This book is another "rare find" of my father's books, written in 2017, that never was printed. Again, this was SO exciting for me to see that yet another book was found! I hope this will be a blessing to you. All that is written below are the words of my father.
Acknowledgements 
In loving memory of my father
Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett
July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023
Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett
July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023
First of all we acknowledge our Lord Jesus Christ, without Whose presence we could never write anything of value. He is the only true Author. We are deeply indebted to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for allowing us to experience and understand a small measure of His Truth, as written in the Word and as revealed by the Holy Spirit. NO man can understand the Word of God or the ways of God unless they are revealed to him by the Holy Spirit.
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 1 Corinthians 3:6
Unless the Holy Spirit reveals His meaning and significance to both the reader and the writer, then all the words in the world simply amount to a collection of information. Therefore we pray that the Holy Spirit will quicken to any and every reader that which He desires to impart. More importantly, may the Spirit of God make His Word to become flesh within each of us as we submit to Him.
Next, I acknowledge my wonderful wife, Linda, for her many years of faithfulness to the Lord and to me. She has always encouraged and supported me to press on in everything, particularly during the times of my discouragement. She also gave me her valuable comments for improvement of all of these books.
I make no claim that everything contained in this book is the absolute truth of God; it is simply my understanding based on that which I believe I have received from the Lord at this point in life.
I also acknowledge my maternal grandmother, Martha (Mattie) Gammon Payne, who, like Hannah, prayed earnestly for a son. She was a real intercessor who prayed faithfully and zealously for all of her family. She never had a natural son, but I was the first grandson. After she went to be with the Lord, I discovered one of her Bibles, in which she had written many words of wisdom. She also wrote in her Bible on the day I was born, “Lord, make him Your minister.” In one passage of her diary, on my 6th birthday, she wrote, “Lord, make him Your messenger.”
All verses quoted herein are taken from the Authorized or King James' version, except as specifically noted at the appropriate places.
Permission is freely given to anyone to copy all or parts of this book and to distribute this word in any way that you desire to whomever you desire, PROVIDED that you do so without any monetary remuneration. The word of God is free. "Freely you have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:8).
The Unfolding: Volume 12
This book is the twelfth in a series of books centered upon the unfolding of the word of God and the revelation or manifestation or unfolding of His great grace and glory.
The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. Deuteronomy 29:29
God has revealed more of Himself and His word over the years. But there is coming a time when God is going to roll everything back up into Himself. A possible analogy is that of unrolling a scroll so as to read what is written thereon and then rolling the scroll back up. That was the inspiration for the front and back covers of this book and for all the volumes in this series of books.
And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll. Isaiah 34:4
God's purpose is to manifest His glory. Everything is designed to show forth the glory of God.
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. Isaiah 40:5
Some verses that clearly show that God has chosen to reveal more of Himself and His word over a period of time are:
Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you. 1 Peter 1:20
Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. Ephesians 3:5
Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. 2 Peter 1:12
The use of the phrase, “present truth,” implies a future truth. God's revelation, by His Spirit, is not simply TO us, but WITHIN us. The Word of God must become flesh. For example,
26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Colossians 1:26-27
There is still more that God intends to reveal of His glory.
Father, glorify Thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. John 12:28
But there will come a time when God folds everything back up. Many believers sense the folding up is near at hand.
And as a vesture shalt Thou fold them up, and they shall be changed ...
Hebrews 1:12And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.
1 Corinthians 15:28
The twelve books in this series are:Volume 1: The Love of a Man for His WifeVolume 2: In the BeginningVolume 3: A Sure FoundationVolume 4: Let Us Go OnVolume 5: Children Have You Any Meat?Volume 6: Discerning Things That DifferVolume 7: The Last JoelVolume 8: Marriage Principles for Christians:A Journey of LoveVolume 9: RestorationVolume 10: The He Goats Before the FlocksVolume 11: Understanding the TimesVolume 12: The Great I AMVolumes 2, 3, 4, 7, and 9 are now out of print, but we can email the texts to you.
Perhaps one of the major reasons for writing this book goes back to our old New Testament house church days, from the late 1960s to the very early 1980s. Of course that was only a preparation for greater things to come. Hindsight, that church had many good and profitable aspects to its functioning, but like all groups it was far from perfect. For example, I never recall hearing anyone teach or preach on several basic, foundational truths concerning the walk of a believer; namely, the difference between being born again (or the initial salvation experience) and the Kingdom of God; God’s eternal purpose for creating man; the way of the Cross within believers; and the necessity to hear the voice of the Lord for our self. I am NOT saying that such teachings never came forth; I am saying that if they did, I never recall hearing such. Hopefully this book can help to fill in a few of those “gaps” for others, as the revelation has done for me.
All of the Bible, from Genesis through Revelation, speaks of the Kingdom of God and of the coming of the Lord. Men have written many books about the difference between being born from above and walking in the Kingdom of God. A multitude of Verses testify to that fact, so we will not go into that truth in this book.
About 100 years ago my maternal grandmother wrote in her Bible, “Lord, let me create hunger in their hearts; for until they hunger they cannot be fed.” How true! If we are not hungry for natural food, we will probably not eat. If we are not hungry spiritually, we will probably just continue in the status quo and build here three tabernacles. “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). Hopefully, some morsel in this book will prompt a few souls to cry out to the Lord and say, “Help, Lord! Increase my hunger and thirst after You!” No matter where we are in our walk with Him, there is always much more.
More specifically, the major theme of this book is about the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ … Who He is … His innate nature and character. As a corollary to the major theme, this book stresses that there is a big difference between knowing things about the Lord and knowing Him. That is why even the great apostle Paul said, after 30 years of ministry,
10 That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death;11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
Philippians 3:10-11
If even Paul could say, “that I may know Him,” where does that leave us?
As the Lord allowed me to write this, I was daily amazed at the richness of the Word of God, of which there is no end. May the Lord bless you as you read and meditate on The Great I AM. And may the Spirit of God quicken to you the spirit in which this book was written. If anyone desires, I will gladly try to expand in great detail on any statement in this book. Hopefully, the Holy Spirit will move on a few believers to actually walk in some of the things herein. We dedicate this book to those few.
Chapter 1
The Two I AMs
The Bible records the true story of the two I AMs and the struggle between the two until time is no more.
45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 1 Corinthians 15:45-50
Obviously the last Adam, Jesus Christ, was NOT made in the sense that the first Adam was made. There was a first Adam and a last Adam but no more Adams in between because all that was in the first Adam was done away in Christ. The last Adam, Jesus Christ, died on the cross at Calvary. When Jesus was crucified on the Cross, He was nailed there and laid in the tomb as the last Adam. The last Adam was left in the grave and we were included there. Likewise there was a first man and a second man but never a third man because He brings forth the new race by His resurrection. We are either in Adam or in Christ. There is no other alternative. Through suffering, death, burial, and resurrection we pass from the old family tree into the new family tree. Colossians 1:13 puts it this way … The Father has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son (which is the Church). Three sets of Verses are sufficient to confirm the answers to those questions.
9 And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.10 For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.
Hebrews 7:9-1021 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at His coming. 1 Corinthians 15:21-2316 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.17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Galatians 3:16-18
The conclusion of the matter is that every human being is born in the loins of the first Adam; but those who are born again, or born from above, are translated into the kingdom of His dear Son; i.e., into Christ. So every human being is therefore either in the first Adam or the last Adam. The promise to Abraham is recorded in Genesis 15:18-21. But note from Verse 17 that “the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ” is different from the promises to Abraham. From Genesis 15:8-17 we read about that covenant, which was between the Father and the Son. Abraham never was a participant in that covenant. So Genesis 15 speaks of two different covenants. Any covenant between God and man will never be broken from God’s side but will always be broken on man’s side. Any covenant between the Father and the Son will never be broken, period.
Let us return to 1 Corinthians 15:46: “Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.” Clearly God, Who is Spirit, created the first Adam, who was natural. But Jesus came to earth in the form of a man about 4,000 years after He made the first Adam.
There is also a Scriptural truth that, with respect to God’s dealings with the first Adam (which includes all natural men thereafter), the false almost always emerges before the true … Cain before Abel, Ishmael before Isaac, Esau before Jacob, the first Adam before the last Adam, Saul before David, the false church before the true church, etc. Why does God allow this? Because He wants us to depend upon Him, trust in Him, and see if we believe Him or our natural senses. But He created us with a will, which means that we have to choose. Man does not like to choose.
Chapter 2
The Great Pretender
By now it should be abundantly clear that one of the two “I AMs” is our flesh, human nature, the first Adam, our ego, SELF, the counterfeit, etc. Self is the great pretender. And he has a great kingdom where he is king. This great I AM starts at birth. Many years ago as I was reading Isaiah 6, I "heard" a new and different interpretation of the first verse. At that point in time I had read that verse probably 30 times, as a minimum. But on that day, I found myself reading that verse as follows:
In the year that king SELF died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. Isaiah 6:1
Now "Uzziah" does NOT mean "self." But sometimes the Holy Spirit has a way of putting into context some things that normally are not in context. In any event, the latter interpretation is a good one. The very essence and basis of sin is to put self in the preeminent place of God. Sin is when a man elevates himself above God. We should also remember that the first and therefore most important of the “ten commandments” is “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). Now no believer would acknowledge that he worships himself. But our actions and words belie our stated beliefs. If we are allowed to see the Lord high and lifted up, then king self must die. That is why Paul said, “I die daily.”
1 Then Job answered the LORD, and said,2 I know that Thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from Thee.3 Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.4 Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of Thee, and declare Thou unto me.5 I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee.6 Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. Job 42:1-6
The first thing a new-born baby does when he comes into the world is to try to establish his kingdom, for he believes that he is the king … he is Number One ... he is the great I AM. He believes that he is always right. And because his loving parents, particularly his mother, are quick to respond to all of his desires, he very quickly has his place as king confirmed and written indelibly on his heart. Very soon after birth the baby is hungry because his source of food has been cut off, and he is exhausted from a humiliating eviction from his previous warm and cozy quarters. This little majesty has not yet learned how to talk in his parents’ language, so he does all he can do to demand service … that is, to cry. He learns quickly that all he needs to do to get what he wants is to cry.
Every parent has experienced the unbelievable persistence of a young child’s will. If the will of the child dominates, the result is a spoiled child. When our children were in their early pre-teen years, we had a large weeping willow tree on the corner of our lot. My wife found out quickly that a small, weeping willow branch, when stripped of its leaves, makes a wonderful switch. That switch, when applied to the legs, causes a sharp, biting effect (but never to the point of bringing blood, which would have been an excess). Whenever one of our young children had overstepped their boundaries and tried to usurp the authority of us, their parents, my wife would go out to the willow tree, bring it in the house and switch his/her legs a few times; whereupon the child would cry. After a season of this discipline, when king Self of one of our kids emerged again, she would tell the errant child to go out to the willow tree and bring me your own switch. On one occasion, one of our daughters began to cry before she even went to get a switch. My wife, moved perhaps too much by compassion, relented and did not switch the legs of that daughter. Some 25 years later, that daughter told us that she had faked it … that she had simply faked her crying in order to avoid getting a switching. Young children are sometimes more savvy of the ways of the world than we give them credit for.
As a child grows older, his coping methods and rationalizations change to fit the new needs. But king Self, the great I AM, the great pretender, the counterfeit, is still on the throne of his kingdom. The root cause has never disappeared. I am still right no matter how many people disagree with me. The stubbornness and rigidity that accompanies our belief of infallibility often takes a more subtle expression in the form of indecision. Our fear of failure leads to many moments of indecision. In addition, our inability to attain to the expectation of the world can lead to feelings of failure.
I am now very grateful to the Lord for my many “failures” in life. From ages 1-36 I never had any direction in my life. I flunked out of graduate school at Duke University; I almost resigned from Aviation Cadets; and the first nine years of our marriage were a failure. It is rather amazing that after the Lord sovereignly apprehended me in 1967, He has completely restored ALL of my previous failures and then some!
Somewhere back in eternity, before God created man, God created angels. Somewhere in eternity past, before time existed, Lucifer rebelled against God. We read about the five “I wills” of Lucifer in Isaiah 14. So Lucifer established his own kingdom in opposition to the kingdom of God. He also took one-third of the angels with him. That initiated a war … a war which we did not start but a war into which we are all born. Then God created man and time began. God also created the two trees in the Garden of Eden … the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The two trees represent the two kingdoms … the kingdom of God and the kingdom of self. It undoubtedly infuriated Lucifer that angels were to be the ministers of man (Hebrews 1:14). So Lucifer came to Eve in the Garden of Eden, tempted and lied to her, and she took the bait, based upon her natural senses. Satan’s realm is the kingdom of self; he is the prince of the power of the air (not the physical air that we breathe but the air which is the spiritual realm of self-independence); he is the god of this world.
Everything we do in the kingdom of self is partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Everything we do that is motivated by self is sin, which is acting independently of God, not just committing obvious evil deeds like murder, adultery, and stealing. The passions and desires of the flesh are not just those actions that man calls “evil.” Almost everyone knows the difference between “right” and “wrong” … between what man calls “good” and what man calls “evil.” The flesh also desires nice food, a nice house, a nice car, nice clothes, nice friends, a nice spouse, nice kids, a nice job, a nice retirement policy, nice leisure time, and yes … a nice church with nice soothing messages, nice music, and promises of peace, prosperity, blessings galore, plus a nice heaven when we leave this earth. Marriages collapse because of the conflict of two self-lives of the flesh. The primary activity of the self-life is selfishness. Everything in the world (Satan’s kingdom) tells us we must have self-confidence, self-motivation, self-independence, self-fulfillment, pride in self, self-affirmation, self-satisfaction, self-gratification, self-preservation, become a self-made man, success, etc. Billions of dollars are spent each year on cosmetics, clothes, plastic surgery, entertainment, new cars, education of the natural man, and yes, even “Christian” music, books, videos, DVDs, and “conferences.”
In short, we are obsessed with self in all of its obvious and subtle forms. Another indication of the focus on self in the church can be seen in any modern-day Christian bookstore, which is filled with articles and books devoted to self. Typical titles are how to be saved, how to find inner healing, how to achieve peace of mind, how to find fulfillment, success, peace, and prosperity, how to overcome self-doubt, and on and on. About all such books do is to soothe your ego and make lots of money for the authors. Books which offer such an ego-centric emphasis far outnumber books which focus on the Person of the Lord. King Self is a little god that dominates in modern-day Christianity. That is called idolatry. Much of the church today at all levels, especially the evangelical, is in captivity to this idolatry of self. The contrast between today’s weak, lukewarm, anemic Christianity and that of the early church as recorded in the Book of Acts could not be more obvious. The early disciples turned the world upside down; today’s church is being turned upside down by the world! The frightening aspect is that so many believers either do not know this or do not care. May I continue to speak boldly …
Few want to hear some of the tougher exhortations in Scripture, because our kingdom of self is strong and fights for its survival; it cries out in desperation for its life and pleads for its desires. It will not go down without a brutal fight and if we attempt to appease it, it will win the ultimate war. Its king, the god of this world, who is Satan, makes our fleshly desires seem respectable and acceptable. He even uses the arena of religion and the church to accomplish his goals. The serpent doesn’t care if our actions are nice, socially acceptable, or even church related. As long as Christ does not initiate them, he promotes them because his realm is the kingdom of self. The question is, who initiates what we, you and I, are doing?Too often our churches are simply expressions of the self-kingdoms of peoplewho use the church for their own goals: to make them feel good about themselves. There is a tendency in many circles to “water down” the biblical truth of sin and redemption to an idea of Jesus as our friend and “big brother” who helps us to find happiness and self-fulfillment. But to be a friend of the world is to be an enemy of God. Paul said,
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,[“Men” refers to some professing Christians as well as heathens.]3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.[We believers like forms, routines, traditions; we do not like change.]6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
2 Timothy 3:1-7
If we call the shots in our life, then we (not Christ) are the lord and master of our life, always taking on an external appearance of godliness, but spurning the power of God that brings true godliness.
