The Father Heart of God...."The Second Revelation"

The Second Revelation

Author MJC

 

 

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Contents

 

Chpt 1    The First Revelation

Chpt 2    Two Revelations….really!…..are you sure?

Chpt 3    What then is a Revelation?

Chpt 4    The Arch Enemy

Chpt 5    What really is The Bible story

Chpt 6    Two parallel worlds

Chpt 7    Family is number one

Chpt 8    Intense Love

Chpt 9    It’s war

Chpt 10  The rescue operation

Chpt 11  The Day of Vengeance

Chpt 12  Grief

Chpt 13  Keep it Legal

Chpt 14  Co-operation works best

Chpt 15  Terrible dilemma

Chpt 16  Sometimes the O.T. can do your head in!!

Chpt 17  The Law can bite you!

Chpt 18  Confusion

Chpt 19  Our picture of God

Chpt 20  Fired up Messiah

Chpt 21  He’s not Evil!

Chpt 22  Spiritual Discernment

Chpt 23  Someone else’s Assignment

Chpt 24  My Beautiful Dad

Chpt 25  This was not my show!

Chpt 26  Heartfelt Love

Chpt 27  Astounding Revelations

Chpt 28  Incredible Intimacy

Chpt 29  Astounding Spiritual Perception

Chpt 30  Like an Extraordinary Movie

Chpt 31  How do we build this Relationship with our Dad

Chpt 32  His Magnificence is Beyond Comprehension

Chpt 33  How do we Find The Fathers Purpose in our Life

Epilogue 

Chpt 1

THE FIRST REVELATION

 

Quite a hefty title of a book you might say…….

 

So, …what then,... would be the second revelation.

 

Well, to answer that question, we need to take a little journey, so just relax and let me try to explain it to you the best way I can.

 

Firstly, let's look at what you would call …..the first revelation.

 

The Church of the 20th and 21st century is very well established in, what we would call,….. the first revelation.

We have built the Church very successfully around this first revelation, and it is absolutely the cornerstone of the Church...and of course the revelation is, the revelation of Jesus Christ.

…. That mankind needs to be born again, to accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

 

We worship Jesus and write songs about him. We have evangelistic programs, alter calls, preach the power of his name, and are truly grateful for everything he has done.

We also provide classy presentations and Contemporary churches to this world, endless books on Jesus as Saviour, Lord and King, and preach the power of the Holy Spirit and actively promote relationship with the Son of God, ….Jesus.

 

The Church clearly is no longer in the dark ages.

Our whole Christian world is built around Jesus, and He is absolutely the cornerstone of the Church.

 

But… I wonder,….

 

….......is Christianity …..actually,... meant to be more than what I have just mentioned above,

……..perhaps, ..significantly more, ……

 

……..perhaps even another revelation of similar magnitude.

 

……A second Revelation

 

Well, let's continue…..

 

We certainly, seem to have a knowledge of the fullness of God, (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), and appear to have Christianity fully under control, ….. knowing how it works,…. how to apply it to our lives, and endless information on how to live this successful Christian life. ….

All seems great on the surface. ….All seems to make sense. All seems to be the right ingredients for healthy, strong, and faith filled Christian life……

 

Well,... okay then,…… if we have everything we need, and apply everything correctly that we are taught, then our success rate should be highly visible to a fallen world,  wouldn't you agree?

 

We should be living in a place of great expectation, (after being water baptised and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit and it utterances)…..we should be seeing good fruit, and experiencing a faith filled life that is incredibly satisfying, ….. even though there may be difficult moments,….displaying the peace of God in awkward or tense situations,….loving people when we are purposely provoked…. and forgiving, when people do wrong to us….

 

…not taking offence,…but rather, turning the other cheek as the Scriptures prompt us to do….also exercising the power of God…as we are also instructed …performing miracles, and the suchlike…as well as pulling down demonic strongholds…and so forth

 

Okay,… Question,…. does that sound like you and me?

 

Well, perhaps there are a number that live like that, that live in that sort of world described above,…. maybe you do,…..but I would have to say that frustration, lack, dissatisfaction, insecurity, fear, lack of self-control and the suchlike are still very common traits in the average born-again Christian today, even though we are taught differently.

 

In fact, of the many men that I have spoken to privately over the years, I would have to say, that, it is often even hard to tell if many even have a grasp on what Christianity stands for, ….or even provides, even often….finding myself in confusion sometimes as they bring up certain subjects….

 

Initially, they would say God is good, and that they are grateful, and that Jesus means a lot to them, and that they pray, and so on….

 

…..but inevitably after a half an hour or so, the conversation, more often than not, would start to move in the opposite direction, where they express uncertainty about God, uncertainly about their own judgement to do the right thing,  uncertainty about whether God really loves them, because they never seem to quite experienced the promises of God like others seem to, …and nearly always express uncertainty about the character of God,….. "why is a loving God allowing me to go through this"…..

 

Of course, ….we can all relate to this in one way or another, ….I know in my own world there have been plenty of up and down moments…plenty moments of uncertainty!!

 

….but,…. is that how it is meant to be?

 

 

 Chpt 2

 

TWO REVELATIONS… REALLY?...ARE YOU SURE?

 

Interestingly,…

 

… the message that Jesus preached was clearly a positive message that involved,… the supernatural,… the power of God,… secure relationships,… faith,… certainty,… deliverance,… good health,…. prosperity and many other aspects of a victorious lifestyle.

 

Of course,…. persecution is part of the whole deal,… but certainly the 'ups' should be way ahead of the 'downs'.

 

…..'The peace of God is supposed to rule in our hearts, and will guard your hearts and minds'…(Phil 4:7  Col 3:15)

 

….The love of God, is supposed to help us react rightly in a wrong situation ('if someone wants your tunic give him your coat also')….(Luke 6:29)

 

….The anointing of God is supposed to break the yoke ( you have received an anointing from the Holy One). (1 John 2:20)

 

….The Power of God is supposed to bring deliverance and so on and so on. (Luke 4:18)

 

…..However,….

 

…..More often than not,…. Victorious living,… seems to allude us.

 

People sincerely love Jesus, but many still fall away and grow cold.

 

Many,… more often than not,… have a great salvation experience,… meeting Jesus in a spectacular, meaningful, experiential and life changing way, and clearly their conversion is genuine, powerful and certainly very real.

 

We nearly always, become incredibly zealous for God, and have great expectancy of a successful life in God, declaring that we are Gods forever and will never depart from…. 'The Truth'.

 

 

Why then,…. is the 'mediocre living' or 'growing cold' rate, been so frustratingly high ….that I have noticed over the last 40+ years amongst us Christians...

 

Why can there often be so much disillusionment in many Christians worlds,…. Never ever seeming to fulfil what is that we are meant to do!!!…… Everything seems so elusive…..

 

Why does a persons foundation often seem so shaky,….when, only a few years back, we seemed so solid at the time of our conversion.

 

Of course,….. you may be doing very well…..…but Im'e sure you know what I mean…..

 

Well,…. it seems to me that the Bible seems to make a clear statement, that,….Jesus alone is not sufficient to keep you unmoved…

 

…… I'll say that again…..

There is clear indication in the Bible, that Jesus alone, is not sufficient to keep you unmoved…..

 

I know that seems to be a strong statement, however, I believe that the Bible teaches ( and the disciples in the New Testament certainly lived by it),….. that coupled to..The first revelation,..(Jesus being our saviour,)…is a second revelation, that is of equal importance…

 

 

This second revelation, can seem glaringly deficient, or often, seemingly absent to a degree, from the Church today, (although, God seems to be strongly fanning the embers again and our willingness is certainly there…but not so much, it seems,….. do we understand the importance of this second Revelation yet)…

 

It only took 70 years for the seven Churches of Asia, in the book of revelation to start going off track, and losing things, so this comes as no surprise.

 

I have recently noticed,….. that both these revelations were very strong in the New Testament Church, and in fact, essential, ….to be able to live in a world,.. at that time, when persecution and violence against the Church was commonplace. 

 

The writers of the New Testament clearly spoke about the second revelation, and it is certainly also clear, that they were aware, and definitely had this dual revelation foundation in their own lives.

 

They all seem to give as much importance to the second revelation as they did to the first.

In fact Jesus himself promoted and confirmed this second revelation.

 

The first revelation (as I mentioned before)…. being…..

…..recognising Jesus Christ is our saviour and then giving over our life to him, through the 'born-again' experience, which of course, you all have done reading this book.

Chpt 3

 

WHAT THEN….. IS A REVELATION?

 

Okay,….what then……is 'a Revelation'

 

Well, …..firstly,

 

I'm quite sure that you were not exactly gullible, and sucked in by sweet words, and smooth talking in the beginning when Jesus came into your world.

 

I'm sure that salvation for you was a well thought through process, like it was for me.

 

Someone talked to you about Jesus and you meditated on it……right?

 

You probably had tons of questions……Probably were cynical and reactionary, maybe even hostile against those that preached to you in your early introduction to Christianity and its teachings.

 

 

You may have even delayed your commitment to Jesus as your Lord and Saviour for quite some time, maybe even years…..

 

I know people that took 20 or 30 years before breakthrough came into their lives.

 

 

Then again….maybe it happened quickly for you,… but,… however salvation came to you,… it always comes through the same channel……and as we all know…..it's called …..'a Revelation'.

 

You cannot enter the kingdom of God without having 'a Revelation', that Jesus is the Son of God, who was raised from the dead and is now seated on the right hand of the Father.

 

The 'Born-again' experience is the light coming on….. 'the entrance of thy word bringeth light'….bringeth Revelation…(Ps 119:130)….which I know you are all familiar with….

 

It's Entering from darkness into light…….isn't it?

 

It's Leaving one kingdom and entering another.

 

It's going from death to life, ….and it's a profound experience, triggered by a change of our will.

The (often) enormous weight of information that we receive, when we see the truth, finally tips us over the edge, when we, …" see it "…

 

"We get it"

"We are convinced"

"We lose the argument"

"We cross the line"

"Our argument,…. no longer has any substance"

 

"They win"

 

….and as you well know,……that’s what a revelation is, and that's what happened when we get born again..

 

What happens next,…. is that the 'Revelation', opens up an enormous,… previously unknown world to us,…doesn't it?

 

and the possibilities, information, and vastness of the world we have just entered into,… floods into our world and expands the revelation on the daily or hourly basis.

 

The excitement factor multiplies dramatically as the revelation of Jesus Christ,

 

and what He stands for,

and who He is,

and who we are in Christ,

or what we have,

or where we are going,

or what we can do in Christ,….. expands rapidly in every direction…. We can hardly get enough of it.

It's exhilarating, satisfying, revolutionary and dynamic in our new world.

 

A Revelation of this magnitude is mind blowing,… and sometimes to the point of euphoric…… It's constantly expanding in our new world

 

Well…..

 

The second Revelation that I mentioned to you earlier, is of the same magnitude, …it's just as profound as the first Revelation, and is just as exciting and impacting, but not necessarily found in the body of Christ today to the same extent that it was in the inception of the Church….although there certainly seems to be an awakening…

 

Just the other week, I heard a preacher touch on the subject, and he clearly had the beginning of this revelation floating around in him and spoke about it with great enthusiasm and passion…..as though he had never seen it before!!!…just like I hadn't...

Chpt 4

 

THE ARCH ENEMY

 

And of course, there is a reason why this revelation is not found within the Church today on the same scale as it was in the beginning

 

And this reason has a name….

 

in fact….more than a name…..but an actual presence…

 

…..an evil and deceptive presence

 

…whom the Bible labels as……the 'father of lies'…  also known as Satan, Lucifer, or the devil

 

….and also…I might add….referred to as …..'The Deceiver'

 

and as you well know,…..….. the devil hates God,…. hates Christianity,…. hates Jesus,…. hates you,… and severely hates the first revelation, …..because the first revelation has taken from his kingdom and…instead… expanded the Kingdom of God….

 

Satan hates and despises people getting born again, he loathes salvation through Jesus Christ, and attempts to quench it anyway he can…

 

But the truth is,….. he actually,…in many ways is more loathing of the second Revelation, but at the same time, very pleased with himself,  that he has all but quenched the second Revelation to some degree, and hidden it from the body of Christ as best he can….

 

Well ….guess what…..

 

God is doing an awakening amongst the brethren!!……why?

 

because…. the Church must come into its fullness before Jesus returns, …..and there is a spark starting to happen worldwide,

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

You see,….. the only way to reveal the second Revelation to you,… is, ….that…it has to become a Revelation,…like I mentioned earlier

 

and,… as was made clear earlier….You didn't receive the first one immediately,..did you?…it sank in as you meditated on it,… then one day you said…yes …I've got it"

Well,…. the second Revelation comes in just the same way,…. as you meditate on it

 

So, in order to make it sink in,…. I have purposely not mentioned it yet,….why?…. because it has to grow in you,….before the 'light comes on',… so to speak!

 

So,…. in order to do this,….

 

we need to take a reasonably longish journey,….so relax…, open your heart and mind, and allow the Spirit of God to bring this second revelation to you,... or reignite it in you,…. or clarify it more in you,…..or confirm it in you,……whatever is the case

Chpt 5

 

WHAT REALLY IS THE BIBLE STORY?

 

Okay,…

 

it all began in the garden of Eden…

 

well….. maybe, first question to ask is,….. what is the Bible actually all about.!!!

 

Can you,…. in one sentence,…….tell us what the Bible is actually all about.!!!

 

What is the story of the Bible?

 

I guess most of us would answer the question by saying something like this…..

 

The Bible is the story of creation,…the fall of man… and then redemption through Jesus Christ,….and the establishment of the Church

 

Well,…. that certainly is A story in the Bible, ….in fact,…you could put it this way….. it is A story, within a story

 

I will say it again….

 

It's not the story….but rather A story…within a story

 

So,…… what then,… is the story of the Bible….

 

Well,…. quite clearly…. the story is about…………

 

The Story is about…..

 

Two Fathers………..

 

(Matt 13:38)….clearly speaks about 2 kingdoms…'the sons of the Kingdom, and the sons of the wicked one'……….(the story of course,…beginning in Heaven (Lucifer)…and ending in the Book of Revelation)

 

The story of the Bible is actually about 2 fathers, and the story of redemption (rescuing those children)…. is A story within A story

 

 

Firstly …….we have the Father of all creation ‘all things were made by him and for him’ (Col 1:16)

 

and secondly,…… we have the fallen angel,…. Lucifer, or Satan… as we now call him,… also known as the devil

 

Jesus referred to him as a father…..(John 8:44 ….."like your father the devil")

 

In fact Jesus most potent description of the devil was, ….that he was the "father of lies" (John 8:44)….Jesus said that there was "no truth in him, and that he was a liar from the beginning"

 

And….. so we have two fathers found in the Bible that have their own kingdoms

 

The kingdom of darkness….and

 

The Kingdom of light

 

 

Now let's look at the story of the Bible….

 

 

Lets start at the fall of Lucifer….

 

Banished from heaven and cast down to the earth with one third of the angelic realm...

 

By some sort of legal process, Lucifer was given this Earth to spiritually inhabit….

 

He was to become "The god of this world" (John 14:30) (2 Cor 4:4) and took on the role of a father…..the Bible declaring… he has children (John 8:44)

 

 However, ….at the time of God creating mankind, in the garden of Eden,…Satan…( the father of lies), actually did not have any children…

 

He did have one third of the angelic realm (who followed him into rebellion),… but the Bible does not seem to refer to that angelic host as his children… (more likely "his followers")

 

They are known as principalities, powers, rulers, demons, evil spirits, and other demonic names, that do not indicate that they are his children,….and yet we know that he is labelled by Jesus himself as a father….. and that he has children…

 Chpt 6

 

TWO PARRALELL WORLDS

 

 

Okay,…. maybe now…. we can go to the Garden of Eden

 

 

The book of Genesis tells us a pattern, and the way in which God went about the process of physical creation.

 

He made the earth and the stars, the seas, the animals, and so on,….. until finally he makes man….(Adam and Eve)…………why?

 

……Because he desires children….. he himself was already a Father (Father, Son and Holy Spirit)….but his greatest desire… is children

 

He is excited about the idea of children and creating a world for them….

 

Each time he made something …..He expressed excitement……"wow, this is great"….. "God saw that it was good"…"very good"….(Genesis Chpt 1 ,v 18,21,25)

 

He thinks this is great,….. creating an environment to bring children into… He's excited…

 

Tell me,…. what do we do, when we are about to bring children into this world for the first time.

 

Same thing ….'paint up the kids room'….  buy all sorts of things,…. tell everyone,… excitement.l!!!!

 

Well, we’re no different to God are we….’we are made in the likeness and image of God’  (Gen 1: 26,27  Gen 5:1)

 

 

just keep this in mind, as we read on….

 

 

So God is excited about bringing children into this life,….his own children who will love him,… spend time with him,… and He will in turn love them back, and be a Dad to them….

 

 

 

As He creates physically, the first human being,… He suddenly breaths into Adam, 'the breath of life'…… Another way of saying this, is,…. that a part of God the Father (DNA if you like… 'we are made in the image and likeness of God'),….went into Adam,…..and Adam became a living being (Gen 2:7)

 

 

This living being part of Adam is known as his 'spirit'….the real Adam….the part of Adam that will live forever, (as will his soul)

 

This spirit part of Adam is alive to his Dad….. there is a connection there, that makes him a legal and 'spiritually biological' son of his Father…( if you get what I mean.!!)

