Baby" and they like it that way!" He further stated, I can talk about Jesus and eternal security and once saved always saved all I want to, but if I touch a little to much on the Holy Spirit they get all dis-combobulated.
They think I am trying to lead them off into some freaky sideshow stuff like Jim Jones or that Waco,Texas fiasco or that fruit loop end of the world nut a few months back. I must confess, I was a little baffled, the man is a Doctor of Divinity, and has other various degrees of religion, and for the type of churches he ministers in, he has an amazing amount of Holy Ghost Fire and preaches the same way. I have always enjoyed his preaching. You say, there you go Poppa, saying denominational preachers are dead. No!No! that's not what I said, I just mean many of them are asleep at the wheel and oughta be ploughing instead of preaching, and the people like it that way!...Can you say Amen?
Well, I am still in the well, soaking wet and muddy as a mole after 3 hard hours of dipping out the bad water. Now the digging must begin.
I shouted up to the top and told them I need a break this is back breaking work and I can't sit down in this hole. No answer, I shouted again, still no answer, so I really began to yell, starting to get in a panic, still no answer. I wondered, where in the world are these guys? After about 30-45 minutes they showed up and pulled me out for a break. It seems as though a hog had gotten out of the pig pen and they just forgot about me while they chased him down! Needless to say Poppa was not a happy camper!..no!...Can you say Amen?..
I am talking about getting our priorities straight friends, and often times we are on our own when we start out on such a project. Especially if it includes unpleasant things. Ofttimes when we are in the heat of the battle, our friends, family and sometimes our church or the pastor are off chasing hogs....Amen? I am still talking about "Romancing the Stone"...(Dt 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. (Isa 41:17) When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. (Isa 55:6) Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: ..Sometimes you just gotta get in the bucket by yourself!...Will you say Amen!..
...continued..
God Bless You
Poppa
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jerryleekay@suddenlink.net
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