Things Are Lining Up

There are several thoughts on my heart. In our Matthew study on Wednesday nights, we are in the last week of Jesus’ ministry before His crucifixion. His crucifixion has to take place because without it there can be no Acts 2, no birth of the Church. The Church comes forth out of the death of Christ. This is first presented as a type in Genesis chapter two. A deep sleep came upon Adam and the Lord took a rib from his side. With that rib He made woman. Out of that sleep, which represents death, comes forth his helpmeet, His church. So all the way through the Scriptures we see this mysticism of death and then resurrection, divine life coming out of death. That is the process in which it happens.

The Lord was speaking something to me this morning that I really don’t understand fully. It appears to me that we are at a particular time that is not only unique but is very important for us to be aware of so that we can take advantage of it. I caution us all because we are bordering on religiosity too much. It doesn’t mean that we are part of an old-order church, but what we are becomes old order if we do not have a fresh vision. Where there is no vision, the people perish (Proverbs 29:18). We really need a fresh vision. The Lord said that His Word would be a “lamp to our feet and a light to our path” (Psalm 119:105). Right now we need the light to our path, a fresh vision to see what we are striving toward. We must know the next will of God, the next goal He has for us to attain.

Our problem is the same problem all Christians have had. We tend to get caught up in the things of this life: careers, opportunities, wants, pleasures, likes, dislikes. The things of this world will rob us of our vision. We cannot afford to lose the vision, the next step in God’s plan for us. There are certain times and seasons when everything begins to come together and fit just right. That is the time to move in. We don’t want to miss that.

Genesis 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before Me, and be thou perfect.

How can God demand a person with a fallen nature to walk before Him and to be perfect? It is necessary for us to understand how God talks. When He says, “Walk before Me and be thou perfect,” He is not issuing a command that we must do on our own. He is making a prophetic, creative Word. In other words, He is saying, “You will walk before Me and be perfect because I am the Almighty.” He is the Almighty One who can cause us to walk before Him in perfection. And I might add, He determines what perfection is.

Genesis 17:2-5 I will make my covenant between Me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
4 As for Me, behold, My covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be called Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

At this point, Abraham is not a father of anything. He’s 99 years old and doesn’t even have a son. Again, God is speaking a prophetic, creative Word. In verse 2 God said He would multiply Abram exceedingly. Then in verse 5, God said Abraham was already a father of many nations – a father of many nations I have made thee. That is the way God talks. God quickens the dead and calls those things which be not as though they were (Romans 4:17). Our job is to accept what He says as accomplished even if there is no evidence in the natural. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1.

Genesis 17:6-7 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

I want to remind you of what Paul said about this. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. … And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:16, 29.

Genesis 17:8-9 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep My covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.

I like verse 9 – Thou shalt keep My covenant! Wouldn’t you like the Lord to tell you that? You shall keep My covenant! That establishes it right there. When He says, “You shall keep My covenant,” then it doesn’t depend on your faithfulness, on what you can do. It depends on God. I am the Almighty God! You shall keep My covenant!

Now let’s go to the next chapter. If you remember your chronology in Genesis, you know what is going to happen. In chapter 18 the Lord appeared again to Abraham.

Genesis 18:1-13 And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
6 And Abraham hastened unto the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.
8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.
10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
13 And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?

Sarah and Abraham had already passed the age of child-bearing. Her womb was dead. Out of the deadness of the womb will come life, the fulfillment of the promise.

Let’s look again at verse 10 – I will certainly return unto thee. That verb “return” is in the imperfect tense, continuous action, so it would read, “I am returning,” and that returning is going to continue. Then he says, “According to the time of life.” That is, according to a set time, “Sarah your wife will have a son.”

I was reading the other day that in 1997 there was an alignment of the planets; that is something that doesn’t happen very often. All seven of the planets were in a line. It was said that another hundred years would pass before that ever happened again. Things have to line up spiritually, too. There is an order in God’s world. One thing would depend on another. God does not work on a timeline. He lives in the realm of eternity where there is no time. It is man that lives on a timeline. But in God’s order one thing can depend on another. There has to be a lining up of things to bring about His plan.

In the second chapter of Acts when Pentecost was being fulfilled, things were lining up. I know the commentators say that the Day of Pentecost was when the Holy Spirit was poured out, but other things were taking place in conjunction with it. The disciples first had to be in the upper room. It was necessary for their prayer and worship to bring them to a spiritual place in God so He could pour out His spirit upon them and create the Church He had in mind. Things had to come together. Things had to line up. We are at a time now where those in Open Heavens Ministries, for example, have to come to a certain place. Each one of us has to line up like those planets.

Not only things within Christianity have to line up, but things in the cloud of witnesses, things in God’s world and man’s world; everything has to line up to a certain thing, not according to time, but according to the placement of things. Then when all the various parts line up to a certain place, it doesn’t make any difference about the condition of Sarah’s womb. She now is going to bring to birth; now is the set time!

We can’t afford to get caught up into playing church, for then we would miss the will of God. We must believe what God has said, even when there is no evidence. When He says, “Walk before Me and be ye perfect,” start walking. Things are lining up; not because you are anything special, not because you have the ability, but because He is the Almighty. When God speaks a Word, things start lining up to make that Word a reality to us. Things in heaven, things in earth, things in your life, all the different parts start lining up to make you fit in God’s plan.

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