Teachings
Luk 19:45-46 And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought;
Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Joh 2:17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.
Isa 56:1-12 Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.
Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.
Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.
For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant;
Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.
Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;
Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.
The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.
All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest.
His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.
Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.
Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.
1Co 6:19-20 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?
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
Luk 20:25 And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's.
The temple was a sacred place to Jesus because it represented the place where God meets man, the place where God communes with His creation, where the divine heart meets the human heart. To Jesus, the profiteering in the temple was a violation of a holy place, a violation of the spirit of fellowship between God and His people. It is a house of prayer, a place of communion, the table of the feast where God blesses His people with food for life and God’s people bless Him back with worship. The thieves had intervened, stepped between God and His people, making gain on the spiritual hunger of God’s children. They had channeled and diverted that hunger to feed the lust of their own flesh, and in so doing serve the will of the devil. They had thus turned the house of prayer into an occasion for the devil to have his way. They were stealing that which belonged to God, the whole-hearted communion of His people.
Jesus knew the heart of His Father. He felt the passion that His Father had for His people and manifested that zeal by running out the thieves. He knew the mind of His Father; that He did not want anything to come between Him and the objects of His love. The jealousy of God over His lovers translated into the consuming zeal in the heart of His Son.
In Isaiah 56 the prophet speaks of God accepting and gathering in the strangers, eunuchs, and outcasts of society into His fold. If their heart is for Him, His heart is for them. The prophet contrasts them with the shepherds of Israel. They are blind, they cannot bark as watchmen because they are asleep. Why are they asleep? Their bellies are full of their own ways. They lay down to sleep like dogs that are full. They have no hunger for God; they fill themselves with the fruits of their greed. They have no zeal for the will of God; they only look for that which builds a kingdom unto self. They are drunk with prosperity gained at the expense of God’s people. They serve abundance, not God.
It does not tax the imagination to realize modern counterparts to this condition. To state the obvious, the world is filled with religionists, Christian and otherwise, whose main focus is the establishment of abundance for self veiled in service to God. Power is the end, spiritual hunger is the means. There is a vein of wealth to be tapped into with which to line the pockets and build monuments to self. It is the business of robbing God of that which He only deserves, glory. To say, “All glory to God” does not excuse one if indeed you are robbing God of His possessions even as you speak. The minute you step in between the free communion of God and His people you are a thief and your tables will be overturned.
God knows hearts. He can read a shepherds heart. A real shepherd is a real sheep, one that lives to follow the voice of His shepherd. We are under-shepherds, the flocks belong to Him. Our desire as sheep and under-shepherds should be pleasing the Great Shepherd and opposing anything that would come between Him and His sheep. We are stewards; our passion is to cherish the possessions of our Master. We resist anything that would rob our wonderful Lord of that which belongs to Him. The glory is His, the sheep are His, and we are His.
It is not a difficult thing to point fingers at profiteering kingdom builders. We can easily vilify those that make gain and self serve in the name of religion. But the fact is that not only are we in the church, we are the church. Our bodies are the temple, the dwelling place of the Most High. What goes on in our church is not up to shepherds, it is up to us. We have a free will; we are the overseer of our body, the temple. If we want Jesus to be the pastor of our church, He will be. If we would rather pastor ourselves and only consult Jesus at special times, that is the way it will be. If we would rather let the thieves occupy our temple so shall it be. We must all ask ourselves; who is the shepherd of our temple? If you shepherd yourself, you will be at the mercy of your limited awareness and at the mercy of the merciless enemy. If you turn over your church to Jesus and follow him, you will be blessed by His divine knowledge of green pastures and still waters. You don’t have to have His insight to walk in his blessings; you just have to follow Him. If you run your own church you will be stealing from yourself. You will be your own thief. If you let God be the light of your city, His wealth will be your reward.
In this world of self-centeredness and self-worship we are called to gratefully give up ownership of our temple. God’s temples are not special because of their looks, but because of what goes on in them and what happens through them. What do you allow your church: your body, spirit, and mind, to be used for? Paul warned the Corinthians to flee fornication. Fornication is not a proper use of God’s house. Neither is running movies in your mind of fornication. Hating is misuse. Lying is defiling the temple.God’s house is used for God’s purposes. As overseer, do you allow your church to be desecrated, to be used for that which defies the very God that saved you? Is your church a set apart place, holy to the Lord or is it an auditorium that anyone can rent for any purpose? We are given freedom, the best use of that freedom is to serve one another in love: Gal 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
The fan is in the hand of Jesus, He will thoroughly purge His floor, Matt.3:12. He is, by the wind of His Spirit, destroying that which destroys His church. He is purging the imperfections, every last remnant of the fallen creature. We are made new in Christ, all things have become new. That which is placed in His hands he sets free unto Himself. Those that let loose of their life to the Holy Spirit, who let loose of the chaff, resurrect to newness of life in the Kingdom of God. We trade in control in order to be free; we are abandoned to the will of God and raised in power. Satan gives an illusion of control in order to take control. God blesses those that abdicate the throne of control of their own kingdom and makes them kings and priests in His everlasting kingdom, Rev. 1:6
His house shall be a house of prayer. Prayer is a place of knowing: knowing God’s heart, will, direction, and feelings. It is also a place of knowing ourselves, God’s illumination revealing our innermost hidden thoughts and motivations to us. We pour out our hearts to Him; He pours His goodness into us. Prayer is the place where God’s heart unites with His beloved creations; a place of fellowship. This is what we should be; a house of prayer.
We are to render unto God the things that are God’s. Our highest aspiration is to be truly His, no longer hording ownership of that which we have committed to Him. To be His is not to be a nice sentiment but a way of life. We joyfully surrender life to receive Life.
Before you criticize the church you attend, before you chew up your pastor, examine your own church, your body. What’s going on in your church, who are you letting preach? Is Jesus the sole expositor or do you have a long string of power mongers with many flavors of opinion taking over your pulpit? Are your watchmen asleep? Is your church dedicated to the Lord or is it open to the community at large for any purpose? Does the zeal of His house eat you up or do you eat up His house and use it for your own purposes?