Unfortunately, throughout the church, man-made religion is often empowered by fleshly ability rather than the power of God. Many of our worship services have become entertainment shows where self is glorified rather than denied … where the Word of God is watered down and does not inspire us to passionately seek intimacy with our holy God. We have conformed ourselves to a world that worships self. Suffering, sacrifice, self-denial, and service have been preempted by self-confidence, and self-fulfillment. The reality of selecting our own personal mixture of beliefs (choosing what fits our interpretation of the Word and what does not), appears to be a popular mode of religiosity today. It is like going through a cafeteria line and choosing only the foods which we like and enjoy, rather than what is good and healthy for us. Jesus said,
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Matthew 6:25-34
Our flesh responds to that word by saying that does not make any sense. We have to prepare for the future. Jesus must not have meant what He said there. We buy into the lies that the ways of God are not as pleasing or enjoyable as our own ways, or else we believe that our ways are the Lord’s ways. The deceitful, wicked human heart is the reason we believe such thoughts (Jeremiah 17:9). The human heart is more deceptive or crooked than anything else; it is desperately corrupt and humanly speaking, incurable. Jesus said that all evil thoughts and actions proceed out of the heart (Matthew 15:19). Although believers have trusted God for initial salvation, the sinful tendencies of the flesh still remain in us; thus we continue to vacillate between the desires of the flesh and those of the Spirit. Within this battle we need to understand that we will never be satisfied until the Lord is satisfied with us. What a profound truth!
For many long years, some men have set up “schools of the prophets,” where they attempt to teach/train others to become prophets. What nonsense! Neither can seminaries or Bible colleges teach anyone how to be a pastor. God sets the members, every one of them, in the body as it pleases Him. He is the only One who gives such ministry gifts to men. More recently there appears to be another “movement” of (Christian) man whose stated purpose is to teach/train believers how to heal and deliver people. More nonsense!
Those who are reading this book and many, many more have experienced the amazing grace of God and have been born again or born from above. That is precious good news! The bad news is that king SELF is STILL very much alive. We even may have been baptized in the Holy Ghost. That is the good news! The bad news is that king SELF is STILL very much alive in each of us. Listen to what the Apostle Paul said.
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Romans 7:18-24
Paul answers his own question with the Verse below.
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. Romans 7:25
Chapter 3
The Great I AM
The true and ONLY “I AM” is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. He is the GREAT I AM.
13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is His name? what shall I say unto them?14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. Exodus 3:13-14
Did anyone ask, “I AM … who or what?” Just fill in the blank with a multitude of words that attempt to describe the Lord. He is the King of glory; He is our Wisdom; He is our Peace; He is our Righteousness; He is the Prince of Peace; He is our Counsellor; He is the Just One; He is our Sure Foundation; He is the Chief Cornerstone; He is our Sabbath Rest; He is the Word of God; He is our Savior; He is the Mighty God; He is love; He is a consuming fire; His Name is Wonderful; His Name is above every name; His Name is Marvelous; He is the Everlasting Father; He is our Glory and the Lifter of our head; He is our Messiah; He is the fulfillment of all of the Jewish feasts; He is our Emmanuel; He is our Advocate; He is our Apostle and High Priest; He is that Great Prophet; He is the Author and Finisher of our faith; He is our Good Shepherd; He is our Chief Shepherd; He is our Great Shepherd; He is our Teacher; He is our Rabbi; He is our Master; He is our Redeemer; He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah; He is the Captain of our Salvation; He is our Strength; He is our Refuge; He is our Defence; He is our Song; He is our Healer; He is our Deliverer; He is the Great Physician; He is the Creator of the universe and all things therein; He is the Lamb that taketh away the sin of the world; He is our Passover; He is the Bright and Morning Star; He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life; He is the Light of the world; He is the Door; He is our Rock; He is our High Tower; He is our Shield; He is our Dayspring; He is the Day Star; He is the Bright and Morning Star; He is the Sun of Righteousness; He is our Mediator; He is the True Servant; He is our Faithful Witness; He is the only Begotten; He is the Firstborn; He is our Resurrection; He is the True Vine; He is the Balm of Gilead; He is the rose of Sharon; He is the lily of the valley; He is all we need; He is our All in All; and the government shall be on His shoulders. There is none like Him. Who shall not fear Him Who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell? When David was assembling everything in preparation for building the temple,
10 Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be Thou, LORD God of Israel our Father, for ever and ever.11 Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is Thine; Thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and Thou art exalted as head above all.12 Both riches and honour come of Thee, and Thou reignest over all; and in Thine hand is power and might; and in Thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.13 Now therefore, our God, we thank Thee, and praise Thy glorious name.14 But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of Thee, and of Thine own have we given Thee.15 For we are strangers before Thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.16 O LORD our God, all this store that we have prepared to build Thee an house for Thine holy name cometh of Thine hand, and is all Thine own.
1 Chronicles 29:10-16
No wonder that David was a man after God’s own heart! Now everyone who reads this book and many, many more believers would all say, “Of course! Everybody (every Christian) knows that!” Actually, the devils also know that and they tremble!
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
James 2:19-20
Therefore it is not a matter of knowing what the Bible says about the Lord; rather, it is about knowing Him! We can only learn who Jesus Christ is by coming up against situations in which He is the only One who can help us. In 1968, when I was not quite one year in Christ, I read a book written by DeVern Fromke titled, “The Ultimate Intention.” It is a very good book and very worthwhile reading. The main thing I remember about that book is that the author went through a series of diagrams. The first diagram showed man (natural man) at the center of a circle, with the Lord on the outside of the circle. The next diagram showed the Lord inside the circle, sharing the center with man. The last diagram depicted Christ as the center of the circle. Here again, I assume almost every believer would say, “Of course! Every believer knows that!” But when I saw those three diagrams, the Holy Spirit did a new work in my heart. That word was made flesh within me. In eternity past the Father ordained that all things would be centered in His Son. The Lord Jesus Christ is the center of all things. Every believer agrees doctrinally but what about the reality … the working out of that truth? Paul told the saints at Philippi (and us) to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12b).
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.2 The same was in the beginning with God.3 All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.4 In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
John 1:1-5
This passage in the New Testament parallels the one in Genesis,
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1
Note that the Bible does NOT say “the earth and the heavens.” God is very orderly in all that He says and does. The heavens come first. The heavens govern the earth and the earthly. The earth takes its significance and importance from being related to something greater than itself … to heaven. But heaven, or the heavens, is not a physical location (Luke 17:20-21). It is the place where God rules … the kingdom of heaven.
And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule. Daniel 4:26Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. Ecclesiastes 5:29 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:9-10
The Divine intention in creation was that a harmony should exist between heaven and earth … between God and all of His creation, where “harmony” means that everything and everyone is in tune with the Conductor. Before a symphony orchestra starts to play, each member of the ensemble gets in tune with the oboe. The note that the oboist plays is “A” because every stringed instrument has an “A” string. It is up to each individual member of the orchestra to tune his instrument to the same pitch as the oboe. Once all members are in tune to the “A” pitch of the oboe, the Conductor is then in charge. For us, the oboe is the Holy Spirit and our Conductor is the Lord Himself.
God made everything for His pleasure, for Himself, for His rest and enjoyment. This world is not our home … it is not our resting place … it is not our center of gravity. The heavenly realm is unknown to us by nature. We can read about that heavenly realm in the Bible and we can hear about it through anointed preachers and teachers (if we are so blessed), but we can never know that heavenly realm until we experience it. There is nothing second-hand about the spiritual life in Christ. In the Book of Exodus, each man was to gather the manna daily (except for the Sabbath day) for himself and for his family. That is why Jesus told Andrew and Peter, “Come and see.”
Chapter 4
The Centrality, Supremacy, and Preeminence of the Lord Jesus Christ
My “favorite” author is T. Austin Sparks. His books all exude life! He wrote a book titled, “The Centrality and Supremacy of the Lord Jesus Christ.” I cannot at the moment tell you one word that he said in that book but it is worthwhile to get a copy and read it. (Actually you can read it for free on the internet.) I am sure that he did a much better job on this topic than I can do. Nevertheless, I want to share with you what that means to me. What is the significance of “The Centrality, Supremacy, and Preeminence of the Lord Jesus Christ?”
Many long years ago I heard a good brother say that there are five “Christology” Chapters in the Bible, which means that five specific Chapters in the Bible, perhaps more so than any others, speak of the Person and nature of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are John, Chapter 1; Ephesians, Chapter 1; Philippians, Chapter 2; Colossians, Chapter 1; and Hebrews, Chapter 1.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.2 The same was in the beginning with God.3 All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.4 In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through Him might believe.8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.10 He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not.11 He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.12 But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.[The Word must likewise be made flesh within us … Christ in you, the hope of glory.]15 John bare witness of Him, and cried, saying, This was He of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for He was before me.16 And of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him. John 1:1-183 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:4 According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,6 To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved.7 In Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace;8 Wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;9 Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will:12 That we should be to the praise of His glory, Who first trusted in Christ.13 In Whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise,14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory.15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,19 And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power,20 Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places,21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:22 And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church,23 Which is His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all. Ephesians 1:3-23
Although that chapter mentions the spiritual blessings that we receive and our inheritance in Christ, the predominant theme is God's purpose and His inheritance. It would be a good idea to read those verses every day, emphasizing the words He, Him, His, and Himself. Please read again Verses 15-19. Paul wrote that Epistle to the saints at Ephesus almost seven years AFTER he had labored among them for three years, teaching and preaching the Kingdom of God. I doubt that any church has ever received as much good teaching as did the Church at Ephesus through Paul. The saints at Ephesus were born-again, Spirit-filled believers who had received the best teaching that man can give. BUT why would Paul still pray for them that they might receive the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him … if they had already received that gift? Could that also be a message for the charismatic community today? Do all of us likewise need that same Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him? Note that the knowledge of Him is far different from the knowledge of the written word.
1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:7 But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:8 And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.[The death required of each believer is the spiritual death to self. Paul said, “I die daily.”]9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and thingsunder the earth;11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Philippians 2:1-13
9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;[How can we walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing unless we are filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding? Again, why would Paul pray that prayer for the saints at Colosse (and for us) if they were already filled with that knowledge?]11 Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son:14 In Whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:16 For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him:17 And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.18 And He is the head of the body, the church: Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence.19 For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell;20 And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled22 In the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight:23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His body's sake, which is the church:25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:[Paul said he warned every man (every believer). When was the last time that anyone warned you? And if so, what was the message of the warning? Note also that warning comes before teaching. Why? because it is all too easy to slip back into the desires of the flesh and the works of the flesh.]29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to His working, which worketh in me mightily. Colossians 1:9-29
It would be good to read those verses in Colossians every day.
1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, Whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by Whom also He made the worlds;3 Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;4 Being made so much better than the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.5 For unto which of the angels said He at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to me a Son?6 And again, when He bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, He saith, And let all the angels of God worship Him.7 And of the angels He saith, Who maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire.8 But unto the Son He saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Thy kingdom.9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of Thine hands:11 They shall perish; but Thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;12 And as a vesture shalt Thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail.13 But to which of the angels said He at any time, Sit on My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool?14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? Hebrews 1:1-14
We have listed above eighty-seven (87) Verses from the five Christology Chapters. In those 87 Verses, the words “He, His, Him, and Himself” occur 99 times. That does not count the words “Thou, Thy, Christ, Jesus, Who, Whom, God,” etc., which also refer to the Lord. We might also note that in the Verses quoted from Colossians, the words “all” and “every” occur some 16 times. The above verses are well worth reading carefully over and over again. All of these refer to God, not us, and HIS purposes. We are so preoccupied with OUR interests, OUR desires, and OUR plans, that we have little time to think about HIS interests, HIS desires, and HIS plans.
We see a somewhat similar comparison in the natural realm with Galileo,
an Italian astronomer, physicist, engineer, philosopher, and mathematician who played a major role in the scientific revolution during the Renaissance. Galileo has been called the "father of observational astronomy", the "father of modern physics", and the "father of science." Galileo's championing of heliocentrism [the sun being the center of the universe] was controversial within his lifetime, when most subscribed to geocentrism [the earth being the center of the universe]. He met with opposition from astronomers, who doubted heliocentrism due to the absence of an observed stellar parallax. The matter was investigated by the Roman inquisition in 1615, and they concluded that it could only be supported as a possibility, not as an established fact. Galileo later defended his views in Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, which appeared to attack Pope Urban VIII and thus alienated him and the Jesuits, who had both supported Galileo up until this point. He was tried by the Inquisition, found "vehemently suspect of heresy", forced to recant, and spent the rest of his life under house arrest.[paraphrased from Wikipedia]
Galileo’s discovery that the sun, not the earth, was the center of the universe caused the greatest scientific revolution that had ever been known. Throughout the world today there is the echo and re-echo of revolution, which is evidence of the crisis in which we live. We need a similar, spiritual revolution in the church world that the Son, and not man, is the center of all things. Very few believers would dispute that fact but the outward evidence says otherwise.
Help, Lord!
Chapter 5
A Sure Foundation
When anyone begins to build a house, the first thing that must be done is to lay a firm, solid foundation. That foundation must be even or level and capable of supporting the structure that is built upon it. Jesus Christ is called a foundation in both the Old and New Testaments.
Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Isaiah 28:16For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:114 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious.5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded.
1 Peter 2:4-6
Thus the Old Testament and New Testament both agree that the true foundation of the Christian life is Jesus Christ Himself ... nothing else and no one else. The foundation is not a creed, not a doctrine, not a denomination, not a ritual or ceremony. Christ is THE foundation on which the church is built. Christ is the foundation of the covenant of grace made with the church and of all of the promises contained therein. He is a SURE foundation, on whom His people can safely and securely rest. He also has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us. He is the corner stone that unites all parts of the building together. He is the tried stone that has never and will never crack nor shift underneath the structure built upon Him.
47 Whosoever cometh to Me, and heareth My sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. Luke 6:47-48The foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His. 2 Timothy 2:19
David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said,
1 Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from Him cometh my salvation.2 He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him.6 He only is my rock and my salvation: He is my defence; I shall not be moved.7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Psalm 62:1-2, 5-7
Peter said,
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Acts 4:12For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Hebrews 4:15
Jesus Christ, the living Word of God, came into this world as a man; He came with a completely and truly human nature. As a man He lived a sinless life; He defeated sin; in Him sin was conquered and vanquished. He brought to His Father a life of perfect obedience and perfect fulfillment of the law. Because Jesus was fully a man, just as we were one with Adam through a physical connection, we are now one with Christ through a spiritual connection. Just as we were involved in Adam's sin, we are now involved in the perfection of Jesus. The Apostle Paul speaks of these things in the book of Romans.
Is there a higher occupation that to walk with God on a daily basis? Enoch walked with God and God translated him out of this earthly kingdom. If we as believers walk with God we too are translated into another kingdom.
12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son: Colossians 1:12-13
The Kingdom of His dear Son is His Body, the Church. After the Lord completes, in time, the building of His Church, then,
And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.
1 Corinthians 15:28
Many years ago I read a good illustration or analogy of the difference in importance of who someone IS as compared to what they DO. The man who has a wife in the home greatly appreciates her cooking, cleaning, washing, and ironing. But she, herself, is far more important to him than what she does! Actually, if the wife senses that her husband appreciates her primarily for her household chores, some rocky times are ahead for that couple (which in the natural realm frequently leads to divorce). It is the importance of the person that gives meaning to the work. Lord, give us a deeper revelation of Who you are!
Chapter 6
The Sovereignty of God
Part 1: The Sovereignty of God
(Note: The first part of this Chapter is an adaptation and modification of a word written by Marion Fretwell many years ago.)
To hear some Bible expositors, particularly those on television, we might begin to wonder who is running the show. Many leaders are mustering all the support possible for the particular project which has captured their attention at the time. They each want us to drop everything else and run to their support. Each is fighting some supposed enemy, which will destroy humanity if left unchecked. Each of them believes that they are the one whom God has designated to thwart the attacks of the enemy, and they must have our help (particularly our money) immediately. However, let us hear what the word of God says.
9 Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him:11 In Whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him Who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will: Ephesians 1:9-11
As we stated earlier, Ephesians, Chapter 1, is full of the words, He, Him, His, and Himself. Note that in the three verses above, those words occur eight times, plus three other times that refer to the Lord (Christ, Whom, and Who). It is good to read Ephesians 1, emphasizing He, Him, His, and Himself.
Whatever God has purposed, God will perform. He does not need any help. We found out many years ago that He can do all things by Himself. He can save people all by Himself; He can heal people all by himself; He can deliver people all by Himself; He can reveal His word all by Himself. How do I know? Because He did all of those things in my life in the first six months after He sovereignly apprehended me. And no man was involved. What man taught the Apostle Paul? God’s purposes will be accomplished. It will be completely on schedule. Most of the fruitless endeavors we engage in (in the Name of the Lord) are caused by us trying to do what only God can do. Our fleshy efforts produce only wood, hay, and stubble.
Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure: Isaiah 46:10There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand. Proverbs 19:21And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: Acts 5:38For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Philippians 2:13
The Book of Job, among other things, is pre-eminently about the sovereignty of God. After all of the discourse between five men (Job, Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, and Elihu) which occupies Chapters 3-37 of the Book of Job (or 35 of the 42 chapters), the Lord comes on the scene to announce His sovereignty. In four Chapters (Chapter 38-41) the Lord speaks only to Job. (That has significance which we will not here go into.) It is good to go back and read those four chapters, which begin with,
Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Job 38:2
A New Testament counterpart of that verse could be,
And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. 1 Corinthians 8:2
Who helped to bring Jesus Christ on the scene at precisely the right day? He did it by Himself. Was the world ready for Him to arrive? Did they have the stage set for Him by their extensive preparation? From whom did He seek permission to pour out of His Spirit upon the believers on the day of Pentecost? No one! Will He need our help or permission to do the quick work which He has promised to do in the near future? He will do it Himself! He will be able to get the job done, with or without any help or permission from either you or me. Our God is All in All!
27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:28 For He will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. Romans 9:27-28
In David’s day, a horse was about the most powerful thing they knew about. They were fast and agile on their feet. A good war horse was also relatively fearless … the epitome or quintessence of military power in the time of David. But in the Spirit, David was caused to write that the Lord took no delight in the horse and its strength. It was also vain to trust in the strength and ability of the horse (Psalm 20:7). The present day equivalent of the horse in the United States could easily be nuclear power or our great military might.
What is the horse for us as Christians? our knowledge of the Bible? our anointed sermons?our good works? God needs none of these things for His plans and purposes. Rather, the Lord delights in and takes pleasure in those who fear Him and hope in His mercy (Psalm 33:18 and Psalm 147:11).
Too many of us are keenly aware of our position in the things of the Lord and His Church. We try to maintain a high standard of righteousness and holiness ... believing that it will get us favor with the Lord when time is no more. Without realizing what we are doing, we tend to compare our degree of attainment with that of other people ... usually putting ourselves a bit higher on the scale than we do them. It is a very subtle deception we indulge in, for a good percentage of what we call righteousness or holiness is cosmetic only, applied when we are going out to church or to other functions in the presence of other Christians. The standards which are enjoined and encouraged have become a measuring device by which we gauge ourselves and others. Can it be that this has become a horse to us?
The most important thing that we can do is to repent. This does NOT necessarily mean that there is known sin in our life; it does not necessarily mean that we have committed some dastardly deeds. Rather, there should be an overwhelming sense of an inability to muster up righteousness or holiness within ourselves. We cannot depend on our knowledge of the word, nor the fact that we have ministered the word for many years, nor the glory that we experienced in years past.
There is no record that Isaiah had done anything “wrong” when he saw his total unworthiness in Isaiah, Chapter 6. There is no record that Daniel had done anything “wrong” when he identified with his people by saying, “we have sinned” (Daniel 9:5). There is no record that Nehemiah had done anything “wrong” when he identified with the children of Israel and confessed that “both I and my father’s house have sinned” (Nehemiah 1:6). There is no record that Ezra had done anything “wrong” when he wept, prayed, and confessed his sins and those of the people (Ezra 9:10-10:1).
We must come to acknowledge our “nothingness” apart from Christ. It brings a sense of completeness that even correct doctrine can never achieve. My righteousness and holiness are totally inadequate to bring any sense of wholeness.
Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4
Repentance is the essence of mourning over the inability of my flesh and my will to produce the kind of righteousness and holiness that is acceptable to God. The righteousness and holiness which He looks for is that which only His Spirit can produce in our lives. It is not anything of our own making.
13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.15 For He saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew My power in thee, and that My name might be declared throughout all the earth.18 Therefore hath He mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will he hardeneth.19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth He yet find fault? For who hath resisted His will?20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?22 What if God, willing to shew His wrath, and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:23 And that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had afore prepared unto glory,24 Even us, whom He hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? Romans 9:13-24
Part 2: Man’s Responsibility
But now, some may say if God does everything, why don’t we just sit back, relax, have a good time, and wait for the end? Nonsense! We are laborers together with God.
For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. 1 Corinthians 3:9
Some believers have a little difficulty in seeing how the sovereignty of God and man’s responsibility “fit” together. Let me relate how the Lord taught me about that relationship and then we will see what the Bible says.
Somewhere around 1972 or 1973 the Lord told us to start a “neighborhood” meeting. We invited many of our close neighbors and a few folks several blocks away to come to our house once a week for a Bible study. Many, of course, declined. But about 7 or 8 folks came regularly. We had no idea if any of them were Christians. We started off with the topic of “Who is Jesus Christ?” That, of course, is the most important question in the Bible. One night at our Bible study the topic was the sovereignty of God. Little did I know that the Lord would teach me about His sovereignty later that very night. After everyone had left we went to bed, only to be awakened around 2:00 a.m. by a huge thunderstorm with pelting rain. Our son, Robert, was living with us at the time. We went down to the basement and saw that a lot of water had already come into the house through the basement door, which led out to a stairwell. My wife, Linda, got all of our towels and started to mop up as much water as possible on the inside of the house. My son and I went outside to the stairwell with a large bucket apiece and began baling water out of the stairwell as fast as possible and emptying it into a large trash can, but because there was so much rain, with all of our efforts we were barely “keeping even” with the water in the stairwell. It was not our baling and our mopping that got the water under control … it was the sovereignty of God that caused the rain to stop. But we still had our responsibility to bale and mop. So that night the Lord taught us something about the relationship of the sovereignty of God and man’s responsibility. (We also learned that we needed to keep leaves, dirt, etc., out of the stairwell so that the stairwell drain would not stop up.)
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:101 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made.3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made. Genesis 2:1-3
Our responsibility likewise is to rest (Hebrews 3 and 4) from our works (of the flesh) while walking in the works that God has ordained for us to walk in. That, of course, requires hearing the voice of the Lord and discerning that which is of Him.
Further, when all things appear to be going our way, it is easy to be thankful and praise the Lord. Even the unsaved can do the same. But what happens when the Lord sovereignly allows some difficulty in our life? Do we murmur and complain or even rebuke the enemy? The Lord would have us trust Him, thank Him, and praise Him for continuing to work within us.
17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.19 The LORD God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds' feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments. Habakkuk 3:17-19
The Lord desires a vessel pleasing to Him, not a puppet. Therefore, having been given free will, we must choose.
19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey His voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto Him: for He is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them. Deuteronomy 30:19-20And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:15And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD beGod, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. 1 Kings 18:21
Amazing! That the people answered him not a word! But “the Jews require a sign and the Greeks seek after wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:22). Blessed are those who require neither a sign nor wisdom but simply trust in the Lord. “Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:29).
Chapter 7
The Good Shepherd
The Gospel according to John records seven (7) self-descriptions of Jesus which are introduced by the phrase, “I am.”
(1) John 6: I am the bread of life(2) John 8 and 9: I am the light of the world(3) John 10: I am the door(4) John 10: I am the good shepherd(5) John 11: I am the resurrection and the life(6) John 14: I am the way, the truth, and the life(7) John 15: I am the true vine
The last public discourse of Jesus that the Apostle John records is found in John, Chapter 10. That Chapter is a continuation of John, Chapter 9.
1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.3 To him the porter [doorkeeper] openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.[The porter apparently was in charge of a large fold, where several flocks were kept. The porter speaks of God the Father. The shepherd did not call sheep randomly, but only those that belonged to him.]4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.[The Palestinian shepherd led his sheep; he did not drive them, and the sheep followed because they knew his voice. Likewise, any minister of the Gospel must be an example to other believers. Actions speak louder than words.]5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.[Today hundreds of thousands if not millions of professing Christians are following the voice of strangers … those in positional leadership who have soothing voices and tell people what they want to hear, rather than preach “repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand.”]6 This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which He spake unto them.7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.8 All that ever came before Me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.9 I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.[Many hirelings have become multi-millionaires by telling people what they want to hear. I can only assume those hirelings rationalize their plush mansions, cars, planes, bank accounts, etc. by saying that the Lord is blessing their “work.” Some have already been exposed, a few put in jail, and the rest of the hirelings sooner or later will experience the judgment of God.]14 I am the good shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine.15 As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down My life for the sheep.16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one fold [‘flock’ is the correct translation here], and one shepherd.17 Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again.18 No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of My Father. John 10:1-18
In the East, a fold is an enclosure, hedge, or fence, either a stone wall crowned with thorns to keep out plundering animals or, higher up the mountains, for use during the summer months, a stout stake or post of briars and thorn bushes. The term “fold” applied first to the structure built to contain the sheep and then, by extension, to the sheep inside it. The fold is designed to contain and safeguard the sheep; it is a safety of the status quo, but has almost no room and opportunity for sheep to move freely and develop. Adequate room to exercise and develop spiritually and healthy food for growth can only be found out in the open on the mountain slopes with the Shepherd.
The term “flock” on the other hand, relates only to the sheep, which, having no structure around them for security, trust solely upon their shepherd for protection. The flock is exposed on the mountain side and vulnerable from every direction but free to move, under the guidance of and protection of the shepherd, to those areas where there is good pasture. Never in the New Testament is the Church called a fold.
We live in a day when, unfortunately, the representation of the flock is extremely rare. There are many folds ... the Baptist fold, the Methodist fold, the Episcopal fold, the Catholic fold, the charismatic fold, the house church fold, and on and on. Moreover, the ecumenical movement, which is man-made and inspired by the enemy, is busy trying to incorporate them into one huge fold. In a few years they will have succeeded. At that time no one can buy or sell except they have received the mark of the beast. Before Jesus was crucified, Peter vigorously said that he would never deny Jesus. We all know Jesus’ answer to Peter: He said, Before the cock crow tonight you will deny me three times. (Have you ever considered that roosters crow in the early morning, not at night?) When that actually happened, Peter went out and wept bitterly. I believe that it will be the grace and mercy of God to take some of His people home before they have an opportunity to deny Him.
The flock is simply a starting point; but with the Kingdom come other issues: order, authority, and responsibility … a qualifying. Even Paul said “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest by any means, when I have preached to other, I myself should be a castaway …” (1 Corinthians 9:27).
1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters.3 He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. Psalm 23:1-6
A true prophet of the Lord (100 years old this past July) once said: “Once a man has tasted one morsel from the table of the Lord, the very sweat from the pores of his skin will eat away the chains that bind him to the oars of the religious system.” Man has NO oars in the Kingdom of God; no man can steer His ship.
Sheep are dumb, dirty, and smelly. They are timid, defenseless, and helpless. They are always getting lost and hurt. They literally do not know enough to come in out of the rain. Sheep are gregarious; they will usually stay together in a group while grazing. A sheep will become highly agitated if it is separated from the group. It is the banding together in large groups which protects sheep from predators which will go after the outliers in the flock. Sheep have a strong instinct to follow the sheep in front of them. When one sheep decides to go somewhere, the rest of the flock usually follows, even if it is not a good "decision." For example, sheep will follow each other to slaughter. If one sheep jumps over a cliff, the others are likely to follow.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.7 He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth. Isaiah 53:6-7
The Lord says that we are all like sheep. If we are honest with ourselves we know it is true. We all have atendency toward going our own way, doing our own thing, and clinging to our own understanding based on our traditions, our experiences, and what we have been taught. We are like birds of a feather which flock together. No one likes to be “different.” But if Jesus Christ is to be our Shepherd, we have to admit that we are a sheep and need a shepherd. Once it becomes a reality within us that we need, not a human shepherd, but the only true Shepherd, we discover the truth of what David is saying. We shall not want.
Ezekiel 34:1-24 is another good set of verses about sheep and shepherds to read and reflect on. But the bottom line is we must get to know the Lord and get to know His voice. Otherwise we will continue to be “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (Ephesians 4:14).
Know ye that the LORD He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Psalm 100:3He shall feed His flock like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
Isaiah 40:111 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified. Isaiah 61:1-3
Those Verses speak of Jesus Christ. As a personal testimony, the Lord quickened those Verses to me in early 1968 that He had called me to be a minister of the Gospel. At that time, as a babe in Christ, I thought the only way I could be a minister was to go to a seminary. I received seven strong confirmations that I should apply to attend Asbury Seminary in Wilmore, KY. I was accepted and could have gone. But before making such a move, we put a fleece before the Lord. We said, “Lord, if you want us to go to Asbury Seminary (in the Fall of 1968), then have someone buy our house before Linda gives birth to our third child, who was due in May 1968.” So we put our house up for sale. The wind kept blowing down our “For Sale” sign in the front yard. A number of people came by, looked at our house, and all of them commented about our very lovely house, but no one offered to buy our house. Then, on May 31, 1968, our daughter, Laura, was born. I came home from the hospital a few hours after she was born and found a real estate agent waiting for me with a family who wanted to buy our house. They had a contract all prepared and ready for me to sign. I said, “I’m sorry, but our house is no longer for sale. If you had been here earlier this morning you could have bought it.” I tried to explain why we could no longer sell our house, but I doubt that they understood.
About 45 years ago I went to a gathering of the local saints in the home of a brother who lived about one mile from where we live. The bother who most folks called our apostle was there from Florida. He said that instead of him teaching we would all read 2 Peter, Chapter 1. Each person in the room read one of the 21 Verses of that Chapter. After that the apostle asked, “What did each of you hear from the Lord about that Chapter?” Various people said various things. While they continued to share what they had heard, I went back and silently re-read the entire Chapter. When I read Verse 19, the Holy Spirit gripped my attention.
We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 2 Peter 1:19
The word that jumped off the page to me was the word “until.” From my experience and observation, many of us believers are taking heed and taking heed and taking heed. That is Judaism, but what the Lord is after is for the day to dawn and the day star to arise in our heart. That Verse does not speak of being born again. It speaks of the Word being made flesh within us.
But there is an even greater and more glorious liberty to come.
19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Romans 8:19-21
Chapter 8
The Vision
Many years ago I found myself drawing a diagram in the form of a circle:
The process then repeats. For Christian believers it is a never ending process until the Lord returns. Note that unless the Word is made flesh, the cycle stops and there is no more spiritual growth within the believer.
Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy [blessed] is he. Proverbs 29:18
Where there is no vision, the people perish. We could add that where there is little or a small vision, the people are weak and sickly (1 Corinthians 11:30). Now, who is “he that keepeth the law?” Only one Man has ever been able to keep the law … the Man Christ Jesus. Likewise only one Man can ever live the Christian life … the Man Christ Jesus. There are a multitude of “commandments” in the New Testament ... many spoken by the Man Jesus Christ. For example, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” That is a commandment! Do you know any believer, past or present who was or is perfect?
In Old Testament times God raised up prophets to speak His word to His people. When the prophets spoke, it was largely (but not altogether) a word of correction. Have you ever noticed the first verse in five of the books of the so-called "minor" prophets (Amos 1:1, Obadiah 1:1, Micah 1:1, Nahum 1:1, and Habakkuk 1:1)? All of those Verses speak of what the prophet saw. Five, of course, symbolizes the grace of God. So it was, and is, the grace of God to raise up prophets to SEE and hear a word from the Lord and to warn, if need be, His people. So five of these “minor” prophets were allowed by the Lord to SEE something that the Lord wanted them to convey to His people. The Lord also used the Old Testament prophets, at times, to speak a word of comfort or encouragement to His people. The book of Isaiah has many such words of comfort, but those words of comfort are contingent upon the right relationship of His people to Himself. How many times have we, even as believers, said, “Lord, if you do … then I will … ? But the truth is just the reverse. The Lord says to His people, “if you do … then I will …”
(Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.) 1 Samuel 9:9
During the decline and apostasy of the tribes of Israel and Judah (which we find repeated over and over again in the Old Testament), the people almost NEVER believed that they were in apostasy. Therefore when the Lord sent them a prophet to jolt them out of their erroneous ways, the prophet was generally rejected, frequently jailed, and occasionally even killed. This was also true in New Testament times. John the Baptist was beheaded for speaking the truth. Jesus Christ was crucified for speaking and BEING the Truth. Has anything changed today? NO!!! Is the visible church in a decline or apostasy today? Yes. Why? Because of a lack of vision! Where there is NO vision, the people perish. Where there is little or a small vision, the people are weak and sickly and many sleep.
God speaks to us in a multitude of ways. The problem is in our vision and our hearing. One of the major functions of a prophet is to help to expand and enlarge the vision of the people. Does that mean that a prophet is someone special? NO! It means that a person with the ministry of a prophet (which is quite different from the gift of prophecy) has been allowed to see more of God's ways ... has been granted, by His grace, a higher vision than other members of the body. For what purpose? to help to encourage other members of the body to come up higher. The prophet Isaiah speaks about "the burden of the valley of vision" (Isaiah 22:1). When we are in a valley, we cannot see too much. We need to rise up to the mountaintop to see more of the Lord and His ways.
Before proceeding further, we need to state very clearly what vision refers to.
