KEEPING AND KEPT

Rev. 3:10

Morning Meditation 10/5/2012

"Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth."

Jesus is commending the Church at Philadelphia for keeping what Jesus calls "the word of my patience." I understand that to mean that they were living by the word of the Lord and keeping it even though they were paying the price of reticule, and all kinds of pressure that was being applied, that required great patience to endure such persecution. Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:12, "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." This is what our text is talking about.

Our text also reveals that if one lives godly in Christ Jesus and suffers persecution because of it, that it will not go unnoticed by the Heavenly Head of the Church. Jesus says to those Christians, "I also will keep thee for the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world." While this promise to the Church at Philadelphia is referring to the church prior to the rapture, it is also true of any Christian today who is keeping God's Word and is suffering from Satan and his kingdom as a result of it.

Ralph Erskine wrote the following poem:

"Mine arms embrace my God, yet I

Had never arms to reach so high;

His alone me holds, yet lo!

I hold, and will not let Him go.

"I do according to His call;

And yet not I, but He does all:

But though He works to will and do,

I without force work freely too.

"I take hold of His cov'nant free;

But find it must take hold of me.

I'm bound to keep it, yet 'tis bail

And bound to keep me without fail."

First, let's look at,

PURITY AND PRESERVATION

Psalms 34:13, "Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile." According to the heading of this psalm, it was written by David, "when he changed his behavior before Abimelech; who drove him away and he departed."

First of all the tongue can sorely defile a man. So David says, "Keep thy tongue from evil." This is a statement that appeals to the wisdom of a man. It also appeals to the volition. We are responsible for what we say. Therefore, David says, "Keep thy tongue from evil." If I keep my tongue from evil, I will determine that I will no longer speak evil. I purpose in my heart that my tongue will no longer defile my life.

Have you ever been in conversation with someone and after the conversation, you realize that you said things that should not have been said? If those words are restated by the one to whom you talked and you are given as the source of those words, you realize that it would have been better if they had not been said. The word "evil" can refer to the intention of those words. One might mean harm to the one of whom he speaks. Then they may have been inherently evil. The words should not have been said even if they told the truth of an enemy. They are the kind of words that should not characterize a Christian. They are evil words. There is a lack of love and a willingness to restore such a one.

All we have to do to see what God requires of His followers is to read the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5:11-12 says, "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." Jesus is telling His disciples how to respond to an enemy who speaks badly of us. Jesus is saying we will be reviled, and men will persecute you, and shall do all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake." Jesus tells us how to respond to those who do us wrong.

Jesus recognizes in these two verses that men will say thing that are not true about us. He does not say, "Sharpen your sword and go after them." He does not say, "Sue them for ruining your reputation." What He does say, "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake." Jesus acknowledges that you are being attacked and ridiculed "for my sake." It is because you are a Christian. That bothers the unsaved to the point they will persecute you because of it, and they will "say all manner of evil against you falsely." Here is the hard part. It is certainly not easy. But it is the point of the episode where you have a chance to obey your Lord or act in the flesh against the one who is doing you wrong. Jesus says, "Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."

Isn't that a heart warming statement coming from our Lord. Yes, you are persecuted. You do not deserve the persecution. But you make the enemies of the Lord so uncomfortable that they cannot resist persecuting you for your identification with Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. So when they persecute you, and revile you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, you rejoice and become exceedingly glad. To say the least that was not what they expected. They aimed to make you miserable but instead you grabbed your harp and sung a song!!! They themselves do not know how to be exceedingly glad. But they are observing in you an overflowing joy that they cannot explain. Glory to God someone hold my mules!!! Do you know where that joy comes from? It comes upon pilgrims whose citizenship is in heaven and they are receiving power to rejoice even when things go wrong for them.

PATIENT AND POSSESSED

A common saying among Christians is, "Don't pray for patience," because if you get it God will send tribulation so that the patience that He gives will have something to work on. That comes under the caption of "Looney Tunes." Now listen Romans 5:3-5 says, "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."

Patience is waiting under pressure. When we are under pressure to do wrong as a solution to something that would be wrong if we did it, and we exercise patience, we will discover we are possessed by the Holy Spirit therefore enabled to overcome the temptation.

Jesus told His disciples in Luke 21:19, "In your patience possess ye your souls." This verse seems to be saying that we are strengthened by the Holy Spirit to possess our souls. That would seem to be the exercise of our volition and say no to what Satan is attempting to tempt us to do. But I would have to say that behind self acting by faith to do right would necessarily be the Powerful Holy Spirit enabling us to do what we know to do right. So it would ultimately be acting in the Holy Spirit to do the righteous thing.

The normal Christian life is a Holy Spirit possessed life. This is the filling of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit reproduces the life of Jesus in us as we make ourselves available to do what He wants. Next let's look at,

PRAYER AND PROVISION

F. E. Marsh says the souls has two hands, "the empty hand of prayer, and the receiving hand of faith." God has provided for all our needs. However it is necessary for us to go to Him in prayer and ask. Jesus trained His disciples to pray. Matthew 7:7-8, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." That is an extremely simple solution to obtain our needs. Jesus says, "Ask, Seek, and Knock." We need to read this passage and meditate upon the meaning of this exhortation that Jesus makes to His disciples.

The truth is this. Ephesians 1:3, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:" This means that the Lord has already made provision for all our needs. Now we must go to Him and ask for them. This way we are constantly being reminded that what we need comes from Him. What we get is being constantly supplied from Him. If we go and can't get what we ask for, we can seek Him while there for the reasons that our prayer is not being answered. He will tell us, we can repent on the spot, and be supplied while there in prayer. The asking, seeking, and knocking, seems to suggest that prayer for our needs can at times be prolonged so that patience is sometimes necessary. We must stay before the throne so that all the things that we have done wrong as His children can be repented of and forgiven. Then we can on the very spot receive as a positive answer from our Father all that we ask for. So we have here prayer and its provision.

May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White