Do you know who you trust?

In Luke 4:14 Jesus is in Galilee and goes to His home church. He goes up front to read and the attendant hands him the scroll. However, instead of reading where they left off last week- as was customary- Jesus instead searches out one of His promise verses. He finds Isaiah 61 and begins reading his mission statement.

 

The Spirit of the LORD is upon me because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favour...

 

The rest of the chapter beautifully describes the healing and restoration He will bring and the restoration we get to bring because He has restored us.

 

When Jesus says He is coming to restore, it would remind them of the year of Jubilee. Jesus came to release us into the year of Jubilee. Take a look at Leviticus 25. The 50th year was a year of Jubilee. It was a year of celebration. You would not plant or harvest this year because it was a year of rest as well. God promised the 49th year would produce enought for three years.

 

You would also return property. If someone sold property, it was because of financial hardship. You did not move around in those days. You had your town and your family had been there for generations. When you sold land, you took away from your sons' inheritance. God wanted that returned to the seller so His people were not dispossesed and homeless.

 

Go back to Luke 4 and look at the power of Jesus' words. They create life. There are multiple times in chapter four where His voice and words are emphasized:

 

• 4:22- "All spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth."
• 4:32-"[the people] were astonished at his teaching for his words possessed authority."
• 4:36-"For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits and they come out!"
• 4:41- In contrast, Jesus would not let the evil spirits speak. He only wanted His voice to be the one that speaks over us.
 

Jesus only needs to speak and things are created. He is, after all, His Father's Son. Back in Genesis the Father spoke and the world was created. Now, the Son is walking on Earth and His very words have healing power. another name for Jesus is the Word (Jn 1). Jesus follows His Father's example in this too:

 

John 14:10-14-- The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. Truly, truly I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am giong to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name this I will do that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. If you love me, you will keep my commands. And I will ask the Father and He will give you another Helper to be with you forever, the Spirit of Truth...

 

John 15:7-12-- If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments you will abide in my love just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you...

 

John 16:23-24-- Truly, truly I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive that your joy may be full...

 

Take a look at those chapters. There is a lot of good stuff there.

 

 

 

Jesus came to bring us freedom. His words have creative power. Where do you need to ask Him to bring you into freedom?

Ramsomed from Darkness into Light

Pt IV

 

continuation of Promises of Restoration in the Prophets

We are now in the Kingdom of God. We were ransomed from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light (Col 1:13).

And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God (1 Peter 1:17-21).

 

The first thing Peter does is calls God Father. Our Father is our judge and he is impartial. We were ransomed from the kingdom of sin. To require ransoming means that we were stolen. We were taken from the Kingdom of God and enslaved in the kingdom of darkness. The highest price was paid for us, Jesus’ blood. Our worth was so high that Jesus’ blood was the cost for our ransom. That is how valuable the Father says we are.

If God sent Jesus to die for us while we were still sinners, imagine all that he has for us now that we are saints in his kingdom (Ro 5:8-10). That is what God did for us while we were enemies. We were in an opposing kingdom. Take some time and revel in that fact.

If you want more on this, see my previous posts Call on Him as Father, Impartial Judge, Ramsomed, The Precious Lamb We Did not Buy, to name a few.

Redemption Promised

... Pt. II. 

A continuation of A Tale of Two Kingdoms.

It is in this perfect paradise that Satan enters as a serpent. He sows deceit into the pure sanctuary and brings forth death. As a result, all of creation is cursed. The woman saw the fruit was pleasing and desirable. She was being tempted to find pleasure outside of God. She is being told she does not have full pleasure in God. They turned from the Pleasure-giver and tore from Him. They were no longer filled with Him. Instead, they feel shame. They both hide in the trees that were to bring them pleasure.

However, it is at this bitter time that God makes a promise to restore his people back into his kingdom made clear by the appearance of His Son. Imagine that moment. You are full of shame, God curses things, you watch God kill and skin an animal and you are kicked out of the Garden, your home, the place you know you are meant to belong because you are with God and in a right relationship with Him. God tells them to get in this dead and bloody thing and they will be okay. Their shame will be covered. Later, God tells us to get in a dead and bloody thing that is now risen and alive and our shame will be taken away. We get the upgrade, the new and improved. Just as a lamb was slaughtered in the Garden to clothe the man and woman and cover their shame, so the final Lamb was slaughtered to remove their shame.