Prayer:
Oh, Father, take complete ownership of this temple. Send your light Lord, illuminate the thieves within, and clean out the moneychangers. Let this house be a house of prayer, a place where you and I enjoy each other in unbroken fellowship. Free me from the shackles of selfishness, set me free into the joy of a life wholly in your will and holy in your eyes. Get glory from this life, my Lord and my God, now and forever.
1. Save from the bondage of sin
2. Exchange or buy back
3. Pay off
GAL 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree:
1PET 1:18,19 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, [as] silver and gold, from your vain conversation [received] by tradition from your fathers;
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
REV 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
God’s love is not a passive love. It does not sit back and muse while destruction happens to those it is directed toward. God’s love conveys the power of His character and the power of His might.
Man sold himself into the bondage of sin. All he had to do was live his life basking in the warmth and freedom of God’s love and provision. But he was not content just to live with God, he wanted to be God. He was not content to enjoy all that God supplied, he wanted take God’s position. He turned his back on the light and chose the darkness. He turned His back on the love of God and chose the coldness of rule by an evil fallen angel, Lucifer.
God Himself took the responsibility for mankind upon him self and came to Earth to save it. Jesus came to set the captive free. He came to REDEEM. He bought back the rights to all of us by dying for us, dying in our place. We were saved from slavery, we no longer are doomed to fulfill the lusts of the fallen angel, we now are free to live in the glory of righteousness. We belong to Him, His power and nature resides in us. We may now be who we are and yet be holy for what we are has been changed by His Spirit.
1. Return to its original or usable and functioning condition;
reconstruct
2. Return to life; get or give new life or energy;
regenerate, rejuvenate
3. Give or bring back;
restitute
4. Bring back into original existence, use, function, or position;
repair
PS 23:3 He restoreth my soul:
1COR 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
God’s original creation of humanity was a great deal different from what we see exhibited today. We were created for peace, love, freedom, discovery, creativeness, fulfillment, and general happiness. We were created in His likeness and this is the type of life He has. He wants us to have His type of life. This is the Kingdom of God, the world of God’s design. We fellowship with Him in the beauty of His world. His world has been made available to us by the blood of His dear Son and is conveyed to us by the Holy Spirit. As subjects of the Kingdom of God we are restored to His original model so that we may enjoy His Kingdom in a restored and living soul.
God designed a wonderful creation. Unfortunately, man exercised his free will and allowed a tenant to move in and take over. This tenant brought with him his evil nature and subsequent destruction. God sent His Son to kick the tenant out, restore what the tenant destroyed, and move the rightful indwelling of God’s goodness back in. Wonderful Jesus restored us to the blessed intention of God’s creation of love!
1. Fill something that had previously been emptied;
fill again, refill
1KINGS 17:10-16 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman [was] there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch [it], he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. And she said, [As] the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I [am] gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go [and] do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring [it] unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day [that] the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat [many] days. [And] the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.
EPH 3:17-21 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
May be able to comprehend with all saints what [is] the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Unto him [be] glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
EPH 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
The lordship of Satan robs humanity of any goodness. Without Christ we are all empty. Jesus Christ came to redeem us, to restore us, and to replenish us, to fill us. He came to make it possible that we could be filled with God’s light. This light brings us God’s power, God’s joy, God’s peace, God’s ability.
If you want to see what God’s intention for us is, look at the life of Jesus. God sent His Son, not only to save us but to be the example of what He wants for us. He does not intend Jesus to merely be admired by us, but to be emulated by us and duplicated in us. We are to be filled with all the fullness of God. We are to grow into the stature of the fullness of Christ. Regardless of whether the church world has set the mark far too low due to lack of faith and false humility, the heart of God is quite clear on this matter. He wants us in the abundance that Jesus lived before us.
God wants to be a constant supply. Just as the barrel of meal did not waste nor did the cruise of oil fail, God wants to continually replenish us. He does not intend for us to remain docile, passively waiting for the rain. The supply is NOW.
JN 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
Not waiting for the rain, hoping for another deluge to fill our broken cisterns. But rather we are to be active, vibrant, replenished champions of warfare, constantly filled by that which flows through us unto the world around us. We are blessed by that which we bless with. We never thirst because we supply the thirsty. We are never hungry because we deal our bread to the hungry. We are the barrels of meal and cruises of oil for this world. We are to be the examples of replenishment as well as the vehicles of replenishment.
ROM 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.
ROM 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
JN 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out
Just as humanity was sold under slavery by the exercise of free will, so the individuals of humanity must exercise free will, one at a time, to come out from under slavery. No one can be forced to be redeemed, restored, and replenished for it is a free choice. Forcing people to accept religion is a sign of false religion, a religion under the direction of Satan. God seeks people to worship Him in Spirit and truth; (reality, Jn. 4:23,24 AMP.). Pretending doesn’t work with God. He sees through everything, down to the thoughts and intentions.
If God is to give us all that He has for us, he must have us. He will only have us if we present ourselves to Him. We must come to Him, present ourselves to Him, lay down our poverty, and reach for His Kingdom.
Prayer:
Father, I want what you want for me. I refuse to hear the enemy any longer when he tries to convince me that I cannot be redeemed, restored, and replenished. Your Son died for my complete establishment into the fullness of your blessings. I present my body and my life to you, all I have is yours. I thank you that all you have is mine, now and forever. What you give me I will pass on that the world may know you. I praise you, my Lord and my King!
Heavenly
Perspective
By Gary Batchelder
Goal setting requires the visualization of the desired outcome. A goal is like a mountain outcropping to which a climber throws a grappling hook and pulls themselves up. The climber must see the outcropping and have the means and the fortitude to attain that level.
We have been provided a common goal. That goal is heaven. Heaven is our final destiny, the highest level. This life is but a tiny moment in the vast scope of eternity. Knowing that these things are true, it behooves us to grab this brief life time and make it eternally significant. Indeed it is our privilege to have this power; it is the gift of life. The sufferings of this present time cannot be compared to the glory which shall be revealed.
