ARISE THEREFORE, AND BE DOING

 

It is important that every child of God know and understand that they have been given complete victory over sin, the flesh, and the devil.  This victory is ours in Jesus Christ our Lord.  It is part of the gift of grace that God has given us through the offering of His dearly beloved Son, and we find that God’s great and abundant grace is sufficient to meet any and every need that we may encounter in our lives.  Although there are times when we may feel that we are very weak and that the victory is out of our reach, yet the power of God’s mighty strength is perfected in us despite our infirmities and weaknesses! (2 Corinthians 12:9).  Jesus has overcome all things, and now His triumph has become ours through our faith in Him and in His finished work of redemption.  Now we can say with the Apostle Paul, “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57). 

Consider the following promises that God has given to us, His children:

·         “For in Him [Jesus] dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.  And ye are complete in Him.” (Colossians 2:9, 10). 

·         “By Whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand.” (Romans 5:2).

·         “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.” (Colossians 1:13).

·         “According as His [God’s] divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him [Jesus] that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (2 Peter 1:3).

·         “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 2:14). 

These are just a few of the countless assurances that God has given us in His Word to let us know that our salvation is secure and complete in His precious Son.  He has given us unlimited access to the riches of His glory which He has stored up for all those who love Him: “In Whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him.” (Ephesians 3:12).  It is our faith in Christ  and God’s eternal promises that gives us such victory. (1 John 5:4, 5).  Our salvation is based on grace alone through faith, and not of our own works or the power of our own might.  This is why no man should boast of what he has accomplished for the Lord. It steals glory from the Creator Who has equipped us to become children of light. (Ephesians 2:8-10).

In the Old Testament, there is a beautiful picture of the dynamic relationship between God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the people of God which is the church, His Temple.  We read in the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel that it was in King David’s heart to build a temple to honor his God.  God, however, forbid David to build a temple for Him because David was a man  of war.  He had shed much blood that he had fought to establish Israel’s homeland during his reign.  Instead, the Lord promised David that his son Solomon would build the temple because he would be a man of peace.  Solomon’s name itself means recompense, completeness, and peace.  It is related to the Hebrew word “Shalom” which means “peace.”

Once it was in David’s heart to build a house for the Lord, God also gave him a very detailed pattern, or blueprint, of how this house was to be built.  When the time came for David to pass the kingdom over to Solomon, he also gave him the pattern for the House of God.  “Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat, and the pattern of all that he had by the Spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the dedicated things.” (1 Chronicles 28:11, 12).  “All this, said David, the LORD made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern.” (1 Chronicles 28:19). Notice that scripture records that David received the pattern from the Spirit of the Lord.  God moved upon David in the same way that the Apostle Peter tells us that the Spirit moved upon the Prophets of old when he wrote, “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the Day Star arise in your hearts: knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (2 Peter 1:19-21).  The words of the Prophets were given them by the inspiration of the Almighty, and so was the pattern that David was given by God.

Hidden in the heart of our Father God is the plan - the pattern - that He has had all along for His people, the Church, the Body of Christ.  To see that His plan is implemented properly, He has commissioned His own Son, Jesus Christ, to build His Church.  The very gates of hell cannot prevail against what the Lord Himself has built!  In Christ we find all might, glory, dominion, and strength, forever, and He will defend that for which He has poured out His own precious blood!  

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“Then he [David] called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build an house for the LORD God of Israel.  And David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God: but the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto My name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in My sight.  Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon [peace], and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days.  He shall build an house for My name; and he shall be My son, and I will be his Father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever.” (1 Chronicles 22:6-10). 

Do you see here a type and shadow of the work and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself?  God could easily have built His Church Himself.  Instead, He chose to put all power and authority into the hands of His dearly beloved Son, and then have Jesus build His House.  Jesus was a man of rest.  He said to all those who followed Him, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28).  Jesus was given rest from all His enemies because He had authority over all the forces of wickedness during His ministry.  One of Jesus’ titles is the Prince of Peace.  God sent Him to give “peace and quietness unto Israel in his days.”  All those who received Him were given great peace of mind and quietness of spirit, and the same is true of all those who receive Jesus today: He is their Savior and Prince of Peace.  Jesus is indeed the Son of God, and the Father has established the throne of His Kingdom over Israel, His Church and His people, forever!

David then said to his son, Solomon, “Now, my son, the LORD be with thee; and prosper thou, and build the house of the LORD thy God, as He hath said of thee.” (1 Chronicles 22:11).  David didn’t leave his son on his own, however.  Besides the pattern that he delivered to Solomon from God, David also amassed great amounts of building materials and precious things for Solomon to use to complete the House of God.  “Now, behold, in my trouble I have prepared for the house of the LORD an hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand thousand talents of silver [a million]; and of brass and iron without weight; for it is in abundance: timber also and stone have I prepared; and thou mayest add thereto.” (1 Chronicles 22:14).  Just as everything that David had stored up was at his son’s disposal to use, likewise, all things that God the Father has are Christ’s, and He makes these riches accessible to us (John 16:14).

“Moreover there are workmen with thee in abundance, hewers and workers of stone and timber, and all manner of cunning men for every manner of work.” (1 Chronicles 22:15).  David had even assured that there were sufficient workmen that would be available to do the actual work in building God’s House.  These were gifted men who were expert in cutting and forming stone and wood, as well as those who could work with gold, silver, brass, and iron.  There were also those who could embroider and sew who made the curtains and other coverings.  This reminds me of how God has gifted each of His children in different ways in order to help build and perfect the Body of Christ, His House.  There is a diversity of gifts within Christ’s Body, but we all have a work to do that is necessary.  As Paul said, “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.” (1 Corinthians 3:9). 

“Arise therefore, and be doing, and the LORD be with thee.” (1 Chronicles 22:16).  All that was left for Solomon was to “arise therefore, and be doing.” There could be no doubt that the Lord was with him.  Most of the preparation had already been completed. Solomon only needed to command and direct the actual work.  His was the ultimate authority, having been commissioned by God Himself, and also his father, David.  It is this ultimate authority that Jesus has received from His Father, and it is He Who commands and directs the work of building up the Body of Christ.

Jesus said, “... All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:18-20).  All power in heaven and earth has been given to our Lord, and because of this we can go!  We can arise therefore, and be doing!  Everything we need is in the Son’s hands, and He offers it freely to us so that we can use it to build up His House!  In Christ we not only find the pattern to fashion our lives, but also the resources which we need to build.  “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone; in Whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in Whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:19-22).

“David also commanded all the princes of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying, Is not the LORD your God with you? and hath He not given you rest on every side? for He hath given the inhabitants of the land into mine hand; and the land is subdued before the LORD, and before His people.  Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God; arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of the LORD God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of the LORD.” (1 Chronicles 22:17-19).  God is not against us – He is with us – for He has called us and anointed us to this work.  The Savior has given us rest on every side as we trust in the victory that He has won for us.  The battles are not ours, but Christ’s!  The enemy of our souls would try to convince us that he has authority over us in this place, but we have crossed over Jordan and into the land that God has promised to us, a land that the Captain of the Hosts of Heaven has subdued for us through the offering of Himself for our sakes.  “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:10).  The Lord Himself is our Ark of Safety and we are His holy vessels, for God has placed the treasure of His grace inside these earthen vessels and made us meet for the Master’s use!  Let us arise therefore, and be building!  Let us arise therefore, and be doing!