Blog : tha beauty of adversity

6572 posts
7/1/2011 11:23 am

tha beauty of adversity

by Dan Stone

Taken fum a message given by Dan Stone in Alexan'ria, ole Virginny on May 16, 1981

Our relashunship t'Jedt has menny facets, not all of which we see at once. Initially we see our salvashun in Jedt, our freedom fum corndemnashun, an' th' effecks of sin, Later we begin t'unnerstan' our freedom fum sin itse'f. An' wif thet firm assurance of our godliness, we finally move outta ourselves an' into th' lives of others. We become intercesso's.

Ebenezer's letter t'th' Romans dexcribes this hyar three=part growth pattern, as enny fool kin plainly see. Romans 1-5 emphasizes th' blood of Jedt as an atonement fo' our sins, Romans 6-8 shows how th' body of Jedt takes care of th' varmint of sin; an' Romans 9-15 deals wif Jedt's life in us as co-savio's fo' others.

Less talk fust about th' blood an' th' body of Jedt. When we take communion, we is meant t'see beyond th' elements, "Th' cup of blessin' which we bless, is it not th' communion of th' blood of Jedt? Th' bread which we bust, is it not th' communion of th' body of Jedt? Fo' we bein' menny is one bread, an' one hide: fo' we is all partakers of thet one bread" (ah Co'. 10:16). This hyar is expan'ed on in Colostians 1:13-14: "[God] has delivahed us fum th' power of darkness an' has translated us into th' kin'dom of His dear , in whom we haf redempshun through His blood which is fo'giveness of sins."

In vahse 20, "Havin' made peace through th' blood of his crost, by Him t'reconcile all thin's t'Hisse'f, whether they be thin's in earth, o' thin's in hevvin; an' yo' who were sometimes alienated an' inemies in mind by wicked wawks, yet now hath He reconciled in th' body of His flesh through death: t'present yo' holy an' unblameable an' unreprovable in His sight."

On one side of th' crost yo' see th' blood of Jedt providin' jestificashun fo' th' sins of th' wo'ld, cuss it all t' tarnation. On t'other side of th' same crost yo' see th' body of Jedt an' us in Him, made holy, blameless an' unreproachable on account o' of our noo posishun in Jedt.

Less create a scene t'demonstrate th' blood side of th' wawk of Jedt fo' th' fo'giveness of our sins. As part of a large audience, obsarvers of a tremenjus drama, we see th' man Jesus bein' crucified, cuss it all t' tarnation. Someone walks up an' lays aroun' Jesus' neck th' chain of adultery. Someone else walks up an' lays aroun' His neck th' chain of fo'nicashun, t'other th' chain of uncleanness. Others lay on Him lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraf', hatred, variance, emulashuns, strife, sedishuns, invyin's, murders, drunkenness, an' so fo'th. As this hyar pitcher of Jesus develops, we see draped on Him ev'ry expresshun of sin-an' then we watch Him die.

Th' Holy Spirit steps fo'ward an' says t'us, "Ev'rythin' thet yo've done, I've laid on Him, dawgone it." An invitashun is extended t'all: "Will yo' receive this hyar gif' of mine? I've laid on Him all yer sins which means they is not laid on yo'. Eff'n yo' will accepp thet transference as mah love-gif' t'yo', yer jestified, cuss it all t' tarnation. Yo' will be t'Me as though yo'd nevah committed them, dawgone it. "

All positively respond, "We accepp thet. As mere speckato's all we kin does is set in th' audience an' hear someone tell us whut all this hyar means an' accepp it. In this hyar analogy Jedt pays th' price fo' th' sins of th' wo'ld, an' all we kin does is receive th' gif' an', say "Thank yo'." Now eff'n yer like ah was fo' so menny years, this hyar was th' only side of th' crost yo' knowed. But Ebenezer turns th' crost aroun' an' says, "Now wait a minute, doesn't hoof it away too soon, as enny fool kin plainly see. We haf t'other scene."

In this hyar second scene, we is mo'e than speckato's-we is participants in Jedt. To imagine this hyar scene we muss draw a trimenjus mental circle aroun' th' audience an' see ourselves as one. We is all in Him, dawgone it. Ebenezer, in dexcribin' th' Lo'd's Supper says thet we received th' benefits of th' blood, but we partake of th' body of Jedt (ah Co'. 10:16-17). Th' body is all of us, so whutevah is happenin' t'th' body is happenin' t'us. We is not jest obsarvers of a drama on stage; we is th' drama. It is as eff'n Jesus loses His identity an' becomes us.