ROM 8:18 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.
We can choose to use up this life, chew it up with temporal thinking and temporal living. Or we can sow it as a seed for a great harvest of glory in the next life.
When we have a vision of heaven and eternity with God firmly in mind and heart and by faith see those things as reality, it changes our perspective of things on earth. Things highly esteemed in the eyes of temporally oriented humanity lose their value and even become abominations to us even as they are to God, (Luke 16:15). What we put value upon is what we live for. What we embrace in our heart is what our treasure is.
MT 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth,
where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and
steal:
MT 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth
nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
MT 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
If our treasure is truly in heaven, then heaven's treasure is in our hearts and out of the treasury of our hearts we will bring forth the heavenly perspective that transforms humanity from dumb cattle headed for destruction into wise stewards of their own eternal destiny. What we bring forth from that treasury in word and deed will be objects of revelation that the Holy Spirit can illuminate and use to reach other hearts. The church is to be an example of God's handiwork, its very existence is meant to be a testimony against the agents of destruction, the enemies of souls.
EPH 3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly [places] might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
Gaining Heavenly Perspective
So how do you gain heavenly perspective? The whole of what heaven consists of is God Himself, (Eph 1:23). Heavenly perspective is directly in relation to your proximity to the person of God. Although God is not far from anyone, our hearts can make us far from Him. If you know God you will know what heaven is. If you know God you will know what the world is and what you are. His light reaches every corner; nothing is a surprise to Him. You cannot get near God without gaining perspective. He lives in the timeless eternity. The more you share His person, the more you will live in that perspective.
He calls us unto eternity. If we heed Him, we will draw to Him. If we draw to Him, He will draw close to us.
JAS 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse [your] hands, [ye] sinners; and purify [your] hearts, [ye] double minded.
When you are willing to lay down your temporal illusions, he will fill you with His timeless divine insight, the insight which is reality. To see with His eyes is to be transformed, to bring the essence of heaven into your life. The Holy Spirit takes that which is Christ's and shows it unto you.
JN 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come,
he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but
whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will shew you
things to come.
JN 16:14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall
shew [it] unto you.
JN 16:15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that
he shall take of mine, and shall shew [it] unto you.
He incorporates it into your life, transforming you into a being that more and more conforms to the image of a heavenly citizen.
2COR 3:18 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.
We draw to Him by praising Him from our hearts, worshipping Him in spirit and in truth. Worship is projecting our affections beyond this present world into God's eternity and to God Himself. Worship is the ultimate bowing to the supremacy of God, acknowledging Him as the all-powerful one. And beyond that, it is rejoicing in our subservient position, happily and gratefully giving up the pride of life in exchange for being enveloped in the light of God and being a loved part of his favored universe. Grace is God's offer to us to be a part of Him and share, in love, the greatness of His being.
As we are more and more a part of God, His light shows in our life. He is the Father of Lights and we are reflections of Him. The people that draw others to God are people who have been with God and in whom the light of God has had effect. No amount of religious education takes the place of a real heart contacting the real God. No formula can be concocted that ushers a soul into that transforming presence other than an honest person who is truly willing to give up everything temporal for everything eternal. Hunger for God is something all have but only some recognize for what it is. Only some seek the real object of that hunger and receive from Him the heavenly perspective.
I pray that you will seek Him be seated in heavenly places.
EPH 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
EPH 2:6 And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus:
EPH 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Creating
Hunger
By Gary Batchelder
LK 1:53 He hath filled the hungry
with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
MT 5:6 Blessed [are] they which do hunger
and thirst after righteousness:
for they shall be filled.
Hunger is desire. Hunger could be desire for food, money, recognition, love, power, and many other things. Hunger for God is something everyone has whether they know it or not. The desire for God is in there but for those who fill their lives with everything but God, the knowledge of Him is missing. So they go about in useless quests to fill the void with that which has no substance. That which they cling to as their God substitute eventually reveals its real value, and the famine remains and worsens.
Those that open to God's word, His Spirit, and the example of the church have access to that which fills the hunger. It is up to us in the body of Christ to do our part in creating a hunger for God in the people of the world. It's up to us to direct their hunger to that which they are actually looking for, to give them a "taste" for righteousness.
Advertising the truly good
In our society advertising is everywhere. In all cases and no matter the product or service, creating desire is the ultimate goal of advertising. If you watch a restaurant commercial on T.V. you will see the food presented as delectable as photographic technology will allow. You will also people eating it with great joy. Why is this effective? People follow people, they read people. Even though we know they are actors it reaches hunger and directs it in.
Even though many in the world do not or would not read the Bible, they still read people. That's where the church comes in. It is our joy in our God that people read. The effect of God upon you is their bible until they find the Bible. They look at what you have, and then compare it to what they have, and hunger is born. We can see that it is imperative that God's people prosper in the ways of God that the goodness of God may create hunger.
Dim lights
GAL 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Why is it that people around us do not inquire as to the reason for our joy? Could it be that we really don't have it to the degree that people can read it? If we don't have it, we can't sell it. Our witnessing becomes mere words without fruit. We are trying to get people to eat seeds. They are not attracted to seeds, they are attracted to fruit. When they take in the fruit they get the seeds. The people of the world are fruit inspectors. They sometimes try your joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance to see if it is real and compare it to what they have. And there is the heart of the matter. The working of the Spirit cannot merely be a set of doctrines; He has to be allowed to work in us, to incorporate His personality into ours. In essence, we become the fruits. They become ingrained in our personality and change what and who we are.
Getting real
PS 37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
To delight thyself means to give yourself extreme pleasure. Not an unpleasant task. Find in the Lord extreme pleasure for yourself. Implied and absolutely true is the fact that in the Lord there is extreme pleasure. If you find such pleasure in the Lord it will be difficult not to project to the world that which they hunger for. Your prospering will turn heads and hearts with little effort.
How do you delight yourself in the Lord?
Know Him. He is a delight to know.
Make room for Him in prayer and the Word. You also might have to move some things out of the way. Get the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Spend a great deal of glorious time praying in tongues, building up your faith, (Jude 1:20).
