Ephesians Parallels Joshua Pt.2
MARK 6:1-6
1 ¶ And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him.
2 And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?
3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. (Notice – they were offended because to them he was just one of the local residents – if it had been some stranger, they would have had a different attitude)
4 But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.
5 And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. (He could do mighty works outside of his own country, but not among his own people)
6 And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.
Ephesians Parallels Joshua Pt.2
Picking up from the last few services of respects and also our subject of Ephesians Parallels Joshua – we saw how that Rahab the gentile, by showing respects to the two messengers that Joshua sent to her, it brought salvation not only to her but also to her loved ones, this was a great reward and we saw many other examples of this in the bible. It was only when the gentile Naaman showed respect to the lowly servant that Elisha sent, only then did he recieve the body change that he needed.
All these examples are directed to this end time age that we live in to show us how that we are to also act in this hour toward the humble ministry that God has sent with the message of this day.
We know that God sends local ministry to local people, but many struggle to receive the message of God because of the commonness and familiarity that they perceive with the person that God sends.
Many could not receive brother Branham because of his background as an uneducated man from the hills of Kentucky – but that is how God tests the respect of the people by sending his message through a lowly channel.
MARK 6:3-6
3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
4 But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.
5 And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.
6 And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.
Notice here that this lack of respect towards a local ministry produces a level of unbelief so great until it can be marvel at, In other words – “they especially won’t believe it if he says it, because he is just a common person among us and so what would he know, we know his family, and we know where he lives and all about his normal life”.
And that is why local ministry in many cases are not very successful for local people because the people hold less resect because of familiarity, and from our studies we know that you simply won’t get much out of something that you don’t respect, and especially if you live in a culture that naturally leans toward disrespect.
And so that is why your local ministry is usually a lot more successful for others who are outside of their own country.
JOHN 4:44
44 For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country.
Remember how the locals were even going to throw Jesus of the cliff to kill him; that is certainly not respects toward the ministry that God sends.
LUKE 4:28-29
28 And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
29 And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. (In other words, throw him off the cliff head first so he would more than likely land on his head at the bottom)
We know that God raises up local people for local ministry just like he raised up local prophets from among the people of Israel to test the respects of the people, because how you treat them is how you treat the Lord.
ACTS 7:51-52 Steven is addressing the people…
51 ¶ Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.
52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One (every one that God sent with his message to the people, they killed them in some way); of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:
JOHN 1:11 Speaking of Jesus
11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
So Paul (the first church age messenger) came to a place in his experience that he said that “All men had forsaken him”, they had lost their respect for him because he just looked too common and ordinary and it had seemed like he had lost the power that he had once had, he had to ask for someone to bring his coat because he was cold, and he had to go back to work sewing tents – it just didn’t look spiritual enough.
II TIMOTHY 4:14-16
14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works: (look how he is being treated)
15 Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words.
16 ¶ At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.
Every true servant of God will go through these types of experiences.
Brother Branham also suffered much with the rejection of brethren over the years.
PRESENT.STAGE.OF.MY.MINISTRY_ JEFF.IN V-11 N-2 SATURDAY_ 62-0908
123 I don't know what the future holds, but you see where we're at, don't you? You see why everybody's saying, even to my--some of my own colleagues, said, "Why, Brother Branham's all washed up." See? Yeah. "All washed up..." See? "Oh, we don't hear much more done." See? Well, we... They just don't understand (That's all.), just don't understand.
We know that even Noah (the great end time prophet of God for that hour that God sent with a message just before judgement the world was judged), he came to a place in his ministry where it appeared that he was all washed up, he was not much respected anymore by anyone, he was just some crazy old man that reckoned the world was coming to an end.
If Noah was with us today, we would certainly not have regarded him successful when it came to church growth.
Jesus seemed to have a church attendee’s problem also. So did Gideon, so did the apostle Paul of the first church age – on and on we could go. Fear not, little flock; LUKE 12:32.
JOHN 6:65-69
65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. (After he had preached a sermon with a bit stronger truth of the word, we notice that his church attendance got smaller)
67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. (But look at Peter’s respect to the ministry of Christ for that day)
69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
MARK 10:28-30
28 Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. (In other words, we have respected your ministry regardless of what all the others have done)
29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's,
30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children (see again how the reward of respect is connected to your family), and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
**These promises of reward by your respect to the ministry that God has sent to you can no more fail than God can fail.
HOSEA 4:1-6
1 ¶ Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. (This is a result of a lack of the teaching of the word because of a lack of respect toward the ministry that God sent among them)
2 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.
3 Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
4 Yet let no man strive, nor reprove another: for thy people are as they that strive with the priest. (Notice again, they were showing disrespect and striving with the ministries of the Lord)
5 Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the prophet also shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother. (Remember that Rahab’s mother was saved by her showing respect to the ministry that Joshua had sent to her, but these mothers here were to be destroyed)
6 ¶ My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
(The Shunammite’s woman’s child was saved when she showed respects to the ministry of God, but we see here in contrast that these children were forgotten by the Lord because of their disrespect to the word)
**How does this connect with Ephesians Parallels Joshua? ***Under the ministry of Joshua and that Joshua sent out, we find that the purpose was to bring a people into an inheritance.
**Noah’s group that showed respects to the message of that hour was rewarded with an inheritance in the new world.
**Joshua’s group (after 2 million had fallen in the wilderness) also came into an inheritance by their respects.
Naaman came into an inheritance of a body change when he show respects to the message of God through a lowly servant.
**Notice that in Noah’s day there was a great falling away of the people just before Noah and his faithful group were taken over into the new world and to their inheritance – and we can see that same pattern of this repeating at this end time age.
II THESSALONIANS 2:3
3 ¶ Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
International Standard Version
Do not let anyone deceive you in any way, for it will not come unless the rebellion takes place first and the man of sin, who is destined for destruction, is revealed. ***Notice – the revealing of two sons at this end time age, the son of man, and the man of sin who is the son of perdition – the devil himself.
The same two trees that appeared in God’s original Eden at the beginning of the bible are the same two trees that also reappear again at harvest time at the end of the bible in Satan’s Eden.
*To eat from one tree is eternal life, but to eat from the other tree is eternal death.
It is estimated that in America alone, that around 100 to 200 churches close down per week.
This influence and problem is also creeping in among the message ranks.
In the old days it was hard to get message believers to church on Wednesday nights, now it’s even hard to get some of them to Church on Sunday mornings.
**What is causing this…? Of course it is the influence of the world and the sin that so easily besets people, but I also believe that there is something else going on that is a deeper issue, and it is in the form of deception because of the lack of knowledge of the word due to a decline of respect to the lowly ministry that God is sending his word through in this hour, and this is what is contributing to the falling away.
HOSEA 4:6
6 ¶ My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: How do you get knowledge? - by being taught it from the ministry that God sends.
If you put a big add in the local paper and advertised to the general public that if they attended this church faithfully every Wednesday and Sunday for a whole year, and if they did they would be given $20,000 per person at the end of the year – how many people do you think would faithfully come here and how many people do you think would miss church during the year? – and they wouldn’t care what was preached.
NUMBERS 26:51-55
51 These were the numbered of the children of Israel, six hundred thousand and a thousand seven hundred and thirty.
52 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
53 Unto these the land shall be divided for an inheritance according to the number of names. (Notice all the names of those that died in the wilderness because of their unbelief were blotted out, so this is the new group of names that were numbered. So names were revealed at the time of the ministry of Moses for the purpose for those people to go into and receive their inheritance)
54 To many thou shalt give the more inheritance, and to few thou shalt give the less inheritance: to every one shall his inheritance be given according to those that were numbered of him. (Remember that the opening of the word revealed the names of the elect in this hour, and these same elected ones of this hour are to also come into an inheritance because of the title deed that has been given back to a people in this hour – but that land is not going to be taken back without a fight – and that is where many don’t want to be associated because to possess the inheritance you will have to fight for every inch of it)
55 Notwithstanding the land shall be divided by lot: according to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit.
Each person under their tribe were to inherit, notice - you had to be connected with a tribe, you couldn’t just be an individual by yourself.
**Ephesians in this end time age is paralleling Joshua back then, because we are also a people whose names have been revealed by the opening of the book of redemption, and we also have been given a title deed of inheritance to possess.
Our inheritance is not a natural land but a spiritual land that God has promised to bring us back by an end time prophet with two signs, so as individuals and as a church body of believers we are to possess this inheritance of what God has promised us in this hour.
Why don’t people seem to want this?? There are a few reasons.
(This is message people) One reason is because they don’t really believe it, it is just not real enough, and the other reason is that they cannot actually see the value of it, and the other reason is that they don’t want to have to put any effort towards it.
TESTIMONY.RAISING.DEAD.BOY_ WEST.PALM.BEACH.FL THURSDAY_ 53-1203
E-14 …Them Israelites... Why, sure. God just didn't get up there and take His brush, and sweep them all out, said, "Now, come on in. Here you are; set down." Never did God do that. You show me your faith without your works, and I'll show you my faith by my works. See?
You've got to go do it. And you've got to fight for every inch of ground that you have. Every man in here that's born again of the Spirit of God, knows that you've had to fight for every inch of ground, toe the mark with Satan. Isn't that right? Friends, this is not a picnic. This is a battleground. See? We never come here to--to eat cookies and--and so forth. We're in a battle.
What gives Gold it value? Apart from the amazing properties of the metal itself, it is also the human labour cost of blood, sweet, and tears that it takes to extract it out of the ground.
It’s just lying in the ground for anyone to take it, but it is only the ones who are prepared to work hard and diligently to get it out that will be the ones who will benefit from it. So a good part of the value it is in the difficulty.
THE.EVENING.MESSENGER_ MESA.AZ V-8 N-5 WEDNESDAY_ 63-0116
11 And, oh, this old Bible is full of them gracious old nuggets. I just... I like to just prospect (don't you?) and just go in there and shake all the dust off of It, and look at It and see what It is. How the jewels, you people know here in Arizona, the great jewels come from the dust of the earth. That's where they come from. And God's jewels are brought up from the dust, too. And He... We're so happy that He gives us the privilege of going into His great refinery, and all the dross taken out.
God has also spent much time and effort refining us; that is also what makes us valuable to him.
Look at the way that God dealt with Job to refine him – look how he tested his faith.
JOB 23:8-10
8 ¶ Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him:
9 On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him (Look how God was testing Job, he appeared to have forsaken him in his greatest trial and hour of need – that is often how he will test us also, he will appear to you that he has forsaken you just to see how you will react): he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:
10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
Let us rise up and possess the land of promise for this hour.