2Corinthians 5:17-18 (Amplified) says, "Therefore, if any person is (ingrafted) in Christ Jesus (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old (previous moral and spiritual condition) has passed. Behold! all things are made fresh and new. But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself (received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself) and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation (that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him)."
Jesus prayed in John 17:15-18 (Amplified) saying, "I do not ask that you will take them out of the world, but that You will keep and protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world (worldly), belonging to the world, (Just) as I am not of the world. Sanctify them (purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy) by the Truth, Your Word is Truth. Just as You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world."
The Church is living in the world by the Kingdom Laws today. Jesus was in the world, but walked in the Kingdom principles. The things of the world had no Law over Jesus, because the world was operating under the Law of Sin and Death. Jesus was without sin and wasn't subject to the Laws that governed the world. The Church has been slow to understand that through Jesus, we are now no longer governed by the Law of Sin and Death.
Many Christians still see themselves as "only forgiven sinners who were saved by grace." This is True. Ephesians 2:8 (Amplified) says, "For it is by free Grace (God's unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation) through (your) faith. And this (salvation) is not of your own selves (of your own doing, it came not through your own striving) but it is the Gift of God."
The thing that has eluded the Church for so long, comes from Romans 8:1-3 (Amplified) which says, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live and walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit [If we listen to the Word and the Spirit, instead of the flesh]." Verses 2-3 continue, "For the Law of the Spirit of Life which is in Christ Jesus (the Law of our new being) has freed me from the Law of Sin and of Death. For God has done what the Law could not do, its power being weakened by the flesh (the entire nature of man without the Holy Spirit) sending His Own Son in the guise of sinful flesh and as an Offering for sin, God condemned sin in the flesh (subdued, overcame, deprived it of its power over all who accept that Sacrifice)."
If we sin after being born-again (and we should be striving to walk in the Spirit), then it's not satan's business any longer, because we're not under that Law. Our entire life and judgment has been placed under the Sacrifice of Jesus that wiped out the old Law (which previously held mankind) and delivered it into an entirely new Law, which is the Spirit of Life, in Christ Jesus.
We now live in God's grace and in His Own family. Nothing we do or don't do, is any of satan's business any longer. When we violate the Laws of our new creation, we can place ourselves under penalty to the old laws. This is why God has placed such a high priority in our listening and learning the Laws which govern His Kingdom. The entire strength of this new creation family is listening to the Teacher of the Church (Who is the Holy Spirit) and learn how to operate in our new life. Jesus made a statement in John 16:33 (Amplified) that bears much understanding and study. Thus, He says, "I have told you these things so that in Me you may have perfect peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distresses and frustration, but be of good cheer (take courage, be confident, certain, undaunted) For I have overcome the world, I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you."
We have focused more on the trails, than we have on the conquering. The entire reason for the trails, is to live by the dictates of the flesh and not the dictates of the Spirit. We've made much of the trials that Paul and many other New Testament heroes suffered for the sake of the Gospel. We've failed to see that Jesus delivered them out all of these trials. If we had trials of this magnitude, then we'd probably shut down and decide God was "trying us for our sins." We'd never press on. Paul knew his calling and knew satan would do everything he could, in order to stop the Gospel being preached. Paul learned from his trials, that when he was weak (when the flesh could no longer deal with natural things), the Laws of the Kingdom and the Truth of his calling in God and the Spirit of God would deliver him.
Jesus prayed in John 17:15 (Amplified), "I do not ask that you will take them out of the world, but that You will keep and protect them from the evil one." We sometimes forget that Paul was learning how to "walk out" this great revelation, in his own life. Jesus gave Paul this revelation, but Paul had to do like we must do and learn to walk in a place he'd never been before. There are times when we receive a revelation and we must learn and fight the good fight of faith, in order to walk it out. Most of us quit, before mastering the revelation and bringing the flesh into subjection to the revelation. Despite of the trials Paul faced, he never quit.
Remember that at the time, Paul was the only man (as far as we know from the Word) that had the revelation of the new creation. Satan only had to contend with one source of Truth about the Father and His family. Peter and the disciples had no idea that the new creation extended to the Gentile or that it was a Higher Law than the old Law. It was of great necessity that satan stop Paul, before others began to believe and be set free from satan's bondage.
Satan's kingdom of darkness couldn't hold man in its bondage, once man began seeing the power of deliverance from the Law of Sin and Death and began walking in the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. Satan knew he needed to prevent Paul's proclaiming the Gospel of deliverance and assigned a demon spirit to Paul. This demon had only one task and one purpose; to kill or stop Paul from preaching the new creation truth to the people, according to 2Corinthaisn 12:7,9 (Amplified) where Paul says, "To keep me from being puffed up and too much elated by this exceeding greatness (preeminence) of these revelations, there was given me a thorn (a splinter) in the flesh (a messenger of satan), to rack and buffet and harass me, to keep me from being excessively exalted." Paul goes on in Verse 9 saying, God said to him, "My Grace (My favor and Loving kindness and mercy) is enough for you (sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully) For My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in your weaknesses" Paul responded, "Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ, the Messiah, may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me."
We've erroneously preached that, God "brought all these things on Paul, in order to humble him." The Word says that, "it was a messenger of satan sent to shut Paul down." Paul had to learn (just like we do) that one cannot do what is needed by the flesh, because the flesh isn't God's Law, but man's own ability. Paul had to learn how to walk out this revelation, by "yielding his intellect and ability of his knowledge about what he knew," over to the Spirit and allowing the Lord to move through him. It's noteworthy that Paul referred to his trials as "a splinter in his flesh." We would have probably called it "a disaster" and probably sat down, cried and stopped spreading the Good News.
Like Paul, we must allow the Holy Spirit to cause us to rise above the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment