On Eagles' Wings Pt 301 — Don Courville

Psalm 97: The Lord Reigns in Righteousness

Well, good morning, I'd like to start off today by reading Psalms 97. The Lord reigneth. Let the earth rejoice. Let the multitudes of isles be glad thereof. Clouds and darkness around about him. Righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.

A Fire goeth before him and burneth up his enemies round about his lightnings. Enlighten it the world. The earth saw and trembled. The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord. At the presence Of the Lord of the whole earth the heavens declare his righteousness and all the people see his glory.

Confounded be all they that serve graven images that boast themselves of idols worship him all you gods. Zion heard and was glad and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments. O Lord. For thou Lord or high above all the earth thou art exalted far above all gods.

Ye that love the Lord hate evil he preserveth the souls of his saints. He delivered them out of the hand of the wicked light is sown for the righteous and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord you righteous and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

Repentance and Life in Jesus Christ

Heavenly Father we praise and exalt your name. We thank you for this beautiful morning that we have the clouds out there and the handy work of your hand. We see you in the creation and father. We thank you that in Jesus Christ that we have all things that we need.

We thank you that we can be glad we can rejoice. We give you thanks at the remembrance of your holiness. We thank you that at Calvary. You said it was finished everything in regards to us was finished.

All our needs were met in Christ Jesus and we pray if there'd be some today that might be listening. That don't really know Jesus in the sense that he is their Lord that he has died on the cross for their sins.

And he has set them free. We pray for them that they'd understand that Just being religious is not good enough. We pray that you'd bring them to the point of repentance and that also father as we listen that you bring us to a point Of repentance of anything in our life that doesn't please you that we would not be offensive of you and of your ways.

Thank you father for the tremendous privilege to have life in Jesus. Your word tells us he that has the Son has life. And so we had asked that we'd ask that today Jesus would be seen and that our ears would be open to hear that our eyes could see.

That you'd anoint our tongues to speak. He said that if any man like wisdom let him ask of God and we ask you for wisdom. We don't want to be like Israel father you said who is blind but my servant who can't hear but my servant who's deaf and We don't want to be blind and deaf as your servants.

We want to see in here and Lord. We just thank you and praise you now for this time and pray to set captives free that our our lives could be a radiant Testimony both in whatever we do in word or deed that everything we do would radiate the presence of Christ.

Even set down to the details of how we dress and our mannerism that it all reflect the character and the love of Jesus. We thank you now father in Jesus name. Amen. Well, I'm glad to be back with you had a tremendous Morning this morning got up about 5 o 'clock and just went out for about 30 minutes and sat on The steps watching God make a new day for us.

The clouds out in the West building up in the lightning Flashing and then the Sun coming up to put a beautiful array of color on that morning set and then to think that this day we can Move about in the Spirit of God in him.

We live and move and have our being. The Apostle said, you know, I think many times we live in Christ. But do we really move but as many as are led by the Spirit of God? They are the sons of God. Paul said in Romans many claim to be sons of God.

But they don't move by the Spirit of God they move by the flesh of God and one of the things that we've been going over the last few weeks is how God has been bringing the church. Many churches are coming back to God broken and asking him to to build the church rebuild their church and confessing to to him the ways of man that has Infiltrated their lives in their churches and and we've been sharing with you the testimony of how one church broken before God realized that They had been doing so many things their way the ways of man and they come up with 26 things they God had showed them and and I've shared with you several times how this just Excited me is many of these same things.

God had showed has showed me and shown me and Continuing to show me things that where we have the ways of man and I want to pick up on. We're getting down to close to the end of this there's just about four areas left and a few Weeks ago a couple or three weeks back I was talking with a good friend of mine and we was talking about communion and this is one of the areas that God showed this church about how they were doing things wrong in the area of communion and I don't plan on getting into all the details of communion and and How you should do and everything like that?

But we want to learn and listen to the spirit on what is the spirit of communion? You know, this church said that we had occasional self examination. They said that their church normally held a communion service about once a month and however often you want to have communion.

You can do that. Well when my friend and I we were talking about that I went back home and my wife and I we did a study on Communion just going over it again and it seemed like they did it pretty often from what I could see in the scripture maybe God can speak to you about this, but there was a reason for communion, but they said that They sometimes emphasize judging their selves but more often it was just a ceremony that was routinely carried out and They said this without the scope or depth of self examination which God requires and that's one of the reasons that the Lord gave us communion so that we would have a continual checking and examining of ourselves and our churches and I guess one of the dangers is that it can just become a Routine thing no matter how often you do it if you do it every three months or one month the Lord didn't give us any Specific guidelines.

