I John 3:1
"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we (as receptive believers) should be called the sons of God: (or the children of God.) therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not."
Now that’s plain enough isn’t it? My goodness, after three years amongst His own people, what was the statement of the majority? "Crucify Him! Kill Him!" They didn’t know Him. Well, that’s the world’s attitude toward us, whether you know it or not. All right, and so it knows us not because it "knew him not." Now here it comes in verse 2.
I John 3:2-3
"Beloved, now we are the sons (or the first born ones) of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know (beyond a shadow of a doubt) that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man (that’s a generic term meaning also women, boys and girls who are believers) that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he (the Lord, Christ) is pure."
Our receptivity of His activity is what purges or purifies us through Graces activity. We can do noting to cause purification, though with the Holy Spirits aid in our study time He'll wash us by the Living Word. But here again its His activity of cleansing not a labor of our own. Now here comes a religious response to this. What does that tell us? I’ll bet you one thing for sure, if you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that by 12 o’clock tomorrow the Lord would have come for us in the departure, you’d act a lot differently for this next 24 hours. Wouldn’t we? I mean every one of us! We would make sure that we hadn’t had any evil thoughts cob-webbing our minds. We would make sure that we are spiritually, as well as physically and materially, ready for that trumpet call that’s going to come sometime between now and noon tomorrow. I know we would. There isn’t a person a live that wouldn’t take special note to be ready when that moment comes. Matters not our religious conviction if we knew that He was ready to come we'd do everything our religion said was necessary to prepare for Him. Not knowing that the hindrance to us is our religion as the English word “religion” is derived from the Latin word religare which means “to bind up.” Religion is inevitably a bondage to rules and regulations and rituals of devotion, but deeper still it is a spiritual bondage to subservience in the expression of the character and activity of Satan.
We're to be ready all the time, see? But we’re human. We get lax and the first thing you know weeks have gone by and we haven’t really thought about the Lord’s coming. But hey, it’s got to be on our mind constantly, especially as we see as Paul says in Hebrews, ‘The day appearing.’ Now here's the secret we can be in the ready all the time as the five virgins are in the parable of the ten. We can live a Life with our cures always full of oil and in the ready. How you ask? By way of death as shown before, to Live in the power of an Endless Life just as the son of man did. For this is the way of Christ and the way in which He enables us to Live in His resurrection Life as lights and salt in the world of dead men walking because they're separated from God through many means of deception or dis-ease. All right, now then the other one that I just thought of while I was reading this one of course is in Philippians. So let’s go back to Philippians chapter 3, starting at verses 20 and 21.
Philippians 3:20-21
"For our conversation (or if you have a margin, it’s citizenship, the constitution of a commonwealth, form of government and the laws by which it is administered, more simply our way of life we're to reflect God's character and nature) is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile (this corrupt or corruption) body, that it (this body) may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, (the resurrected body, the seed incorruptible) according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue (submit ones self to Him) all things unto himself."
In other words, what are we to be constantly aware of? That maybe in the next hour, we’re out of this old body of flesh and we’re in the new and we’re in Glory! That’s our blessed hope and I can’t stress it enough that all through the early days of Christendom it was that imminent return of Christ that they were looking for. And like I’ve said over and over, Paul wrote of it as though He was coming in his lifetime, until just before he was martyred. He finally speaks of the fact that he’s going to go through physical death, but I don’t think Paul ever expected to. He thought the Lord was going to return before he would die a physical death. All right back to Hebrews chapter 10. And so:
Hebrews 10:25
"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together (with like-minded receptive believers, this can be seen or heard back in genesis where the son's of Jacob are all in agreement as to the course of action to be taken) as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."
Verse 26 and here again is a verse that arouses so many questions and really it’s quite simple.
Hebrews 10:26-27
"For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries."
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
The Epistle to the Hebrews part CCXLIV
Hebrews 10:24
"And let us consider one another to provoke (or to prod, to stir up) unto love and good works:"
You see, the beauty of the true Christian community is that we should not be attacking each other. Nor anyone else of a different persuasion or belief or faith system. Nor are we to be smiling and laughing over some fellow Christian’s misfortune. But, rather, we should be constantly encouraging one another, because you don’t get a word of encouragement from the world or its corrupt religious systems, as they are all indifferent to God. I mean not a word. And yet we’re all human. I don’t have to have my feathers stroked three, four times a day; but once in a while it sure helps to have someone say, "Bill, you have blessed my life." Of course, we’re human and we appreciate that. It encourages us the keep the faith to continue on. And thereby stand in the faith and resistance to the evil one and those subject to him through religion.
Even in our everyday contacts with fellow believers, we should be encouraging one another – not attacking and pulling each other down or tearing each other apart. Though we're to provoke or prod one another,ie...we're to encourage one another to love each other as well as to practice good things of God. Now I think maybe I shared it, but a lot of times people, especially when they get older and they’re no longer able to do the fast-paced work of when they were young, will say, "Well, Bill what can I do? There’s nothing I can do so far as works are concerned." God does not requires the works of religion as the world understands work, What He desires is our helping and aiding all toward faith in Christ.
Well, I had a gentleman come up me; and he liked to work with wood and that was his hobby. Well, he had started making beautiful wood walking canes, and he said, "You know what I do with these? Just as fast as I can make them, I take them out to people in nursing homes who need a cane. And it just thrills them that now they’ve got a beautiful, handmade cane." Well, who would ever think of something like that as good works? Well, God does! God looks at that and that’s a good work. That’s something that is bringing some happiness, some joy to people in a particular need. So don’t ever say, "Well there’s nothing I can do." You’d be surprised how many places there are that God can use whatever you’re capable of doing. For its Him that through His Grace gives us all a ministry of some sort. When it is Him directing it.
All right, verse 25 – a verse that is often taken totally out of context. And it’s stretched to the limit, but we’re just going to take it for what it says, that now as fellow believers, members in Christ's Body, we're in the business of encouraging one another. We are to increase our love for one another because of Who has loved us first. What is the Gift given us? The Holy Spirit, the greatest of all gifts and with Him comes the other spiritual gifts for they all operate through Him to us to the outward world around us. He produces the fruit as He wills or as we grow in the knowledge of Christ, His character and nature becomes ours also. Then we bring in the self-sacrificial Love of God in this manor thereby God gets the glory due Him through Christ in us, just as He did through Jesus, as He wills or in the same manor as.
Hebrews 10:25a
"Not to forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,…"
Now when you get into the Greek, this assembling of ourselves is a lot stronger than here in the English. What it really means is. "Assembling together with our own kind." Birds of a feather do what? They flock together. But too many times Christians don’t. And I have people constantly telling me that where they’re attending church that things are said and done that just simply don’t fit with their own belief system. And what am I going to tell them? "Get out of there! They’re not your own kind. Find a place where they are." And this is exactly what it means, that you are to assemble yourselves together with like-minded believers.
Don’t try to compromise your own belief system in order to get along with a group that is contrary to what you feel the Word declares. Now again, we’re in a time, in an age, when most of us think that if your church isn’t 6,000 members and if you haven’t a 200-voice choir and a big orchestra down front, you’re just not with it. Well, I’ve got news for you. That is not the New Testament-Covenant Church at all. Truth is God has condemned all forms of religion through the death of Christ and to become entangled with such is damnable, as it is enmity to God. Now it has come to that, and we certainly aren’t going to tell people to lock their doors. But that is not the concept of believers coming together in the early church and I don’t think it’s going to end up that way.