God curses the serpent and says one day you will be crushed by the descendant of a woman. Jesus was the descendant of a woman. He did not have an earthly father. Romans 16: 20 says, “And the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” We are one with Christ and get to take part in crushing Satan under our feet.

Fast-forward to Exodus. God brings His people out of the land of slavery and into the desert where He gives them a new identity as children of God. They are no longer slaves. It is in the desert that he washes away the identity of slavery and restores to them to their proper identity as children of God. They definitely don’t get it all the time and God gives them a picture example. He has them make the tabernacle. The tabernacle was made to look like the Garden of Eden—fruit everywhere, vines, cherubim covering the walls (Ex 36:8). He has them make the Ark of the Covenant. The base wood of the ark and the tabernacle is acacia, a thorn bush. It was not originally part of creation. God covers it with gold. The thing that was a curse is now covered in gold and used for something royal instead of firewood.

On top of the Ark of the Covenant are two cherubim, just like there are cherubim guarding the way to Eden. God will meet us between the two cherubim (Ex 25:22). Every year a priest was to put blood between the two cherubim on the ark on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16). This was when they offered a sin offering and a burnt offering and did the scapegoat. The amount of blood between them would look like someone tried to enter Eden and was slaughtered. Fast forward to the New Testament for a moment. Jesus did meet us between the cherubim and took the first blow to make a way. He was massively obedient and made a way.

The veil covered with cherubim was torn at crucifixion. Where cherubim once kept us from entering the garden of pleasure, the garden of fellowship, they could no longer do so. Before, only the high priest could only enter the Holy of Holies once a year. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (1 Jn 3:8). The first thing God does is remove the veils with the cherubim; a way to God and the tree of life in Eden is reopened. The Garden of pleasure is where people can fellowship with God. A way back into the kingdom of God was made.

A Tale of Two Kingdoms

The Bible is really a story of God’s kingdom. It’s almost like reading a history book meets a fantasy, sci-fi book with a little bit of poetry and some philosophy/theology thrown in. But they all talk about the same thing—kingdom.

Genesis 1-3 provides an intro to this kingdom. Back in the garden God created a perfect world. It was a place where He and man could commune and have relationship. God gives man a purpose and tells him to be fruitful and multiply and to rule over the earth. All is well in God’s kingdom.

But in the undertones of this world another kingdom is lurking, the kingdom of Satan, of darkness. Revelation 12:7-17 gives us a glimpse of what was happening. There was a war in heaven. Ezekiel 28 says that Satan desired to be God. He was originally a guardian cherub, the secret service. But he desired to be God and so Michael and his angels defeated him and threw him down to earth.

But then Genesis 1 happens. It says the earth was formless and void, full of darkness. Suddenly light enters. Satan hears God’s voice creating things. Then the unthinkable happens. God makes man in His image and tells him to rule over the earth. What was Satan exiled to earth for? Wanting to be God. Now God makes man in His image and tells them to rule over everything on earth. This is when the two kingdoms really come into a clash.

The ruler of the kingdom of darkness comes to the two made in the likeness of God and twists the truth just enough that they begin to doubt God’s goodness. They fear God is withholding from them good and out of fear choose the kingdom of darkness. By choosing sin man disobeys the kingdom of God and obeys the kingdom of Satan. We switched kingdoms. No longer were we under God’s kingdom but under the kingdom of sin. The rest of the book shows the out falling of that choice. Murder is introduced into the once-perfect world. Incest, abuse, rape, famine, poverty, self-promotion, lies, jealousy, rage. These are all things that are not of God’s kingdom.

However, look at Genesis 3. God is not going to let the kingdom of darkness take those who are made in His image. God goes out looking for Adam and Eve and finds them hiding. He didn’t let them hide from Him but looked for them. He loved them enough to look for them. They are full of shame and probably feeling pretty unworthy to be around God and wondering what is going to happen. Adam blames Eve, she blames the serpent and no one is willing to account for their actions.

