Words of Jesus Podcast - My Father Knows You Have Needs

Episode Date: November 26, 2021

CHAPTER 14:  JESUS EXPLAINS HIS ATTITUDE ON FASTING (PART 4)THE DISCIPLES of John the Baptist and of the Pharisees came to Jesus, troubled in theirhearts, asking:            “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?”            “Jesus replied:            “Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?  But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.            “No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old.  And no man putteth new wine into old bottles [skins]; else the new wine will burst the bottles [skins], and be spilled, and the bottles [skins] shall perish.  But new wine must be put into new bottles [skins]; and both are preserved.  No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new; for he saith, ‘The old is better’.” ***Light of the world; "Light of Life"; walk in darkness (stumble); Deny, Die, Follow; Follow Jesus - not walking in darkness; We show the light to the world by our lives; Scriptural witness - give an answer to the hope in us; if the world is not asking…no light is shinning (OH NO!); government rules for isreal in the Scriptures; Jews accused "record of yourself..."; 2 or 3 witnesses to establish a matter; Part of Israel; Sworn to truth already; no law against it (i.e. abortion) - doesn't make it right; Muslims, Jews, Christians - people of the book; - We ARE NOT PEOPLE OF THE BOOK

Think Red Ink Ministries presents The Words of Jesus series with Don C. Harris Hello friends and welcome once again to the Words of Jesus series. I'm Don Harris and I need to have an email from you. Would you mind? Don at ThinkRedInc.com. Let me know you're listening. I'd love to hear from you. We've been talking from the 14th chapter of our little book called The Words of Jesus. Hope you've been enjoying this. It's really a lot to swallow, and we have hardly started on the subject of fasting.

Jesus had an opinion about fasting that is somewhat uncommon, I think, today, because I think fasting has been relegated to the area of the super spiritual or the spooky or the whatever, you know, outside of Christianity, it's just not a part of it. And I think that, you know, there's a lot of misconceptions we work under in Christianity. And one of the things that we've done, not only have we tried to turn the Bible into a book of incantations or a magic book, but we have taken prayer and turned it into a magic exercise to the point that it's the answer to everything.

And when we don't know what to do for people, we don't know how to help them, we don't have any idea what's going on in their lives, we don't have the knowledge of God within us, we don't have the wisdom of God within us, the only thing we can do is quote scripture to them and pray for them. Or tell them to pray. And that's essentially all that we can do. And so what does that do? It takes the Christian, well, at least the honest Christian and realizes, well, you know, the scriptures don't mention me using cocaine.

And when I talked to my mother about it, you says, well I'm going to pray for you son and that hasn't done any good. Maybe I just need to go and go join a detox center. I'm not against detoxing. I'm not against using what's available to fix whatever problems in your life. But isn't it pitiful that so many people come in and through the church come out the other side and they have essentially nothing to show for it? Why is that? Why is that? Isn't there anybody in this building that can speak for the

Lord? Is there anybody in here that can speak as the oracles of God? Anybody? Will somebody raise their hand here and help me? I just don't know why that's the case. I find hundreds of men, hundreds of women that can quote the Bible, but not a one of them have ever heard the word of God. How can that be?

Well, what it is, guidance is not a part of our life. When we read the Bible we hear Jesus say, if you'll believe in me then I will send you a book and from that book it will lead you and guide you into all truth. And if there's anything you don't understand, you need to talk to your pastor about it. So you got a pastor, yeah, maybe some Sunday school literature, there's a couple of really good books in the library, and you got the Bible. So y'all do the best you can.

And wow, that would be an impoverished church wouldn't it? Would it be an impoverished church that can't speak to their king? Wouldn't that be a pitiful sight to behold? Would you like to behold it? Step out of your house look up and down the street look for the steeples. That's exactly what they're doing. Very few, very, very precious few people say, you need to spend some time before the Lord about this. You need to let the Lord speak to your heart about this. You need to hear the voice of

God. And not only is that rare, but the man who actually does it, who does have the word, I don't know what to say to a drug addict. I don't know. I've never been a drug addict. I don't know anything about it. I don't even know how to do cocaine. I don't know anything about it. How can I help him? Well, do you know, if I am in the place I ought to be and I'm not offending my conscience, I'm keeping the commandments of God,

I take time every day to hear the voice of God. Do you know that I don't have any reason to believe that he hasn't already put within me the words that this man needs to hear? To bring his, I may not fix the situation. He may not walk away from me, you know, miraculously healed and dancing up and down and saying, I'm free, I'm free. But I'll tell you what, I can plant a seed. You know, I'll plant seeds. Somebody else come by and waters it. And pretty soon it's fixed. But you know what I need? I need to be in the right place. I need to hear the word of God within myself. I need to trust the word of

God within myself. I need to speak that word to him. And you know what else I need? I need you to do the same thing when you run into this guy. Perhaps I planted a seed. Perhaps it's your job to water. Perhaps it's his job, her job to water. I don't know. But God will give the increase. But it's pretty obvious that it's not just one guy, you know, shaking his coat over this poor cocaine addict and fixing his problems.

But it is going to be one, two, three, four guys that have dedicated themselves to hearing the voice of God. Now, I'd like to know, when is this going to start taking place? It's going to start taking place when it happens within you. You're going to remember what I'm telling you now. Because, no, you're probably not going to hear the voice of God. It's not going to echo through the room. Like I said, you know, come on.

You want to tell me some story about seeing letters in the sky? I feel sorry for you. Because obviously the Lord can't speak to you any other way. You want to hear God's voice in your ears? I'm sorry for you. That means he can't speak to your spirit. I thank God he's speaking to you, if it is indeed him doing it. But for the most part, us Christians need to hear from within ourselves. Long time ago,

back when you decided that you wanted to be a Christian, you thought you were deciding, but actually Jesus says, you didn't choose me. I chose you. But back in those days when you decided, I'm going to go God's way. I'm not going to go my way anymore. Well, the Bible teaches us that within you was planted a seed. And that seed, it's purpose, it's plan, it's future, it's DNA structure, it's, you know, when it comes to fruition. Do you know what that seed is going to be?

It's going to be Christ in you. This is what we're talking about. It's not going to be a Bible. It's not going to grow into a Bible. It's not going to one day sprout and you're going to have the whole book memorized. It's going to be Christ in you. This is the mystery that has been held since the foundation of the world. What is that? Christ in you. The hope of glory. Friend, that is salvation.

That is being salvaged from the world. That is regeneration. And nothing short of that will suffice. I don't care what your testimony is. You can tell me about accepting Jesus if you want to. I happen to know him and he really doesn't care if you accept him or not. His life is going to continue whether you accept him or not. You know what we need to do? We need to live in such a way that he accepts us. Because he doesn't accept everybody. No, no, no. His father's famous for saying, I reject who I want to reject.

I accept who I want to accept. You think his son's any different? No, his son's not any different. So what do we need to do to be accepted by him? We need to keep his commandments. Keep His dad's commandments. Keep His commandments. They're one and the same. The ten commandments that He gave us, you can keep those commandments. If you do, now you've opened a door that is awakening a conscience in you that you probably didn't even know you had. But when you do that, your conscience is starting to be transformed by that seed that's in you.

There's a story. Can I tell you a story? There's a wonderful story in the Bible that I don't know, I think the gist of it is missed in a lot of cases. And that story is that Jesus was inside of a house and there were people that were coming up and saying thy brethren and thy mother are waiting to see thee. They're outside. They want to see thee.

