Word Keeper

Reality Ministries Bible Study Notes;
Establishing the Kingdom of God in the heart of man.

The Revelation of The Gospel of Jesus Christ.

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5v6-8.

Quite some time ago while ministering a message entitled -Power to be, power to do, the Holy Spirit prompted my spirit with this thought;

“ when Jesus Christ came into this earth, He was the greatest happening for mankind, when the Holy Spirit came and descended He was the greatest happening to mankind.”

At this time as the body of Christ bring to mind the coming of Christ, in His incarnate birth, the Word that the Holy Spirit has placed on my heart is to share the Revelation of The Gospel of Jesus Christ, while meditating on the Christmas theme, the Holy Spirit began to bring to my mind thoughts that He shared with me some years ago on the simple meaning of the word -for.

By the leading of the Holy Spirit I would like to bring a number of thoughts for your edification on the various truths behind the gospel message that the church the body of Christ has been given the awesome responsibility to preach to the world.

There are in the English Dictionary seven distinct meanings given to describe the word For, and with each interpretation there is the core aspect of our salvation in Christ as by the leading of the Holy Spirit I want to bring to your meditation.

a] Because of.
b] As the result of.
c] As the price of.
d] In the quest of.
e] On the behalf of.
f] In the place of.
g] In spite of.

Because of.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3v16.

The first aspect for our spiritual understanding is to examine the reason why Jesus Christ came into this earth, because of the great love that is in the heart of Almighty God for His creation, He expressed, He unveiled this love through the giving of His Only Begotten Son, in the Greek language one of the core meanings of giving is that of provision of a need, the act of supplying to meet a basic requirement, it is giving by extending of oneself.

Involved in this act of giving is a desire, a compulsion of the heart to express to the fullest extent, herein is the glorious message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ because of Almighty God’s great and abundance of love for all of humanity, Jesus Christ came forth to declare the heart and Will of His Father, God is not willing for any to perish but that all be recipients of His love and mercy that has been outpoured to lost mankind.

As The Result of.

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned. Romans 5v12.

As of the direct transgression of Adam all of mankind came under the condemnation and bondage to sin, no one was able to break the power of the stranglehold that sin held over the spirits of men, but Christ came as mankind emancipator, He came forth from the Father to break the dominion that death held over man, and came to set those who were prisoners free from the prison house of sin.

In The Quest of.

“I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. John 5v30

“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19v10.

When Jesus Christ came into this earth He came ever seeking to fulfil His Father’s Will, Christ came to seek and save lost sinners, Christ came to minister life in the midst of death, Christ came as the Great Shepherd to find and gather unto Himself the sheep who had become estranged from the sheepfold, Jesus Christ has never ceased in His quest for those who have gone astray, gone out of the way, thank God no one is beyond the call and outstretched arm of Christ our Great Shepherd.

As The Price of.

knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. 1 Peter 1v18-19.

Man cannot, never has, and never will be able to redeem their own lives from destruction, from the state of condemnation of sin, mankind through the transgression of Adam were locked up in the prison house of sin, held in bondage, held under the condemnation of death, Jesus Christ in His incarnate birth, in His ministry of redemption came into the midst of fallen humanity, to break the power of sin, He came to set the prisoners free, He came to liberate the souls of all who were and are effected by Adam’s transgression, in the natural realm, if a person is held in prison, bale must be put up for his release by someone outside of the prison paying the ransom, Christ came and paid for our release from sin’s captivity by the shedding forth of His life blood.

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and  Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. 1 John 2v2.

In The Place of.

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5v21.

Have you ever thought what must have gone through the mind of Barabbas as he was brought out of the same prison that Jesus Christ was held in? What was his thought, what was his reaction to being given a royal pardon from Pilate and seeing Jesus Christ take his place on Calvary, here was a known criminal, here stood a man who was a terrorist in his day, here was a man with a proven record of crime, crime against his fellow man, crimes against the state, here stood a man who was a thief, and a murderer.

The man named Barabbas had been imprisoned with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the insurrection. Mark 15v7.

So they cried out again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a robber. John 18v40.

When the crowds jeered, mocked and rejected Jesus Christ, when Christ hung suspended between heaven and earth on the cross of Golgotha, was there in the crowd this man Barabbas?, he above all those around the cross must have gained the revelation, the insight of Jesus Christ become the sin bearer of humanity, not that He sinned, but that He opened Himself to bare away, to take on Himself Almighty God’s righteous judgement on sin.

In spite of.

He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. Isaiah 53v3-6

The final revelation of the Gospel message of Jesus Christ unveils the love of God to man in all of its magnitude, in spite of all that the mass of humanity has done no one can escape the love of God made manifest in Christ, salvation is freely received by the whomsoever will believe and receive God’s greatest gift of love to mankind unfolded in Jesus Christ, salvation and wholeness can never be obtained on the grounds of what we do for Christ, but on the merit of all that He has accomplished for us……….

RealityMinistries Life of the WORD

The Authority Of The Believer In Christ. Part 4

Discerning God’s action in The Garden.

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned. Romans 5v12.

For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15v21-22.

As we continue this study on the Authority of The Believer in Christ, it is of vital importance to understand that man in and of himself cannot redeem himself, neither can he in his own power or ability undo or redress the destruction and consequence of his fall.

What the Bible Reveals.

The whole theme of the Word of God, revealed to mankind through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit as He moved on the lives of men throughout the ages, inspiring them to convey His promptings, is to demonstrate man’s need of a Saviour, and the open revelation of salvation and right standing before Almighty God which is through Christ.

so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. 1 Peter 1v7-11.

we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.
But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. 2 Peter 1v19-21.

