The Death Sentence
Beloved sisters, in this section I seek to impart to you a gift of revelation and quickening concerning the heart, which does surely feel, behave, sense, experience, consider, suffer, rejoice…according to what it has believed. For it is “with the heart that man believeth unto righteousness” and the WORD is near to us, even in our mouth and heart, having been effectual therein by our faith.(Rom 10:8, 10, 1 Thess 2:13). The seat of your affections, your feelings, your fears, your anxieties, your rejoicings, your peace and contentment, or lack thereof, and the like together entail the experience of the heart. This experience of the heart is ultimately a result of what we have believed. And thus, it is salvificly expedient that we do believe the WORD of God, that it may be effectual within us, converting and perfecting the seat of affections and feelings, unto a harvest of glorious righteousness, of ever-increasing ever-proceeding conformance into the image of our LORD Jesus Christ. Oh sisters, you do feel this way, you did feel that way back then because of what you do believe, what you had believed. And thus is the experience of sanctification broadly explained: true righteousness was wrought in your heart, because you believed the Gospel of our salvation! Indeed the law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple (Ps 19:7). For this reason our LORD commands us not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, that we may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (Rom 12:2)! Are we not commanded likewise to gird up the loins of our mind, to be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Pet 1:13)?
This section could very well be included in “Weapons of Warfare” for I pray that herein our eyes are opened to the reality of the Spiritual experience, the soul’s dilemma that we face in the midst of temptations, specifically temptations upon our subjection, reverence, and meekness towards our husbands. The devil does prowl by the door of our faithfulness in these areas specifically, because breaches in these evidence breaches in saving faith. The devil will actually have to deceive us into breaching our own saving faith and thus we would fall into temptations surrounding these three areas. Dear sisters, I greatly desire for you to understand what is happening in the midst of the overwhelming temptations that you face, and the means by which you may be rescued, not barely, but gloriously and victoriously, that you would acquire the wisdom of experience of seeing such deliverances granted you by the hand of Divine providence in your hour of need, that you may set up within your soul pillars, reminders, of the faithfulness of Him who is mighty to save, the God of angel armies, who stands by the right hand of the poor to save him from those who condemn his soul (Ps 109:31)! Surely your shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be! There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heavens in thy help, and in His excellency on the sky. The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and He shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them! (Deut 33:25-27)
The title of this section, “The Death Sentence” is taken from the passage below:
3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.6 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.7 And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.8 For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that He will yet deliver us; (2 Cor 1:3-10)
Paul describes here that he and other saints went through experiences of suffering in which they were literally pressed out of measure, above strength, to the point that they despaired even of life. This is the definition of the “sentence of death” within them. They wanted to die. The trial was too much for them to bear, or so they thought initially. But they were ultimately delivered, gloriously delivered. It was from the LORD! In His good will He had delivered from His own hand the affliction, in allowing the devils to roar with their bountiful temptations, the heathen with their vicious persecutions, the course of nature with ills befalling that which is perishable. And He has delivered these specifically so that we should TRUST NOT IN OURSELVES, but in GOD WHICH RAISES THE DEAD! Dear sisters, these saints of old do declare unto us concerning this great God “Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that He will yet deliver us”!
I have only begun to tread the waters of the ocean of marital voyaging, I have only scoured the boundary lines of this great battle field. And what I had seen was a type of pressing beyond measure, a resulting despairing of life therein, the death sentence, not altogether, for surely there have been times of ecstasy, but specifically during temptation, during the times when the lion roars with great intensity, when my flesh feels as though it would consume itself with the agony of the burn from the arrows that fly by day, when my heart is overwhelmed within me…surely I have fallen a number of times to the prey of the enemy, been led about by lying vanities, loftiness, and irrational fears. I write this section specifically to address such situations, situations when the heart has been overwhelmed. God forbid that it ever be the case, for it is true that He keeps him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Him: because he trusts in Him (Is 26:3) and great peace have they which love His law: and nothing shall offend them (Ps 119:165)! But the reality sisters, is that many of us, most of us, have not learned these secrets. We have not. There is still much of self that must be put to death, and contained in our failure to put self to death, specifically those members upon the earth (fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, covetousness, which is idolatry; Col 5:5), which the LORD has given us the light of conviction concerning, is our propensity to fall into states in which our heart feel plagued and encumbered with fierce anxieties, fears, torments. Yes, oft the result of such heart conditions, such vulnerabilities to our own reception of the devil’s lies, is that our hearts are hurled headlong into oceans of despair, bitterness, fear, irrationality… And yet, we must remember the dear Savior’s ultimatum “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23) Indeed, when our hearts are overwhelmed, it is almost certainly the case that we have received, we have believed, upon some lie or lies of our adversary. For we do abide in that which we genuinely believe. So when we find ourselves containing ill feelings instead of the joy unspeakable and full of glory, perfect peace, life, abounding charity, sacrificial love, and these heavenly virtues which do characterize the man of the Spirit, we must declare unto our souls “I have believed some lie”. There is some mistruth that we have believed. The Spirit of the living Christ will declare it unto you! And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32).
