20170624 Life is in the Blood

Intro: The blood in our veins is the world’s most amazing medicine for certain sicknesses like cancer, hemophilia, and some cases of AIDS. Blood and the medicines made from it, are saving more lives than any one drug that science has ever discovered, and there is still much to learn in how to use blood in the fight against disease. Blood has always fascinated man, and he has been prying into its mysteries for centuries.

 

In the year 1628, Sir William Harvey, an English scientist, discovered that the blood was a “river of life” flowing around in the body. Thereafter, doctors tried for the first time to replace lost blood with blood of other humans, and animals. Often the patients died, but occasionally a life was saved. However, failures were so common, that during the 17th century, laws were passed forbidding transfusions of blood.

 

It was in the year 1900, that a German scientist, Dr. Karl Lansteiner, discovered that there are four types of human blood namely, A, B, AB and O. This unlocked the door to successful blood transfusions, for it was learned that if blood from a donor of one of these groups, was given to a patient of the same group, no harm could be done. Thereafter, many blood transfusions were made and many lives were saved.

 

People with Type O-negative are the “universal donors” as their blood can be given to people of all other types. However, people with Type O-negative (10% of the population) can only receive O-negative blood in return. People with Type AB-positive blood are the “universal recipients” as they can receive any other type of blood. It was not until 1915, when two American scientists, Peyton Rous, and Joseph Turner discovered a solution which, when mixed with blood, would keep it from clotting.

 

Now, blood could be preserved or “canned” for emergency and future use, and the first blood bank was established by an English army surgeon Oswald Robertson, back of the Allied army lines in France in 1917, resulting in what we have today in the various community “blood banks,” which are endeavoring to serve their area day and night, which have as their slogan, “BLOOD IS LIFE – HELP SAVE A LIFE.” Yes, “blood is life,” and this truth is verified in God’s Word.

Here are some more interesting facts that will shed light on the value of the blood in the body of man and also the church body.

 

In the human body there are many different kinds of tissues. We define them as muscle, nerve, fat, gland, bone and connective tissues. All of these have one thing in common; they are fixed cells, very small and have a special and limited function. But the blood is fluid and mobile, that is, it is not limited to one part of the body but flows throughout the entire body, remember the life of the flesh is in the blood.

 

In the normal human body there are about five quarts of this fluid, and this blood pumped by the heart circulates through the system every twenty-three seconds, the blood is in communication with every cell in the body, to supply food and cleanse the body.

 

The blood is the most mysterious of all tissues, being composed of scores of elements and compounds and strange chemical bodies, whose function is not yet fully understood, but all of which has to do with the mystery of life.

 

The pressure of blood in the body is so very important; it should be kept at a certain level in order for the body to function at its peak. As you know either high or low pressure can cause problems.

 

Now all that has been said about the physical body is true, and when we talk about the blood of the LAMB, it points us to a greater, deeper spiritual truth. The congregation or church that Yeshua died for is called the body, and we are members of that body, Yeshua is the Head and we are all related because of His blood. All believers who have trusted the finished work of Calvary are brothers and sisters, members of one family whether they be Jews or Gentiles, white or black they are all one through the blood of the Messiah, Yeshua.

 

When Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill preaching to them about the unknown God whom they worshipped ignorantly, he told them that God made the world and all things therein, and had made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on the face of the earth.

 

And since God hath made of one blood all nations, and because Adams sinned, the human race has a sin nature and will die, yet because of the blood of Christ all can be made alive.

 

So you see, all men have a common origin in Adam, and all men carry the sentence of death because of the sin that Adam committed. Before the fall Adam was in fellowship with the Father living in the Garden of Eden with his wife Eve. Now we do not know the nature of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. We do know that the eating of the tree caused blood poisoning and for this reason all men die a common death, with no exceptions.

 

And because of this transgression, there had to be a sacrifice for sin. “For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctified to the purifying of the flesh; how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” Hebrews 9: 13/14

The whole plan of redemption rests upon the power of the blood of Yeshua HaMashiach. “For without the shedding of blood there are no remissions of sins”

 

When Cain murdered his brother Abel look what the Lord said in Gen. 4:10. Yes, blood cries and speaks! One of the greatest Bible subjects “Blood” which is the very life of our faith. This brings us to the subject of the “world’s greatest blood donor,” and none other than God’s own Son, Yeshua, who willingly and sacrificially gave His own blood, so that we poor guilty sinners might have eternal life.