From the onset of this teaching, I perceived by the Spirit of God that there was the need to lay a foundation to understand the implications of the fall of Adam, and to lay emphasis on the incarnation of Jesus Christ who would come into this earth, to restore God’s authority, order and influence back into this earth through the working of His kingdom in and upon the lives of men.

Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1v14-15.

What must be clearly understood is that because of the transgression of the first Adam;
All of mankind were dominated by sin.
All of mankind were damned by sin.
All of mankind were held in the grip of sin.
All of mankind had a sin nature.
All of mankind were under the judgment of sin.

What Constitutes a Sinner?

Man does not become a sinner by what he does, rather what he does is because of his sin nature, this is the clear message revealed to the Apostle Paul which is paramount to the declaration of the sure and faithful ministering of the Gospel of Salvation of mankind in Christ Jesus.

What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

There is none that understands there is none that seek after God.They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that does good, no, not one.

Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they keep deceiving; the poison of asps is under their lips:Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:Their feet are swift to shed blood:

Destruction and misery are in their ways:And the path of peace have they not known:There is no fear of God before their eyes.

Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; Romans 3v9-19.

The Essential Need to Understand our Redemption.

The glorious message of salvation is the working of God’s redemption for mankind in and through Jesus Christ, who would have imputed to Him our sins, so that we may have His righteousness imputed to us.

Having the understanding that man cannot save himself, we need to examine from scripture how salvation and restoration came to man.

The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. Genesis 3v21.

Right in the midst of man’s fall, Almighty God immediately reveals that restoration and wholeness for fallen man cannot be accomplished by the working of man’s hands but it comes from God, as soon as Adam transgressed, he moved away from his creator, but the grace of salvation is demonstrated by God has He moves towards bringing man back into the place of being recovered and brought near to Him.

There are laws of interpretation found in the Word of God which are there to unveil the workings of God with man, bringing wholeness and redemption into the reach of man, here in Genesis we have the introduction of substitutionary sacrifice, a life being given up for another, innocent life being sacrificed to cover or atone for the one found and declared guilty.

In the Hebrew language the word for cover is Kapher.
The importance of this word is very emphatic for it always speaks of an action whereby something is covered over or put away from view.

When Almighty God covered Adam and Eve he made an atonement for them, here is a very important revelation to grasp, God provided the atonement, the putting away of the sin of Adam in the garden, and God Himself would provide the ultimate atonement or the putting away of mankind’s sin and rebellion in giving to man Christ Jesus, who would come to bear away the sin of man and who would carry the punishment for man’s rebellion against God.

whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3v25-26.

Every single sin sacrifice throughout the Old Covenant finds their fulfillment in Christ, they were types or shadows of Him who was to come to pay the ultimate and final sacrifice for sin, by becoming sin with man’s sin, and nothing of His own.

We need to understand that in the atoning of the sin and transgress of Adam’s fall, there was imparted to both Adam and Eve the revelation of the sin sacrifice, the fellowship that they had with God had been breached and restoration could only be achieved by sacrifice, a life being given for a life lost, in the process of time, this revelation was passed onto their sons Cain and Abel, they knew the only approach to God was by the offering up of sacrificial offerings, which were types or shadows of Christ who would come into this earth.

So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the LORD of the fruit of the ground.

Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering ; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.

Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?
“If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Genesis 4v3-7.

I sense the need to spend some time examining the account of these sons of Adam has they were preparing to offer up their sacrifices because we need to understand the workings of Almighty God with man, because here we have the unfolding of God’s ultimate objective of bringing in Christ into this earth, as previously stated God is held by His infinite holiness, all of His dealings with and for mankind is in accordance with His righteousness, and His holiness, when man fell, in the fall, the rights of this earth fell into the hands of the usurper, and Almighty God had to bring back His authority, but He had to achieve it by working with a man or a vessel of clay , who would yield their will over to Him.

Only By Blood.

‘For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.’
Leviticus 17v11.

There is only one way of approaching Almighty God, this way is God ordained, God directed, it is the way or path of blood.
It is imperative to understand that when a person presents an offering unto God, everything that a person has or is in themselves is connected to that which is offered.
Cain knew the way of presenting up his offering but he chose to go crosswise of the command of God, Cain attempted to offer up a sacrifice that was of his own hand, which represents self works, self righteousness, and present an offering which without blood was lifeless.

Abel came the prescribed way, he was obedient to heed the command, the firstborn of the flock was regarded as the one which is holy or sanctified, separated unto God’s use, the firstborn always speaks or is a foreshadow of Christ who was to come.

There are a number of scriptures that shed revelation of how Almighty God viewed the offerings of both Cain and Abel.

Jesus bore Testimony of Abel.

so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Matthew 23v35.

Here we have the testimony of Abel being vindicated by Jesus Christ Himself, Jesus reveals that Abel was a person who was upright in his way, the word for righteous that Jesus uses means a person who proves his virtue, in speaking of Abel’s action Jesus is declaring that God approved of that which he performed, it is worth noting that Jesus does not speak in the same expression of Cain.

The Holy Spirit Revelation to John concerning Cain.

By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.

For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous. 1 John 3v10-12.

John by the revelation of the Holy Spirit brings out the key to Cain’s offering up of an inferior offering, the traits of satan’s influence were very apparent in Cain’s life, there was no visible sign of righteousness in his character, what a person is inside will be demonstrated externally, there was the absence of love in Cain, the only aspect that was paramount to Cain was that of self worth, notice how the Holy Spirit through John lays emphasis on the life of Cain, he was of the evil one, this means that the works of satan were openly demonstrated in his actions.