 

Something left his Heavenly Father, and went into Adam,… which gave him life, because it came out of the Father, the Father can rightfully call Adam….'his son'.

 

When conception takes place in human beings, the same process is in motion….. The DNA of the father goes into the egg, and suddenly a new life is conceived. (We are made in the likeness and image of our parents).

 

It's very important here to realise that the spiritual and physical worlds… run in parallel…(remember…."paint up the kids room"…so to speak!!!…as I mentioned earlier)

 

The two worlds are not a lot different from one another….(heaven and earth)…

 

'What you bind on earth is bound in heaven, what you loose on earth is loosed in heaven…(Matt 16:19, 18:18)

 

Sewing and reaping is a spiritual and physical experience ‘we lay up for ourselves treasure in heaven’…(Luke 12:28-34, Matt 6:19,20, Gal 6:8,9.)

 

‘For it was in Him that all things were created in heaven and earth’,…… there's creation in heaven too.!!!! (Col 1:16)

 

* His will is to be done on earth as it is in heaven… (Matt 6:10)

 

* There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body ….(1 Cor 15 44-47)

 

 

The spiritual world has thrones, dominions, rulers, flutes, incense, spices, precious stones, clothing, crowns, lightning, thunder, love, peace, joy, emotions, musical instruments, music, singing, new songs, wisdom, horses, swords, houses, roads, cities, family…(Father, Son and Holy Spirit)… (mostly all found in the book of Revelation)

 

Commentators say (quote)…that we 'reflect the nature and life of the Divine family through our earthly family'…. in (Col 1:15)..it says…'now He (Jesus) is the exact likeness of the unseen God, the visible representation of the invisible.

 

In (Eph 3:14,15)..it says…I bow my knee to the Father, of whom every family in heaven and earth is named. That Father from whom all fatherhood takes its title and derives its name…

 

"Show us the Father", the disciple said

 

"He who has seen me, has seen the Father"….was Jesus reply.

 

God created Adam and Eve (male and female) and in (Genesis 2:24) it says… 'they shall become one'…. replication of the Godhead (were made in his own image)

 

as you well know,…..… we create with words (according to the Bible.. Matt 17:20)….and God creates with words…and we find that the principle of warfare is the same…we take authority with our words..so does God…..

 

 

And so …..

 

DNA comes from our biological father (parents)… (at the time of conception)…and at the exact same time, spiritual DNA comes from our Heavenly Father….. (unless you believe in reincarnation of course…:)

 

No, ……my spirit did not exist before my biological mum and dad conceived…….. Do you remember flying around in heaven somewhere,… then suddenly dive into a physical egg the exact moment it was conceived….. I don't recall that happening to me, do you?

 

 

No….  at the moment of conception I became 'me', as the sperm of my dad united with the egg of my mum…..this is the amazing wonder of creation….. I am part of my dad (and mum)…..I was actually in my dad…..I came from him

Chpt 7

 

FAMILY IS NUMBER ONE

 

 

(of course, the terminology of the Bible seems to use the term 'Father'….more often than not…but just remember,…. that there is no gender inequality in God…..Father, Son and Holy Spirit are ONE….even though the Holy Spirit is clearly suggested as being more maternal, like a mother…Holy Spirit is regarded as 'The Comforter"…the 'Parakletos'…'the one who draws alongside of'….also referred to as 'the many breasted one", and so on,…..so we can conclude (even though the Holy Spirit is often penned as 'He')…that the fullness of family, is somehow (tied up in the mystery of the Godhead)…

 

….and make no mistake….the greatest vocation….that towers above all our futile and carnal activities and careers on this earth….…is Parenthood and family….if you honour your parents, you will live long on this earth (Eph 6:2)….Parenthood and Parental honour, holds the greatest value in Gods kingdom…by far.!!!….nothing that you do on this earth ,will ever….even come close to the Majestic world of family…or being a Parent or Foster Parent sibling that honours family…..even if you’re not a Parent.."honour your Parents"…..and if you are unable to do that (an Orphan perhaps)….then honour your Heavenly Parents…..  

 

And of course, we see that the first commandment that was given to mankind….in relation to our conduct one to another ……..was not……“ÿou shalt not murder”…”commit adultery”…”steal”..”bear false witness” or ..””covet your neighbours whatever” …..no…the first commandment in relation to our conduct…’one to another’, was………”honour your Father and Mother that you may live long on this earth…(Exodus 20:12)…

 

This was the first commandment to us….in relation to our brotherly conduct…

 

God the Father places parenting …number one, after Himself…because He Himself is a Father who has family, and nothing is greater in His eyes than family……..and if we don’t find that out here on this earth, then we most certainly will when we finally depart this earth…

 

And Jesus passionately said (using a child in reference to the innocence of a new believer)….

”but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depths of the sea” (Matt 18:6)….…(such is the passion that God has for His family)

 

 

Well,….. as I have said before….the physical and spiritual worlds are in parallel

 

 

When the sperm left my earthly dad, (or thereabouts)…. so did the sperm (if you like) of my spiritual Dad leave him……a piece of God left him and conceived in me… and I became a living spirit being,….possessing all the creative qualities that my Heavenly Dad possesses…

 

 

( after the 'Born again' experience,…my 'dead, or dormant, to God' spirit, came 'alive to God', and suddenly, all these creative qualities became available to me)….before the 'Born again' experience, I was alienated from God…because only a clean or forgiven person can access the world of God….no corruption has a place in the world of God…we must be sterilised (like a radio-active shower cleanse…the blood of Jesus), before we can enter his Kingdom…..

 

However….We see these creative qualities in Jesus, who was 100% man, yet Jesus operated in that other world to extraordinary measures…..

 

He could defy natural laws and walk through walls and walk on water,…… He could control the elements (storms) and create something out of nothing (coin in fishes mouth)……

His Spirit was in perfect harmony with his spiritual Dad, and He even knew when his spiritual Dad was not there with Him……"Father why have you forsaken me" (Matt 27:46)

 

 

Of course Jesus has always been around, but he did prove that the 'Spirit-man' Jesus could operate as heaven operates….. creatively,… (like we can) in a human body…..'as He is, so are we in this world' (1 John 4:17)

 

Jesus demonstrated to us, ….that this relationship that He had with an 'unseen person' (his Spiritual Dad) was as real as his own earthly dad……

 

He even said "I came from my Dad and I will return to him" (John 8:14)

 

Now…..you may think, from what I have just said,…. that, yes okay, that was okay for Jesus, because he was God…. but you know the Bible says that…. "He stripped himself of all his deity, and became a man such as we are……He was tempted on all points such as we are (Heb 4:15)

 

 

He physically died…. just like we do...

 

No,…. he was just like us

 

Chpt 8

 

INTENSE LOVE

 

Anyway,….now,… after all that,……. time to get to the point…..

 

….. and it is this……the thing that so glaringly stands out,….when we see the life of Jesus,….. is,… this amazing love that he had for his Dad. (his Heavenly Father)

 

He loved his Dad, and his Dad loved him….He could never stop talking about his Dad,…..He couldn't even stand being away from his Dad for even one second,….. He relished and loved his Dads company…… just amazing,….He had continual fellowship with his Dad and just adored him..

 

Jesus showed us that our spirit has the capacity to love and to be loved,... and

 

We are able to love and adore our unseen Father,…. and He in turn, is able to love and adore us….. Jesus proved that to us…( and of course He loves every part of you, spirit, soul, and body)

 

 

And so, God loved Adam (his first conception if you like),… the same as he loved Jesus….. 'this is my beloved son, of whom I am well pleased',….He could easily have said about …or to…Adam and Eve,…….. or do you think that God doesn't love you… (or Adam),……as much as He loves Jesus?

 

No……

 

(John 16:27) says….. 'For the Father himself tenderly loves you, because you have loved me,

 

(John  15:9) ….As the Father loved me,…I also have loved you,…

 

In fact,…the Bible makes very clear statements about the fact that we are his children….and that He dearly loves us…

 

……even before we knew him….He still loved us….(John 3:16)…For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son…that whosoever believes in him, shall not perish

 

and as we return to him,….like the prodigal son, (Luke 15 21-30)…He opens his arms,….loves us,…puts the ring on our finger,….kills the fatted calf,….and places the family Robe on our shoulders,….

 

He demonstrates His love to us….

Now……..

 

 

Adam was fully connected to God, as a son to a father,….however,….because of the legal implications of 'The Fall' (of Adam and Eve)…….

 

our only way of fully connecting back to our Heavenly Dad today, is via a 'legal door'….. and of course that's Jesus ( as I mentioned before)…..He provides that legal door back into the presence of our Father

 

 

The point I'm so painstakingly making here is…..

 

 

That the relationship that your Heavenly Dad has with you,…..is as intense as you would ever find on earth ( and more so of course)…. because you came out of your Father….. you are a part of him……..(just like you came out of your earthly dad)

 

 

So…. with that in mind…

 

 

your Dad in heaven….

 

jealously protects his children……(just like you do)……he never wants to see his daughter or son,….taken advantage of,…or hurt,…or abused,….or bullied,… or whatever…

 

His heart aches when He sees his children in difficulty or pain….( just like we do… with our kids)….. he wants to instruct his sons and daughters with wisdom, so that they will make good choices (like we do as parents)…. He wants his children to see him as a…'good dad'…. 'a wonderful dad',…..'a beautiful dad'….( just like we do with our kids)….

 

 

Remember the physical and spiritual worlds are in parallel

Chpt 9

 

ITS WAR

 

However……

 

 

There is one thing that Angers him……

 

 

to the point of retaliation….to the point of going on the offensive…. (just like we can)

 

 

And that is…..

 

 

When another person lies to his children about his integrity and motives and slanders his parenting to the point of regarding him as an unfit father…..( remember …The Father had a great relationship with Adam and Eve and would commune with them in the Garden of Eden in 'the cool of the day"..(Gen 3: 8-9)

 

I'll say it again….

 

When another person lies to his children about his integrity and motives and slanders his parenting to the point of regarding him as an unfit father….

 

this would make anyone aggressively respond…… and what makes it even worse…..is when, it's another (would be) father that's making these accusations (as Satan would soon become)

 

Tell me…..would you be getting a little mad about now…… wanting to 'sort him out'….. I bet you would.!!!!

 

Parallel worlds remember

 

 

Jesus got close to this himself…..(Matt 26:53)…"Don't you know that I could call down more than 12 legions of angels now if I wanted"…… "so just back off" …..do you remember that?

 

No…….

 

there is a point where your Heavenly Dad draws a line in the sand…… and Satan crossed over it….. in the Garden of Eden…. (Gen 3:3) God said ,do not eat the fruit of the tree or you shall surely die…. Satan (the Serpent….Rev 12:9) replied…"he lying to you"…"he's not a good father"…"you won't die".."for your lying father knows that the day you eat of it you will become like him"

 

In fact it gets worse……

 

the would-be father actually succeeds in turning those vulnerable children against their true Father by deceiving them and then convinces them that they actually belong to him and they are taken captive by his deceit……………(Rev 12:9) 'so the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world'

 

 

it's right about now that their Heavenly Dad actually initiates a vendetta (if you like)……

 

a rescue plan is thought through, and put into action by our Dad……. not Jesus

 

it’s important to note here, that this heavenly rescue plan was put into motion by our Dad…not Jesus…

 

Jesus was sent by his Dad……

 

(John 5:37)…..and the Father himself who sent me

 

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world ….(John 3:17)

 

God sent forth his Son…. (Gal 4:4)

 

As the Living Father sent me….( John 6:57)

 

…that The Father has sent The Son as saviour of the world (1 John 4:14)

 

It was our Dads plan of redemption,…. not Jesus…… this is your Dad doing everything he can to get you back (not Jesus)…. and the same time, letting that other father know…. 'that he's going down'….and he's 'going down' big time….

 

I am pressing the point here that it was your Dads plan of rescue…..not Jesus's…for a very good reason, which will be made clearer further on…

 

But no…… Satan...'The devil',… is 'going down' big time, and he should of just been happy to be the 'prince of power of the air' ..(Eph 2:2). here on earth (where he was cast down to) …..God might have just left him alone for a while…….'but no'….The devil is never satisfied, he is the ultimate representation of bitterness and resentment….brutal vengeance is his only motive…

no…. it's 'fire and brimstone' now….. 'eternal torment' for him…. 'judgement'…..'lake of fire'…… Satan crossed way over the line,…. and he's going to pay (book of Revelation)

 

 

So our Dad is mad now… really mad at the 'father of lies'…..(and by the way…. not mad at you.!!) ….. God was not putting punishment on Adam and Eve,… when he spoke of pain in childbirth and hard work ……no…. The legal consequences of not being in a perfect (sinless environment), have their own set of laws, (that He himself implemented) and God had no choice but to explain them to Adam and Eve…so He could prepare them for what lay ahead…..that has always been his motive, right throughout the Bible….just like you prepare your children for what lies ahead of them…don't you?….or are we more caring and better loving parents than God.!!!!….…(this will be made clearer further down the track)

 

 

No…our Dad is majorly ticked off ..(just like you would be)  and lets Satan know, that he now has a fight on his hands….if you want a fight Satan (the other father)….you’ve got one…..…and you better get ready, because your about to get 'kicked in the head' big time….. 'and He shall bruise your head'….. (who?…..the one I am sending……my Son Jesus….of course Satan never found that out until several thousand years later that he was referring to Jesus)…..(Gen 1:15) God talking to the serpent…"and He shall bruise your head"

 

 

Kicked in the head, usually happens when the opponent is on the ground…. 'crawling on his belly, eating dust' (Genesis 3:14) (Bible commentators make the claim, that 'eating dust' is figurative for 'extreme humiliation' )……..Satan is going to bruise Jesus heel…yes.. (Genesis 3:15)……. but I'm telling you now, 'father of lies', who's gonna come off worse here…and it's gonna be you……..'cause I am totally over you….your future is extreme humiliation and then judgement

Chpt 10

 

THE RESCUE OPERATION

 

Now,……

 

this was your Dad remember…..not Jesus…..do you get it!!….

 

The Father had no choice but to send Jesus in the plan of redemption because of the legal requirements…..there's no doubt, if He was able, …The Father would have come himself, but legally He was unable to……Jesus came in obedience to his Dad… "I will do what you have sent me to do"…..obedience…(John 4:34)

 

Would you…as a father, send your son to die when you could do it yourself???…..of course we wouldn't.!!….well then, are we a more upright and caring parent than our Heavenly Father..!!!

 

Jesus motivation and personal purpose in accepting the obedience task from his Dad is vastly different from his Dads….(as you will be well aware of further on)…..both Jesus and His Father had completely different agendas on this earth

 

I’ll say that again……

 

Jesus and His Father had completely different agendas on this earth…..

 

 

Now …

 

 

Lucifer (Satan) has provoked Gods anger before,….. when he wanted to usurp his throne in heaven….

 

The response to that, was an angelic war with God the Father, as the supreme commander, and a display of his anger, by violently throwing Lucifer, and his followers out of heaven…

 

God has been angry with Lucifer before…. and now He's really mad,…..he tried to take my throne,…..now he's trying to take my children.

 

Are you getting the picture……

 

God is not a passive God……

 

Remember…..we live in parallel worlds

The authority today…( in Jesus name) is in our words now …..God merely Mimic's what you do (if you see what I mean)… He doesn't override your authority……if you won't forgive…..you give him no choice….He cannot forgive you either…..it's a law…a parallel law

 

For instance…. 'what you loose on earth' (forgive)…'will be loosed in heaven' (forgiveness)..(so to speak)(Matt 16:19),……'we have favour with God and with man' ….like Jesus (Luke 2:52),….. favour runs in a parallel world,…..God Feels like we feel ……He responds like we respond…

 

The Father was moved (in Jesus) when He saw the people lost,…… 'like sheep without a shepherd' ( his kids…. lost)

 

 

Ok then….just try and get hold of that last statement……..'The Father' …was moved (in Jesus)

 

Remember…..that Jesus said many times…..' it's the Father in me'.. not me …..'but the Father in me… he does the works'…..it was 'The Father' through Jesus eyes…that saw the lost without a shepherd'….. (Kids without their Dad)

 

Jesus wept……NO…… it was your Dad weeping for you….. not Jesus…..'I only do with the Father tells me to do'

 

It was your Dad's rescue mission…… not Jesus

 

Jesus was the vehicle…. yes…… and He became obedient even to the cross of his death (Phil 2:8)…..(to complete Dads rescue mission)….  'not my will but your will be done' Jesus said to his Father

 

Your Dad Was hell-bent on getting his kids back……. Jesus was the vehicle.. yes…but the 'heart' was your Dads………………and we wonder if he loves us!!!!

Jesus was the vehicle for your Fathers compassion,…….(your Dad was hurting ….if you like… losing his children) ….  more on these thoughts later…

 

The Bible tells us that….'Jesus was the perfect representation of the Father'…. and Jesus showed strong emotion…… yes…..no question….your Heavenly Father is angry at this other father….very angry …….. and it started 'this time around' at the Garden of Eden

 

"Who told you, you were naked"…!!!!( Gen 3:11)

 

Oh,…. He's mad alright,…. just like I would be, and you would be….