Give Him the gift of your time. Give Him access to your entire schedule book.
Allow Him to be Himself; don't try to "create God". He is quite wonderful the way He actually is.
Don't think you know Him altogether. You may know Him but you don't know Him entirely. If you think you do, you will not grow; pride stops the flow. He is infinite.
Don't go to church and watch God pass by while you look out your window. It is great to see God move but better to be moved by God. Get involved.
Let God have free access to your "house", every room; the painful ones, the dark secret ones, all of them. Let His light heal you.
Let Him at your problems. Sometimes He solves them directly; sometimes he makes you so big that the problems become insignificant.
When we delight ourselves in Him, His desires become our
desires. His wisdom changes that which we have a taste for. When we see
things from His point of view we see what they are. Sin becomes the lousy
food that it is. We love people more like God does. We see the beauty
in that which is truly beautiful. We enjoy life.
Seeds have life in them. They are a stage in a cycle of life from a source that is duplicating it's image. They are destined to die, to release the life within them and be transformed into more of themselves which is the reason for their existence.
Seeds must have earth, water, and sun to undergo this miracle of life multiplication.
The Earth
Luke 8: 5-8
A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.
And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.
And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.
And other fell upon good ground, and sprang up and bare fruit an hundredfold....
Luke 8: 11-15
Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God.
Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
But that on the good ground are they, which, in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
The seed is the precious Word of God. We are the earth, all with potential, not all with the will to give up that which we have and are for that which God knows we can be. God has ordained that we should be a manifestation of His glory here in the world. To do that we must give up the entirety of our personalities and person hood to the seed, trusting in faith that God knows who we really are, and will keep our individuality intact during our transformation. The earth gives the seed the essence of what it is and the seed grows and shows the glory of the earth and the seed as one. We must grasp the seed as the life that it is, not let Satan have permission to steal it like those on the wayside. We must let it transform into roots within us, giving it what we have, changing our nature, not staying on the surface where there is no water like those on the rock. We must give it sole priority, not just high priority, letting the other cares of life fall in around as God provides, not giving our substance to that which is of no eternal benefit like those who were choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. If we are premium earth we hear the Word, keep the Word, and bring forth the fruit which contains the seed within it to sow into the world and continue the multiplication of life.
The Water
1 Cor. 12:13
For by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
John 4: 23
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Romans 8: 16
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.
The water unites the seed and the earth. It permeates the membranes of the seed bringing with it the essential nutrients from the ground. It then enables the seed to sprout roots down into the deep and stems up though the earth to the visible realm. The Spirit of God is that water which opens the seed to us and us to the seed. The Word lives in us and we find life in the Word. Without the water the seed is potential life, with the water it is manifested life.
The seed that fell on the rock withered away because it lacked moisture. It relied upon the rain to come at intervals close enough to sustain it's life because it had no roots deep enough to tap the water in the deeper places. We receive the Spirit within our spirit, the deepest part of our being. Many receive Christ in a rain shower. The Spirit is falling and the Word finds lodging in hearts. As time goes on, the word unfolds, understanding increases, and the Christian grows upward and feels the roots pressing ever downward into the deeper places of the heart, searching for the water of the Spirit. Upward growth requires a sustained supply of water that the occasional rain on the surface cannot afford. The older Christian finds that to maintain growth and produce fruit they cannot sit around and wait for the rain. They must give way to the roots, giving place in ever deeper places in their spirits, becoming more and more sensitive to the Spirit's teachings and leadings. The focus of seeking shifts from the side effects of the Water, ( emotional gratification), to the Water Himself. More water means more release of the Word, more release of the Word means more growth, more growth means more fruit, more fruit means more seed, more seed means more life.
The Sun
1 John 4: 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.
1 John 1: 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.
The sun blesses the earth with light and warmth. If the sun were to cease it's shining all life on earth would also cease in a matter of minutes in a cold darkness. God gives life to all, those that love Him as well as those who don't. Without the light and warmth the seed would remain dormant.
When the seed is first placed under the ground not much of the sun's light affects it, but the warmth of the sun stimulates it's growth As the roots go down and the stem goes up and breaks the surface, more of the plant is exposed to the world and the light. The plant puts forth leaves to increase the number of light receptors which in turn facilitate the miracle of photosynthesis. The water flows through the plant carrying the energy of the sun to the roots and eventually, when maturity arrives, to the fruit. The new Christians have not much light but greatly feel the love of God. As they begin to grow in the Lord and witness in the world they become more able to take in more of God's truth, revelation leads to revelation which leads to more growth, upward and downward.
You, the seed
John 12: 24-26
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.
He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there also shall my servant be; if any man serve me, him will my Father honor.
Luke 9: 23
And he said unto them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
The purpose of the corn of wheat is not to wave around in the wind at the top of a stalk and be beautiful, although there is a season for that. It's destiny is to die, to fall to the earth and be transformed from one into many.
Jesus came to Earth not to only display the power and love of His Father, but to invest Himself. He was that precious corn of wheat that fell into the ground and died so that the life that was in Him could live in the fruit of His death. His death spread His life to us who believe. But it is no coincidence that immediately after speaking of His death, He began to speak of our death in the context of following Him. This is the higher purpose of the seed within us, as well as our purpose.
We've received the seed of Life as a result of the death of Jesus Christ and the death of generations of seeds that denied their life and invested their Life in the Earth. Many Christians, especially in comfortable living conditions, are content to grow fat on the stalk. They pull in the water, bask in the sun, and wave in the wind. Eventually, the fatness becomes a curse, and spiritual diseases such as pride and hypocrisy destroy them. They become unteachable, knowing enough to justify their selfishness, not enough to see their real condition.
There are two kinds of Christians in the world:
Soldiers and Sympathizers.
But the soldier has characteristics that set him apart:
Characteristics of a Soldier
Single-Mindedness
2 Tim. 2:19
An Overwhelming Sense Of Mission
2 Tim. 2:4
Toughness
2 Tim. 2:3
Thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
A Tendency To Unity
1 Cor. 1:10
Skill
2 Tim. 3:16, 17
Vigilance
1 Pet. 5:8
The Sympathizer
His sense of mission causes him to encourage others in the cause without getting physically involved.