Rightly Discerning God’s rejection of Cain.

Many have failed in the past to rightly discern why God had pleasure in Abel, but showed disdain for Cain’s offering, it must be clearly understood that God is no respecter of people, but He does respect a person’s faith put into action, both Abel and Cain had the same approach or access to commune with God, but Cain chose to ignore the command of God, and in doing so his sin was openly manifested.

Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?
“If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Genesis 4v6-7.

One final observation, satan could only perform in Cain’s life what Cain gave his consent to, through the word spoken by Almighty God, we see clearly that Cain could have resisted the temptation to fall prey to sin, but he failed to resist its demand upon him, and yielded himself to sin’s dictate, notice the strong admonition of Almighty God, sin crouches at your door, but you can master it…………………………………….

[ to be continued……………..]

RealityMinistries Life of the WORD

The Authority of The Believer in Christ. Part 3. God’s plan of Redemption for fallen man.

And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.” Genesis 3v15.

As we continue this study series on the Authority of The Believer in Christ, I want to do a very quick recap from the two previous teachings.

[1] God is the source of authority, when Adam was brought forth by God, authority or the right to rule was imparted to him, Almighty God enabled Adam to operate and function on this earth.

[2] The key element in the garden was the execution of Adam’s authority, but authority must be acted upon, its one thing to have dominion but it must be carried forth .

[3] The Word of God reveals to us that when Eve was being deceived by satan, Adam stood by and did nothing, he had the power to act, but in failing to administer his dominion, he allowed satan to usurp his authority, it must be understood that satan could not overpower Adam directly, in himself he did not have that power or ability, but he by cunning and craft used deceit to undermine Adam’s authority, it was not a case of satan taking it by force, rather Adam relinquished it, and handed it over to satan.

The consequences of Adam’s transgression became apparent immediately, he lost the presence of the glory, which was the token of the presence of God in him and around him.

Adam became fearful, which is a trait of human weakness, it is a loss of faith, the fear that Adam experienced was not that of reverence or of being in awe of God, but his fear was that of a sense of foreboding , a torment, or under condemnation.

The fear of man brings a snare: but who puts his trust in the LORD shall be safe. Proverbs 29v25.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear hath torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love.1 John 4v18.

In truth when Adam was created and in right fellowship with Almighty God, he was encompassed about with the glory or the essence of God, in this environment Adam was perfectly safe and secure, one can understand the depth of the expression of the Apostle John when he describes the sanctuary that is granted to the believer who truly puts their faith and reliance on God, they are consumed or encased in this canopy of love, that emanates from Almighty God.

But whoso keeps His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him.1 John 2v5.

Here was the key to the safety and well being or preservation of Adam’s authority and existence, by retaining or standing on the Word of God .

By understanding this verse, we can realize the place that is afforded to those who will keep or be a custodian of the Word of God, also by the enlightening of the Holy Spirit the danger of consequence of failing to hold the Word of God is clearly exhibited.

Why did Adam fall?

He failed to adhere to the Word of God.
Adam transgressed the will and command of God, he went crosswise of that which Almighty God had purposed for his life.

Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” Genesis 3v7-10.

When God asked Adam “Where are you?” this was not based on acquiring information from the situation, for God is all knowing, what God was seeking was Adam’s confession of guilt and of his need, this question was put to Adam for him to realize the consequence of his actions.

Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”–therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. Genesis 3v22-24.

Almighty God showed forth His love and concern for His man Adam, even though Adam had fallen, Almighty God acts out of compassion and concern for Adam, and not just for him but for all who would come from his loins, all of those who would be born into this earth, God had to prevent Adam from partaking of the tree of life, for if he had partook of the tree, Adam would have been eternally damned, he would have lived eternally in a fallen condition, with no recourse, with no redemption for his action and the whole race of mankind that would be born on this earth after him also would have not salvation .

We need to understand that God’s action of turning out Adam from the garden was for his protection and his welfare, as we progress through this study we will understand that the way of entry and access back to the tree of life is afforded and offered to all men everywhere but at a cost to God more expensive that it cost Adam when he sinned.

Almighty God bound by His Righteousness.

The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’S: but the earth He has given to the children of men.Psalms 115v16.

When Almighty God brought Adam into this earth, He not only gave him authority and dominion but He designated the earth and everything in it into Adam’s control, he was entrusted with the earth as a custodian, when satan usurped Adam’s authority, he became the god of this world.

And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days He did eat nothing: and when they were ended, He afterward hungered. And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
And the devil, taking Him up into an high mountain, showed unto Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Luke 4v1-6.

This was never the plan of God, but we must understand that Almighty God being Righteous ,He will never violate His infinite holiness and integrity, many people have a misconception that God could have wiped out Adam, kicked out satan, then start again, but those who think this way have failed to understand the sovereignty of God, everything in the character of God has its origin in His holiness, the whole redemption plan of God to bring restoration to man, and to restore God’s authority into this earth had to be executed in accordance with God righteousness, a man of this earth was the central figure in the fall, a man born of this earth would also be the central figure in bringing righteousness back into the earth.

And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.” Genesis 3v15.

Here is the bedrock that the whole redemption of mankind has its solid and sure foundation, as soon as satan had succeeded in usurping Adam’s authority, immediately Almighty God brings to light the means of the destruction and overthrowing of satan’s dominion and the liberating of all of mankind that were enslaved to his regime, the key to the destruction of satan and the re-establishing of God’s authority back into this earth would be through the legal entry on this earth of one born from this earth.

