Sermon:
Convene
by Chris Cumming
On the 18th of
January of this year (2020),
I presented to you the sermon, “Double-down”
which shared with you a hands-on perspective to repentance. I began
that sermon with this statement:
“Back in July and August of 2014, I gave four sermons as part of a
Holiness series.
You can see all these sermons at the
Las Vegas site.”
Today’s sermon is the tenth in the Salvation series which was born in
the Holiness series Each Salvation Series sermon is stand-alone sermon
on the same overall subject: Holiness and Salvation.”
The “Double-down” sermon is part of the
Holiness series
of four (4) sermons. From this one sermon, I have put together fourteen
(14) sermons in what I call the, “Salvation
series.”
You can see these sermon titles and subjects on the
Sermons page
of the
Las Vegas site.
Each sermon has a key verse or two you heard in “Double-down.”
Again, today’s sermon is the tenth sermon in this series.
Note:
Any scripture you see with an asterisk (*) is one found in the sermon
“Double-down.”
Let us begin.
Here is the key verse we read in the Double-Down sermon:
Job
22:21-23*
21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall
come unto thee.
22 Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in
thine heart.
23 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt
put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.
Double-down
Phrases:
--Acquaint yourself with God.
--Be at peace.
--Receive the Law and words of God.
--Return or repent.
Definitions:
Acquaint: furnish with knowledge. H5532:
minister to, be serviceable to, profit from. The commentary reads this as,
"treasure up, or lay-up. Lay up or procure an interest now with him, and be at
peace. Get the Divine favor, and then thou wilt be at peace with God, and have
happiness in thy own soul." ~Adam Clarke
The title for this sermon comes from this concept
of acquainting ourselves with God.
Convene
to come together
Convoke
to call together; summon to meet.
So the purpose of this sermon dictates itself: Acquaint yourself with God or
more appropriately, continue to acquaint yourself with God.
Acquaint yourself with God.
I can already hear you thinking: “How do I acquaint myself with God?” “Is there
a procedure?” Indeed there is. The procedure has already been enumerated in
the double-down phrases of the verse.
1] Acquaint yourself with God.
2] Be at peace.
3] Receive the Law and words of God.
4] Return or repent.
Item 1 begins when God calls us.
Item 2 is a fruit of the Spirit and
denotes that God does not want any negative elements between you and Him.
Item 3 is the key element of the
process. This begins with full immersion in the Word of God and then making
every word a part of your heart, mind and soul.
Item 4 is the element that keeps this
procedure going. God knows we are human and subject to sin, so we have
repentance to keep our spiritual garment clean. Repentance is abundantly linked
to the second item: Peace. When we repent, we remove guilt, sorrow and other
negative elements that would harm the relationship.
What I want to do now is give you scriptures linked to the three scriptures of
Job 22:21-23. We will speak to the specific phrases in those 3 verses.
Any part of these scriptures in bright red or blue are emphasis by me.
Verse 21
Acquaint now thyself with him:
1 Chronicles 28:9
...used in our last sermon
And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father,
and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD
searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts:
if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but
if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.
John 17:3
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
2 Corinthians 4:6
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our
hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the
face of Jesus Christ.
And be at peace:
Isaiah 27:5
Or let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me;
and he shall make peace with me.
Isaiah 57:19-21
19 I create the fruit of the lips; Peace,
peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near,
saith the LORD; and I will heal him.
20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters
cast up mire and dirt.
21 There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.
Acts 10:36
The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by
Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)
Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your
hearts and minds through Christ Jesus
Ephesians 2:14-17
14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one,
and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments
contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so
making peace;
16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross [stake],
having slain the enmity thereby:
17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them
that were nigh.
Notice here how this peace comes directly from being acquainted with God.
Thereby good shall come unto thee
Notice this phrase is also directly linked to our
relationship with God.
Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them
that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Philippians 4:19
But my God shall supply all your need according
to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
James 1:17
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,
and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither
shadow of turning.
Daniel 2:21
And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up
kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge
to them that know understanding:
Proverbs 3:6
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Verse 22
Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth:
Deuteronomy 4:1-2
1 Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the
judgments, which I teach you, for to do them,
that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your
fathers giveth you.