And so in the midst of these raging floods of temptations, when the heart is overwhelmed, and the lie has been identified, you are faced with the commands of God, and whether you will obey or not. Yes, everything in your flesh may defy the truth with the intensity of the feelings you experience. Your feelings are so intense, that you feel you cannot obey the truth. But dear sister, what I desire to expound to you with the remainder of this section, is that if you look upon Christ, believe Him, and obey Him, though your feelings defy what actions you are commanded by your LORD to take, He will most assuredly, after a period of suffering, come unto you with power and glory, and oh sister, when He comes and delivers, you will be speechless and awestruck at His power. The rejoicing of your heart when He comes and meets you will far outweigh the sorrow of your own self-denial, your own mortification of your members which are upon the earth. Christ has told us that if we have His commandments, and keep them, it is we who loves Him: and we that love Him shall be loved of His Father, and He will love us, and will MANIFEST Himself to us (Jon 14:21). If we do love Christ, we will keep His Words: and His Father will love us, and They will COME unto us, and make their abode with us (John 5:23). Indeed the meek will He guide in judgment: and the meek will He teach His way. All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep His covenant and His testimonies. (Ps 25:9-10)
Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember Thee in Thy ways: behold, Thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.(Is 64:5)
If we would but call upon the LORD in truth, who is worthy to be praised, so would we be saved from our enemies (Ps 18:3). In our distress when we call upon the LORD our God, He would hear our voice out of His temple, and our cries would come before Him, even into His ears, and He would answer, and set us in a large place (Ps 18:6, 118:5). For He is good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Him (Ps 86:5). Our LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in Truth (Ps 145:18). There has never been an instance where the people of God cried unto Him in Truth and He did not deliver them, when He did not stoop down to aid them!
7 Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah.8 Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto Me;9 There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god.10 I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.11 But My people would not hearken to My voice; and Israel would none of Me.12 So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels.13 Oh that My people had hearkened unto Me, and Israel had walked in My ways!14 I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned My hand against their adversaries.15 The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto Him: but their time should have endured for ever.16 He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee. (Ps 81:7-16)
And yet, there is a period of pain, of self mortification, the very pain of the Fatherly chastening. For the pain of resisting temptation is often a form of the Fatherly chastening, for we are tempted because of our own lusts, because of hidden idolatries of the heart, which our Father does behold, and seek to expose, and destroy that he may yield a peaceable harvest of righteousness. The mortification of self entails obedience to the WORD of God. This obedience is manifested in word and/or deed, and if our hearts have not been made perfect surrounding the lie that we had believed, our hearts would struggle greatly against the desire of our faith, the faith of Christ, unto obedience to His commands. And thus the apostle Peter tells us to be sober and vigilant; because our adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: we are to resist him stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in our brethren in the world. But the God of all grace, who has called us into His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after we have SUFFERED FOR A WHILE, will make us perfect, stablish, strength, and settle us. To Him be glory and dominion forever. Amen! (1 Pet 5:8-11). Sisters there is often a dark tunnel of obedience by faith through which the heart feels despair, through which the heart feels the death sentence. You are looking to Christ, You have heard His command, and in faith you do obey him, though all of your flesh resists it. You reach forth your hand to the Shepherd, you make your cry heard unto the heavens, you wave the white flag of surrender, being planted with Him in the likeness of His death, knowing that the old man is crucified with Him as you were baptized into His death. It is often a painful death, a thrust of heavenly gaze upon the risen Lamb through a sludge of quicksand underneath you. Here in this gaze you behold the Lamb of God lifted up on the cross, bearing your sin, the handwritten ordinances which were contrary to you, nailed to His cross. Surely He has become sin for us, He has carried our iniquities, He has become the curse for us (2 Cor 5:21, Gal 3:13)! And in behold your sin upon His shoulders, you are deeming it to be worthy of condemnation, the very vile thing for which your beloved LORD suffered for, that it has been destroyed, that it has been done away with on that cross! And when you have believed this in the power of the Spirit in Truth, you are set free to serve the living God!