The key word is Seed of Woman, this was a mystery to satan, he had no concept of who this would be, this was a mystery that was hid in God, and the whole redemption of mankind would be accomplished by Almighty God bringing this seed into the earth, this seed is Jesus Christ.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. But He that enter in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. John 10v1-2.

From the very mouth of Jesus Christ Himself, we have the declaration of the legality of Almighty God, when Adam sinned, in his transgression he gave what was his by right, into the hands of satan, with authority and dominion now in the hands of the usurper, Almighty God had to work redemption into this earth on legal terms, to be executed in the frame of God’s own righteousness, God had to work His plan of salvation through a human medium, a person who would yield unto God, to allow God to come into harmony with him, what is very important to fully understand is that in himself mankind cannot ever redeem himself, but by yielding to the call of God, and the provision of Almighty God, man can be used to bring God’s purposes back into the earth, with the objective of restoration of man back to God, and the re-establishing of God’s authority into and upon this earth.

How is this achieved?

Man being obedient to the call of God.
Entering of a covenant with Almighty God.
The anointing or equipping of the Holy Spirit of God.
To be continued………..

RealityMinistries Life of the WORD

Reality Ministries Bible Study Notes;
Establishing the Kingdom of God in the heart of man.
October 21/2010.
Gospel Truth.

“Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God. “Speak kindly to Jerusalem; And call out to her, that her warfare has ended, That her iniquity has been removed, That she has received of the LORD’S hand Double for all her sins.” Isaiah 40v1-2.

Kephal in the Hebrew is a very enlightening word, it means to fold over, i recently heard a teaching based on Isaiah 40, in the presentation of the preaching the minister made mention of the requirement of the believer to glean the understanding of the gospel from the perspective of illustrations that were common to the Jewish people.

In the Hebrew conception, if a person, or a family had accrued a debt in which they were unable to repay a list of their debt and a list of their creditors would be placed on the outside of their home.

If a person were to pass by and was able to pay or cancel the debt he would take the note of debt and write in his own handwriting – PAID IN FULL - and fold it over and replace it on the outside of the house , in the action of folding over, the debt and list of creditors would now be hid from view, and he would set off to find the creditors and cancel out the outstanding debt.

The person who would take it upon himself to cancel the debt would have to be without any debt of his own, this was the qualification needed for him to be able to lift the debt off the family. Once the note had been folded over, in the mind of the family their debt was paid, it was an accomplished work, a done deal.

For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth: and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 1 Peter 2v21-23.

Here is a glorious picture of our redemption, everyone without exception had accrued a debt, we through the fall of the first Adam had fallen from the grace of God, all of humanity had failed to give the heart of God the joy and satisfaction that was His as being our God and creator, through the transgression of Adam all of humanity were guilty before Almighty God, in the spiritual realm on the soul of everyone born in this earth, born in sin, was a certificate of debt.

Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; Romans 3v19-24.

Handwriting of Ordinances.

In the Greek an ordinance was a hand written document, similar to a ledger, and on this ledger would be scribed a bill of payment due, a record of debt.
In Roman law, a certificate of debt, would be issued by a Judge against a convicted criminal , and this would be posted to the outside of a cell, or prison, on this notice would be stated for all to see, the list of crimes committed, and the punishment due.

Nailing it to His Cross.

One ancient mode of cancelling bonds was by striking a nail through the written note, and thus signifying that the one held in debt could hold up the paper for all to witness that the debt had been cancelled and he could go free , his debt had been deemed paid in full.
Historically, only two objects were nailed to the stake of crucifixion:
1) the condemned person.
2) an inscription naming the crimes for which he was being punished.

The Glorious message and the triumph of the cross of Jesus Christ is that on the cross Jesus took the punishment for our sins, and in doing so all our transgressions were nailed to His cross, and we can go free, free from sin’s condemnation.

Our salvation, our redemption came not by the works of the flesh, our wholeness came not by religious ordinances, our standing righteous in the eyes of Almighty God is only through the accepted way of the cross of Christ, Isaiah’s declaration of deliverance from the penalty of sin, man’s freedom from the debt they owed to Almighty God came from the hand of the Lord Jesus Christ, He paid the price in full with His life giving blood , He took the debt we could not pay, He took it out of the way, never again to hold it to our account.

having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having cancelled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Colossians 2v12-14.

We owed a debt we could not pay, He paid the debt He did not owe.

Jesus Christ has come to set the prisoner free
My certificate of Debt
He has taken and nailed it to His tree
No longer held in sin’s domain
Thank God, I’m ransomed, healed and born again.

RealityMinistries Life of the WORD

RealityMinistries Life of the WORD

The Authority of The Believer in Christ.

Introduction.

On the commencement of this study I want us to go right back to the beginning of man’s introduction to this earth in which he dwells, from here we will have the starting point of understanding what Authority is and evaluate its origin.

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. Genesis 1v26-28.

Understanding Dominion.

In the Hebrew the word for Dominion is – Radah.
Radah lays emphasis on spoken command, and the ability to rule or govern, it means to declare and execute a decree.

The first thing to understand that authority is derived from dominion, it is intricately connected with the ability to have rule or reign.

When God created man, God designed or purposed man to be the holders of dominion, from here we understand that in himself man is void of the ability to reign or rule, he can only function because God imparts into man the capability to execute Gods plans or purposes on this earth.

Man was created to execute dominion, and being in the image of God man was fully able to accomplish that which God desired, Adam was to be lord or under ruler in and on this earth, subject only to God who created and commissioned him.

Understanding To Subdue.