I think, it’ll come back to where you have true believers meeting in rather small groups. I was reading a secular magazine the other night, and I could just gather between the lines that our days of freedom and liberty as true Christians are numbered. I mean that. Our days are numbered. And if the Lord doesn’t come, even those of us that are a little bit gray haired, we’re probably going to see some tough times. And that’s why I think we should pray earnestly that the Lord will come – and with those kinds of situations like in China, remember, after the Communists took over China. The Church went underground, and by that we simply mean, that they met secretly in their apartment complexes. They have ‘house churches.’ And so when missionaries went back into China after the doors kind of opened up, they were just astounded at how many true believers were throughout China simply because they had survived with small ‘house churches.’ And we’d better get prepared; it may come back to that.
So rather than just try to find something that’s the biggest church going and the most exciting and the most entertaining; it’s far more profitable spiritually to gather with maybe a smaller group that are truly feeding on the Word of God. Those who have through Christ become Christocentric again. In fact, as I look at this verse, I have to think, what did the Lord Himself say back in the Gospels? "Where two or three are gathered in my name, I’m in the midst of them." And so let’s always keep that in mind.
Hebrews 10:25a
"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,…"
We do need Christian fellowship. Of course, as long as we’re able to assembly with fellow believers, those who are Christ-like even if it’s in a smaller environment, don’t ever forsake that.
Hebrews 10:25b
"…as the manner of some is; but exhorting (or encouraging) one another,: (this is probably written in the early 60’s AD and Paul says) and so much the more, as you see the day approaching."
Well, what day is he talking about? The Lord’s coming! I've always emphasize that especially lately, you want to remember that the whole concept up until just before Paul is martyred is that the Lord would be coming in short order. They had no idea that it would be 2,000 plus years! That never entered their minds. They were expecting the Lord to come almost any moment. Even in Paul’s lifetime. When you know this we can see and understand the language of James, Peter, John and Jude as this was on their minds as they wrote their epistles to the scattered Hebrew believers in the Messiah.
So here’s another indication of that. Don’t forsake yourselves meeting together, Paul says; especially as we draw near to the Lord’s return. Well, if it was apropos in 61 or 62 AD, how much more today? You know, I’ve always gone back to the cartoon of the old caveman who had written across his cave, ‘The end is near.’ But the second picture he had added what? ‘er’ See? Today the end is nearer than it was yesterday. Today this verse is more appropriate. It’s 2,000 plus years closer than when Paul wrote it. And so as we see the day approaching, encourage one another that the Lord is coming! Don’t be caught asleep. Don’t be caught unprepared. By all means don't be trapped in the worlds false gospels, as being many ways to God and religious forms. Remember God is a personal God not a religious God as religion opposes God in all its many ways and forms.
In fact, 1 John chapter 3 comes to mind. See now, all these things I don’t prepare for. I wish I could but I just can’t, as I don’t know exactly how the Holy Spirit is going to lead as we teach. Here you’ll see John’s concept of the Lord’s coming is the same as Paul’s. It could happen anytime even back there in the early first century, in the late 60’s AD. For Jerusalem and Israel as a nation it did as God judged them for their refusing the Messiah and note He waited until Paul and Peter were taken out of the way. For during this time the sun was blackened out and the moon was as blood because the smoke from the ruins of the city was so thick. This happened in 70 AD.
1John 3:1
"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not."
"And let us consider one another to provoke (or to prod, to stir up) unto love and good works:"
You see, the beauty of the true Christian community is that we should not be attacking each other. Nor anyone else of a different persuasion or belief or faith system. Nor are we to be smiling and laughing over some fellow Christian’s misfortune. But, rather, we should be constantly encouraging one another, because you don’t get a word of encouragement from the world or its corrupt religious systems, as they are all indifferent to God. I mean not a word. And yet we’re all human. I don’t have to have my feathers stroked three, four times a day; but once in a while it sure helps to have someone say, "Bill, you have blessed my life." Of course, we’re human and we appreciate that. It encourages us the keep the faith to continue on. And thereby stand in the faith and resistance to the evil one and those subject to him through religion.
Even in our everyday contacts with fellow believers, we should be encouraging one another – not attacking and pulling each other down or tearing each other apart. Though we're to provoke or prod one another,ie...we're to encourage one another to love each other as well as to practice good things of God. Now I think maybe I shared it, but a lot of times people, especially when they get older and they’re no longer able to do the fast-paced work of when they were young, will say, "Well, Bill what can I do? There’s nothing I can do so far as works are concerned." God does not requires the works of religion as the world understands work, What He desires is our helping and aiding all toward faith in Christ.
Well, I had a gentleman come up me; and he liked to work with wood and that was his hobby. Well, he had started making beautiful wood walking canes, and he said, "You know what I do with these? Just as fast as I can make them, I take them out to people in nursing homes who need a cane. And it just thrills them that now they’ve got a beautiful, handmade cane." Well, who would ever think of something like that as good works? Well, God does! God looks at that and that’s a good work. That’s something that is bringing some happiness, some joy to people in a particular need. So don’t ever say, "Well there’s nothing I can do." You’d be surprised how many places there are that God can use whatever you’re capable of doing. For its Him that through His Grace gives us all a ministry of some sort. When it is Him directing it.
All right, verse 25 – a verse that is often taken totally out of context. And it’s stretched to the limit, but we’re just going to take it for what it says, that now as fellow believers, members in Christ's Body, we're in the business of encouraging one another. We are to increase our love for one another because of Who has loved us first. What is the Gift given us? The Holy Spirit, the greatest of all gifts and with Him comes the other spiritual gifts for they all operate through Him to us to the outward world around us. He produces the fruit as He wills or as we grow in the knowledge of Christ, His character and nature becomes ours also. Then we bring in the self-sacrificial Love of God in this manor thereby God gets the glory due Him through Christ in us, just as He did through Jesus, as He wills or in the same manor as.
Hebrews 10:25a
"Not to forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,…"
Now when you get into the Greek, this assembling of ourselves is a lot stronger than here in the English. What it really means is. "Assembling together with our own kind." Birds of a feather do what? They flock together. But too many times Christians don’t. And I have people constantly telling me that where they’re attending church that things are said and done that just simply don’t fit with their own belief system. And what am I going to tell them? "Get out of there! They’re not your own kind. Find a place where they are." And this is exactly what it means, that you are to assemble yourselves together with like-minded believers.
Don’t try to compromise your own belief system in order to get along with a group that is contrary to what you feel the Word declares. Now again, we’re in a time, in an age, when most of us think that if your church isn’t 6,000 members and if you haven’t a 200-voice choir and a big orchestra down front, you’re just not with it. Well, I’ve got news for you. That is not the New Testament-Covenant Church at all. Truth is God has condemned all forms of religion through the death of Christ and to become entangled with such is damnable, as it is enmity to God. Now it has come to that, and we certainly aren’t going to tell people to lock their doors. But that is not the concept of believers coming together in the early church and I don’t think it’s going to end up that way.
I think, it’ll come back to where you have true believers meeting in rather small groups. I was reading a secular magazine the other night, and I could just gather between the lines that our days of freedom and liberty as true Christians are numbered. I mean that. Our days are numbered. And if the Lord doesn’t come, even those of us that are a little bit gray haired, we’re probably going to see some tough times. And that’s why I think we should pray earnestly that the Lord will come – and with those kinds of situations like in China, remember, after the Communists took over China. The Church went underground, and by that we simply mean, that they met secretly in their apartment complexes. They have ‘house churches.’ And so when missionaries went back into China after the doors kind of opened up, they were just astounded at how many true believers were throughout China simply because they had survived with small ‘house churches.’ And we’d better get prepared; it may come back to that.
