PART TWO

“For by it (Faith) the elders obtained a good testimony*”
HEBREWS 11:2

Faith is the only means by which men can please God. Faith is the “essentia” of man’s witness unto God and the only expression which garners God’s approval. Through faith these men and women of old OBTAINED a worthy commendation from the living God! By their lives being governed by the promises of God they “reckoned”, “accounted” and “judged” God faithful to see them through. Just as “faith without works is dead” so are works without faith dead and worthless. We must see that the life OF FAITH, a life lived IN FAITH and a life lived BY FAITH is the only thing acceptable to our God!

“…for whatsoever is not of faith is sin”
ROMANS 14:23

Faith is to be the indispensable element of our daily walk whether at home, work or any other situation of life. Faith is the criteria by which all our actions are weighed. Whatever point we are at in the development of our faith is what we reveal in the common flow of our life. We cannot live in the estimation of others for true faith is only concerned with the pleasing of our Heavenly Father. As our faith develops so will the revelation of that faith be in our life. Many try to live their lives according to the acceptability of what others may think, to attempt to please or impress others with their carefully planned actions, but this is neither faith nor a life pleasing to God. Faith seeks ONLY to glorify its Author. There is a freedom in simple childlike faith that gives us liberty from the opinions of men, living solely for His pleasure.

“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith:
as it is written, The just shall live by faith”
ROMANS 1:17

The righteousness of God can only be revealed through our lives to the degree that Faith has been developed within us. Our life of faith is progressive “from faith to faith”, a living dynamic gift that God has given to us by His Mercy. Faith must grow through the experiences of life, through trial, tribulation and seeing God’s hand move in the daily aspects of our life! How good He is to those who trust Him! How faithful He is to those who rely on Him in all that we go through! How can we not desire that our trust in Him grows as well as our love FOR Him? Is He not to be the sole purpose of our life? Can we not seek to live our lives to the fullest extent of the faith that is at work in us, so that we may please Him more and more in the passing of our days?

“We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren,
as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly”
II THESSALONIANS 1:3

Ω

John Paton was making a translation of the Scriptures into a language spoken in the country where he was a missionary, and searched long for the world for “Faith”. The natives had no word for “believe” One day, while working on his translation, a native entered his room, exhausted and flung himself down on the nearest chair, and placed his feet on the chair across from him. The native remarked how good it was to lean his whole weight into that chair. Dr. Paton noted the word he had used for “lean his whole weight.” He had his word for “believe”.
John G. Paton

*“Literally, “were witnessed of;” that is, an honorable testimony was borne to them in consequence of their faith”
Barnes New Testament Notes

Brian Troxel

PART ONE

“By faith we understand…”
HEBREWS 11:3

Faith is the means by which we see and understand the purposes of God. For faith IS the substance of the thing hoped for. It is the deposit of that which is not seen. In order for us to see these things FAITH becomes not only our eyesight but in itself is the very SUBSTANCE of the thing that we see and hope for. The reason we see so little understanding in our DAY, the reason that there is so little VISION and PURPOSE in our DAY, is because we are living in a time when FAITH has very little to do with the everyday life of the average believer. We hear much, yet we see so little in the expression of a dynamic living FAITH gripping the hearts of His own. We see little in terms of a personal faith being expressed in unique ministrations of the life of the Son from member to member. We have succumbed to a faith that is in word only; a “faith” that is not producing His Likeness and His Righteousness in our everyday life. We have settled for a righteousness that is by doctrine rather than a Righteousness that is the product of a living faith ABLE to bring forth a REAL RIGHTEOUSNESS that this world can see.

“Little children, let no man deceive you:
he that DOETH righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous”
I John 3:7

By FAITH we understand that this is true and that by His Faith living and growing within these things are possible to all who believe. Faith lays hold of such truths and produces within us the seeking (seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness), and the doing. By FAITH we UNDERSTAND that these things that are declared in His Word are to become our living experience.