From this position and execution of dominion is the right or responsibility or authority to subdue, or to keep under control, to keep under the foot.
When Adam was given the position of authority, with that came the need for observance to act with force to keep controlling power.

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. Genesis 1v26-28.

Adam was given the right and the responsibility to execute power or dominion in a threefold capacity.
He held sway or could govern with authority over everything that moved in the air, in the water or that which moved on the ground, if it moved from its original intention, Adam was given the power to act.

Each and every believer must understand from the scriptures what transpired in the garden, when Adam lost his original standing in God, and must understand the implications of his actions.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” .
The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’ ”

The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Genesis 3v1-6.

The devil’s six D’s in the garden.

As you examine the temptation and fall of Adam, there are six aspects that are revealed, sometime ago the Holy Spirit highlighted these elements to reveal and exploit the ploy of satan, in doing so, the Holy Spirit brought specific emphasis by declaring that satan has no new schemes or devices.

Deceive.

And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.1 Timothy 2v14.

The whole work of satan coming against the woman, was one of deception, when you analyze this work, it involves the use of cunning with the aim or objective to mislead the mind of a person, to cause a person to reason incorrectly.

Doubt.

Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” Matthew 14v28-31.

And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”

When you examine this word Doubt its literal meaning is to waiver in one’s opinion or judgment, it means to deem uncertain, the emphasis of the action of doubt is to question or cause distrust in that which has been declared.

Deny.

The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die!
“For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

The action or objective of denial is to declare that something said or stated is not true, satan caused the woman to question the truthfulness or veracity of God.

Destroy.

Satan used cunning to progressively bring about the destruction of the bond of Adam and Eve with Almighty God, the meaning of destroy is the action or intent to cause to come down, or the pulling down of something.

Dethroned.

When you examine closely the destructive intent and result of satans attack against Adam and Eve it was to dethrone Adam from his place of dominion, having used his cunning to cause doubt and uncertainty, he undermined Adams trust in God, and when Adam transgressed he lost his glory and power to act.

Dominated.

The sad picture that we see when Adam fell was that he who was created to have power and dominion now became dominated and powerless to offer any resistance.

It is of vital importance to gain an understanding of the scriptures to fully comprehend the need of the salvation and redemption of the whole race of humanity, the whole theme of the Word of God revealed and given to us in and through the bible is to understand how God wrought redemption for man in and through Jesus Christ and in Christ alone, and in the continuation of this study we will see the unfolding of how God brought Christ into this earth to regain mans place of authority and dominion in Christ.

To be continued……………………………………………………….. …..

RealityMinistries Life of the WORD

Deal with the past to lay hold of your future.

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3v13-14.

This is a continuation of the message- God has a plan for your life

God having a purpose and a plan for our lives, and we  as believers fulfilling that call are two different things, but I want you to know that God has a tremendous future and hope for each and every person.

I perceive the prompting of the Spirit of God, in bringing you this word, the Word of God is a universal word in that it has no bounds, and it covers the entire spectrum of mankind, God speaks to the multitude, and He can bring it to bear into the life of any individual.

A number of years ago, the Holy Spirit had me to begin to examine the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul, in doing so, the Holy Spirit laid particular emphasis to Paul’s epistle to the church at Philippi.

More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.
That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Philippians 3v8-12.

When you study this portion of scripture, the heart of the Apostle Paul is revealed in a 4 fold declaration that emphasizes his zeal and determination to fulfill the call of God that was on his life.

Knowing Christ.
Paul cast away all of his earthly achievements, all of his prominence, and earthly status to possess as his own, to esteem as a priceless privilege, the fact of knowing Christ as his Lord.

Yea doubtless, and I count all things loss for the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them dung, that I may win Christ.

The meaning of the word Excellency, used in reference to the knowledge of Christ as Lord, means;

To go over and beyond to attain
To grasp more of.
To value as being overwhelmingly precious.
To estimate its surpassing worth.

This was how the heart of Paul strove after Christ.

Winning Christ.

That I may win Christ,
the Apostle was already saved, he knew his right standing through being in Christ, but being saved, or possessing salvation was not the issue, Paul desired to possess the author of salvation in a deep and intimate fellowship, their was a deep seated longing of more of Jesus in the life of the Apostle Paul that went beyond just being saved.

Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, having been firmly rooted being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, overflowing with gratitude. Colossians 2v6-7.

There is the receiving aspect of salvation, but there is also the walking after the Savior who purchased one’s salvation, this is the cleaving after, the longing of the heart to really know Christ.

That I may win Christ,
this means, that its no longer you that live, but its Christ that has the principal part of your life, and He is the dominance and influence of your life. Now one can understand why Paul could boldly proclaim;

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Galatians 2v20.

Being found in Christ.

For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. Romans 10v 3.

There are only two forms of righteousness, one is of self, but the other and more rewarding is having the righteousness of God, the one righteousness is by one’s own striving, but the other is by the grace of God.

Paul did not want to be found or associated with a system of law, based on do’s and don’ts , but he desired to live in the reality of what Christ has done, and accomplished.

and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.
Philippians 3v9.

Apprehending Christ.

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Philippians 3v12.

The language that the Apostle Paul is using, is likened unto that of an arresting law enforcer in pursuit of or the capture of someone who is sought after, it expresses a pursuit and once arresting never letting that person out of one’s sight or reach.

The Greek word for apprehend is – Katalambano.

To lay hold of so as to make one’s own
To obtain, attain to, to make one’s own
To take into one’s self
Appropriation of that which when taken is not let go, to seize, to lay hold of, apprehend.