God steps in and begins cursing things. I imagine God was crying as He did this. The serpent is cursed among living things and God promises that from the seed of the woman will come one who will destroy him. Then he gives the woman pain and curses the ground. Now thorns and thistles will cover the perfect creation and death is allowed. God then places cherubim and a flaming sword to prevent man from entering the garden where the tree of life is.

But this isn’t the end of the story. God continues to promise restoration for his people.

More to follow....

Seeking vs. Advancing

Have you ever thought about the difference between seeking and advancing the kingdom of God? There are promises in God’s Word for those who seek the kingdom but not for those who try to advance it (see Mat 6:33, Lk 12:31).

We live in a very works-oriented culture where our merits determine our value. This pours out into our social lives, work lives and even into our spiritual lives. We believe that Jesus came so we could have the free gift of salvation but after that we have to work for our worthiness and value. We have to advance the kingdom and start amazing ministries to show that we are good Christians. This is a lie. My worth is not found in what I do. I could be comatose in a hospital bed for the rest of my life and my value would not change. My worth would not change. So why is it, I keep trying to advance the kingdom instead of seek it? Why do I keep trying to work my way into acceptance instead of discovering what God has already given me?

A friend and I were talking about this and what it came down to was motives. What are your motives? Are you seeking ministry opportunities or are you seeking intimacy? Are you seeking God as a means to an ends or are you seeking God because of who He is? What if ministry is a side effect of intimacy? What if by seeking the kingdom, the side effect is it advances?

For example, I can seek the kingdom and it looks like writing and studying. I love to do these things. When I am seeking God writing is what comes out of my relationship with God. It comes from our conversation. It is Him teaching me and talking with me and what I write is just the fruit of that (though not all that I write is from God, some of it is just me). However, when I am writing for the purpose of proving to others (or myself) that I have something valuable to say, I am trying to advance the kingdom. I am coming to God so He can add words into what I am trying to portray. Instead of having a conversation with Him and knowing Him better I am coming to Him for filler or a topic, etc. and not for His perspective on the topic. I want something so I come to Him as the Answer Man in order to validate myself not to know Him and have Him tell me who I am.

So what does it look like to seek the kingdom? Seeking the kingdom is like a game of hide and seek. We are seeking what wants to be found and are exposing it to the light. When we seek the kingdom, we seek what is already there. When a miner is searching for treasure he is seeking treasure that already exists. He is just uncovering it. So it is with the kingdom. We are just uncovering what is already there. When we talk about identity, we are not calling into existence something that did not previously exist; we are calling out something that is already there. When you speak a word of encouragement or prophecy over someone, you are calling out something that is already there. The lies are covering it but we get to dig underneath that and call out the truth.

In Romans 8 it says, “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revelation of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for the adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved” (8:19-24).

Back in Genesis 1-3 we see the Garden as it was originally intended. Man is in his original environment. He is with God, and he is ruling over the earth. Then man sins and is kicked out of the Garden. Sin now ruins the original design and covers it like a weedy vine.

Later, God brings His people out of the land of slavery and into the land of promise. On the way He has them build the Ark of the Covenant. On this ark is the mercy seat and above the mercy seat are two angels. Back in the Garden, God placed two angels with flaming swords to guard the entrance into the Garden, that place of communion with God. Now, God says He will meet His people between the two angels on the mercy seat (Ex 25:22). Every year, the high priest would put the blood of a sacrifice of atonement (a sin offering) between the two angels. It would look like someone was slain trying to return to Eden. The high priest would do this once a year on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16).

Then Jesus comes along in the New Testament, and He is the sacrifice for our sins. He dies in our place as the Passover Lamb. When He dies, the curtain in the temple is torn. That curtain separated man from the place of meeting with God. God was said to dwell in the Holy of Holies, the place where the Ark of the Covenant was kept, the place where God would meet with man between the two angels. Now, the curtain (covered with angels embroidered on it) was torn in two and a way was made for man and God to fellowship freely again.  

