2Corinthians 5:17-18 (Amplified) says, "Therefore, if any person in (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! the fresh and new has come. But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ has 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)."
The new creation family of God has never fully appreciated who we really are, because we've never fully understood what God has done through Jesus. We call Him "Father" and refer to ourselves as children of God, but we don't feel comfortable or at home, in His Presence. Religion and culture has taught us to see ourselves as being unacceptable to God.
We constantly try finding ways to reach Him in our lives, without realizing that God has already made us family. No one needs to try finding a way into his/her family, because he/she was born into that family. We still try to perform in certain areas of our lives, in order to be part of God's family or to be accepted in His family. This leads to a huge problem of our having faith in our prayer lives and in our fellowship with the Father.
We are the entire reason for creation and "every good thing" God placed on the earth. We were predestined to be His children, before the foundations of the earth. Genesis 1-2 tells us that God created everything and said, "It was very good." Then, when everything was done, God created breathed the Breath of Life into Adam, making mankind a living, speaking spirit. The bountiful beauty of earth, is useless for anything inhabiting it, outside of humans. God made these things for us to enjoy.
"All things were made by Him and for Him, without Him nothing that was made, was made," according to John 1:3,4 (Amplified). Verse 4a continues, "In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men." 2Corinthians 4:6 (Amplified) says, "This Light was the Life of God, and this Light was the Life of man." "The Light was Life and the God Who spoke the Life, has shined into our hearts," according to Verse 4b which says, "For God Who said, Let Light shine out of the darkness, has shone in our hearts so as to beam forth the Light for the illumination of the knowledge of the Majesty and Glory of God, as it is manifest in the Person and is revealed in the Face of Jesus Christ (the Messiah)."
In Him was Life and this Light was the Life of man. The God Who spoke Life and Light into being, shines in our hearts. God didn't simply speak Light and Life to us, but He became Light and Life to us, creating a new creation who previously never existed on earth. God was with the old covenant people and He sometimes came upon them. God lives in us and is in the new creation people, who are His family. When we grasp this difference, then it will make all the difference to our lives. The old covenant people needed to perform certain rituals and sacrifice bulls and goats to God, in order to come into His Presence. God's Presence lives inside us now, as the new creation family of God. We don't to perform certain rituals or offer sacrifices of bulls and goats to God, in order for Him to hear us. God is Living in and through us, at all times.
The world and it's cultures has trained us, to see ourselves as still being under the Law, instead of under Grace. We've been trying to make ourselves acceptable to God, by our works. We believe God will hear us and perform His Word in our lives, if we do these things. When we fail, then we start all over again, because the enemy has trained us to do so. It's delusional for us to believe we can "make ourselves perfect in God's eyes." Through His Sacrifice, Jesus has already done what man could never do, making us holy, righteous, sanctified, and consecrated to the Father. Jesus prayed in John 17:18-19 (Amplified), "Just as You sent Me into the world, So for their sake and on their behalf I sanctify, dedicate, consecrate Myself, that they also may be sanctified, dedicated, consecrated, made holy in the Truth."
Listen to Jesus' prayer in the above scripture and listen with your spirit. Jesus said that, "Just as the Father sent [Him] into the world, He has sent us." How did the Father send Jesus? Did He sent Him as "just another sinner" into the world, to become holy? Or, did God send Jesus, as the One Who was without sin and already holy? Through Jesus' Sacrifice, He has now sent us into the world, as being sanctified, consecrated, dedicated and holy.
The "dedication" that Jesus spoke about, is the "tithe, first fruits, sacrifice and the temple." Jesus said, He dedicated us to the Father. He wasn't speaking about our being dedicated in our Christian walk, like friends are dedicated to one another. Jesus is speaking about a dedicated sacrifice, holy unto the Lord. We can dedicated ourselves to prayer and study in the Word, but this isn't what Jesus spoke of. Jesus dedicated His Own Blood and Body in His dedication to obedience and that's how we've now been dedicate to God.
Just like the Father sent Jesus into the world, Jesus has sent us. At the time you accepted Jesus as your Savior and were born-again, you were created and dedicated to the Father, just like Jesus was when "He was sent into the world." We are "in the world, but not of the world," just like Jesus said He was. The world is in sin and darkness, but the new creation people (us) are "no longer of this world." The new creation people are no longer sinners, living in darkness and sacrificing bulls and goats under the Law, but we've been dedicated as holy instruments into the very house of God. We're holy, dedicated, sanctified, consecrated, righteous and living Lights, who were sent into the world to bring Light into the darkness.
Jesus Himself declared we were to be "the Light of the world and the salt of the earth." He said we are to be lifted up, in order to give Light unto men. We've tried so hard and have failed at every turn, to become what Jesus has already made us to be, through Him and His Sacrifice. When a covenant man sinned in the old covenant, then he would bring a sacrifice of bulls and goats before God. If God received that sacrifice, then the man was restored back, to where his sin was no longer counted against him, because of his faith in the sacrifice. We too, must have faith in our Sacrifice (Jesus) and believe He dedicated Himself (and us with Him) unto the Father, to be used in what God sent Him to do. We've not the Savior, of course, but we've been dedicated unto good works and have been made holy by Jesus' works. We've been dedicated holy and righteous in God's sight, to be used of the Master like Jesus was.
All of the utensils in the Temple, were dedicated to be used in holy worship and to be used of the Lord. We've also been dedicated to be used in the holy service of God. Jesus said that, "As the Father sent [Him], He is now sending us." He didn't send us like we were before, but as He created us. We've entered into the world, not as the world is, but as Jesus was when He came to into it. Jesus' prayer and Sacrifice has created us "new." We're to go into the world as holy, clean, and righteous, bringing Light into darkness by God's Own Spirit Living within us.
God didn't command the Light to shine in our hearts, but 2Corinthians 4:6 says, "The God Who commanded the Light to shine, has shined in our hearts." It isn't just the Light, but the God Who commanded the Light, He Himself now shines in our hearts. The Light and the One Who commands it, are shining into the darkness of the world through us and through Him, we are supposed to shine forth, like Jesus did.
We're not just "old sinners, saved by grace." We were old sinners and by Grace we were saved. Through His Sacrifice, Jesus did what the Law couldn't do and He sent ut into the world, like God sent Him into the world to bring Light and Life. We've become a new creations through Jesus and have been sent into the world of sin and darkness, bringing Light and righteousness to all of mankind. John 1:4 (Amplified) tells us, "Jesus is the Word made flesh." Through Him, we are houses of flesh, bearing this Living Word. Through Him, we are vessels of Life and Light into the world like Jesus was in His earthly ministry.
We stagger at the Truth of what Jesus' Sacrifice has produced in mankind, but the Word declares what man cannot receive in his own carnal mind. Man can only receive the understanding of what the new creation family of God is, by Truth and Revelation from God. Our own sin conscience has held us back, from being bold and confidence in the Finished Word of Jesus Christ. This new creation was what Jesus came to produce as the Seed of righteousness and from this One Seed, a hundred-fold harvest has been reaped from drought. This hundred-fold return is reproduced in kind as holy, righteous, consecrated, and as vessels dedicated to God's House and as vessels of honor to the Father.
No comments:
Post a Comment