So rather than just try to find something that’s the biggest church going and the most exciting and the most entertaining; it’s far more profitable spiritually to gather with maybe a smaller group that are truly feeding on the Word of God. Those who have through Christ become Christocentric again. In fact, as I look at this verse, I have to think, what did the Lord Himself say back in the Gospels? "Where two or three are gathered in my name, I’m in the midst of them." And so let’s always keep that in mind.
Hebrews 10:25a
"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,…"
We do need Christian fellowship. Of course, as long as we’re able to assembly with fellow believers, those who are Christ-like even if it’s in a smaller environment, don’t ever forsake that.
Hebrews 10:25b
"…as the manner of some is; but exhorting (or encouraging) one another,: (this is probably written in the early 60’s AD and Paul says) and so much the more, as you see the day approaching."
Well, what day is he talking about? The Lord’s coming! I've always emphasize that especially lately, you want to remember that the whole concept up until just before Paul is martyred is that the Lord would be coming in short order. They had no idea that it would be 2,000 plus years! That never entered their minds. They were expecting the Lord to come almost any moment. Even in Paul’s lifetime. When you know this we can see and understand the language of James, Peter, John and Jude as this was on their minds as they wrote their epistles to the scattered Hebrew believers in the Messiah.
So here’s another indication of that. Don’t forsake yourselves meeting together, Paul says; especially as we draw near to the Lord’s return. Well, if it was apropos in 61 or 62 AD, how much more today? You know, I’ve always gone back to the cartoon of the old caveman who had written across his cave, ‘The end is near.’ But the second picture he had added what? ‘er’ See? Today the end is nearer than it was yesterday. Today this verse is more appropriate. It’s 2,000 plus years closer than when Paul wrote it. And so as we see the day approaching, encourage one another that the Lord is coming! Don’t be caught asleep. Don’t be caught unprepared. By all means don't be trapped in the worlds false gospels, as being many ways to God and religious forms. Remember God is a personal God not a religious God as religion opposes God in all its many ways and forms.
In fact, 1 John chapter 3 comes to mind. See now, all these things I don’t prepare for. I wish I could but I just can’t, as I don’t know exactly how the Holy Spirit is going to lead as we teach. Here you’ll see John’s concept of the Lord’s coming is the same as Paul’s. It could happen anytime even back there in the early first century, in the late 60’s AD. For Jerusalem and Israel as a nation it did as God judged them for their refusing the Messiah and note He waited until Paul and Peter were taken out of the way. For during this time the sun was blackened out and the moon was as blood because the smoke from the ruins of the city was so thick. This happened in 70 AD.
1John 3:1
"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not."
Monday, November 19, 2012
The Epistle to the Hebrews part CCXLIII
Continuing with 1 Corinthians;
1 Corinthians
10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion [completeness in] of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion [partnership with] of the body of Christ?
6:15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members [part] of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot [whoredom, whoremonger of religion Revelation 17, 19:2]? God forbid.
12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
It was for liberty that Christ set the world free from all forms of religion and then to reunite us with God through His body, blood, death, burial, resurrection and ascension for Paul reveals that He led the worlds captives to safety into the heavenliest and holiest place in God and then gave gifts onto men or mankind.
Continuing with our study:
Romans 8:20
"For the creature (creation, nature and us) was made subject to vanity, (the curse) not willingly, (it wasn’t the animal kingdom’s fault nor ours that Adam sinned subjected all to Satan's rule) but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope."
In other words, just as soon as Adam sinned, God came right back with the plan of redemption in Genesis 3:15. So, He subjected everything under the curse but, at the same time, He subjected it in (what?) hope – that one day the curse will end. Now verse 21.
Romans 8:21-23
"Because the creature (creation which includes us) itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption (the curse) into the glorious liberty [freedom from both sin and sins religion]of the children of God. (That’s you and I.) For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, (not just the animal kingdom and the birds and the fish and everything else) but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, (we believers, we’re still under the curse but we carry the first fruits also. Now here it comes) even we ourselves groan within ourselves waiting for the adoption, (or this great transaction) to wit, the redemption of our (what?) body."
For those who have acquired the knowledge and wisdom of God within themselves again this is the departure form here. Now back to Hebrews chapter 10 verse 23.
We try not to preach at anybody, and we try not to attack anyone. I don’t think we’ve ever done that. Why should we? Because the Book speaks for itself. And that’s all we want to do is just get folks to see what the Word of God says. For it has been changed by God from a external and purely physical realm to that of a supernatural and spiritual realm. If we have NOT the eyes and ears to see and hear the difference then we are but blind guides leading the blind. Not what I say, or what anyone else says, but what does the Book say? And with that let’s get right back to where we left off in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 23.
Hebrews 10:23a
"Let us hold fast (just like an anchor) the profession of our (what?) faith…"
Faith. Now you know that is one of the key words that we've been emphasizing. And we’re going to see it explained explicitly when we get to chapter 11. But trust - trust – faith! I just can’t emphasize enough, is simply taking God at His Word! And requires a crisis of change of some kind which is determined by God, because this is the whole idea of our relationship (intimacy, intercourse) with God is to believe what He has said through His Christ the Messiah of Life.
And even though we use all of Scripture, yet Paul is the Apostle to us as Gentiles, and I maintain that if people would just simply study, then receive and believe what Paul writes in his epistles, you wouldn’t need these bookstores full of ‘How To’ books. Wouldn’t need them because he covers every problem of life. And we can solve the problem with what? Trusting onto His faithfulness! Believing what God has said about it! But it’s so hard for people to get that through their heads, that faith begins by first trusting and trust is just simply – Taking God at His Word! God said it, and I receive it then I can believe it! This is what is revealed when we study Abram who God brings through crisis' to be of His faith. And now Paul says, "hang on to it." Don’t let it just become something that you’re careless about but just hang on, that this is what God says and I’m believing it, come what may. We need the attitude of Esther...”If I parish, I parish” was her thought or conviction (Esther 4:16).
Hebrews 10:23a
"Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering;…"
Why does Paul admonish these people then to hang on to their faith? As a manor of living by way of a visible confession, this is also called: to declare openly, this is the meaning of profession. It requires knowledge of the New Covenant in order to profess it. This is the hidden object of the Epistle of Hebrews.
Hebrews 10:23b
"…(for he is faithful that promised;)"
God is faithful! God is faithful to His Family/House. See men can say things, they can even sign contracts but it’s not worth the paper it’s written on. But that’s not what God is. God is faithful and He always keeps His Word. Faith is based on the revelation of God's faithfulness that was known by Seth, Noah, Shem, Eber and Abram/Abraham, Isaac, Jacob/Israel, who all a test to this fact as do those listed in the hall of faith found in chapter 11 here in Hebrews. Now verse 24.
Hebrews 10:24
"And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:"
1 Corinthians
10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion [completeness in] of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion [partnership with] of the body of Christ?
6:15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members [part] of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot [whoredom, whoremonger of religion Revelation 17, 19:2]? God forbid.
12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
It was for liberty that Christ set the world free from all forms of religion and then to reunite us with God through His body, blood, death, burial, resurrection and ascension for Paul reveals that He led the worlds captives to safety into the heavenliest and holiest place in God and then gave gifts onto men or mankind.
Continuing with our study:
Romans 8:20
"For the creature (creation, nature and us) was made subject to vanity, (the curse) not willingly, (it wasn’t the animal kingdom’s fault nor ours that Adam sinned subjected all to Satan's rule) but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope."
In other words, just as soon as Adam sinned, God came right back with the plan of redemption in Genesis 3:15. So, He subjected everything under the curse but, at the same time, He subjected it in (what?) hope – that one day the curse will end. Now verse 21.