Throughout this study of the Apostle Paul, the aspect that the Holy Spirit is conveying is that in Paul was a resolute spirit, to know Christ and be known of Christ.

The meaning of Resolution is;

To be or have a determination.
To set one’s mind.
To have a fixed intention.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven, “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; Matthew 7v21-23.

The Holy Spirit laid this on my heart;
“A person with a resolute spirit will not be satisfied by knowing about Jesus, but by knowing Him.
This person who possesses a resolute spirit, will have an insatiable hunger, and an unquenchable thirst to know Christ, this type of person cannot be satisfied or gratified by the world.”

You can go all your life knowing about Jesus, but at your death you must know Him………

Thousands will sit in a place of worship and hear of Him, but its not knowing about Him, it’s knowing Him.

Jesus is in the Bible.
Jesus is in the Koran.
But the key is…
Is Jesus in you?

I want to come to the conclusion of this teaching, which I believe will have an impact on the life of each individual person who reads and views this study, please note, the words of the Apostle Paul in verses 13-14.

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

The Apostle Paul’s one thing had a two fold application, that is applicable or must be applied in your life.
1] deal with the past.
2] press on into your future.

I sense the Holy Spirit emphasize that;
“Too many of God’s people are being held back by things of their past, but you need to know that the power of a redeemed life is knowing the power of the blood of Jesus Christ that has dealt a death blow to the sins of your past, and it’s haunting condemnation………”

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isaiah 1v18.

I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee. Isaiah 44v22.

Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity And passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in unchanging love.
He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins Into the depths of the sea. Micah 7v18-19.

Things to know and understand.

Unless the past is dealt with, one is not prepared to live in the now.
Unless the past is dealt with it is like having a weight that is shackled to your leg, which will hold you back.

There are four areas that must be dealt with.

Failings, mistakes.

How many of us have missed the mark?
How many of us have had good intention’s?
How many have vowed a vow to God, yet failed to follow through?
How many of us have been sidetracked in our Christian walk and ended up in a blind alley?
How many have felt like giving up?

Thank God, He is abundant in mercy and grace, and we can run to Him, in our hour of failure, and Jesus sweeps us up in His loving arms of love, and gives us a new start.

Losses.
The true mark of a champion is how does he react to a knock down, God in Christ has marked us as;

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. Romans 8v37.

You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world 1John 4v4.

Hurts, offenses and grievances.

Jesus never hurts or disappoints anyone, but many have been hurt or let down by His church, but there is a healing balm in Christ to minister to the deepest wound.

Successes and achievements.

“Too many of God’s people are living on past blessings but are eating stale bread, too many are living on an experience of God, but are not experiencing His presence now………….”

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. 2 Corinthians 2v14.

RealityMinistries Life of the WORD

God has a plan for your life.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jeremiah 29v11.

The Lord has led me to this portion of scripture, and laid a message on my heart, that I want to share with you the body of Christ.

When you consider the background of this portion of scripture, it is conveyed by Jeremiah, but is the inspired Word of God, it is a message of hope, from Almighty God unto His covenant people while they were in captivity in Babylon, this word has importance and relevance for us today.

God’s Word is important in every situation. No matter what circumstance we as believers may find ourselves in, it is reassuring that we can bring the Word of God into that situation, and see the Word make a way of deliverance.

My soul cleaves to the dust; Revive me according to Your word. Psalms 119v25.

My soul weeps because of grief; Strengthen me according to Your word. Psalms 119v28.

Establish Your word to Your servant, As that which produces reverence for You. Psalms 119v38.

May Your loving kindnesses also come to me, O LORD, Your salvation according to Your word; Psalms 119v41.

By examining the words of encouragement in just this one mighty Psalm we gain the revelation of how important it is to get into the Word of God, to enable the Word to get into us.

The Psalmist David declares that by the Word we as believers can be; Revived, strengthen, established and upheld.

Receive God’s instruction.

While spending time in the word , waiting on The Holy Spirit to bring this word to you, I sense the Lord say;

“ Know and understand that God is able to speak into anyone’s life, at anytime, no matter how the circumstance or their situation maybe”.

The Word of God must become a personnel word, a revelation of God speaking into the heart and life of each individual person, the Word carried by the Holy Spirit of God is able to bring hope to the hopeless, light to dispel darkness, and to be an anchor to lay hold off.

This is my comfort in my affliction, That Your word has revived me. Psalms 119v50.

It is of great assurance to the believer in Christ that; No matter what the circumstance may be around you, if God is in your situation, He will turn it to your good.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jeremiah 29v11.

When you examine this scripture, you gain an understanding of the language of a covenant, God had a plan for the nation of Israel, He entered into covenant with them in which He would be their total source of supply, God always desired the best for His people.

In the Hebrew the word for know is from the root word – Yadah.
Yadah means;
To be personally acquainted with .
To confess over in praise.

The word for thoughts in the Hebrew is -Chashab.
Chashab means;
To have a plan for, to reckon to, to be absorbed in and to meditate over.

By locking these meanings together this is what Gods thinks of us, this is how we can comprehend the care and concern of God over our lives.
For I am personally acquainted with you, I confess over you with praise, I am totally absorbed in the plans I have for you.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. Romans 8v28-30.

Every believer in Christ needs to know and understand that God is a God of purpose, plan, design and objectivity, this is fully understood when you know that from the foundation of time itself, God in Christ purposed to have a people who would be; Called, Justified and Glorified in Christ.

This called out people would be known of Him, and would be consecrated by Him, through whom He would manifest His power and glory. God purposes for you to be a carrier, a consecrated vessel, to hold His power, Grace, mercy and anointing.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8v28.