In obedience to the King’s death sentence upon our old “self” and the remnants thereof, we are personally condemning all that He has righteously and justly condemned. We are entering into a fiery baptism of death, casting ourselves upon His mercy, with no hope granted to the sight of mortal eyes. Oh in this pain, will you obey, with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength will you hearken unto His express command and obey though you feel this death sentence, though the chains of misery and gloom within you do defy His glorious Truth? For this one Truth ought to spur your on: if you be dead with Him you will live with Him!
If you go to your death, therein will you find life, therein will you be raised with the very mighty power, wrought in Christ, when God raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: and hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church (Eph 1:19-22)! In dying shall you truly live!
The reason to have the obedience of faith through the pain of self-mortification: if you be dead with Him you shall 1) live with Him and 2) be free from sin!
Resurrection with Christ
· Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Rom 6:4)
· For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also [planted] in the likeness of his resurrection: (Rom 6:5)
· Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: (Rom 6:8)
· But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you. (Rom 8:11)
· For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (Rom 8:13)
· It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: (2 Tim 2:11)
Freedom from Sin
· Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. (Rom 6:6)
· For he that is dead is freed from sin. (Rom 6:7)
· Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but [live] to the will of God. (1 Pet 4:1-2)
In the midst of the sorrow of self-mortification as you believe and obey, remember that He is coming! Oh He is coming soon, and when He comes, He shall cause His glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of His arm, with the indignation of His anger, and with the flame of a devouring dire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones (Is 30:30). And by this you will know that the LORD has found favor with you, that He has received you, that He has covered you with the blood of His Son, the blood of His everlasting Covenant! “But thou, O LORD, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite them. By this I know that Thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me”! (Ps 41:10-11). Oh that you might learn and know that our God is a God who saves and delivers, who dissolves the power of the strongest idolatries, who takes vengeance upon our enemies of the old man, and all, whether they be principalities or mortal beings, who would seek to resurrect him. Oh that you might be patient through the chastening of the pain of self-mortification. For no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed! (Heb 12:11-13). Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; He will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. (Is 35:3-6) Be patient; and wait. Obey through the pain and wait, ye worker of righteousness, ye who do love and obey the King of kings and LORD of lords! Surely you would faint, unless you believe to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD! (Ps 27:13-14) Do reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (Rom 8:18)!
Oh that Thou wouldest rend the heavens, that Thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at Thy presence,2 As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make Thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at Thy presence!3 When Thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, Thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at Thy presence.4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside Thee, what He hath prepared for him that waiteth for Him.5 THOU MEETEST HIM that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember Thee in Thy ways: behold, Thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved. (Is 64:1-5)
Finally, there is one last consolation of the Spirit and WORD which I desire to declare to you: the One who has gone before you facing infinitely more forces of darkness, has shown Himself to be perfect, and it is His Spirit that does effectually empower you, beloved sisters! For without controversy great is the mystery of Godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up into glory (1 Tim 3:16). The mystery of our Godliness, is that Christ has succeeded over sin and death, and thus He is the Captain of our salvation (do you not weep at the very term “Captain of our Salvation”?)! We do see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that He by the grace of God should TASTE DEATH FOR EVERY MAN. For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the CAPTAIN OF THEIR SALVATION PERFECT THROUGH SUFFERINGS! (Heb 2:9-10). Dear sisters, He has felt your death sentence; He has conquered it! He is risen from the dead, having been victorious over every scourge of temptation that you face and will face until that Day! This is the mystery of our Godliness: that Christ is the Captain of our Salvation! For both He sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren, Saying, I will declare Thy name unto My brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto Thee. And again, I will put my trust in Him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given Me. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy Him that has the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily He took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took on Him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful high Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succor them that are tempted. (Heb 2:17-18) The Captain of our salvation was made perfect through what He suffered! Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, we must arm ourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God (1 Pet 4:1-2).