Romans 8:21-23
"Because the creature (creation which includes us) itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption (the curse) into the glorious liberty [freedom from both sin and sins religion]of the children of God. (That’s you and I.) For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, (not just the animal kingdom and the birds and the fish and everything else) but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, (we believers, we’re still under the curse but we carry the first fruits also. Now here it comes) even we ourselves groan within ourselves waiting for the adoption, (or this great transaction) to wit, the redemption of our (what?) body."
For those who have acquired the knowledge and wisdom of God within themselves again this is the departure form here. Now back to Hebrews chapter 10 verse 23.
We try not to preach at anybody, and we try not to attack anyone. I don’t think we’ve ever done that. Why should we? Because the Book speaks for itself. And that’s all we want to do is just get folks to see what the Word of God says. For it has been changed by God from a external and purely physical realm to that of a supernatural and spiritual realm. If we have NOT the eyes and ears to see and hear the difference then we are but blind guides leading the blind. Not what I say, or what anyone else says, but what does the Book say? And with that let’s get right back to where we left off in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 23.
Hebrews 10:23a
"Let us hold fast (just like an anchor) the profession of our (what?) faith…"
Faith. Now you know that is one of the key words that we've been emphasizing. And we’re going to see it explained explicitly when we get to chapter 11. But trust - trust – faith! I just can’t emphasize enough, is simply taking God at His Word! And requires a crisis of change of some kind which is determined by God, because this is the whole idea of our relationship (intimacy, intercourse) with God is to believe what He has said through His Christ the Messiah of Life.
And even though we use all of Scripture, yet Paul is the Apostle to us as Gentiles, and I maintain that if people would just simply study, then receive and believe what Paul writes in his epistles, you wouldn’t need these bookstores full of ‘How To’ books. Wouldn’t need them because he covers every problem of life. And we can solve the problem with what? Trusting onto His faithfulness! Believing what God has said about it! But it’s so hard for people to get that through their heads, that faith begins by first trusting and trust is just simply – Taking God at His Word! God said it, and I receive it then I can believe it! This is what is revealed when we study Abram who God brings through crisis' to be of His faith. And now Paul says, "hang on to it." Don’t let it just become something that you’re careless about but just hang on, that this is what God says and I’m believing it, come what may. We need the attitude of Esther...”If I parish, I parish” was her thought or conviction (Esther 4:16).
Hebrews 10:23a
"Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering;…"
Why does Paul admonish these people then to hang on to their faith? As a manor of living by way of a visible confession, this is also called: to declare openly, this is the meaning of profession. It requires knowledge of the New Covenant in order to profess it. This is the hidden object of the Epistle of Hebrews.
Hebrews 10:23b
"…(for he is faithful that promised;)"
God is faithful! God is faithful to His Family/House. See men can say things, they can even sign contracts but it’s not worth the paper it’s written on. But that’s not what God is. God is faithful and He always keeps His Word. Faith is based on the revelation of God's faithfulness that was known by Seth, Noah, Shem, Eber and Abram/Abraham, Isaac, Jacob/Israel, who all a test to this fact as do those listed in the hall of faith found in chapter 11 here in Hebrews. Now verse 24.
Hebrews 10:24
"And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:"
Sunday, November 18, 2012
The Epistle to the Hebrews part CCXLII
Ephesians 1:13a
"In whom ye also trusted,…"
Most of you now know who did Paul always write to? True Believers. Are you sure? Paul never writes to the unbeliever.
So to the believer he says:
Ephesians 1:13
"In whom ye also trusted, (placed your trust, in whom you believe) after that ye heard the word of truth, (well, naturally you can’t believe something until you hear it. And what is the word of truth? This Gospel) the gospel of your salvation: (how that Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose from the dead and that in God's eyes we were in Him through out the crisis) in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise."
The Holy Spirit came in as God’s mark of ownership, when? When we take this in as our own in other wards we take possession of Him, His essence a person of Spirit, that is Christ the Messiah of Life. Here's the question, How much of the house or temple does God occupy? He's the All in all. Now verse 14.
Ephesians 1:14
"Which (this indwelling Holy Spirit in this tabernacle of flesh) is the earnest (down payment, earnest money) of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory."
Now you’ve got to really pick this apart. If the Holy Spirit came into this tabernacle of flesh at the moment of redemption, then you would think that this body was redeemed as well as the soul was, wouldn’t we? But it wasn’t. We were given the right to become, this is not the fulness nor is it full privilege of being a son. Our spirit, soul was redeemed, that seed planted by God hidden within each of us. We know that. The soul and the spirit are already God’s, they’re His, they’re marked as His. When did this take place? Its recorded in Genesis chapter 3 where God is dealing with the woman, the seed is Christ in verse 15. Now the mystery is this that same seed which is Christ Jesus is also the seed hidden in each of us which becomes our spirit alive or awakened from sleep when we receive the word of this revelation in Truth and Light. Our inner heart is the ground of its planting and growth (as a grain the size of a mustard seed which draws it sustenance from the revelation of Life) in the knowledge of Him. But this old body is still down here under the curse, isn’t it? Its made of dirt or earth to house our spirit and acquired flesh life when God birthed into us His breath, again Genesis chapter 1 verses 26a and 27, and chapter 2 verses 6 and 7, Christ is the breath that was breathed or birthed into the house or flesh of mankind. It was this seed which dried up and became dormant until Christ's Eternal Life is received by us.
Not a one of us are immune from sin or pain or suffering or death. None of us. Because this old body is still an unredeemed piece of flesh or dirt. Got that? But, the indwelling Holy Spirit is God’s what? Down payment. And it’s a down payment of such a gift and size that one day He’s going to finish the payment. As we become willing to allow Him to work out our salvation with much fear and trembling on our part. Its so because we resist all that religion and the world through at us to cause us to fall back into sin.
All right, now let’s see, I think I can come to Romans chapter 8. And this all has to do with our physical body of flesh. It’s the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. It’s the dwelling place of our now-redeemed soul and spirit set free and awakened made alive quickened if you will. Consequently, we are responsible with what we do with this dwelling place until we leave it behind. Are we getting how to put the scriptures together and how by the leading of the Spirit they become bread and water to feed us and impart His Life into us? All right, Romans chapter 8 verse 18.
Romans 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 to us. For the earnest expectation of the creature (or the creation, all of creation) waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God."
Or the children of God. Or as said elsewhere the true spiritual Isra-El or the house in which El rules, just as He did in the Son of man, Jesus. You and I. All of creation is waiting for the day when we’re suddenly going to be ready for that glorious Kingdom, the spiritual Kingdom which Jesus Christ revealed within Himself for the 33 years of His first visitation. Now verse 20. But before we go there lets look at 1 Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 6:15, 19-20
"Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.......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."
"In whom ye also trusted,…"
Most of you now know who did Paul always write to? True Believers. Are you sure? Paul never writes to the unbeliever.
So to the believer he says:
Ephesians 1:13
"In whom ye also trusted, (placed your trust, in whom you believe) after that ye heard the word of truth, (well, naturally you can’t believe something until you hear it. And what is the word of truth? This Gospel) the gospel of your salvation: (how that Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose from the dead and that in God's eyes we were in Him through out the crisis) in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise."
The Holy Spirit came in as God’s mark of ownership, when? When we take this in as our own in other wards we take possession of Him, His essence a person of Spirit, that is Christ the Messiah of Life. Here's the question, How much of the house or temple does God occupy? He's the All in all. Now verse 14.
Ephesians 1:14
"Which (this indwelling Holy Spirit in this tabernacle of flesh) is the earnest (down payment, earnest money) of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory."