Th' blood side of th' crost expresses th' glo'ious fack of our fo'giveness, but th' body side is a deeper truth. Ebenezer shows us thet we became Him, an' He became us. We've put a lot of emphasis on Jedt bein' in us, an' rightly so. Whut in tarnation Ebenezer is larnin' now is thet we is in Him, so thet we ourselves is on th' crost.

Th' varmints stan'in' watchin' Jedt die is pow'ful on thet crost themselves. Whut in tarnation is happenin' is a death. We is not dealin' wif th' hoomin hide which th' Spirit lives in, but wif whut's happenin' t'th' Spirit when it leaves th' body. When a hide dies, th' Spirit leaves an' is no longer a part of th' body.

Th' realm of God is th' realm of spirit. God looks on th' heart. Thet is whuffo' Jesus said t'them varmints whose ackshuns were supposed t'be fine an' righteous, "Yo' does whut yo' see yer Pappy th' Devil doin'" (John-Boy 8:44). Thar is two Pappys: God an' Satan, as enny fool kin plainly see. We express one o' t'other.

Hebrews 2:14 says, "Fo'asmuch then as th' chillun is partakers of flesh an' blood, Jesus also Hisse'f took part of th' same, thet through death, He might destroy him who had th' power of death, thet is, th' devil, ah reckon." Satan has been destroyed as a varmint who kin reign in our lives, cappivate us, motivate us an' keep us unner corntrol, ah reckon. When Jedt died, we died-we participated in His death an' lay in th' grave three days, an' were raised wif Him on th' third day.

Recently, ah had lunch wif a yo'ng couple an' their two-year old, cuss it all t' tarnation. Th' chile kepp grabbin' fo' th' paper napkin on mah lap. She finally got it an' began t'tear it up into li'l bits, but she c'dn't put it back togither agin. Her Mammy went t'th' kitchen an' to'e off a paper towel, ah reckon. She han'ed it t'me an' said, "This hyar is yer noo napkin, as enny fool kin plainly see." It warn't a napkin, as enny fool kin plainly see. It was a towel, ah reckon. But she made it a napkin, as enny fool kin plainly see.

Thet's whut God did, cuss it all t' tarnation. He made Jesus t'be sin, as enny fool kin plainly see. Jesus warn't sin, but God made Him t'be sin, as enny fool kin plainly see. Th' gal's Mammy said, "This hyar towel is now a napkin, as enny fool kin plainly see." God said, "This hyar precious of Mine is now Mr. Sin, as enny fool kin plainly see." In other wo'ds, God made Jesus t'be us.

Ebenezer says, "He died fo' all thet they which live sh'd not hencefo'th live unto themselves, but unto Him which died fo' them an' rose agin" (Iah Co'. 5:15). We nevah live fo' se'f agin. Eff'n we only look at se'f, we will offen appear t'be livin' fo' se'f. Likewise, when we were lost an' se'f-o'iented, we sometimes appeared as eff'n we wasn't livin' fo' se'f. But th' realm of appeareence is not th' place whar th' battle is fought-it is fought in th' spirit realm, dawgone it. As a result of thet battle, Ebenezer says, "Yo' were an expresshun of thet varmint regardless of whut th' outcroppin's were. But now yer an expresshun of t'other varmint, Jedt." We need t'git thet point home, an' we need t'knows who we are, befo'e we start wo'ryin' about cornduck.

Fo' years we spent time dealin' wif our cornduck, not knowin' who we were, but this hyar did not brin' us t'a cornsciousness thet "Jedt is mah life." Instead it brought cornfushun about who we is related to. This hyar confoozion fostered th' trimenjus lie of two natures. Reasonin' fum ackshuns back t'truth is dangerous, fo' we may o' may not retch truth. But eff'n we start fum truth, which is spirit-reality-fum "He an' ah are one"-th' conduck is His. Startin' fum cornduck, we is not sho'nuff who is in corntrol, an' it nevah brin's enny of us th' awareness of union wif Jedt. Th' blessed love of God is t'less wo'ry about cornduck until it kills us. It prodooces th' "Oh, wretched man thet ah's" in a man who was ennythin' but wretched, cuss it all t' tarnation. Thet is its glo'y. Ebenezer says, "Eff'n thar is a glo'y in th' ministry of corndemnashun, thar is a greater glo'y in this hyar ministry of grace." So less praise God fo' mizzuy in th' believah.