 

He's hopping' mad...

 Chpt 11

 

THE DAY OF VENGEANCE

 

Okay….. now let's leave the Garden of Eden now, and move on to the story of the Old Testament

 

Imagine for a moment that this was your story

 

You are the father, and you find yourself frantic, having lost your children……A stranger has taken your children away from you by lying to them…

 

"Oh your dad told me to pick you up,…. come on hop in my car,.. and I'll take you for a ride"

 

What do you think your reaction would be.!!!!!!!

 

Remember… God just spent all this time making everything for you and me…. beautiful planet…. animals…. Gardens…. galaxies….. all for us…He put a lot of work in, because He wanted us to have everything…..

 

He was 'over the moon' with the idea of children,( just like you and me) and then someone comes along……a stranger…. and says to your kids….  "Let me take you for a ride"

 

Are you getting this…….

 

Our Father is 'beside himself' with rage (just like you and I would)

 

Not only was your beautiful little four year old….. taken for a ride with a stranger…. . and you've been unable to communicate with that beautiful little girl….. but as she grows a little older …you find out that she's actually beginning to despise you now….

 

Little Sarah…. your baby….. your offspring…who came from you…. doesn't want to talk to you….. and even worse, starts to do violent acts to her siblings (your other children…who are also lost)….depravity and cruelty start to surface

 

People….this is the story of the Bible, as you well know…this is what happened… didn’t it.!!

 

Now tell me…… what would you want to do to that other father…. that lying good for nothing father…..Huh!!…what would you like to do.!!!!

 

Remember…..'we are made in the likeness an image of God'….. when God created us in his own image,….. He created family,…. because He is family…

 

Our community of family, is a reflection of the community of the Godhead (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) …..our reaction in a situation like this, is no different to Gods reaction, as is made clear by the book of Revelation

 

The Bible regularly talks about Gods vengeance (revenge)…. what do you suppose the Father is so angry about?…… that He talks so often about revenge..!! He is severely 'ticked off' about something………."vengeance is mine I will repay' says the Lord (Rom 12:19)"

 

is it you and me?….….

 

hardly.!!!!!….do you seek vengeance against your kids when they are deceived and taken captive by someone else…….no!!!….you want to do something nasty to that person who stole your kids from you….don't you!!!

 

 

People…as you know,..we can often make the Bible into some sort of unreachable mystical holy book…and of course, it is the powerfully written Word of God…..but it is also a true practical story of family and the number one place that God elevates family too…..and His passion for family and its challenges from Gods perspective……..and consider this……when Jesus came into his ministry…His only focus was His own family (not you and me)……He was focused on His family….Father, Son and Holy Spirit…not you and me……more on that later…

 

 

Somehow…somewhere during the end times and suchlike,….you will see the Fathers rage in full flight….. God is preparing for a battle and these last days, because He is totally over  Satan, and He will get his revenge for Satan taking his children off him…..

 

just stand back, the Father says to us….. "vengeance is mine, mine, …. I will repay says the Lord"…..The Father is going to avenge himself

 

When Jesus began to read in the temple about himself…..he began to read……. "the Spirit of God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me"…  and so on…(Luke 4:18-19)

 

And finishes with ……"to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord"

 

What's that all about ?…..

 

well….. it's all about getting his kids back …..through Jesus

 

But…..What's the next part of the verse.!!!

 

 

'and the day of vengeance of our God'……(Isaiah 61:2)

 

'to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God'…..(Isaiah 61:2)

 

Make no mistake… God is into vengeance….. fully into vengeance…

oh yes, he is 'ticked off' alright ….at the 'father of lies'…… (just like you and I would be)

 

Jesus job was to complete his task (Isaiah 61:1-2) …which was to display the goodness of his Father….that’s why Jesus didn't complete the last part of that verse…

 

but the Father was the one who would complete the last part of that verse…"and the day of vengeance of our God"……('vengeance is mine I will repay…says the Lord')

 

Jesus wanted to make it very clear as He quoted Isaiah in the synagogue that He was to represent the goodness of The Father …….. that’s why He left out "and the day of vengeance of our God"……. because that was his Fathers vengeance…..not His

 

and that the Fathers 'vengeance' was against that 'other father' ….NOT PEOPLE….  Jesus job….'as He only did what the Father told him to do ….and say'… was to unashamedly love on his children….you and me…..

 

…. 'and Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil' (Acts 10:38)…..

 

…'its the goodness of God that leads people to repentance' (Romans 2:4)

 Chpt 12

 

GRIEF

 

So now…….

 

 

Continuing the biblical history of mankind…..

 

The Father now has to face the most terrible moment (apart from his Son on the cross) in existence,….. even to the point of saying "I wish I had never made them" (the time of the flood)..(Gen 6:6)

 

Why did he say that?……"I wish I had never made them"( Gen 6:7)

 

Because of what He was seeing them do to themselves……living a depraved life…. and the Father in anguish thought… "for their sakes…. it would have been better that I had never made them…….. to see what they have become, and what they are doing to themselves"…

 

"If I had never made them, they would never had experienced this terrible, depraved, lawless and violent life…..destroying one another"….

 

"And God repented that He ever made man, and He was grieved to the heart"…… you were never made to live like this and I can do nothing about getting you back (at that time)…

 

(because the legal process that He had set in motion to recover his children still had hundreds and hundreds of years play out…….Satan had legal rights to this world and God is bound by his own laws…..if He broke them and illegally snatched back his children, then He would be regarded as a lawless renegade and would forfeit his Godly role and would have sinned….that is why Jesus had to remain sinless…and that’s why Satan tempted him….to try and make him sin)

 

Now……..Imagine if this had happened to your kids and grandkids and so on ……wouldn't you be grieved to the heart.!!!!

 

 

And so the Father in his mercy towards mankind actually had to end our depraved and wicked ways, so that hell would not continue to enlarge itself with the godless and depraved offspring of mankind rapidly filling the earth…..

 

The flood was at an act of Mercy towards his lost, present and future children……..

 

Imagine seeing your kids like that…and there was nothing you could do about it….."  And the Father was grieved to the heart ("sick in the stomach"…. metaphor of course)……but wouldn't you be sick in the stomach.!!!!! …

 

(Genesis 6) ..'and the Lord saw that the wickedness of man (his estranged kids) was great in the earth, and that every imagination and intention of all human thinking was only evil continually'…..

(Genesis 6:11) 'and the earth was depraved and putrid in Gods sight, and the land was filled with violence, desecration, infringement, outrage, assault, and the lust for power'….

 

 

…and you think that you have a few problems with your kids!!!!……

 

 

spare a moment for your heavenly Dad here…sheeesh…thank you Jesus we live in todays world…where we have Salvation…thank God, we were not born in that dispensation……Dear Lord..I'me so grateful….

 

 v12… and God looked upon the world and saw how degenerate, debased, and vicious it was, for all humanity (his estranged children) had corrupted their way and were lost….

 

What a terrible thing for a parent to have to deal with, ….the apple of your eye,…. the darling of your heart,… depraved and lost forever…..

 

 Wouldn't you say that your Dad was not only grieved (feeling sick in the stomach) ……. but was livid at the thought of that other father..the father of lies…

 

 Now I'm saying all this to build a foundation so that when Jesus finally arrives on the earth…… what do you expect his attitude would have been?…..remember….Jesus is as much involved in this, as the Father (the Father and I are one..Jesus said)..(John 10:30)

 

 

Are you following this?……

Chpt 13

 

KEEP IT LEGAL

 

What would have been the driving, and purposeful, and relentless message that Jesus would have been trying to get across to mankind

 

Think about it for the moment, and try and keep that in mind……..it's not people He's mad with…remember that!!....

(of course imé not talking here about the discipline of your Dad or His future judgement for mankind……that’s a different subject all together….however....all I know….is that He will be just and fair)

 

 

Now lets continue on…..

 

 

And so the Fathers driving motivation was to look for a day when this whole scenario would do a 180° turnaround, and then He could get his kids back….

 

And so Noah found favour in Gods sight….. how relieved He must have been to see a speck of light in such a dark world (yes…I know God doesn't get relieved ..but just pretend for a moment…then again…maybe He does..who knows!!)….I certainly would be.!!

 

And so the Father began the legal pathway to accomplish his plan of rescue, and turn the whole scenario around in his favour…

 

The Bloodline and legal pathway was underway and there would be no stopping the plan of rescue now…..

 

You see, the whole of the following Old Testament was a rescue plan that needed several thousands of years to come to its climax….

 

The Father new the exact time to bring Jesus into this earth, but He was still subject to a legal pathway……the Father is the only one who knows the dispensation time sequences….He initiated the plan of Redemption and the day of vengeance….(Mark 13 :32) 'but of the day and hour…no one knows, neither the Angels in Heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father'….The Father will and has executed his timetable of his own choosing…in line with legal boundaries….and everything will come to pass in its right time as the Bible declares

 

Or Father is Honourable and consistent….

 

He works within his own boundaries, that He himself has implemented, and will not break them……that's why He is God…..He is faithful to his own words and laws…

 

He is subject to man's wilful obedience to get where he needs to go, and to do the things He needs to do….ie. Noah, Abraham, etc…..He trusts human beings to do the right thing even though He was surrounded by centuries of carnage and desecration and distrust…….what  an amazing trusting being He is!!!

 

He will never override your will, and depends on your co-operation and wilful obedience for success…. that is why Jesus had to present to us ….a Father that we would wilfully choose….. 

 

I will explain that statement more, a little further down the track and it will become clearer to you….

 

I'll say it again…….

 

The amazing thing about our Heavenly Father is that, He will never break his word,…. He will never break his promise,…. He will never ever take away from you what He gave you, even if it destroys you…for example…..(Romans 11:29) 'the gifts and Callings of God are irrevocable’

 

An Evangelist (or suchlike) can destroy his own life by misusing the gift, but his Heavenly Father will never remove it from him…

 

If He took back, or took away, just one thing, then we could never trust him,…. because if He could take back one thing,…. then He could take 3 things from us couldn't He, …..or 10 things,….. or 100 things,…… or everything.

 

Perhaps He might say, I will just take away one thing from mankind if I need to,….. no,…..better make that three things, just in case……no,…. 4 things,…….no…… maybe!!!!!

 

you get the idea,….. how absurd that thinking is…… no….. God is true to his word, and He will not transgress his own rules……  he gave Satan certain rights in this world…. and He is then bound by his own words…..

 

 

So then the question is……..(for The Father)

 

 

How do I get my kids back……. legally

 

If the Father set legal parameters in place in this world, and operates himself by those same parameters,….. then His plan of redemption (to get his kids back),…must also operate within those same boundaries…(He will not transgress those legal parameters that He Himself has put in place)

 

Satan knows this,….. and that's why Satan is always trying to get God to operate outside of those legal parameters,  so that he can usurp his throne, and that is exactly what would happen if God didn't stay true to his word,….Satan would usurp Gods authority and then 'the father of lies' (father of Evil) himself…..would then be enthroned

 

Satan tried very hard to get The Father (Jesus) to do that in the wilderness….. but the Father said to Satan …..the Father said to Satan (through Jesus)…. "man shall not live by bread alone, but every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God"……..(remember….Jesus said…I only say what my Father tells me to say)…it was the Father speaking through Jesus….(so to speak)

 

What The Father was saying to Satan was……." You won't move me Satan…..I will remain and operate within the parameters of my legal boundaries,  and stay true to what I have previously spoken"….

 Chpt 14

 

CO-OPERATION WORKS BEST

 

so now…..

 

His plan of redemption involves people……

 

 

and so…..as He will not transgress his own laws……….God the Father ..now……has to influence……. (not override or control)… but influence…mans will, and somehow manoeuvre mankind (by his own choice)…to co-operate with him and develop a legal plan, to rescue his kids….(you and me)….

 

God will not override your will…..that’s what dictators do.!!!

 

Your Dad gave you free will…. and will never override it……That's why we must co-operate with God for good outcomes to happen…..

 

for example……. "all things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to his purpose"( Romans 8:28)…….. yes…… they do work together for good…..but only, when you co-operate with God……They don't necessarily work out for good if you don't co-operate with the Holy Spirit in prayer…… Who is constantly interceding for us…….. see the context of the chapters..it's about walking in the Spirit and co-operating in the Spirit……. It's about prayer co-operation and being led by The Spirit of God…

 

"The spiritual person is exhorted to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess 5:17)

 

"stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth………and the sword of the spirit…which is the Word of God…praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit…being watchful ……" (Eph 6:10-18)

 

 

No……if everything just works out for good….why should we bother praying…..and why are we exhorted to 'pray without ceasing'

 

no…things won't necessarily work out for your good, unless you pray, and stay in agreement with the Holy Spirit as best you can…

 

and of course, to say that domestic violence, rape, marriage break-ups, murder, children on drugs, Corporate collapses, theft, destitution, poverty, vile acts against you,…..is working for your good…..to me,…seems somehow,….to be somewhat, of an insane perspective on life…..

no……..all things will end up working for your good, when you pray….and co-operate with the Holy Spirit, in prayer……and use your authority and command the situation or agree with The Holy Spirit to have a good or better outcome…….then you will see that situation turn around…..for your good...

 

However even though (I would suggest)….that perhaps….. some of us ( Christians)…. like myself… don’t entirely adhere to that …”all things work together for good” philosophy…..

Some other religions do adhere to that philosophy…for example…Islam……is a religion that embraces the 'all things work together for good' philosophy……"whatever happens is Allah's will" (all things end up good….doesn’t matter what you do)….and of course….that’s what they believe and certainly, no-one could question their sincerity in this belief….

 

Different religions, of course,…..clearly have different opinions on this particular philosophy…and Christianity to me,…….also seems to appear to have a divided opinion on this ‘particular subject…(the ‘Gods got it all under control’ phylosophy and its all gonna end up good….”all things work together for good” philosophy )

 

But in my thinking…No….. If God could override your will ,……then He would insist that you get saved (Born again)….. because his will is…." that no one should perish"…., but unfortunately hell is enlarging itself every day, and God can only rely on what he has legally set in place regarding his kids "choosing life rather than death"….and “choosing death” is not going to work out for your good

"Behold I set before you life and death"….. choose life ……our choice

 

What I have been trying to explain here,……as we move on to the next part of the story, …..is that Life has to be a partnership with our creator….a working co-operating partnership

(for our own safety and protection as well as future blessing…but it’s also not that hard to do)

 

…and so.. for good to work out for us, we need to be in a working co-operation partnership with God..(faith)..…totally ignoring God and expecting that everything is going to work out for our good (just because we are a Christian)  just aint gonna happen….

 

We are told to “cast down imaginations”…we’re told to “resist the devil and he will flee from us”…we’re told to “flee youthful lusts”…we’re told to “put on the whole armour of God”..we’re told :to be “aware of the devils devices”….we’re told not to “provoke our children to wrath…we’re told that …. “our conversation needs to be edifying and let no evil proceed from our mouth”…..”to forgive”….”to love one another”…”walk the extra mile””…pray without ceasing”…”walk by faith”…”etc”…”etc”…

No…we need to co-operate with God and his Word….a working co-operating partnership as best we can…co-operating with God has always been a Biblical principle for good outcomes,

 

 ……...and of course,… imé sure most of you reading this book, would already, be purposing to co-operate… as best you can,..with your Heavenly Dad…which he values greatly….

 Chpt 15

 

TERRIBLE DILEMA

 

And now……..going back to the Old Testament…

 

The Father was faced with a terrible dilemma at the time of Noah….. (Genesis 6:11,12).. ..says….. 'that the earth was corrupt (as I mentioned earlier),….and filled with violence',……. and so,….. the only answer… (as I also mentioned earlier)…. was to find an avenue that would satisfy the legal requirements to bring Jesus into the earth…

 

The plan of rescue would come through a bloodline, that met all the legal requirements,…. and allow The Father, custody again of his children……

 

And of course….. we know the story…..as the earth began to repopulate again,….. so did the battle for souls…… 'The father of lies'…. continuing his deceit and lies, and our Heavenly Father working through the Prophets and Godly people to maintain that Godly bloodline, ….and at the same time, trying anything (legally) to diminish and change the wrong and ungodly choices people and nations were continuing to make….

 

Remember…God is bound by his own legal parameters that He Himself implemented…..even though the Old Testament seems to suggest God can do whatever He likes….the truth is, that He is subject, as much as we are to (His own) legal requirements….and that is why we see so much ritual in the Old Testament,…..all the delicate and fussy peculiarities were not implemented with the purpose of annoying the children of Israel….but were vital in the "escape plan" for mankind, that He was unfolding, and the pathway to the cross was very particular and precise and with very stringent detail to somehow remain within legal boundaries…..the Bible very clearly stating that Satan is "The god of this world" (John 14:30 , 2 Cor 4:4 ) and God The Father was restricted by His own laws……..

 

At the same time, The Father was trying to prepare his 'estranged' children,….. for a moment in time,…. that was about to take place,…… that would settle the legal battle for custody, once and for all..

 

But of course…… this would mean the sacrifice of his own Son,…..

 

no father would be able to handle that,…(just think about what The Father would have been thinking…….and don't say….oh well ….he was God…he's different…..no…he was a dad about to see his son….separated from him, cruelly abused and hung until dead on a cross,……how would you like to witness that….with your child.!!!!!