Now you’ve got to really pick this apart. If the Holy Spirit came into this tabernacle of flesh at the moment of redemption, then you would think that this body was redeemed as well as the soul was, wouldn’t we? But it wasn’t. We were given the right to become, this is not the fulness nor is it full privilege of being a son. Our spirit, soul was redeemed, that seed planted by God hidden within each of us. We know that. The soul and the spirit are already God’s, they’re His, they’re marked as His. When did this take place? Its recorded in Genesis chapter 3 where God is dealing with the woman, the seed is Christ in verse 15. Now the mystery is this that same seed which is Christ Jesus is also the seed hidden in each of us which becomes our spirit alive or awakened from sleep when we receive the word of this revelation in Truth and Light. Our inner heart is the ground of its planting and growth (as a grain the size of a mustard seed which draws it sustenance from the revelation of Life) in the knowledge of Him. But this old body is still down here under the curse, isn’t it? Its made of dirt or earth to house our spirit and acquired flesh life when God birthed into us His breath, again Genesis chapter 1 verses 26a and 27, and chapter 2 verses 6 and 7, Christ is the breath that was breathed or birthed into the house or flesh of mankind. It was this seed which dried up and became dormant until Christ's Eternal Life is received by us.
Not a one of us are immune from sin or pain or suffering or death. None of us. Because this old body is still an unredeemed piece of flesh or dirt. Got that? But, the indwelling Holy Spirit is God’s what? Down payment. And it’s a down payment of such a gift and size that one day He’s going to finish the payment. As we become willing to allow Him to work out our salvation with much fear and trembling on our part. Its so because we resist all that religion and the world through at us to cause us to fall back into sin.
All right, now let’s see, I think I can come to Romans chapter 8. And this all has to do with our physical body of flesh. It’s the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. It’s the dwelling place of our now-redeemed soul and spirit set free and awakened made alive quickened if you will. Consequently, we are responsible with what we do with this dwelling place until we leave it behind. Are we getting how to put the scriptures together and how by the leading of the Spirit they become bread and water to feed us and impart His Life into us? All right, Romans chapter 8 verse 18.
Romans 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 to us. For the earnest expectation of the creature (or the creation, all of creation) waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God."
Or the children of God. Or as said elsewhere the true spiritual Isra-El or the house in which El rules, just as He did in the Son of man, Jesus. You and I. All of creation is waiting for the day when we’re suddenly going to be ready for that glorious Kingdom, the spiritual Kingdom which Jesus Christ revealed within Himself for the 33 years of His first visitation. Now verse 20. But before we go there lets look at 1 Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 6:15, 19-20
"Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.......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."
Saturday, November 17, 2012
The Epistle to the Hebrews part CCXLI
Hebrews 10:20
" (We come boldly) By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;"
So when the body of flesh hung there on that tree/Cross and the blood was shed, this veil that had separated men from God for 2,500 years (the commandment now law [of Genesis 2:17] and the Levitical Law, religion of Judaism among or with all other forms) was now rent from the top to the bottom. This veil symbolized religion and the tearing of it an upon it the forever judgment on religions demise in mans flesh. And now we have full access into the throne room.
Hebrews 10:21
"And having a high priest over the house of God;"
Now this is why, earlier in Hebrews, we spent all that time on the priesthood of Melchizedek – Christ’s High Priesthood on our behalf. Not the Aaronic, external or material priesthood for old Israel or of Judaism – this order of Melchizedek was for the non-Jewish world, as well as the Hebrews. It is an all-inclusive Priesthood. It is this Priesthood that now gives us this free access into that very throne room of Heaven. It is this Priesthood under which all true Christ-like-ones now receive their instructions of worth-ship of El through Christ in them. Now verse 22.
Hebrews 10:22a
"Let us draw near (let us take advantage of this access into the throne room) with a true heart in full assurance of (what?) faith."
Now you see faith and feelings are miles apart. Faith does not demand feelings and feelings do not confirm faith. Faith is something that stands by itself. You just simply take God at His Word without any confirmation. Without anything physical. Without any emotion. Faith is that abiding ability to trust the Word of God the Living Christ. Do you see that little word used? the word “true” what is another word often used “pure” or with a pure heart in full assurance. How's the heart pure by the blood and living water that is now to flow from our inner parts. The living word now seated within us flows from us to those around us all the time. Now completing the verse.
Hebrews 10:22b
"…having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience,…"
This word sprinkling goes all the way back of course, to the sacrificial worship in the tabernacle first, and then later on in the Temple. Now, when the high priest would go in on the day of atonement, he’d come in and he’d make his way back behind the veil (once a year). And what would he do? He would take the blood of that sacrificial animal and he would sprinkle it. In other words, he wasn’t just pouring the blood all over that golden piece of furniture. For it was a sprinkling. But first he had to be cleansed he had to be washed with pure water or flowing living water. And it was God’s way of accepting the fact that the blood had now been offered and it covered the sins of the Hebrew only for a short time. They didn’t have to be completely bathed in blood; it was a sprinkling that God recognized as sufficient. The next word I’m going to spend a little more time on as we complete verse 22.
Hebrews 10:22c
"…having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and with our bodies washed with pure water."
The blood of Christ has cleansed us. Because it’s been applied to our hearts by faith and our bodies washed with pure water. Now that’s not baptism. Some people will try to associate it because this is the custom of all religions, but this is not a reference to baptism. For again, it’s a symbolic thing that we have to understand; that, even though all of these things we’ve been speaking about are in the realm of the spirit and the soul and we speak of the salvation of the soul, where is the soul residing? In this body.
And so what does Paul teach concerning the body? Hey, it’s the Temple, it’s the Tabernacle, it’s the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, the Godhead. And we’re supposed to treat it accordingly. This is not just some ramshackle piece of cloth that’s a tent. This body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, the Godhead and Christ the Messiah when we become a true believer. And so it has to be reckoned as such and we are to reckon it as cleansed by faith.
Now there’s several verses that refer to the body. Go back if you will, to Ephesians chapter 1, starting with verse 13. The same writer that writes these things in Hebrews; the only thing is, he’s writing to the Hebrews who had an understanding of the Old Testament economy, which of course, the Gentiles of Paul’s day knew almost nothing of it – but nevertheless, he brings about the same basic truths only from a different perspective.
Ephesians 1:13
"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,"
" (We come boldly) By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;"
So when the body of flesh hung there on that tree/Cross and the blood was shed, this veil that had separated men from God for 2,500 years (the commandment now law [of Genesis 2:17] and the Levitical Law, religion of Judaism among or with all other forms) was now rent from the top to the bottom. This veil symbolized religion and the tearing of it an upon it the forever judgment on religions demise in mans flesh. And now we have full access into the throne room.
Hebrews 10:21
"And having a high priest over the house of God;"
Now this is why, earlier in Hebrews, we spent all that time on the priesthood of Melchizedek – Christ’s High Priesthood on our behalf. Not the Aaronic, external or material priesthood for old Israel or of Judaism – this order of Melchizedek was for the non-Jewish world, as well as the Hebrews. It is an all-inclusive Priesthood. It is this Priesthood that now gives us this free access into that very throne room of Heaven. It is this Priesthood under which all true Christ-like-ones now receive their instructions of worth-ship of El through Christ in them. Now verse 22.
Hebrews 10:22a
"Let us draw near (let us take advantage of this access into the throne room) with a true heart in full assurance of (what?) faith."
Now you see faith and feelings are miles apart. Faith does not demand feelings and feelings do not confirm faith. Faith is something that stands by itself. You just simply take God at His Word without any confirmation. Without anything physical. Without any emotion. Faith is that abiding ability to trust the Word of God the Living Christ. Do you see that little word used? the word “true” what is another word often used “pure” or with a pure heart in full assurance. How's the heart pure by the blood and living water that is now to flow from our inner parts. The living word now seated within us flows from us to those around us all the time. Now completing the verse.