And you know, instead of saying, oh good, Mother Mary's outside. Let's go see her. No, no. He hardly even acknowledged that it was even a fact. And what did he say? He says, behold, these people who hear my word, now these are not people with cartilage on the side of their head. These are people who allow, matter of fact fact Jesus used the term one time I always thought it was so cool, let these words sink down

into your ears. And I think, oh yeah, I know what you mean. I've heard words that are just kind of balanced on the outside and gone. But boy, when you let them sink in. And he says, these people around me right here, these people have heard the word of God and do it. Well, Don, that sounds like works-oriented salvation. Can't help how it sounds. I'm telling you the words of Jesus, Aaron Reddink. Blessed is he who hears the word of God and does it.

He ends the Sermon on the mount with a beautiful story about a man who builds his house on the sand, builds his house on a rock, what's the difference in those two men one was saved and one wasn't, no, one was a good man and one wasn't, no, one he went to church every day and the other one didn't, no what's the difference in these two men? One heard the word of God and the other didn't? No. What was the difference in the two?

This one did what he heard to do. This one didn't do what he heard to do. This guy built his house on sand. This one built it on a rock. You mean it has to do with what you do? Yes, it does. And if you're determined to do it, you're determined to keep his commandments, you're in a wonderful place in your life because the seed of God that has been planted in you will birth Jesus Christ in your life. You think that's some goofy spiritual talk and it doesn't mean anything? Be careful, because the Lord Jesus said this. Thy mother and thy brethren are outside, wishing to see, desiring to see you.

He said, you see these people that hear my word and do it? This is my mother. What? This is my mother and my brethren. What? No, no, no, no. Your mom's outside. No, this is my mother. How can you say such a thing?

What in the world does that mean? You see, when you hear the word of God and do it, there's planted in you a seed. Look, if there's a seed in you that's growing, you're going to be a mommy. And you are are at that point according to Christ and I understand you know the restraints of language

and the restraints of vocabulary and all the rest of this thing. He's trying his best to get this across to you that if you listen to my words and do what I say there is going to be a birth that takes place within you. That birth is me.

Paul was well aware of this. He said in his epistles, till Christ be formed in you. You hear all the references to being born, being pregnant, babies being formed, embryos, conception,, conception, the times of gestation and all this. And then at the end being born again. I love this! I just absolutely love this because when we get these red letters right

and when our ears are open to what He has to say to us, these things start making sense and we start feeling within ourselves, oh my goodness what a lovely journey we are on here. This is going to be endless. Yeah, now you're starting to see this. I don't know if you've ever taken a mirror and held it up to another mirror. You ought to try this. I don't know if you've ever taken a mirror and held it up to another mirror. You ought to try this. Go to the bathroom, get yourself a hand mirror, hold it up to the mirror and then look in there. You know what you're going to see? Endlessness.

Endlessness. Why? Because it's just the same image reflected back and forth and back and forth and back and forth. What you're looking at is kind of eternal. Well let me tell you the image that you are, the image of the Christ that is being formed in you, there's a lot of differences there. A whole bunch of differences. How are we going to get rid of these differences? We're going to have to go to the source of this problem. No, we're not going to the devil. We're not going to go ask his permission to be a Christian.

I mean, it's almost like that's what people do. Please, sir, if it's okay with you, I'd like to be a Christian. And he either grants it or he doesn't. Silliness, absolute silliness. Let's go to the problem. Let's go to the problem that you can actually do something about. That is the guy living in your shirt right now. That one. Yeah, that one. He's a problem. He's the biggest problem you have.

And I don't know how you're going to put him under subjection unless you learn to fast and learn to hear the voice of God for yourself. And have the determination to just do it. You know, I know there's a lot to be said for strength and bravery and determination and resolution. These are all things that, these are all character traits, by the way, that you're going to find growing in you now that you've got the seed of Christ in there. Don't discourage those things.

Encourage them. And when you go and say to your pastor, now, preacher, let me tell you something. I was praying the other day, and I felt the Spirit of God tell me, and he says, whoa, wait a minute. What? What are you saying? We get our instruction from this book. We don't go off to these spiritual things and stuff. All right, so what is this preacher telling you? To discount what the Lord is telling you. Why would he do such a thing?