 

But because there was no other way…… this would be the legal requirement

Remember the physical and spiritual worlds run parallel….(idea of a mirror image)

 

Abraham (co-operating with God)……offered his son Isaac, (natural world) as an offering, which paved the legal way, for The Father to offer his Son Jesus (spiritual world)……Eventually Abraham sacrificed a lamb ( natural world) and Jesus became the sacrificial lamb of God (spiritual world)……all the spiritually legal requirements were satisfied, and Satan would not be able to dispute it….

 

I'm sure that the Father would have willingly taken Jesus place if that were possible (As I mentioned before……. wouldn't you.!!!!… if your child was about to be crucified….. of course you would,)….

 

However…..what makes it even more heartwrenching for our Heavenly Dad,…..was,….that Jesus even asked that terrible question to his Dad….."Father if it is possible let this cup pass from me"…….. How do you think his Dad would have felt at that moment…..how would you have felt.!!!!……. But unfortunately the legal path required a son…

 Chpt 16

 

SOMETIMES THE  O.T. CAN DO YOUR HEAD IN!!

 

 

Incidentally,…..

 

 

you may have many questions about the way that God is presented In the Old Testament,….. and so often appears anything but fatherly,… even brutal and hard,… however,… just consider some of the things that follow,… when interpreting The Old Testament.

 

Firstly…… everything that was written in the Old Testament was true record of what people said,….. But not everything that people said was true,…. for example the 'book of Job'

 

Job stated……" The Lord giveth and The Lord taketh away"…… However later in the book of Job,…. Job repents of that statement, and says "I have spoken wrongly of you"….. So the first thing he said "The Lord giveth and The Lord taketh away" ……was a true record of what he said ……but was in fact a false and incorrect statement,….. rectified by Job himself

 

Secondly….. there was no revelation of the Devil in the Old Testament like there is in the New Testament,…. And generally everything was attributed to God…..good and bad

 

The Old Testament (being 3 times larger than the New Testament) only mentions..the devil or Satan (apart from the book of Job) about 8 times…..The New Testament (being 1/3rd smaller than the Old Testament)…mentions the devil or Satan 160 times …..

 

For instance…….Bible commentators make this statement in regard to (Genesis 38:7) …"and The Lord killed him" (New King James version)…and I Quote from the Bible commentators…"Israel attributed both good and evil, life and death to God….(a professional Bible Scholar and commentators margin quote)

 

Thirdly

Professional Bible Scholars and commentators often enlighten us on peculiar irregularities and statements found in the Bible, by some of the statements they make in the margins…

 

For example….

 

Gen 35:5 …"and the terror of God was upon the cities….(Bible Commentators quote…this may have been a natural disaster or plague or great fear of the son of Jacob. this expression normally indicated some kind of catastrophe attributed to God)

 

Gen 42:25-28 "what is this that God has done to us"….(Bible commentators quote….their sense of guilt, prompts them to declare God must be punishing them)

 

Leviticus 26:27-30…(Commentators quote…"by Jesus time, the religious community had used various Levitical laws to so isolate people, that they felt estranged from God himself)

 

Numbers 20:13…..(Commentators….this appears to be in direct contradiction to the earlier verse)

 

Numbers 31:8 …"and The Lord commanded that they kill the King of Balaam"….(Commentators….this verse creates great difficulty in understanding why God would want to kill someone who only ever did good and blessed Israel)

 

 

Deut 1: 5 and Deut 5: 6-21…..(Commentators quote…..when reading this, one needs to realise…. that this seems to be…… not a word for word repetition of Gods words, but rather an exposition or paraphrase of the Law)

 

Book of Ruth….(Commentators….It is not necessary to presume that Naomi's viewpoint is meant to be understood as a spiritual revelation intended as doctrine….. But rather an historical record……Naomi therefore represents more of a folklore theology)

 

1 Samuel 1: 6-7…."because the Lord had closed her womb"……(Commentators……a woman in Old Testament Times who could bear no children was viewed as cursed by God)

 

1 Samuel 13:5, 1 Kings 4:26, 1 Samuel 1:25, 1 Chronicles 1&2….(Commentators…..there appears to be several discrepancies between parallel accounts of the same events…and also figures do not correspond with one another)

 

1 Samuel 4:3….."why has The Lord defeated us"…..(Commentators…..The Lord was tended to be blamed in situations like this, whereas, it's clear that their own sin and ignorance bought about their own defeat)

 

 

Now…….

 

 

im'e not trying to be picky here…..but just to get you…for a moment….. to consider that Jesus came to put things straight….to demonstrate and give us a correct perception of God as there appears to be many discrepancies in the Old Testament and difficult phrases to digest…..wouldn't you agree?

 

Sometimes reading the Old Testament can do your head in…….right?….

 

Leviticus 26:27-30…."and The Lord said,….if you do not obey me….you shall eat the flesh of your sons and daughters….and my soul shall abhor you…..

 

Numbers 5:21-22…"The Lord will make you a curse, and will make your thigh rot and your belly swell"

 

Ex 22:24…..and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives will be widows and your children will be fatherless

 

Numbers 11:33…..and The Lord struck them with a very great plague …(like, the Aids virus, or Zika virus or whatever….)

 

Deut 8 15:16…….I will put terrible diseases on all those that hate you, and you are not to have pity on any of them

 

Deut 28:63-68 …….just at it pleased The Lord (made Him happy) to do you good and prosper you……so the Lord will be pleased (rejoice over you…and will be happy) to utterly destroy you (kill you) and bring you to nothing….(so God will enjoy getting rid of you…..and the Lord will give you terrified  hearts and will be in fear 24 hours a day!!!!the Message )

God was happy…….even rejoicing,….enjoying giving you fear and then destroying you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Deut 2 31…….and The Lord said to us , destroy all of the cities and utterly destroy everything…men, women, and even the little ones…..spare no one…kill them all….

 

 

oh my goodness….this was Jesus.!!!!!!..

 

 

the word 'Elohim' is found in the Old Testament 2,500 times and was continued to be used in the New Testament because it apply describes or denotes the tri-une or one true God , of whom Jesus, naturally is part of……

 

one can only conclude then, that Jesus was responsible or associated with the events written above

 

 

are you getting my drift.!!!!

 Chpt 17

 

THE LAW CAN BITE YOU

 

The best way to interpret the Old Testament is, in the light of the New Testament….

 

There are many confusing statements in the Old Testament, that can easily be rectified by reading what the New Testament has to say about that issue

 

Jesus knew the Old Testament better than anyone…..and scripture tells us that He even 'confounded the wise' at the tender age of 12 and the scholars were astounded at his understanding of the scriptures

 

He always elevated the Old Testament scriptures and often referred to them…mostly from the Book of Deuteronomy….in fact, most of the Old Testament was referred to by Jesus and the writers of the New Testament in one way or another, (and many quotes) but seemingly with little New Testament controversy

 

Jesus held the sacred scriptures in extreme high regard….and refused to get into controversy over scriptural arguments…..however,….. He did have a plan in motion to bring a more correct interpretation of God….which we will get to, …a bit further down the track…

 

 

however, just keep in mind,….. that God was able to somehow legally implement 'The Law' into this world, with the purpose of continuing to provided the righteous bloodline throughout the ages and to help people stay connected to a righteous lifestyle that would work in their favour and keep them connected to God…(this was legally implemented by God with the future purpose of legally bringing Jesus into this world)…..

 

However, the legal ramifications of 'The Law' also had its own consequences if people chose to live outside those boundaries….and of course…because God was the one who initiated the law , …all of the blessings as well as all of the penalties would be attributed to God (which stands to reason)……however, the blessings and consequences of the law ….good or bad …were bought on themselves,… when they chose to take the wrong path …"behold I set before life or death…choose life"(Deut 30:19) …….a wrong choice initiates.. automatically…The Law of sin and death in their lives….and gives the devil access into their lives (who is termed…'the god of this world') ….( 2 Cor 4:4 )

 

for example….as it was in the Old Testament and as it still is today……if you choose to lie, then the devil has legal access into your world…to disrupt your world and bring chaos into it…..because he is 'The father of lies'….he has legal access to you……legally…..

 

……..however if you choose not to lie, then you are under the protection of the blood of Jesus (and similarly the blood of bulls and goats in the Old Testament)….and "the accuser of the brethren" (Rev 12:10) has no legal grounds to implement an accusation…..that's why we are exhorted to walk uprightly…..so that we "give no place to the devil" (Eph 4:27) in our lives……

 

….following Gods commandments is a protection for us and not only isolates us from the devils accusations but gives us confidence in the realm of faith……"this is the confidence that we have in him…if we ask anything according to his will……… then we have the partition that we desired of him" (1 John 5:14-15)….faith operates thru confidence in Him…..by choosing to walk in Jesus commandments….brings confidence…..not choosing to walk in His ways brings condemnation and accusation from the devil…..

 

 

So…….When interpreting the Old Testament or you are uncertain about certain Old Testament scriptures…..consider this…

 

NEW TESTAMENT

'The thief (devil) does not come except to kill, steal and destroy, but I have come, (Jesus) that you may have life and have it more abundantly'……(John 10:10)

 

'Let no man say when the is tempted, "I am tempted by God", for God cannot be tempted by evil, neither does He tempt any man' (James 1:13)…."but each man is tempted when he drawn away by his own lust"

 

"He who does good is of God…he who does evil is not of God" (3 John 11)

 

Etc….

 

as you can see, the New Testament will make clear statements about (the Old Testament) which you may have uncertainty about……

 

 

Incidently,…..

 

One of the closest of Gods children that we see in the Bible is King David of the

Old Testament, who was in the lineage of Jesus, and wrote us the book of Psalms……

 

David clearly had an understanding of his Heavenly Father that was simply outstanding, where he wrote some astounding insight into the way our Heavenly Dad deals with us, (His children)

 

(Psalm 89:26-34)….”he will call out to me,….

 

you are my Father, my God, the Rock my Saviour,

 

I will appoint him my firstborn,

the most exalted of the Kings of the earth,

I will maintain my love to him forever,

and my covenant with him will never fail,

I will establish his line forever,

his throne as long as the heavens endure….

 

(However)………

 

If my sons forsake my law, and do not follow in my statutes,

if they violate my decrees and fail to keep my commandments,

 

I will punish their sins with the rod,…

their iniquity with flogging,….

but I will not take my love from him,

nor will I ever betray my faithfulness,

I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered”….

 

 

Unlike how the OT seems to present an often ruthless and short-tempered God….David ( “a man after Gods own heart”), gives us insight how he sees the way that God operates in this world, and of course, the way that he describes his Heavenly Dad here, is no different than the way that we would describe a good earthly dad….

 

We see the love of the Father…and yet…

 

We also see, the discipline of the Father ..“spare the rod and spoil the child”(Proverbs 13:24)

 

This is a very different interpretation of God than what the OT often presents about those that do not walk in Gods commandments and appear to be subject to the anger and severity of God …with hellish and brutal consequences

 

No…..

 

Your father in Heaven, loves and disciplines you, in the same way that we understand how Fatherly love and discipline operates here in our earthly world….there’s no difference….if there is,…..then God needs to learn a few lessons from us dosen’t he!!!!...God needs to undergo ‘anger management’ dosen’t He!!.....

 

No………He loves you with an everlasting love and discplines you with love…

 

(Hebrews 12:5-9) “and you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as sons,

 

My son (child)… do no despise the chastening of the Lord,

Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Hin,

For whom the Lord loves He chastens,

And every son whom He receives

 

If you endure chastening , God deals with you as sons,….

for what son is there that a father does not chasten……

 

……….furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of Spirits and live”

 

No….Our Dad disciplines us….. in love ..

 

 

 

OK then….after that little interlude……..(the idea of that interlude was to perhaps give you a little better understanding of your Heavenly Father, which is important in regard as to what follows)

Chpt 18

 

CONFUSION

 

So……Lets go back to the story…..

 

 

Jesus would be the sacrificial lamb….would be obedient to his Dad….and fulfil His extraordinary role as the Saviour of mankind….

 

However, as we have just been investigating (browsing through the Old Testament)….God, was very much feared and mankind's perception of God was very distorted and uncertainty about his conduct was somewhat worrying to the people of that dispensation……

 

However,……This twisted perception of God, was a beautiful sweet smell to the arch enemy of the 'One True God'…..Satan

 

During that dispensation….'Satan'….'The father of lies'….who has no truth in him…worked tirelessly to influence, persuade, and fiercely change peoples perception of God…..and as we meditate and often quote the Old Testament,….it appears he did a pretty god job……..God does appear to be like a cranky old man who regularly had issues more often than not,….how confusing He would appear…..

 

Deut 4:31….for the Lord your God is merciful, He will not forsake you, or destroy you

 

Deut 28:15-67….for The Lord will send on you cursing, and confusion, plagues, fever…and strike you with the sword, boils, madness, blindness,……

 

Or perhaps….

 

1 Samuel 15:29…”for He does not lie…or change His mind, for He is not a man that He should repent”

1 Samuel 15:35…”and the Lord repented that He made Saul king over Israel”

 

very confusing…….

 

You see….that other father…'the father of lies' has a made it his whole and single-minded purpose, ……to discredit and paint a horrible picture of our Heavenly Father, so that we will  distrust and distance ourselves from him,……. Even to the point rejecting him…..

 

"This is the 'father of lies' whole purpose," Jesus said in (Matthew 13:18-23)

"That if you hear the Word of God, but don't understand it (God The Father speaking to you),……. then 'the father of lies' will twist it, so that you will lose any revelation that may have taken root in you (even in your heart)"……..

 

……like he did in the Garden of Eden……. and he still doing the same thing today…..creating confusion and twisting our perception of God……

 

He is driven by hatred, and since the Garden of Eden, has done everything to try to make that other Father look and act like he does,…… and at the same time disguises himself as an 'Angel of light', (2 Cor 11:14)…….he wanted Gods throne in heaven, and he still wants it today…….

 

 

Both fathers, have fought an ongoing battle since the time of creation, to present themselves as 'The Truth'…….both presenting themselves as loving, caring and fit to be the rightful father of these helpless, gullible, fragile, distrustful and lost children…….

 

Remember the story of the Bible…….is about 2 fathers…..

 

each Father saying….."trust me"

 

 

the 'father of lies' ….even today…… presents other religions as… 'the truth' (gentle, loving, and caring)……. Bahai, Hari krishna, Buddism, etc…..genuine people, but according to the Bible…..deceived…….

 

He is the master of deception and deceitfulness……….

 

Satan doesn't even mind you worshipping Abraham,…… so long as it's not through Jesus Christ….

 

 

All mankind is looking for two things……

 

1…… 'to belong'….we have an inbuilt desire to worship something….

2……..'to be loved'

 

Satan will and does, provide both of these through false religions…….  to satisfy man’s basic needs, and at the same time very pleased with himself that he has captured a large portion of humanity, who unknowingly worship him……..

 

4,000 years or more (before the cross), of one father tugging this way and another father tugging that way…..

Chpt 19

 

OUR PICTURE OF GOD

 

So now….keeping all this in mind……

 

 

think about the Old Testament as it was presented to people 2,000 years ago……

 

Consider the fact….. that 4,000 years (or so) of conflict (prior to the cross) was put to pen and paper by the Jewish Prophets and Scribes, who supposedly provided the people of the day, with accurate Historical information about the Old Testament Nations and their ongoing conflicts……… I guess this should also provide them with a pretty good picture of Gods redeeming character as well….wouldn’t you agree?

 

…….after all,….one would assume, that all those volumes of the Old Testament,   were to give them accurate insight as to this unseen God….wouldn't that be so?…..so that the Jewish nation would follow Jehovah and love and worship this loving and caring God……

 

….that seems to be the intention of the Old Testament scriptures…doesn't it?….to give people a correct understanding of our Creator and His involvement in our affairs

 

 

Well then……… we could confidently say then, …..that the whole Old Testament is the truth about God and his behaviour…..about this Father…known as Jehovah..(The Eternal One)…….. and so,…… those that taught 'the truth'...(at the time of Jesus) must have a pretty good, accurate and correct picture of God …..( the pastors and teachers of the day if you like)

 

Surely if the Old Testament is meant to paint an accurate picture of God……..Then the Scribes and Pharisees of the day would be preaching the sort of Heavenly Father….or God that Jesus agreed with…..right!!!!

 

The Old Testament is ….. the 'Inspired Word of God'….. isn't it……

 

And it supposedly paints the correct picture of God…… is that right?…..

 

It wouldn't be intending to paint a wrong picture of God…would it!!!….

 

…and surely the Pastors and Teachers of the day (Scribes and Pharisees) would be accurately teaching the word of God….one would expect!!!

 

One would have to conclude that the interpretation and penning to paper of the scriptures, that had been passed down through the ages…would be accurate…one would think…

After all,…. the Jewish nation is absolutely meticulous concerning the Scriptures……. that everything is interpreted correctly and supposedly without error…..

 

 

Misunderstanding of the nature and character of Yahweh, or Elohim, or Jehovah Is not acceptable to the Jewish nation…….