Hebrews 10:22b
"…having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience,…"
This word sprinkling goes all the way back of course, to the sacrificial worship in the tabernacle first, and then later on in the Temple. Now, when the high priest would go in on the day of atonement, he’d come in and he’d make his way back behind the veil (once a year). And what would he do? He would take the blood of that sacrificial animal and he would sprinkle it. In other words, he wasn’t just pouring the blood all over that golden piece of furniture. For it was a sprinkling. But first he had to be cleansed he had to be washed with pure water or flowing living water. And it was God’s way of accepting the fact that the blood had now been offered and it covered the sins of the Hebrew only for a short time. They didn’t have to be completely bathed in blood; it was a sprinkling that God recognized as sufficient. The next word I’m going to spend a little more time on as we complete verse 22.
Hebrews 10:22c
"…having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and with our bodies washed with pure water."
The blood of Christ has cleansed us. Because it’s been applied to our hearts by faith and our bodies washed with pure water. Now that’s not baptism. Some people will try to associate it because this is the custom of all religions, but this is not a reference to baptism. For again, it’s a symbolic thing that we have to understand; that, even though all of these things we’ve been speaking about are in the realm of the spirit and the soul and we speak of the salvation of the soul, where is the soul residing? In this body.
And so what does Paul teach concerning the body? Hey, it’s the Temple, it’s the Tabernacle, it’s the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, the Godhead. And we’re supposed to treat it accordingly. This is not just some ramshackle piece of cloth that’s a tent. This body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, the Godhead and Christ the Messiah when we become a true believer. And so it has to be reckoned as such and we are to reckon it as cleansed by faith.
Now there’s several verses that refer to the body. Go back if you will, to Ephesians chapter 1, starting with verse 13. The same writer that writes these things in Hebrews; the only thing is, he’s writing to the Hebrews who had an understanding of the Old Testament economy, which of course, the Gentiles of Paul’s day knew almost nothing of it – but nevertheless, he brings about the same basic truths only from a different perspective.
Ephesians 1:13
"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,"
Friday, November 16, 2012
The Epistle to the Hebrews part CCXL
Colossians 2:9
"For in him (that is in Christ) dwelleth (that means just exactly what it says. For in Christ dwells, or abides) all the fulness of the Godhead (how?) bodily."
That body that Hebrews said was given to Him in the womb. That body of flesh that was prepared for thirty-three years of living on this planet for the sole purpose of going to that Cross, to shed divine blood as payment for mankind’s sin thusly breaking the power of sin and the devil from man.
So we have to picture this veil, the veil of the Temple, then as Christ’s body of flesh because it stood for the sin of mankind. Now, come back to II Corinthians. Not that Christ was a sinner; don’t ever get that idea. He was holy. He was perfect. He was righteous. He restored mans humanity to him. In true Godliness and Holiness. But, in order to fulfill the demands of a Holy God, what did He have to agree to do? To become sin for us. Now here again, these are things that are beyond mere human comprehension. I can comprehend it. For I can take what I understand by faith because I'm now a new creature in Christ. These are so profound that it’s way beyond the natural man, but we take it in through living faith. For living faith is solely expressed in our being receptive of His divine activity within us. Remember that our trust become living faith after we've passed through a crisis, a pattern of death.
II Corinthians 5:21a
"For he (God) hath made him (Jesus the Christ) to be sin (why?) for us,…"
Do you see that? He became the veil, that sin for us, that stood between us and the presence of God. But when that flesh was given up on the Cross, what happened to this veil? Well, in the Temple at the day of the crucifixion, you all know the account. It split from top to the bottom. Well what was the purpose? To show now that the way into the Holiest of Holies [the hearth of God] is now wide open. But, what did the Hebrews of that day do? They sewed it up. With no understanding of what they were doing, they closed it back up. They totally rejected Him and His offer of the kingdom by way of their religiosity, which is Satan's character. But you can’t undo the work of God. And so, spiritually speaking, they didn’t close it up. They couldn’t because it was a, once for all, done deal forever. That now, the way into the Holiest of all is made possible through the flesh, the body, the crucified body of the Son of God. Now we'll look at Peter and what he said concerning this in 1 Peter chapter 2 as he agrees with the Prophet Isaiah 53:5-6, verse 24 we'll start at verse 21 to get the flow:
“For even hereunto were we called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that we should follow His steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth: Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed to Him that judges righteously: Who His own self to bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes we were healed. For we were as sheep [for our paganism, religion and self-righteous attitudes] going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.”
Now for those who by choice remain carnal or practical and earthy the word “healed” means a physical healing. But for those who have by way of personal choice relinquished their will into His care, by way of death. A spiritual revelation of our being one in Christ and become partakers with Him. This means to be re-connected or restored to the former position of wholeness, union, to be one with Him. Do you see it? All right, come back to Hebrews 10:
Hebrews 10:19a
"Having therefore, brethren, boldness…"
No trepidation. There’s no shrinking back. We can just come right in and say, "Lord, I belong here. This is where I’m supposed to be. I’m not on strange territory, this is my home." Now, do you see what I meant when I said that I was reading about true spirituality back there in my early thirties and on; I just thought there was no way I could attain to this kind of an action and that kind of behavior. Me? Able to come into the very throne room of God – boldly? Now I can tell you, and it isn’t just William, it’s every one of you. Every one of you, if you’re a believer have become a receiver then it is possible for you also, you’re in the same position I was in, now we can. We can go right into the throne room of Heaven. This is a place that the religionist will never have a room or place of acceptance.
Now when I say that He changed my life, God has had a part in my life before. But now, I can says, "I talk with Him all day long." What a difference! Well can you say that? Do you talk with Him all day long? Don’t feel that you have to have some sort of a special status or you have to have some special way of approach. No. We can come in twenty-four hours a day, at any moment. Whatever you’re doing, you can come and you can approach the Father with your prayer needs and intersessions.
Now of course, I’m a great proponent of a prayer time. I think every believer should have a few moments every day where you can come in and spend some time on your knees or any other attitude of position you may want to take. But that’s not the only way of prayer. You can pray all day long, wherever you are. Because we have the right to go boldly into the very throne room, the Holy of Holiest.
Hebrews 10:19
"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus."
The Holy of Holiest. That place in the Temple that was behind the veil. That place up in Heaven where Christ went and presented His blood which removed and destroyed the smoke screen of separation, He cleansed the presence for our access. And when we've been blessed of God with the Holy Spirit He takes His rightful place within our heart and it become the Holiest of all. Because it has been cleansed and sweep clean of all defilement By His Word. Now verse 20.
Hebrews 10:20
"By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;"
"For in him (that is in Christ) dwelleth (that means just exactly what it says. For in Christ dwells, or abides) all the fulness of the Godhead (how?) bodily."
That body that Hebrews said was given to Him in the womb. That body of flesh that was prepared for thirty-three years of living on this planet for the sole purpose of going to that Cross, to shed divine blood as payment for mankind’s sin thusly breaking the power of sin and the devil from man.
So we have to picture this veil, the veil of the Temple, then as Christ’s body of flesh because it stood for the sin of mankind. Now, come back to II Corinthians. Not that Christ was a sinner; don’t ever get that idea. He was holy. He was perfect. He was righteous. He restored mans humanity to him. In true Godliness and Holiness. But, in order to fulfill the demands of a Holy God, what did He have to agree to do? To become sin for us. Now here again, these are things that are beyond mere human comprehension. I can comprehend it. For I can take what I understand by faith because I'm now a new creature in Christ. These are so profound that it’s way beyond the natural man, but we take it in through living faith. For living faith is solely expressed in our being receptive of His divine activity within us. Remember that our trust become living faith after we've passed through a crisis, a pattern of death.
