Arab-03 the Principalities & Powers — Art Katz

Living in the Tension of Faith

But if we hold steady and pass the test, it could be the making of us, being brought into a new place of greater maturity, a transcendent place.

So I appeal to you to hold steady. Our minds are trained to be greedy. They want immediate answers now. The world has not prepared us to live in the tension of the faith.

Where something is delayed, the answer does not come until later.

It may not even come in this life. At your own leisure, look at the book of Hebrews.

The great heroes of the faith, of whom it says, these all died not having received the promise. Not just a few of them did not receive, none of them received. These all died not having received the promise, yet they saw it afar off, and were able to live without the promise being fulfilled, confident that it would be given them in the life to come.

That expectation enabled them to live now, in such a way, it says, that they received a good report. This is another way of living, a heavenly rather than an earthly way, and we are not used to it, but we need to become used to it.

So something is involved in these days much more than the subject of Israel.

It's an opportunity to come into a more radical place of faith, of the kind that they, in the book of Hebrews, the great heroes of the faith, and we're not just listening to a teacher, that makes a demand upon our intelligent understanding, that makes a demand upon our intelligent understanding, as if understanding is the result of a certain set of reasonable.

Or logical propositions that we consider.

This is prophetic proclamation, it's not so much our intelligent understanding, as a word.

That performs a work in them that believe.

It's a new dimension for you, so don't panic, count yourself privileged, because the issue is the glory of God forever, and knowing that, we know that that means ultimate requirement. It's not how you should live better, and how this series of talks will enable you to live a more successful Christianity, and how the faith can meet your problems.

This goes far beyond that. It has nothing to do with you at all.

It has to do with Him, and His glory forever. Wherever there's a church that takes that seriously, and makes the issue of God's glory the foremost purpose for its being, that church makes a demonstration to the principalities and the powers of the air, that destroys their influence in the locality where that church is, and releases the captives for the ministry of that fellowship.

For that fellowship is demonstrating another wisdom, and the whole of the spiritual drama is a conflict of two wisdoms. The wisdom of the world, the gods of this world, and the wisdom of God. Totally opposite, in every point and particular.

And that's what I want to talk to you about this morning.

The Church Against the Principalities and Powers

The principalities and the powers of the air, that brood over every nation and every locality. Actual princes of the air, who have had an influence and a sway over nations. To this very day, against which God raises up only one agency to combat them.

The church, but the church of an ultimate kind.

Not any casual fellowship. But a church of a particular kind. The kind that embraces the eternal purposes of God. That pertains to his glory forever. As its foremost consideration. Is that practical? No.

And yet the remarkable paradox is this.

That those who put God's interest first, have a greater consequence for their practical life,.

Than those who put their practical life first. So I want to pray. Precious God, we ask mercy and grace. You see where we are. We have constituted no threat to the powers of the air that brood over our cities.

For we have been so much under their influence. And we ask that you would help us. To break free from their influence. In the only way that you yourself have provided. That we will take eternity seriously.

The glory of the Lord more important than our own practical need. That we might be true church indeed.

For only such a church shall overcome and endure in the last days. And be to this nation what it must.

So grant us a grace to understand. Not so much with our minds as with our spirits. May we not resist nor reject your word. But receive it that it might perform a work in us. We thank you for the privilege.

And invite you to continue with us. To shake all things that must be shaken. And only that which should remain will remain. Be with my mouth Lord. And with the ears and the hearts of our hearers. Paul cried out for a grace for utterance that he might make known the mysteries of God.

Grant us a grace to know and understand the mysteries of God. And I pray for that grace also. Thank you for hearing us and answering us. In Jesus name. Amen.

Lazarus and the Glory of God

Remember that Jesus was told that Lazarus, the friend whom he loved, was sick.

Remember that Jesus was told that Lazarus, the friend whom he loved, was sick.

And instead of rushing to his bedside as you would expect that he would. He remained two days long where he was. And then he went to his house. And when he approached his house, one of the two sisters ran to meet him.

And when he approached his house, one of the two sisters ran to meet him.

She said, Lord if you had been here my brother would not have died. It was an accusation. It was putting pressure on him. Because she only thought in terms of her own immediate satisfaction. He said, your brother is not going to die.

But this is going to reveal the glory of God. And we are in that situation.

We all of us have a spirit of accusation.