The Greek word for purpose is – Prothesis.[ pro-the -sis]
Prothesis means;
The setting forth of a thing, or object, to have it in full view at all times.
In ancient Greek it means to;
Have a deliberate plan.
An intention.
A grand design.

Christian! God has a purpose for your life, that He holds before Him in His full view, this plan is deliberate, with full intention, on a grand design.
The will of man must be yielded up.

For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; Romans 8v29.

Quite some years ago, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said;
“ sadly for too many, for too long, the church has tried to conform to the worlds way, which has produced a worldly church”.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12v1-2.

As Christians, we are not to conform our lives to the worlds way of doing things.
Conform means;
To comply with, to be obedient to, to act in accordance with, to adapt or make like.

The church can not be effective by trying to do the will of God the world’s way. Many times people are putting off onto others, things which they should do themselves, The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul’s admonition is still the rule in the life of today’s church.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12v1-2.

As Christians we are responsible to present ourselves unto God, and to His Word, and as we do, the Holy Spirit will transform our lives…….

RealityMinistries Life of the WORD

In the Pursuit of God, the Desire of God, the Quest of the Believer. Part 3.

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3v12-14.

As we have been examining the spirit that was in the Apostle Paul, time and time again we have exhibited in him, a drive, a compulsion of his heart and will, to seek after Christ and lay hold the life that Christ could live in a person.

Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinks that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, Philippians 3v4-8.

Paul did not get caught up in the material gain of Christianity, he wanted to attain to a place of abiding in Christ that goes beyond earthly possessions, Paul’s life consisted of one thing, to lay hold of Christ, to cleave unto Him.

That I may win Christ.
That I may be found in Christ.
That I may know Christ.
That I follow after Christ.
That I may apprehend Christ.

Examine the weight of the expressions that Paul used of his pursuit of Christ, and it is apparent that it goes beyond the normal practice or profession of Christianity today, but if God by the Holy Spirit have placed these scriptures in His Word, He does so not for historical record only, but for a living example for us all, if the Apostle Paul could pursue after Christ then so can I, so can you.

Winning Christ.

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ. Philippians 3v8.

Have you set your mark?
Have you placed your feet in the starting blocks?
Have you a determination to run the race, to pursue Christ?

What does it mean when Paul said- that I may win Christ.
Paul had received Christ as Saviour, but he wanted to know Christ as Lord of his life.
What Paul was striving to was the working out of his life, self, and having Christ live in and through him.

The meaning of the word Win is best described in Vines Expository as;
Of so practically appropriating Christ to oneself that He becomes the dominating power in and over one’s whole being, life and circumstance.

Pressing in to be able to press on.

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3v14.

As you examine the life of the Apostle Paul many times you can see how he uses the sports arena of his day as an object lesson to convey a spiritual truth, as example;

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receives the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.

And every man that strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beats the air:
But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. 1 Corinthians 9v24-27.

[ end of part 4 ]

With this in mind, with this mindset, as you examine the term I press toward the mark, you clearly understand that the Apostle Paul consider himself as one who was determined to run the course, to finish the race.

In the Greek, the word for press is- Dioko;
Dioko means;
The pursuit of as gain, to press forward, to chase after, in its fullest extent it speaks of active endeavour, which is performed constantly, with consistency.

In the same passage of scripture in his epistle to the Philippians, he speaks of reaching forth unto those things which are before.

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, Philippians 3v13.

In so doing Paul is bringing to his readers another Greek word- Epekteinomai.
This means;
To stretch oneself to the limit, to strain to the limit, it refers to the stretching of a muscle.

What is your Goal?

When the Apostle Paul was emphasizing his pursuit, he was already assured of his salvation, he was conscious of his right standing before Almighty God, he knew that heaven was his home, so what was his goal?

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3v14.

The prize was not reaching heaven, heaven is not gained by striving, but heaven is given as a gift of God, access to heaven is attained through Jesus, and Jesus only!

Salvation is a gift of God granted by God to those who receive His Son, who through His death purchased salvation.

What the pursuit of Paul was, and what the object of our lives must be is to press in and press on to knowing Christ.

According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 1v20-21.

Hunger and Thirst of the Believer.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Matthew 5v6.

Here we have the words of Jesus, and in addressing His disciples, Jesus gives insight into what He desires to be resident in the heart of His body, the church, there must be the earnest desire to want to know Jesus, not to just know of Him, but to know Him in a deep and lasting fellowship.

I am reminded of an experience that I encountered with the Holy Spirit on new years eve 2003.

As I traveled to my work place, on the bus were a number of people, as I looked around I sense the Holy Spirit speak to me and said;

“ you walk as the living amongst the dead, you are the light in the midst of darkness I have set it so.”

There was such an overwhelming sense of His presence, that as I walked off the bus it was as if the Holy Spirit was walking and speaking to me, the verse of scripture that He brought to my attention was Philippians 2v13-16.

For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings:

That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain.

The message of the Holy Spirit was very clear and precise, He stated that the will and plan of God for His people is that they will have an insatiable hunger and an unquenchable thirst for Christ, and that those who fulfill this desire will be fully satisfied.

We as the body of Christ must understand that before we can touch the world around us, we must be touched and in tune with Jesus by the power of His Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit emphasized that we must learn of those people who have pressed into a walk with God that they have known the closeness of His presence.

As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.

My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? Psalms 42v1-2.