II Corinthians 5:21a
"For he (God) hath made him (Jesus the Christ) to be sin (why?) for us,…"
Do you see that? He became the veil, that sin for us, that stood between us and the presence of God. But when that flesh was given up on the Cross, what happened to this veil? Well, in the Temple at the day of the crucifixion, you all know the account. It split from top to the bottom. Well what was the purpose? To show now that the way into the Holiest of Holies [the hearth of God] is now wide open. But, what did the Hebrews of that day do? They sewed it up. With no understanding of what they were doing, they closed it back up. They totally rejected Him and His offer of the kingdom by way of their religiosity, which is Satan's character. But you can’t undo the work of God. And so, spiritually speaking, they didn’t close it up. They couldn’t because it was a, once for all, done deal forever. That now, the way into the Holiest of all is made possible through the flesh, the body, the crucified body of the Son of God. Now we'll look at Peter and what he said concerning this in 1 Peter chapter 2 as he agrees with the Prophet Isaiah 53:5-6, verse 24 we'll start at verse 21 to get the flow:
“For even hereunto were we called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that we should follow His steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth: Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed to Him that judges righteously: Who His own self to bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes we were healed. For we were as sheep [for our paganism, religion and self-righteous attitudes] going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.”
Now for those who by choice remain carnal or practical and earthy the word “healed” means a physical healing. But for those who have by way of personal choice relinquished their will into His care, by way of death. A spiritual revelation of our being one in Christ and become partakers with Him. This means to be re-connected or restored to the former position of wholeness, union, to be one with Him. Do you see it? All right, come back to Hebrews 10:
Hebrews 10:19a
"Having therefore, brethren, boldness…"
No trepidation. There’s no shrinking back. We can just come right in and say, "Lord, I belong here. This is where I’m supposed to be. I’m not on strange territory, this is my home." Now, do you see what I meant when I said that I was reading about true spirituality back there in my early thirties and on; I just thought there was no way I could attain to this kind of an action and that kind of behavior. Me? Able to come into the very throne room of God – boldly? Now I can tell you, and it isn’t just William, it’s every one of you. Every one of you, if you’re a believer have become a receiver then it is possible for you also, you’re in the same position I was in, now we can. We can go right into the throne room of Heaven. This is a place that the religionist will never have a room or place of acceptance.
Now when I say that He changed my life, God has had a part in my life before. But now, I can says, "I talk with Him all day long." What a difference! Well can you say that? Do you talk with Him all day long? Don’t feel that you have to have some sort of a special status or you have to have some special way of approach. No. We can come in twenty-four hours a day, at any moment. Whatever you’re doing, you can come and you can approach the Father with your prayer needs and intersessions.
Now of course, I’m a great proponent of a prayer time. I think every believer should have a few moments every day where you can come in and spend some time on your knees or any other attitude of position you may want to take. But that’s not the only way of prayer. You can pray all day long, wherever you are. Because we have the right to go boldly into the very throne room, the Holy of Holiest.
Hebrews 10:19
"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus."
The Holy of Holiest. That place in the Temple that was behind the veil. That place up in Heaven where Christ went and presented His blood which removed and destroyed the smoke screen of separation, He cleansed the presence for our access. And when we've been blessed of God with the Holy Spirit He takes His rightful place within our heart and it become the Holiest of all. Because it has been cleansed and sweep clean of all defilement By His Word. Now verse 20.
Hebrews 10:20
"By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;"
Thursday, November 15, 2012
The Epistle to the Hebrews part CCXXXIX
Hebrews 10:18
"Now where the remission of these is, (that is their sins and iniquities that God has now cleansed them of) there is no more offering for sin."
It’s all over. No more animal sacrifices, no more washings, no more tithes, no more religious holidays or holy days as such. As Christ is the fullness of the requirements for God's Christianity is derived from above, as religion is derived from below, the earthy and devilish, and is therefore demonic. No more crucifixion. It’s all done with that one-time offering of Christ. All right, now in verse 19, we’re going right back again up into the throne room of Heaven as it were.
Hebrews 10:19a
"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest…"
The very Holy of Holiest in Heaven, and we can enter in boldly. How through the eternal blood of Christ, through the veil of His human flesh which housed Him and houses us. Now how is this beyond human comprehension that you and I have access literally, not in physical ways but by the spirit in Spirit. We have it in the realm of the Spirit where we can enter into the Holy of Holiest boldly because of what?
Hebrews 10:19b
"…by the blood of Jesus."
The blood of Christ. That all sufficient sacrificial price that was paid for our total redemption and the working out of our salvation. But the working out is NOT by way of physical labor or religious works but is our sitting under God in patient anticipation of receptivity of His activity. Much like a small child of the streets flows the mark for the reception of a gift, a blessing. For such is the meaning of, suffer not the children to come onto me (Matthew 19: 14, Mark 10:14; Luke 18:16).
Now before I go any further, I’m reminded of a couple books that I read when I was still rather young. I imagine I was in my thirties and I was just beginning to really get interested in the Word of God. And I read two books, both titled ‘True Spirituality.’ One was written by Dr. Francis Schaeffer, a tremendous Swiss theologian. But his was so deep that I would sometimes have to go back and read it over three, four, five times before I could get what he was trying to say. I finally came to the conclusion that I just couldn't attain to that level of spirituality that he was writing about. It just seemed so far beyond me that I finally got it.
Then about the same time I read another book titled the same way, ‘True Spirituality,’ by Watchman Nee, a Chinese man. Well, I had the same response to that one. I thought, there’s a way – I can become or get this spiritual. I can get to where these guys are. I just have to become receptive, thou I didn't fully understand how. You know we read many books or autobiographies that did not reveal the background trials that the people of these books were written about went through. Not until we were led by the Holy Spirit to Ian Thomas and Andrew Murray did we begin to get the understanding of how God works within us through Christ. But then only if Christ's essence has been restored within us.
Another was titled “The Holiest of All” written by Andrew Murray and we've read it many times because like the Bible it just became our Life’s story, a living reality. Then there's William Law and Major William Ian Thomas who is credited with doing a rewrite of the papers of a Germany boot maker named Jacob Behoem. Now I must add to these some commentaries written by James Fowler of “Christ In You Ministries” titled “Gospel Commentary” and “Galatians Commentary”. He has a third on this book of Hebrews but we haven't opened it at this time.
But you see, I can see now why young believers, or maybe even young people in physical age, cannot get exercised or excited by these things because it just seems so unattainable, because we’re so wrapped up with the things of this world. After all, we’re trying to be successful in life. We’re in school, work or raising our kids, and all the things associated with it and then these things just become almost mundane or given no thought or at best little thought.
But I hope and pray that I can get people out of that rut regardless of where they’re at – that this is very attainable. Even for the young person. Even for the teenager. Even for the thirty-something covered up with activity. Yet, God wants us to understand that we can enter into the Holiest of Holiest, right now today. And so it’s not something unattainable, it’s not something that only some great theologian or evangelist can attain. But you see, I try to keep myself at your level, as a child, so you and I can attain all this together. I’m not one foot above any one of you. As Paul said, “I'm all things to all people,” well that's my and our attitude also. We've found the key and have passed through the veil and are now in the Lord's strength, we trust we're a help to others. Not as a know it all but as an aid for only you can decide to allow Him in to do what is in His power and His Will to do in you through you.