2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish
ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD
your God which I command you.
Proverbs 2:1-9
1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and
hide my commandments with thee;
2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom,
and apply thine heart to understanding;
3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and
liftest up thy voice for understanding;
4 If thou seekest her as silver, and
searchest for her as for hid treasures;
5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of
God.
6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and
understanding.
7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous:
he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.
8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.
9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity;
yea, every good path.
1 Thessalonians 4:1-2
1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus,
that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God,
so ye would abound more and more.
2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.
And lay up his
words in thine heart:
Notice a great distinction here. One cannot know salvation and eternal life by
just receiving the Word. That Word (the mind of God)
must bond with one’s heart, mind, and soul.
Job 23:12
Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have
esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.
Deuteronomy 6:6-9
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them
when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when
thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as
frontlets between thine eyes.
9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
Note: Verses 7-9 are all descriptions
and manifestations of God’s Word being in one’s heart.
Psalm 119:11
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might
not sin against thee.
Proverbs 4:4
He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words:
keep my commandments, and live.
Proverbs 4:20-22
20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine
heart.
22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
Jeremiah 15:16
Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and
thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy
name, O LORD God of hosts.
Matthew 12:35
A good man out of the good treasure of the heart
bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the
evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
Verse 23
If thou return to the Almighty:
Job 8:5-6
5 If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes,
and make thy supplication to the Almighty;
6 If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make
the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.
Note: We have spoken many times to our
Assiduity praying or putting all things of your
day into God’s hands. Clearly, if we are doing these prayers on a daily basis,
we do these prayers in the morning. This makes abundant clear and logical
sense. If we are praying on a daily basis and putting all things of that day
into God’s hands, this prayer would take place in the morning.
I give you all this because of the word, “betimes.” This is word H7836.
It means, “to enquire early” and “to rise (diligently seek)
God early in the morning. Word H7836 comes from a root word meaning “to dawn”,
or figuratively be up early for any task (with the implication of
earnestness). I find it interesting that doing
prayers in the morning when we wake up shows diligence and earnestness.
So what is Job 8:5-6 saying? We could structure the answer to this question
different ways (talking sentence structure here). Keep in mind, this is the
book of Job and Job’s friends are attempting to express reasons why all these
calamities have come to Job. They make conclusions that lack understanding on
their part. Despite this, righteous principles are being stated.
I would express Job 8:5-6 this way for firstfruits: As we walk toward spiritual
maturity and manifest righteousness, we face life one day at a time. We
diligently and earnestly seek Him early in the morning and make supplication to
Him. We put everything in His hands.
Job 11:13-14
13 If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch
out thine hands toward him;
14 If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell
in thy tabernacles.
Isaiah 55:6-7
6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found,
call ye upon him while he is near:
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and
let him return unto the LORD, and he will have
mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Hosea 14:1-2
1 O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for
thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.
2 Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all
iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.
Note: Verse 1 shows this is about
repentance and returning to God, “for thou has fallen by thine iniquity.”
Zechariah 1:3
Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto
me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn
unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.
Does this remind you of our last sermon in this series, “Proximity”?
That sermon was about James 4:8* “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to
you.”
Acts 26:20
But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the
coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and
turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
Thou shalt be built up:
Jeremiah 31:4 …a prophecy stating
that God will bring the tribes together in the last days. The Summarized Bible
commentary states the principle here can be applied to the individual firstfruit
who is in repentance
Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built,
O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go
forth in the dances of them that make merry.
Note: The whole idea of repentance and
returning to God is to have God forgive us and to build us back up to
righteousness.
Colossians 2:7
Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in
the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
Jude 1:20
But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith,
praying in the Holy Ghost [Spirit],
Notice that the building up is not by your hand but something manifested in and
through you by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles:
Job 11:14
If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away,
and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles.
Isaiah 33:15
He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth
the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that
stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;
2 Timothy 2:19 [see
Lesson]
Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord
knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ
depart from iniquity.
So here you have good
information for each of the four double-down phrases of coming out of Job
22:21-23:
1] Acquaint yourself with God.
2] Be at peace.
3] Receive the Law and words of God.
4] Return or repent.
So continue now in your march toward salvation and …
Acquaint yourself with God.