He is tough until the price is too great, (loss of security, money, comfort, etc.).
The burden of vigilance he avoids, as well as the burden of blame for the destruction the enemy inflicted while he slept!
CREED OF THE
CHRISTIAN SOLDIER
I'm willing Lord to do,
Whatever you want,
However you want,
Wherever you want,
Whenever you want,
With whomever you want,
For whomever you want,
With all that you give me to do it with!
Typecasting
Introduction
We are now in the midst of a great spiritual battle. The Lord wants prevailing influence over people because He wants to bless and preserve them. Satan wants control because he wants to use them to fulfill his lusts and initiate people into his unholy army. God is bringing people to the truth that they may be free. Satan's biggest concern is to keep people away from the truth and inoculate them from the truth because when people step into the light Satan loses his cloak of darkness and with it his control.
One of the tactics Satan uses to keep souls from the truth is typecasting. Typecasting is a projection of impression upon a group or person that influences them to behave accordingly. Satan's projection is slanderous and totally self-serving. God's projection is totally the truth and purely out of loving concern.
This teaching will deal with how to be blessed and not
victimized by Typecasting.
Satan typecasts humanity
GEN 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
GEN 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree [was] good for food, and that it [was] pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make [one] wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Satan comes to us in the form of a director, as in a play or a movie. He sets the scene, projects the impression that he desires of the characters involved, and then tries to get us to accept our roles and the roles of others as he would have them.
In this scene from the fall of humanity, Satan draws sketches of the three main characters: God, Eve, and himself.
Satan's Projection
1. Himself
Satan portrays himself as a liberator, one with such compassion for the victimized Eve that he would tell her the truth about herself and God without concern for God's wrath, a righteous instigator who is exposing the skeleton in God's closet. Actually, he is a liar, a slanderer only concerned with his own interests.
2. God
God is cast as a ruthless, loveless power-monger, one
who is withholding vital wisdom from Eve because He is intimidated by
her and Adam's potential. In truth all that God didn't want them to have
was the full experience of evil because to fully experience evil one must
be evil. Before the fall, Eve's knowledge of evil was the same as God's;
knowing about it without living it. The closest God ever came to sin was
creating beings with a free will, and Christ on the cross representing
us and assuming the guilt for sin in man's behalf, yet himself without
sin. God never has and never will experience sin like Satan and we have.
If He ever did what a chaotic universe it would be!
3. Eve
Satan enticed Eve to see herself as God's victim, His ignorant little pet. Locked into God's imposed darkness she would never realize who she was or what she could do. She saw herself locked in a prison and saw the only way out through the door of unbelief and disobedience. Actually, she was on the outside of the prison and she broke in, bringing herself and the following generations into the horrible dungeons of despair and cruel confinement, a breeding place for all manner of disease and perversion. Thank God that Jesus came within our prison to break us out!
Eve accepted Satan's direction, assumed the role assigned to her by his words of corruption, believed the slanderous picture of God, and acted out the scene of disobedience. Then, seeing herself in the corrupt eyes of her new master, she felt the shame of nakedness. So was the beginning of a world chaotic under the influence of the evil director, their vision warped, weak, and undiscerning because of emptiness and death in the inner man.
Satan attempts to typecast Jesus
MT 4:3 And when the tempter came to him, he said,
If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
MT 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by
bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
MT 4:5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him
on a pinnacle of the temple,
MT 4:6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down:
for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and
in [their] hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy
foot against a stone.
MT 4:7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt
the Lord thy God.
MT 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain,
and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
MT 4:9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou
wilt fall down and worship me.
MT 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written,
Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
MT 4:11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered
unto him.
One main difference between the temptation of Jesus and that of Eve is that Jesus is fully aware of the nature of Satan. Satan could not hide under a veil of phony, concerned love.
In the first temptation, Satan tries to cast Jesus as one who needs to prove who he is to Satan's satisfaction. But Jesus didn't come to satisfy Satan, He came to satisfy the heart of His Father that longed to liberate the people in bondage to Satan. On another level, Satan tried to portray Christ as one who would independently exercise the power apart from the Father's direction, one desiring to be in command rather than under command. So, indirectly, the devil was trying to undermine the authority relationship between Jesus and His Father. Of course, the human hunger of Jesus was also a factor as Satan tried to use the very body of Jesus as his own ally.
All of the temptations typecast the Father as one who will not provide. Considering who these challenges come from they definitely imply unbelief in, and disrespect for the Father of this Son. God never meets the demands of unbelief to satisfy those who project them. He moves in loving faith, (Gal 5:6).
In the second temptation the devil attempts to cast Jesus as one uncertain of His Father's protection. If He would have jumped He would have been responding to Satan's unbelief. When one is certain of protection, no testing is required. To tempt God is to try to get Him to prove Himself, implying that somewhere in God is an insecurity that would prompt Him to act on a dare to prove to Himself and the world that he indeed is all-powerful. God knows He is God entirely; He has no need to prove it to Himself. His only need to prove it to us is in love for us, not to be a puppet on our strings of evil. There is no insecurity or weakness anywhere in His makeup. God responds to faith and respect which He can move upon without sacrificing who He is.
In the third temptation, the devil tries to cast Jesus as one who wants power at the expense of principle, one who wants authority at the expense of relationship, one who would cast off holiness to gain dominion, (like Satan himself did to his own condemnation). The Father is cast as one who will not supply the Kingdom to His Son, one not worthy of exclusive worship.
In all of His temptations Jesus faithfully maintained in His heart and mind the true image of His father. From this image He knew himself in relationship and did not succumb to the evil typecasting. He was a person living beyond the power of mere humanity, a person living in the image of truth projected by a God of truth.
The Pharisees attempt to typecast Jesus
JN 8:48 Then answered the Jews, and said unto him,
Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?
JN 8:49 Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and
ye do dishonour me.
JN 8:50 And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth.
JN 8:51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall
never see death.