The very Word of God without FAITH will remain a religious document, a historical narrative about something from a distant era, an outdated book that has no real relevance for today. That same Word when viewed through the eyes of one in whose heart FAITH is alive and well pulsates with LIFE, HIS LIFE. It reveals mysteries and glimpses into the very wonder and glory of God. It draws a man into a quest and a life of pursuit of the RISEN CHRIST; for BY FAITH it breathes into our hearts the “substance of things hoped for and the EVIDENCE of things not seen”. Such things cannot be held with the intellect. They are only ours through the operation of a living, breathing FAITH!

For one to look into the Word of God and believe it one must first KNOW that it is TRUE and that whatever is written therein is for us in Christ Jesus. This can only be when we see it through the eyes of FAITH.

“BY FAITH WE UNDERSTAND…”
HEBREWS 11:3

Ω

“Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable,
and receives the impossible”
Corrie ten Boom (1892–1983)

Brian Troxel

“Wherefore in all things
it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren”
HEBREWS 2:17

Love always seeks to identify with the object of its desire. We read here of the astounding truth that there was a necessity within the heart of the SON to be made like unto us! There was an obligation for Him to leave the splendor of heaven to come and become a MAN, so identifying with us in our weaknesses, our temptations, and our limitations that HE would BECOME a merciful high priest for us unto God the Father.

“Therefore, in all things He HAD to be made like His brethren,
that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest
in things pertaining to God… For in that He Himself has suffered,
being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted”
HEBREWS 2:17 – 18 NKJV

It is IN HIM identifying with us, becoming us, becoming our sin that we are to become the righteousness of God in Christ (II Corinthians 5:21). The reason that He was compelled to be “made like unto His brethren” was because of LOVE. It was the LOVE of God sending His own Son into this world that we might know, walk and live in the power of His Eternal Life.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”
JOHN 3:16

That same Love that precipitated the giving of His only begotten Son to whoever calls upon His Name is the same love that initiates within us the desire to identify with Him, that we may be made like unto Him. Teachings, religious concepts and human desire will all fail to bring this to pass. Rather it is that same “agape’” love working within us, inspiring us to identify with Him in all things.

“…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection,
and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead”
PHILLIPIANS 3:10 – 11

Love is the fulfillment of God’s purpose in man. His Love. It is not only the end of His purposes; it is the WAY into His purposes. Without Love being the only motivator within our hearts our motives are wrong, selfish and fragile. For only God’s Love “endures all things”, “thinks no evil” and wonderfully “NEVER fails”.

“God is love;
and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God,
and God in him”
I JOHN 4:16

God’s love in us cannot be known apart from Him; it is only in HIM dwelling in us that we know and live within the sphere of that Love. The measure of our love for Him is revealed in the desire to seek, to live, to participate and identify with Him in this journey of life. The power of His Love will naturally produce abandonment to Him. It is in us discovering the “the pearl of great price” that we gladly sell all that we have in order to procure its loveliness.

“And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy might”
DEUTERONOMY 6:5

Brian Troxel

“I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar,
and where thou vowedst a vow unto me:
now arise, get thee out from this land,
and return unto the land of thy kindred!”
GENESIS 31:13

In our journey with God there are times that we need His mercy to intervene and bring us back to that place of remembrance, back to the place of our vows of abandonment to Him and Him alone. Life takes its toll upon us. We get caught up in the things of this world, we take our eyes off Him and we discover ourselves living and thinking as the world. We find ourselves lost in the temporal issues of life and our perspective becomes skewed. We lose sight of the glorious “prize” of the high call of God in Christ Jesus. It is in these moments that HE brings us back to the place of our vow where we first made a transaction with Him that we might once again become focused on the things that matter. We remember His mighty deliverance and the great kindness HE showed unto us when we least expected it or deserved it. He brings us back to the place where our love for Him was fresh and our eyes were single. He causes us to know that those words spoken in love and sincerity were important to Him and that He has now come to remind us of His favor and His faithfulness to “keep that which we have committed to Him…” How good our God is. How wonderful and merciful are His ways.

