House of Hope Online

June 9, 2024

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Last week we studied Genesis Chapters 25 through 32, which covers the story of Jacob and Esau, the twin sons of Isaac.  We took note of Jacob’s aggressiveness to negotiate his way into his older brother Esau’s birthright, and Jacob’s use of outright deception to obtain the first-born’s blessing upon his father Isaac’s impending death.  We also saw that Jacob wrestled with an angel of the Lord, and pledged not to let go until God blessed him.  We said Jacob is an example for us when we do not yet see the blessing we have been wanting or needing.  We should grab onto Jesus and not let go until the blessing comes. 

We learned three lessons from the story of Jacob and Esau last week:

• Our fleshly nature leads us into mistakes,
• Our failures do not necessarily disqualify us from the Kingdom, and
• Our aggressive pursuit of His blessing is important to God.

And so today I want to continue with this idea of pursuing Jesus aggressively.  As we mature in our walk of faith, it is easy to become complacent, especially in the face of difficult circumstances and / or unfulfilled prayer requests.  Some of us take a “safe approach” to Christianity by not pursuing the promises in scripture, and not proclaiming those promises to others in need of a blessing.  Further, the world today in many ways is poised to attack those who try to exercise their faith and stand on the inerrant word of God.  The intellectual spirit that worships mankind’s knowledge and ability often will scoff at the truth of the Gospel and the prophecies in the Bible.

In prior podcasts, we have talked about the Second Coming and how the Rapture may be sooner than many think.  The Lord is exhorting us today to press into our pursuit of His Kingdom.

After last week’s podcast, my oldest son, Will, likened the aggressiveness of Jacob to Jesus’ words in Matthew 11 about the Kingdom of Heaven being taken by force by violent men.  In that passage, Jesus observes that the kingdom of heaven is worth pursuing aggressively.

Matthew 11:

 12 “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.

According to Albert Barnes’ New Testament Commentary, “…there was a great rush, or a crowd pressing to hear John.  Multitudes went out to hear him, as if they were about to take the kingdom of heaven by force.  So, says He (Jesus), it has continued. Since the kingdom of heaven, or the gospel, has been preached, there has been a rush to it. Men have been earnest about it; they have come pressing to obtain the blessing, as if they would take it by violence.”

In Luke’s account, Jesus is saying everyone is forcing his way into the Kingdom of God.

Luke 16:

 16 “The Law and the Prophets [were proclaimed] until John; since then the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.

In other words, it should be important enough to us to be aggressive in our pursuit of the Kingdom and its promises.  We should be passionate about pursuing Jesus and pressing for a blessing, just as Jacob did.  When we press in, we are affirming our faith in the promises of His word, and in the willingness of the Lord to perform His word and bless us.

In Luke 5, we see a practical application of pressing for a blessing.

How to Press in for Your Blessing

Luke 5:

 18 And behold, [some] men [were] carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in, and to set him down in front of Him.

 19 And not finding any [way] to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, right in the center, in front of Jesus.

 20 And seeing their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.”

 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this [man] who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?”

 22 But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts?

 23 “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins have been forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?

 24 “But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” –He said to the paralytic–“I say to you, rise, and take up your stretcher and go home.”

 25 And at once he rose up before them, and took up what he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying God.

 26 And they were all seized with astonishment and [began] glorifying God; and they were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

I have been in large crowds and large healing services.  It is easy to say: “This is too much; I’m not going to deal with the hassle.”  But these men took the Kingdom by force.  They forced their way into the Gospel of the Kingdom and all its promises.  They were pressing for a blessing and the man was healed so that God could show that Jesus had authority on earth to forgive sins.  Are you willing to press in for the blessing of Jesus?  Are you willing to take the Kingdom by force?  Are you passionate enough to carry a friend onto the roof to obtain the blessing?  Are you willing to wrestle with Jesus until your blessing comes?  Are you excited enough about your faith to expect His blessing?  Will you, under the authority of Jesus, resist the devil who wants nothing more than for you to be a sleepy, complacent, “Christian?”

This next illustration from John 6 took place right after Jesus miraculously fed 5,000 people:

John 6:

 14 When therefore the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is of a truth the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

 15 ¶ Jesus therefore perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force, to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.

