Gatekeepers - Part One

All worshipers are called to be gatekeepers - (more on this tomorrow). Today, I just want to look at the actual gates...

Ps. 84:10b

" . . . I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

than dwell in the tents of the wicked."

"They said to me, 'Those who survived the exile and are back in the province

are in great affliction (trouble) and reproach (disgrace).

The wall of Jerusalem is broken down,

and its gates have been burned with fire.'"

Neh. 1:3

These gates have two doors:

…You shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.”  Is. 60:18b

“Open to me the gates of righteousness.

I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD”   

Ps. 118:19

Praise and Righteousness are often linked in scripture. It is through these two doors that the Glory of the Lord will shine in the last days. When we, (the city - Zion, with walls of salvation) have these two doors, or gates functioning in our lives, there will be established a pathway for the glory of the Lord to cover the earth as the 'waters cover the sea'. It is through a righteous and praising church that this prophecy will be fulfilled: Isa. 61:3, 11

Not only are we gatekeepers of God's presence...we are also called to possess the gates of our enemies. In Biblical times, if you held the gate of a city, you pretty much would be in a position of power over the whole city. The term “to possess the gate” (Gen. 22:17) meant that one had gained a position of power and wealth over the enemy.

Possess:

            • To cause to possess or inherit

            • To cause others to possess or inherit

            • To dispossess

            • To destroy or bring to ruin

            • To seize – dispossess

            • To take possession

            • To occupy

When we are people of praise and righteousness, we will have authority over the enemy and will possess the gate(s) where he thinks he an rule and control the earth.

Part Two: HERE

7 Things - Ps. 18:2 A Verse for 2014

God bless all friends this new year! Here is a verse for 2014 - 7 descriptions of God's great Name and power in our lives Psalm 18:2: The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

David was surrounded by great enemies and was facing death…yet he cried out to the Lord and watched as God brought a great victory.

The Lord is my:

- Rock – He is our immovable and steady Rock – also our hiding place

- Fortress – our place of refuge – impenetrable

- Deliverer – there is nothing and no one who can stand against Him

- God – He is our perpetual, unchanging, infinite, eternal, worthy God

- Strength – we can trust in the strength of our God

- Shield – He defends us against all enemies and all weapons

- Horn of my Salvation – the helmet of salvation – we are covered head to toe

- Stronghold – a tower set high and beyond the reach of every enemy.

I love verses that have seven secrets in the one verse!

Think about each of these expressions of His great love and power! I pray that each of us will experience His wonderful strength surrounding, protecting, keeping and guiding us into His truth and glory this year!!

David goes on to say (v3): I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.

It is no good having a God who is mighty and powerful – able to save and deliver…if we never call on Him to intervene on our behalf. Lift up your voice and call Him into your life and every situation this year. Wait on Him and watch as He pours his strength and grace into your life…watch as He brings light into your darkness, hope into every hopelessness and strength into every weakness.

Jesus Brought Salvation To Us From The Tree

Look at all these occasions where Jesus brought salvation to people who were found under a tree, up a tree and hanging on a tree. You can see the progression we make as we turn our lives over to Christ. At some point, we are skeptics - we question if Jesus is who He says He is. We move on to seeking the truth until we realize that we are sinners who have no power to save ourselves. We finally meet the only one who has the power to save us from sin and eternal separation from the Father: 

Jesus saved a man He saw under a tree - this man was a skeptic

John 1:46-49

And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!" Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."

Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"

Jesus saved a man He found up in a tree - this man was a seeker

Luke 19: 4-6 (Message)

So he ran on ahead and climbed up in a sycamore tree so he could see Jesus when he came by.

When Jesus got to the tree, he looked up and said, "Zacchaeus, hurry down. Today is my day to be a guest in your home."

Zacchaeus scrambled out of the tree, hardly believing his good luck, delighted to take Jesus home with him.

Jesus saved a man who was hanging on a tree - this man was a sinner

Luke 23:40-43 (NKJV)

But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?

And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong."

Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."

And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

Jesus saved all mankind from a tree - this man is our savior

Galatians 3:13 (NLT)

But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

During this Easter season - come and look again at the One who embraced death on your behalf so that you could live as a friend of God.

God's Clothing

Here is a list of Scriptures that speak about God's clothing:

Ps. 93:1  He is clothed with majesty

Ps. 104:1  He is clothed with honor

Ps. 104:2  He is clothed with light

Ps. 65:6  He is clothed with power and strength (Ps. 93:1)

Is. 59:17  He is clothed with righteousness

Is. 59:17  He is clothed with justice

Is. 59:17 He is helmeted with salvation

Is. 59:17  He is cloaked with zeal

Is. 6:1  The train of His robe is long enough to fill the temple

What a beautiful God!

Song of Solomon 5:16 ...

Yes, he is altogether lovely.

This is my beloved, and this is my friend.