2 And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie; though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.4 Behold his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. Habakkuk 2:2-4
"The Vision" is the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Note in Verses 2 and 3 the phrase “the” vision. Use of the article “the” makes something or someone unique. Many believers have “a” vision. "Make it plain upon tables" speaks of tables of the heart, so we are to have the reality of Jesus Christ written upon our hearts. "The just shall live by his faith" again speaks about Jesus. Jesus is the ONLY Just One! Jesus is also the first great Person of Faith. Every “a” vision must relate to the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ and to His ways, His purposes, and His plan for each one of us. There is a song called, “Be Thou My Vision.” The title and the words of that song are very appropriate.
John the Baptist, speaking about Jesus, said,
He [Christ] must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:30
Far too many times I have heard mature ministers quote that scripture backwards and say, "I must decrease but He must increase." The order of scripture is significant. I can decrease and still not allow Christ within me to increase. But if He increases within me, then by necessity I must decrease. Not my will but Thy will be done, O Lord. My wife loves to work in the yard with shrubs, plants, flowers, trees, and grass. The Lord has given her many revelations about our Christian walk from analogies in the yard. One such revelation she received had to do with how to keep the lawn (grass) healthy and get rid of weeds. We need to concentrate on feeding the roots of the grass because strong healthy grass will choke out the weeds. We don't need to concentrate on the weeds themselves. Likewise if we concentrate on the increase of Christ within, then the acts of the old nature will decrease. Before the Lord apprehended me, I liked to play golf and I liked to play the card game of bridge. I was quite good at both. Then the Lord apprehended me. I did not "give up" anything. I just found that there were other things I enjoyed more, like reading the Bible, going to believers' meetings, worshipping the Lord, etc. So in terms of my desires, He increased and I decreased.
Vision and hearing are twins which go together in many scriptures. In almost all of these scriptures, vision comes before hearing. This is also true in the natural realm. We SEE lightning before we hear the associated sound. If a supersonic jet aircraft passes overhead, we SEE the plane before we hear the sonic boom. The speed of light is much faster than the speed of sound.
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.
1 Corinthians 2:9
When Paul was apprehended on the road to Damascus,
3 ... and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?5 And he said, Who art Thou, Lord? Acts 9:3-5
Here again we see that vision precedes hearing. Jesus had the same experience. He SAW the Spirit of God descending upon Him and then He HEARD a voice from heaven.
16 And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him.17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased. Matthew 3:16-17
I have searched the scriptures rather carefully and I have found only one place where hearing seems to come before seeing, where Paul tells the saints at Philippi,
Those things which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. Philippians 4:9
Why is the order in this one verse exactly reversed from all of the others? In all of the other verses vision precedes hearing. The order is that way because that order reflects REVELATION from the Spirit of God to us and within us ... how the word becomes flesh. Teaching may come through man but revelation comes from God (1 Corinthians 3:3-9). But Paul in Philippians 4:9 speaks of the way of true TEACHING ... from man to man, not revelation from the Spirit. So Paul starts with those things which the Philippians have learned. This represents Paul's personal interpretation of the gospel (which, of course, was quite on target). We learn from good teachers before revelation of the Spirit sheds light in our hearts. Paul then speaks of the things that the Philippians have received in the way of accepted doctrine and teachings. But Paul goes further than that. He tells the Philippians to do those things that they have heard and seen in him. A good teacher must demonstrate in action in his daily life the truth which he expresses in words. Now we know that NO man is perfect. When all we see of a teacher is his teaching ability in a formal meeting of believers, we tend to put that man on a pedestal. How does his life measure up in the day-to-day activities, particularly when things do not seem to go right for him? That is the true test.
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Matthew 7:20
I have never been overly impressed by what a person "knows." What impresses me is who they ARE or who they have BECOME. That requires much more effort.
Although vision is necessary, it is not sufficient. Secular research has proven that a stimulus from two or more of our natural senses reinforces learning. (Secular research can only verify the truth of God.) Therefore God has provided for us to have not only spiritual eyes to see but also spiritual ears to hear.
1 The word of the LORD also came unto me, saying,2 Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house. Ezekiel 12:1-2
In addition, we are without excuse when it comes to vision.
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.20 For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Romans 1:19-20
We are all born in a spiritually blind state. Who opens the eyes? the Lord Jesus Christ. Is it automatic for all believers? No! We must have that heart cry imparted and developed within us.
Chapter 9
Glory
This is a brief introduction to the word ‘glory’ as recorded in Scripture. The primary Hebrew word that is translated as ‘glory’ is kabowd, which literally means ‘weight,’ but only figuratively in a good sense. It can be translated as glory, honor, splendor, abundance, copiousness, or richness. The word is used 200 times in the Old Testament, where it is most commonly translated as ‘glory.’
The primary Greek word that is translated as ‘glory’ and/or ‘glorious’ is doxa. When used with respect to God the Father or Christ, the word signifies the nature and acts of God or Christ, Who He essentially is, what He does, and His manifestation to everyone and everything in the universe which He created. In the following Verses, each of the occurrences of the word ‘glory’ (doxa) likewise signifies the essence or nature of each element.
40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for onestar differeth from another star in glory.42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 1 Corinthians 15:40-44Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; Matthew 4:8
So even the kingdoms of this world have a glory about them.
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Matthew 6:28-29
The lilies of the field show forth a greater glory than Solomon in all of his glory. Why? because the lilies never became corrupted. Nevertheless, who can deny that even fallen man has a glory associated with him? We are fearfully and wonderfully created as a human being. How could anyone doubt that the amazing intricacies of our human bodies occurred “just by accident” or because of evolution. To obtain a better appreciation of our physical bodies, I strongly recommend reading, “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made,” by Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey … a marvelous book wherein a surgeon looks at the human and spiritual body, published by Zondervan. David said (New American Standard),
13 For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother’s womb.14 I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Psalm 139:13-14a
When God created anything, He said that it was good. But after creating everything, He said it was all very good (Genesis 1:31). From the Verses above, and others, everything that God created has a glory associated with it, but there are different types and levels of glory. Because man has free will, he can always choose to diminish his level of glory. When the Jews came out of Egypt they still had a glory about them, even though they had the fallen nature of the first Adam.
19 They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molten image.20 Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass.Psalm 106:19-20
But man can never on his own power increase his level of glory. Was that not true of Jesus when He walked the face of the earth the first time? Jesus said,
And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was. John 17:5
Further, all the glory is due unto Abba, Father, because He created everything. For Thine is the glory.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. Matthew 6:13
Now let us consider the rise and fall of the glory of God upon and within man from an historical and prophetic perspective. As we simply relate from Scripture the events that literally happened in the Old Testament, we must keep in mind that these events are prophetic of our time. We are witnessing a repeat performance in the charismatic/Spirit-filled community today.
During the time of the Jews’ forty-year trek toward the promised land,
20 And the LORD said, I have pardoned according to thy word:21 But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.22 Because all those men which have seen My glory, and My miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted Me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to My voice;23 Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked Me see it:24 But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed Me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it. Numbers 14:20-247 And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation. And it came to pass, that every one which sought the LORD went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp.8 And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the tabernacle, that all the people rose up, and stood every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the tabernacle. Exodus 33:7-8
What is the camp? organized, named religion in whatever form. (See also Hebrews 13:10-14.) Likewise, if we desire to seek the LORD, we must go outside the camp. God spoke to Moses out of the pillar of cloud in Exodus 33:9, assuring him that His Presence would be with the Israelites. Verse 11 says God spoke to Moses “face to face” out of the cloud, but then,
17 And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in My sight, and I know thee by name.18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me Thy glory.19 And He said, I will make all My goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.20 And He said, Thou canst not see My face: for there shall no man see me, and live.21 And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by Me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:22 And it shall come to pass, while My glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with My hand while I pass by:23 And I will take away Mine hand, and thou shalt see My back parts: but My face shall not be seen. Exodus 33:17-23
This seems to indicate that God’s glory is too awesome and powerful to be seen completely by man. After Moses finished the work of building the tabernacle,
34 Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.35 And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.36 And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys:37 But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.38 For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys. Exodus 40:34-38
Note particularly Verse 35, above. But gradually, apostasy set in the people. Exactly 350 years later, we read,
19 And his daughter in law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her.20 And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it.21 And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband.22 And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.
1 Samuel 4:19-22
Now let us review some of the events that happened after the temple at Jerusalem was built by Solomon and dedicated to the LORD. 2 Chronicles 5-7 speaks prophetically of end time events which will soon be made manifest.
11 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place: (for all the priests that werepresent were sanctified, and did not then wait by course:12 Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:)13 It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For He is good; for His mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD;14 So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God. 2 Chronicles 5:11-14
Note that when the glory of God filled the house of God, the priests could not stand to minister. Only the Lord Himself can minister at those times. That could be called “Head” ministry, which is vertical in nature, as distinct from “body” ministry, which is horizontal in nature. “Head” ministry is obviously pure and perfect and far more effective than body ministry.
1 Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house.2 And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD'S house.3 And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD, saying, For He is good; for His mercy endureth for ever. 2 Chronicles 7:1-3
The Verses above, just like the ones above in 2 Chronicles 5, state that the glory of the LORD filled the house. However, by implication of Verse 2, there must have been a step-up of the presence of the glory of the LORD because now the priests could not even enter into the house of the LORD. Why was there a further increase in the manifest presence of glory? To answer that question we must see what happened in 2 Chronicles, Chapter 6. That entire Chapter speaks of the prayer and intercession of Solomon, who was given more wisdom and knowledge than any king on earth (2 Chronicles 1:12). Does that say anything to us for today?
Two of perhaps the least read books in the Bible are Leviticus and Ezekiel. Leviticus speaks of worship. Ezekiel speaks of the glory of the Lord. The Lord told Ezekiel on two separate occasions that He had made Ezekiel a watchman.
Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at My mouth, and give them warning from Me. Ezekiel 3:17
For 350 years the glory of the Lord abode in Solomon’s temple, but it left there at the time of the captivity. In the Book of Ezekiel we learn how it left, why it left, where it went, and … very important … when it will return and why. Ezekiel was given seven visions of the glory of the Lord. The first one came to him as he was dwelling among the captives on the river Chebar, about 50 miles from the city of Babylon.
And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire. Ezekiel 1:4
Ezekiel then describes the four living creatures and the throne of God. And upon the throne was the likeness of the Lord God Himself.
As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake. Ezekiel 1:28
This is the first of six times that Ezekiel fell on his face, prostrated because of the powerful presence of the Lord. The Lord then commissioned Ezekiel to go to apostate and rebellious Israel and to warn them and explain to them why these calamities had befallen them, and what more were to come. The Lord also told Ezekiel,
But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto Me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted. Ezekiel 3:7
Then Ezekiel was given a brief second vision in which he heard behind him “a voice of a great rushing, saying blessed be the glory of the Lord from His place” (Ezekiel 3:12). Then, in his third vision he was told by the Lord,
22 And the hand of the LORD was there upon me; and He said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee.23 Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face. Ezekiel 3:22-23
Later Ezekiel was sitting in his house, and the elders of the Jews were with him, when the hand of the Lord fell on him again, and he was given the fourth vision.
3 And He put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the Spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.4 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain. Ezekiel 8:3-4
Here Ezekiel saw four kinds of idolatry (see the rest of Ezekiel 8) which were practiced in the courts of the Lord’s house, even to the worshiping of the sun by men who turned their backs on the holy of holies and the ark and faced the east like fire-worshipers. The basic definition of idolatry is reducing the spiritual things of God to the natural realm. All of us might be surprised at the idolatrous practices within the charismatic/Spirit-filled community today.
The glory of God was no longer in the holy of holies as usual. It had left there and was resting over the threshold above the image of jealousy. God was preparing to abandon the magnificent temple that had been built as a dwelling place for Him to abide in forever. The abominations of Israel were great, and judgment was pronounced. It was to begin “at My sanctuary,” but “come not near any man upon whom is the mark” (Ezekiel 9:5-6). Centuries later the apostle Peter declared, “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God” (1 Peter 4:17).
In Ezekiel’s fifth vision he saw the glory of the Lord gradually grieved away from the inner sanctuary by the sin of idolatry. First it departed from over the cherubim on which it had rested in the holy of holies and moved to the door of the temple.
3 Now the cherubims stood on the right side of the house, when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court.4 Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD'S glory. Ezekiel 10:3-418 Then the glory of the LORD departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims.19 And the cherubims lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight: when they went out, the wheels also were beside them, and every one stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD'S house; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above. Ezekiel 10:18-1922 Then did the cherubims lift up their wings, and the wheels beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.23 And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city. Ezekiel 11:22-23
Slowly and majestically the Shekinah glory ascended through the east gate, forsaking the temple and the holy city. It was last seen above the Mount of Olives. According to one 100-year old man of God, a true prophet of the Lord, even the amazing work that the Lord started at Azusa Street on April 9, 1906, began to go downhill within just a few short days. The beginning of that decline was when some believers put a name above the door and a lock on the door. According to another 96-year old man of God … a man who knew one of the original founders of the Assembly of God (AOG) denomination, the same thing happened with those folks. It has never recovered, primarily because of the ways of (Christian) man, traditions of (Christian) man, and lack of vision.
According to a 2011 Pew Forum study, about 305 million people in the world identify themselves as being “charismatics.” Historically, the so-called “charismatic movement” began about 1960 through Dennis Bennett, an Episcopal priest. Interestingly, the story of the charismatic renewal began less than twenty miles from the Azusa Street Mission where Pentecostalism was birthed almost sixty years before that. In the early 1970’s I heard another man proclaim that the “charismatic movement” was dead.
The word ‘Shekinah’ does not appear in the Bible, but the concept clearly does. The Jewish rabbis coined this extra-biblical expression that literally means “he caused to dwell,” signifying that it was a divine visitation of the presence or dwelling of the Lord God on this earth. The Shekinah was first evident when the Israelites set out from Succoth in their flight from Egypt. After leaving Succoth the LORD went ahead of them by day in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people (Exodus 13:20–22).
In the New Testament, Jesus Christ is the dwelling place of God’s glory. Colossians 2:9 tells us that “in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” In Christ, we see the visible manifestation of God Himself (John 14:9). Just as the divine Presence dwelled in a relatively plain tent called the “tabernacle” before the Temple in Jerusalem was built, so did the Presence dwell in the relatively plain man who was/is Jesus. “He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him” (Isaiah 53:2). But when He returns to earth, we will see the Lord God in all His glory, and the Shekinah will no longer be veiled (1 John 3:2).
Man always tries to “improve” that which God begins. Man always tries to define and name any fresh thing that God begins. Man always tries to codify and set a box around that which God begins. Even the fading out glory of God is awesome and wondrous to behold. How tragic that we can rarely see the glory of God departing from our midst!
But GOD! . His grace and mercy are simply amazing!
Where are the wise men of today who will enter into the level of intercession required for the glory of the LORD to fill the house of the LORD once more? That will be ushered in by the fulfillment of,
Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, spare Thy people O LORD … Joel 2:17
And result in, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).
Chapter 10
The Glory of God
For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11
The sun gives light; a shield protects us. Our shield is faith … not our faith but His faith. More generally, every item which is part of the whole armor of God belongs to Him.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Ephesians 6:13-17
Returning to Psalm 84:11: “the LORD will give grace and glory.” The order in Scripture is always important. We receive His grace initially because of Calvary. “By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is a gift from God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Of course we must then continue to walk in and by His grace. But the end-product is His glory … “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple.2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory. Isaiah 6:1-3
The whole earth has always been full of His glory. Unfortunately men are not aware of or have little or no experiential knowledge of the fullness of His glory. But one day,
For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk 2:141 Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the LORD, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness.2 For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; The LORD of hosts is His name.3 I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of My mouth, and I shewed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass.4 Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass;5 I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I shewed it thee: lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them.6 Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.7 They are created now, and not from the beginning; even before the day when thou heardest them not; lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I knew them.8 Yea, thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that time that thine ear was not opened: for I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb.9 For My name's sake will I defer mine anger, and for My praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off.10 Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.11 For Mine own sake, even for Mine own sake, will I do it: for how should My name be polluted? and I will not give My glory unto another. Isaiah 48:1-11
If we believe that those Verses applied only to the Jews around 712 B.C., then we miss the mark. Human nature has never changed. We must interpret those Verses and all Verses in light of what they mean for us today. In addition, the LORD says that He will not give His glory unto another. But He will let us share in His glory provided that we remain steadfast in Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to conform us to His image.
And God said, Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: … Genesis 1:26a
I believe, therefore, that before the fall of Adam man was originally covered with the glory of God to a far greater extent than now. When Adam/Eve disobeyed God (sinned) they lost that covering of the glory of God and were therefore naked (had no covering). God then covered them with coats of the skin that all human beings currently have (not the skins from animals). Now there is a glory of man, but it is only temporary.
