The Lord Stood With Me and Strengthened Me

“After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” 1 Peter 5:10

We have been looking at what it means to be strengthened, as Christ was strengthened, in order to accomplish the Father’s will. As Jesus cried out to the Father, “Not My will but Yours be done”, an angel from heaven appeared to Him strengthening Him. (Luke 22:42-43) At that point the severity of the trial did not get any better but rather it grew decidedly worse. To use a metaphor from the book of Daniel, ‘the furnace was heated seven times hotter’. (Dan 3:19) Jesus was strengthened all the way through His suffering, until He said, “It is finished.” (John 19:30) Likewise as we join with Christ in His sufferings, we can be confident of being strengthened by the God of all grace, to walk with Christ in His will to do the Father’s will.

Because the apostle Paul learnt to identify with Christ in His sufferings, he also learnt to identify in His strengthening. Paul writes of a time when, in doing the Lord’s work, he was being vigorously opposed and many evil deeds were being done against him. This was an extremely difficult time for him. He goes on to say, “At my first defence no one supported me, but all deserted me; (just like Jesus) may it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the mouth of the lion.” (2Tim 4:16-17)

Again Paul writes and says, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service.” (1Tim 1:12) All of us are to be put into service! Have you allowed yourself to be put into service? If so, can you identify that service and are you faithful and fruitful in the service that the Lord has put you into? The Lord stood with Paul and strengthened him so that the service of work He had given him to do would be fully accomplished. Peter says, “Whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies.” (1Pet 4:11) It is only the strength which God supplies that will sustain us through the fiery trial and see His work fully accomplished.

Go From Strength to Strength

“How blessed is the man whose strength is in You, In whose heart are the highways of Zion! Passing through the valley of Baca (Weeping) they make it a spring; The early rain also covers it with blessings, They go from strength to strength, Everyone of them appears before God in Zion.” – Psalm 84:5-7

In continuing the theme of being strengthened to do God’s will, the Psalmist writes of a people who go from strength to strength. Of a people who are even able to turn a valley experience of weeping into a spring; a place of refreshing and blessing for themselves and others. Now who doesn’t want that to be their testimony? But who are these ones who go from strength to strength and turn weeping into blessings? The Psalmist says, they are the ones whose strength is in God and in whose hearts are the ways of God. Because they are committed to walk with Him in His ways He is able to walk with them. (Rev 3:4) Remember, we are only strengthened to do the will of God and to accomplish the works of our sonship. For this to happen we must walk with Christ, in His will, to do the Fathers’ will. (Luke 22:43) His ways (culture) must become our ways. (Isaiah 55:6-11)

When praying for the church, the apostle Paul prays that we would be filled with the knowledge of His will, so that we will walk in a manner that is worthy and pleasing to Him. Then He prays that we would be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all stedfastness and patience with joy. (Col 1:9-11) Paul understands that the ones who are receiving the strength of God are the ones who are doing His will and in whose heart are His ways. This is evidenced in the fact that they walk in a manner worthy. Furthermore they receive His strength to persevere in faith. The evidence of this strength is seen in the joy of God in their life. They enjoy being a son of God.

We are further reminded of Paul’s encouraging words to all those who are walking in their name, derived from the Father. “That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” (Eph 3:16-17) Every one of these ones appears before God in the administration of His church. (Eph 1:9-10; 2:9-10)

Gain New Strength

As we approach the prayer and fasting time next weekend we are to come with the attitude of joining Jesus in His prayer meeting with the Father, in Gethsemane. It is here that we not only join Jesus’ resolve in dedicating ourselves to do the Father’s will, we also find the strengthening from God that we need to do His will. Jesus particularly asked His disciples to join Him in this prayer meeting because He wanted them to learn how they too needed to be sustained, not by the good intentions of their own efforts, but by the strength which God supplies. (1Pet 4:11)

The Apostle Paul’s testimony is to be the testimony that we are all to have. He said in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through (in) Him who strengthens me.” We emphasise here that the ‘all things’ Paul is talking about is not just anything we want to do but is the ‘all things’ concerning the will of God for our lives. And doing the will of God for our lives should be our total pre-occupation.

In Gethsemane, Jesus completely laid down any capacity in Himself to do the Father’s will by the means of His own strength. This was a place of great weakness. Let us though not fear weakness for it is at this point, as we join ourselves to Christ’s sufferings, that we too can be strengthened, as Christ was. At Paul’s point of weakness, in regard to the thorn in the flesh issue, Jesus said to him; “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2Cor 12:9) I believe during our time of prayer and fasting the words of the prophet Isaiah will be significant. The prophet begins his message in chapter 40:1 by saying, “Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God.” He then concludes the chapter by saying, “He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” (Is 40:29-31)

The Lord wants to comfort everyone who is doing the Father’s will with new strength at this time. This is a strength you have not known before. It is new strength that is applicable for this season. Praise God!

Strengthened To Do His Will

“Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. So remember what you have received and heard; and keep (obey) it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.” Revelation 3:2-3

Jesus, as the head of the church is strongly exhorting His church to strengthen the things that remain. He is deeply concerned that many in the church are not responding as they ought and are unable to do so because they have fallen asleep spiritually. Jesus sees that there are certain works according to their name that need to be strengthened and if they are not then that which is about to die will die. How are we going to do this because no amount of human effort on our part is going to cut it? What can we do and where can we go to find the strength we need?

I want us to consider the example of Jesus and what He wanted to teach His disciples in that prayer meeting in Gethsemane. Upon leaving the fellowship of the Last Supper, Jesus proceeds to the Garden of Gethsemane. He invites His disciples to watch and pray with Him but they fell asleep. The weight of His work to be the Saviour of the world begins to fall very heavily upon Him at this time. This is the hour when the power of darkness unleashes its venom against Him. (Luke 22:53) Jesus though, does not waver in His resolve to do the will of the Father. He does not call on any prerogative He has as the son of God, but in complete weakness commits Himself to the Father. It then says in Luke 22:43, “Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.”

In reflecting on the application to us of strengthening the things that remain, I remind us again that we cannot do this out of our own strength or capacity. Everyone must join Jesus in His prayer meeting in Gethsemane so they too can be strengthened as He was. Although outwardly things did not get any better for Jesus, it did not matter because all the strength He needed to accomplish the work the Father had given Him to do was made available to Him. Hallelujah! The words of the apostle Peter, who learnt to rely on the Lord’s strength, resound to us all; “Whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies.” (1Pet 4:11)

Being Fully Assured

“Yet with respect to the promise of God, he (Abraham) did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised he was able to perform.” Romans 4:20-21

The theme of the International Youth Conference being held in Brisbane this weekend is ‘Sons with Assurance’. We know that God’s desire is for many sons just like the one Son of new creation, Jesus Christ. (Heb 4:10) The apostle Paul declares the desire of God for many sons by saying, “In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will.” (Eph 1:5) Jesus Christ came as the One Seed of all God the Father’s sonship. (Gal 3:16) As the One Seed He was to go into the ground and die so that many seeds or many sons would be raised up with Him. (John 12:24) Christ’s resurrection from the dead furnishes proof to all who believe that they too can be raised a son of God. (Acts 17:31)

Many years ago I was sharing with a neighbour who was raised in a church family and who in their adult years was a regular churchgoer. I expressed to them the assurance I had of having eternal life. ‘How can you be so sure’, they replied and went on to say, ‘I hope I have done enough good to get there.’ This I have discovered is the testimony of many, they are not completely sure. God though, wants us to live with the full assurance that we can live now as a son of God. “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3) This is His faith and hope for each one of us. (1John 3:1-3)

Abraham is an amazing example to all of how we can live as sons of God who are fully assured. God spoke into Abraham’s life a specific word. (Gen 12:1-3) This word concerning both Abraham’s fatherhood and sonship was settled in heaven before Abraham was even born, but it was now being revealed in time to Abraham. The psalmist testifies to this truth by saying, “Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven.” (Ps 119:89) This word that was forever and settled in heaven fully captured Abraham’s heart. Abraham believed this word, it became His life, and he was fully assured that God was able to do everything He had planned.