imonlywood.com

I suspect this study is going to end up turning into a book.

As I’ve pondered it, I’ve discovered that it’s a far more in-depth study than
I first realized. At the same time, I’ve also discovered that the principles we’ll
cover in this study are not limited to debt, but can be applied to any Goliath you
may be facing…whether it’s debt, health, fear, addiction…

The brief study on “What God REALLY Said About Earning A Living” could be
looked at as an introduction of sorts to this study…”Defeating the Goliath of Debt.”
In order to understand some of the thinking behind this particular study, we need to
take a look at one of the most fascinating stories in the Bible. Fascinating, because there
is so much packed into it, that one could literally teach series after series on it, from
so many different angles that it boggles the mind!

Before we go jumping into topic of debt, we have to understand what we’re facing.
And in order to do THAT, I’m asking you to read the story of David and Goliath. I know,
I know, you’ve heard it before, and you’ve read it before…but humor me, will ya?
It’s in 1 Samuel 17 and it’s only one chapter! You don’t even have to read the whole thing!
You can stop at verse 50…

Now, since you’ve got your Bible open and the story in front of you, I’m not going to give
a tremendous amount of Scripture here (unless it’s from somewhere other than 1 Sam. 17),
simply because you already have it in front of you. And if you’re REALLY reading it like
you’re SUPPOSED to be reading it, you’ll run across it anyway in a minute or two!

Just to give you a little heads up, we’re probably going to spend a LOT of time with this
one story before we move on…

So…here we go!

The story begins by saying that the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled
at Socoh in Judea. Saul and the Israelites gathered and drew up their battle lines to meet
the Philistines. The Philistines are one one hill, the Israelites on the other. In between lies
the valley…

Take a few moments to stop right there and just close your eyes and see it in your mind
the way it might have been. Imagine the dirty, sweaty, grimy faces peering at each other
from across the valley. Some of those guys were probably feeling pretty brave, as they
lined up to fight…others were, most likely, down right afraid. It seems a bit primitive to
us, with our smart bombs and un-manned drones, but these guys were facing the best
technology of the day…sharpened steel and enough muscle to run a man clear through!

Today, we can level an entire city without ever seeing it…but back then, you had to look
a man in the eye to kill him. And it’s here, that our study begins…

Hi

Happy resurrection day!

Just thought I’d send a brief explanation of “I’m Only Wood” so it makes a little more sense. A few years ago Easter was almost here and I had the occasion to be sitting outside in the dark…quietly pondering some of the things Easter meant. The Lord gave me this song, entitled…
“I’m Only Wood”…hence, the name of the blog!

I felt his muscles straining
As he bore me on his back
He struggled just to keep his feet
Along the well-worn path
Until at last, he just collapsed
Too weak for such a load
A man called Simon picked me up
And took me up the road
They drove long spikes thru both his feet
And then thru both his hands
I felt no pain…I’m only wood
But what about the man?

They lifted us together
Into the morning sky
I could almost feel his suffering
As I held him up to die
I felt him growing heavy
As the whole world came to rest
Along with all the sins of man
Upon his battered chest
I wondered why they did this
I could sense this man was good
But I knew no one would listen
For they see I’m only wood

When it was done they took him down
And placed him in his tomb
I must admit, I was impressed
By the stone that sealed the room
“So great a stone,” I asked myself
“To keep a dead man in?”
How was I to know that soon
He’d be alive again??
I watched it as it happened
From the hill on which I stood
I saw the Son of God arise
How fitting that I should…

I played a part in all of this
So some men call me good
But the goodness lies in Jesus Christ
For you see….I’m only wood

Happy Easter…

Just as his ordeal on the cross began at Gethsemane, so did
his ordeal in the winepress begin there as well. But do you
really know what’s so fascinating about this? Why it’s so
astonishing that the winepress ordeal began in the Garden of
Gethsemane? Why it’s so incredibly amazing, and so like
God, that Jesus was sweating either blood, or sweating like
blood?