24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. 1 Peter 1:24-25For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Romans 3:23
Now, all true believers hope to be clothed upon once more, in the future, with the glory of God.
1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:2 By Whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-217 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together.18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:17-18
16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.17 For He received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory, This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.
18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with Him in the holy mount. 2 Peter 1:16-18
5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the Spirit: for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life.7 But if the ministration of death, written[and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:8 How shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious?9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. 2 Corinthians 3:5-11
Of course it is needless to say that the glory of God far surpasses the glory of anything else in the universe. There simply is no comparison. The Greek word “excellent glory” in 2 Peter 1:17 and “the glory that excelleth” in 2 Corinthians 3:10 above mean the greatest possible glory. I like the words and music to the following two songs:
Glory, glory, glory to the Lamb. Glory, glory, glory to the Lamb.For You are glorious and worthy to be praised, the Lamb upon the throne.And unto You we lift out voice in praise, the Lamb upon the throne.All heaven declares the glory of the risen Lord.Who can compare with the beauty of the Lord?Forever You will be the Lamb upon the throne.I gladly bow my knew and worship You alone.
About 10-12 years ago I heard a word that if there were an assembly of saints in any geographical area, and if the hearts of the believers who assembled were all in one accord to minister to the Lord and only to the Lord, then the result of 2 Chronicles 5:14 could be repeated; i.e., the glory of God would fill the house such that the priests could not stand to minister. Two major conditions to that word must be emphasized:
(1) the hearts of the believers assembled must be in one accord to minister to the Lord; and(2) ministry would be only to the Lord Himself; i.e., no ministry to other believers.
The second condition rules out much of the activity in church gatherings at all levels today; i.e., no teaching and no preaching. Of course there is a time and place for ministry on a horizontal level, but that would not be the purpose of the gathering that I heard about. But we need to be careful not to try to make those conditions a legalistic matter. The conditions must be brought about by the Spirit of God working in the lives of us believers.
I believe it is significant that in almost all of the occurrences when I have experienced a heightened measure of the glory of the Lord, I was alone. In other words, I was one with myself and with the Lord. Just think of the magnitude of the presence of the glory of the Lord if there were twenty-five believers who were all in one accord, as on the day of Pentecost and on the day of the dedication of Solomon’s temple in 2 Chronicles 5:13-14 and 7:1-3!
This is a difficult word to communicate because in general we have not experienced such a presence of the glory of the Lord in our gatherings. We may have seen many miracles in our gathering and may have experienced many emotional highs, but the manifest presence of the Lord Himself is another level. Is there any genuine believer who would not want to see the glory of God manifested? I think not.
But herein lays the difficulty. The motivation must not be to experience the glory of God. The motivation must be to minister to the Lord Himself and only to the Lord. Furthermore, there should not be any thought or hint of motivation to get something for myself, not even things that are ordained by God for His saints. Consider Solomon’s (apparent) motivation when God asked him what he wanted. In 2 Chronicles 1:10, Solomon said that he wanted wisdom and knowledge in order to judge God’s people. That attitude was very favorably received by God, culminating in 2 Chronicles 5:14. Now compare, please, Solomon’s attitude and the motivation that I am trying to express. Which of the two do you believe would be more acceptable to the Lord?
A good verse to summarize what our motivation should be is, “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2). You probably have heard the saying that someone is so heavenly minded that he is no earthly good. Well, in reality, unless we are heavenly minded, we will be no earthly good. But that is not the end of the matter concerning experiencing the glory of God.
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork. Psalm 19:17 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.9 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah. Psalm 24:7-1015 So the heathen shall fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth Thy glory.16 When the LORD shall build up Zion, He shall appear in His glory.
Psalm 102:15-16The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in His works. Psalm 104:313 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. Isaiah 40:3-55 Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;6 I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring My sons from far, and My daughters from the ends of the earth;7 Even every one that is called by My name: for I have created him for My glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him. Isaiah 43:5-73 Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts:5 According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so My spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.8 The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, saith the LORD of hosts.9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts. Haggai 2:3-9For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He shall reward every man according to his works. Matthew 16:2729 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.31 And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Matthew 24:29-31When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory: Matthew 25:31And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.John 1:14This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth His glory; and His disciples believed on Him. John 2:11And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was. John 17:522 And the glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as We are one:23 I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me.24 Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am; that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me: for Thou lovedst Me before the foundation of the world. John 17:22-24And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus. Acts 22:111 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:2 By Whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. Romans 5:1-5For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:18But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. Galatians 6:1417 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, Ephesians 1:17-1819 But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.20 Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Philippians 4:19-207 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in Whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.10 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when It testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 1 Peter 1:7-1112 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 1 Peter 4:12-1310 But the God of all grace, Who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.11 To Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:10-1116 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.17 For He received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory, This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased. 2 Peter 1:16-17
Once more, it is not sufficient to talk about or even try to understand the glory of God. We can memorize every Verse in the Bible about the glory of God and have nothing more than a head full of information. We were created and made to experience the glory of God. All of us have experienced the glory of God to some degree. For me, the two times that I have experienced the greatest measure of the glory of God occurred when I was a guest in the home of a good brother in Tennessee. In both cases I woke up very early and found the room where I was sleeping filled with smoke. In both cases the Lord spoke some words to me that I had never heard or read. In one of those encounters, His presence was mighty upon me for at least 30 minutes. But I am sure that some of you have experienced an even greater level of His glory.
Once more we must emphasize that we need to be careful not to seek the glory of God for ourselves; rather we are to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto us. Our purpose is to glorify God in all that we are, do, and say.
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory, for Thy mercy, and for Thy truth's sake. Psalm 115:1
Chapter 11
Psalm 102
We must add one more thought concerning the glory of God. When shall we see the fullness of the glory of God? Psalm 102 is one place in Scripture that seems to answer that question. No human throughout all of time seems to know who wrote that Psalm (but of course the real Author is the Lord Himself). In that regard, this Psalm is rather unique in the Psalter. Some have attributed the Psalm to David during the time when his son, Absalom, revolted from him. Others have attributed it to Daniel or Nehemiah or Jeremiah during the time of the captivity in Babylon. My sense is that the Lord did not want man to know the human author. One thing is certain … this Psalm is prophetic over all of time … it has specific application and exhortation to all believers over all of time.
1 A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto Thee.2 Hide not Thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline Thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily.3 For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth.4 My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread.5 By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin.6 I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert.7 I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.8 Mine enemies reproach me all the day; and they that are mad against me are sworn against me.9 For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping,10 Because of Thine indignation and Thy wrath: for Thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down.11 My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.12 But Thou, O LORD, shalt endure for ever; and Thy remembrance unto all generations.13 Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come.14 For Thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof.15 So the heathen shall fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth Thy glory.16 When the LORD shall build up Zion, He shall appear in His glory.17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.18 This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD.19 For He hath looked down from the height of His sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth;20 To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;21 To declare the name of the LORD in Zion, and His praise in Jerusalem;22 When the people are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.23 He weakened my strength in the way; He shortened my days.24 I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: Thy years are throughout all generations.25 Of old hast Thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of Thy hands.26 They shall perish, but Thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt Thou change them, and they shall be changed:27 But Thou art the same, and Thy years shall have no end.28 The children of Thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before Thee. Psalm 102
Verse 1: A prayer (supplication) of the afflicted (or humble, needy, poor, lowly) when he is afflicted. In other words, what follows should be the prayer of any believer over all of time who is afflicted. The word, “afflicted,” means depressed literally or figuratively in mind or circumstances, and can be translated in many different ways. The tendency for many believers is probably to interpret “afflicted” in a physical sense, as when we have some physical sickness or disease. However that does not agree with the life of Jesus on earth nor with the intended life of a believer. When Jesus walked the face of the earth as a Man, He never had any physical sickness or disease, yet Isaiah 53:4-7 states very clearly that He was afflicted. Further,
9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.
James 4:9-10
Verse 9 seems to run counter to our Christian understanding … “let our laughter be turned to mourning, and our joy to heaviness.” Aren’t we supposed to laugh, be happy, and be joyful? Further, those two verses sound like a commandment! James says, “Be afflicted,” but surely the Lord never tells us to be physically sick … just the opposite.
And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee. Exodus 15:26
We are to mourn and weep during our afflictions … but not for ourselves. “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). “Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare Thy people, O LORD” (Joel 2:17). Paul said that he rejoiced in his sufferings for us (Colossians 1:24). But we must be careful that we do not miss what is being said in James 4:9. First of all those verses, like all of Scripture, are written for believers, not for heathens. It is truly a time of joy and rejoicing when one soul becomes born again. “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth” (Luke 15:10). However, being born again is not the end of the matter for a believer … only the beginning.
Note in James 4:9 the colon after the word “weep.” That means what follows the colon explains what has just preceded. May I suggest that it is not possible for a believer to “be afflicted, and mourn, and weep” by their own will or power. The key word is “let,” which means “allow.” Only the power of the Holy Ghost can work within a believer the desire to be afflicted, and mourn, and weep, and that not for ourselves but that the Lord might be glorified. It is like the so-called “prodigal son” who initially said “give me” but later repented, went back to his father, and said “make me.”
There may well be different levels of affliction for believers. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19), but surely the highest such level must be gleaned from the life of Jesus on earth. Jesus was spit upon, buffeted with a reed, mocked, had a crown of thorns jammed on His head, was struck by the palm of men’s hands, was told by the Pharisees that He had the spirit of Beelzebub, and was crucified on the cross, with nails driven through His hands and feet. But Jesus endured two levels of affliction beyond any of those. The first was that, just before He was taken as a prisoner, all the disciples fled (Mark 14:50). Moreover, “He came unto His own and His own received Him not (John 1:11).” Of course one of the original twelve chosen by Jesus was Judas, who betrayed Him for 30 pieces of silver.
12 For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him:13 But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.14 We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company. Psalm 55:12-14And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. Matthew 10:21
The Verse above does not speak of heathens. It speaks of professing Christians who will betray one another rather than go to jail or be killed. Further, concerning “the brother shall deliver up the brother unto death,” … does that speak of natural brothers or brothers in Christ? Many seeds are already in place in the visible church that indicates the latter will happen. May God have mercy on us.
However, Jesus experienced an even greater affliction than being denied by His own people. That happened when “He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus said, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” But God cannot be in the presence of sin. There is no greater affliction than to be rejected by your own father. That happened in the natural realm many years ago when my wife, Linda, was cut out of her father’s will because he was afraid she would give her portion of his empire to the “church.”
Verses 2-12: These verses speak of the great distress that believers go through in the natural realm. The summary is given in Verse 11: “My days are like a shadow that declineth; And I am withered like grass.” We have no hope outside of Christ. “But Thou, O LORD, shall endure forever; and Thy remembrance unto all generations.”
Verse 13: “Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come.” Both the author of this Psalm and the date written are largely unknown. So what is the “set time” for the Lord to have mercy on Zion? I believe that the answer is anytime or every time. “Zion” is the dwelling place of the LORD (Psalm 76:2). Zion represents the remnant, the overcomers, over all of time.
Verse 16: “When the LORD shall build up Zion, He shall appear in His glory.” Here is the answer to the question, “When will the fullness of His glory be seen?”
Verses 19-20: “For He hath looked down from the height of His sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth; To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;”
Verses 25-28: With His first creation God manifested His glory (see Psalm 8:1-4; 19:1; 29:3-9; 104:1,31; Isaiah 6:3; and Job 40:10). But He is more enduring than anything He has made. The first creation will give way to a new creation (see Isaiah 65:17; 66:22; 2 Peter 3:13; and Revelation 21:1).
Chapter 12
God’s Eternal Purpose for Man
The first thing we must understand is that God had/has a purpose for everything that He has ever done or ever will do. The second thing we must understand is that His purposes will be fulfilled, with or without you and with or without me.
24 The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:25 That I will break the Assyrian in My land, and upon My mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.26 This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations.27 For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and His hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back? Isaiah 14:24-27
The third thing that we must understand is that God created everything for His purposes, not for your purposes and not for my purposes; not for your pleasure and not for my pleasure..
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created. Revelation 4:11
The fourth thing that we must understand is that Abba Father has purposed that all things shall be centered in His Son, Christ Jesus. Further, this purpose goes back to eternity past before the foundation of the world.
8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, Who created all things by Jesus Christ:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,11 According to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:12 In Whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him. Ephesians 3:8-12
If we desire to be firmly rooted and grounded in our Sure Foundation, we need to understand something about the plan and purpose of God. Many of us Christians seem to have a selfish outlook on life. We want to interpret the Bible as it relates to US ... salvation for us, blessings for us, healing for us, deliverance for us, gifts for us, ministry for us, safety for us now, and a ticket to heaven for us in the "sweet by and by." This approach gives us a distorted view of the Bible, of life, and its meaning. This approach will also lead to doctrinal errors and a swamp of misunderstanding. Man wants to begin everything with himself, but the Bible begins with God. It is VERY important to see that God's eternal purposes existed BEFORE He created anything!
In order to appropriate our Sure Foundation, we need to start with God and who He IS. Genesis 1:1 starts with, “In the beginning God …” John 1:1 starts with “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. “ Hebrews 1:1 starts with “God …” In most churches the emphasis is placed on the works of God rather than on His person. That was the major battle when Jesus walked the face of the earth. Human nature has never changed so that is still the major battle today. Although many could accept His works, the religious elite of the day refused to accept who He was! Jesus said, in John 6, that some people followed Him because of His miracles and others followed Him simply to eat of the loaves and be filled. In John 6, we see the turning point of the ministry of Jesus on earth. The Jews could not accept who He was and even accused Him of speaking heresy.
From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him. John 6:66After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for He would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill Him. John 7:133 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been His counsellor?35 Or who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?36 For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to Whom be glory for ever. Amen. Romans 11:33-36
From Verse 33, above, we also need to understand His judgments and His ways, neither of which are available to the natural, carnal mind; they must be revealed. “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29). Note that the purpose of revelation from the Lord is not simply to make us feel good or have a mental understanding but rather so that we might walk in His ways and do His will. Psalm 103:7 says that, “He made know His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.” Why did He make known His ways to Moses? For two reasons: (1) Moses asked the Lord to show him His ways (Exodus 33:13); and (2) Moses was faithful in all his house (Hebrews 3:2).
God has a purpose and every movement in His sovereignty is governed by the one purpose which is centered in His Son. The Son of God comprehends the whole of the Old Testament and all God’s ways in the Old Testament. Hebrews, Chapters 1 and 2, emphasize the greatness of God’s Son. To repeat, two principles related to divine purpose occur throughout the Bible.
(1) God always works only in relation to His purpose (Ephesians 1:11); and(2) His will is centered in His Son.
He works always and only in relation to His Son. He created all things for and through His Son. The Father never sees us apart from the Lord Jesus, and it is in Him that the blessing of God is to be found. God is a God of purpose, and He is going on with His purpose no matter what happens. (See the next Chapter.) But he always retains man in a place of responsibility. He never lets man off from responsibility. Why? Because His purpose in His Son is to be realized in man, the corporate man in which Christ is to have His fullness (Ephesians 1:23).
Now we come to the specific question of, “Why did God create man? When I was less than three months old in Christ, after an assembly in the home of some good Christian friends, the hostess asked me a question. She said, “Why did God create man?” I had no ready answer and she never provided her answer, although I sensed that she thought she knew the answer. But for a born-again believer, the answer to that question could possibly be the most important answer for us to understand.
One thing is certain. God did not make man, then provide a way for him to be born again (through the Cross of Calvary), and then after he was born again, make him “better.” When man “messes up” what God had intended, God never makes that person or thing “better.” Instead, God starts over with something new. He replaces that old thing with a new thing. The first Adam was replaced by the last Adam; the first man was replaced by the second Man; the Aaronic or Levitical priesthood was replaced by the priesthood after the order of Melchisedec; the Mosaic law was replaced by grace; human works are replaced by rest while walking in the works of God; natural Jerusalem was replaced by the heavenly Jerusalem; animal sacrifice was replaced by the Lamb at Calvary; and the old covenant was replaced by the new covenant. Certainly Calvary was not Plan B … not an afterthought after the first Adam sinned.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him [the beast], whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.9 If any man have an ear, let him hear. Revelation 13:8-9
Many books have been written about the grace of God. I believe that none of us comprehends the magnitude of the amazing grace of God. Certainly, without the grace of God we can do absolutely nothing. Every believer is familiar with the following verses.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
But how easily God’s chosen people can partake of His grace and receive His good gifts only to become completely distracted from His original purpose. In Paul’s last epistle, he told Timothy,
8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 2 Timothy 1:8-9
The calling of God is according to His own purpose and grace. It is no accident that His purpose comes before His grace, so unless we understand and cooperate with His purpose for creating man, then we will always interpret God’s work as it benefits and relates to us. God knew from the very beginning that Adam would fall into sin (disobedience). So God’s ultimate purpose is not simply redemptive in nature. Note that His purpose was given to us in Christ Jesus before the world began.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:4 According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,[My understanding of “pre-destination” is that God lives in eternity but we live in time. God knows all about us. He knows every hair on our head. He knows who will and will not accept Him and His ways. He knew that Abraham would be willing to sacrifice his only son. Although we have a will and are free to make choices, He knows what choices we will make.]6 To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved.7 In Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace;8 Wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;9 Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him:11 In Whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will:12 That we should be to the praise of His glory, Who first trusted in Christ. Ephesians 1:3-129 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of HIS will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. Colossians 1:9-10
Those Verses imply that unless we are filled with the knowledge of His will then we cannot walk worthy of the Lord. There is a prerequisite to walking with the Lord.