JN 8:52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil.
Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying,
he shall never taste of death.
JN 8:53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the
prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?
JN 8:54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is
my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:
JN 8:55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say,
I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep
his saying.
JN 8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw [it], and
was glad.
JN 8:57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old,
and hast thou seen Abraham?
JN 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham
was, I am.
JN 8:59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself,
and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed
by.
The Pharisees had 4 images that they cast here:
God,
as one who didn't send Jesus, who went along with their persecution of
Him,
Themselves,
as guardians of the truth, authorized by God to expose this heretic and
free His deluded followers from His influence,
Jesus,
as a heretic, a liar, a Samaritan, one empowered and inspired by Satan,
and one who assumed authority upon Himself without God's authorization,
a self-made man,
Satan,
as the one who sent Jesus and who desires to take away the Pharisees'
influence from the masses.
In reality God was the one who sent His Son, Jesus, and authorized and inspired everything that He did and said. Although He allowed it to be, He did not authorize the Pharisees in their persecution of Jesus. They were the self-made men. Their concern was not the truth but their own political positioning with the truth serving as something to hide behind. The evidence that Jesus presented was so overwhelming that only those with their backs turned to the truth could say that He had a devil. The Pharisees were the ones with Satan as ally. They were his marionettes and he was manipulating them behind the scenes. The Pharisees tried to project their own pitiful condition, (self-made, devil inspired, liars, not knowing God), upon Jesus. Since Jesus didn't want to be a liar like they were, He rejected their direction and clearly stated His true role: "I AM"!
Taking God's direction
1PET 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves
unto the elder. Yea, all [of you] be subject one to another, and be clothed
with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
1PET 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that
he may exalt you in due time:
1PET 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
1PET 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a
roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
1PET 5:9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions
are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
1PET 5:10 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].
Satan devoured Adam and Eve and subsequently the rest of humanity when he persuaded them to follow his direction and fall into his typecast image. He tried the same thing with Jesus but failed. Jesus maintained life and then died for us to release that life to us. In Him we have release from the position of being Satan's victim. In Christ we are resurrected from the death we have in Adam. Jesus fulfilled justice and paid the legal fees that we could walk out of our prisons of satanic control in the power of the Holy Spirit. Now we have the potential to live without being under the destructive and corrupting influence of malevolent directors, those who have no heart for us.
Some people resist the idea of anyone directing them. They reject the thought of being directed by God or the devil and think that they are running their own lives according to their own design. They attempt to typecast themselves into an image that appeals to them. The problem with this sort of independent attitude is that it perfectly fits into the devil's plans. Independence was the lure he used on Eve. Few people know that they are being controlled by the devil. He would rather work behind the scenes, making the person being believe that they are doing their own thing when they are actually doing the devil's will.
Sometimes the devil typecasts people into a religious role. He uses high-sounding moralisms and even scriptures to persuade a person to accept a perception of themselves that appears to be acceptable to God on the surface, but actually is far removed from what is revealed to be God's will in the Word and Spirit. There is a religious nature to the flesh which is referred to as heresy in Galatians 5: 19-20:
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these]; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
A heresy is an untruth that separates a person from the liberty and power that is in the truth. Jesus told the Pharisees that their tradition made the word of God of none effect, (Mark 7:13). Obedience and harmony with the truth always brings liberty; that state in which man is free to be want he was intended to be in the power of God. Truth is more than a concept, it is a person. Jesus said that He is the truth, (John 14:6). When we come to the truth we come to Jesus, the Word, (John 1:14), who can see through us:
HEB 4:12 For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful,
and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder
of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner
of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
HEB 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight:
but all things [are] naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we
have to do.
A heresy will always appeal to base desires. It will exalt flesh and tend to make a person feel independent from God. It appeals to pride, causing its victim to feel superior to others, blinded by his own false glory. Satan doesn't mind it when people approach the truth with less than honest hearts because they will walk away empty of any improvement. A heresy can give a false feeling of control. Satan is willing to give you a feeling of power and control if you will give him the actual power to control.
The truth is that there is a structure to this universe we live in. There is a God who has and deserves all authority and reverence. Satan is not on top and neither is man. We can fight and rebel against God's position, against His wondrous glory and love, but all we are doing is destroying ourselves. The fact that man is made in the image of God really irritates the devil. He likes to get man to act like him, rebellious and independent. When man goes along with it he is separated from his true image plunges himself into realms of unnatural poverty. When man hears God and allows the Spirit of Truth to influence him he finds out what it means to be a human, empowered and set free in the fellowship of his Divine Friend and Father.
God as a typecaster
God is also a typecaster. The difference between His typecasting and that of those following the thought of Satan is that His is always the truth. Unlike the roles cast for people in movies and plays, the role God has for us does not involve pretending. We are cast to be ourselves as seen by the One who sees all things clearly. One who finds Himself in God finds his real self. Through His Word, His Spirit, His works, and the works of His people God desires to bring all people into their rightful roles as members of His royal family. He has promised that if we would humble ourselves He would exalt us. To humble ourselves is simply to cast off the typecasting of Satan and that of the world he controls and acknowledge that God is God, that He is the Lord of the universe and deservedly so, that we are His under subjects and privileged to be in His presence and under the influence of His words.
Humility is not beating oneself down to appease a sadistic God as Satan would have the world believe. It is accepting from the heart a lesser position under the King, grateful to be a part of His royal court. If God didn't resist the proud He would have to resign His position as the Supreme Being and give it to the deceived ones who desire to be over Him. God must acknowledge and be true to who He is. When we allow Him to be who He is it is called humility, and for humility God gives us grace. Grace is the openness of God to share His secrets of power, joy, peace, freedom, and all that would bring humans to a full realization of their potential and purpose.