Why would a preacher do such a thing? Because he's scared. He's scared that you could be following the devil. Really? Really, I could be following the devil. You know, all the time my Bible says if I live the way I'm supposed to, I do what's expected of me. I do what's right every time for the right reasons. I know you can't do it every time, but this is what we strive for, is it not? And the Bible makes it clear that the wicked one touches him not.

Well, you know, if I got to choose between your preacher and the apostle who says the wicked one touches him not, I'm going to go with the apostle, if it's all the same to you. So why would a preacher turn somebody away from hearing the Spirit? I'm sure the reasons are numerous. But I think that they're afraid that somebody's going to receive some revelation from God that is not necessarily the revelation that they have received. And they're going to be different. And we all know that the Bible teaches us that we're all supposed to believe the same thing. Well, good luck with that.

That is never going to happen. I don't expect it to happen. God saves us on an individual basis. We don't get pushed through a cookie cutter or pushed through a mold and come out the other side fit for the kingdom. That's not it at all. He has special things that He wants you to do. You're uniquely qualified to fill some place in the ministry. How are you going to do that? You're going to put down the flesh. You're going to look to that seed that's within you. You're going to allow that seed to live like

it's supposed to live, create an environment for this embryo to grow in, which is keep the commandments of God, which is to a pregnant woman, like don't smoke, don't drink, you know, don't drive the tractor, don't go horseback riding, you know, these kind of rules that we, well I just don't believe in legalism. Well know, these kind of rules that we, well, I just don't believe in legalism. Well, I bet you do when it comes to your wife being pregnant. Look, there's a seed within you. And that seed is only comfortable in the environment that his father set up so many

centuries earlier. Keep these commandments and I'll come into you. Keep these commandments. This was his prerequisite before he would come and live with the children of Israel. I need a temple and I need you to keep these commandments. Oh we ought to be able to keep these commandments. God says no you won't. Well sure we will. No you won't. Well sure we will. They look simple to me. He says, you want to test? Let's put this to the test. Let's take the simplest, easiest, most benign commandment I can think of. And he looks down the list. Sabbath day. This will do it. Tell you what, before I give you these commandments, this all happened before the stone incident, right? Before it was written on stone.

This all happened beforehand. And so he decides, I'm going to give them the Sabbath commandment. You tell them, come out, pick up your manna, and pick it up on Friday. But when you pick it up on Friday, get enough for Saturday, because no manna is going to fall on Saturday. As a matter of fact, I don't want you to even leave your tents on Saturday. I don't want you out here hunting for manna on Saturday. Give them that commandment, Moses. And he's saying, piece of cake. What, tell people they don't have to work? Tell people they get twice as much on Friday?

Oh, they're going to love this. You're wrong about this. The Lord says, we'll see. We'll see if they will follow in my ways or no. What'd they do? Saturday morning, here they are. They're all out there walking through the fields, looking for manna. I guess they had a party Friday night and ate it all. I don't know what they did, but they didn't do what he said. And what did the Lord say to Moses? You see, Moses, they will not obey my laws. Right again. Wow, man, what in the world's going on? He wants an obedient people. That's all he wants.

He doesn't ask for anything. Really? I hear people all the time saying the law's passed away. We don't have to obey the law. And I'm thinking, what is it you've got against thou shalt do no murder? How is that a bad thing that we don't want to teach people? How is it that you don't want to teach them don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't lie under oath? Honor the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. What is it about this that you don't like? Oh, the Sabbath commandment. I see.

Well, you can think about that on your own. That's another subject for another day. But in this particular situation, what we keep finding is the flesh keeps rearing its ugly head and it keeps telling us what to do and making us, so to speak, do what we don't want to do. Isn't this what Paul said? He says, this flesh is driving me nuts. What I want to do and what I should do, I find that I just don't do it. And the stuff that I don't want to do and what I should do. I find that I just don't do it. And the stuff that I don't want to do, I find myself doing.

