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kathleen1
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Joined: 2004/8/5
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 16 Called to Separation

16-Called To Separation-BH Clendennen
The Pathway to An Overcoming Life Series

God wants to stir us up and help us understand we must overcome. What do we overcome? Ourselves. The Bible tells us only the overcomer will be a part of the raptured bridal company. Paul said not that I've already apprehended but I'm pressing toward the mark that I might apprehend what I've been apprehended for. You see the diligence required to be a part of sitting on the throne of the universe for eternity. Neighbor, it's worth it all. These lessons are to show us the steps to take. We've dealt with the strong delusion, how men leaning on the flesh produced that which God would not allow. Now we're dealing with this call to separation.

Son 4:8 Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions' dens, from the mountains of the leopards.

Lebanon was a border mountain between the enemy's country and the promised land and it was never conquered by the Israelites. It was symbolic of the spiritual borderland between the world and the believer, between compromise and faithfulness to God. We must come to grips with what we are. You can't listen to the soft spoken, unregenerate man that tells you you can perfect yourselves by the flesh. Just going to church on Sunday morning is all that's necessary. This message of Lebanon is a parable between half halfheartedness and total abandonment to God. These border mountains were infested with wild beasts and outlaws which hid in the rocks, ready to spring out and devour the unwary traveler as he moved through there. They were filled with dangers from lions and leopards hiding in chasms and crevices. The lion is a symbol of the enemy as a roaring open foe. The Bible says he's goes about roaring, seeking whom he may devour. Strong, courageous, but bitter and full of open hatred for God. The leopard is a symbol of the enemy as a subtle, fierce, swift foe enraged against mankind.

In Rev. 13:2 the leopard is used as the emblem of the antichrist. It's in the borderlands where the enemy is most successful in his effort to destroy those who escaping the corruption that is in the world through lust. Those who linger between the world and church makes you vulnerable to the attack of the enemy. That makes up about 90% of the church. If you examine the places in your life where you lack victory, and where you're the most over run by the enemy, concerning the truth of God, you'll find you are still in the borderland and have not gone on in the knowledge of God and His Word. That's become your weakness. You've just stopped somewhere after getting in. You don't have to turn back. The darkness is moving, it's covers, moving. If you stop your forward movement, you'll find yourself in the dark, it will overtake you.

Jesus would not have His church to tarry in that borderland of experience. He calls her to come with Him that she may possess that which He's purchased for her. He's translated her out of darkness into His marvelous light and wouldn't have her lingering in the questionable region that separates light from darkness. Yet that's where most people come. In that tabernacle built by Moses, there were two compartments. There was the holy place, and the holy of holies. The priest could come into the holy place, but only the High Priest once a year could go into the holy of holies. That was because the blood of animals never took care of sin, and sin couldn't go in there. It only postponed it.

When Christ died, that temple veil was rent from the top to the bottom and man was encouraged to go right in to that holy of holies. But 90% of the church has come into the holy place, found an altar, found pardon, but refused to go on in there to the holy of holies. How do I know? Because they have to be entertained. They have to have things for pleasure. But in His presence is fullness of joy. It's not enough for us to have visions of things eyes have not seen or ears heard, neither entered into the heart of man. Visions are not possessions though they may come from God. Visions are to encourage us all in this race, to encourage us not to linger around the entrance but to move on with God. It's not enough that we leave the world, we must set our hearts on finishing that course. This, a great part of the church has never done. All life must grow or it must die. The church is full of those who have left the world but are continually looking over their shoulders, desiring to go back. The Bible says as sure as the sun comes up they will go back if they're mindful of where they come from. How many start on this journey, but settle down in the border mountains and if the lion and leopard doesn't devour them, eventually, like Demas, they go back to the world. Now, the mountain vision of a distant land of beauty and sunshine, doesn't feed or warm the one who sees that. Moses did not go over into Canaan. He was only allowed to view it from Mount Pisgah. The sight was no doubt beautiful to Moses, but he never tasted the milk and the honey.

Peter, James and John were privileged to behold the glory of the Lord and to hear the voice of God the Father witnessing to Him but couldn't go with Him at that time. Before they could go and be forever with that Lord, they had a course to run, a ministry to fulfill, a fight to fight, and a faith to keep. So it is with us. How beautiful is that Land God has set before us. Our hearts are stirred by the revelation of our heart calling which we see while we're up on that mountain. But, to possess what we see, we must come down and diligently follow the path that leads to the possession of what has been revealed to us by God. Now, the most treacherous work of that enemy is in his ability to deceive us into thinking the knowledge of the greater revelation of Christ's beauty and our high privileges in Him is the same thing as possession. If such deception is not perceived in time, the believer believing himself to be more spiritual than he is, becomes puffed up, in self satisfaction, which is fatal to that which has been revealed. It's better to never have had the vision or revelation than to mistake the vision for actual possession. God's Word to the pilgrim is always let us go on to perfection. Before we can do this, we must by the sword of the Spirit, the preaching of the Word of God, be made to realize we are not there.

If we could look into our own hearts, we'd be dismayed by how weak our love for Jesus really is. Some years ago, I was in Africa, putting this School of Christ into the language, and I became desperately ill. I taught and finished the school, saw as near Pentecost come as I've ever seen. But when I came home, two months, I was not allowed to do anything, I was so sick. I'd read the Song of Solomon, but had never studied this. I understood something of it being Christ and His bride. But, I never realized the full meaning of it. For two months, God kept me in those Scriptures. From that time came this message. When He started, He said you stay here, I don't want you to be discouraged, but I must show you that you don't love Me near as much as you think you do, and you're not near as much like Me as you think you are. The tragedy is if you think you're here, when you're really here, then you will never get up there. That's what God is saying to us today.