1. BLOOD SPEAKS OF CLEANSING (I John 1:7; Rev. 1:5; 12:11a).

A dual purpose of physical human blood is to dispose waste & toxins & supply oxygen & energy throughout the body organs. Likewise, the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin & empowers us to have victory over sin and the devil.

 

1 John 1:7  But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of His Son Yeshua purifies us from all sin.

You’ve heard it said that sunshine is the best disinfectant.  Here’s the verse that proves it, only it is the SON-light rather than the sun-light.

 

2. BLOOD SPEAKS OF VALUE (I Pet. 1:18-19; Acts 20:28).

We were bought & redeemed with the most precious fluid in the universe – the blood of God Himself!

 

1 Peter 1:18-19  You know that you were redeemed from the futile way of life handed down from your ancestors—not with perishable things such as silver or gold,  (19)  but with precious blood like that of a lamb without defect or spot, the blood of Messiah.

How can we even put a value on the blood of Yeshua?  Can you put a value on your own soul?  Multiply that times all the souls that have ever been born, and the value of Yeshua’s sacrifice still cannot be calculated.

 

3. BLOOD SPEAKS OF ONENESS (Eph. 2:13).

Bridge the gap of separation between a holy God and sinful, fallen man. The only way a many could be in right standing before God was through Calvary is the meeting place of heaven & earth when the Son of God reconciled us to the Father while He hung on the cross!

 

Ephesians 2:13  But now in Messiah Yeshua, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah.

The blood of Yeshua is the great equalizer.

4. BLOOD SPEAKS OF IDENTITY (Exo. 12:13 cf. I Cor. 5:7).

Yeshua, the Lamb of God, has become our Passover. God says, WHEN I SEE THE BLOOD, I WILL PASS OVER YOU! The blood of a lamb over the doorpost identified God’s people.  The blood of the Messiah applied to our hearts and minds identifies us as a child of God.

5. BLOOD SPEAKS OF LIFE (Lev 17:11, 17:14; John 6:53-54).

Our Torah Portion today is very clear. The life of the flesh is in the blood.  Without blood there is no life in the natural.  And it is the same in the spiritual realm.  Yeshua said it best.

 

John 6:53-54  So Yeshua said to them, “Amen, amen I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.  (54)  He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

 

Of course we don’t literally drink His blood.  The wine or grape juice remains wine or grape juice.  It doesn’t turn into Yeshua’s blood.  But what He is saying is that we have to consume the concept of His sacrifice.  Take it aboard, make it part of our innermost being.  And when we do, He says we will have eternal life.

 

The life is in the blood.  If we really want to experience life, in this world, as well as in the olam haba, the world to come, it is only through the blood of Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus the Messiah.

20170610 Hosea 6 v 6 Mercy, not Sacrifice

The Torah Portion for today is rather difficult and uncomfortable to discuss because it deals with body functions, things that we generally don’t discuss in a public forum.  But it deals with cleanliness and good hygiene. Hashem was interested in the health of His people.  We have been studying this theme since Chapter 11.  What was God trying to tell us throughout these 5 chapters?  (Wait for an answer from the Congregation)

Hashem was setting guidelines for us to follow so that we could live our lives in harmony with His precepts and His will.  He wanted us to be physically, mentally, and spiritually healthy.  Some of these instructions were fairly detailed and mundane. In today’s age of modern medicine, we tend to skip over these chapters as being irrelevant. When we do that we miss what the Lord is trying to tell us.  We need to dig down a little deeper and understand His intent.

Hosea

The Book of Hosea is a difficult read.  Hosea is instructed to marry a promiscuous woman.  This set the stage for a painful parallel between Hosea’s marriage to Gomer and God’s relation, indeed His marriage, to the Children of Israel.  Although Hosea did address the southern kingdom of Judah, his primary focus was the northern kingdom, Israel, often referred to as Ephraim.