And so now look what he’s talking about, that we have this boldness because of that tremendous sacrificial price of the blood of Christ and the finished work of the cross, that we can now come into the very throne room of Heaven, the presence of God.
Hebrews 1:20a
"By a new and living way,…"
Again, that Greek word translated in English ‘living’ is more than what meets the eye. But it’s an ongoing thing that has potential for how long? Eternity. This living way is not just alive for today. It will be alive to the extent of eternity, an Everlasting or Endless Life, the power of resurrection, the power that over comes, victory. It’s never going to run down.
Hebrews 1:20b
"…which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;"
Now I’m sure many of you have heard the term that the body of Christ was ‘the veil.’ Or the veil was the body of Christ. And it’s always been an enigma to me. I think you know what an enigma is. It’s when you see somebody through a frosted glass and all you can see is the outline. You can’t see detail. Well, this whole concept of the body of Christ being the veil was an enigma for me, I think, until I started this series in Hebrews.
Now finally and hopefully I can pass it on to the ordinary everyday believer. When Christ took on human flesh and He became sin for us, it was that body of flesh then and that shed blood that opened up the way into the Holy of Holiest. You know, that back there in the Tabernacle and later on in the Temple, this was the veil. Huge, Thick as the width of a man’s hand. And they would come in from the east and here were the furnishings of the front and right behind the veil was this Ark of the Covenant, with the wings of the cherubim over spreading it and so forth.
Anyhow the veil is what kept the priests of Israel from coming into the presence of God because, after all, from Adam’s fall, what separated mankind from God? Sin! There was a veil of smoke that was in the Heavenlies Holiest place that separated sin from God. Mans sin went up into the Holiest as smoke raising from a fire. Sinful men could not come into the presence of such a holy and a righteous God. So it was that great veil that just kept us out. All right, but now when Christ came bodily – come back with me to Colossians, and the other one is in II Corinthians chapter 5 and then Peter's letter.
Colossians 2:9
"For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."
"Now where the remission of these is, (that is their sins and iniquities that God has now cleansed them of) there is no more offering for sin."
It’s all over. No more animal sacrifices, no more washings, no more tithes, no more religious holidays or holy days as such. As Christ is the fullness of the requirements for God's Christianity is derived from above, as religion is derived from below, the earthy and devilish, and is therefore demonic. No more crucifixion. It’s all done with that one-time offering of Christ. All right, now in verse 19, we’re going right back again up into the throne room of Heaven as it were.
Hebrews 10:19a
"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest…"
The very Holy of Holiest in Heaven, and we can enter in boldly. How through the eternal blood of Christ, through the veil of His human flesh which housed Him and houses us. Now how is this beyond human comprehension that you and I have access literally, not in physical ways but by the spirit in Spirit. We have it in the realm of the Spirit where we can enter into the Holy of Holiest boldly because of what?
Hebrews 10:19b
"…by the blood of Jesus."
The blood of Christ. That all sufficient sacrificial price that was paid for our total redemption and the working out of our salvation. But the working out is NOT by way of physical labor or religious works but is our sitting under God in patient anticipation of receptivity of His activity. Much like a small child of the streets flows the mark for the reception of a gift, a blessing. For such is the meaning of, suffer not the children to come onto me (Matthew 19: 14, Mark 10:14; Luke 18:16).
Now before I go any further, I’m reminded of a couple books that I read when I was still rather young. I imagine I was in my thirties and I was just beginning to really get interested in the Word of God. And I read two books, both titled ‘True Spirituality.’ One was written by Dr. Francis Schaeffer, a tremendous Swiss theologian. But his was so deep that I would sometimes have to go back and read it over three, four, five times before I could get what he was trying to say. I finally came to the conclusion that I just couldn't attain to that level of spirituality that he was writing about. It just seemed so far beyond me that I finally got it.
Then about the same time I read another book titled the same way, ‘True Spirituality,’ by Watchman Nee, a Chinese man. Well, I had the same response to that one. I thought, there’s a way – I can become or get this spiritual. I can get to where these guys are. I just have to become receptive, thou I didn't fully understand how. You know we read many books or autobiographies that did not reveal the background trials that the people of these books were written about went through. Not until we were led by the Holy Spirit to Ian Thomas and Andrew Murray did we begin to get the understanding of how God works within us through Christ. But then only if Christ's essence has been restored within us.
Another was titled “The Holiest of All” written by Andrew Murray and we've read it many times because like the Bible it just became our Life’s story, a living reality. Then there's William Law and Major William Ian Thomas who is credited with doing a rewrite of the papers of a Germany boot maker named Jacob Behoem. Now I must add to these some commentaries written by James Fowler of “Christ In You Ministries” titled “Gospel Commentary” and “Galatians Commentary”. He has a third on this book of Hebrews but we haven't opened it at this time.
But you see, I can see now why young believers, or maybe even young people in physical age, cannot get exercised or excited by these things because it just seems so unattainable, because we’re so wrapped up with the things of this world. After all, we’re trying to be successful in life. We’re in school, work or raising our kids, and all the things associated with it and then these things just become almost mundane or given no thought or at best little thought.
But I hope and pray that I can get people out of that rut regardless of where they’re at – that this is very attainable. Even for the young person. Even for the teenager. Even for the thirty-something covered up with activity. Yet, God wants us to understand that we can enter into the Holiest of Holiest, right now today. And so it’s not something unattainable, it’s not something that only some great theologian or evangelist can attain. But you see, I try to keep myself at your level, as a child, so you and I can attain all this together. I’m not one foot above any one of you. As Paul said, “I'm all things to all people,” well that's my and our attitude also. We've found the key and have passed through the veil and are now in the Lord's strength, we trust we're a help to others. Not as a know it all but as an aid for only you can decide to allow Him in to do what is in His power and His Will to do in you through you.
And so now look what he’s talking about, that we have this boldness because of that tremendous sacrificial price of the blood of Christ and the finished work of the cross, that we can now come into the very throne room of Heaven, the presence of God.
Hebrews 1:20a
"By a new and living way,…"
Again, that Greek word translated in English ‘living’ is more than what meets the eye. But it’s an ongoing thing that has potential for how long? Eternity. This living way is not just alive for today. It will be alive to the extent of eternity, an Everlasting or Endless Life, the power of resurrection, the power that over comes, victory. It’s never going to run down.
Hebrews 1:20b
"…which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;"
Now I’m sure many of you have heard the term that the body of Christ was ‘the veil.’ Or the veil was the body of Christ. And it’s always been an enigma to me. I think you know what an enigma is. It’s when you see somebody through a frosted glass and all you can see is the outline. You can’t see detail. Well, this whole concept of the body of Christ being the veil was an enigma for me, I think, until I started this series in Hebrews.
Now finally and hopefully I can pass it on to the ordinary everyday believer. When Christ took on human flesh and He became sin for us, it was that body of flesh then and that shed blood that opened up the way into the Holy of Holiest. You know, that back there in the Tabernacle and later on in the Temple, this was the veil. Huge, Thick as the width of a man’s hand. And they would come in from the east and here were the furnishings of the front and right behind the veil was this Ark of the Covenant, with the wings of the cherubim over spreading it and so forth.
Anyhow the veil is what kept the priests of Israel from coming into the presence of God because, after all, from Adam’s fall, what separated mankind from God? Sin! There was a veil of smoke that was in the Heavenlies Holiest place that separated sin from God. Mans sin went up into the Holiest as smoke raising from a fire. Sinful men could not come into the presence of such a holy and a righteous God. So it was that great veil that just kept us out. All right, but now when Christ came bodily – come back with me to Colossians, and the other one is in II Corinthians chapter 5 and then Peter's letter.
Colossians 2:9
"For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."
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