Of retirement. As if we have something coming to us. You can't allow my brother to die. If you had been here he would not have died.

And I would not have to suffer this. What a picture of ourselves. As compared to Jesus. Who is motivated by one thing only.

Greater even than his love for his friend Lazarus. It was that the glory of God the Father should be revealed. There is a certain spirit of requirement with us.

If you had been here my brother would not have died. Art if you had spoken more intelligently.

More plainly and more clearly. I would not be in this state of confusion. Why did you have to bring up a troubling subject? Why don't you address my needs? Why do you have to speak about some ultimate millennial thing?

Especially as it centers in that hated nation.

Only for one reason. To reveal the glory of God. Do you see where we are?

Do you see where he is? Do you know what I noticed as Terry read again from Isaiah 19? The wonderful spirit inspired words of God. Egypt my people. In verse 25. Blessed be Egypt my people. And Israel my inheritance.

Do you know what thought I had? Egypt will never be his people. Until his inheritance is your inheritance. Until Israel is as much a joy for you. As it is for him. Merely to be begrudging toward the truth.

I guess I have to. What can I say? Does not make you his people. If you are going to be his people, you have to love what he loves.

And rejoice for what he loves.

But there is something in you that is unwilling. Resistant and selfish.

Hard and stubborn. That has always been true. It's only the issue of Israel that now reveals it.

Do you see the wisdom of God? All the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God. He knows exactly what it takes to find us out.

And to reveal both our condition and our needs.

He said, except that our righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees, we cannot. It's not enough to acknowledge our enemies as having a purpose with God.

But the love of our enemies. As he loves them. And by his love. To come to a place like that.

Is not only to see Israel differently.

Is to see Muslims differently.

Loving your enemy is an ultimate place in God. If it's going to be said of you that you are his people. They must be your inheritances. That you should rejoice over Jerusalem. Not the present one.

But the one that is to come. Which will not come without you. Your prayers, your intercession, your travail.

For the bringing forth of that nation. Is the very key to the completion of God's purposes. It has such a profound impact on the powers of darkness in the earth. Because it contradicts all wisdom. All reasonable understanding.

That you can pray for an enemy.

Not out of a religious belief. Not because it's a religious obligation. Not because you have to because the word says so. But out of love. Because I want to.

Not so much the love for them in themselves.

But because the love of God.

Who is glorified by their return.

Who is glorified when the people of Israel return. Do you understand this? Sometimes we need to obey when we don't understand.

Like when Jesus washed the feet of the disciples. Peter refused to receive that washing.

He was too spiritual. And he didn't understand it.

Jesus said to him in verse 7 of chapter 13. What I do thou knowest not now.

Peter wanted to know now. He wanted to have his greedy mind appeased now.

But this was a mystery. That was not to be understood now. But yet an obedience now was required. And you shall know hereafter. Later. And Jesus said if you don't allow me to wash your feet now. You will have no part with me.

That's the issue before you. That's the issue before us now. If you don't allow the Lord to wash your feet with his word. Even if you don't understand anything now. You will have no part with him. In his end time purposes.

In the things that conclude this age.

And release his coming and his kingdom and his glory. So it's up to you.

How far do you want to go? Do you want some practical teaching out of scripture?

That you don't understand now. But you'll understand hereafter. If you will submit to that. You can't understand how great mistakes are in these very days. Mistakes in efficiency. You say but brother it can't be because I'm just an ordinary believer.

I'm just an ordinary Christian. This can't be that important. But these are not important things. I'm just an ordinary believer. But don't disagree with the situation of the disciples of Christ. Those who couldn't understand or accept when Jesus told them that he had to be crucified and be raised again on the third day.

They blocked it out of their minds. It wasn't practical for them to consider. And we're something like that. We want to block out what is not convenient.

And yet his death and his resurrection is central to the whole faith.

And yet his death and his resurrection is central to the whole faith.

We're made of the same stuff as they were made of. That's the mystery. If God cannot succeed with a congregation like this.

In Cairo and in Egypt. In this hour. To receive the mystery of God's eternal purposes.

Then I don't have any hope for the church anywhere. It's all the more to his glory. When it has to do with people like ourselves. Maybe you were born to come into the kingdom for such a time as this. So let's turn to Ephesians chapter 3.