Because in the Aramaic language of the time, our
“Gethsemane” was spelled in a slightly different way. In those
days, and in that language, “Gethsemane” was spelled “GathŠmânê.”
That, in itself, really is nothing unusual. But what
really gets it…is that in the Aramaic language, the prefix of
“Gath-Šmânê,” or “Gath,” means “wine-press!” It was there,
in the garden that Jesus began to suffer for you and me. That’s
where the cross began. That’s where the trampling began.
That’s where the first precious drops of wine were pressed
into the vat.

Just as Jesus took all our sin, all our sicknesses and
infirmities…just as he took everything negative about us upon
himself on the cross…he took everything negative about us
upon himself in the winepress. Then he was trampled.
Trampled with vengeance. “Force or violence; to an
unreasonable, excessive degree.” He was trampled with zeal.
“Excessive fervor.”

Trampled with enough vengeance and zeal that the blood
splashed high enough to stain all the clothes of the Trampler.
Til there was nothing left but pure blood and a pile of human
impurities that could be tossed out with the trash. The
impurities that had to be “pressed” out of the grapes weren’t
his impurities…they were ours.

Just like on the cross, he did it all in the winepress. There’s
nothing left to accomplish. It’s already been done. He didn’t
forget anything or miss anything. He got it all. And when it
was over, he gathered up the New Wine…his blood…and
carried it into the Most Holy Place. He approached the altar
and poured it out as a sacrifice for your sins and mine. And
then…this is so awesome…then he sat down at the right hand
of God,

Why? Because…

“It is finished.”

It’s all been done. It’s over. Complete. Once again, Jesus
did it all…gave all…for you and me.

“…the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1
John 1:7).

No wonder the angels were speechless, huh?

“ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured
out for you. “” (Luke 22:19,20).

“Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them,
saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the
covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of
sins. “” (Matt. 26:27,28).

Is it any wonder that the blood of Jesus is represented by
wine at the Last Supper? The New Wine of the new covenant.
Why did it have to be this way?

“…because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats
to take away sins.” (Heb. 10:4).

Something different had to be done. Something better.
Something real that wasn’t just a copy or a shadow. That’s
why the winepress had to be. God, in His perfect justice,
couldn’t allow sin to continue and He had to punish His
creation. But in His perfect love, He couldn’t destroy the
creation He so dearly loved. Which left only one option.

“… so his own arm worked salvation for him…”

Jesus. The cross. The winepress. It’s interesting how the
following verse is worded.

“And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his
sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the
ground.” (Luke 22:44 KJV).

What is this verse talking about? It was just after the Last
Supper. Jesus and his disciples were in the Garden of
Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives. Jesus was
praying, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me;
yet not my will, but yours be done.”(Luke 22:42). Remember?

“And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his
sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the
ground.”

Was he literally sweating blood as some believe? Or was
his sweat like great drops of blood as others believe? I don’t
know. It could be either one. At the same time, I don’t think it
really matters. What matters is that this is where the winepress
first began crushing our Savior. So, yes, it really could have
been literal drops of blood. He was being crushed! Or, it could
have been sweat like great drops of blood. He was being
crushed! In the overall scheme of things, it really seems a
rather insignificant point to argue about doesn’t it? Jesus was
being crushed. That’s what matters! There in the garden…
where the winepress began.

The physical ordeal he went through on the cross didn’t
begin when he was nailed to the beams. It began in the Garden
of Gethsemane. That’s where he was arrested and bound.
That’s where the shoving and pushing and pulling began.

They didn’t offer to carry him gently into the presence his
accusers on a pile of soft pillows. They dragged him along
dusty streets and across the stone floor of the temple, slapping
him around, pushing and shoving and calling him names the
whole way. Why would they be gentle? He was under arrest!
Then came the beatings, the flogging…it was far more than
just being nailed to a cross.