This was his wrestling with the flesh. You wrestle with the flesh? Well, I know. Many people just gave up. I just give the flesh whatever it wants, and then I go to church on Sunday. Well, that's not the way to live either. So what are you going to do? Friend, you have a tool.

It's called fasting. You need to look into it. Fast a meal. Fast a day. Fast a week. Do what you need to do. But you're going to find out real quick that your body doesn't like this at all. But as long as your body is telling your mind what to do,

then everything's going to continue just like it is. Your mind, I'm not telling you to just become strong-willed. Paul called that will worship. Just to become strong-willed is not what the Lord is looking for. What the Lord is looking for are people who are led of the Spirit. Here you have the body, the mind, and the Spirit. The Lord is looking for are people who are led of the Spirit. Here you have the body, the mind, and the Spirit. The Lord is looking for people that are led of the Spirit. You see, that law kept sending us back to the flesh and kept showing us in the flesh where we needed to make changes.

The law kept showing us that. It was not bringing us out of the flesh, it was just showing us when we were doing things wrong. It was guardrails on the side of the road. But you see, the Spirit of God can teach us quickly. It can show us, Jesus says, hey, when you're dealing with lust, guess where that's going? That's going to violate the seventh commandment. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Don't mess with that. But it's in my mind. How do I control my mind? Meditation. But I mean this lust

it's in my body. How do I control my body? Fasting. Well yeah but don't heathens do that? Yeah and they have more control over their body and mind than you do. I'm sorry, folks. It's not funny, but I'll tell you, sometimes I think, how did we get to the point where any of this goofy stuff makes sense? Look, fasting needs to be a part of your life. Meditation definitely needs to be a part of your life.

And if you're worried sick that pagans practice it and all the rest of this stuff, like I say, you're going to have to give up on prayer too. Because they do that. They go to church. Oh, they may not call it church, but they go religiously. Hey, so do you. Are you pagan? It's insanity. Look, folks, you've been robbed.

You've been robbed. You look around. Fasting's not a part of your life. Where'd it go? Your Lord Jesus did it. Talked about it. Said that when he was gone that his people who loved him were going to do it. You don't. Why is that? Meditation has always been a part of man's relationship to God. I mean, all the way back to, was it Isaac? It was his thing. He always went out at eventide and meditated, the Bible says. It's a part of our life. When it comes time to hear the voice of God, I mean, when does that time come in your life? Can he squeeze a word in edgeways? Can he stand up a concept up on its edge and file it off real thin and just jam it between one word to the next

when you're praying and giving them your whole list of criteria and your wish list. All the time Jesus is over there saying, my father knows you have need of all these things. How did we get in this mess? Look, I don't know how. I could speculate. But I know how to get out of it.

How are we getting out of it? Meditation. fasting, prayer, obeying the commandments of God, not disobeying our conscience. Take time every day to hear the voice of the Lord. Is it just that simple? Yeah, it's just that simple. But what you'll find is,

your body's going to fight you on this. You thought your body was your buddy? Oh man, are you going to find out different. It's got a life and seemingly you'll feel like it has a mind of its own. But it has to be brought under control. Jesus says, after I'm gone,

after we can't discuss all these things to their nth degree, you know what you're going to find is all these people in the bride chamber, they're going to fast in those days. They're going to fast in those days. Is that you? Is that you? It should be.

Our time's gone already. Sorry about that. We want to hear from you. Let me know that you're listening. Send an email to don at thinkredding.com. Don at thinkredding.com. I'll get it. I'll read it.

All right. Time for us to go. Thank you so much for being a part. Bye-bye. you've been listening to don c harris of think red ink ministries ThinkRedInc.com. That's ThinkRedInc.com. Join us again for the next episode in the Words of Jesus series. you