17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of HIM:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of HIS calling, and what the riches of the glory of HIS inheritance in the saints. Ephesians 1:17-18And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
Does that Verse still apply if we respond to His call but only for MY purpose? If you had one son in whom you found unspeakable delight, would it not be normal as a father to want many more? So it is with Abba, Father, Who by His nature and choice has desired and purposed to have a vast family of human-divine sons who are made in the image of His only begotten Son. Christ in you, the hope of glory. That is why, in the beginning,
26 And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.27 So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.Genesis 1:26-28
We need to understand the great difference between Verse 26 (“Let Us make man in Our image”) and Verse 27 (“So God created man in His own image”). The word “make” is a totally different word from the word “created.” Those two words (create and make) represent two different processes in God’s plan and purpose for man. Scripture indicates either a three or a four-step process (see below) involved in the “making” of man into that which God has designed. Both the creating and the making are all of Him … He creates and He makes, provided we cooperate with His Spirit and allow Him to make us. It is like what men call the parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. After we are born from above, by His grace, we must repent and ask Father to “make” us into that which He desires.
1 But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine.[Jacob is the natural man; Israel is the spiritual man.]4 Since thou wast precious in My sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.5 Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;6 I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring My sons from far, and My daughters from the ends of the earth;7 Even every one that is called by My name: for I have created him for My glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him. Isaiah 43:1, 4-7The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. Zechariah 12:1
From the verses above, note the 3-step process. The Lord first creates man; then He forms the spirit of man within; then He makes man into the likeness of His image. The “making” process is not yet complete within any of us. But we must cooperate with Him. We must allow Him to make us into that which He desires. That is easy for us to say and/or accept doctrinally; not quite so easy to implement.
It was the Father's original intention that man was first to be a created son [teknon], enjoying all that God by creation could give him. His intention has never changed and will never change. God then designed for man to become a son [huios] ... to enter into a living union and enjoy sonship by a relationship with Christ ... to be IN Christ. But even sons must mature, for God has planned for man to share many things from Himself as the son by faith appropriates them in his life. Further, we were designed to become heirs of God provided that we choose to suffer with Him.
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together. Romans 8:17
Scripture is very clear in many places … no suffering … no glorification. But then God has intended that we go one more step and reign with Christ. That reigning will occur for the overcomers during the millennium.
If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him. 2 Timothy 2:12
The initial salvation experience is free, by His grace. For us to become, be an heir, and reign with Christ, we must qualify. It is not automatic. The Father purposed before the creation to have many sons who are fully mature.
10 For it became Him, for Whom are all things, and by Whom are all things, in bringing many sons [huios, not teknon] unto glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.11 For both He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren,12 Saying, I will declare Thy name unto My brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto Thee.13 And again, I will put My trust in Him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given Me. Hebrews 2:10-13
God our Father wants a family of children who will grow up to be mature sons, co-heirs with Christ, and joint-reigners with Him in the government of the universe. He WILL have such!!!
The Father’s purpose is to give to the Son a glorious Body in which to express His very life, and a family of brothers with whom He might enjoy fellowship. The Father also has declared that in all things the Son shall have pre-eminence.
We have attempted thus far to describe the general purpose that God has always desired for man. But God also created each one of us for a specific purpose. We need to be careful, however, that our specific purpose does not overshadow our general purpose.
4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will.12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we bebond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.14 For the body is not one member, but many.15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him.19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.1 Corinthians 12:4-315 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.[The Lord is not looking for gifts (which come from Him anyway); He is looking for fruit … the fruit of the Spirit. If we cooperate and allow the fruit of the Spirit to be made flesh within us, then we will abound in the knowledge of the Lord.]9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:5-11For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: Romans 11:13
When Paul said, “I magnify mine office,” he was not at all “tooting his own horn” or puffing himself up. He was magnifying his office as a servant. The word “office” is the Greek diakonia, which means a servant. We read in the Old Testament that God sent some prophets to Israel and other prophets to Judah. Scripture is clear that Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles and Peter was the apostle to the Jews. As an aside point, I have met in my lifetime many men who either called themselves an apostle or a prophet or were called that by others. My sense is that I have rarely met a true apostle and only a few true prophets. I assume there are more but definitely not nearly as many as some folks would lead us to believe.
Back in our old house church days, two themes were hammered home to us through our teachers: (1) the need for each individual to know his/her gift/ministry in the body and to function in that place; and (2) “How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying” (1 Corinthians 14:26).
Hindsight, the first theme (# 1, above) we received, although needful, completely overshadowed the Lord’s general purpose for man, and the interpretation given to us of 1 Corinthians 14:26 missed the mark. It led to a democratic spirit prevailing in our midst in several forms … one man, one vote, majority wins (except at times if there was not 100% agreement on an issue then nothing happened). We must remember that the Book of 1 Corinthians was/is an epistle of correction. Next 1 Corinthians 14 is a Chapter devoted wholly to correction. Paul is not praising the Church at Corinth because everyone had a vocal part in the assembly … just the opposite. He is saying that everyone is popping up with something to say and it is not edifying … it is causing confusion. Everyone wants to be seen and heard. I call it “popcorn.” It is true that we are all equal in terms of God’s general purpose for us. It is NOT true that we all have the same ministry or gifts.
The first word I ever shared publicly was “Appropriating the Christ in Others.” We must understand that not everyone in the body is a hand, not everyone is a mouth, not everyone is an ear, not everyone is an eye, etc. The early apostles recognized that truth. Peter was a mouth; John was a heart. In the Book of Acts, Chapters 1-8, Peter and John were always together … they were constant companions. But in the Book of Acts there is not one verse that records that John ever said anything. Do you think that John was jealous of Peter because Peter was always the spokesman? The eye sees much better than the hand; the ear hears much better than the nose; etc. Why? simply because God has ordained it so. So I need to know the specific calling, not only in my life but also in the lives of the other members of the Body of Christ. That is where the true operation of submission enters in. John, as a heart, submitted to Peter, as a mouth, because he recognized both of their specific callings. The same must be true of each believer. To try to function in a place where we have never been called is to invite disaster. Fortunately, the Lord is gracious and full of mercy.
In Acts, Chapter 8, Philip, who was an evangelist, went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ unto them (Acts 8:5). Through his ministry the Lord healed many, delivered many, and did many miracles. But it was only when Peter and John, who were apostles, came to Samaria that the believers were baptized in the Holy Ghost. I am quite certain that Philip was baptized in the Holy Ghost, but apparently he knew that it was a function of the apostles to lay hands on believers that they might be baptized in the Holy Ghost. I see a number of areas where the modern-day church has changed a rhema word to the apostles into a logos word to every member of the Body of Christ.
I have seen good teachers who tried to function as a pastor but it never worked. I have seen those called to prophetic ministry who tried to function as a pastor but it never worked. From the best information that I have gathered, William Branham, who was definitely a true prophet, got off base when he tried to function as a teacher and started teaching some off-center doctrines.
Finally,
16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more.17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:16-17
May I suggest that in order to appropriate the Christ in others, we must know each other by the Spirit and not by the flesh.
Given God’s eternal purpose for creating man, what manner of men should we be? We must have a rectification of our thinking, our actions, our being.
14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:15 And that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again.2 Corinthians 5:14-15He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
Micah 6:8Can two walk together, except they be agreed? Amos 3:3
We have no greater function or purpose in life than to walk with God. To do that we must agree with Him in all things. That brings glory to His heart, but that can be effected only by the power of the Holy Ghost as we cooperate with and yield to Him. Moses said,
32 But now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of Your book that You have written.33 But the LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot out of My book. Exodus 32:32-33
Paul said the same thing.
1 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: Romans 9:1-3
I strongly believe that the Lord desires to bring each one of us to the same state of heart and mind that Moses and Paul expressed. He wants us to identify with Him to such a degree that we lose all consciousness of self and desire that each member of His body might mature and walk with Him daily. I cannot honestly say that I would be willing to be blotted out of His book for the sake of the members of His body. But I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart, for I could wish that I never receive anything from the Lord except that He be glorified and His body be made perfect in Christ.
To see Your face and all of Your beauty.
To know Your grace and all of Your glory.
This is my cry, Oh Lord, my heart’s desire, Oh Lord:
To see Your face, to know Your grace,
This is my cry.
[Words and music by Terry Macalmon]
Chapter 13
God Is Always Moving On
Historically, the Lord has been revealing more of Himself and His Word over the centuries. Likewise historically, the Christian generation that has received more light has been persecuted by the previous generation.
36 And He spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old.37 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish.38 But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.39 No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better. Luke 5:36-39
From Verse 39, above, Christian man still prefers the old wine. We cling to the understanding, traditions, routines, and formats of the old wine. Man, even Christian man, does not like change.
True, living Christianity consists of walking with God as He ever moves on.
Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. Isaiah 9:7And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. Genesis 3:8
The LORD is still walking in His garden. When Jesus appeared to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus,
16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know Him.25 Then He said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself.28 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and He made as though He would have gone further.[Jesus always wants to go further than man wants to go.]29 But they constrained Him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And He went in to tarry with them.30 And it came to pass, as He sat at meat with them, He took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew Him; and He vanished out of their sight.32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the scriptures? Luke 24:16, 25-32
By this time can we all agree that God has an eternal purpose in everything that He has done or ever will do? But God also has a time-table for everything. Ecclesiastes 3:1-17 speaks of a time for every purpose under heaven.
17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Himin well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.1 Peter 4:17-19
Probably every charismatic/Spirit-filled believer can quote 1 Peter 4:17. The problem is that for most such believers, that verse applies to that group of believers “over there.”
In Chapter 9, we briefly outlined a few times when the glory of God departed from His chosen people. There are many more listed in Scripture. The first such occurred with the first Adam, who has been replaced with the last Adam. Then we read of Noah and the great flood. Then we read in the Book of Judges of the time between Joshua and the rise of the monarchy; a time characterized by at least six recurring cycles of apostasy, oppression, cries of distress, repentance, and then gracious divine deliverance. Each cycle has a similar beginning (“The children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord”). That must always result in the Lord leaving His people to their own devices. Then when the oppression (sovereignly brought about by the Lord) became severe, the Lord’s chosen people finally repented and cried out to Him. This was followed by a similar conclusion (“the land had rest … years”).
About 400 years after the glory of God had filled Solomon’s temple to the point that the priests could not even enter into the temple, we read, concerning Judah,
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,2 Stand in the gate of the LORD'S house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD.3 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.4 Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these.5 For if ye thoroughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour;6 If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt:7 Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever.8 Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.9 Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;10 And come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?11 Is this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.12 But go ye now unto My place which was in Shiloh, where I set My name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of My people Israel.13 And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not;14 Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by My name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.15 And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.16 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to Me: for I will not hear thee. Jeremiah 7:1-16
What an indictment is stated in Verse 16! There comes a point when the Lord writes “Ichabod” on that old thing … a word of judgment because His chosen people have strayed too far from Him for too long. Then we arrive at Jeremiah 19, when the Lord said, concerning Judah,
10 Then shalt thou break the bottle in the sight of the men that go with thee,11 And shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter's vessel, that cannot be made whole again: and they shall bury them in Tophet, till there be no place to bury.Jeremiah 19:10-11
There also must soon come a time when time is no longer (Revelation 10:6). The Book of Revelation not only starts with God and ends with God; that Book also starts with “the time is at hand” (Revelation 1:3) and ends with “the time is at hand” (Revelation 22:10). What time is it now in God’s timetable? We believe it is a time of transition. A major time of transition existed in the time of John the Baptist. Jesus said,
26 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet.27 This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face, which shall prepare Thy way before Thee.28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. Luke 7:26-28
The Book of Hebrews is a summary of all the New Testament. All that is in the New Testament is gathered in some way into Hebrews, which speaks of both the most glorious thing and the most terrible thing. The letter was written at a time of very serious crisis, when a whole system which had existed for many centuries was about to pass away (Hebrews 12:26-27; Haggai 2:6). The letter to the Hebrews is the great document of transition from one Israel to another (Hebrews 12:18-24) … from the earthly and temporal to the heavenly and eternal.
At one time, God looked upon Israel as His family (Exodus 4:22). God intended all Israel of old to be a minister of life and light to the whole world, but in unbelief and disobedience, Israel forfeited that inheritance. Israel was called and chosen of God in relation to His Son and His purpose in His Son. But what did Israel do with God’s Son? They refused Him and therefore refused God’s purpose, so God put them aside and passed on. Jesus said,
37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under herwings, and ye would not!38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see Me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Matthew 23:37-39Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. Matthew 21:43
Hebrews was written about 5 or 6 years before 70 A.D., which marked the total destruction of Jerusalem. Not one stone of the temple was left, the priestly services ceased, and the whole country was put into a state of utter desolation. Hebrews is set in a great crisis of spiritual life, for all of time … a warning to all not to go back from Jesus Christ and His ways; and a warning as to what will happen if we do. It was a warning that a time of great testing was coming to those Christians (Hebrews 2:1-3 and Hebrews 11:25-28). The test to everyone is our valuation of the place which is given to Jesus Christ.
If any vessel does not respond to God’s will, God will bypass that person and find another. That is the very meaning of the Letter to the Hebrews. The whole letter to the Hebrews centers around one word … ‘IF,’ which occurs 24 times in the Book of Hebrews; for example,
1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.2 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him; Hebrews 2:1-36 But Christ as a son over His own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: Hebrews 3:6-8For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; Hebrews 3:143 And this will we do, if God permit.4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame. Hebrews 6:3-6For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, Hebrews 10:2636 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.37 For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry.38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him.39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. Hebrews 10:36-39See that ye refuse not Him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused Him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from Him that speaketh from heaven: Hebrews 12:25
If we do not go on we do not forfeit our salvation, we forfeit our inheritance ... our reward.
13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 1 Corinthians 3:13-1513 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14
Earlier, we stated that all that is in the New Testament is gathered in some way into Hebrews, which speaks of both the most glorious thing and the most terrible thing. In the previous page or two we have stressed the “most terrible thing,” namely, to neglect so great salvation and thereby be disqualified from the Kingdom of God (but not necessarily our eventual salvation). Now let us look at the “most glorious thing.”
Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Romans 8:217 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. 2 Corinthians 3:7-11That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. Ephesians 5:2720 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself. Philippians 3:20-2111 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;14 Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Titus 2:11-14
The word “better” occurs more times in Hebrews than anywhere else in the New Testament.
For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God. Hebrews 7:1921 (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by Him that said unto Him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:)22 By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. Hebrews 7:21-22But now hath He obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also He is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. Hebrews 8:6The better covenant is the covenant between the Father and the Son (Genesis 15:17).It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. Hebrews 9:23For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Hebrews 10:34But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He hath prepared for them a city.
Hebrews 11:16Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
Hebrews 11:3539 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. Hebrews 11:39-40Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; Hebrews 3:1
The word ‘partaker’ can be translated as ‘sharer, participant, partner, fellow, or companion.’ That word also occurs in Hebrews 3:14, 6:4, and 12:8. In Luke 5:7, it is translated as ‘partners.’ But the most true and deepest meaning is ‘companions.’ The idea of ‘companions’ runs throughout the Bible as being the ultimate thought of God concerning man and man’s relationship to Him. Both Abraham (Isaiah 41:8) and Moses (Exodus 33:11) were called friends of God. David was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). Jesus chose his companions (disciples, apostles), taught them by word and deed, but then tested and sifted them to see if they were true companions or only looking for what they could get. Companionship with the Lord is always tested and sifted through suffering, persecution, chastening, affliction, and adversity. No one can really receive spiritual knowledge without suffering (Hebrews 11:40).