This must be our drive and earnest desire, notice what is said of the deer, it panteth, which is a continuous action, it does not say – it panted, which would mean that it used to long for water but now is satisfied, no the deer needed to be continually drinking from the source of supply.

O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longs for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see Thy power and Thy glory, so I have seen Thee in the sanctuary. Psalms 63v1-2.

My soul followeth hard after Thee: Thy right hand upholds me. Psalms 63v8.

When you have an unquenchable thirst for Christ, you will not be satisfied by the things of this world.

RealityMinistries Life of the WORD

In Pursuit of God, the Desire of God, the Quest of the Believer; Part 2.

As we continue on our study of; In the Pursuit of God, I want to lay particular emphasis on the portion of scripture found in Paul’s epistle written to the Church at Philippi.

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.

That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Philippians 3v6-12.

In the first part of our study, by the Holy Spirit’s leading we examined the desire of God for communion with man, in this second part I want to bring to you the importance of the need of the believer to lay hold of God, and become more acquainted with Him.

The key scripture that the Holy Spirit prompted in my heart, the revelation that began this particular study is found in Philippians 3v12.

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

In this verse of scripture the Holy Spirit brought to my attention the revelation truth that the primary reason why the Apostle Paul was able to pursue after Christ, was because Christ had already staked His claim on the life of the Apostle.

From the Greek the word for Apprehend is – Katalambano.
Katalambano means;
To lay hold of so as to make one’s own.
That which when taken is not let go.

If you will examine the scripture in the light of the revelation of the Holy Spirit leading, you will notice that Paul was speaking of his action being in the present tense, reaching out to respond to what Christ had accomplished in the past tense.

What is of great importance for the believer in Christ to know and grasp is that, everything we ever achieve in our Christian walk is our response to that which Almighty God has sought for and accomplished for us in Christ.
How important it is for us to embrace and retain the biblical principle of the word of Zechariah.

Then he answered and spoke unto me, saying, This the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. Zechariah 4v6.

As we have previously examined in the Gospel of John, Jesus revealed or made manifest the heart searching of His Father, the desire of God, that of seeking after those who will worship Him in spirit and truth, now in the book of Philippians we have the emphasis of the quest of the believer.

Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.
Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Philippians 3v1-3.

There are 4 aspects I want to bring to your attention from this portion of the Word of God;

1] For we are the circumcision.
2] Worship God in the spirit.
3] Rejoice in Christ.
4] Have no confidence in the things of the flesh.

Have you had heart surgery?

For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Philippians 3v3.

The Apostle Paul in writing to the church at Philippi, makes a definitive statement, he lays particular emphasis on an important element of the life of a believer, in that a true believer in Jesus Christ, is one who has had their heart or their inward man, marked by God.

It is important that we understand that when we speak of the heart of man, we are not referring to the physical organ, but we are addressing the spirit of man.

And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. Luke 11v39.

But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. Romans 2v29.

For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: Romans 7v22.

For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.2 Corinthians 4v16.

The act of circumcision undertaken under the Old Testament, was that which was wrought to or on the physical part of man, it affected the flesh, but circumcision produced in the New Testament, under the dispensation of grace, is the working of the Holy Spirit, through the new birth, through regeneration working on the inside or the core of man, the inward man of the heart.

This is very important to understand the vast difference of being religious, or being a child of the living God, for under the Old Testament or Old Covenant, which was the dispensation of Law, man was the agent of circumcision, but under the New Covenant the Holy Spirit is the medium who works with the Word to produce the life transforming of the nature of the recipient of the grace of God in Christ.

At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time. Joshua 1v5.

And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou may live. Deuteronomy 30v6.

Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? Ezekiel 18v31-32.

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh Ezekiel 36v26.

At this point I want to underline the enormous importance of the person of the Holy Spirit, and understand the power of Him to work and dwell in us, for without Him we cannot live the life that God would have us to live, having the Holy Spirit abiding in our spirit, enables us to fulfill the desire of God, and have Christ glorified in us.

And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall keep My judgments, and do them. Ezekiel 36v37.

Being found by Christ, being found in Christ.

And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: Philippians 3v9.

I have perceived the prompting of the Holy Spirit to once again examine this portion of scripture, every person who has accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour, has received Him into our lives, He is thereby found in you, but the Apostle Paul is emphasizing an experience beyond being found by Christ, Paul had a desire, a passion, a deep longing of the heart to know and be found in Christ.

Many of God’s people, although sincere, are not in the place in their walk with Christ, where they should be, Paul was born again, Paul had Christ in him, but there was in him a compulsion, a drive, a pursuit to be found and live in Christ.

In the Greek the word for found is – Heurisko.
Heurisko means;
To find out by practice and experience, to attain, to acquire.
Among the ancient Greeks there were a sect of people who were called Heuristics, these were people who were associated with, or obsessed with discovery, even when they came to know or discover something they were not satisfied, there was still further investigation sought.

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things loss for the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them dung, that I may win Christ. Philippians 3v7-8.

Now we can glean the desire that was in the heart of the Apostle Paul, he had come to the place in his life, where he counted everything that he had attained in his earthly life as worthless, and expendable compared to being found of Christ and finding himself in Christ.

Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an en sample. Philippians 3v16-17.

The gain or pursuit of Christ, in the life of the Apostle Paul, was for the furtherance of the spiritual life of those who God had entrusted into his care, there is another aspect of this pursuit of Christ in a person’s life and that is of demonstrating by example.

Because of the extent of the teaching, and of the importance that the Holy Spirit is laying on my heart in presenting to you this theme of -In Pursuit of God, we will continue this teaching into a third part which is to follow.

RealityMinistries Life of the WORD