Likewise, that’s where his ordeal began in the winepress.
The Garden of Gethsemane. God didn’t just jump into the
winepress, plod around a bit and call Himself done. Nope. It
took awhile. There was an awful lot of sin to deal with in that
winepress. He was full of wrath and vengeance. And He was
all pumped up and ready to dance on that pile of grapes! He
was full of zeal. Remember? He was going to be going at it
long enough that His own righteousness and wrath would have
to sustain Him. “Sustain” means to keep up, or to keep going
or to hold up over a period of time. This would be no jump in,
and jump out thing here. No sir. This would take more than a
minute or two.

God was serious. He wasn’t playing around any more. He
was exacting His vengeance with zeal. On us. He trampled
until there was nothing left to trample. Not even the goo that
remained had a drop of blood left in it. Every single drop had
been squeezed right out of the human race. All that was left
was the filth of humanity…the flesh. And even that had been
pounded into nothing, so that all that remained were all the
impurities that had once lived in the flesh. The blood in the vat
was now pure. All the impurities had been trapped in the
winepress and could now be discarded.

But here’s the thing. This is what so astonished the angels
as they watched. This is how you and I still exist, even after
our own destruction. Because as God carried out His great
wrath on us in the winepress, human screams were never
heard. Not a moan or a groan. Not a whimper. When His
wrath was complete…when the trampling of mankind was
done…when flesh and sin ceased to be…from somewhere
inside the pile of stuff that remained, a soft, quiet voice
whispered…

“It is finished.” (John 19:30).

The words spoken by the voice in the winepress were the
same words that were spoken here on earth. They were spoken
at the same time. In heaven and on earth. And in a way that
only God can truly understand…they were spoken by the same
person. Because as God trampled the nations in His great
winepress of wrath, somehow it was not the nations that were
trampled at all…it was Jesus. Taking our place, yet again.
God’s own arm working salvation for Him.

It wasn’t our flesh that was pounded to dust in the
winepress. It was the flesh of Jesus. It wasn’t our blood that
poured into the vat…it was the blood of Jesus. He took our
place in the winepress of God, just as He did on the cross…so
that we…you and I…would never have to face the wrath of
God.

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was
crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us
peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Is.
53:5).

“Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to
suffer…” (Is. 53:10).

And then, when it was over…when the Almighty finally
rested from His wrath…

“He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and
calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his
own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.” (Heb. 9:12).

“For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was
only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to
appear for us in God’s presence. Nor did he enter heaven to
offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters
the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own.

Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the
creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at
the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of
himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to
face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the
sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to
bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for
him.” (Heb. 9:24-28).

Jesus entered the Most Holy Place of the heavenly
tabernacle…the real tabernacle…by his own blood…and
poured it out on the altar of God. The only sacrifice that was
acceptable to take away the sins of man forever.
That was the second destruction of mankind.

That’s what the angels saw that day.

On the other side of the cross.

“He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of
salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance
and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak. According to what
they have done, so will he repay wrath to his enemies and
retribution to his foes…” (Is. 59:17,18)

God has thrown all of mankind into the winepress of His
great wrath. Everyone. Because He is grieved that He has
made man. Now He puts on righteousness as His breastplate,
the helmet of salvation on His head (by the way, this is the
first mention of the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet
of salvation in the Bible)…and He puts on the garments of
vengeance and He wraps Himself in zeal as in a cloak. And
then…the truly unthinkable happens.

He pauses for just a moment, in a sadness so deep, that we
as humans can’t imagine it. He peers into the winepress at the
squirming mass of humanity. He pushes His grief to the side,
gathers up His flowing garments of vengeance and zeal…and
lifts one great leg into the winepress. As He lifts in His other
leg, the blood is already starting to trickle. And He begins to
execute His great wrath on mankind.