 

The correct picture, and written account of Gods dealing with man must be protected at all costs…… and any falsity or diversion from the Sacred Scriptures is unacceptable……

 

 

With this accuracy,….. one would think that the Old Testament would paint a very clear picture of God……. After all,….. what's the point of painting an unclear picture of God….. a murky picture of God…… How is that going to help anyone.!!!……

 

No…. the Old Testament is not supposed to have us confused and disillusioned about the God we serve……. I'm sure that was not Gods intention, in supposedly have them write the Old Testament inaccurately…….. I'm sure it was supposed to present God accurately……

 

 

However……..

 

 

Jesus also knew the Sacred Scriptures particularly well as well…….as we all know……

 

He was masterful with the Scriptures and had the added bonus of clearly Knowing the original author of the Scriptures too.!!!…

 

Around the age of 30 ….Jesus masterfully turns his attention towards the difficult path that lay ahead of him…..and enters into the Ministry period of his life that would ultimately take him to the cross….

 

During his 30 years prior to his ministry…..very little is heard about Jesus….we know that He was a carpenter and would have spent many, many hours in the synagogue's and would have been listening to the scriptures opened up to him at a regular basis…..we know, at the age of 12 that He spent 3 days alone and was finally found in the Temple and made reference to the fact that He was going about his Fathers business (Luke 2:49)….

 

I imagine that He would have been discussing the scriptures quite passionately during his 30 years, but there is no mention of him showing any sort of disapproval……… Jesus was God…in the flesh, and I’me sure He would have heard and seen many many things that were contrary to Gods standards……yet He restrained himself ……..until…….until….

 

He stepped into his ministry…..at 30 years of age….

 Chpt 20

 

FIRED UP MESSSIAH

 

when Jesus finally entered into his ministry….He was clearly fired-up about something…and was passionate to the point of aggressive……where He over turned the tables in the temple……

 

apparently…this Temple was the holiest site in Israel and was at the most solemn time of the year…….(John 2:13-16)…but that didn't stop him….

 

…….here….He gives us another glimpse into the absolutely determined and fired-up frame of mind that He was in, concerning something that was consuming his heart…….

 

in fact…for the next 3 years, He would stay strongly in this frame of mind and was clearly and aggressively trying to get something across to the human race…to you and me

 

Jesus in his fired up frame of mind began calling the Preachers of the day…..'liars",…… "fools",……"blind"……"whitewashed tombs"……"sons of hell"……"habitual liars"….."full of lawlessness"……"serpents"…….."hypocrites"…."your like your father the devil"…."brood of vipers"….

 

 

oh my goodness!!!!…….…this is the Prince of Peace.!!!!!

 

Jesus was severely 'ticked off'…..no question about it………imagine saying all those things to your Pastor!!!….man that's heavy duty….

 

well……

 

I guess…the best way to find out what he was so severely 'ticked off' about would be to go to the beginning period of his 3 year ministry…..and find out about what He was publicly preaching about…..which, would no doubt reveal his aggressive frustration…..im'e sure …the first things He would publicly speak of ….would be the issue that is consuming him…wouldn't it?

 

(Matt Chpt 5)….so near the beginning of his public ministry, He went up to the mountain and starts to preach to his disciples and the people…… (known as The Beatitudes)….

 

…the first thing He brings to their attention….was not consuming fire…(like when the Old Testament God appears to be 'ticked off….like Jesus currently clearly is)…..no…..

 

He doesn't talk about calamity that is due them (for their faithlessness and disobedience)…….I would have thought that if you were about to go around and call people.."sons of hell" or "your like your father the devil" or whatever…… that you would be in the consuming fire and brimstone mode……

 

…but no….He talks about blessings….He talks about the poor in spirit…about those that mourn…the meek…righteousness, pure in heart, peacemakers, the merciful…….

 

…..this is not the same picture we get of God from the Old Testament…….somethings wrong here……somethings very different here….

 

and then He gives us a hint of his grievance …(Matt 5:16)….'let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in Heaven"….

 

……"and glorify your Father in Heaven"…..

 

……."and glorify your Father in heaven"….

 

…….."see your good works"…."your good works"…"which will glorify your Heavenly Father" ……'oh boy'…..there is definitely someone who does not want to hear this…..

 

right about now …that other father….remember him!!!……Satan…that other father…'the father of lies'….is not a happy chappy…….4,000 yrs of branding that other father as an unfit and merciless father..is starting to get unravelled ……this is not good….im'e gonna have to get rid of him (Jesus)………….and quick

Chpt 21

 

HE’S NOT EVIL

 

meanwhile…….

 

 

….we now start to see Jesus annoyance pin-pointing a particular area……"you have heard that it was said to those of old" (obviously by the Scribes and Pharisees that he was so ticked off with….…the teachers and preachers of the day)

 

….you have heard that it was said to those of old"…..you shall not murder" (Ex 20:13, Deut 5:17)………

 

…….."but I say to you"….

 

…….."but I say to you"……………Jesus is about to open up the true nature of his Father by giving correct interpretation of the Old Testament scriptures…

 

…the way that 'Our Heavenly Father " intended it…..

 

…."but I say to you"……."whoever is even angry at his brother without a cause"

 

…and He continues...

 

………."you have heard it said" ……….(in the Old Testament)…"you shall not commit adultery" (Ex 20:14, Deut 5:18)………"but I say to you"

 

……….."you have heard it said"………"you shall not swear falsely" (Ex 20:7, Lev 19:12, Num 30:2, Deut 23:23)………."but I say to you"

 

…………"you have heard it said………."an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" (Ex 21:24, Lev 24:20, Deut 19:21)……."but I say to you"….

 

………….."you have heard it said"…….."you shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy" (Lev 19:18, Deut 23:3)……."but I say to you….love your enemies…bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate and pray for those that despitefully use you and persecute you"………

 

….that you may be sons of your Father in Heaven…..for He makes the sun shine on the evil, and on the good, and sends rain to the just and the unjust alike…

 

…therefore you shall be perfect even as your Father in Heaven is perfect..

Jesus here….is fiercely defending his Dad……just like you and I would when your Dad or Mum are unjustly accused ……you would fiercely defend your beautiful , loving, caring dad too…..wouldn't you….even aggressively like Jesus did

 

Jesus begins his ministry here by fiercely defending his Dad…..

 

In fact……this is now an extremely formidable partnership…Father and Son working together to right all of the wrongs of the last 4,000 years….in fact it was also the Father defending himself ( through Jesus)….."I only say what the Father tells me to say"..Jesus said……the Father (finally)…now has direct (eye to eye contact…if you like) with his children, through the legal process of his Son…..finally, after 4,000 yrs, He inhabits a human body (Jesus) to directly influence His (estranged) children…….

 

 

Now….Lets see what the professional commentators ( Bible scholars)...have to say about all this…(in the margins)

 

Commentators……..The Beatitudes……commentators say…….that……Quote..."Jesus used 6 specific examples (during the day of the beatitudes) to expose the Pharisaic's wrong interpretation and their regular distortions of the Old Testament. Jesus own interpretation being in line with higher and more righteous and more correct interpretation of the Old Testament

 

 

Commentators…….'you shall not murder"…..Jesus prohibits the deed of murder and further extends that to thoughts and words, displaying the character of The Father through himself, showing clear opposition to this barbaric practise.

 

(this is vastly different from the God we see in the Old Testament)

 

Commentators……..'an eye for an eye'……..was not intended to encourage personal revenge, but to protect the offender from punishment harsher than his offence warranted….Jesus forbids revenge by insisting on positive good in the face of evil……(..wow…this definitely does not seem like the God of the Old Testament)

 

Commentators…… 'you shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy'…..hate your enemy was a unwarranted Pharisaic addition which was preached by the Pharisee's, and was not the intention or in line with The Word of God.

 

This was clearly a major significant step forward, in bringing correction into the way that people viewed Jehovah ( The Father of all creation), and of course, He would go way further than that, by demonstrating the love of The Father towards the human race…by acts of kindness, personal intervention, miracles, healings and such like….

 

"it's the Father in Me, He does the works" Jesus said (John 14:10)

 

 

It was your Heavenly Father who spoke to his children during the beatitudes (through Jesus)…..and it will be your Father who will perform all the acts of kindness and love….miracles and healings for the next 3 years…………….however on that final day…………that beautiful partnership of Father and Son…..would be separated and to fulfil the legal requirements, Jesus would have to face the cross alone……which created great anguish for him….that He even cried out…"Father, why have you forsaken me"…(Mark 15:34)

Chpt 22

 

SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT

 

however…..back to the story of Jesus ministry……we find that…mankind in all his wisdom appeared to have no idea how to correctly interpret the Word of God (Scribes and Pharisees)…..they seemed to only see the 'Letter' of the Word…. and appeared somewhat spiritually blind……even as we still can today, if we are not spiritually minded…..

 

"the letter kills, but the spirit gives life" (2 Cor 3:6)

 

You see…..we so often say in our Christian circles…."yes, but there is a full stop there"…"in the Greek it says this"…'but the correct Hebrew interpretation is"…….we can be so consumed with "the letter"…..that we can clearly miss the whole meaning…..and there are verses of scripture that clearly suggest that scripture can only be interpreted by spiritual means…….by spiritual discernment………

 

When we are born again, our spirit comes alive to God …..and the Bible also comes alive to us

 

"but God revealed it to us by His Spirit…..we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God…that we may understand….the man without The Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them…..because they are spiritually discerned"…..(1 Cor 2:13-14)

 

Spiritual discernment and being spiritually alive to God is paramount for human beings ……..to understand the God who himself is a Spirit

 

What this suggests to us, is that you cannot interpret scriptures through you own eyes……it is vital that the Holy Spirit opens our eyes so that we can see humanity through the Fathers eyes…the way that He sees humanity…having spiritual discernment from the Fathers perspective….which is in fact was what Jesus did……..(of course we know that there is no private interpretation of scripture (2 Pet 1:20)…but at the same time we are exhorted to be spiritually minded (Rom 8:6)

 

“I hear the instruction of my Father, and give attention to gain and to know intelligent discernment, comprehension and interpretation of spiritual matters” (Prov 4:1..amplified version)

 

“In Christ, the veil over my heart and mind that prevents me from understanding the Word of God has been taken away” ( 2 Cor 3:14-16)

 

Of course Jesus himself bought to our attention, that harsh interpretation of scripture virtually always tended to be the way human beings interpreted the Word of God…the harshness of our carnal side always seems to prevail, unless we consciously shift towards Godly and spiritual interpretation…

 

For example……

In regard to The Sabbath,….. we read in (Exodus 31:13-16) …the harshness of the law…

 

”you shall keep the Sabbath,…everyone who profanes it shall be put to death, ….whoever does any work on the Sabbath shall die”…

 

The way that passage of scripture is written leaves us with very little room to do any sort of work during the Sabbath…dosen’t it?…’good or bad’.….it appears to be rigid and merciless ….no room for error…lift a finger, that in any way shape or form, can be interpreted as work and your as good as dead

 

And of course that is exactly the way the Pharisees interpreted ‘Exodus 31’ in regard to Jesus and His disciples when they began to pick grain in the grainfields on the Sabbath ……...(Matt 12:1-15)…

”look, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the Sabbath”

 

Of course we all know Jesus response ....

 

”didn’t David and his men unlawfully enter the House of God and eat the showbread….which was not lawful for them to do ?”

“if a sheep falls into a pit on the Sabbath would they not lift it out (which constitutes strenuous work!!!!)……therefore Exodus 31 is not meant to be as rigid as it has been written down,…”in fact,…it is quite lawful to do good work on the Sabbath”…Jesus said

Jesus then went ahead and restored a mans hand on the Sabbath in front of his accusers     

 

The harsh response from unregenerated man (the Pharisees) in regard to Jesus reply was a plot to murder Him

 

The carnal side of us appears to have very little compassion ….and make no mistake….we would have interpreted the scriptures the same way the Pharisees did if we were in their shoes…

 

That’s why Jesus stated clearly…..”I desire mercy, not sacrifice”…. “you have already condemned the innocent in your hearts”….”I am Lord of the Sabbath” ( and I desire scripture to be interpreted through the law of mercy)

The regenerated (“born again”…spiritually alive) son and daughter of God, have a responsibility to correctly interpret scripture from a foundation of mercy such as Jesus did…

 

and so now…..as we are moving a little closer to the Second Revelation…..

Chpt 23

 

SOMEONE ELSE’S ASSIGNMENT

 

the first thing we have to realise, is that Jesus made himself available to carry out this mission…it was not His initiative…..there simply, was no other way to carry out this complex legal exercise…….so Jesus was it……

 

however…the rescue mission was your Fathers initiative….not Jesus

 

I mentioned at the beginning of the book that both Jesus and his Father both had very different reasons……different personal agendas for coming to this earth…..

 

….believe it or not….Jesus priority in coming to this earth was not the salvation of mankind

 

 

well….gee, that’s a pretty strong statement…..I thought Jesus focus was to be our Saviour!!!…….no….

 

 

Jesus was sent….for a start….

 

The phrase that Jesus had been sent by someone else is recorded more than 30 times in the New Testament (in fact 39 times)…..even Jesus himself personally mentioned …the idea of "I have been sent" more than a dozen times….

 

When you send someone else to do a job for you….that person is merely carrying out (by obedience) the assignment that you have assigned them to……in this case…..Jesus willingly carried out this assignment as we read,……..'that Jesus was obedient even unto the cross" ..(Phil 2:8)

 

"he who does not honour the Son, does not honour the one who sent Him (John 5:23)

 

"for I have come down from Heaven, not to do my will, but to do the will of Him who sent me" (John 6:38)

 

if the truth be known…..there even was a moment when Jesus didn't even want to carry out the assignment…….on the way to Gethsemane Jesus became deeply distressed (naturally enough)…..and said…….."Father, if there is any other way, let this cup pass from me" (Matt 26:39-44)….which he in fact, said 3 times.."and He prayed a second time"….and He prayed a third time"

 

So,…..we conclude from these facts, that Jesus was doing an assignment (by obedience) for someone else, but at the same time remained aggressively passionate about his own agenda…his own personal assignment…….He was still clearly passionate about something…..

 

So if Jesus wasn't focused on the purpose of saving mankind…..what then was his purpose…his drive …..his passion?

 

 

Well……….

 

 

the answer to that question is found in several places,….but I will refer to (1 john 4:8)….where it says……"for this purpose"…….I'll say it again……."for this purpose"

 

"was the Son of Man manifest"……………..

 

" that He might destroy the works of the devil"

 

"the works of the devil"……

 

what then would be the works of the devil?

 

Well, to answer that question we need to go back to the beginning of this book and recall…the Garden of Eden…….where……. this other father turns up….who Jesus remembers well…

 

and before to long….God the Father labels this other father…"the father of lies"….remember?……. (which we find in the New Testament writings)

 

Remember also……….. that……Jesus tore into the Pharisees because they had been lying about his Heavenly Dad…….remember, he called them "liars"….."sons of hell"…."habitual liars"………."like your father the devil"…….

 

"liars…..like your father the devil"

 

 

the works of the devil are deceitfulness and lies…….

 

 

and do you remember this scripture?……(Rev 12:9) 'so the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world'

 

how did he deceive the world…….. "with lies"

you see….the devil is an habitual liar……and what do you suppose he continually lies about?………that other Father of course……..he is consumed with hatred for that other Father and continually whispers lies in mankind's ears…distorting the truth…..making himself out to be an Angel of light…..and deceiving people…

 

(1 John 4:8) says that ……that Jesus …..….might ….'destroy'….. 'the works of the devil'…..

 

the devil ….a "liar from the beginning"…"the father of lies"……so how do you suppose Jesus ….."who was the representation of the Father"…"he who has seen me has seen the Father"

 

is going to destroy the lies of the devil….

 

 

Simple……..

 

 

as He was the representation of the Father…..the best way to correct someone’s perception of 'Jehovah' …….that makes people sick….(Ex 32:35) 'So the Lord plagued the people'…. (was to do the opposite)….

 

( and remember, the Bible commentators often viewed the OT scriptures very differently than the way it suggests)…...and naturally…of course Jesus doesn't create plagues…the devil does that!!!……..God help us if both Jesus and the devil are working together to give us plagues….were done for!!!!!)……no..Jesus called Satan the enemy…(Matt 13:39 “the enemy who sowed them is the devil) …...however,…remember… the Law of sin and death was well and truly functioning in the Old Testament times, and the Law of sin and death could either work against them or for them…..depending on how they chose to live…….

 

also ..keep scriptures like these in mind….Old Testament ……….(Deut 28:20)…the Lord will send you curses and confusion

 

                                                              …..New Testament ….…..(1Cor 14 :33)…God is not the author of confusion

 

 

                                                                    Old Testament………..(Deut 28) the …Lord will send on you blindness

 

 

                                                                    New Testament..……  (John 11: 37) …Jesus….....who opened the eyes of the blind……………

 

                                                                   Old Testament………..(Ezek 38:22-23)….and I will bring pestilence and bloodshed…fire and brimstone…then they will know I am The Lord

 

                                                                    New Testament……….(Luke 9:54-56) …disciples…..shall we call down fire like Elijah did?…..Jesus…"you don't know what spirit you are of…..

………for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them"..