Israel had degenerated into idolatry.  In fact, the very establishment of the Northern Kingdom, by Jeroboam, was founded in a fraudulent premise.  Jeroboam erected a temple and altar in the city of Dan to offer sacrifices so that the northern 10 tribes would not feel the need to make the trek to Jerusalem 3 times a year for Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot.  However, God had said that they were not to offer sacrifices anywhere except where He had put His Name.  Of course that would be Jerusalem, the site of the Temple.

Hosea started his prophetic ministry around 750 BCE and continued until ~ 710 BCE.  Even though he is referred to as a minor prophet, he had one of the longest terms as God’s prophet.

Matthew 15:7-8

We see in Israel of that day what we see in today’s religious scene. Hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is a very dangerous and infectious disease. Hypocrisy means saying one thing and doing another or saying one thing and believing another. It’s a dangerous and infectious disease because it infects and affects each one of us from one time to another. It is an age-old problem for God’s people sometimes came to the temple just to worship out of a sense of duty. They came to offer sacrifices as an obligation. They came to do worship to just get it over and done with. God’s people had forgotten that love of God that was to motivate them to show their love to the Lord. The simple fact is when Yeshua came and lived on the earth, he ran into that very same problem. Yeshua came to the Scribes and Pharisees who were the religious leaders of the day and who were trained in religion and righteousness. Yet, they too liked to follow the law so much that they forgot the Lord’s Gospel of love and forgiveness. Finally, Yeshua had to look at them and say in Matthew 15:7-8

Hypocrites! Rightly did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying,  (8)  ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.

NOT LIP SERVICE

The prophet Hosea talks about that very same problem in our text today. The hearts of the children of Israel were far from the Lord. So Hosea comes to the conclusion, as he reminds them and reminds us today as our theme:

 

OUR LORD DESIRES MERCY, NOT SACRIFICE. This divine mercy is —

1. NOT MERE LIP SERVICE (NOT SUPERFICIAL)

 

CHESED

If you have a King James Version of verse 6 it uses the word mercy.  The Hebrew word is  חסד chesed.  Chesed is generally translated as mercy, Strong’s number H2617.  However, in the Holman Christian Study Bible as well as the Tree of Life version, the word chesed in this verse is translated as loyalty.

 

Hosea, even though called a minor prophet, comes with the same message that the major prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah did. He came with a message of warning for repentance, because the children of Israel once again had slid into the valley of disobedience. They were turning away from the Lord instead of toward him. The Lord was going to give them one more chance.

HOSEA 6:4-5

The Lord says, “Here is my prophet.” The Lord is coming to the end of his patience for them. 4″What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah?

In other words, “What can I do with you Israelites? What can I do with you my chosen people? My children, you do not listen.” Hosea says that in the next verse:

Hosea 6:5

Hosea 6:5  Therefore I cut them down by the prophets. I slew them by the words of My mouth. Now the judgments pronounced against you: light will go forth..

Over and over, the Lord had sent his prophets to his people and told them, “Turn away from those false gods.” Over and over, the Lord had sent warnings to them and said they were going to be forsaken. God said they would be killed with his words and finally he said: My judgments flashed like lightning upon you. The Lord raised up throughout their history enemies who would defeat them. This was God’s judgment against their disobedience. This was God’s judgment against their unfaithfulness. Finally, as Hosea says, the Lord says, “What am I going to do?”

At this point, the Lord has run out of patience.  The problem lies within their hearts.  Verse four continues “For your loyalty is like a morning cloud or like dew rising early, vanishing.” Their love and devotion for the Lord is short lived.  It is like the dew that disappears with the sun. It is superficial.  This brings us to the theme verse that God desires loyalty (mercy) rather than sacrifices.

Hosea 6:6

Hosea 6:6  For I delight in loyalty and not sacrifice, knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. TLV

Hosea 6:6  For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Hosea 6:6  I’d rather for you to be faithful and to know me than to offer sacrifices.

The Lord speaks the same message to us today.  He wants our love to be more than skin deep.  He wants our total devotion.  Do we live out the words of the V’haftah in loving the Lord with ALL of our heart, mind, and being?  It is so easy to be distracted by attractions of our daily lives.  We have all sorts of enticements that attempt to lure us away from Torah.  The internet can be a blessing as well as a curse.  Even in using it for legitimate purposes, it can draw us away from meaningful Bible study and prayer. Stay focused on His Word.  Set a time for prayer.

The Lord is telling ancient Israel and us today that He would rather have our loyalty than our sacrifices.  He wants us to dig down, don’t be superficial and live lives of faithfulness.

1. FAITHFULL LIVES

It was a last chance here for the children of Israel. Time and again, the Lord had warned his people. God had sent them prophets to turn them from the false gods. He had sent them judgments. Now they are in the Promised Land, and they had another chance to repent. They knew of repentance.

Hosea 6:1

As Hosea chapter 6 starts: 6:1 “Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds.

Of course, they look at the Lord and blame him for hurting them when he had not; but they also understood that he was able to heal them. Their God was able to help them only if they would turn.

Hosea 6:2

V2 After two days He will revive us. On the third day He will raise us up, and we will live in His presence.

It reminds us about the Lord’s resurrection when after three days, he was restored to life and the tomb was empty. These people would say: “The Lord will restore us.” They knew God’s mercy and that it wasn’t just a hit and miss prospect. His mercy did not depend on them and their obedience – as they often disobeyed. Listen to how they describe the mercy of God and his forgiveness:

Hosea 6:3

v3. “So let us know, let us strive to know Adonai. Like dawn His going forth is certain. He will come to us like the rain, like the latter rain watering the earth.”

Just as day chases away night, just as rain waters the earth, that is how sure and certain is the Lord’s love. He comes to his people time and time again to show his people his mercy that they might live in the joy of God’s salvation. These were the words of warning. These were the words of encouragement from Hosea the Prophet.

 

As our text began, what does he say about all of this? He writes: Hosea 5:15  I will go and return to My place until they admit their guilt. The Lord was waiting for them to repent, because they had followed false gods and had forgotten the Lord. The Israelites had often merely offered sacrifices out of a sense of duty and obligation. So Hosea waits for their repentance. Hosea continues: Then they will seek My face. In their distress they will seek Me earnestly. As we come to the end of these words and read the rest of the story, we find that the children of Israel did not repent at this warning. The children of God did not understand this mercy instead of sacrifice. The Lord raised up enemies against them once again. They were taken away as slaves never to be returned to the Promised Land. As slaves in a foreign land, just as Hosea said: And they will seek my face; in their misery they will earnestly seek me.” They had dwelt in the Promised Land. They forgot the Lord. They were taken away as captives. They remembered how good it had been. The Lord desired mercy, not sacrifice. They finally remembered the Lord in their misery.

REPENT 1 Samuel 15:22

Today we have the benefit of 66 books of Scripture.  We don’t have to repeat the mistakes of Israel and Judah.  We can live deeply rooted and faithful lives before the Lord.  When He said he desired mercy or loyalty rather than sacrifice, God was acting like a father who would rather his children live a life of integrity and obedience so that judgement would not be necessary.  God would rather have His children obey Torah so that they would not need to offer sin offerings.

In 1 Samuel 15:22  Samuel said: “Does Adonai delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of Adonai? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay heed than the fat of rams.

In the days ahead, let’s focus our minds and hearts on being faithful, mature Believers so that judgement and discipline would not be necessary.  Remember, that is what God desires.

OPENING THE WINDOWS OF HEAVEN

Haftarah Portion 2 Kings 7:1-19

Intro:

This morning I want to talk about the blessings of God that he wants to give everyone no matter what the circumstances are.

When I was growing up, we sang that chorus-“The windows of Heaven are open, the blessings are falling tonight, there’s Joy, Joy, Joy in my heart since Jesus made everything right. I gave him my old tattered garment, He gave me a robe of pure white, I’m feasting on manna from Heaven and that’s why I’m happy tonight.

There’s a lot of truth in that little chorus because the windows of Heaven are open, but many are not experiencing the blessings in their lives. So this morning, I want to give you three things you must do in order to open the windows of Heaven in your life.

Our Haftarah portion begins with verse one of Chapter 7, but we really need to go back to Chapter 6, Verse 24 to set the stage.