Now, keep in mind that God wasn’t just plodding around in
that winepress of His. No sir. He wasn’t just stomping and
trampling. He was putting all of His holy might into it. Every
bit of strength and energy He could muster. The same force
that had created the universe and everything in it was now
being used to destroy that same creation. Every now and then,
His giant foot would scoop up a pile of muck from the bottom
and dump it back onto the top…trampling it back into itself.

Over and over, He trampled…pounding with all the mighty
power He possessed. Read the above verse again.
He put on garments of vengeance. He wasn’t just taking a
stroll through the grapes…He was out to destroy! Let’s look at
a couple of definitions of “vengeance.” One is “violent
revenge.” Another is “force or violence; to an unreasonable,
excessive degree.”

Are you starting to get a clearer picture of
what was going on? He was lifting His mighty legs as high as
He could lift them…bringing them down with an Almighty
power that was crushing the life…crushing the very sin…out
of mankind.

He wrapped Himself in zeal as in a cloak. What is “zeal?”
It is defined as “enthusiastic diligence,” “passion,” “excessive
fervor to do something or accomplish some end.” Are you
getting the idea? Do you understand that God wasn’t playing
around in the winepress? Do you see that He was intent on
destroying everyone and everything that had been piled up in
it? When He began to trample on your filthy body, soul and
spirit, it was to destroy you! It was His intent, that when the
trampling was done, there would be nothing left…nothing!

The blood wasn’t just trickling. No. The blood was
flowing. In fact, it wasn’t just flowing, it was pouring in
rivers. Enough so, that the blood was splashing up to stain His
pure white garments a deep crimson. All His clothes were
stained. The flesh of the nations, of all mankind was being
trampled into pulp. Pulverized by the mighty wrath of God.

“I have trodden the winepress alone; from the nations no
one was with me. I trampled them in my anger and trod them
down in my wrath; their blood spattered my garments, and I
stained all my clothing.” (Isaiah 63:3).

“Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with his
garments stained crimson? Who is this, robed in splendor,
striding forward in the greatness of his strength?

“It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.””
(Isaiah 63:1)

“Why are your garments red, like those of one treading the
winepress?”(Isaiah 63:2)

“I have trodden the winepress alone; from the nations no
one was with me. I trampled them in my anger and trod them
down in my wrath; their blood spattered my garments, and I
stained all my clothing.”(Isaiah 63:3)

“For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of
my redemption has come.”(Isaiah 63:4)

Isaiah paints a vivid picture. Can you imagine God walking
down the street with great strides of strength and purpose?
He’s robed in splendor. I’ve always pictured His robes to be a
brilliant white…so brilliant and so white that it hurts the eyes
to even look toward Him. Pure and spotless. Maybe with a
gold trim and a wide golden belt that shines with His light and
glory. A long flowing robe that billows out behind Him as He
takes His great strides.

But here, those splendid robes He’s wearing are stained a
deep crimson, like one treading the winepress. What on earth
happened? Or perhaps, the question is not what on earth
happened…but instead, what happened in heaven? Or maybe,
just maybe, it happened in both places at the same time!

Maybe while the inhabitants of earth were seeing one
thing, the angels in heaven were seeing another thing. And
maybe, even though the two groups of God’s creation were
witnessing two different things, at the same time, they were
both watching the same event…just in different ways. Maybe
this is what the angels saw that day as Jesus hung on the cross.
Just maybe…

“I trampled them in my anger and trod them down in my
wrath; their blood spattered my garments, and I stained all my
clothing. For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the
year of my redemption has come.”

The year of His redemption had come. The day of
vengeance was in His heart. It was time for man to pay up.
We’ve read the first four verses of Isaiah 63. Let’s see how it
continues…

“I looked, but there was no one to help, I was appalled that no
one gave support; so my own arm worked salvation for me,
and my own wrath sustained me. I trampled the nations in my
anger; in my wrath I made them drunk and poured their blood
on the ground.” (Is. 63:5,6).