Jesus sensed that the people were hungry for the Kingdom and would come to Him with force to make Him king.  Now you might ask: “Why would Jesus retreat instead of ministering?”  The scripture does not elaborate.  It could be simply because He knew it was not His time to be glorified.  Maybe it was important that He withdraw and spend some time alone with the Father.  This miracle of feeding the 5,000 came on the Feast of Passover, and prior to that He had been ministering to a large crowd for some time.  After pouring Himself out, perhaps He needed to be replenished physically and spiritually.  Later that day, He walked on the water to deliver His disciples and their boat from the stormy sea.  Whatever His reason for withdrawing, we see that He expected the people to be pressing for a blessing from the Messiah.

The word of the Lord for us today is He expects us to be pressing for a blessing as well.  Stop settling for the things that do not represent His best for you.  Expect your Lord and Savior to heal you and prosper you.  Expect the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that He promises those who live and walk by the Spirit, no matter what circumstances surround us.  Press into Jesus, and He will ignite your spirit and life, and provide you with true peace and love.

Know the Love of Christ

The Apostle Paul offered this prayer in his letter to the Ephesians:

Ephesians 3:

 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man;

 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; [and] that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God.

 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,

 21 to Him [be] the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

Verse 19 is noteworthy: Paul prays that we will know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.  Pressing for the blessing requires a recognition that Jesus’ love for us surpasses knowledge.  It surpasses our knowledge of the difficult circumstances we face.  It surpasses a job loss in a bad economy.  It surpasses a heart valve that has moderate to severe leakage.  It surpasses financial needs that exceed your current provision.

Paul’s prayer is for us to know the love of Christ so that it uplifts our faith to levels not yet exercised, so that we reach the levels of faith defined in Hebrews 11:

Hebrews 11:

 1 ¶ Now faith is the assurance of [things] hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

 2 For by it the men of old gained approval.

Hebrews 11:

 6 And without faith it is impossible to please [Him], for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and [that] He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

The author of Hebrews mentions Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph in defining faith.  These are people who believed for things they hoped for, and had conviction for things not yet seen.  They believed for what seemed impossible, and in doing so, verse 2 says they gained approval.  Pressing for their blessing gained approval from God, not man.  Verse 6 says God is a rewarder of those who seek Him, who wrestle with Him, who press in until He blesses.

An Exhortation: Wake Up and Know the Season

Paul prayed in Ephesians 3 that the love of Christ would help us to believe for things not yet seen.  And Paul followed that prayer with this exhortation in Ephesians 5:

Ephesians 5:

 14 For this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.”

 15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise,

 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

 17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Be careful how you walk in these evil days, and understand what the will of the Lord is.  Understand that He loves you, and wants to bless you, but also know it is impossible to please Him without faith.  Remember it appeared impossible to build an ark when everyone thought Noah had lost his mind.  It was believed impossible to conceive and give birth when you are 100 years old.  It would be impossible to manage a nation’s food supply during a famine and bless your family after your brothers sold you into slavery, and your boss’ wife falsely accused you and got you jailed. 

Press in for your blessing and the light of Christ will shine on you!  Press in and you will gain His approval like the men of old.

Closing

Let me close with an encouragement of your faith from the Prophet Isaiah:

Isaiah 55:

 1 ¶ “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost.

 2 “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance.

 3 “Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, [According to] the faithful mercies shown to David.

Isaiah 55:

 6 ¶ Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near.

 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.

 8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.

 9 “For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

 10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth, And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;

 11 So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding [in the matter] for which I sent it.

 12 “For you will go out with joy, And be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap [their] hands.

 13 “Instead of the thorn bush the cypress will come up; And instead of the nettle the myrtle will come up; And it will be a memorial to the LORD, For an everlasting sign which will not be cut off.” (NASB)

Incline you ear to the Lord, and you will live under covenant with Him.  Seek Him while He may be found.  His thoughts surpass our knowledge of our circumstances.  His ways are higher.  His thoughts are higher.  His word about you has gone forth from His mouth and will not return to Him without accomplishing His purpose in your life.

Press in for your blessing like the men of old.  And you will go out with joy, and be led in peace!

Let us pray.

Father God, thank You for encouraging us to take the Kingdom by force.  Help us to pick up our stretcher and place it before You.  Help us to arise and walk so the world would know that The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.  We receive Paul’s prayer that we would know the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge, so that we will have the fullness of God.  By Your Holy Spirit, give us the faith for things hoped for, and the conviction for things not yet seen.  We incline our ear to You and submit under covenant to You.  We call upon You and acknowledge that Your thoughts and ways are higher than ours.  We trust Your promises will not return to you without accomplishing their purpose in our lives.  Lord, we believe.  Help our unbelief, in Jesus’ name, we pray.    Amen.