Truth Matters - Weekend, 3

This is Darren Kuhn with the Masculine Journey Podcast, where we search the ancient paths to find ways that God brings light into a dark world and helps set men free from the struggles that we all face on a day-to-day basis. Your chosen Truth Network Podcast is starting in just a few seconds. Enjoy it.

Share it. But most of all, thank you for listening and for choosing the Truth Podcast Network. With Dr. Cheryl Davis, heard daily on this station at 8 20 a.m. and 5 20 p.m. Truth Matters is a ministry of the Truth Project, whose mission is to empower men and women in the Christian faith to teach biblical truth in the culture and marketplace of ideas, using the Bible as a sacred trust of truth and sharing the message of Jesus. Learn more about the ministry of the Truth Project at www.projecttruthmatters.com. And let's join Dr. Cheryl Davis for this week's episode with this extended edition of Truth Matters.

Hello, I'm Dr. Cheryl Davis, and this is Truth Matters. The mandate from heaven comes as he is told to approach the angel of Jehovah and take the small book from him and eat it. And if you notice in the visions of Ezekiel, he had a very similar experience.

In Ezekiel 2 verse 8, it reads like this. And he said to me, Son of man, eat what you find. Eat this scroll and go and speak to the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth and he calls me to eat that scroll. And he said to me, Son of man, feed your belly and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you. So I ate and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness. The message tasted sweet to John. Also, it tasted sweet to Ezekiel, but it did not sit too well in the stomach.

But oftentimes we're not, it is not to physically eat the word, you know, like eating the pages of the book, but really what it's meant to be is to absorb it, to take it in, to assimilate it into ourself and our consciousness. God's plan is sweet for us to taste, but the reality of judgment to come upon this world brings us to the end. Prophecy is often sweet to the taste, but bitter in application. And we see this for Ezekiel. We also see it for John.

In verse 11, John is told to prophesy again, only after he has assimilated into his life. Too often, we traffic undigested truth. We find the word of God and we get the message behind in the attentive scripture, but we preach it, having not seen it. We find the word of God and we get the message behind in the attentive scripture, but we preach it, having not applied it to our own lives. You know, and I've had a number of struggles in my life.

Maybe one day I'll get to tell you about many of those in this program. But what I've learned, I've been sitting in my quiet time and asking the Lord, why were all these struggles necessary? What he spoke to my spirit was that if I had not had struggles, I would not really have anything to say.

All I would have to offer is something that I've read or trafficking undigested truth, truth that I had not lived out in my own life. So the Lord sent these struggles in my life to have a truth that I can preach and teach with conviction, having had my own personal experience. We have to preach and teach the whole digested truth of the word of God. It is not enough in this case for John to see the book or even know its contents and purpose. He had to receive it in his own inner being. It is not good enough just for us to be able to quote scripture and have a knowledge of Jesus Christ and what he can do in his power.

We are to have first-hand experience. We must eat the book. We must assimilate it into our lives, into our souls, into our consciousness so that we can traffic digested truth. You know, God's word is compared to food many times in the Bible. It is compared to bread in Matthew chapter 4 verse 4.

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. It is compared to milk in 1 Peter 2 and 2, as newborn babes desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby. It is compared to meat in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 verses 1 through 2. And I, brethren, could not speak to you as spiritual people, but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.

I fed you with milk and not with solid food, for until now you are not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able. It is compared to honey in Psalms 119 103. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth. In Jeremiah chapter 15 and 16 and in Ezekiel chapter 2 and 3, they knew what it was like to eat the word before they could share it with others. In John 1 verse 14, I'm just going to read that and we know that the word must always become flesh, but I want to read in John 1 verse 14 because I think this is a great illustration. And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. The word must always become flesh before it can be given to those who need it.

Woe unto that preacher or teacher who merely echoes God's word and does not incarnate it, making it a living part of their very being. What I want to tell you today is that God's not going to force feed us. He hands it to us and we must take it. And right now he has made the word of God the most freely accessible than it ever has been in the world as we know it. But he cannot change the effects that the word will have in our lives.

We must voluntarily take it and eat it. He will not force feed us. The word of God will be sweet in our mouth, but we know that it will be sorrow and joyful, bitter and sweet. It has warnings and prophecies of judgments. But in Matthew 5-6 it says, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. In James chapter 1 it talks about heeding to the word of God.

The Bible is the most selling book of all time. His word is the most easily accessible through print as well as through media as well as through our cell phones. In James chapter 1 verse 22 through 25 it tells us, But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourself. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror.

