John 1:16-17 (Amplified) says, "For out of His fullness (abundance), we have all received, all had a share, and were all supplied with one Grace after another and Spiritual Blessing upon Spiritual Blessing and even favor upon favor and Gift heaped upon Gift. For while the Law was given through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor) and Spiritual Blessing and Truth came through Jesus Christ."
Romans 8:16-17 (Amplified) says, "The Spirit Himself thus testifies together with our own spirit, assuring us that we are children of God. And if we are His children, then we are His heirs also; heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, sharing His inheritance with Him; only we must share His suffering if we are to share His Glory."
In order to understand Christ's suffering, we must find out what He suffered. Jesus' suffering on the cross, is not what "we share." Jesus suffered time on the cross and in the grave, so that we didn't have to suffer that. This is what His redemption provided for us, when "He was made sin for us," according to 2Corinthians 5:21. Jesus freed us from the penalty of sin and cleansed us from it. This is a Liberty that Jesus gave to us and not a form of suffering.
Jesus bore the Curse of the Law, so we didn't have to bear it and so the Blessing of Abraham might come on us. Galatians 3:13-14 (Amplified) tells us, "Christ purchased our freedom (redeeming us from the Curse, doom of the Law and its condemnation by Himself becoming a Curse for us), for it is written in the scriptures, Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (is crucified). To the end that through their receiving Christ Jesus, the Blessing Promised to Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, so that we through faith might all receive the realization of the Promise of the Holy Spirit."
We received the Promise of the Holy Spirit, when we were born-again. Jesus told His followers in John 2:5-6 (Amplified), "I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, unless a man is born of water and even the Spirit, he cannot ever enter into the Kingdom of God. What is born of (from) the flesh is flesh (of the physical is physical); and what is born of the Spirit is Spirit."
In order to receive the Holy Spirit, a man "must first be born again." Even if a person hasn't received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, he is still "born of the Spirit." Let's reread Galatians 3:14 (Amplified) which says, "To the end that through their receiving Christ Jesus, the Blessing Promised to Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, so that we through faith might all receive the realization of the Promise of the Holy Spirit."
Many haven't realized the Promise of this Blessing, by their receiving the Holy Spirit. When we were born-again, by faith, we were placed into the Promise that God had laid up for His family, through Abraham's faith. Our receiving Jesus as our Lord and Savior, was as much an act of faith, as it was for Abraham, the father of our faith. By faith, we are to accept the Promise of this Blessing, just like Abraham did. Romans 4:18-22 (Amplified) says, "For Abraham (human reason for), hope being gone, hoped in faith that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been Promised, So (numberless) shall your descendants be. He did not weaken in faith when he considered the utter impotence of his own body, which was as good as dead because he was about a hundred years old, or (when he considered) the barrenness of Sarah's (deadened) womb. No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the Promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God. Fully satisfied and assured that God was able and mighty to keep His Word and to do what He had Promised. That is why his faith was credited to him as righteousness (right standing with God)."
The suffering Jesus endured, wasn't sickness and disease, or being stricken by God, like some believe today. Jesus' suffering was His great Love for those who were "in suffering" and His being rejected by those He came to redeem. In John 16:33 (Amplified), Jesus told His followers, "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 distress and frustration; but be of good cheer, take courage, be confident, certain, undaunted! For I have overcome the world, I have deprived it of its power to harm you and conquered it for you." Jesus also told them in John 15:18-19 (Amplified), "If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you belonged to the world, the world would treat you with affection and love you as its own. But because you are not of the world (no longer one with it), but I have chosen (selected you out of the world), the world hates (detests) you."
This is the suffering that we must be able to bear for His Name's sake and not the things we're redeemed from. You are not of this world and the world hates you, like they hated Jesus. We've been trying to make ourselves acceptable and accepted, by the world, but this is keeping us out of the Promise of being joint heirs with our inheritance in Christ Jesus.
We've done what Paul admonished against in Romans 12:2 (Amplified) where he said, "Do not be conformed to this world (this age), fashioned after and adapted to its external (superficial) customs." We've tried making friends with the world, hoping it would accept us and we could be better able to witness to them. By doing this though, we've lost much of our Spiritual Blessings of Spiritual Gifts.
The world will never accept the display of Spiritual healings and the Spiritual use of the Name of Jesus. When we try bringing Jesus down to where the world can accept Him, we've all but done away with the Power of the Holy Spirit. This is made evident when the Church shies away from and denies the Gifts of the Spirit and/or the ability to speak in other tongues.
Many splits have come into the Church, because of the Spiritual acceptance of what we've received in our inheritance, from Jesus. Many of our church laws have nearly excluded the Holy Spirit, in our midst. Some fellowships have even forbidden the raising of our hands in worship. It was the rejection of His Own and not the misunderstanding of the world, that Jesus suffered.
One of the greatest sufferings that a true believer will suffer for Jesus' Names Sake, is being dismissed as a "fanatic," by those Jesus sent us to minister to. John 1:10-11 (Amplified) says, "[Jesus] came into the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him (did not know Him). He came to that which belonged to Him (to His Own, His domain, creation, things, world) and they which were His Own did not welcome or receive Him."
We will be persecuted (even by our own family of God), sometimes, when we walk in the Spirit and the Super-natural realm of our new creation being. We are presented with two choices then. Do we succumb to the pressure and quit or do we continue on in our pursuit of Truth, knowing by Whom we have been sent? Only those who allow the Holy Spirit to reveal Truth to them, will walk in that Truth. Others will ridicule and dismiss you as being a "fanatic," just like in Jesus' ministry.
The Holy Spirit is our inheritance and He is the One Who brings the Promise of Abraham and the Blessing that comes with the Promise, to pass in our lives. The only way of obtain the Promises and Blessings in our life, is by having faith in the Promise, just like Abraham did. I'm guessing that people around Abraham, believed he was "crazy" for believing he could have a son. We know that Noah was ridiculed and labeled a "fool," for believing God's Word and building the ark. Just because someone rejects the Truth of His Promise, doesn't mean the Promise is void of fulfillment, for those who believe.
God says that, "We have all received and all had a share in, and were all supplied with the Spiritual Blessings, Truth, Gifts and favor."
No comments:
Post a Comment