2 Kings 6:24-33

Now it came to pass after this, that King Ben-hadad of Aram gathered all his army and marched against Samaria and besieged it.  (25)  Now there was a great famine in Samaria, since they were besieging it, until a donkey’s head was sold for 80 pieces of silver, and the quarter of a kav of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver.  (26)  As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him saying, “My lord the king, help!”  (27)  But he said, “If Adonai doesn’t help you, how would I help you? From the threshing floor, or from the winepress?”  (28)  Then the king asked her, “What’s the matter with you?” She answered, “This woman said to me: ‘Give your son that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’  (29)  So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I told her: ‘Give your son that we may eat him’—but she hid her son.”  (30)  Now it came to pass when the king heard the words of the woman, that he tore his clothes—as he was passing by on the wall, the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth underneath upon his flesh.  (31)  Then he said, “May God do so to me and even more, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today.”  (32)  Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. The king had sent a messenger ahead, yet even before the messenger arrived, Elisha said to the elders, “Do you see, this son of a murderer was sent to take away my head! Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold the door fast against him. Is not the sound of his master’s footsteps behind him?”  (33)  While he was yet talking with them, behold, the messenger came down to him. So the king said, “Look! This evil is from Adonai—why should I wait for Adonai any longer?”

Jehoram was the king of Samaria and of course we are talking about the children of Israel who were its inhabitants.

Apparently King Ben-Hadad had decided to starve them out rather then attack there and he was being successful for the scripture goes on to say that a donkey’s head sold for 2 pounds of silver and a half pint of pigeon poop for 2 ounces of silver. Things were really bad. Not only that were also eating their own children.

The king became so disturbed about what was happing in the city that he threatened to kill Elisha who was the prophet there. He felt like it was God’s fault they were in this predicament and killing the prophet would help. So he sends a messenger to cut off his head then changes his mind and follows the messenger to Elisha’s house and confronts him there and says this famine is from the Lord. He’s right about that. It was because of their sin and then he says why should I wait any longer the Lord to help us and this is where we pick up the Haftarah text, for Elisha says:

“Hear the word of Adonai. Thus says Adonai: Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour will sell for a shekel and two measures of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.”

 

Which brings me to my first point on opening the windows of Heaven in your life and that is:

POINT #1 BELIEVE THE WORD.

This is quite a word Elisha had to say and there was no reason for anyone to believe given the circumstances that were surrounding them. As a matter of fact verse #2 says that the King’s servant or his right hand man – probably his most trusted servant because the King was leaning on him, said to Elisha – Look, even if Adonai should make windows in heaven, could this thing happen? Or in other words, are you kidding? How could this possibly happen. Well we know it did happen when they were in the wilderness when God rained down manna from Heaven.

Elisha’s reply was it will happen and you will see it with your own eyes. But you will not eat of it.

This is such an important step. We know that the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword and we know that the word of God is true for it is backed up by God Himself and we know that every promise in this book will come to pass if we will just believe what it says.

But today we are too prone to look at circumstances. If the doctor or the lawyer or the banker says this is how it is, then we believe that’s how it is.

What ever happened to believing for a miracle? Is that in the distant past? Do we think God can’t do that anymore, or do we believe he just does that for other people?

Do you Agree?

If you don’t believe the word then you have no basis to believe for a miracle. What’s happening today is many people believe it with their head, but not with their heart.

Nothing is impossible with God. Let me repeat, “nothing is impossible with God.” (Pause)

I don’t care how good or how bad things look, God is still on the throne and he can do anything if you will just believe.

If you don’t really believe, then that means you have unbelief and that will stop God from working in your life. That will keep the windows of Heaven closed for you.

The king’s servant did not believe. I can imagine his response was a taunting reply – “Just who do you think you are telling us what will happen tomorrow. That’s why Elisha said, “It will, but you won’t partake of it.” The same thing happened in Yeshua’s hometown when he came to minister to them. They said is this not the carpenter’s son. Just who does he think he is to claim to be the Son of God? If they would have accepted him and received him warmly and believe his word, they would have seen mighty miracles. But instead, very little happened because of their unbelief.

You have to believe what God’s word says if you are going to receive anything from him.