The Mystery of the Church

And see if we can understand the mystery of the church. Paul speaks about his calling in this chapter. In verse 7 that he was made a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to him. Who is less than the least of all saints.

That's how Paul saw himself.

That's how we need to see ourselves. That we might receive God's grace. Which is only given to the humble.

That he should preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. And to make all men see in verse 9 what is the fellowship of the mystery. Which from the beginning of the world has been hidden God who created all things by Jesus Christ.

And order that now. That the principalities and powers and heavenly places.

Might be known by the church.

The manifold wisdom of God.

What do you think of that? Have you understood that?

Are you looking carefully at these words?

Would this now have to come? In order that now something is to take place.

That is so important in God's sight. That he created all things in order to obtain it. For which all things were created is the church. That it might make a demonstration of a particular kind. Unto the principalities and the powers of the earth.

To the principalities. Of the manifold wisdom of God. If we don't get past this verse.

If we don't get past.

We can forget all the rest of these verses. They will mean nothing. And will be closed to us. Until we come through this chapter. What this has to do with the purpose of the church. Paul says at the end of this chapter.

Verse 21. Unto him be glory in the church. By Christ Jesus. Throughout all ages. Unto all generations. Amen. Do you desire to be a part of that church? Or do you just want to attend a fellowship where you receive some benefit?

This is a critically important question.

What is your intention with God? How far are you willing to go? This is not for everybody.

If this glory does not come to Jesus Christ by the church.

And the world is dying. The world is dying for the demonstration of this glory.

Do we have this concern and this jealousy for the glory of God?

This is not something we can manufacture for ourselves. But we can be open to receive it.

Knowing that if God gives it to us, it will ruin us. It will ruin us. It will. For our careers, for our future, for our practical expectations of our life. It will ruin our expectations. It will ruin our career.

It will ruin our job. This is the end of respectable Christianity. By which you can be a Christian and an engineer also. And married and family. And be nice.

The kind of Christianity we desire.

That can be sublimated to our preciousness.

That nourishes our things. But has nothing to do with this glory. So what will it be?

One or the other. Or I'm wasted on you. You cannot hear me if you don't choose the latter. Do you realize how historic this moment is?

Do you realize how historic this moment is?

Time is standing still waiting for your answer. The issue of eternity is waiting. Waiting for your desire and your will. Of how far you will go. How far will you go with God? What kind of a Christian do you want to be?

How much are you concerned with his purposes? Because look at verse 11. That this whole thing is according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Jesus Christ our Lord. I was telling Terry this morning that not long ago I was faced with the same issue in Sicily in Italy.

An audience of Sicilian women with bandanas around their heads.

With their heads covered. The most ordinary and simple women. They loved the Lord but they were practical also.

And the Lord said speak to them the mystery of Israel and the church. I said look this is ridiculous and impossible.

These are ordinary Italian women. They have no concern for the eternal purposes of God. They are waiting to get home that they can cook different dishes.

Israel is nothing for them. The Lord said that is exactly the point. When a church will take to its heart.

Something that has nothing to do with its own practical interest.

Simply because it is God's eternal purpose. That church is church indeed. And their willingness to do it demonstrates another kind of wisdom. Contrary to the wisdom of this world. Contrary to self interest.

It puts the interest of another before their own interests. And when the powers of the air that brood over Sicily and the Mafia see that one thing that one demonstration their influence over that locality in Sicily is broken.

By the only thing that can break their power the demonstration of the manifold wisdom of God through the church. That's exactly our issue today. What practical importance is this for me?

Not only does it have no seeming practical importance.

It might even threaten your life.

It's not safe to entertain and to consider things pertaining to that nation. To do so is not only inconvenient but at risk. And any expression of the church of Jesus Christ in Egypt that will do so makes a demonstration to the powers of the air above it that breaks their influence over that locality.

What is being tested is how far you have been brought by Terry from that.

Have you come to such a faith that you can consider the eternal purposes of God as being greater than your own? Do you see yourself as being connected.

With the invisible cloud of witnesses.

Who are not yet perfect without us?

There is something here of an unbroken continuum throughout the whole history of the faith.

Do we choose to see ourselves as being part in that?

Of a church that has always had the jealousy for the glory of God. And has suffered for that reason even unto death. For nothing will invite a greater opposition against you than this kind of jealousy.