“…now ARISE,
get thee out from this land,
and RETURN…”
GENESIS 31:13

We hear the command of God to ARISE for the place where we are is below the place that He has called us to. It takes an ARISING out of the stupor and the complacency in which we find ourselves; out of the wanderings and circular paths of the world to once again walk in the “narrow” ways of the Kingdom, through the “straight gate” that leads us unto LIFE, LIBERTY and the JOY of the LORD! It takes an ARISING out of the mindset that has caused our eyes to slowly fall from being focused upon Him to the things that be of this world. It takes an ARISING to break the habits and the chains of a faithless walk to once again see and live in the atmosphere of a living powerful FAITH; a FAITH that brings purpose and intensity of quest back into the heart of HIS own that we may run with great strength and determination. A FAITH that presses us on to a new intensity of knowing and pleasing Him more than we do now. A FAITH that sees afresh the real and eternal issues of Life that stands before us.

“In returning and rest shall ye be saved…”
ISAIAH 30:15

It is in our returning that we find a renewed sense of His Presence and His Blessing in our lives. Returning requires obedience and response to His Living Word. The response is the means by which we ARISE out of our present circumstance. Faith always requires obedience and action. It is the Word producing within us the ACTION required for its own fulfillment. It is by us staying current with our God that we remain under the shadow of His Wings. For HIS WAY is never static, it is never stale and it will never leave us “barren nor unfruitful” in the things of our God!

“They that dwell under his shadow shall return;
they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine:
the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon”
HOSEA 14:7

May we ever stay current with our God! May HE ever be to us our “present help” in times of trouble. May He ever keep us in the “present truth” of His purposes concerning this Day!

Brian Troxel

The young tree sprouts in emerald green
From the womb of fertile earth
Expectations of grandeur’s dream
Arise in its emerging birth

Spring and Summer
Grace its young life
As it stretches and grows
In days of delight

Fall’s impending chill
Brings new doubts and fears
What’s to become of this new life I feel?
Are these days of goodness to disappear?

Deep green leaves begin to fade
Into shades of crimson and gold
Life begins to wither and age
As youth grows dim and cold

Summer’s leaves lifelessly flitter
In grey days of barren skies
The life of Summer’s past lay littered
In angst the young sapling cries

Winter’s blast and freezing breath
Complete the Fall’s initial task
And in the grip of seeming death
The young sapling’s hopes are finally dashed

Yet Spring’s tender call whispers,
Awakens the tree in hope’s embrace
And from Death’s chill and hopelessness
Comes the warmth of God’s amazing Grace

The familiar face of warming sun
And the retreating Winter’s snow
Proclaim the witness that Spring has sprung
A season of life, a season to grow

And in the passing of the seasons
Through the passage of the years
The Tree will understand the reasons
Of all the joys and bitter tears

In Spring’s joyous rush
……….The Tree recalls Fall’s fading hush
in Summer’s joyous rays
……….The Winter’s grey and dreary days
in Fall’s fading sigh
……….Hears Spring’s tender call nigh
And in the grip of Winter’s death
……….Clings to Summer’s healing breath

May we be instructed
From the seasons of the tree
Whatever the experience
Of the moment may be
We are at rest and peaceful still
Knowing this season too will Pass
But HIS FAITHFULNESS never will.

Brian Troxel

PART TWENTY-THREE

CONCLUSION

CONFIDENCE AND REST

“…and I will dwell* in the house of the LORD for ever.”
PSALM 23:5

The Hebrew word translated here for “dwell” comes from the primary root Hebrew word to “sit” (*see below). It speaks of a rest and a posture of confidence and comfort. David in his pursuit of God came to a point where he was confident in His God, not himself. His posture of rest was not based on some teaching or the fact that he was a King rather his rest was based on the character of HIS GOD. This statement of confidence “I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever” had little to do with David’s own ability to serve God; it was founded upon the personal KNOWING that the LORD was HIS SHEPHERD! Many of God’s people struggle with this confidence, this sense of knowing and belonging. We seek for assurance by doing good things, by clinging to doctrines, assurances from others, belonging to some Christian organization, subscribing to a well-known teacher or some other outward thing to satisfy this need for security. God has only one thing to offer us: the PLEDGE of HIMSELF; the verity of HIS own character. Every action and motive that is not birthed from this place of abiding will eventually fail to satisfy the deep longing within the heart of His own. This place of rest cannot instill a sense of complacency or apathy. It must and will produce a pursuit and seeking of HIM who has become the ONE THING the true heart desires (Psalm 27:4, Philippians 3:13). The pursuit of Him is no longer based on gaining HIS approval but is birthed of an intense desire “to know HIM”.