I don't think on this. He just said as often as you do this and do that do this in remembrance of me. But they said it they as they examine themselves in this area as a church God convicted them. That they did it many times without self examination.

Self-Examination and the Meaning of Communion

And they said that a further problem in their church was that they largely ignored or rejected God's Law as necessary for their Operation. God's Word was not really considered seriously and You know Paul explained that he would not have known sin except by the law because we they said that because they were not judging themselves properly.

They were experiencing what the scripture says in 1st Corinthians 11 30 and if you want to turn there you can but he Paul said for this cause many are weak and Sickly among you and many sleep many times we have sickness in our churches and and Sickly, and maybe some die and we don't realize that there's a spiritual cause of this you know God said that we we should be careful that he will not be mocked and I wonder many times if we have just mocked him by going through the the ceremony of just having communion, but yet while we have sin in our life and what God wants is a regular self-examination and this church as they begin to go before God and and look at the word they saw that in order for believers to maintain godliness and Holiness in their church that they had to have regular periods of self-examination.

As Paul said for if we would judge ourselves We should not be judged but when we are judged we are chastened of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world and what a sad thing it is that the world can slowly creep into our life or into our church because we will not judge ourselves and Thus if we will not judge ourselves God has to judge us and I believe many of our churches many of our lives.

Ichabod could be the title of our church. It's the testimony of our life the glory of God has departed and what we're trying to do is we're trying to Do the next thing that God convicted them up. They want quick results.

We want quick fixes and we got all these programs trying to build up our church to try to get the glory back. No, my friend is the presence of God that brings the glory and without the presence of God.

There is no glory. There's just the glory of man. You know God provided in his law That and in his word that this communion table had a purpose in the church. The early Christians met daily for the breaking of bread acts 246.

It says in there and you know That was a practice that was consistent with the command where Paul said in Hebrews 3 13 that we are to exhort One another daily lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Sin is deceitful. It will deceive me and I've learned that I have to be careful and continually be open with my spirit to receive to receive rebuke and exhortation and This is the way we're to be with one another open to receive there may be an area in our life.

That God has just not brought enough light on it yet where we see that we're deceived and if we think that we have got it all together and we got all the answers then we're proud and The church is not a place of proud people or it's not supposed to be it's a place of humble people where we humble ourselves before the Lord that he may exalt us and lift us up in due time and one of the things that we must have if we're to walk with God in fellowship and if we are to walk in Fellowship one another if we walk in the light as he is in the light.

We'll have fellowship one another but we need to have a clear conscience. And so as we have these frequent and regular times of self-examination and we take communion. It's a time of self-examination before we partake we should examine ourselves so we won't be judged and so we can remember the Lord and He did this for a purpose to keep us clean to keep us pure.

So before we remember the Lord's table before we partake we need to understand that God has some things He wants us to do. He wants us to examine our hearts, you know the yesterday morning. I got up early again I was up early and I went out and in the Living room and I was just laying there on the couch.

And God just began to roll through my mind all these verses on Being offensive Being offensive and and the spirit was just saying what about me? Are you offensive me in the ways and he was just bringing out illustrations and he showed me something.

That's how I'd had a bad attitude about something earlier in the week that had happened and that God had showed me how that was Offensive to him because he was doing it. He was orchestrating it and many times.

We we are offensive get offensive at people because they maybe don't do a job. The way we think that they should or we they don't do something to Write the way that we think They should do it or they offend us or something and we get touchy matter of fact I spent yesterday morning going over this subject of being offensive to one another and being offensive to God, you know, the the the the crowds.

Jesus’ Hard Teaching and the Call to Walk in the Light

When Jesus was leading them along and talking to them about the bread of life that he was the manna that had come down From heaven when he took them into the area that they would have to learn to live off of him that he would be their life and he shared a deep spiritual truth of the cross in a way that That was offensive to them that did not have ears to hear and so what he was doing.

He was parting the waters so to say he was parting the crowd and the scripture said in John 6 66 from that time many of his Disciples went back and walked no more with him. You see when God's ways When God's ways bring us to the point of the cross we will have to humble ourself and Receive from him what he wants to give us or we will make a choice and we will get defensive against God.

You know when God gives you a vision by his spirit through his word Oswald Chambers had shared about this of what he wants and your mind and your soul thrilled to it. But he said if you do not walk in the light of that vision you will sink.

You will sink into servitude to a point of view which our Lord never had those crowds. Those crowds that turned away from Jesus at that point in any time. Someone turns away from Jesus you're turning back to darkness.

We have to keep facing Jesus all the time to walk in the light, but they turned back into darkness here. They had this great light. But then his ways was offensive to him and I'm wondering if in the church today if God's ways Many times are not offensive to us and then we will go on and walk in darkness.