Christ our Captain, the Author and Finisher of our faith, whom we do look to, is able to be touched with the FEELING OF OUR INFIRMITIES, though the WORD of God does discern the thoughts and intents of the heart, condemning our unbelief, our false faith, our belief in lies. For all things, namely, the experience of your heart, is manifest in His sight, naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. And our Christ was tempted LIKE AS WE ARE, in the days of His flesh, offering up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death, and He was heard in that He feared, and He did not cease from being sinlessly perfect! (Heb 4:11-15) Thus He has compassion on the ignorant, and them that are out of the way for He Himself was compassed by infirmity (Heb 5:2). Though He were a Son, yet He LEARNED OBEDIENCE by the things which He suffered; and being made perfect, He became the AUTHOR of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him! (Heb 5:8-9)
Dear sisters, is the Spirit opening your eyes to the mystery of Godliness, that this Captain, this Author of our eternal salvation has gone before us, learning obedience through suffering, being perfected thereby, is therefore able to be touched by the feeling of our infirmity, the Spiritual travail of resisting and overcoming sin and principalities, while remaining sinlessly perfect all throughout…how compassionate He is upon the ignorant and them that are out of the way! Surely if we submit to the everlasting Father of our Spirits we shall live! If we endure the chastening by the hand of Him who has pioneered in majestic victorious sin conquering travails, sufferings, and steadfastness, we shall indeed reap a peaceable harvest of righteousness. Oh how He understands your infirmity, oh how He understands your lameness telling you “12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.” (Heb 12:12-13). He knows. He understands. Oh how He understands! And yet He commands you to obey; He knows you can obey in Him; oh if you look to Him He will finish your faith. He knows how! He has done it! He has done it! Hallelujah! Therefore let us come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace in time of need (Heb 4:16). Wherefore He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them! (Heb 7:25)
Fully encompassed by the snares of sin, the fretting of my soul, for this lie had my heart believed.
When this flesh burned in misery that devil spoke that the only way was for sin to in me be conceived
I reached out my drowning hand above the seas which had overwhelmed my soul
One look upon my Christ, for this I knew: He alone my fears and anguish could in due time console
Ignorant, compassed by infirmity, poor and needy was I
When I looked upon Him He told me “You have believed a falsehood. This is it” and so I knew it was a lie
Thus made I straight paths for my feet performing righteousness, keeping the holy commandment in deed by faith
It was a dark, sorrowful, painful, cumbersome step that I did first make
I felt pressed beyond measure, despaired of life itself, felt the sentence of death down this narrow way
But in the faith that the Captain of my salvation had granted me, I was constrained to trust and obey
I endured, suffering but for a while, patient in tribulation, not knowing when, but that He would soon come.
Knowing that suffering in the flesh would make me with sinning be done
It was then that He overwhelmed me with His glory, feeding my fainting famished soul with His glory
Streams of living water from the once parched land now were majestically flowing
He did open my blinded eyes, and my heart comprehended the truth which stood against the lie I first believed
When the Truth was evident in the brightness of His presence I grasped how thoroughly I had been deceived
Thus was my heart turned wholeheartedly unto Him and the powers of the temptations were so dissolved
And with deep wisdom and understanding I could thenceforth obey, yes, this I resolved
For this was from the hand of the Captain of my salvation, who learned obedience and was made perfect through suffering.
For He in His flesh suffered every manner of evil buffeting.
He understood my infirmity, and thus He chastened me, and saved me to the uttermost as I came to God through Him.
Indeed this is the mystery of Godliness: He was justified in the Spirit, finishing the Father’s given work, tasting death for every man.