There is a great tendency in the charismatic/Spirit-filled community to assume that all of the promises in the Bible are mine. In truth, none of the promises are mine … all of the promises are in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). A key in the Epistle to the Hebrews is an appeal for companions of Christ. As the people of an earthly calling were being set aside, this letter of a heavenly calling was presented to them.
Another great system of Christianity has been built up on this earth. It is a very earthy system. Too many Christians are bound up with this historic Christianity, but this whole system must be shaken. The coming of the Lord will be accompanied by a terrible judgment upon this earth, when everything that is not heavenly will be shaken, so shaken that it will just collapse. The Church is a broken thing on earth, but we no longer belong to this world. The real church is a spiritual thing, not an earthly, temporal thing. We have become members of a new Israel, a heavenly people with a new spiritual nature (Romans 9:6 and Galatians 3:16).
Holy brethren, companions of the heavenly calling … we are called to something so much better than has ever been in the history of the world. Therefore, let us go on to perfection.
Chapter 14
The Cross
The Cross has always been an eternal principle inherent in the very nature of God, and a principle which He intends to be reflected everywhere in the universe. The Cross speaks of giving, rather than receiving, sharing rather than keeping for ones’ self, and loving unconditionally. “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). “Freely ye have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8). “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). Note that in all three of those verses, money is never mentioned; and I believe that money is not even implied. What we are to give is our self! We are to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God” (Romans 12:1). When Jesus walked the face of the earth, how much money did He give to others? “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son …” (John 3:16). “In honour preferring one another” (Romans 12:10). “Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).
7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us.13 Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit.14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as He is, so are we in this world.18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.19 We love Him, because He first loved us.20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God Whom he hath not seen?21 And this commandment have we from Him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. 1 John 4:7-21
What does it mean “to love one another”? That does not speak of emotional love. Everyone knows that speaks of agape, which comes only from God. It does not mean that we always give our brother what he wants, but what he needs, based on whatever the Spirit of God tells us. That, of course implies a great maturity level of wisdom and being led by the Spirit. It means that I desire only God’s will for you in your life and you desire only God’s will for me in my life. In Acts 2:45, the early Church “parted to every man as every man had need.” Note that it is a commandment that we love our brother. Fourteen times in the Old Testament (particularly in Deuteronomy) we see the commandment that we are to love the Lord with all our heart. None of those verses speak of also loving our neighbor or brother. In the gospels, however, as well as in the above verses in 1 John, we see the added commandment to also love our brother. That, like all other commandments, is impossible for man to fulfill. It can only be fulfilled by the Christ within.
1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:7 But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:8 And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and thingsunder the earth;11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:1-11
The historic Cross at Calvary is of utmost importance to us as believers, without which we can never fulfill God’s purpose for us. But that is the beginning, not the end of the matter. Before God ever created man, the Father longed for a family of sons who would embrace that same Cross-principle that has always governed His own heart. Until that same loving and giving and sharing can be accomplished in man, there is no real basis of fellowship for God and man. That is why the inwrought Cross in man is so important.
For the preaching of the cross is to them that are perishing foolishness; but unto us which are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18
Our choice as believers is either the Cross [of Calvary] for me, or the inwrought Cross in me for God ... for His purposes. The divine life of giving cannot be combined with the natural, grasping life of getting.
The Work of the Cross and the Way of the Cross
One of the seemingly great paradoxes in the Bible concerns the work of the Cross at Calvary and the way of the Cross within a believer. Consider the following Verses.
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:201 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?4 Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him.10 For in that He died, He died unto sin once: but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God.11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:1-111 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Colossians 3:1-310 That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death;11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
Philippians 3:10-11I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
1 Corinthians 15:31
Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ;” “Ye are dead;” “We are buried with Him by baptism unto death;” “Our old man is crucified with Him;” “We are dead to sin;” “I am being made conformable unto His death;” but then he said, “I die daily.” If I am already dead, how can I die daily?
The answer is that they are two separate and distinct things. The work of the Cross (at Calvary) deals with the old self-life; the way of the Cross is that which the new man must gladly embrace on a daily basis. When Paul said, “I die daily,” he spoke of his willingness to lay down his life for the Gospel.
22 And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:23 Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. Acts 20:22-245 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:7 But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: Philippians 2:5-7
Christ made Himself of no reputation … He emptied Himself … He became a drink offering for all of mankind. Paul did the same thing.
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you. 2 Corinthians 4:7-12
It is only when death works within us … only when we become that poured out meal and drink offering that life can work through me to you and through you to me. That is what delights the Father. That is what pleases Him.
6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing. 2 Timothy 4:6-8
In Verse 6 Paul said that he was ready to be offered. Literally that means he was ready to be a drink offering. No man or priest ever drank the drink offering; it was always poured out.
Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all. Philippians 2:1724 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.26 If any man serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall also My servant be: if any man serve Me, him will My Father honour. John 12:24-26
The corn of wheat speaks of Jesus, but there is also an application to all those who are in Christ. From Isaiah 28:28, bread corn (the sons of God) is bruised (crushed). The corn had to be dried by fire and then beaten. Then two grinding stones were used to make the fine flour for the meal offering. The mill stones crushed the corn in order to make the fine flour (purity of the life of Christ). The mill stone on the earth speaks of circumstances to take out all the coarseness of our life. The other mill stone … the top one … speaks of the working of God in our life. As long as we are a kernel of corn, we have our own identity. But after crushing, we lose our identity in the whole … in Christ, such that the end product is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
The meal offering (see Leviticus 2) speaks of the purity of the character of Christ; He became the meal offering. The drink offering speaks of our complete consecration and devotion, to God.
8 Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.9 The meat [meal] offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests, the LORD'S ministers, mourn.10 The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.11 Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished.12 The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.13 Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat [meal] offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God. Joel 1:8-13
Those Verses in Joel are perhaps the most descriptive of the current church community of any Verses in the Bible. Where are those who have willingly and gladly become a meal offering and a drink offering unto the house of God?
It is only by dying to self and the self-life that spiritual fruit is produced. The secret of a fruitful life lies in pouring out to others and wanting nothing for our self. We must leave our self completely in the hands of God and not care what happens to us. It is only by the way of the Cross that each individual can fulfill the specific purpose for which he was created. Hardship and suffering are endured joyfully by those who are being poured out for Him … for His purposes.
One last word concerning the way of the cross ... the Lord allows difficulties in our life for perhaps several different reasons. In most cases, they are intended to teach us some lesson and/or to bring us to a place of repentance and humility; but a few are to be resisted as hindrances of the enemy. How do we know the difference? That is called discernment, which almost all of us believe we have, but the reality is another story. So the first step is to inquire of the Lord (not another believer). The reason David never lost a battle is because he always inquired of the Lord first as to whether he should go to battle. We must do the same. The war is already won, but if we have ears to hear then we too, like David, will never lose a battle.
The following Chapters speak of the results of allowing the Cross to be fully operative in our lives.
Chapter 15
The Glorious Liberty of the Sons of God
Scripture is very clear that God’s chosen people were in bondage in Egypt for 400 years. Why did it take those Jews 400 years to finally cry out to God for deliverance? Because several generations had grown up in that environment and they never knew that life could be different because the bondage was all that they had ever experienced. The same is true today. Until we have experienced a greater measure of the glorious liberty available to us, we cannot know that it exists (except by faith). Therefore we do not cry out to the Lord to be delivered from our bondages because we do not know that we are in bondage at all. But ever since the fall of the first Adam, all men, including all Christians at every level today, have been in bondage.
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed;32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.33 They answered Him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest Thou, Ye shall be made free?34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. John 8:31-36
Almost every time I have heard a believer quote those Verses, particularly Verse 32, they quote it this way: “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” Why do so many misquote that Verse? Perhaps because of Christian man’s reduction of the plans and purposes of God down to Calvary and the emphasis on “getting people saved.” Now what happened at Calvary is a marvelous event, without which we can proceed no further. We were set free when we were born again because of what Jesus did at Calvary. But that was only the beginning of our life in Christ.
Note in Verse 31 that Jesus was speaking to those Jews that believed on Him. But if we desire to be made free (from our bondage of self) then we must continue in His word. That means much more than simply reading the Bible. Only then will the Truth (the Lord Jesus) make us free. In Verse 33, those Jews declared that they were never in bondage to any man. Technically that may have been true, but they, like us today, were in bondage to king self. In the parable of what we call the “prodigal son,”
11 And He said, A certain man had two sons:12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. Luke 15:11-19
In Verse 13, the word “riotous” does not necessarily mean he was frequently drunken and/or ran around with many women; it means wastefully, dissolutely, or to preserve or save self. In other words before the younger son repented he was simply doing “good” works of the flesh. After he repented and went back to his Father, he said, Father, make me into what you desire. The older son, who stayed with his father all the time speaks of a believer who puts an ‘X’ in all of the right boxes, but whose attitude is all wrong ... his heart was not perfect toward his father or his brother.
Above, I stated that every true believer, regardless of the type of church that they attend, is in bondage … some to a greater extent than others, some to a lesser extent, depending upon our understanding of the purposes of God and the light which we have received and walk in. What are some of these bondages?
First of all, it seems to be part of human nature to prefer someone else to make our decisions for us and to tell us what the Lord is saying. That is why we prefer to spend billions of dollars on Christian books, tapes, videos, “conferences,” music albums, and let the pastor tell us what the Lord is saying. Many of us also like to watch and listen to the myriads of TV “evangelists” rather than listen to the Lord, which takes more effort on our part. One “catchy” little song from the 19th century was “Give me that old time religion … it’s good enough for me. It was good enough for … and it’s good enough for me.”
Human nature does not like change. We Christians do not like change. We feel very comfortable in repeating our standard format every Sunday. I have never seen a church fellowship that did not follow the same routine, week after week. But the life of a believer should be changing every day; likewise church government has to be changing … ever away from the government of, by, and for men to the government of, by, and for the Lord. For the government must be upon His shoulders (Isaiah 9:6).
Unfortunately, some believers are still under bondage to the law as given through Moses. But the law ministers condemnation whereas there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). We must learn to discern between the condemnation that comes from the enemy as compared to the conviction that sometimes comes from the Holy Spirit.
21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it isnow.30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Galatians 4:21-5:16 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.12 Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:13 And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:6-18
Also consider Cornelius (Acts 10:1), “a centurion of the band called the Italian band, A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.” Apparently he was in bondage to good “works;” he just had not yet met the reality of the Lord in his life.
Too many believers labor under the traditions of men, handed down throughout generations.
1 Then came together unto Him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.2 And when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.3 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.4 And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, Why walk not Thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.7 Howbeit in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.9 And He said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. Mark 7:1-13
The essence of those verses is also found in Matthew 15. In Verse 1, note that the Pharisees and scribes came from Jerusalem all the way to where Jesus was at the time, which was at the Sea of Galilee, some 85 miles away! And 85 miles in that day was no small distance, with no planes or trains or cars. Amazing! This was another delegation of fact-finding religious leaders from Jerusalem, sent to investigate the Galilean activities of Jesus. Jesus had already become a Person of interest to the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem. He had become a possible threat to their religion even at this early stage of His ministry on earth. Jesus had not been to a seminary or brought up as a qualified rabbi.
In Verse 2, the delegation sent out by the Jerusalem Sanhedrin found fault with Jesus’ disciples because they ate bread with defiled, unwashed hands. In other words, the religion of the Sanhedrin was of the form, “Our way is the only way. We have all the truth of God.” Human nature has never changed. That is why we have literally thousands of denominations, non-denominations, inter-denominations, fellowships, house churches, and all forms of church groups today.
In Verse 3, note the phrase, “the tradition of the elders.” Scripturally, historically, and experientially, the problem within the chosen people of God has always been because of the elders … those in positional authority but those who do not have spiritual authority. (There are a few good men in visible leadership positions today, but in general they are largely hidden from the masses of Christian people.)
After the Babylonian captivity, the Jewish rabbis began to make meticulous rules and regulations governing the daily life of the people. These were interpretations and applications of the law of Moses, handed down from generation to generation. The tradition of the elders was considered to be binding. In Jesus’ day this “tradition of the elders” was still in oral form. It was not until about 200 A.D. that it was put into writing in the Talmud, which consists of two parts: the Mishnah and the Gemara. The Mishnah is the written compendium of Judaism’s Oral Torah (instruction or teaching). In standard print, the Talmud is more than 6,200 pages long. One specific teaching from the Oral Torah is given in Verses 1-5, above. I have read that another specific entry in the Oral Torah is that no one is allowed to put an egg outside on a stone on a hot Sabbath day because the sun might cook the egg and cooking is not allowed on the Sabbath day.
In Verse 4, note that “when they come from the market” they also must wash their hands before eating. The reason for that, according to the Oral Torah, is that any place (like the market) where Jews would come into contact with Gentiles, or with Jews who did not observe the ceremonial law, they would become ceremonially unclean.
In Verses 6-8, Jesus quoted from Isaiah 29.
13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near Me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour Me, but have removed their heart far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the precept of men:14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. Isaiah 29:13-14
Jesus said that Isaiah prophesied of the Pharisees and scribes, which was 725 years after Isaiah’s time. In reality, Isaiah prophesied of the chosen people of God of his day, the chosen people of God when Jesus walked the face of the earth, and the chosen people of God in our day. Human nature has never changed. That means that the wisdom and understanding of God is still largely hidden to the leaders of the modern-day church. Why? because of the traditions of the elders and because their heart is far from the Lord (focused more on numbers of people, collecting money, and a variety of other less important activities).
Now some charismatic/Spirit-filled believers might think it “funny” concerning the rule in the Mishnah that no one is allowed to put an egg outside on a hot day because the sun might cook it. However, it would be interesting if we knew how many “funny” traditions of men that we charismatic/Spirit-filled believers also have. Some charismatic pastors seem to have no idea about all of the commandments of men that are commonly taught as correct doctrine. If the truth were known, none of us currently see all of the traditions and commandments of men that are accepted as “standard” teaching. Further all of the ways of the Lord are clearly written in the law and in the prophets, if we only had ears to hear.
Then we have the “birds of a feather flock together” syndrome. We like to feel comfortable by being around those who see things the way we do. Further, some believers have been set free from the bondage of the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) and all of its false teachings.
But the greatest bondage of all is reflected in the Verses below.
1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.5 Now He that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, Who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 5:1-518 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him who hath subjected the same in hope,21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Romans 8:18-25
Verse 23 says that we believers, you and me, groan within ourselves, waiting for the redemption of our body. For flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. (1 Corinthians 15:50).
Somewhere around 1972, a true prophet of the Lord told me he had a vision concerning me. He said he saw the Lord slitting the soles of my feet such that my toes would have room to wriggle around. I received the meaning of that vision immediately, but it was not until 6 years later that the Lord made it clear that we would have to leave the New Testament house church of which we were a “member” or else the ministry that the Lord had called me to could not be fulfilled. When the precise timing of the Lord came (on May 30, 1980) and I made known to the other elders that the Lord told us to leave the house church, I never sensed such a freedom and liberty in my life! That was 13 years after the Lord apprehended me. At the same time, I am fully aware that what I experienced of the freedom and liberty of the Lord was/is only a drop in the bucket compared to the glorious liberty of the sons of God that still lies ahead.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:53-57
Chapter 16
The New Jerusalem
Undoubtedly the greatest “reward” for allowing Father to “make” us into that which He desires … or allowing the Cross to work in our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit such that we attain to sonship … is the opportunity to dwell in the New Jerusalem on earth during the millennium.
13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He hath prepared for them a city.
Hebrews 11:13-16
The word “Hebrew” probably comes from the root word eber, which means “a region across” or “from beyond.” The city which God has prepared for us is not the natural, physical city of Jerusalem. It has nothing to do with the geographical Jerusalem in the postage stamp parcel of land called Israel. It is the new, spiritual Jerusalem.
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.[I believe that each and every one of us believers will one day see where we let the Lord down by our works of the flesh, but the grace and mercy of God is simply amazing.]5 And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.6 And He said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son. Revelation 21:1-7
Note in Verse 7 that the promise is to the overcomer, not to someone who only has been “saved.” A multitude of verses testify to that truth.
All believers are aware that the Book of Nehemiah speaks of the natural event when Nehemiah led a remnant of people back to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem. Most believers are also aware that “And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall” (Nehemiah 4:10). If ever there was a fit description of the visible church today, that Verse is it … there is much rubbish in the church world so that we are not able to build the wall.
To fully understand the spiritual, prophetic significance of the wall around Jerusalem, it is good to read the Books of Nehemiah and Ezekiel, which two books contain almost one-third of the words in the Bible which speak of “walls.” A “wall,” of course defines, surrounds, and limits what is inside. Spiritually, the wall around Jerusalem defines the nature, character, beauty, purity, righteousness, holiness, and glory of Christ. So the wall defines what is of Christ and what is not of Christ. The wall separates those within the wall from those without the wall. But one day, and soon, there will no longer be a need for walls because everything shall be turned back over to God.