For he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and he is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. John 1 verse 14, I think this is a great illustration. And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. The word must always become flesh before it can be given to those who need it. Woe unto that preacher or teacher who merely echoes God's word and does not incarnate it, making it a living part of their very being. What I want to tell you today is that God's not going to force feed us.

He hands it to us and we must take it. And right now he has made the word of God the most freely accessible than it ever has been in the world as we know it. But he cannot change the effects that the word will have in our lives.

We must voluntarily take it and eat it. The word of God will be sweet in our mouth, but we know that it will be sorrow and joyful, bitter and sweet. But in Matthew 5, 6 it says, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. In James chapter 1 it talks about heeding to the word of God.

The Bible is the most selling book of all time. His word is the most easily accessible through print as well as through media, as well as through our cell phones. In James chapter 1 verse 22 through 25 it tells us, But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourself. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror. For he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and he is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

Now, but I just want to ask you a question. What is the difference between a hearer and a doer? Those that are doers assimilate the word into their consciousness, and they have a faith. They believe God.

They take him at his word. So by taking God at his word and assimilating that into our consciousness, eating the milk and the meat of the word of God, it is going to push us to work. You know, and when we have faith in God and we take him at his word, we are going to work for him.

And I guarantee you, just as sure as you're listening to my voice, just as sure as you're breathing, God is a God that will not lie, and when he promises, it will come to fruition. I compel you to be a doer of the word and not a hearer only. Great, so that wraps up our study of chapter 10. We see the angel of Jehovah standing in the divine interlude between the sixth and the seventh trumpet.

And we talked about the importance of digesting the word and not passing on undigested truth. Today we're going to begin in Revelation chapter 11, verses 1 through 14. Before we get into the scripture, I just want to remind you that we are still in the divine interlude between the sixth and the seventh trumpet. Let's get into the scripture. Revelation chapter 11, verses 1 through 14. Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod, and the angel stood, saying, Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there.

But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles, for they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands, standing before the god of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy, and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire. When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them and kill them, and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom in Egypt, which also our Lord was crucified.

Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three and a half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. Now after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, Come up here!

And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them. In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe is past.

Behold, the third woe is coming quickly. In the first section of verses, even in the first verse, John is given a reed like a measuring rod. So we're going to talk about measuring the temple, but I just want to say in the outright that this chapter is one of the most difficult chapters to interpret in all of the New Testament.

In order to understand it, we must maintain three presuppositions in our mind, so three assumptions in our mind. The first one is that this chapter is essentially a Jewish chapter of scripture. It focuses on Jerusalem, the temple, and the Jews' place in end time activity. Secondly, this is a prophetic chapter, not a historical chapter. The temple had been destroyed in AD 70, well before John wrote Revelation. And lastly, this chapter is to be interpreted literally.

People's numbers, places, and events. So with that backdrop in mind, let's reread these scriptures again. Let's go to verses one and two. Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod, and the angel stood, saying, Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it. For it has been given to the Gentiles, and they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. The first two verses set the stage for what is about to take place, the temple and the holy city of Jerusalem. To date, there have been three temples. The first one was Solomon's temple, and we know that that was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 587 BC. The second temple is Zerubbabel's temple, which were built when the Jews returned from captivity in Babylon. If you remember, they stayed in Babylon seventy years, and Zerubbabel came back, and you'll find that in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah of the rebuilding of the temple. And the third temple was the temple built for the Jews by Herod the Great. That was the temple that was in existence during Jesus' ministry. But yet to be built is the tribulation temple that is described in Revelation 11, and the millennial temple described in Ezekiel chapters 40 through 43. But just to let you know, during the tribulation, the temple will be rebuilt, but not as an act of faith.

2 Thessalonians 2 verses 3 through 4 4 Let no one deceive you by any means, for that day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. I pray today that you are encouraged in your walk with Christ and putting our faith in God, and know that His promises are true. Thank you for listening to Truth Matters. I'm Dr. Cheryl Davis. We've been listening to the weekend edition of Truth Matters with Dr. Cheryl Davis. Truth Matters is a ministry of The Truth Project, a North Carolina-based ministry dedicated to teaching biblical truth and sound theology to those inside and outside of the church. If you'd like to listen to these messages on demand, go to projecttruthmatters.com and click on the podcast link. Dr. Davis is also available to speak to your ministry group or church function. She can be reached by email at CherylDavis at projecttruthmatters.com. Or if you'd like to send a letter, the address is Project Truth Matters, Post Office Box 159, St. Paul's, North Carolina, 28384. You can hear Truth Matters devotionals on weekdays at 820 a.m. and 520 p.m. Until next time, let's all work together to teach a biblical truth to assist, equip, edify, and encourage one another, and bring the Gospel to the world, because truth matters.