And thus looking unto Him, the Finisher of this frail faith, with innumerable temptations beside and beyond, continual victory, to overcome as He did, I also can
Go to Chapter 11 Love, the Fulfillment of all Righteousness
Beloved sisters, in this section I seek to impart to you a gift of revelation and quickening concerning the heart, which does surely feel, behave, sense, experience, consider, suffer, rejoice…according to what it has believed. For it is “with the heart that man believeth unto righteousness” and the WORD is near to us, even in our mouth and heart, having been effectual therein by our faith.(Rom 10:8, 10, 1 Thess 2:13). The seat of your affections, your feelings, your fears, your anxieties, your rejoicings, your peace and contentment, or lack thereof, and the like together entail the experience of the heart. This experience of the heart is ultimately a result of what we have believed. And thus, it is salvificly expedient that we do believe the WORD of God, that it may be effectual within us, converting and perfecting the seat of affections and feelings, unto a harvest of glorious righteousness, of ever-increasing ever-proceeding conformance into the image of our LORD Jesus Christ. Oh sisters, you do feel this way, you did feel that way back then because of what you do believe, what you had believed. And thus is the experience of sanctification broadly explained: true righteousness was wrought in your heart, because you believed the Gospel of our salvation! Indeed the law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple (Ps 19:7). For this reason our LORD commands us not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, that we may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (Rom 12:2)! Are we not commanded likewise to gird up the loins of our mind, to be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Pet 1:13)?
This section could very well be included in “Weapons of Warfare” for I pray that herein our eyes are opened to the reality of the Spiritual experience, the soul’s dilemma that we face in the midst of temptations, specifically temptations upon our subjection, reverence, and meekness towards our husbands. The devil does prowl by the door of our faithfulness in these areas specifically, because breaches in these evidence breaches in saving faith. The devil will actually have to deceive us into breaching our own saving faith and thus we would fall into temptations surrounding these three areas. Dear sisters, I greatly desire for you to understand what is happening in the midst of the overwhelming temptations that you face, and the means by which you may be rescued, not barely, but gloriously and victoriously, that you would acquire the wisdom of experience of seeing such deliverances granted you by the hand of Divine providence in your hour of need, that you may set up within your soul pillars, reminders, of the faithfulness of Him who is mighty to save, the God of angel armies, who stands by the right hand of the poor to save him from those who condemn his soul (Ps 109:31)! Surely your shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be! There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heavens in thy help, and in His excellency on the sky. The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and He shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them! (Deut 33:25-27)
The title of this section, “The Death Sentence” is taken from the passage below:
3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.6 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.7 And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.8 For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that He will yet deliver us; (2 Cor 1:3-10)
Paul describes here that he and other saints went through experiences of suffering in which they were literally pressed out of measure, above strength, to the point that they despaired even of life. This is the definition of the “sentence of death” within them. They wanted to die. The trial was too much for them to bear, or so they thought initially. But they were ultimately delivered, gloriously delivered. It was from the LORD! In His good will He had delivered from His own hand the affliction, in allowing the devils to roar with their bountiful temptations, the heathen with their vicious persecutions, the course of nature with ills befalling that which is perishable. And He has delivered these specifically so that we should TRUST NOT IN OURSELVES, but in GOD WHICH RAISES THE DEAD! Dear sisters, these saints of old do declare unto us concerning this great God “Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that He will yet deliver us”!
I have only begun to tread the waters of the ocean of marital voyaging, I have only scoured the boundary lines of this great battle field. And what I had seen was a type of pressing beyond measure, a resulting despairing of life therein, the death sentence, not altogether, for surely there have been times of ecstasy, but specifically during temptation, during the times when the lion roars with great intensity, when my flesh feels as though it would consume itself with the agony of the burn from the arrows that fly by day, when my heart is overwhelmed within me…surely I have fallen a number of times to the prey of the enemy, been led about by lying vanities, loftiness, and irrational fears. I write this section specifically to address such situations, situations when the heart has been overwhelmed. God forbid that it ever be the case, for it is true that He keeps him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Him: because he trusts in Him (Is 26:3) and great peace have they which love His law: and nothing shall offend them (Ps 119:165)! But the reality sisters, is that many of us, most of us, have not learned these secrets. We have not. There is still much of self that must be put to death, and contained in our failure to put self to death, specifically those members upon the earth (fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, covetousness, which is idolatry; Col 5:5), which the LORD has given us the light of conviction concerning, is our propensity to fall into states in which our heart feel plagued and encumbered with fierce anxieties, fears, torments. Yes, oft the result of such heart conditions, such vulnerabilities to our own reception of the devil’s lies, is that our hearts are hurled headlong into oceans of despair, bitterness, fear, irrationality… And yet, we must remember the dear Savior’s ultimatum “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23) Indeed, when our hearts are overwhelmed, it is almost certainly the case that we have received, we have believed, upon some lie or lies of our adversary. For we do abide in that which we genuinely believe. So when we find ourselves containing ill feelings instead of the joy unspeakable and full of glory, perfect peace, life, abounding charity, sacrificial love, and these heavenly virtues which do characterize the man of the Spirit, we must declare unto our souls “I have believed some lie”. There is some mistruth that we have believed. The Spirit of the living Christ will declare it unto you! And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32).