God, and those agencies that truly reflect Him, deal with those that don't know Him in several ways. Among many things they reveal the reality of God's existence, mankind's lost, sinful condition, the reality of God's love, salvation through Christ, and the certainty of eternal judgment for rejection of the light. God, in His mercy, shows the unsaved the truth about the typecasting they are living under and offers them a new part; His perception. Those that accept the truth about God, that bow before Him in humility accepting His supremacy, that believe and receive the Resurrection who is Jesus Christ, (John 11:25), are brought from death into life. He takes on a journey of wondrous exploration in the treasure house that is their life in Him all those that enter through the Door. They discover the true light, who He is, and who they are in Him.
Our Brazen Serpent
JOHN 3:14,15 (Amplified)
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert (on a pole), so must- so it is necessary that- the Son of man be lifted up (on the cross); in order that every one who believes in Him- who cleaves to Him, trusts Him and relies on Him- may not perish, but have eternal life and (actually) live forever!
Numbers 21:5-9(Amplified)
And the people said against God and against Moses, Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is there any water, and we loathe this light (contemptible, unsubstantial) manna. Then the Lord sent fiery (burning) serpents among the people, and they bit the people and many Israelites died. And the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord, that He may take away the serpents from us. So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, Make a fiery serpent (of bronze), and set it on a pole, and if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked to the serpent of bronze (attentively, expectantly, with a steady and absorbing gaze), he lived.
It would seem an unusual thing that Jesus would draw as a type of Himself the brazen serpent that was raised up in the wilderness. Most people would associate a serpent with Satan. In using this type Jesus is revealing the depth of His role as our substitute, our savior. In order to understand our selves we need to see ourselves in relation to the role of Jesus.
In Numbers 21:5-9 we see how the people murmured and God punished them by sending poisonous snakes among them. They asked Moses to pray and ask God to take away the judgment. In a sense, what happened to the people in the physical realm is a reflection of what was happening to them in the spiritual realm. The serpents in the spiritual realm are demons that influence people to rebel against God and the truth. They were injecting the poison of spiritual death causing them to be overpowered and act out one of the symptoms of satanic control: rebellion. God reflected to them in the natural what was happening in the spiritual.
Their reaction was to go to God's minister of mercy, moses, and plead that the serpents be taken away. Moses went to the Lord and the Lord didn't take the serpents away, but He did neutralize the power of the serpents. His answer was to make an image of the curse itself and to put it up on a pole. Whoever would look at the brazen serpent would be healed of the effects of the venom, they would live. The power of the serpents was defeated, their influence was neutralized, and their ability to infect with death and its symptoms was brought to an end.
This scene is a perfect type of the role of Jesus Christ, the defeat of Satan, and the liberation of humanity. Our representatives, Adam and Eve, submitted to the serpent and were bitten, receiving in themselves the vehicle of his influence: spiritual death. Satan works in death as God works in life. All the war, suffering, misery, and sickness in the world are a result of satanic venom flowing in the system of men and women. A person who is bitten by a poisonous snake lives the rest of their life in misery, under the power of the venom, in fear of their impending death, (Hebrews 2:15). Unless there is an antidote, the venom destroys the victim. Jesus Christ is seen three times in this incident. He was with the Father in sending the serpents. He was seen in Moses as a type of mercy, an intercessor who received the way from God and raised the antidote up on the pole, (He laid His life down of His own choosing, no one took it from Him, John 10: 17,18).
He also was seen in the brazen serpent:
GAL 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse
of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is]
every one that hangeth on a tree:
GAL 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through
Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through
faith.
DEUT 21:22 And if a man have committed a sin worthy
of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree:
DEUT 21:23 His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou
shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged [is] accursed
of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee
[for] an inheritance.
IS 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet
we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
IS 53:5 But he [was] wounded for our transgressions, [he was] bruised
for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and
with his stripes we are healed.
IS 53:6 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.
1PET 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree,
that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose
stripes ye were healed.
2COR 5:21 For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Jesus became a symbol of the curse itself to save us from the curse. He did not sin or die spiritually, for all that was necessary was to be the spotless Lamb of God and to be hung on a tree. As the scripture said, anyone who is hung on a tree is accursed of God. Any other manner of death would not have fulfilled the Word of God and brought the wrath of God upon Jesus for our sake. Jesus, in His great love for us, endured the cross with the combined evil of the world laid upon Him, and endured a temporary separation from His beloved Father, (Matthew 27:46). What an unfathomable great price for him to pay, considering how much His spotless heart hated sin and loved His Father! The Mystery is how Jesus loved us so much that He would pay such a price and how His Father loved us so much that He would allow Him to!
When Jesus died, the power of sin died as well, (Romans 6:6). Those who receive this antidote, Jesus, the brazen serpent, will find the effects of venom inherited from Adam neutralized. Satan will no longer have dominion over us because the power of God has made us alive and we are dead to sin, (Romans 6:11-14).
Receiving the antidote
JN 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
The Israelites had to look at the brazen serpent or they would die of snake bite. Just gathering around the pole was not enough. They could write songs about the brazen serpent, listen to others testify of their healings, build massive buildings and organizations in the name of the brazen serpent, yet they would die if they didn't see it!
The power of Jesus is absolutely effective in taking away the ill effects of spiritual death. But it doesn't flow to those who cannot or refuse to see Him. To see the Son is to see Him in the light of the Holy Spirits revelation. The light of man and his witty theology does not illuminate the brazen serpent. False light gives false impression. The Holy Spirit has the only light that will allow us to see Jesus as He really is, (1 COR. 2:9-15).
When the Holy Spirit illuminates Jesus to a hungry, teachable soul they see that He is their salvation. When they accept the fact of His substitutionary work and its relevance for their life and open their heart to it, the power of the resurrection flows in and does away with spiritual death and its symptoms.
11 Peter 1: 3,4 (Amplified)
For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that (are requisite and suited) to life and godliness, through the (full, personal) knowledge if Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue). By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promise, so that through them you may escape (by flight) from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature.
When we see the reality of whom Jesus is,
and our relationship to who He is, we are receiving the Gospel. Gospel
means "good news" is that we can escape the prisons of lust and greed
that lock us into the world's corruption and partake of the divine nature.