“That I may KNOW HIM, and the power of his resurrection,
and the fellowship of his sufferings,
being made conformable unto his death…
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:
but this ONE THING I do…
I press toward the mark for the prize
of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus”
Philippians 3:10 – 14

The one who wrote the scripture above also wrote…

“But God, who is rich in mercy,
for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Even when we were dead in sins,
hath quickened us together with Christ,
(by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together,
and made us SIT together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus”
Ephesians 2:4 – 5

The posture of sitting together with Christ in heavenly places is born of an insatiable desire to know HIM more fully and deeply. It is the starting point of our journey. In this knowledge we will arise from our failures, disappointments and trials that are all part of the discovery of both the depths and the riches of His Grace.

Trust and confidence can only be known via relationship. Such is the heart of our Great Shepherd who leads us to the “still waters” of resting in HIM, the “green pastures” of feeding upon Him in the tranquility of His tender love and care, the feasting with Him in the “presence of our enemies” and to the discovery of His Presence with us in “the valley of the shadow of death”! Let us with great humility of heart follow HIM, seek Him and grow in the graces of HIM who is the LORD OUR SHEPHERD!

Ω

The Lord my pasture shall prepare,
And feed me with a shepherd’s care;
His presence shall my wants supply,
And guard me with a watchful eye.
Joseph Addison (1672–1719)

* H3427. יָשַׁב yāšaḇ: A verb meaning to sit, to dwell, to inhabit, to endure, to stay. Apparently, to sit is the root idea, and other meanings are derived from this. (THE COMPLETE WORD STUDY DICTIONARY: OLD TESTAMENT Warren Baker, D.R.E. Eugene Carpenter, Ph.D.)

Brian Troxel

“…the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him,
Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not;
but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then?
Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet?
And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou?
that we may give an answer to them that sent us”
I JOHN 1:19 – 22

The individuals quoted here were not interested in truth; they merely asked questions of John that they could satisfy the curiosity of the religious leaders of that day. Apparently the leaders of that day had such little interest in the things of God that they could not even be bothered to seek out the substance of these things for themselves. History has a tendency to repeat itself. Man’s unregenerate heart at its basic state remains unchanged throughout the history of man. The rhetoric remains; the terminology may change, and the thing that God is doing may be different, but the response is the same, Religion prefers the historical account of an event rather than the current manifestation, or as Peter would state “the present truth”, of God’s will in the earth. The true seeker is one whose passion is to know HIM more today than was known of HIM yesterday. In the glimpses we are afforded there is a grace that compels us to cry out for a truer and deeper seeing of HIM. Men seek that which they love and pursue the things on which their heart is set.

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single,
thy whole body shall be full of light”
MATTHEW 6:21

In this day of information overload we see and hear much curiousity in the “teaching” that some ascribe to; as if truth were simply an arrangement of scriptures arbitrarily put together with which we can substantiate any given lifestyle. This type of religion has very little (if any) effect upon the ones who hold such views. For truth to be true it must necessitate a CHANGE in the one who holds it. It must first of all CONVICT an individual of the absolute necessity for the REDEMPTIVE act of God; an ongoing CRY for CHANGE at the heart level of who we are. Truth is not a statement of our doctrines. Rather it is the SPIRIT of GOD working from within to transform the very fabric of our being, what we are by nature, into an expression of the Living God by the Grace that is ABLE to complete such a work. THE PURPOSE OF TRUTH IS TO MAKE US TRUE. The sad testimony of this hour is that there is a satisfaction in knowing about the historical events of God without any pursuit to know HIM in a greater way today. When Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of God HE gave the following parable…

“The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls,
who, when he had found one pearl of great price,
went and sold all that he had and bought it”
MATTHEW 13:45 – 46

Truth will not be found of those who casually ask, leisurely inquire or by those who seek the approval of men. Truth is known of those who understand the costs associated with its acquisition. We cannot grow in truth while we cling to our own untruthful self and self-interests. We cannot remain where we are if we are caught up in the pursuit of HIM who is truth. Truth always beckons us to more of HIM! It bids us to “take up our cross and follow HIM”. It does not allow us to hold onto unforgiveness, envy, lusts, jealously and anger; it produces a deep awareness of our own poverty and brings us to the realization of our riches in the Risen Christ.