And said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein: Zechariah 2:420 In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD'S house shall be like the bowls before the altar.21 Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts. Zechariah 14:20-21
I seriously doubt that the Lord is overly interested in all of the natural pots in natural Jerusalem.
In Salem also is His tabernacle, and His dwelling place in Zion. Psalm 76:2
Note that His tabernacle IS in Jerusalem, not will be one day. Just as above, I seriously doubt that the Lord’s dwelling place today is in natural Jerusalem. So that Verse should never be interpreted in the natural realm. Perhaps one of David’s most grossly misunderstood writings is in Psalm 122.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.7 Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.8 For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.9 Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek Thy good. Psalm 122:6-9
Those Verses do not speak of the modern city of Jerusalem in the Middle East. The natural (geographic) city of Jerusalem had a sentence of desolation decreed upon it by Jesus shortly before His crucifixion. That city and the nation of Judah were to be recognized no more by the Lord. The decree was carried out by Titus in 70 AD. Since that time, God does not regard the city of Jerusalem nor the nation of Judah. “Your house is left unto you desolate” (Matthew 23:28). When the Lord makes a decree, no amount of manipulation on the part of mankind will set it aside. I have no doubt that some Jewish people have been/will be “saved.” But I must disagree with a well-known evangelical preacher who claims that all Jews will be saved. I assume he bases his statement on Romans 11:26 (“And so all Israel shall be saved.”) But we must look at all of Scripture, not just the part that we like. Romans 9:6 says, “For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel.”
In the book of Jeremiah (Chapters 18 and 19) we find the decree of destruction for the nation of Judah and the City of Jerusalem. Note that God’s object lesson to Jeremiah was that Israel (the Northern Kingdom) would be marred in the hands of the potter, but He would remake it into another vessel. He HAS DONE IT… in Jesus Christ. The present day Church is predominantly of ten-tribed Israel stock. Historically those tribes carried the message of the Gospel to the rest of the world. We will not here go into further detail about the distinction between natural Jerusalem and spiritual Jerusalem.
And shalt say unto them, thus saith the LORD of Hosts; even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter's vessel, that cannot be made whole again: and they shall bury them in Tophet, till there be no place to bury.
Jeremiah 19:11
Note that the potter’s vessel of Judah and Jerusalem cannot be made whole again. It must be replaced, not made “better.”
The real Jerusalem that many of the scriptures refer to is the one that is being built by the LORD right now, made without hands …by the Spirit of God in the hearts of men … the Church. The Lord started the Church by filling believers with the Holy Ghost, which was evidenced by the recipients speaking in an unknown tongue. That is the tool the Lord is using in the construction of His Beloved City, the New Jerusalem. The Holy Ghost is the only Agent that is necessary. Men have tried to add a few more tools for the purpose of helping the Lord in His project, but they are of no help in the long run. It must be a work of the Spirit.
The ancient Mount Zion was the type of those Christians who progress further into the attributes of Jesus Christ. They are called “My Jewels” by the prophet Malachi.
16 Then they that feared the LORD spoke often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon His name.
17 And they shall be Mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
Malachi 3:16-17
Each of us is being “measured” every day of our life to determine the extent of our final reward. Some believers will attain to a sufficient measure that they can be called an overcomer. Others of us may not make the grade. This has nothing to do with salvation. It is strictly a reward for spiritual achievement pursuant to salvation. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave power (the privilege) to become (achieve to) the sons of God” (John 1:12). Zion! Not every Christian will attain to sonship and what follows.
1 I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand.2 Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof.3 And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him,4 And said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein:5 For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her. Zechariah 2:1-510 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, (the mountain of His Holiness) and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, (the city not made with hands)11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. Revelation 21:10-15
John saw a similar vision on the Isle of Patmos.
1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him:4 And they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads.
Revelation 22:1-4
What John recorded is the account of the deliverance of God’s People… here on this earth, in this time.
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.16 But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He hath prepared for them a city.
Hebrews 11:8-10, 13-16
Appendix
The State of the Union
The first word that I ever wrote about was on the topic of “Church government.” After the Lord took us out of the old house church (on May 30, 1980), I asked permission to attend one of the elders’ meetings to share what I had received from the Lord on that topic. After I shared that word, one of the remaining elders said, “That was the best teaching I have ever heard on Church government. Now let’s get back to what we were doing.”
24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two Thou hast chosen,25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles. Acts 1:24-2610 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be.13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.14 Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. Revelation 22:10-14
The time is at hand. This is the time when everything and everyone is going to his own place. This is the time when men have built their three tabernacles (Matthew 17:1-4). This is the time when men have defined their own sphere of Christianity. This is the time when men have built their own box around their individual interpretation of the Bible. This is another time when we have limited the Holy One of Israel. This is the time of an abundance or multitude of different “folds,” but the Lord has only one flock. (See Chapter 7 on the difference between a fold and a flock.) This is the time when the Christian community in America says that all is well; says that I am going to heaven one day so why worry; says that I’m OK and you’re OK. This is the time when men say that everything in my life is rocking along pretty well. This is the time when the evangelical churches have reduced much of Scripture down to the natural realm. This is the time when much of the charismatic community has reduced much of Scripture down to the natural realm. To reduce that which is intended to be spiritual down to the natural realm is, by definition, called idolatry. This is the time when the visible church has been inoculated, vaccinated, immunized, and anesthetized with a super abundance of “Christian” books, tapes, videos, “conferences,” music albums, and nice sermons on Sunday morning. All of these things make us “feel good.” We have a head full of information about the Bible (some good, much not so good) and mistake that for spirituality. This is the time when we read books and if they agree with our understanding then they are “good” books; otherwise, we discard them. This is the time when hearing the voice of the Lord has become a lost art. This is the time when we have become an “I know that” people rather than “O that I may know Him” people.
This is the time when the spirit of Balaam (ministering for money) runs rampant throughout the charismatic community. I once heard (with my natural ears) a man, whom many called an apostle, say, “If I don’t travel, the money doesn’t come in.” In the early 1970’s I was invited to go to one of the foremost TV “evangelist’s” lavish headquarters to interview for a job in the computer field with his big business ($140 million plus in donations per year). What I saw and heard was sickening. I wrote him a very long letter explaining why I could not work for him if he paid me $100,000 a year (which was pretty good money in those days). Of course I did not hear back from him; neither did he repent; but a few short years later he was put into jail.
Any honest observation will reveal that our current evangelistic and charismatic endeavors are basically selfish. The basic appeal of most churches is to come to our church and “get” something for yourself. This parallels many TV commercials which promote “get what you deserve in life.” Even the “deeper life” conferences are usually promoted on a man-centered level which suggests participants (who pay their $100 plus entry fee) may obtain all sorts of blessings for their own satisfaction. Perhaps even worse are those TV “preachers” who want us to sow our seed (of hundreds and thousands of dollars) into “their” ministry and then promise that the Lord will multiply that seed back to us 10-fold or 100-fold. We see a lot of religious activity but little spiritual growth. What ever happened to the real meaning of sacrifice and the poured-out life? What ever happened to the message preached by the Apostle Paul to come, suffer, and die (to self) so that the Lord may be glorified? God will never revive a self-centered “church” nor the self-centered members of such a “church.” We must experience not a revival but a spiritual revolution.
If you google “Christian ministers who are millionaires” you will find several lists which contain specific names. One such “minister” is worth 150 million. But there are literally hundreds of multi-millionaire “ministers,” particularly in America and Africa. Many of them have plush mansions, a private jet, expensive cars, and many thousands of followers. One quotation from the Huffington Post in June of 2015 reads:
[I don’t know what’s worse: the fact that Sam (not his real name) believes God spoke to him and told him to buy this ($65 million) jet, or the fact that people are so gullible and delusional and are actually supporting this guy.Stop being manipulated and giving your money to the power hungry religious leader who owns two Rolls Royce cars and multiple multi-million-dollar homes.]
Do you think that is an isolated case? Not at all! Who cares that the Body of Christ might mature? Who gets angry at all of such false teachers and false prophets? The Word of God in 2 Peter 2:1-17 and Jude declares the judgment of God that will surely fall upon them unless they quickly repent.
This is another time when professing Christians flock after what appears to be the supernatural but neglect the Author of all true miracles and His eternal purpose for man. Even from my very limited exposure to what is happening in the church world, I see an alarming emphasis toward professing Christians being urged to be “trained” to work miracles, healings, deliverances, etc. One “up and coming” teacher/prophet recently wrote an article titled, “Miracles Are a Must.” Related to that article, he is promoting training sessions for Christians so they can learn how to heal and deliver people. Of the 71 believers who have commented on his article, 69 appeared to say, “Amen, brother.” How sad! The same type of training sessions are promoted in our local area. I believe that promotion is nothing less than pure flesh, initiated by a lack of understanding of how the Lord plans for us to mature in Christ. The Lord is not looking for gifts; He is looking for fruit (Luke 13:6-9) … the fruit of the Spirit. Moreover, consider the example of Jesus, who never did one miracle and never preached one word until He became the Beloved Son in whom the Father was well pleased. (Luke 2:52, Luke 3:22, Luke 4:1, Philippians 2:8, Hebrews 5:9, and others).
This is another time when professing Christians flock after what appears to be the supernatural but neglect the Author of all true miracles and His eternal purpose for man. Even from my very limited exposure to what is happening in the church world, I see an alarming emphasis toward professing Christians being urged to be “trained” to work miracles, healings, deliverances, etc. One “up and coming” teacher/prophet recently wrote an article titled, “Miracles Are a Must.” Related to that article, he is promoting training sessions for Christians so they can learn how to heal and deliver people. Of the 71 believers who have commented on his article, 69 appeared to say, “Amen, brother.” How sad! The same type of training sessions are promoted in our local area. I believe that promotion is nothing less than pure flesh, initiated by a lack of understanding of how the Lord plans for us to mature in Christ. The Lord is not looking for gifts; He is looking for fruit (Luke 13:6-9) … the fruit of the Spirit. Moreover, consider the example of Jesus, who never did one miracle and never preached one word until He became the Beloved Son in whom the Father was well pleased. (Luke 2:52, Luke 3:22, Luke 4:1, Philippians 2:8, Hebrews 5:9, and others).
This emphasis on miracles and the “how to … (fill in the blank)” has the same root as the “school of prophets movement” a number of years ago when several notable men supposedly trained hundreds of thousands to be “prophets.” If you believe that then I have a bridge to sell to you. Only the Lord can raise up a true prophet. “And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;” (Ephesians 4:11). The Lord and only the Lord sets the members every one of them in the body as it pleases Him (1 Corinthians 12:18). For any man to believe that he can teach another man to be a prophet is pure fiction, gross presumption, and worse.
This is the time when we have replaced knowing the Lord with knowing things about the Lord. This is the time when we have traded the godly sorrow that worketh repentance unto salvation not to be repented of (2 Corinthians 7:10) for the worldly sorrow that worketh death. This is the time when the Lord is even scattering the remnant physically so that they must depend solely upon Him. Even the mighty Elijah thought he was the only prophet left but the Lord corrected him and told Him that He had 7,000 more that he did not know about. But the Lord never allowed Elijah to meet any of those 7,000. This is the time when man’s time must be replaced by His time. The Lord still says,
Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of? Isaiah 2:22
This is the time when the Lord says, once more, “Come ye out of her My people that ye be not partakers of her sins” (Revelation 18:4). This is the time when the Lord says once more, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. God loves us so much that He is going to shake our world.
6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.20 And again the word of the LORD came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying,21 Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth; Haggai 2:6-7, 20-2125 See that ye refuse not Him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from Him that speaketh from heaven:26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now He hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:29 For our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:25-29
The world-wide natural disasters, of which we have already seen many, are only the beginning of sorrows. These signs in the earth speak of the soon coming of the Lord. They also speak of tribulation. Then those signs are followed by signs in the heavens, which speak of even greater tribulation and the imminent coming of the Lord. Further, the Lord is going to bring about an economic collapse world-wide. This soon coming economic collapse will make the Great Depression in the United States back in 1929-1932 look like a tea party. I have been waiting and hoping for 49 years that all religious organizations would be taxed. After all, they are all big businesses too. The time is soon coming when no one can buy or sell unless they have received the mark of the beast.
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.5 This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:7 But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.1 John 1:1-7
Please read those seven Verses one more time, slowly. Esau traded his birthright and his blessing for a piece of bread and a mess of red pottage of lentiles. This is the time when we have traded fellowship, communion (koinonia) for socialization. The Apostle John said that our fellowship is with the Father and the Son. There is no greater action on our part than to walk with God on a daily basis. That is what Enoch did and the Lord was so pleased with Enoch that He translated him (Hebrews 11:5).
This is the time when we have traded true communion of the Holy Ghost, which is in the realm of the Spirit and which John defines, for a little piece of bread and a little sip of wine or grape juice, perhaps once a month or perhaps every Sunday. That may indeed make us feel holy, just as singing songs filled with scriptural truth, hearing revelation, being used in preaching, and moving in gifts of the Spirit can likewise make us feel holy. In that atmosphere we can draw near to Him with our lips but our heart may be far from Him. The true communion is between the Holy Spirit and the spirit of redeemed man (2 Corinthians 13:14). The Lord will severely test His people to see the basis for our religiosity. What we do in the green times is no test at all. The real test comes during the dry times. Will we identify with Jesus during those difficult times? Please read the following verses slowly and carefully.
1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.3 For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him:6 For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but He for our profit, that wemight be partakers of His holiness.11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. Hebrews 12:1-17
Note from Verses 10 and 11 that in order to partake of His righteousness and holiness we must endure chastening, we must endure our cross (Verse 2), we must deny our self, take up our cross, and follow Him. We must look diligently for the Lord and His ways. That requires faith and patience. To “follow Him” means much more than simply gathering together every Sunday and repeating what we do every Sunday. It requires a daily dying to self and a constant communion of our spirit with Him through the power of the Holy Ghost.
Now the chastening of the Lord can come to us in different ways, but chastening is most effective when it is proactive rather than reactive, when it is preventative rather than remedial. That is why the Scripture says, “Exhort one another daily while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin [works of the flesh]” (Hebrews 3:13). Who did you exhort today? Who exhorted you today? In reality, when was the last time that you heard a word of exhortation?
So what is the conclusion of the matter? Jesus said,
24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?
[Please read that last verse slowly one more time. Who is a member of the household of the Master of the house? you and me. “28 But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. 29 For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. 30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. 31 For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?” (Luke 23:28-31). The green tree is the Lord; we are the dry. Of course those Verses were first fulfilled in 70 AD. But Christian man cannot fathom that could ever happen to us, even though Jesus said it.]
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28
Who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell? only the Lord. The early church walked in that fear of the Lord (Acts 2:43 and 9:31). The modern day church does not understand, much less walk in, the fear of the Lord. The Lord also said,
6 A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?7 Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible. Malachi 1:6-7
What is polluted bread? all of the off-tangent, watered-down words that so many in leadership positions have taught and preached in our churches.
Equally as important, we must understand and walk in every word that is proceeding out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). Anyone who has read the Bible, either the Old and/or New Testaments, must know that no man except Christ can live the Christian life. There is no place for “me” in our walk with God.
9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps isunder their lips:14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:17 And the way of peace have they not known:18 There is no fear of God before their eyes. Romans 3:9-18
Paul did not write those Verses to heathens. He wrote them for you and me … such that hopefully we would not fall into that same snare. Consider also,
6 Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:6-7
No doubt the evangelically minded and even many charismatics would say that those Verses are intended for heathens so that they might be “saved.” If we read those Verses carefully, it is very clear that is just not true! First of all, Scripture is not written for heathens … it is written for God’s chosen people. From Verse 7, how can we return unto the LORD if we have never been born again? The admonition, the exhortation in those Verses is directed to us as professing Christians. So does, “Let the wicked forsake his way” speak to professing Christians? Yes indeed! “His” way which means “my” way is by definition wicked. We see the same truth in the Verses below. No man can “fall away” from a state to which he has never attained.
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away [apostasy] first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;[Has that falling away or apostasy come? Yes!]4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
Who or what is the temple of God? Those who have been born from above (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). Who is “he that sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God”? King Self!
Therefore all we can do is to say, Father, make me. Help, Lord! We must cry out to Him for His great grace and mercy. But when some small number of priests, the ministers of the Lord, make that cry to the Lord, then we will see the fulfillment of that which the prophet Joel spoke.
Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not Thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? Joel 2:17
And what follows that? the second coming of the Lord.
20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Revelation 22:20-21
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