And so in the midst of these raging floods of temptations, when the heart is overwhelmed, and the lie has been identified, you are faced with the commands of God, and whether you will obey or not. Yes, everything in your flesh may defy the truth with the intensity of the feelings you experience. Your feelings are so intense, that you feel you cannot obey the truth. But dear sister, what I desire to expound to you with the remainder of this section, is that if you look upon Christ, believe Him, and obey Him, though your feelings defy what actions you are commanded by your LORD to take, He will most assuredly, after a period of suffering, come unto you with power and glory, and oh sister, when He comes and delivers, you will be speechless and awestruck at His power. The rejoicing of your heart when He comes and meets you will far outweigh the sorrow of your own self-denial, your own mortification of your members which are upon the earth. Christ has told us that if we have His commandments, and keep them, it is we who loves Him: and we that love Him shall be loved of His Father, and He will love us, and will MANIFEST Himself to us (Jon 14:21). If we do love Christ, we will keep His Words: and His Father will love us, and They will COME unto us, and make their abode with us (John 5:23). Indeed the meek will He guide in judgment: and the meek will He teach His way. All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep His covenant and His testimonies. (Ps 25:9-10)
Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember Thee in Thy ways: behold, Thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.(Is 64:5)
If we would but call upon the LORD in truth, who is worthy to be praised, so would we be saved from our enemies (Ps 18:3). In our distress when we call upon the LORD our God, He would hear our voice out of His temple, and our cries would come before Him, even into His ears, and He would answer, and set us in a large place (Ps 18:6, 118:5). For He is good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Him (Ps 86:5). Our LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in Truth (Ps 145:18). There has never been an instance where the people of God cried unto Him in Truth and He did not deliver them, when He did not stoop down to aid them!
7 Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah.8 Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto Me;9 There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god.10 I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.11 But My people would not hearken to My voice; and Israel would none of Me.12 So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels.13 Oh that My people had hearkened unto Me, and Israel had walked in My ways!14 I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned My hand against their adversaries.15 The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto Him: but their time should have endured for ever.16 He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee. (Ps 81:7-16)
And yet, there is a period of pain, of self mortification, the very pain of the Fatherly chastening. For the pain of resisting temptation is often a form of the Fatherly chastening, for we are tempted because of our own lusts, because of hidden idolatries of the heart, which our Father does behold, and seek to expose, and destroy that he may yield a peaceable harvest of righteousness. The mortification of self entails obedience to the WORD of God. This obedience is manifested in word and/or deed, and if our hearts have not been made perfect surrounding the lie that we had believed, our hearts would struggle greatly against the desire of our faith, the faith of Christ, unto obedience to His commands. And thus the apostle Peter tells us to be sober and vigilant; because our adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: we are to resist him stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in our brethren in the world. But the God of all grace, who has called us into His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after we have SUFFERED FOR A WHILE, will make us perfect, stablish, strength, and settle us. To Him be glory and dominion forever. Amen! (1 Pet 5:8-11). Sisters there is often a dark tunnel of obedience by faith through which the heart feels despair, through which the heart feels the death sentence. You are looking to Christ, You have heard His command, and in faith you do obey him, though all of your flesh resists it. You reach forth your hand to the Shepherd, you make your cry heard unto the heavens, you wave the white flag of surrender, being planted with Him in the likeness of His death, knowing that the old man is crucified with Him as you were baptized into His death. It is often a painful death, a thrust of heavenly gaze upon the risen Lamb through a sludge of quicksand underneath you. Here in this gaze you behold the Lamb of God lifted up on the cross, bearing your sin, the handwritten ordinances which were contrary to you, nailed to His cross. Surely He has become sin for us, He has carried our iniquities, He has become the curse for us (2 Cor 5:21, Gal 3:13)! And in behold your sin upon His shoulders, you are deeming it to be worthy of condemnation, the very vile thing for which your beloved LORD suffered for, that it has been destroyed, that it has been done away with on that cross! And when you have believed this in the power of the Spirit in Truth, you are set free to serve the living God!