So how does this all relate to seeking the kingdom instead of seeking to advance the kingdom? Jesus reveals to us who we really are. The Father adopts us as sons and daughters and we are His children. We realize our identity in Christ. No longer are we slaves to sin because Jesus died and rose again so we could be free from sin. Jesus came that we would have life and have it to the full (Jn 10:10). He came that we may have freedom (Jn 8:31, 36). He shows us that we are sons of God. Remember how Romans 8 says that creation is longing for the sons of God to be revealed so that it too may be free? Jesus reveals us as the sons of God. Now we get to free others and even creation itself from sin and the distortion that sin brought. The truth is already there about who we are, we just get to uncover it. Sometimes that means we have to go through the crap to get to the gold but other times it means we just call forth the truth and let it shine.

Seeking the kingdom is all about our relationship with God. We seek Him (one of Jesus’ names is Truth—John 14:6) and out of our seeking Him the Truth is revealed and His kingdom is advanced. Jesus says to seek and we will find (Mat 7:7-12). We are not seeking the results but we are seeking Him first. The results come out of our seeking the Father.

Dig into the Word and ask God who He says you are. Ask Him to give you verses you can hold onto as words specifically for you. These are our promise verses. They are promises from God about who He is and who we are and who He is for us specifically.

God Will Confirm His Words

The book of John opens with John the Baptist stating this is who I am and this is who Jesus is. Then Jesus says this is who I am. In John 8, Jesus talks about who He is and almost point for point confirms what John the Baptist said about Him.

John 3—John the Baptist’s statements about Jesus    John 8—Jesus’s statement about who He is

Jesus came from heaven, we are from Earth (31)	I am from above, you are from below (23)
Jesus is above all (31)	I am judge (23, 26)
Jesus tells what he has seen and heard	I have much to say and judge, I declare God’s word (26)
We do  not believe Him (32)	We do not believe Him, specifically the Pharisees (13)
God gives words to those He sends (34)	I declare what I have heard from him  (26, 28)
God gives a limitless amount of His Spirit (34)	I am not alone (29)
If you obey the Son, you’ll have eternal life, if you do not obey, the wrath of God remains on him (36)	If you believe in me, you’ll live; if you don’t, you will die in sin (24)

Jesus confirms the words John spoke about Him. Remember that John said, “[H]e whom God has sent utters the words of God” (3:34)? Guess what, when we speak the words that God gives us, He will confirm them.

Now, we do need to be careful. This doesn’t mean we speak every thought that pops into our head and declare it as the word of the Lord. Be careful about this. God gives a stern warning about speaking presumptuously in Deuteronomy. “But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death. You may say to yourselves, ‘How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?’ If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him” (Dt 18:20-22).

However, when God does give us something to say, do not be afraid to say it. God will confirm His words. His words will accomplish everything He intends and will not return to Him empty (Isa 55:10-11). They will leave a lasting effect on the listener. When God declares something, it will happen (Isa 48:3). He teaches us what to say. “The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen as one being taught” (Isa 40:4). 

How do we know the difference between our words and the words of God? Get to know His voice. Spend time in the Word and in prayer. Test what you hear. “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good” (1 Th 5:20). Make sure it aligns with Scripture. God does not contradict himself. If it doesn’t match with Scripture, toss it. If it does, I find it helpful to write down the reference next to the word.

Spend time with other believers who hear God’s voice well. This is probably the best way to learn. When we are with other believers, we can learn from them and learn to hear God’s words. We can test things out on each other and together discern if it aligns with God’s Word.

You will begin to know your Father’s voice. The sheep know the Shepherd’s voice (Jn 10:3-5). Soon it will become second nature and you will just know that it is God’s voice. It isn’t always something you will learn over night. Maybe you’ll have a burning bush moment like Moses did but for many of us, we learn God’s voice by being in His presence. We learn His voice by practice. If you hear something and it doesn’t sit right with you, it’s likely that isn’t God’s voice. If you hear something and it touches your heart so deeply, there’s a good chance it is God’s voice. But again, test everything with the Bible.

 

“Draw near to me, hear this: from the beginning I have not spoken in secret, from the time it came to be I have been there” (Isa 48:16). God is not silent. Quiet yourself and be still and listen. This takes practice. In our busy world it is hard to still ourselves. But keep at it. God loves talking with us and wants to talk with you. He loves you so much and wants to tell you this and more.