Two Are Better Than One

2008-12-15 - “INSIGHTS ON SOUL-HEALTH” - Casey Treat

NOTE: Remember what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:22-23 (3:18-4:17) “For all thingsare yours; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas (Peter), or world, or life, or death, or thingspresent, or coming; all areyours; 23and you are Christ's; and Christ is God's.” I am of Wesley; I am of Luther; I am of Calvin; I am of Casey Treat - No- all of these and many more are allgifts of God to all of us in the whole church. Let us not divide Christ or His Body or the church. We are allOne New Man. What Casey said in the sermon to follow is for all of us. So, none of us are like Jesus - He alone is perfect.

I started out Presbyterian. Then my Methodist step-grandfather introduced me into his stream of church history. Next in 1925 the Presbyterians, Methodists and Congregationalists of Canada came together in 1925 to form the United Church of Canada. From the age of 4 to 20, this was almost all I knew. But God led me into the Navy in 1943 before I knew Him, with the promise that if I followed His leading, He would reveal Himself to me, which He did 9 months later.

Through the “Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen's Christian Association” I rubbed shoulders with many Evangelical denominations. This continued in 1946 through the “Intervarsity Christian Fellowship” in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. In 1949 God led me into the American Baptist Convention where I was ordained in 1951, and graduated from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1952. Along the way I touched base with the North Battleford, Saskatchewan Visitation in 1948, the Charismatic move of the late '60's and a number of other groups.

I received benefit (the “precious”) from each one of these, and of course had chicken and fish bones on the side of my plate also. But we can be like Jeremiah in 15:19 (15:19-21) “Therefore thus says Jehovah, If you return, then will I bring you again, that you may stand before me; and if you take forth the precious from the vile, you shall be as my mouth.” But make no mistake, there are nuggets - there is that which is precious - from allGod has given to the church. This is true of Casey Treat. So when you eat from various preachers and denominations, follow God's word to Jeremiah, and enjoy the meat.

And these are my notes that I took from the sermon by Casey Sunday 12-07-08. A few of my own thoughts got mingled in. I trust Casey will forgive me, and I trust you'll do with my thoughts the same as his, and take the precious from the vile. So you can see what he alone said, go to his Website at “Christian Faith Center” in Federal Way - and you can get his CD or DVD for his full sermon. - Jim Watt

“INSIGHTS ON SOUL-HEALTH”- Sunday 12-07-08 - Casey Treat

Deuteronomy 8:18 (8:11-20) “But you shall remember Jehovah your God, for it is he that gives you power to get wealth; that he may establish his covenant which he swore unto your fathers, as at this day.” We are to remember what is in this section, for we allneed God. He sends His rain on the just and the unjust, so we are allcandidates for His blessing - but especially those of the Household of faith.

3 John 2 (2-4) “Beloved, I pray that in all thingsyou prosper and be in health, even as your :soul prospers.” When we have Right Truthplus Right Focus- it will produce Right Results. Livein verses like this. Pastor David Yonggi Cho often quotes a verse such as this in his daily devotions 1000 times! This makes the Word of God part of the warp and woof of our being! It is doubtful if any of us matches thisexample. Notice that God's goal for us is that basically as our soulprospers in Him, then His blessing flows out of this to all else that pertains to us! This kind of life is God's goal for us - therefore eminentlypossible! A poorsoul is always negative, but a prosperous soul views all situations and circumstances in a positivemanner. This all boils down to a Poor Soul Versus a Positive Soul. You and I can choose which we will be.

Football players under their eyes put a black mark to cut sun glare. A quarterback printed Philippians 4:13 under each eye in black. Thiswould intimidate the enemy as he looked through the mask! “I can do all thingsin him that strengthens me.” (4:10-20)

Matthew 12:35 (12:33-37) “The good man out of the good treasure brings forth good things: and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.” Practice in keeping your heart filled with good treasure versus evil treasure. Then thatis what will naturally flow out. Dad Crittendon of Chicago was its number one piano salesman, and also superintendent in his day of Pacific Garden Mission. No one ever heard him say a bad word against anyfellow human being. One friend one day said, “Dad, I'll bet you that you've even got a good word for the devil.” That temporarily set him back on his heels. Then his eye brightened and he replied, “Well, we couldemulate his zeal!”

So what seeds can we sow in our heart to make our soul prosper? Here are 8 seeds:

1. Vision

2. Desire

3. Beliefs (right beliefs)

4. Faith

5. Discipline - Get up! Turn off the TV!

6. Ethics - work ethics

7. Creativity - after the image of God

8. Passion - spark - spunk

Practice these after sowing them, and soonyour soul will begin to prosper. Speakthese seeds regularly. Casey was a drug addict at 17 and burnt out. Somebody sowed good seeds into him, even the above 8. They changed his life, and in the last 29 years he is out of debt, out of jail, owns his own car and home, is happily married with a family, and leading one of the largest churches in the SeaTac Metroplex, filling 2 campuses with some 8000, mostly his own converts. When he was a young shoe salesman while attending Bible College, Dennis Bennett was served by him. He said - “Young man, God's hand is upon you, and He has destined you to lead one of the large churches of Seattle.” His example can help us each one to preach ourselves happy.