Why is this so with preachers and laymen who are very religious? We do not love Him more because we've not sought Him diligently. We've become more in love with the work than with Christ. A great part of the church has convinced themselves they've fulfilled their obligations to God by going to church on Sunday. We've not dwelt continually in His presence enough to feed the flame of love which He's planted in our bosom. We only come to God when we want or need something. This coming to God with our own self soiled sacrifice, is the least and subordinate relation which should be between our Lord and ourselves. We should seek Him because we love Him, that should be our only reason that we seek Him. We should listen to His voice because we're learning to love it more and more. Because of our slothfulness, our lack of desire for the spiritual, we can't discern between the flesh and the Spirit. That's become our trouble. Until we draw close enough to Him that we can discern the fragrance of His pure oil, that's the attributes of Christ. Thine oil has a godly fragrance, thy main character is as oil poured out.

We hardly realize unless we smell those attributes how ill smelling our own flesh and attributes are. It's when we smell the fragrance of His humility we begin to detect the offensive odor of our pride. It's when the fragrance of His purity and holiness, His submission to the will of God, His love of long suffering breaks in upon us that we smell the vile odor of our flesh, our willfulness, our lack of love, our short of suffering. It's when we remember the patience of His perfume, and forgiveness toward us, when we come back to His feet, that we get the real offensive odor of our impatience and unforgiveness. It's always the revelation of the attributes of Christ we need the most that smell the sweetest. If we're filled with pride, no attribute of Jesus appears more beautiful than His humility. We think it's the loveliest and most desirable because we need it the most. So it is with every other need of our life. We can't ever really see ourselves unless we see Him. It is His holiness that reveals our corruption. If we are to go on to perfection we must be made to see that self is the greatest enemy. You yourself are the greatest hindrance. That's the threshold of Satan. If you have unforgiveness, you've opened yourself up to it. Separation means there can be no flirting with this world, no place given to the flesh. Both the world and the flesh must be put away. This relationship between Christ and His bride must begin down here on earth. It will reach its perfection in the overcoming. Now, the vast majority of the redeemed are satisfied with little more than nothing. But God is not satisfied with those who are walking beneath this light He's given them. If you walk in the light as He's in the light that the blessings of God of an open heaven come to us. God is only satisfied with His Son. It's only as we go on to the perfection of being conformed to His image is God satisfied with us.

The existing church system has led men to believe a lie as regard to this high calling in Christ. The vast majority of the church members believe their only obligation is to pay their tithes and attend church on a Sunday morning. These people believe that sometime, in some mysterious way, God will change them into His likeness. They are deceived. God can only change us as we take up our cross daily and follow Him. Perfection is the life of Christ manifested in and through us. For Christ to live we must die. As we take up our cross daily and follow Jesus, going forth unto Him, outside the camp, an ever increasing separation, His attributes begin to appear and show up in our lives and men take knowledge we've been with Christ. Before we can put on the likeness of Jesus, we must see ourselves and know exactly how we look to God. We must be brought to the place we're not dismayed or cast down when we discover how little we've actually been conformed to His image. We can't put His attributes on over our own attributes. To have our Lord manifested through us this way means death and suffering to the flesh and most of those called will not pay the price. God will crucify with out pity those whom He desires to raise up without measure. This is why we have to surrender to Him the full control of everything that we consider to be an asset in terms of human power and talent. God takes great pleasure in confounding everything that comes under the guise of human power which is really weakness disguised.

Now, for God to raise us up without measure for His glory, He must be allowed to crucify us completely. Thus there are many called but few chosen. I come quickly, hold fast that which you have that no man take thy crown. This Word says for us to sit with Him in His throne and wear the crown of an overcomer will require great diligence. Hold fast to that which you have. That is hold fast to all the dealings of God with you, commitments, convictions, vows, etc. Hold fast to every downward step into humility, every upward step into His presence. Hold fast to every revelation of His will and every call to a greater separation. Hold fast to every chastening, scourging, yielding to all purifying processes, lest having gone this far you fail to apprehend what you were apprehended for.

Only those who are faithful unto death shall have a crown of life. To know the teaching concerning the coming of the Lord will never take anyone to meet Him in the clouds. To teach and rejoice over His coming, to testify and talk about it will never secure for anyone the crown of life. It's to him that overcometh will I grant to sit in My throne. It's the overcomer who will wear this crown, be His bride and sit with Him upon this throne. To overcome is to put off the old man, the flesh, and put on the new. While the king set at His table, His spikenard sent forth its fragrance. Here in the OT picture, we have the bride, the church, sitting with the king at his table. In reading the Song of Solomon, which is a picture of Christ and His bride, we see how he instructed her to know how she could find Him. Sitting here with the king at his table is the result of diligent obedience to His commands and instructions. Now, she's entered into a place of communion with Him that she never had before. All of this was written for our learning. She's arrived at a communion that is deep and full of peace, a fellowship that abides where He sits with her, where she both feeds and rests in His presence.

This is God's calling to us. This is why He put this message on my heart to bring to you, the elect of God that you must not be careless in your walk with the Almighty. If you see you've failed Him, repent quickly, renew those vows. Christ is coming soon, very soon. In the name of Jesus, give your heart totally and absolutely to Him.


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_________________
Kathleen

 2009/10/14 11:54Profile





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