For nothing will invite a greater oppression than this kind of interest. I want to know to what extent you accept to accept these things or else I will stand here and we will go tomorrow to look at tourist attractions.

I really want us to wrestle with this.

You keep saying concerning this thing, this thing. Can you say something about this thing? Yes. I mean yesterday you were so clear today you are... What is it, this thing? What is it?

Can we talk about the specific thing? We want to be the church of an ultimate kind. That fulfills the eternal.

Purpose of God. For which reason it says that He created all things through Jesus Christ. How important must this be to Him? This is a very important matter for God. He created all things. The cosmos itself.

The world and the nations. The whole thing that sustains the life of mankind. Sustains. Sustains. Keeps. In order that there should be a place for a church that should perform something for Him. Why should that be important to Him?

He doesn't tell us. He simply states it. And what is this church to demonstrate? The manifold wisdom of God. Whatever that is. Whatever that wisdom is.

And not by individuals in the church. The church itself. In its totality.

In its true corporate makeup. Only that church can fulfill this purpose. This is not for individualists.

This is for a church of an ultimate kind. That are really together. That have one heart, one mind, and one will.

It's a sacrifice to be such a church. Something or something given. If we give our time or our energy we expect a certain result.

That's the wisdom of this world. And it's powerful, even among Christians. If we don't feel that we're receiving a benefit from the fellowship, we'll go someplace else. As if that's our right. After all, our self-interest is first.

Even spiritually. But we're acting in the spirit of the world.

That's the utilitarian spirit of the world. Something invested. But it's not the wisdom of God. God's wisdom is selflessness. Self-denial. Giving yourself for something that is contrary to your self-interest.

Even opposed to your self-interest. Because it glorifies another. People who do that would be considered stupid. And God calls such people pilgrims, strangers, and sojourners in the earth. It's what we are called to be.

The Cross and the Wisdom of God

Where was the manifold wisdom of God first demonstrated? Because it brought an incisive defeat to the powers of darkness. It says he made of them an open spoil in a public display. He disarmed the principalities and the powers.

Where? At the cross. Jesus himself demonstrated the wisdom of God at the cross. The two wisdoms collided at the cross. The wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God. The wisdom of the world says, take care of yourself.

Come down from the cross and we will believe you. It uses force and threat and intimidation and power. If you bow to me, I will give you all the kingdoms of this world. Success, prestige, satisfaction.

Is this a wisdom that you recognize? Is it not yet powerful in the world? Isn't that where you go to university and sacrifice to obtain a career?

But God has created all things for a demonstration of another kind.

The powers of the air will only be defeated by this demonstration. What Jesus demonstrated on the cross in his own body, in patient suffering and sacrifice, in suffering reproach, is what we will be called to do at the end of the day.

It will bring the final defeat.

Of the powers. Release mankind from its bondage. Release the king and his kingdom. But it can only be performed by the church. He created all things in order that through the church, the metaphor of wisdom of God.

He created all things in order that through the church, the wisdom of God. It is the same wisdom that will rejoice in the restoration of Israel. Even if this matter has nothing to do with your personal needs,.

To embrace that purpose of God is to put yourself in a place of peril and jeopardy. But your willingness to do it is a demonstration.

That has powerful practical consequence. Even for Egypt and Cairo, because of something that breaks in the air over us. The church itself is such a demonstration because it is made up of Gentile and Jew.

The church is made up of Jews and nations. We are all part of this myth or secret. We are all nations. In history, we were enemies. But in this place, we are made one.

One. Look what is happening.

In Yugoslavia today.

Serbian against Croatian. Both of them against the Muslims. Unbelievable violence and hatred and atrocity and torture because of the ethnic differences that hates the other. The very opposite of the genius of what the church is.

Can you see what the church itself, when it is really one, as Jew and Gentile, contradicts the wisdom of the world. It is a demonstration of the wisdom of God.

That is glorious. The very existence is itself a power. If you can see that,.

Jew and Gentile made one new man. In the church, what will it mean about Israel and the nations that have been historically opposed to each other and are made one in God. How much greater a glory is that?

A demonstration of the same wisdom of God. John the Baptist said, I must decrease that he might increase. John the Baptist said, I must decrease that he might increase. Are you willing to decrease for the church that Israel might increase?

That our purpose is to enable their restoration.

That our purpose is to enable. That is contrary to the wisdom of the world. We should take second place to another.