Galatians 3:13 (3:8-14) “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; because it is written, Accursed every one hanging on a trees: 14that unto the nations might come the blessing of Abraham in Christ Jesus; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through :faith.”According to this, God has set us upto live an abundant life of blessing. He will help us to leave an inheritance for our children and grandchildren. Parents can set up our descendants as the next generation. We as parents can do this because our Heavenly Father has set us up! He has redeemedus from the curseof the law, because Jesus became a curse for us by dying on a tree. Now the blessing of Abraham has come upon us Gentiles, because we have an inheritance in the “One New Man.” We now have the “Promise of the Spirit” and can enter in. We move fromthe negative tothe positive. Sin, sickness, poverty and spiritual death are old things that pass away and all the promises of God now join up with us as New Creations!

Now see the blessing God promised Abram in Genesis 12:1-3 (12:1-9) “Now Jehovah said unto Abram, Get you out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father's house, unto the land that I will show you: 2and I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great: and be you a blessing: 3and I will bless them that bless you, and him that curses you will I curse: and in you shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” God has set us upin Abraham, to live a blessed life. According to our faith is it unto us, for first we must believe! We are the somebodies to do something - namely to be a blessing. We are “blessed” “to bless.”

What if we find out we were switched at birth, and we discover we have a noble and blessed heritage. But - that iswhat we have in God, and candiscover it! Some are more committed than others to be this blessing - but we can - if we will. All can choose to press into this place of blessing. We don't have to hang on to our old ragged “Blankie” like the boy in “Peanuts.” We don't have to rehearse and nurse our ragged past. We can get new clothesfor old. We don't haveto believe the news of papers and TV more then the Good Newsof the Bible. Spend but 10% of time on the negative news and 90% on Good Bible News! American politics, democracy or business won't save. Earth is waiting for the church to preach right perspectives! Only the church preaches the Good News of the Gospel. Only the one church gives the best. Do we like Abram reallybelieve God? Do we really believe the Bible? Then see what happened to Abraham in the very next chapter, after God in chapter 12 had promised to make him a blessing. Genesis 13:2 (13:1-12) “And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.” It took God but one chapter to fulfill His promises in Abraham! Then the blessing of Abraham is designed by God for both Gentile and Jew. Don't be a goat. Goats “butt.” ButI have never made it. Butyou don't know the impossible situation I'm in. But - But - But. Sheep say “Ab-ba - Ye-es Father! I believe!”

2 Corinthians 8:9 8:8-15) “For you know the grace of our :Lord Jesus Christ, that, being rich, for you he became poor, that you by his :poverty might become rich.” Note well the Grace of Jesus. He was rich withtheFather from the beginning. Then for us He became poor, that through Him we might become rich! We now can become rich in all ways that we might be a blessing. Do we want to be poor for the Lord? No. Sick for the Lord? No. In sin for the Lord No. To think like this shows confusion, and that we are listening to religious people, but not Bible-oriented people. Believe the latter and accept it.

What happens when we are blessed? Then thieves break in and steal. The devil is like that. See John 10:10 (10:7-18) “The thief comes not, but to steal, and kill, and destroy: I came that they may have life, and may have abundance.” The thief would stop God's blessing, which is life, and life abundant. Say, “No!” I refuse to let you, devil, steal God's blessing from me.

Instead I will walk in 1 Peter 5:8 (5:6-11) “Be sober, watch: the devil, your Adversary, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking to gulp down: 9whom withstand steadfast in the faith.” When we walk strong in the Lord in this kind of truth, the devil will break his teeth on us. Don't even let him gumyou after he loses his teeth. We cast out demons, and stomp on them. They tremble! Christians torment the devil.

Remember - God sets us up! He does it through Christ's Redemptive Act. It is a Finished Work. We can't add to it, but just need to repent, and freely receive. The flesh hates to be put in this position, but the human spirit loves it. Don't let the devil rip you off. Get your gun out and your bat - and protect your wife and house and kids. Get your “peace” back. Walk in the blessing of Abraham.

See 1 John 3:8 (3:4-8) “Who does :sin is of the devil; for the devil sins from the beginning. To this endwas the Son of :God manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Who sins is of the devil and Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. See the Audacityof hope! Don't bow to the devil - No sin, no sickness, no poverty. God has set us upto walk in blessing. Say, “Satan is notgoing to steal my love, my joy, my peace, my family. I am a child of God. I am God's disciple. I am walking in His blessing.

God has overcome Satan on our behalf and he is already a defeated foe. Believe it. Act upon it. But - God can't overcome our flesh! He has left this as ourresponsibility. Weovercome our own flesh: laziness and selfishness - and we all have it. So in this too - walk in the blessing of Abraham. Decide. The devil is notthe problem; he is defeated by Christ. But our flesh, wemust deal with.

And remember - God has set us up. Confess what the Word of God says about us! Confess true wealth and the Prosperous Soul!Let this blessing of God come throughyou as a blessing to others - not uponyou for personal blessing. Don't focus on the negative, but on the somethingnew inside. And - it doesn't have to be something big- just start out by saying the right things. Remember Dad Crittendon! -