POINT #2 – Step Out in Faith

Now the second way to open the windows of Heaven in your life is to DO SOMETHING. Verse 3 says there were 4 lepers at the entrance to the city gate and one of them said, “why are we sitting here waiting to die.”

If we go into the city, there is famine and if we stay out here we’ll die so let’s go into the Syrian camp. Surely there is food in there. Maybe they’ll have compassion on us. If they give us food we will live. If they kill us, we are going to die anyway so let’s go. There are too many people today waiting for God to do something for them while God is waiting on them to take the first step.

I’ve heard of people who when the doctor tells them they only have 6 months to live, go home and get in bed and wait to die. Every time someone was healed in the scripture, they had to do something. “Rise up and walk.” “Go wash in the pool of Siloam.” “Go show yourself to the priest.” Do something.

I know that the popular saying, ”God helps those who help themselves”, is not scripture, but it sure makes a good point. We can complain about our situation and tell ourselves how bad it is and find others to agree with. Misery loves company, but none of this is going to do you any good.

One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway, it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement, he quieted down. A few shovel loads later the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing! He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off!

The lepers decided to do something. Verse 5 says they rose up at dusk and went to the camp of the Syrian and when they came to the edge of the encampment, no one was there. What a shock.

So what happened? The word of the lord was being fulfilled. When Elisha said tomorrow God was going to do something, then that’s exactly what he meant.

God does stand by his word and he will do what it says he will do. He will heal your body. He will supply your needs. He will set you free from sin and all bondages the devil tries to put on you. If you will take the first step and desire to see God working in your life.

So what happened to the enemy? Verse 6 says:

2 Kings 7:6

For the Lord had caused the army of the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses—the noise of a great army.

Who caused them to hear a noise? The Lord and it was such a great noise that it scared them to death and they weren’t even thinking straight.

“Look, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us.”

Kings of the Egyptians – they only had one king and verse 7 says:

2 Kings 7:7

So they got up and fled at twilight, abandoning their tents, their horses and their donkeys—the entire camp just as it was—and fled for their lives.

They were so scared they didn’t even take time to saddle up their horses; they had to run on foot.

Isa: 59:19 says:

So from the west they will fear the Name of Adonai, and His glory from the rising of the sun. For He will come like a rushing stream driven along by the Ruach Adonai.

The KJV says it this way: When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him

God is the one who will fight your battles for you. So then because the lepers decided to do something. They were rewarded for their effort. They ate and drank and carried the gold and silver and hid it.

POINT #3 – RECEIVE BY FAITH

But what about the rest of the city? Well they decided they should tell the king what had happened that night. So they went into the city and told one of the kings servants to wake him up, which brings me to my third point on opening the windows of Heaven in your life and that is to ACCEPT GOD’S BLESSING BY FAITH.

When the king hears the news he starts rejoicing right? – wrong!

He doesn’t believe it. He says it’s a trap and they know we are hungry and they have gone out of the camp to hide in the field saying when they come out of the city we will capture them alive and get into the city.

Wait a minute what did Elisha say was going to happen the next day? They were going to have plenty of food. What is faith? Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.

I can tell you that the Lord is your Healer, your Redeemer, and your very present help in time of trouble. I can tell you what he will do for you. But it won’t do you any good unless you accept it by faith.

Hebrews 11:6 says:

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Rather than just accept God’s blessings, we too often have to analyze it, scrutinize it, categorize it and we have to see it to believe it.

Sort of like doubting Thomas. When Yeshua appeared to His talmadim after His resurrection, Thomas was not there and so when Thomas came back Yeshua was gone. But they told him He had been there and he said, “I don’t believe it and I won’t until I see it. Eight days later when Yeshua appeared to them, Thomas was there and saw and Yeshua said, Now that you see you believe, blessed are they who have not seen and yet believe.

The king did not accept by faith what he heard, but thank God one of his servants said, “Well let’s go see if it’s true and sure enough it was.

God always honors his word. You can trust what the word has to say. But you must take a step of faith and do something if you want the windows of Heaven open for you.

Body, Soul, Spirit?

Accept by faith what God wants to do for you, for he wants to minister to the whole person body, soul and spirit. Will you let him?