First of all, God looked for another way, but there was no
one to help. This was the way it had to be. There was no other
way…no other help. So His own arm had to work salvation
for Him. His own wrath would sustain Him. There’s that word
again. “Appalled.” Remember seeing it earlier?

“He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there
was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for
him, and his own righteousness sustained him.” (Is. 59:16).

Again, God says that His own arm worked salvation for
Him. (What does that mean? We’ll see in a moment!) And,
here, He says His righteousness will sustain Him. In His great
judgment of mankind, His righteousness and wrath would
sustain Him as His own arm worked salvation for Him. As He
poured out His wrath on His creation…

The words you are about to read will reveal to you the
greatest, most vicious, most vengeful, most enthusiastic and
energetic, most total and complete act of destruction in the
entire history of all God’s creation. They will reveal to you
what the angels saw…on the other side of the cross. Take the
time to read them slowly, won’t you? Let them sink in a little.
Think about them a bit. Let them astonish you…not because
of the words themselves…but because of the actions they
describe…the forging of the armor of God.

Your armor. My armor. Our armor…the armor that He
created for you and me…so that we might have weapons with
which to defend ourselves. Weapons with which we can attack
the enemy.

But first, they had to be forged…

With Easter just around the corner, I thought it might be a good time to share a series of thoughts with you…Easter from the “other” side! It’s actually a collection of excerpts from my book “Hail, Ye Knights of the King”, and it takes a look at the crucifixion of Jesus from the other side of the cross! I hope it will give us all a little more insight into the miracle that took place there on that fateful day. If all goes well, I’ll try to send out one every few days for the next week or so, and hopefully finish up by Easter day! May you be blessed by it! Sorry it’s a little lengthy, but I promise it’ll be worth it!

“But your iniquities have separated you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not
hear.”

“For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with
guilt. Your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters
wicked things.”

“No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case with
integrity. They rely on empty arguments and speak lies; they
conceive trouble and give birth to evil.”

“Their deeds are evil deeds, and acts of violence are in
their hands.”

“Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent
blood. Their thoughts are evil thoughts; ruin and destruction
mark their ways.”

“The way of peace they do not know; there is no justice in
their paths.”

“So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach
us.”

As a reminder…that’s you and me. It’s all of us. That’s everyone
who’s ever lived, with one exception.
The unblemished Lamb.

“As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even
one…” (Rom. 3:10).

“…all our righteous acts are like filthy rags…” (Is. 64:6).

In order to understand what is about to take place on the
cross, it’s important that you understand man’s deteriorated
condition, as well as God’s position. Mankind has been
declining since the fall of Adam. God is fed up. On the one
hand, He’s ready to destroy man for the wickedness that runs
rampant on the earth. On the other, that’s His creation we’re
talking about. His man. Adam. In order to fulfill His perfect
justice…in order to preserve His creation…He has to destroy
it.

“…There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one
who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned
away, they have together become worthless; there is no one
who does good, not even one.” (Rom. 3:10-12).

Again, this is only part of it. There’s more. That’s us. You
and me. That’s mankind. All of us. From Adam on up through
whoever will be the last person born on this earth in this life.
Every single one of us. And just like in the days of Noah…

“The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth
had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his
heart was only evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that he
had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.
So the Lord said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created,
from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures
that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am
grieved that I have made them.” (Gen. 6:5-7).

The Lord was grieved that He had made man on earth.
That’s you. That’s me. Together we grieved God that He had
even made us. So once again, God destroyed mankind. This
time, there was no Noah to rebuild and repopulate the earth.
This time He didn’t use a flood. This time He did it in a way
that was much more personal for Him. A way that gave Him
the opportunity to take out His wrath on the sinful, ungrateful
creation that He had made.

It was a way that would eradicate sin once and for all
because everyone…everyone would perish this time! There
would be not even one to escape His judgment and wrath,
because “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God…” (Rom. 3:23). The Almighty God, Creator of all,
gathered His creation together and threw them all… every
single one…into the winepress of His wrath….