The journey into truth beckons us to “ask” in order to receive, “seek” in order to find and to “knock” in order to enter its door; “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be that find it”. (Matt 7:7 – 9)

Ω

“I want deliberately to encourage this mighty longing after God. The lack of it has brought us to our present low estate. The stiff and wooden quality about our religious lives is a result of our lack of holy desire. Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted. Too bad that with many of us He waits so long, so very long, in vain”
A. W. Tozer

Brian Troxel

THE SON

“…this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life,
and this life is in his Son”
I JOHN 5:11

Eternal Life cannot be separated from the Son. HE is eternal life. His LIFE in us is Eternal life. While much of the Christian Church has succumbed to religious formulas, God’s truth stands sure.

“He who has the Son has life;
he who does not have the Son of God does not have life”
I JOHN 5:12

We have relegated the act of becoming a Christian to a statement of “faith”, rather than the reality of His Life within the individual; we have ruled out the LIFE of the Son as the revelation of the redemptive power of a salvation that is ours through FAITH in the SON. Where there is no change in the life of an individual there is no conversion. Change is always the evidence of HIS LIFE.

“Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ,
he is not His”
ROMANS 8:9

Our access to, and our enjoyment of, all the resources of heaven is only known by relationship with and abiding in the Son. No amount of teachings, religious conformity to the concepts of men, or association with various ministries/organizations will ever replace the wonder of a living relationship with the risen Christ!

The purpose of all ministry is to see that HE ALONE has the pre-eminence in our midst and in our hearts. We must return to the simplicity of the FAITH that fuses the life of the believer to our Risen Lord.

Ω

“No man can create faith in himself.
Something must happen to him which Luther calls “the divine work in us,”
which changes us, gives us new birth,
and makes us completely different people in heart,
spirit, mind, and all our powers”
Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf (1700–1760)

Brian Troxel

The Setting of our Sights

“Set your mind on things above,
not on things on the earth.”
Colossians 3:2(NKJV)

What a man covets he pursues, what he worships he serves and what he pursues and worships he becomes. In this digitally-paced world, when every moment of our attention is stalked and disturbed by the intrusion of something or someone we are here reminded of the central issue and purpose of LIFE; to remain focused on things above.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,
that you present your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable to God,
which is your reasonable (intentional/rational) service (worship)”
Romans 12:1(NKJV)

The setting of our hearts, minds and affections on the person of Jesus Christ is the result of the ministration of His mercy into our lives. Mercy received in the life of an individual will be revealed by the singularity of purpose by which that life is lived. Mercy is much more than a sentiment; it is a POWER that pervades the life of any who are held by its beauty. It is because of such a power that we are enabled to seek, desire and set our hearts aside for His service and worship. It is when we turn aside our focus to the things of this world that we become lost in the emptiness and futility of our own ways.

“They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy”
Jonah 2:8

As we stand upon the dawning of a New Year may we be gripped by the wonder of a MERCY that will enable us to “present our bodies as living sacrifices” and to truly “set our mind on things above”.

Ω

“As we begin to focus upon God,
the things of the Spirit will take shape before our inner eyes”
A. W. Tozer (1897–1963)

Brian Troxel

PART TWENTY-TWO

 SURELY

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life”
PSALM 23:5

SURELY!  The Hebrew Word used for “SURELY” is a particle of affirmation in the Hebrew Language; it indicates a certainty!  It is the declaration of FAITH arising from a heart that is following after the Great Shepherd!  It is a declaration from a life that knows there will be “valleys of death” and separation, of difficulties that seem insurmountable and too deep to cross in our own strength.  It is the assurance felt within the heart of one that knows the character and the grace of our God.  It is the very thing that carries us through the great trials and troubles that we encounter in this life.  This confidence is borne not from a confidence in ourselves but is founded upon His Goodness and Mercy that is ours as we pursue and follow after Him!  We see this same declaration echoed in the life of Paul and others in the New Testament…

“Yet in all these things
We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life,
Nor angels nor principalities nor powers,
Nor things present nor things to come,
Nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing
Shall be able to separate us
From the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”
ROMANS 37 – 39

Brian Troxel