 

                                                                    Old Testament…………(Deut 28:28)”The Lord will afflict you with……confusion of mind”

 

                                                                    New Testament………(2 Tim 1:7)”God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind”

 

                                                                                                       (1 John 3:9-10)…"He who does what is right is a Child of God…this is how we know the difference between Gods and ……………………………………the devils children" 

 

 

But at the same time remember, that Jesus honoured the written Word of God…but opened up the Word to us more accurately….we still honour the Old Testament as a true record of biblical events but make the same adjustments that Jesus displayed to us …….and that are found in the New Testament

 

Jesus even mentioned that Jonah was 3 days in the whale (Matt 12:40)…as well as ‘Noah and the flood’ (Matt 24:37-39) ….so Jesus honoured the significant validity of the Old Testament….He just clarified it a bit more….and bought it into proper perspective

 Chpt 24

 

MY BEAUTIFUL DAD

 

no….the best way to correct someone’s wrong perception………is to do the opposite (as I just mentioned) ….…"Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil" (Acts 10:38)………"great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all" (Matt 12:15)…………..

 

that is how you destroy lies….by doing the opposite that people would expect you to do…according to what they have heard….

 

you see, ….the thing that Jesus was totally focused on, the thing that He was determinedly passionate about…..…was re-establishing His Fathers good name again….wouldn't you!!!!……..

 

If you had seen your dad…slandered ,… ridiculed…lied about……and you knew that he was the most beautiful, loving caring dad that ever lived………wouldn't you be passionate about 'sorting that out'….I would be!!!……trouble is you and I would probably punch someone who was slandering our dad………………

 

Jesus here, ….had the opportunity to put things right….and He wisely did it …..passionately ….Gods way……what an awesome person Jesus was……

 

"so let your your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven" (Matt 5:16)…its good works that will glorify your Heavenly Dad…

 

"love your enemies, and do good to them, that you may be sons of your Father in Heaven" (Matt 5:44-45)

 

'be perfect, just as your Heavenly Father is perfect "(Matt 5:48)

 

"why do you call me good, no one is good, but one, this is …your God (your Heavenly Father)"... (Luke 16:18)

 

in fact…"God the Father" occurs in more than 200 times in the New Testament and Jesus exclusively uses that term throughout his entire ministry.

 

There was only one thing on Jesus mind during that 3 years…..and that was to restore his Dads beautiful name ….that’s what He was passionate about……..He tirelessly went around connecting good to his Fathers name ….."that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matt 5:16)……..you see the purpose of Jesus doing everything He did , ..even going to the cross (was…….in his mind).….was to glorify his Father…."Father, the hour has come, glorify your Son that your Son may glorify you" (John 17:1)

 

but of course, they were working together Father and Son in a partnership…."its the Father in me …He does the works….the Father and I are one ….he who has seen me has seen the Father…..I only do what the Father tells me to do"………complete obedience and co-operation…..

 

and of course…..clearly, the rescue mission of his estranged children was on the Fathers mind……that’s why Jesus was sent ….He was sent….by the Father…who wanted his children back…do you see it?

 

……Jesus passion and drive and purpose on this earth was to re-establish his Fathers good name again

 

 

…….The Fathers passion and drive and purpose on this earth was to get his kids back

 

 

……..Jesus was 'sent'

 

 

……..The Father was the 'sender'

 

 

………it was not you and me that Jesus was focused on ….but rather His Dad

 

 

……….it was His Dad who was focused on us…

 

The Salvation of mankind was "The Fathers" project…so to speak…Jesus was the instrument that completed that legal process…..but it was The Fathers initiative…do you get it ?

 

Your Dad wanted you back…and he would do anything to get you back……

 

(your Heavenly Fathers plan of rescue for His children was now in full mode…..and the 'father of lies' was losing ground fast…..)

 

 

The reason that I have laboured on so much about the Old Testament…….is because…..as you know…..confidence in a loving God, is essential when living in a world of faith, and if I have helped in any way, for you to get a clearer picture of God…then writing this book has been worth it...  and also a clear picture of The Father is vital in regard to what follows….

 Chpt 25

 

THIS WAS NOT MY SHOW

 

However….as we move closer to the second revelation

 

 

as the time came closer to that fateful day, Jesus makes an astonishing statement….at the last supper..

 

One would think, at the last gathering of Jesus disciples, that He would put out a very clear message about what had happened in the last 3 years and what should happen in the future'

 

That He would be very clear about his purpose here on earth….wouldn't He?…….isn't that what you would do if you were at your last meeting and was about to set up a kingdom (the Church)……….

 

These last words would be absolutely vital…don't you think?….Jesus parting words to his disciples would have to be "right on the money"…so that there was absolutely no mistaking the road ahead …right!!!!

 

 

and so Jesus. (in the form of prayer ) makes known to his Dad and to the disciples in the room some astonishing insight as He begins to pray…….

 

 

firstly……

 

 

( John 17:4) "I have glorified you down here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do"……."I have completed the work you gave me to do"….."completed the work"…

 

 

I thought the crucifixion was the completed work of Christ!!!!!

 

 

Jesus had still yet to go to the cross and yet He stated that He had completed the work his Father gave him to do

 

what was completed?…….

 

well in (John 17:6) He begins to unfold this mystery as he prays to his Father in front of the disciples…….

"Father….I have manifested your name, I have revealed your very self to the people you gave Me out of this world….I have revealed (speaks of revelation)…."they were yours and you gave them to Me"

 

 

He's telling us here, that his purpose (the reason he was "sent") in coming to this earth …..was to complete the REVEALING OF HIS DAD…….and He says ….I have done my job…the Father has been revealed…and going to the Cross was the avenue that God would have to use ….so that we could meet His Father by revelation…. as well as the Son…

 

of course, we talk about the Father regularly in the Church….but this is far more than that….this is an actual revelation of another person….like Jesus was a revelation…as will become clearer as we continue on

 

 

we,….through the salvation process have been able to build a relationship with Jesus….which is great…..but He is saying here ….the amazingly intimate relationship that Jesus had with his Dad….that same astounding level of intimacy that Jesus had with his Dad….is here…in this room… that same revelation is on his disciples…..you can have the same level of revelation of the Father that Jesus had……….that’s pretty amazing!!!

 

"I know longer call you servants, but friends, for everything I have learned from the Father I have made known to you"……(John 15:15-16)

 

 

and so as Jesus pray in front of the disciples

 

(John 17: 25-26)… "O just and Righteous Father"……

…"even though the world has never acknowledged You"…..

 

…."THESE MEN understand and Know that I was sent by You"……

 

……….. "that I was sent by You"……

 

as this revelation of Jesus unfolds……..firstly Jesus makes a critical point here …..that the Church of Jesus Christ must realise…that…. (firstly)…..that Jesus was sent

 

What did He want us to understand….that this was not his show…it was someone else's show…someone else's initiative

He wanted us to be very clear that your Dad was desperately wanting to connect with you again…..the true love of a father…..I want my kids back…want to hug and love them again….and put the family robe on them….your Dad desperately wanted you back….

and Jesus here is expressing confidence that the Church is about to be built on the right foundation…."these men understand"….

 

…."that I was sent by You"……

 

“for I have given them the words that you gave me and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from you, and they now believe that you sent me” (John 17:8)

 

In Matt 16 :13-20 we read………..'Jesus asked his disciples'………."who do people say the Son of man is"?….."some say John the Baptist, etc"……."but who do you say I am"?

 

….Simon Peter answered………"you are the Christ…the Son of the Living God …..Jesus replied….Blessed are you Simon son of Jonah…..for this was not revealed to you by man but by my Father in Heaven (revelation), and I tell you are Peter and upon this rock ….("this rock…. Peter"…the Fathers revelation to Peter) I will build my Church….. and the gates of hell will not prevail against it……( the father of lies and death will not be able to distort or lie about this truth ever again)

 

What was the revelation that Peter had, that Jesus said "upon this rock I will build my Church"….that Jesus was the Messiah….and that he is The Son of the living Father  (my Father has revealed this to you)

 

That Jesus was a Son and He had a Father…….

 

The commentators quote (next paragraph), in regard to this event is very significant

 

In regard to the next verse (verse 21)……Professional commentators quote…..

‘Peters confession here marks a significant turning point in Jesus ministry, for from that time he begins to teach explicitly about his atoning death’

 

One would therefore conclude…..

 

That Jesus is now convinced by Peters revelation that the Church is now going to be built on the right foundation ……and at the last supper Jesus said……"I have completed the work you gave me to do…..these men understand and know that I was sent by you"

 

Jesus was quite ready now to go to the cross, because He knew that they had received the revelation that He was a Son and that His Father sent Him…….and that we have a Father and we are his (adopted) sons and daughters

 

"The Father, before the foundation of the world, has chosen us in Him, predestined us as adopted sons by Jesus Christ to himself"….(Eph 1:3-5)

 

"I will be a Father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters" (2 Cor 6:18)

 

Chpt 26

 

HEARTFELT LOVE

 

forgive me for my ignorance ….but I would have thought that the last words to the disciples and the initiation of the New Testament Church ,…would have been ….something like….

 

"Thank you Father, that they know Me, the Messiah, who came to redeem mankind,…the Saviour of the world…they've seen the miracles, and that I love them….and so on" …something like that!!!….

 

but no…..nothing like that whatsoever…….so let’s continue on with Jesus prayer

 

"these men understand and know that I was sent by You"……'

 

"and I have made known your name to them"……

 

"and"…..

 

"revealed your very character to them"…..

 

"your very self to them"

 

…..and here comes the amazing part……………..

 

 

"and I will continue to make you known" (by revelation)…

 

 

What is Jesus purpose today…in 2016

 

 

"and will continue to make you known"

 

"that the love that you bestowed on me"…

 

 

"may be felt in their hearts"

 

 

"may be felt in their hearts" …total intimacy

 

we should feel the love of our Dad……(not only the love of Jesus who acted in obedience)

But feel the love ….and the closeness ……and the caring heart of our Dad…..

 

 

How do you feel when you fall in love with someone?….it is felt..right?…..how do you feel towards your children when they have a bad day….or a good day!!…..you feel it inside don't you……Well, Jesus was making it clear here, …..that…we live in parallel worlds ……spiritual love can affect us in the same way that physical love affects us….a true revelation of The Father actually……physically affects us…..it's able be that real…and it quite clearly was with the disciples and Apostles at the inception of the Church (as we clearly see below)

 

Feeling the closeness of our Father…….that’s the story of the bible…..never feeling alone….but knowing and feeling the love of a Father who desperately rescued you…so that you could live with Him forever….."may be felt in their hearts"

 

you see…..as we continue on…and as this revelation unfolds …you will amazingly, begin, to see that….the disciples were overwhelmingly in love with their Heavenly Dad …even though they had never seen him….like us.!!!…….their only revelation of the Father was through the actions and words of Jesus……yet they were smitten by this unseen Dad that Jesus was declaring to them…..no different for us today….Jesus same prayer and recorded miracles are still with us today…..

 

 

the last supper is still with us today…..

Chpt 27

 

ASTOUNDING REVELATIONS

 

the Apostle John declares….in (1 John Chpt 1)

 

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, ……

 

concerning the Word of life, the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, …..

 

and declare that eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us, that which we have seen and heard, ……..

 

we declare to you, that you may also have fellowship with us…….and truly….our fellowship is with The Father"……

 

"and truly..our fellowship is with The Father"………."and the Son"

“these things I write to you that your joy may be full”……...knowing the Father …..and the Son is …..‘fullness of joy’ to us…..

 

…….this is an astonishing statement…..

 

can you see the magnitude of this statement……this is not just kneeling down beside your bed and praying to your Heavenly Father (as ritual)

 

this is dialogue with someone…this is interaction with someone that John is talking about here…..fellowship……."may be felt in their hearts"…(which will bring..’fullness of joy’)

 

"Fellowship …with the Father"….

 

this just astounds me ….the level of intimacy that there was with our Heavenly Dad at the inception of the Church…..clearly a significant intimate revelation has taken place here among the disciples

 

Peter…

 

(1 peter 1) …"elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, sanctified in the spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ"…..

 

"blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to his abundant mercy, has begotten us again to a living hope"…….

 

.this is amazing stuff….intimacy

Paul….

 

(Eph 1 3-5) "blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ"…….

 

"just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love…having predestined us to adoption as sons"……

 

……incredible intimacy

 

"that we should be holy and consecrated, set apart for Him (our Dad), and blameless in our Dads sight….for He (Dad) foreordained us, destined us, planned in love for us, to be revealed as His own children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of His will"

 

……astounding !!!

 

Jesus job was to make sure that……….."We are to be revealed as Our Heavenly Fathers own dear children"….which also… seems to be our job!!!….

 

This was made clear when Phillip who met the Eunuch from Ethiopia in... (Acts 8:26-37) (being sent by God to the Eunuch…by an Angel visitation)…..and the Eunuch had been reading from the book of Isaiah…"He was led as a sheep to the slaughter"………"for his life was taken from the earth"…….

 

….and the Eunuch said to Phillip….."who is The Prophet talking about?"…..

 

…and one would expect Philip to answer (in relation to the passage that the Eunuch was reading ) that Phillip would say something like…."It is Jesus the Messiah, who came to deliver us by hanging on a tree and if we believe in Him we shall be saved……

 

Now i'me sure Phillip certainly did say something like that to him….however the revelation that the Eunuch got that day was significantly more than just "Jesus being The Messiah who came to deliver us"…..because…when Phillip said to him as he wanted to be baptised…..

 

"do you believe with all your heart"……and the Eunuch replied…..I believe that Jesus Christ (is the son of a heavenly father)…."I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God"….

 

Phillip preached Jesus to the Eunuch and the significant point of the revelation that the Eunuch received,….. was that….. Jesus is a son…who has a Father..

 

Which lines up with revelation at the last supper…."that these men know and understand, I was sent by you"…..and that’s what Phillip preached to the Eunuch…..

and the Eunuch got it……."I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God"…..

 

Chpt 28

 

INCREDIBLE INTIMACY

 

Apostle Paul….

 

then in (Eph 1:16-23) Paul prays an absolutely amazing prayer…….

 

"for I always pray to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, that He (our Dad) may grant us, a spirit of wisdom and Revelation of insight into the mysteries and secrets in the deep and intimate knowledge of your Dad"……..(S/F/L Bible)

 

this is an incredibly deep revelation by Paul of his Dad…...

 

 

It is in this intimacy……. that your Dad will reveal to you your purpose in life……

 

 

"the eyes of our heart flood with revelation, so that we can know and understand the hope to which He (your Dad) has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the set apart ones"…….(S/F/L bible)

 

v19….and so you may know, and understand what is the immeasurable and unlimited, and surpassing greatness of your Fathers power, in and for us who believe (you and me) as demonstrated in the work of his mighty strength which he exerted in Christ when he raised Jesus from the dead and seated him at his own right hand in heavenly places

 

 

Paul again….intimacy….(and…. revelation of The Fathers power)

 

(Col 2:2)

"hearts knit together in love, and attaining to all the riches of His full assurance of understanding…to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ"

 

amazing intimacy!!!!!……………that we will have …..deep knowledge..revelation..and uncomprehendable intimacy with our beautiful Dad…….wow!!!!

 

 

John…..

 

and in (John Chpt 17:1-3)….. this idea of intimacy is taken even further when Jesus deals with the question of eternal life

how would you describe …eternal life?

 

 

I guess I would describe eternal life like…….eternal life is living forever in a place called heaven…and eternal death is living forever in hell…something like that

 

 

well lets find out how Jesus describes eternal life….

 

 

(John 17: 2-3)…."now glorify your Son, so that He can glorify You"…

 

 

now Jesus is about to reveal to us what eternal life is…..which is also the second revelation

 

 

the first revelation being …..that Jesus is the Son of God and that whosever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life

 

 

…….the first revelation is for the world…

 

 

……..the second revelation is for the church alone…

 

in fact, …the only way you can enter the second revelation is that Jesus himself must reveal it to you personally

 

 

the second revelation is …..

 

 

this is Jesus speaking ….."and this is eternal life"…..

 

…."that they may know"……which means…."To perceive"….."to recognise"…"to know" …."and become acquainted with"….

 

…"and become acquainted with" …."and introduced to" …..

 

…."and understand"…

 

…"your Father"……second revelation….which is for the church alone…..

 

…"and likewise to know Jesus Christ whom you have sent" …first revelation

..to become acquainted with the father …..and Jesus Christ….two revelations

 

 

…two revelations

 

 

the second revelation can only come after the first revelation….because Jesus himself has to reveal it to you….

 

(Matt 11:25)…"nor does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and also the person to whom the Son wills to reveal the Father"

 

 

Intimacy of The Father comes to us by revelation

 

…."no one comes to the Father , but by me"……Jesus said

 

 

(Romans 8:15)…."and you will receive the spirit of adoption whereas we cry out 'abba abba'…'daddy daddy'…..abba Father"

 Chpt 29

 

ASTOUNDING SPIRITUAL PERCEPTION

 

The disciples clearly had these 2 revelations

 

 

Paul …(Romans 1:7) …..'grace to you and peace from God the Father

                                  and the Lord Jesus Christ'….

