As we learn more of the secret things as spoken of in Deuteronomy 29:29 and then in Paul's revelation of Christ we find that even Jesus Himself spoke of His flesh as being meat or food. This we saw in a small part in yesterdays post and so it is that I will again turn our attention to this to learn more of this spiritual food. But first I will pull from E-Sword and Pastor Hoekstra's writing of Grace and will again make use of the ESV translation as has become somewhat our habit.
"Hearing the Law"
"Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law?" (Galatians 4:21)
"When people do not really hear what the Law of GOD is saying, they may still desire to be under the Law. Those who are lost and dying in the world often underestimate the message of the Law. They may imagine that it is only calling them to attend religious services or to join a religious organization. Thus, this is missing the message of the Law, they choose to remain under it, trusting in their own best behavior to somehow enable them to pass any final judgment concerning heaven or hell. This is a matter of "not hearing the Law."
Many who are redeemed, having found New Life through trust in Christ, also want to remain under the Law concerning spiritual growth and service. This is another case of "not hearing the Law." Any believer who expects to make progress in a life pleasing to the LORD on the basis of one's own best efforts does not really hear what the Law reveals as GOD's Will for lives. This we know because we hear from them "what is GOD's Will for me?" as if it were but a mystery hidden from them.
The Law of GOD is not suggesting that we "be better;" it is demanding that we "be holy," as Holy as GOD. The Law is not implying that we "be nicer;" it is requiring that we "be loving," as loving as Christ. The Law is not proposing that we "try harder;" it is insisting that we "be perfect," as perfect as our Father in heaven.
The Law of GOD is not asking us to improve ourselves or to be better than the next person. Many times this inaccurate statement is heard: "Just do the best that you can; what more could God require?" Well, GOD is demanding far beyond our human best. His Law is demanding that lives "be Holy," "be Loving," and "be Perfect." Moreover, He Himself is the standard of this Holiness, Love, and Perfection."
The Law, the Word GOD's Will being Our Spiritual Food:
Isaiah 25:6-12 "On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. He will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the LORD GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of His people He will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. It will be said on that day, "Behold, this is our GOD; we have waited for Him, that He might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for Him; let us be glad and rejoice in His Salvation." For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain, and Moab shall be trampled down in his place, as straw is trampled down in a dunghill. And he will spread out his hands in the midst of it as a swimmer spreads his hands out to swim, but the LORD will lay low his pompous pride together with the skill of his hands. And the high fortifications of his walls he will bring down, lay low, and cast to the ground, to the dust."
Isaiah 55:1-5, 6-7 "Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to Me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, My steadfast, sure love for David. Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the LORD your GOD, and of the Holy One of Israel, for He has glorified you.
"Seek the LORD while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion on him, and to our GOD, for He will abundantly pardon."
Jeremiah 3:11-14, 15-18 "The LORD said to me, "Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, "'Return, faithless Israel, declares the LORD. I will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful, declares the LORD; I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your guilt, that you rebelled against the LORD your GOD and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree, and that you have not obeyed My voice, declares the LORD. Return, O faithless children, declares the LORD; for I am your Master; I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.
"'And I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you with Knowledge and Understanding. And when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land, in those days, declares the LORD, they shall no more say, "The ark of the covenant of the LORD." It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed; it shall not be made again. At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart. In those days the house of Judah shall join the house of Israel, and together they shall come from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers for a heritage."
Ezekiel 34:11-16 "For thus says the LORD GOD: Behold, I, I Myself will search for My sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out My sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. I Myself will be the Shepherd of My sheep, and I Myself will make them lie down, declares the LORD GOD. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice."
John 6:41-58 "The Jews grumbled about Him, because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?" Jesus answered them, "Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, 'And they will all be taught by GOD.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me—not that anyone has seen the Father except He Who is from GOD; it is He that has seen the Father (and Knows the Father). Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has Eternal Life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died (they had no trust or belief is why they died). This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh." The Jews (composed of doctors, lawyers, the Priests or today's politically correct crowd the Liberalists) then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us His flesh to eat?" So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood has Eternal Life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on Me, he also will live because of Me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever."
John 10:1-10, 11-18, 19 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by (through) the door is the Shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear His voice, and He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out. When He has brought out all His own, He goes before them, and the sheep follow Him, for they know His Voice (the Law and Will of GOD). A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what He was saying to them. So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep (the Hebrew children) did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have (true) Life and have it abundantly.
I am the good Shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good Shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to My Voice. So there will be one flock, one Shepherd. For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father."
There was again a division among the Jews (made up of the Hebrew elite) because of these words."
1Corinthians 10:1-5, 6-13, 14 "I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them GOD was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play." We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. GOD is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the Way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry."
Revelation 2:1-7 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: 'The words of Him Who holds the seven stars in His right hand, Who walks among the seven golden lampstands. "'I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for My name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; REPENT, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you Repent. Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of GOD.'
Revelation 2:12-17 "To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: 'The words of Him Who has the sharp two-edged sword. "'I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold fast My name, and you did not deny My Faith even in the days of Antipas (speaks to the name of being a true Christian as) My faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore REPENT. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of My mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.'"
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