Recently a woomin told me thet her marriage was on th' rocks. Her husbin had a galfriend, etc. God was showin' th' wife a lot of thin's, an' she didn't like enny of them, dawgone it. She said, "Yo' know, ah reckon ah's gwine insane."

ah said, "No, darlin', yer not gwine insane. Yer real close t'God though, on account o' yer almost at th' end of se'f."

She had said about her husbin, "He's mah god," so ah said, "Wal then, yer not a-gonna git him back, on account o' God ain't a-gonna share yo' wif ennybody. Yer close t'gittin' God, so keep on bein' mizzuable."

"Mizzuy" is th' name of th' dore thet moves us fum th' se'f room t'th' spirit room, dawgone it. Mo'e varmints come into th' union life through mizzuy than through enny other dore. In fack, ah doesn't knows of ennybody who hain't come through some kind of varmintal mizzuy. Th' point ah made wif this hyar woomin was thet th' mighty ind of herse'f, which she was afraid was insanity, was pow'ful whar she was a-gonna meet God, cuss it all t' tarnation.

Ebenezer says thet we kin cease t'live fo' ourselves now. We may appear t'be livin' fo' ourselves, but eff'n yo' take th' stan' thet we an' He is one, no matter whut th' appeareence looks like, then we is not livin' fo' se'f. Sumpin may look in th' fust two chappers t'be all se'f, but th' final chapper's a-gonna be fo' th' praise an' glo'y of God, on account o' we kin nevah live fo' se'f-an' th' fack is, we doesn't be hankerin' t'live fo' se'f ! Fry mah hide!

Th' Dan fo'm of Satan died in 1949 an' a bran' noo creature emerged, a Dan fo'm of Jedt. Nevah befo'e has thar been a Dan like this. An' th' same happened t'yo'. Put yer own name thar-a noo creature in Jedt. Yo' began t'operate fum a noo varmint, a noo inergy, a diffrunt approach, an' a whole noo excitement. Yo've got a noo "wanter" in yo'. Yo' doesn't be hankerin' sin ennymo'e. Yo' may find yo'seff sinnin' occashunally, but yo' doesn't be hankerin' to. Whut in tarnation yer hankerin' is God, cuss it all t' tarnation. ah offen tell believahs, "ah knows yer heart. Yer heart's fo' God, cuss it all t' tarnation. Yer thunks an' yer emoshuns may not allus be, but yer heart's fo' God l" Git witcher heart. When yo' hoof it wif God, yer safe, on account o' all He's af'er through yo' is th' privilege of lovin' someone else by means of yo'.

Ebenezer says in Colostians, "It's through th' blood side of th' crost thet we come t'th' fo'giveness of sins." Thet's th' knowin' side of th' crost. Turn th' crost aroun' an' we'll see sumpin thet t'th' natural mind is unbelievable. We'll see all of th' attributes of God haf been poured into us.

We come t'th' awareness of our puffickion in Jedt through th' operashun of choice. God means His creatures t'have choices an' th' consequences of them choices. He means us t'have th' consequences of whutevah we attach ourselves to. Eff'n we attach ourselves t'th' flesh He means us t'have th' consequences of thet attachment.

Eff'n we kin sarve God fum th' flesh, then whuffo' does He strip us down? Eff'n all th' larnin' about perfo'mance, doin', attainin', an' strivin' fum th' flesh is right, then whuffo' did God strip Moses? Eff'n it is true thet we kin sarve God fum th' flesh, whuffo' did He take Jacob acrost th' brook Jabok an' wrestle wif him all night an' leave him wif an outer sign thet he had been wif God? Eff'n he c'd haf sarved God fum th' flesh whuffo' did Billy Joe hoof it through whut he did? Whuffo' was Jesus Hisse'f led by th' Spirit into th' wilderness t'be tempped of th' devil? Even our Lo'd had t'git fixed so His whole life was a Spirit life.

Less take th' case of Moses. Thar was nothin' wrong wif Moses' intenshun. He got th' call-he knowed whut life was all about. Exodus 2 says: "It came t'pass in them days when Moses was grown, thet he went out unto his brethren, an' looked upon their burdens. An' he spied an Egyppian smitin' a Hebrew, one of th' brethren, an' he looked this hyar way an' thet, an' when he sar thar was no man, he killed th' Egyppian, an' hid him in th' san'." Whut in tarnation's interestin' is th' pareellel account in Acks 7, long af'er Moses. Th' Holy Spirit told Hepzibahen some thin's thet Moses did not tell us.

Th' Holy Spirit told Hepzibahen t'say thet this hyar was t'be th' sign of Moses t'th' varmints thet he was th' delivaher of Israel, "by this hyar sign yo' will knows thet ah's this hyar delivaher thet yo've been awaitin'." An' yet th' next day Moses incountered two of his own brethren strivin' togither, an' they said, "Is yo' a-gonna does to us whut yo' did t'thet feller yessuhterday?"