 

 

John..(2 john 3) …..'grace, mercy and peace will be with you from God the Father

                                 and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father'

 

 

Peter….(1peter 1:3) 'blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ'

 

           ( 2peter 1:2) 'grace and peace be multiplied to you in the  knowledge of God

                            and of our lord Jesus Christ'

 

 

Jude…..(Jude 1 1-2) "a servant of Jesus Christ the Messiah ….called and chosen and dearly loved by the Father"….. (wow!!!!…."dearly loved"…what a relationship Jude has with his heavenly Dad)

                           …"and kept for Jesus Christ"

 

 

James…(James 1:17).."every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights, in whom there is no variableness nor shadow of turning…..of His own free will He (Dad) gave us birth as sons, by the Word of Truth"……….wow!!!!….what an amazing revelation!!!

 

The Apostle Paul clearly had an encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus…."who are you Lord"….."I am Jesus whom you are persecuting"…..(Acts 9:5)

 

and yet Paul clearly meets this other person called 'The Father' somewhere further down the track where he makes this statement…..

 

(Col 2:2-3)…. "that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit to together in love, and attaining to all the riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge and mystery of God,…..

 

……both of the Father ….and of Christ…

 

Paul clearly has had an encounter with 2 people here……"both"….."of the Father"…."and of Christ"..(and yet he only appeared to meet Jesus on the road to Damascus)

 

….."to the knowledge and mystery … both of God The Father ……and……of Christ”

 

 

Jesus himself said…”Father the hour has come, glorify your Son, that the Son may also glorify You………that they may know you Dad….and….Jesus Christ whom you have sent… (John 17 1-3)

 

Two revelations…..

 

 

And as I mentioned earlier……At the last supper Jesus makes the statement “these men understand and know that I was sent by you”

 

The last period before the cross……Jesus was convinced that we know that we have a Dad (in Heaven who loves us)

 

The first thing that Jesus says after the resurrection was…….

 

(Jesus speaking)…"don't touch me Mary…for I have yet to descend to my Father, but go and tell the church ………

 

"go and tell the church"

 

….(you and me)…..(they will know what you are talking about)…."that I am about to descend to…..

 my Dad and your Dad"…….

 

."to my Dad and your Dad"……… and….. to my God and your God"     Glory to Jesus!!!!!……

 

Last (paraphrased) words (last supper)………..”my Dad and your Dad”….

 

First words (after the resurrection)…………….”my Dad and your Dad”…

 

”go and tell the church”…………

 Chpt 30

 

LIKE AN EXTRAORDINARY MOVIE

 

NOW……..this to me is the most astounding and exciting part…….

 

 

because the world of the Christian…is a world of power…a world of Faith….a world of the supernatural….a world of the dynamic extraordinary revelation…a world of dramatic spiritual adventure …….and it all works on a foundation of love……"Faith works by love" (Gal 5:6)

 

 

and Jesus has provided us with access to this wonderful spiritual dimension….known as…'an incredible world of overwhelming love'…..The Fathers world…."God is love" (I John 4:8)

 

 

Jesus said…."I am the way…..the Truth…and the Life….no one comes to the Father but by Me"….no one comes into this secret place…the astounding world of love except through Jesus

 

(because the world of pure love can never be contaminated…that’s why Jesus became the sacrifice….to cleanse us, and give us free access to the World of our Dads love )

 

 

“In Christ, I have boldness to enter the Holiest, by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way He consecrated for me…” (Heb 10:19-20)

 

 

Jesus said ….in (John 10:9)….."I am the door"………..

 

 

(Matt 11:25)….all things have been delivered me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and also to whom the Son wills to reveal the Father….

 

 

Entering into the world of the Father comes through revelation…..Jesus reveals the Father to us by revelation….and Jesus is the gateway…

 

 

"If anyone enters in by Me , he shall come in and go out and find rest"(pasture)…..

Well………I just can't help but get a picture in my mind , of the movie ….The Chronicles of Nania…..

 

and I see Jesus as the mystical cupboard that opens up at the back into the wonderful magical world of Nania (except …with no evil of course)….

 

That is how Jesus seems to describe our Heavenly Fathers world……..like a secret place!!!!….and Jesus is like the door….

 

The world of The Father tends to be …..according to scripture…..a very private place….in fact scripture does call it……… 'the secret place'

 

"When you go to talk to your Dad, go into your most private room and close the door, and then talk to your Dad who is in secret, and your Dad who is in secret will reward you openly" (Matt 6:6)

 

Well guess what…..(Eph 2:18) says ……."for it is through Him (Jesus) that we now have access and an introduction to the Father, so that we are able to approach Him…….therefore, you are no longer strangers…….."

 

We can boldly approach Him ….with confidence….(that’s why we need to have a clear loving picture of our Dad…..that’s why we did a little Old Testament study .remember!!…..if you fear God or uncertain about him…then it affect your confidence in him)….it affects your confidence to approach Him….

 

"and this is the confidence that we have in Him ……….that we have the petition that we desire of Him"  (John 5:14-15)

 

because……this is the mighty powerhouse of Christianity….this is the intimate and ultimate place of revelation and worship (as clearly demonstrated by the Apostles), and to move and live in the extraordinary power of God….living in signs and wonders and the power gifts of the Church….

 

This is the powerful and mighty engine room of Christianity…..where Jesus stated…."greater works than these (miracles) shall ye do, because I go to the Father"

 

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First revelation----------By revelation….that Jesus Christ is the Son of God…the Saviour of the world…and …"he who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life"

 

Second Revelation------By revelation….we enter into the "secret place" and meet our beautiful Dad and "feel" his love for us in our hearts and commune and intimately worship Him

Chpt 31

 

HOW DO WE BUILD THIS RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR DAD?

 

The most astounding and incredible thing about the Bible, is that it contains within itself the capacity for human beings to illuminate something that has been completely hidden from us.

 

There is a hidden world ….another dimension….that somehow is opened up to us by this portal, know as ‘The Word of God…

God has chosen (for reasons only known to Him) to use this corridor of connection to the human race….

Somehow ….reading and hearing, or finding a way to absorb this dialogue between man and God…known as ‘The Word of God’….exposes us to another dimension that is outside our 3 dimensional world.

 

God desires to communicate with our Spirit, and our Spirit operates in another dimension ….we see that with Jesus who could walk through walls and walk on water.

And yet …clearly…Jesus was able to communicate with His Father in this 3 dimensional world……we clearly see that as He physically prayed to His Father, in the form of verbal dialogue…many times, and those present had no doubt that He was communing with his Dad (as we see in His prayer to His Father at the last supper)

 

We know that Jesus was conceived of The Holy Spirit and that this was the avenue that The Father purposed (by legal means) to bring His Son into the earth……there is no doubt…. this avenue opened up a tangible portal between man and creator…… through the corridor of His Son.. Jesus Christ

Jesus even said that His words were direct from His Spirit…..from another dimension from an unseen spirit world

.......when Jesus spoke, His words resonated from an unseen world ….from another dimension …and His words (from his mouth) had the capacity to expose us to another world beyond our own 3 dimensional world

(John 6:63)…”The words that I speak are spirit”….from another dimension….and these words from another dimension have within them the incredible capacity to transport you into another world……..this would be the vehicle that God chose to use to expose us to another dimension beyond our world.

 

The Bible….the Word of God, has the capacity within itself to illuminate and reveal and open up to us …incredible insight and to enter into another world beyond our own

 

(Romans 16:25-26) ‘ Now to him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began, but now made manifest, and by the prophetic scriptures made know to all nations’

The word… mystery… in that sentence is described like this….

‘a secret that is known only to the initiated, something hidden requiring special revelation…it denotes something that people could have never know by their own understanding ….the secret thoughts, plans, and dispensations of God remain hidden from unregenerate mankind, but are revealed to those who’s spirits have come alive through Jesus Christ.

 

There is something about words and written prophetic words that have within themselves…a revelation to expose and take you into another dimension.

For some reason words are a portal to another world…

Words are actually way more than just a form of communication, they have a life within themselves (“the words I speak are spirit and are life” Jesus)…they are somehow even more than alive, but have a tangibility of there own …an actual unseen form.

 

(John 1:1-2)…In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God….He was in the beginning with God….

v14 …’and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us’

(1John 5:7)…’there are three that bear witness in heaven…the Father ..the Word…and the Holy spirit…and these three are one’

 

…..and so , because “all scripture is given by inspiration of God”…..and (Heb 2:12) because “the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two edge sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, bone and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”…..one can clearly conclude that “the entrance of thy Word bringeth light” (Psalm 119:130)

The entrance of Gods word into our world ….opens our eyes into another world…

The entrance of Gods word is able to create in us a clear distinction between these two worlds of the spirit and of the flesh “piercing even to the division of soul and spirit”(Heb 2:12)

 

Meditating or reading or hearing the Word of God is the trigger for illumination into this unknown world of The Father…..the more we meditate on the Word of God, the more connected we become with our Father ….

There is some majic and enseen umbilical chord that connects us with that other world, when we immerse ourselves in the Word of God …..it somehow triggers enlightment into our soulish world by opening up a world of expectation, enlightment and faith…

 

And so……the way to communicate with your Heavenly Dad from this soulish world that we live in, ….is to read, listen, or absorb the Bible as much as we can, and the awareness of your Father in Heaven will begin to grow on you, and also as you connect things together by meditation…..

As you connect things together by meditating on Gods Word….you will find yourself having regular splashes of inspiration and revelation that draw you further into the exciting world of God…….your faith levels will rise….your confident expectation for your natural world will move into overdrive, and your discernment will dramatically improve as you further fall in love with the Heavenly world that awaits you….as well as a greater awareness of your Dad

Chpt 32

 

HIS MAGNIFICENCE IS BEYOND COMPREHENSION

 

"Believe me, the time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem…..the day is coming, in fact is already here, that the true worshippers will worship the Father in…deep intimacy.. (spirit and in truth)…..for the Father is seeking such to worship him"

 

"speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord, giving thanks ,and gratitude, continually, to our God and Father in the name of our lord Jesus Christ for everything we have in Him"

 

"He who comes to (the Father) must believe that He is and He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him"

 

"Whatever you ask the Father in my name He will do it"

 

"Pray like this…our Father who art in heaven…how wonderful is your name"

 

"and He will reward you openly"

 

"don't be afraid, my dearest children, for its your Dads good pleasure to give you the kingdom"

 

"God is a spirit and those that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth"

 

"I bow my knees before the Father of our lord Jesus Christ, of whom the family on Heaven and Earth is named"

 

"I know longer call you servants, but friends, for everything I have learned from the Father I have made known to you……that the Father will give you, whatever you ask in my name"

 

"may grace, harmony, unity and undisturbness be yours from God our Father….and our lord Jesus Christ"

 

"every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights of whom there is no variableness nor shadow of turning…of his own free will He gave us birth, as sons by the word of truth"

 

"for your heavenly Dad knows that you need all these things, but seek first His kingdom, and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you"

 

"For God (The Father), who is rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us……..that in the ages to come, he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us in Christ Jesus"

 

"that the God of our lord Jesus Christ….the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him….

 

and what is the exceeding greatness of his power towards us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power"

 

“that I might continue to be filled with the knowledge of your will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, and that I may continue to have a walk worthy of you, fully pleasing you Dad, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of you, strengthened with all might, according to your glorious power, for all patience an longsuffering with joy….giving thanks to you Father, who has qualified me to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light”

 

“Father, I pray that you would continue to grant to me, your child, that with all boldness I may speak your Word, by stretching forth The Fathers hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through me in the name of your Holy Son Jesus”

 

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“the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints”….

 

“that you may know the hope of His calling”

 

 

We are all called….. (have a purpose in life), …and The Father wants us to know what our calling is ….so that we can leave this earth with a sense of satisfaction, accomplishment and completeness

 

There is no greater sense of achievement in life, than knowing Jesus and The father intimately,…… as  well as fulfilling our purpose in life……this is humanities greatest reward

Chpt 33

 

HOW DO WE FIND THE FATHERS PURPOSE IN OUR LIFE

 

It’s very interesting ….that we can find our purpose in life even at a very young age…

I was talking to my 17 year old granddaughter about this recently and she made this statement to me ..

 

Quote….“I find it quite strange that i keep going back to the thing that i am naturally bent towards”

Actually…I did not find that strange at all, simply because, Jesus,….. even at 12 years of age made a similar statement…..”don’t you know I must be going about my fathers business”

 

Even at a young age, Jesus clearly knew the path that He was on, and even though it appeared that He was side-tracked for the next  18 years and we see very little hint of Him following His passion, ….suddenly,….it resurfaces again at the age of 30

 

This is the classic pattern for mankind……

I have….many times….. spoken to my friends who are now in their 70s, and they all seem to echo the same sentiment….”why did I wait until now to follow the passion of my heart”…..”the thing that I really wanted to do”…..”why did I leave it so late”?

 

And of course we all know why that is ……..

because the demands of life so easily take us off course…..

The pressures of life overwhelm us ….particularly as we begin family, and it often becomes nothing but survival for many….

 

We can so easily move in a direction that may be more lucrative, but at the same time compromise our passion….

We think….”oh, it’s only for a season and then I will adjust my course again and do the thing that I am really passionate about, the thing that really satisfies me”

Sadly enough that season can turn into 40 or 50 years, and yes,… you may have your nice house, swimming pool, etc,.. but your sense of contentment has alluded you,….and seems now…very distant and far away from you

 

However,…..

 

Naturally of course,…..family must always come into consideration when making decisions of this kind (if you have one)……but let me encourage you….

 

When we felt to move to Western Australia from New Zealand in the 1980s, and our 3 girls, who were teenagers at the time, and were heavily entrenched in their local schools and friendships,…….

the suggestion of moving to another country…..obviously…. could easily appear somewhat,… daunting…...disruptive,…. and possibly very scary…naturally,….in regard to all that uncertainty that may lay ahead for them…..

 

So, with that in mind,….

 

To alleviate that possibility,….we decided to take a family holiday to Australia and Singapore for a couple of weeks, and introduced our girls to the world that we were considering moving to…

 

The end result……

 

they all loved the idea, and unanimously fell in love with our eventual destination…Perth,….  and today….

have all been in ministry and followed their passion…. as do their children……..

 

My 19 year old grandson for example clearly desires to follow in the footsteps of his dad and mum,…..who pioneered and operate a Pentecostal Church in the US

 

So let me encourage you……don’t be afraid to take the leap!!....if that’s what you feel in your heart to do……...just be considerate…. and do it wisely

 

Because,….as I mentioned a paragraph or two earlier…,.. “that our sense of contentment can easily allude us,….and can,…quite easily…feel very distant and far away from us at the end of our life

 

Contentment is a very sobering and elusive word……

 

There is a scripture that says …”godliness with contentment is great gain”(1 Tim 6:6)  

 

And we see this word …’Contentment’, coupled with the statement the Apostle Paul made, when he said,..“I have finished my course, I have run the race, I have kept the faith”….

This is an extremely satisfying place to find yourself in as you enter the latter part of your earthly existence..to be able to say, “I have finished my course”..”I am content”

 

 

I have followed the passion of my heart and I am satisfied..

”I have finished the race”(2 Tim 4:7)

 

Now keep this in mind, ….

 

that there has never been a more productive time in history to be able to globalise our passion and gain world-wide support for our goals, than today….…..

Obviously, with the introduction of the world-wide-web, and particularly, the multi-media platform and all it’s creative capability…… readily gives us an outlet for our passion and purpose, which obviously,…..was very much more restrictive only a few short decades ago… but has now,…clearly,… become an open opportunity for everyone…

 

We see people displaying their passion,… and the thing that drives them constantly,.. on the multi-media platform…. daily…don’t we?,……

 

And also….. if their drive and motivation has been corrupted in any way,….. then,… their passion can seem,…well….. anything but Godly, dosen’t it?,…..

 

and as we know, can be driven by many different voices as well, including the now well know radicalisation or bitter persuasion …..

This sort of passion, will never bring contentment with it, and the end result,….is ,…more often than not,…. a person of discontent, bitterness and resentment….

The sad part of that, is that it will never ever leave them….they will go to the grave never achieving their goal,… because the goalposts of persuasion will continually keep moving, and permanent contentment will continually elude them….

Unless of course, they turn their heart around and ask the ‘Prince of Peace’…Jesus.. into their lives….well,…..that changes everything!!!!!

 

No,….the person who pursues a Godly purpose in their life will unquestionably find a sense of completion ….like the Apostle Paul did…(even though there may be plenty more that you could do in this life )

 

And so,….

 

how do we find that Godly purpose…..that so many of us seem to grapple with….

 

That so many of the Christian believers continue to feel a sense of incompletion and dissatisfaction

 

Well, firstly….we need to make sure that our purpose driven life is on the correct foundation

 

Every human being has an inbuilt purpose and passion in life, and clearly that purpose can either take one of two directions.

We know that scripture clearly indicates that we are influenced by two fathers in this world….the father of evil and the Father of good……both fathers trying to influence us …

 

Having not being born into the Kingdom of God, and not knowing Jesus, who is the portal into eternal life….leaves us with a great disadvantage, because our influence regarding our purpose in life is severely hindered, and can easily cause us to use our purpose in a way that is detrimental to mankind, rather than its intended blessing for mankind

 

People can easily think that they are correctly doing what they are called to do without realising that their misguided use of their passion, is actually, creating the opposite affect…bringing harshness and severity,…. all the time being guided by the voice of a stranger that we are unaware of….