And if you walk in darkness, then you just go deeper into confusion. But God's truth gives us light and light gives us the ability to see and so if we don't will well, you know many of us have opinions and ideas that We think is God's opinion.

We think this is God's idea, but it's our own. Or maybe we've entertained a thought we have not taken a thought captive and it's something that Satan has put into our mind we have all these religions all kinds of religions and Denominations or abominations if you want to call them that That are based on man.

Doctrines of demons we've accepted into our lives because we will not base our life and our churches not and our doctrines according to truth and it's a very delicate area that we have to Continually re-examine our lives and this is why Peter he said he put them in remembrance of these things.

Not that they didn't know them, but that they would not forget to put these things into practice in their life. And you know Disobedience to God's Word. If we are disobedient to what God has showed us will bring confusion into our life and will bring us to a point where many Times we think that we're doing what God wants us to do.

When actually we're doing what the enemy wants us to do disobedience Chambers said Oswald Chambers disobedience in mind to the heavenly vision will make you a slave to points of view that are Alien to Jesus Christ.

Do not look at someone else and say well if he can have those views and prosper, why cannot I? You have to walk in the light of the vision that has been given to you and not compare yourself with others or judge them.

That is between them and God, you know, our churches today many times there's no freedom in our church when there's a judgmental spirit in there and This this critical spirit that that we can have is not from God.

We set ourselves up as God's to judge others and and when you get into this area of of being offensive. We we need to especially Emphasize the need I believe in our churches for each believer to forgive those who have offended them to ask for forgiveness of all those Whom he has offended if you've been offended by somebody else and it's really offended you and it bothers you.

You need to go to Matthew 18 and look at what God says you go tell him brother. This was offensive. And tell him however, you know, you can do it in the most gracious way you can now they may be offended.

That you told him. Then you really get into an interesting situation which one of you is going to humble yourself and be submissive and and keep a good spirit, but To offend God is a deadly and a dangerous thing if we're gonna walk in the light.

We can't walk with God and keep offending him. So when when we find a point of view that As Oswald Chambers said this when you find a point when you find a point of view in which you have been Delighting clashes with the heavenly vision and you debate certain things will begin to develop in you.

Now listen, he said this a sense of property and a sense of personal right have your rights been violated have your. You feel like that somebody has violated your rights. Well, that was how I had a bad attitude Developing in my spirit earlier this week.

I felt like one of my rights had been violated and God began to talk to me and And ask me about this. He said who's controlling things and I said well You are Lord. He said what about your attitude about this change in?

Something's going about he says you're feeling a little bit ruffled up a little bit in your spirit and I said, yes, Lord. He says who's in control and I said you are Lord and I had to confess my sin to the Lord about that.

And you know one of the things about it my wife knows when I'm ruffled my children know when I'm ruffled and Those around you are gonna know when you are in the flesh, which is where we're going now. This sense of property is chambered causes a sense of personal right things of which Jesus Christ Has really not?

He's not giving you permission to be so possessive. Maybe if of a thing that you have or of your right. Actually at the cross we give up all of our rights. We give them to Jesus. So a communion service is a time it's a time of Re-evaluating our opinions re-evaluating our rights and looking and seeing if we're really walking with the Lord in going on on this area and just maybe making a side to service before communion service and even lean over and talk to a child and make sure.

Especially if the child is young make sure his heart is clean. That's not meaning the child is perfect children are many times I believe a lot better than we are because they have a pure heart in the sense that they are not contaminated with a lot of the the ways in the world, but the father is responsible for his family in this area and You know, I was actually there's another area that was related to this area that this church had come up with and And they said this as God had told him things about their church.

Addressing Root Causes Instead of Surface Symptoms

They said that they would treat surface symptoms. They would. They said we did not like to think in terms of cause and effect. Sequences thus we thought problems just happened to some people and not to others.

You know, some people just happen to be sick and things like this and they said we pictured God as a loving benefactor who Winked at our mistakes and was tolerant of all our weaknesses when serious emotional breakdowns occurred.

We sent these believers to train secular to train secular counselors whose Repeated and costly sessions treated surface issues and did not get down to root causes and then they said we would scare at these counselors many times.

Ballast guilt would with blame and taught believers to be independent of God giving authorities. Be an independent of God given authority so that they can cope with life on their own. I was talking with a young man The other night and who was broken eight years ago, he had been hit by a drunk while he was on his motorcycle and just busted him all up and Finally eight years later the other night.