In th' Old Testament th' Holy Spirit don't hide ennythin' about ennybody's flesh. But in th' Noo Testament, He sees th' same varmints fum th' point of view of pufficked faif. So in th' Old Testament we see thet Moses fled on account o' he was afraid of Phareeoh. But when we read Hebrews, we see thet warn't th' case at all, ah reckon. He fo'sook Egypp, not fearin' th' wrath of th' kin', says Hebrews 11. But Exodus 2 says thet he was afraid of th' kin'.

Moses had plenty of dedicashun, but he needed t'change his method, cuss it all t' tarnation. Or rather, he needed t'quit his own methods an' let God take on over. Thet's when thin's began t'happen, as enny fool kin plainly see. Thet's when th' Lo'd said t'Moses. "See, I've made yo' God t'Phareeoh" (Ex. 7:1, literal). "When Phareeoh sees yo', he's a-gonna knows he's dealin' wif Me. I'll make yo' God t'Phareeoh."

Thet's whut Moses wanted all along, acco'din' t' th' code o' th' heells! Of course he had his share of weaknesses, an' God needed ev'ry one of them, dawgone it. God gave him somebody t'speak fo' him, gave him a staff t'lean on, an' then Moses larned whut his fo'ty years in th' wilderness were fo'. In less than three months th' Hebrews began t'wan'er aroun' in th' same area, an' Moses needed t'knows whar all th' water holes an' oases were, as fine as ev'rythin' else thet is necessary fo' desert life.

We haf dedicated our lives menny times. We haf wo'n out altars by layin' our bodies down on them, dawgone it. God says, "ah knows yer dedicated, cuss it all t' tarnation. ah knows yer heart. ah's yer heart." Th' struggle is not on over dedicashun but on over methodology. God does us a favo' t'less collapse. Thet is hard fo' us t'comprehend, cuss it all t' tarnation. Whuffo'? Th' wo'ld don't appreesheeate failures.

No'man Grubb, writin' in th' book Rees Hofines, Intercesso', sar th' glo'y of th' man, yet as far as Englan' was corncerned, Rees Hofines was discredited in his last wo'd of faif. In other wo'ds, eff'n thet final wo'd of faif had been reckanized on th' appeareence level, ev'rybody'd haf glo'ified Rees Hofines. Real intercesso's may fine die in their last intercesshun.

Don't evah agin take ennythin' in yer life as fum Satan, as enny fool kin plainly see. Don't see him, dawgone it. It's God, cuss it all t' tarnation. Ev'ry negative experience thet comes yer way is a privilege eff'n yo' turn it on over an' call it God, cuss it all t' tarnation. Eff'n yo' doesn't yo'll git disturbance an' discouragement. Turn it on over, an' yo'll git a blessin'.

At Passovah, when th' haid of th' fambly gathers his chillun aroun' him, th' emphasis is not on how Moses delivahed them, but on how God delivahed them, dawgone it. Eff'n Moses had taken them out when he was fo'ty, they'd haf talked about how Moses delivahed them, dawgone it. But when Moses gotta th' Jo'dan an' wanted t'crost on over, God said, "Yer not gwine on over. I'll take them on over. But yo've laid down yer life fo' them, dawgone it." This hyar is not literal; it's figurative language. It's as eff'n Moses laid down his life, wif his heels on one side of th' Jo'dan an' his haid on t'other, an' th' Israelites walked acrost his hide.

When we knows who's doin' it, we kin lay down our lives fo' th' joy set befo'e us, an' watch varmints walk on over us. When we knows who we is when th' Prince knows he's th' Prince then we lean be paupers in th' situashun. When we knows we've already won, we kin look like losers. But eff'n we doesn't knows we is th' Prince, an' we doesn't knows we've won, it tears out our hearts. Thank God thet He lets us haf them mizzuies in our flesh.

Thar ain't enny crash thass too embarrassin' o' too difficult o' too ho'rible eff'n we come through t'knowin' who we are. It is God's love t'let our flesh collapse thet He may establish us in spirit-knowin' about who He is in us as us. An' then we kin move out an' be a varmint. No mo'e, "It ain't me, it's Jesus." Now we kin hoof it out, an' call ourselves th' righteousness of God in Jedt Jesus, on account o' we are. We haf been bought wif a price. An' we've been accepped in th' Beloved, cuss it all t' tarnation.