In obedience to the King’s death sentence upon our old “self” and the remnants thereof, we are personally condemning all that He has righteously and justly condemned. We are entering into a fiery baptism of death, casting ourselves upon His mercy, with no hope granted to the sight of mortal eyes. Oh in this pain, will you obey, with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength will you hearken unto His express command and obey though you feel this death sentence, though the chains of misery and gloom within you do defy His glorious Truth? For this one Truth ought to spur your on: if you be dead with Him you will live with Him!
If you go to your death, therein will you find life, therein will you be raised with the very mighty power, wrought in Christ, when God raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: and hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church (Eph 1:19-22)! In dying shall you truly live!
The reason to have the obedience of faith through the pain of self-mortification: if you be dead with Him you shall 1) live with Him and 2) be free from sin!
Resurrection with Christ
· Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Rom 6:4)
· For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also [planted] in the likeness of his resurrection: (Rom 6:5)
· Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: (Rom 6:8)
· But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you. (Rom 8:11)
· For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (Rom 8:13)
· It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: (2 Tim 2:11)
Freedom from Sin
· Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. (Rom 6:6)
· For he that is dead is freed from sin. (Rom 6:7)
· Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but [live] to the will of God. (1 Pet 4:1-2)
In the midst of the sorrow of self-mortification as you believe and obey, remember that He is coming! Oh He is coming soon, and when He comes, He shall cause His glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of His arm, with the indignation of His anger, and with the flame of a devouring dire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones (Is 30:30). And by this you will know that the LORD has found favor with you, that He has received you, that He has covered you with the blood of His Son, the blood of His everlasting Covenant! “But thou, O LORD, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite them. By this I know that Thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me”! (Ps 41:10-11). Oh that you might learn and know that our God is a God who saves and delivers, who dissolves the power of the strongest idolatries, who takes vengeance upon our enemies of the old man, and all, whether they be principalities or mortal beings, who would seek to resurrect him. Oh that you might be patient through the chastening of the pain of self-mortification. For no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed! (Heb 12:11-13). Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; He will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. (Is 35:3-6) Be patient; and wait. Obey through the pain and wait, ye worker of righteousness, ye who do love and obey the King of kings and LORD of lords! Surely you would faint, unless you believe to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD! (Ps 27:13-14) Do reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (Rom 8:18)!
Oh that Thou wouldest rend the heavens, that Thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at Thy presence,2 As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make Thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at Thy presence!3 When Thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, Thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at Thy presence.4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside Thee, what He hath prepared for him that waiteth for Him.5 THOU MEETEST HIM that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember Thee in Thy ways: behold, Thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved. (Is 64:1-5)
Finally, there is one last consolation of the Spirit and WORD which I desire to declare to you: the One who has gone before you facing infinitely more forces of darkness, has shown Himself to be perfect, and it is His Spirit that does effectually empower you, beloved sisters! For without controversy great is the mystery of Godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up into glory (1 Tim 3:16). The mystery of our Godliness, is that Christ has succeeded over sin and death, and thus He is the Captain of our salvation (do you not weep at the very term “Captain of our Salvation”?)! We do see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that He by the grace of God should TASTE DEATH FOR EVERY MAN. For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the CAPTAIN OF THEIR SALVATION PERFECT THROUGH SUFFERINGS! (Heb 2:9-10). Dear sisters, He has felt your death sentence; He has conquered it! He is risen from the dead, having been victorious over every scourge of temptation that you face and will face until that Day! This is the mystery of our Godliness: that Christ is the Captain of our Salvation! For both He sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren, Saying, I will declare Thy name unto My brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto Thee. And again, I will put my trust in Him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given Me. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy Him that has the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily He took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took on Him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful high Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succor them that are tempted. (Heb 2:17-18) The Captain of our salvation was made perfect through what He suffered! Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, we must arm ourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God (1 Pet 4:1-2).
