Earth and Heaven

The World We Live In

n Sometimes unexpected things happens to us n Sometimes obedience results in tribulation n Sometimes something unfortunate happens to someone we love n Sometimes horrible things happen to good people.

The World We Live In n Sometimes this world doesn’t look n ANYTHING n Like the Kingdom of God

WHY?

Psalm 24 Earth and Heaven: A biblical worldview and the struggles we face

This Earth is God’s

Psalm 24 1 The earth is the Lord 's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;

Psalm 24 1 The earth is the Lord 's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; 2 for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.

Primeval Waters Psalm 93 3 The seas have lifted up, Lord, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves. 4 Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea— the Lord on high is mighty.

Primeval Waters Proverbs 8 27 I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, 28 when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep, 29 when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.

Primeval Waters Sea=y a m Deep=t e hom

Cosmic Conflict One prominent combat story has Baal, the chief god in the Canaanite pantheon, battling the sea monster Yamm (yam means sea). Yamm initiates the conflict by taking Baal prisoner as a means of establishing his own lordship. With the help of a sympathetic craftsman who fashions a weapon however, Baal is able to rise up and vanquish Yamm. He then proclaims, “Sea verily is dead, Baal rules.” God at War –Greg Boyd

Cosmic Conflict Variations of this story represent Yamm as Lotan, a twisting serpent of the sea(“Leviathan” in the Old Testament) God at War –Greg Boyd

Cosmic Conflict Psalm How long will the enemy mock you, God? Will the foe revile your name forever? 13 It was you who split open the sea by your power; you broke the heads of the monster in the waters. 14 It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert.

Cosmic Conflict Job 7 12 Am I the sea, or the monster of the deep, that you put me under guard?

Cosmic Conflict The earth created by God Is set in the midst of a raging sea of evil spiritual forces. The Earth is the Lord’s Established on the seas (Yamm) Founded on the waters (t e hom)

Psalm 24 3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place?

Alignment Determines Access

Psalm 24 4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. 5 They will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their Savior. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob.,

Obtaining and exercising spiritual power and authority by humans flows from allegiance, relationship and obedience to whichever master they choose to serve. Either spirit being can invest people, places and things with power. But each has certain limits related to the cooperation each receives from his followers.

…God and Satan ordinarily work in the human realm through partnerships with humans. These partnerships grant them legal rights in the persons life. Then Kraft makes this bold statement…

Hence the Counselor, who they are, and the level of their ability to hear God and cooperate with Him is an essential part of the process of (Healing)Prayer Charles Kraft Confronting Powerless Christianity, page 150

Cl ean Hands 4 Now Abimelek had not gone near her, so he said, "Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? 5 Did he not say to me, 'She is my sister, ' and didn't she also say, 'He is my brother'? I have done this with a clear conscience and clean hands." Gen. 20:4-5

Pure Heart Matt. 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Psalm 73:1 Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.

Psalm 24 4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. 5 They will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their Savior. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob.,

The Heart’s Cry of the Redeemed

Psalm 24 7 Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.

Walled City

The Triumphant King The LORD Strong and Mighty The LORD Mighty in Battle! He is Coming! The LORD Strong and Mighty The LORD Mighty in Battle! He is Coming!

Psalm 24 9 Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 10 Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty — he is the King of glory.

Hosts of God Psalm Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure. Psalm Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.

Psalm 24 9 Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 10 Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty — he is the King of glory.