It says, in the hour that Zion travails, a nation will be birthed. Travelling is the agonizing pain and suffering of bringing something into being that was not before.

It is a kind of dying to bring new life. Which the mother is willing to do for her child. It's a long child. But God is going to bring.

Israel to such a place that it cannot even travail for itself. It is going to be so reduced and so devastating that it will be nigh unto death. It will have no energy for itself. That process is at work right now.

And will continue until they will be completely without hope. If anything comes to them, it must come to them from outside themselves. A people who are willing to suffer the pangs and the travail of birth for them.

That they might be brought into being. So Paul says, what shall they return be but life from the dead? Who is willing to. Who would be willing to travail and to suffer for another? That God might bring that other forth.

To bless many. This is what the first martyr Stephen did. He was young and brilliant. He had a wisdom that stopped the mouths even of the doctors of the law. He had a face that shone like an angel. But he was willing to lay his life down.

In order that a man at whose feet the clothing was laid.

Would see something of another wisdom.

That this Stephen could die more gloriously than Paul knew how to live. Paul knew religion. He knew the wisdom of the world. But he was seeing another kind of demonstration. That one was willing to decrease unto death.

That this one might increase unto death. They would not have been an apostle Paul.

Without a modest Stephen.

One had to decrease that the other might increase.

And here is what I want to say to you.

That the true church of Jesus Christ.

In the world must be a Stephen people who will decrease even unto death. That this nation's soul that even breathes murderings against the church that is contrary to God and even opposed to the purposes of God with his own ignorance and self-righteousness.

Will be broken by the demonstration of another wisdom.

And be raised up out of that death to bless many nations.

That's the ultimate purpose of God.

That reveals his glory forever.

Did Stephen know that that's what his death meant? That he was then able to lay down his life?

He didn't know and he didn't need to know.

It was clear that his face shone like an angel.

Because his life was totally surrendered to God. He required no explanation. And yet his obedience to death was revealed to the world.

But what a tragic loss.

What a brilliant young man.

What a gift to the church.

He had been living and that would have been the benefit. But he was cut off when he was young. Does it make sense according to our wisdom? Some of you have failed the wisdom of God. He was wasteful and extravagant from our perspective.

But it released the glory of God.

Waiting for the Glory Revealed in Lazarus

Jesus was told that his friend was sick and dying.

Whom he loved, it says. Yet he remained two days longer than the other. And legal immediately. You don't even have to be spiritual to understand that. Common sense tells you if a person is sick, whom you love, you can't delay them.

But he delayed himself. Sufficient for his friend to die without any explanation. Isn't that cruel? Isn't that unkind and unloving? He healed and saved others. Shouldn't he have done for his own friend?

But he was obedient to us. That had to do with the glory of God. And by the time he got to the tomb of Lazarus, it was four days. And the sister said by this time he stinks. His body is entirely corrupted.

Didn't I say if you would believe, you would see the glory of God? And he cried out, Lazarus cried out. And out from death came life. He was enclosed in the cave and with a rock over it. His face had been bound up and his hands and his feet.

Jesus said release him and let him go. Jesus said release him and let him go. Israel has been in the grave for two thousand years. Longer. By this time it stinks. There is nothing good that can come out of it.

Except by the resurrection power of God. The demonstration of which glorifies sin forever. But it waited on an obedient son.

Whose word could raise the dead. Had he gone earlier he could not have spoken that word. The power of that word was relative to his waiting for this long word. Contrary to all wisdom. All self interest.

What if God calls us to speak a word into Israel's tomb that it might come forth to bless the nations. Even this nation would we be able to speak such a word?

If that word had to come out of our corporate mouth as the church that demonstrates the wisdom of God. That could remain two days longer where it is. While every human impulse.

Wants to go and help a friend. We still remain because there is something more important than human kindness. And alleviating human ills. Helping others. And serving the needs of man. It's the glory of God the Father.

This sickness is not to end in death. But to glorify God and the Son of God. By a demonstration of another wisdom by another power. By those who have a single eye for that glory. How much more powerful is that demonstration?

If it is performed not by a friend of Lazarus but by an enemy. Who has no reason to want to see Lazarus come out of his grave. Only to see him remain in his grave. That's a greater demonstration. It's the kind of demonstration that the church of Egypt could make.

And for which God is asking.