Christ our Captain, the Author and Finisher of our faith, whom we do look to, is able to be touched with the FEELING OF OUR INFIRMITIES, though the WORD of God does discern the thoughts and intents of the heart, condemning our unbelief, our false faith, our belief in lies. For all things, namely, the experience of your heart, is manifest in His sight, naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. And our Christ was tempted LIKE AS WE ARE, in the days of His flesh, offering up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death, and He was heard in that He feared, and He did not cease from being sinlessly perfect! (Heb 4:11-15) Thus He has compassion on the ignorant, and them that are out of the way for He Himself was compassed by infirmity (Heb 5:2). Though He were a Son, yet He LEARNED OBEDIENCE by the things which He suffered; and being made perfect, He became the AUTHOR of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him! (Heb 5:8-9)
Dear sisters, is the Spirit opening your eyes to the mystery of Godliness, that this Captain, this Author of our eternal salvation has gone before us, learning obedience through suffering, being perfected thereby, is therefore able to be touched by the feeling of our infirmity, the Spiritual travail of resisting and overcoming sin and principalities, while remaining sinlessly perfect all throughout…how compassionate He is upon the ignorant and them that are out of the way! Surely if we submit to the everlasting Father of our Spirits we shall live! If we endure the chastening by the hand of Him who has pioneered in majestic victorious sin conquering travails, sufferings, and steadfastness, we shall indeed reap a peaceable harvest of righteousness. Oh how He understands your infirmity, oh how He understands your lameness telling you “12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.” (Heb 12:12-13). He knows. He understands. Oh how He understands! And yet He commands you to obey; He knows you can obey in Him; oh if you look to Him He will finish your faith. He knows how! He has done it! He has done it! Hallelujah! Therefore let us come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace in time of need (Heb 4:16). Wherefore He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them! (Heb 7:25)
Fully encompassed by the snares of sin, the fretting of my soul, for this lie had my heart believed.
When this flesh burned in misery that devil spoke that the only way was for sin to in me be conceived
I reached out my drowning hand above the seas which had overwhelmed my soul
One look upon my Christ, for this I knew: He alone my fears and anguish could in due time console
Ignorant, compassed by infirmity, poor and needy was I
When I looked upon Him He told me “You have believed a falsehood. This is it” and so I knew it was a lie
Thus made I straight paths for my feet performing righteousness, keeping the holy commandment in deed by faith
It was a dark, sorrowful, painful, cumbersome step that I did first make
I felt pressed beyond measure, despaired of life itself, felt the sentence of death down this narrow way
But in the faith that the Captain of my salvation had granted me, I was constrained to trust and obey
I endured, suffering but for a while, patient in tribulation, not knowing when, but that He would soon come.
Knowing that suffering in the flesh would make me with sinning be done
It was then that He overwhelmed me with His glory, feeding my fainting famished soul with His glory
Streams of living water from the once parched land now were majestically flowing
He did open my blinded eyes, and my heart comprehended the truth which stood against the lie I first believed
When the Truth was evident in the brightness of His presence I grasped how thoroughly I had been deceived
Thus was my heart turned wholeheartedly unto Him and the powers of the temptations were so dissolved
And with deep wisdom and understanding I could thenceforth obey, yes, this I resolved
For this was from the hand of the Captain of my salvation, who learned obedience and was made perfect through suffering.
For He in His flesh suffered every manner of evil buffeting.
He understood my infirmity, and thus He chastened me, and saved me to the uttermost as I came to God through Him.
Indeed this is the mystery of Godliness: He was justified in the Spirit, finishing the Father’s given work, tasting death for every man.
And thus looking unto Him, the Finisher of this frail faith, with innumerable temptations beside and beyond, continual victory, to overcome as He did, I also can
Go to Chapter 11 Love, the Fulfillment of all Righteousness