Getting Right With Jesus After Personal Brokenness

I had the privilege of leading him to Christ as he God finally had him completely Broken and and as I shared with him that the first step in his life because his marriage now was going to pieces I said the first step the very first thing is you've got to get right with Jesus and you got to deal with your sin and we went through the gospel and then he was broken and he received Christ as his Savior and it was really neat.

He came back the next night. We were down at the McDonald County Fair down there for the last three nights and just sharing the gospel with people had a little booth there with child evangelism fellowship and It was really neat to have him come back the next night and had my wife there and she's she made a comment to him.

Boy, your eyes are bright. You're all lit up and this man he said I went home and I read all that stuff you gave me and we're trying to we need to get him a Bible and but His life had come to the point to where it it was broke.

He was broken. You know, I it's amazing as human beings how many times we can resist God. I believe some of us can go 20 30 40 50 years and just keep resisting God and we put on an air in our church of spirituality and We just treat surface symptoms and in God taught this church in order for them to have lasting fruit in their church.

They would have to deal with root problems and get people to understand and minister to them that they had to deal with the root of bitterness in their life or the root of greed or the root of moral impurity and When these root problems are resolved, you know, what happens the ground that has been given to Satan is regained and False conclusions these strongholds that Satan is built in our souls.

These things can be torn down and replaced now with biblical principles and with truth. You know Paul said for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.

Why is it that our church that has all of the teachings of the Word of God? We're not pulling down the strongholds of Satan in the lives of our people. We're just playing games many times and he says the Word of God we cast we're to casting cast down these Imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God many times.

We do not even recognize. We do not recognize ideas and philosophies and thoughts that That exalt Satan and not God these things that exalt itself against the knowledge of God and and we're to bring into captivity Every thought to the obedience of Christ.

Hope, Faith, and the Renewal of the Mind

I spent some time. I think it was last week about an hour and a half with a man I've counseled with many times in another state and And he called me and and I knew Something's going on. God had began to put him on my mind for a couple days.

And so when he called me up I had a chance to lead him to a point to see where he was Entertaining thoughts that God was not given him about himself and Satan had him down. He's just like a wrassler. You know Satan.

He just had him pinned down and one of the areas that Satan likes to build into your life or Into a church is this thing of thinking that there's no hope. It's hopeless my friend. Let me tell you there is no problem that Jesus Christ can't help you with.

But if you won't believe that that he can help you then there's nothing he's gonna do for you. You know Jesus didn't do many many miracles and many mighty works in some places because they would not believe but those that believed Received and that's the name of our game is we believe and receive.

Our game is called life and it's called Jesus is our life and it's really not a game it's a reality and we believe and we receive those that will not believe will not receive if we will not believe the Blessing of God's Word the promises According as his divine nature given unto thus, you know, you go to Peter these these precious promises.

The promises will feed us if we will not believe it and get in the word and read it and believe it. We won't grow and if we will not believe God's Exhortations in his commands and his warnings to us about his judging us then we'll receive those too.

Biblical Cause and Effect in the Life of the Church

So this church began to train their people to treat. Not just to treat the surface problems, but dig down and see what's the root what's causing this thing? Why does this brother always have to come back and Confess the same sin over and over and over and so they said they teach this.

This script scriptural cause-and-effect sequences so that believers could have an appreciation for the wisdom of God's Word and the practical benefits Would be seen in their lives and God been begin to bring blessing in their churches.

Well, listen, I'm gonna be closing down here. These two things of treating surface symptoms and having an occasional self-examination having our communion services. These things go together. They fit together.

Well Heavenly Father as we've been sharing some of these truths I just pray that these have been a blessing to the folks and that you administer to them. I pray for you to bless their lives and to bless their churches as they Follow your word.

We pray for souls to be saved. Oh, you're so interested in the loss and if we're not interested in the loss, then we really don't love you. Because your word tells us that you love the world so much that you gave your only begotten son that whosoever would believe in him Should not perish but have everlasting life and you have committed unto us the word of reconciliation and you won't actually our lives to be the life of Christ Jesus he'll live in his life through us.

Thank you for the tremendous privilege father of knowing you and I pray that If there's someone today that hasn't received Jesus that even right now they just bow before you. Or as they're driving down the road even they can just pull over and just say God.

I'm a sinner. I have been the Lord of my life and I just turn it all over to you. I've received Jesus as my Savior and Jesus has my Lord and father. I just pray for your blessing now on the folks. Thank you father in Jesus name.

Well until next time I just trust that God will continue to lead you and guide you and that you'll let him lead you and remember this. You have more confidence and faith in God's ability to lead you than in your ability to follow.

You have great confidence in God's ability until next time you just stick with Jesus. May may he continue bless you my friend.