We can passionately go about our purpose in life, but the end result can be bitterness and confusion and resentment and even though we think that our daily passionate drive is accomplishing that which we have set out to do….. Future results tend to show us that the opposite has happened and we are left with remorse and an empty feeling   

 

Having lived since the 1940s now, I obviously have seen many incredible and dramatic changes to our world….many following their passion and some even receiving commendations like the Noble Peace Prize for their great contribution to the wellbeing of mankind, as well as many other commendations being passed out around the world for people that have followed their passion and purpose and have enhanced the world and made it a better place …

 

It doesn’t have to be a flashy sort of contribution, but often just a simple contribution like Mother Teresa did …..just helping someone to have a better life, could well be your purpose in life, like it was hers, and she was greatly commended in the latter part of her life, even though imé sure she was not looking for any great adulation…

 

I heard a marine biologist on the radio yesterday who spent her entire life (now in her 60s) following her passion that she had from a little girl, and some of the apparently obscure findings that she had made over the years ballooned into majorly helping the re-establishment of our fragile Barrier Reef marine ecology…..which is something she never intended or set out to do….but rather just followed her purpose and passion in life….

 

You see, there is a very subtle difference between,….following your passion and seeing a world that is lovingly enhanced by the presence of your gift….or seeing a world ….that is seemingly enhanced by your gift…..but the end result will ultimately bring destruction  and chaos with it..(this can even happen in our Christian Church world….which can seemingly be with the right motive , but at the end of the day ….the bitter outcome was not what we were expecting, and unfortunately, in order to justify our actions, we blame others ,vehemently justify our position,… which sadly,….actually makes thing worse for both ourselves and others)….

 

Throughout history we have seen many gifted people,..in the Church and outside of the Church….. who’s end and outcome was certainly not what they expected…

Adolf Hitler was a very persuasive and charismatic human being, who no doubt was gifted as an orator and persuader…..but of course….in the end his gift bought him calamity and bitterness to the human race ….as have many others who’s motivation was to create a better platform for the world that they lived in….but the end result, bought nothing but tragedy to the human race….for example …Pol Pot in Cambodia….Joseph Stalin….Mao Zedong and many other dictators that initially started a revolution for the better of mankind, but their spiritual persuasion was from the wrong source and consequently millions were adversely affected by their so-called passion to introduce something better into this world

 

No,…..the platform to arrive at the correct foundation for us to open our gift and purpose is two-fold….

 

(1)….

The spiritual influence must come from the correct source……the Holy Spirit, …and make no mistake, the Holy Spirit can work in unredeemed man just as well as he can in redeemed man, and that is clearly demonstrated by some of the incredible advancements we see in our world by people who profess to be atheists …isn’t it?

This world is governed by the prayers of the believers and the secular world can readily receive a spin-off from those prayers and often ungodly people will react in a godly manner…. unknowingly

Satan is not the master of this world today, but is well aware that he is in a tussle for souls, and “good will always triumph over evil”(Rom 12:21)….and he knows that, that’s why he parades himself as an angel of light…to deceive the nations and take them captive by his seemingly attractive proposals……however ….even for Christians,…the following point….. point number 2…. is more critical to seeing a good outcome for the displaying of our purpose….

 

Number one ….we must be influenced and anointed by the correct spiritual mentor….the Holy Spirit….and taking Jesus into our world is our guarantee that we can have some sort of assurety that we will be influenced by the correct source

 

And now….

that critical number 2 point is...

 

(2)....

Jesus…“a new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you”(John 13:34)

 

If we operate in our calling, or gift or purpose with the above scripture at the forefront of our motivation, then the eventual outcome of our gifting will be undeniably profitable to the world we live in, “because love never fails”,…(1 Cor 13:8)

However,…if we find ourselves at odds with others, and contention and bitter rivalry, or ungodly confrontation rear it’s ugly head, then we need to make an adjustment in our worlds and realise that …..this is not the intended outcome that I was pursuing and I need show some humility and re-engage my purpose from a different angle that is inclusive, and not disengaging of others……

All humanitarians have to make adjustments and learn to work and learn to live with others, and allow others to introduce compatibility into our vision or purpose or gifting, that we may all be uplifted and benefited by our calling

 

In short….

 

“your purpose must be empathy driven”……in line with the ‘Heart of The Father’….

 

to create a better world for mankind and to also,…somehow enhance the world for those less fortunate than us (and that may be your neighbour…or your friend at school)

This can take on many forms,…. even including the development of devices or contraptions that have the capacity to better the lifestyle of others……to improve our world for the better..

 

Interestingly…….

 

The Apostle Paul is a great example of both the good and the bad categories that I have previously mentioned

 

Prior to Pauls conversion (when he was known as Saul), the evidence of Pauls drive and passion and purpose in life is clearly seen in the things that he pursued as a young man..

 

“circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin,….a Hebrew of the Hebrews,…. concerning the law,….a Pharisee…concerning zeal, persecuting the Church, ….concerning the righteousness which is in the law, ….blameless”(Phil 3:5-6)

 

There is no question, that Pauls purpose in life was seen and clearly operational even as a young man….

He clearly pursued the path that he obviously knew he was meant to take and was highly passionate about his purpose, even at a young age….

 

However, we all know the story…..

 

Saul sincerely believed that he was undoubtedly committed to the bettering of his community,….he believed that the outcome of his radicalisation would ultimately see good fruit and that the community would be better enhanced by his efforts….

(However…Even as a born again Christian we can sometimes unknowingly step into Sauls shoes, and think that we are pursuing the right path, but the end can bring quite the opposite effect …..”be ye not ignorant of the devils devices,(2 Cor 2:11)  for he goes around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour”)..(1 Pet 5:8)………

and we don’t want to be devoured  do we!!!….and this is an exhortation to Christians!!!…..

 

no…..

If we are led by the Holy Spirit, and do it with empathy for others….with a heart of compassion and humility….walking in love for our community….and “giving no place to the devil”….then…..we will do everything uprightly before God and experience His blessing

 

And well….how did it go for Saul?....

 

Of course,….unfortunately for him… Sauls intended diminishing of the Church had quite the opposite effect…..instead of containing the so-called Christian Church uprising…..so-called containment turned into major expansion……”therefore those who were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word”(Acts 8:4)…..

It was not turning out like Saul (Paul) expected…..

 

And as I said earlier, unless your gifting is founded on the right foundation….ultimately your sense of achievement will allude you and discontentment, bitterness and confusion will be your end….

 

However,…….

 

Even though Paul started out wrong….and his tactics were radical to the extreme….

“and as for Saul after consenting to Stephens death……he made havoc of the Church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison” (Acts 8)

 

When he finally encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus…..and fell in love with his creator….we see a totally different man emerge,…. where his heart and his thinking had made the adjustment,.. and came in line with the heart of The Father where he made this statement (Acts 9)

 

“and you he made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience…..

Among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others…….

But God……..who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us…….raised us up together, and made us to sit together in the Heavenly places in Christ Jesus…..that in the ages to come He might show us the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness towards us……

For we are His workmanship……….

 

Created in Christ Jesus for good works,….which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them”…..(Eph 2)

 

Of course Paul acknowledged his failings that were committed prior to his encounter with Jesus…..but left this earth grounded upon the statement where he said …:”I have run the course …I have finished the race”……….a beautiful state of mind to be in after an erratic determined start in life

 

And so….we can conclude from this, that……the correct foundation is essential for us to achieve great exploits, and even though there may be times of ‘pushing through’ and ‘holding our ground’,…….

If we are believing that we are led by the Holy Spirit,……..( and not hearing the voice of a stranger …..anything that doesn’t line up with the Word of God which causes contention and division)

And also …….what we do….. has a foundation of love and concern and enjoyment for others,…then we know that we are on the right track

 

And also consider this……”despise not the day of small beginnings”(Zec 4:10)…….

I heard on the radio recently a middle aged lady who made a particular pizza, just to be a blessing to her family…..she loved cooking even from an early age..

And she said this over the radio…..”I have now been cooking that pizza every Sunday for the last 3 decades, and every Sunday all my family and friends including neighbours come around on Sunday for my pizza…….you just don’t know how great that makes me feel, to know that I am blessing others with my gift”………well…..how cool is that!!!

 

You know what ‘flicks your switch’ in regard to the well-being of others…..you know …..deep inside you….”what God has prepared beforehand that you should walk in it”

The thing that you are naturally bent towards (as my granddaughter put it)….the thing that you always keep coming back too!!

The thing you enjoy….that satisfies you….that you keep coming back to

(I know that some may say that suffering is part of our calling,)… but just remember ……what do you want for your child?……

do you want your child to suffer?….of course not!!!....

 

then why do we think we are better parents than our Heavenly Father, and that we want our children to be happy and satisfied….to enjoy life and be content….and He doesn’t !!!!!

No…. we raise them in that manner so that things will turn out well for them, don’t we?……..

 

And….the Bible clearly states what our Dad intends for us….

 

“Above all Brethren”…..

 

“above all”…..

“I wish that all would go well with you in all things, and that you would be in good health, even as your mind, will, and emotions prospers”(3 John 2)……this is the heart of your Heavenly Father for you

 

No….what you desire for your kids ….so does He desire for his kids…you and me….

 

You may be motivated towards marine biology (like the person I mentioned earlier on)….or perhaps medicine or creating wealth (to help the poor)…or perhaps working with children , or creating music to bless people……..but whatever it is that is on your heart….there is no question, …..if you do it ‘as unto the Lord’…”He will make your way prosperous and you will have great success”(Josh 1:8)

 

And in conclusion ….regarding our purpose in life …..consider this,……

 

We all may be making adjustments in our lives to pursue the purpose that we have been created for…and often, at very different stages of our lives ……

 

For instance…some may come to a knowledge of Christ at a very young age ….others considerably older

 

However….”we know that there is a spiritual body and a natural body”….and the spiritual body and the natural body flow in unison with one another when Jesus is on the throne of our hearts……and the natural age factor becomes very relevant to the pursuit of our gift…and that our natural age affects the dynamic of our spiritual walk in regard to the broadening or narrowing of our confidence to accomplish our purpose in life

 

In other words…..our age has certain significance in regard to our purpose

 

The Apostle John gives us a little insight in his epistle

 

Even though the Apostle Paul is basically referring to our spiritual growth here…the same can also be applied to our natural man……

 

We seem to fall into 4 catagories as we age through life

 

1….little children …have a sense of dependability

2….young men ….have a sense of invincibility

3…..middle age …has a sense of stability

4 ….and old age, …a sense of vulnerabity

 

The Apostle Paul writes in (1 John chpt 2)

 

“I write to you little children because your sins are forgiven you for His names sake…(dependability)

 

“I write to you young men, because you are strong, and the Word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one….(invincibility)

 

“I write to you Fathers, because you have known Him from the beginning (the vulnerability or fragility of age…looking back….remembering the early dynamic times of your life)

 

I know in my own life, as a young man,….invincibility was very much tied up with my Christian walk…..whenever I prayed for someone or commanded things to change or perhaps  had confrontation with the devil…..i felt very much in control and expected things to dramatically change for the better…..i was focused and determined and was not easily put off my game……which was also true of my natural man, and imé sure it is with you as well…..

When I played a game of rugby ,…..i had no expectation of losing, and it was the same in many other areas of life…..i felt healthy and strong and my spiritual life took on the same intenseness (if you like)…as well as the same focus and determination as my natural man….

Experiencing miracles and answered prayer always seemed inevitable……and praising God was readily on my lips, and anticipation of great things in God was always close at hand….

 

However,….several decades later, as my health is noticeably not in the same category as it was as a young man, and my general wellbeing is clearly more frail than it was more than 50 years ago….i have become well aware that certain aspects of my life now have a certain fragility and vulnerability about them, and my focus on God now appears to have a certain history about it, and my sphere of confidence has been narrowed down considerably…..i have become more dependent on God and my growing vulnerability causes me to heavily focus on the one who made my life complete and exciting all those decades ago…….

And in doing so,……..i find my purpose and passion in life has swung dramatically towards a different outcome…….

what was once my focus on achieving the goal and purpose that God had planned for my life as a young man,…. has now morphed into more into a fatherly role, whereas I seemingly now, more appear to get satisfaction in life by seeing others achieve their goals and dreams…..and sense continually…. the family aspect of our Heavenly Fathers creation and rejoice in the accomplishments of others…..

I have found that I am far more aware of peoples loneliness and the enormous pressures in this world that people are having to deal with  …….as well as the awakening spiritual climate that is alienating and categorising people…..

The amazing thing, is that through all this new territory that I am having to negotiate, my sense of contentment and satisfaction is …still….very much alive in me, and I am wonderfully expectant, even in my now,.. narrower,.. corridor of expectation…..life is wonderful….

 

So ….to just recap…

 

David of the Old Testmament…….as a youngster displayed that youthful fearlessness and invincibility,…that all conquering attitude,… as he faced and slew,….not only a lion and a bear, but as we all know, an enemy that the entire Israelite army was afraid to challenge,…. and yet we also know…that in the latter part of his life he appeared far more subdued and considerably more contemplative……aware,….that the spectrum of his life was narrowing day by day……and that which was once,…. a very wide playing field,…..had now….clearly narrowed down considerably…..where he delights, rather, in more,…. seeing his children doing well….particularly Solomon in building the temple, where he says to him in regard to his youth and inexperience….

“Solomon my son…Be strong and of good courage….and do it!!!.....do not fear or be dismayed……for the Lord God….my God……will be with you,….

He will not leave you, nor forsake you”…(1 Chronicles 28:20)

And so….

 

David came to the latter part of his life, realising,….what a short journey life really is, where he said…..:”the days on this earth for us ….are but a shadow”…(1 Chron 29:15)

 

But also had the revelation that,…….”blessed are you, Lord God of Israel,….Our Father, forever and ever…..

Greatness, power, glory, victory and majesty to your name…..for all that is in the heaven and earth is yours ,…. both riches and honour come from you….in your hand is power and might,…….

 

your hand makes great and gives strength to all” (to accomplish the will of God for our lives …to fulfil our purpose….to follow our destiny…….)

 

 

And so…. as we start to move into the latter and twilight years of our lives, our fragility and ability, comes more into question in regard what The Father would have us do….but as a young person,……we find…we are able to run…. towards Goliath with the greatest of confidence that David displayed

 

So…..

 

Whatever stage of life you are at…..now is no better time than to hear and respond to that little inner voice……that passion within….that stirring inside…to find that fulfilment….your quest to enhance the world that we live in by your contribution, regardless of how big or small it may be   

 

 

 

Now……

 

The reason  that I am mentioning the whole spectrum of life….… is…..

 

Because,…..

 

As you follow the passion of your heart and the calling that is in your life,                                                  ….life will surprise you with a constantly changing shift towards a different aspect of your purpose, but at the root, you remain aware that the mantle of your calling has remained steadfast…..you just didn’t realise your gift would take you down these different and surprising roads…

 

You can easily end up where you didn’t expect……but you will find great contentment there.

 

So……

 

Be open to the Holy Spirit, love Jesus and your Heavenly Father, “and do unto others as you would have them do unto you”,…..” and your gift will make a way for itself”… (Prov 18:16)

 

Blessed be the one true God forever and ever…Father, Son and Holy Spirit

 

May the Father empower you with his greatness

 

Amen and amen

 

 

 

 

 

(Page 77)

John 14:12, Heb 11:6, John 15:16, Luke 11:2, Matt 6:6, Luke 12:32, John 4:24, John 4:21, Eph 3:14-15, John 15:15-16, 2 Tim 1:2, Col 3:16-17, James 1:17, Matt 6:33,  Eph 2:4, Eph 1:17, Col 1:9-12, Acts 4:29-30, , John 20:17

 EPILOGUE

 

 

The sophisticated Atheistic world of today does not seem to be looking for a Saviour………but …no question…… everyone in the world today is looking for a father

 

 

Jesus….. “that THE WORLD MAY KNOW……. that THEIR FATHER sent me,…. and that you love them as much as you love me”…. (John 17:23)

 

 

Jesus….“that THE WORLD may believe, that you sent me”…..( v21)

 

 

“What marvellous love The Father has extended to us!..... Just look at it…we’re called of The Father, and that’s who we really are, …….but that’s also why the World doesn’t recognise us or take us seriously,……… because it has no idea who the Father is or what He’s doing ….But friends….that’s exactly who we are…..children of The Father……….and this is only the beginning”!!!!!!!! (1 John3:1-2 The Message)

 

 

Hallelujah!!!!!!.......

 

 

The lost child

“and when he was a long way off,….. his Father saw him (her)….. and with his Fathers heart pounding hard, He ran to him  he embraced His son and kissed him…….and the son started to speak….I have sinned against God…I’ve sinned before you…I don’t deserve to be called your son ever again….but no… his Father wasn’t even listening….but rather he was calling out to his servants…Quickly come, Quickly come…bring a clean set of clothes and dress him, put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet, then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it…..we’re going to feast….we’re going to have a wonderful time….my son (daughter) is here….given up for dead but is now alive….given up for lost but now found ….and they all began to have a wonderful time”…..Luke 15:18-24 The Message

 

 

 

All Glory to the Father…His wonderful Son Jesus and our precious comforter …

The holy Spirit

 

Amen

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 11.07.2017

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