He has called out of the serpent's system by His own glory and excellence
(virtue) and given us promises that are backed up by the power of the
Almighty. If we embrace the words of the Lord with our heart the moral
power of the divine nature is released within us, setting us free from
Adam's post-fall bondage. The only way to trust someone's word is to know
them. When we open ourselves to the person of Jesus, the Spirit of God
will show us His glory and then the words of promise that He gives will
be easily acceptable. As we follow through on His promises by the power
of His Spirit we partake of God's nature, living in His peace, joy, love,
and absolute freedom.
Shepherds, Sheep, and Typecasting
1COR 3:18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man
among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that
he may be wise.
1COR 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it
is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
1COR 3:20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they
are vain.
1COR 3:21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
1COR 3:22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life,
or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
1COR 3:23 And ye are Christ's; and Christ [is] God's.
To glory in men is to take the word of man over the word of God. Those teachers of religion who want to make slaves of God's people give the impression that some part of God's provision is exclusively theirs. In promoting themselves, they suppress the growth of God's people and discredit the providence of God in Christ. And yet, in these scriptures people were lifted up in pride over teachers who didn't give such an impression. Paul, Apollos, and Cephas all had their hearts in tune with God's will, not being lords over God's heritage, but examples. The Corinthians were exposed to good teachers and teaching and yet allowed Satan to typecast them into sectarian camps, following the flesh of the teachers rather than the Spirit of Christ which the teachers commended them to.
In 1 Cor. 1: 11-13, the Corinthians were even chastised for making a sectarian camp unto Christ! Some followed Him in a party spirit, reducing His ministry to that of a political leader. In a sense, they made an idol out of Jesus, just as the Israelites eventually did with the brazen serpent, (2 Kings 18:4), because they followed him in a spirit of idolatry. To follow Christ we must follow Him in the Holy Spirit which will cause us to receive all that comes from Christ, (John 16:13-15), and to separate the treasure from the vessel, (Ephesians 4:7). Those who separate into sectarian camps desire to have an appearance of greater wisdom. The desire to be wise to be wise caused the fall in the beginning and still causes the masses to be deceived, in church and out of church. A desire for truth and righteousness causes people to see and receive freedom and fulfillment. Wisdom is not an end in itself but is best in purpose when it is followed to the person of God. Those who desire to have a "loyal following" and those who follow teachers in anything but the Holy spirit are both working to defeat the purpose of God; to bring us into one in His power, (John 17:20-23). Wisdom is what happens when one dwells on the Truth.
The way to wisdom that leads to Truth is the way of the fool; the way of one who disqualifies himself and the corrupt world around him as sources of true light and comes to God empty and hungry, (Luke 1:51-53). If the illusion of worldly wisdom is brought to the altar of sacrifice, God answers by fire and supplies His own impeccable insight in its place.
Ephesians 1:17-23 (Amplified)
(For I always Pray) the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory,
that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation - of insight into
mysteries and secrets - in the (deep and intimate) knowledge of Him, by
having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know
and understand the hope to which He has called you and how rich is His
glorious inheritance in the saints - His set-apart ones. And (so that
you can know and understand) what is the immeasurable and unlimited and
surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated
in the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when
He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His (own) right hand in
the heavenly (places), far above all rule and authority and power and
dominion, and every name that is named - above every title that can be
conferred - not only in this age and in this world, but also in the age
and world which are to come. And He has put all things under His feet
and has appointed Him the universal and supreme Head of the church ( a
headship exercised throughout the church), which is His body, the fullness
of Him who fills all in all - for in that body lives the full measure
of Him Who fills everything everywhere (with Himself).
A heart flooded with light sees and receives the ministry of Jesus as His life flows to us. We see the depth and glory of what He has in us as His inheritance. We see His power in and for us as demonstrated by the resurrection of Christ. We have risen with Him if we open our hearts to Him. We are cast as His body, a manifestation of His perfect love and power, and He is our head. If we will be open to the Head and all the direction and revelation love that He generates in and through us, the lost victims of Satan's miscasting will see the way out of their tragic plots and the way into God's benevolent provision.
JAS 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers
only, deceiving your own selves.
JAS 1:23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like
unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
JAS 1:24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway
forgetteth what manner of man he was.
JAS 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth
[therein], he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this
man shall be blessed in his deed.
2 Corinthians 3:18 (Amplified)
And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.
We must continue in His word. Many a church, a revival, an individual Christian has begun by the light of God's casting only to forget and settle into the mundane roles mandated by the "other" directors, (Satan, "organizers", profiteers, the "dignity and order" obsessed). What is begun in the Spirit cannot be completed in the flesh to God's satisfaction. Many pastors have unwittingly been used of Satan to cast their sheep into paralyzing roles of "pew-sitters", not realizing that a pastor's role is to be an example that inspires the people to find the depth of God for themselves. Many pastors are content just to have control, not motivated by love for God and those in his charge. They think the sheep exist to serve them and their fleshly egos. Their idea of the duties of the "diligent shepherd" is shielding the flock of God from the move of the Holy Ghost and guarding their own political position by means of psychological manipulation. In some this manipulation is in the form of "man pleasing", diplomatically coddling to the fleshly whims of the people rather than acting in the Shepherd's love, standing and fearlessly projecting the council of God even at the risk of carnal opposition. Some suppress real growth and keep at a distance those who promote it for fear of losing the preeminence, the "most spiritual" position. Some desire great prominence, rising on the backs of the "little people" who are deceived and starved by the persuasive personality.
God is raising up shepherds who have a heart for the sheep, shepherds who aren't jealous of a sheep's love and commitment to Jesus, realizing that their job is not to be married to the sheep but to espouse them to Christ, ( 2 Corinthians 11:2 ). God is bringing up shepherds who actually know Him and what He wants, who will not typecast the sheep in roles to please their own power lust or to please the flesh of the sheep, but in roles chosen by the Lord.
God is casting people to play the great scenes of these last days. These parts require more than any of us can produce in our own ability. We need the wisdom and power of the Great Director. As we listen closely to Him and act on his direction, He supplies the grace needed to be good and faithful servants and enter into the joys of our Lord.
There can be no greater role!
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