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For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23) |
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Salvation often is presented as a gift from God with no strings attached. An evangelist will ask, "If someone would hand you a fifty-dollar bill you would take it. Why won't you take the gift of salvation?" |
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The reason is, the gift of salvation is very unlike a fifty-dollar bill and the sinner understands this even if the evangelist doesn't. This is why he won't always take it. |
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Romans 6:23 (above) has been preached to the unsaved for many years. It really is addressed to believers. |
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In the early chapters of the Book of Romans Paul spoke to the Jews. He told them they could not earn God's approval any longer by observing the statutes of the Law of Moses. God now has given us His own righteousness, a righteousness purchased by Jesus Christ on the cross. We receive the righteousness of God by placing our faith in Christ's atonement apart from circumcision, the Sabbath, or any other part of the Law. |
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The inevitable occurred. People were saying "It doesn't matter if we sin because God's grace forgives us no matter what we do." (Sound familiar?) |
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Paul, a very moral, God-fearing individual, rose up in protest. "What then, shall we sin? God forbid! How shall we who are dead to sin live in it any longer?" |
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Paul was referring to the fact that when we enter water baptism we are testifying we have died with Christ on the cross and have risen with Him to the right hand of the Father. Thus we, in accordance with our profession of faith, are to count ourselves dead to sin and walk in the newness of a righteous, holy life. |
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Paul goes on to teach (in the sixth chapter of Romans) if we, having received Christ and been baptized into His death and resurrection, yield our body to sinful practices, we will die spiritually. |
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But since we now are a Christian we have the authority and power (which non-Christians do not have) to choose to be the slave of the laws of righteous, holy behavior. If we so choose we will live in the eternal Life of God. |
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In view of these facts Paul, in Romans 6:23, reminds the Christians that to continue in the practices of sin will pay off in death. But God has given them the gift of eternal life provided they take advantage of their new spiritual position and begin to live a righteous, holy life. |
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It's not like a fifty-dollar bill. The gift of eternal life is more like the gift of a piano. You have to practice it to get any good out of it. |
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How about you? Maybe you've been saved for several years. Are you still playing chopsticks or are we hearing something worth listening to? |
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And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. (John 17:3) |
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Because of the revelation God gave us in Bible school many years ago we have devoted much of our ministry to describing the work of God that comes after Pentecost. There is the basic salvation experience, and then there is the Pentecostal experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit, often accompanied with speaking in tongues. |
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But the Bible shows clearly the work of redemption in three stages. The many types, such as the feasts of the Lord, the Tabernacle of the Congregation, the journey of Israel from Egypt to Canaan, the days of creation, Noah's ark, and so forth, portray three levels of redemption. |
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We could call the third work of salvation the fullness of God, or the Tabernacles experience, or total consecration, or the throne level, or conquest, or your Aunt Gertrude. (Let us not make another denomination for Heaven's sake!) |
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But you know, after all is said and done, the third level actually is knowing Jesus. |
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When we first are saved we know Jesus a little. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit we know Jesus a little more. But isn't it true that most of our knowledge has to do with our church culture or formulas that we think will enable us to get what we want out of God? |
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We talk about Jesus. |
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If you don't believe me, the next time you are in a meeting listen to what is being said. Jesus is in the third person singular. He does this and He does that. It isn't You are doing this and You are doing that. |
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The only time Jesus is addressed directly is in prayer. |
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God has more than this for us. God wants us to practice the Presence of Jesus in our daily life, as well as in the assembling, much, much more than we are doing. It is not "He is with us," it is, "You are with us"! |
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Last Sunday I was sitting at the keyboard. We were in the middle of the song service and I had this feeling we were going to go through this service with something important missing. |
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Suddenly one of the song leaders said, "The Lord wants to do something." |
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The guitar player behind me said, "The waters are troubled." |
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I go up and kind of staggered around, telling the congregation we were supposed to do something but I did not know what. Isn't that great? God's man of faith and power without the answers. |
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The young people started marching around the church with their big banners. (I hope this doesn't shock you!) |
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Our air traffic controller (the lady who keeps our banners, tambourines, dancing and so forth from becoming chaotic) said, "I think the whole congregation is supposed to do something." I felt the same thing and so I said, "Everybody stand up and do something." |
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To be continued. |
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How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. (I Corinthians 14:26) |
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Even our head elder, an ordinarily sedate individual, came up to the front and started exhorting the people. Pretty soon the whole congregation was marching or dancing or walking around. |
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Then our worship leader decided to do a combination of singing choruses and inviting up people for prayer who needed release from bondage. Several came up and people prayed for them. Then groups of people went to different members of the congregation and prayed for them. |
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This went on for about half an hour. When everybody felt Jesus was finished with that part, we took the offering, I preached, we had an altar call, Communion was given (we serve communion to people at the altar while they are being prayed for), sang a song, hugged one another, and went home decently and in order. |
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The point is, Jesus moved from the third person to the second person. "Lord, You are here. What do You want done." |
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My message, prepared before this uproar, was about everyone having gifts of the Spirit. So it kind of fit. |
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The best aspect of the whole business (apart from the fact we were hearing from the living Jesus) was that several people had the same witness and then everyone participated. There was Divine order. Godly elders were in authority and everyone recognized this. No one got in the flesh and tried to steer the meeting off sideways. |
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Meetings are much safer when you put in the bulletin everything you are going to do and then do it, even if the angel Gabriel walks in (the ushers will show him to the door). |
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This other stuff is dangerous but it sure is more interesting. |
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This is the direction we want to go as a church until when a visitor comes everyone rises up and prophesies the secrets of his heart and he flops on the rug and cries out "God is in this place!" Cool! |
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Wouldn't that be neat? That's like having church. |
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We need to know Jesus more. We need Him in our life, in our assemblings, not only someone who is a million miles away making intercession before the Father but right here in the middle of the service telling us what to do, leading His army in Person. |
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How about you? Do you want to know Jesus better? Why don't you tell Him so. |
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"But I'm not even a Christian. How can I tell Jesus I want to know Him better?" |
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Hey, man. You don't have to do the formula. If you want to love Jesus and know Him better, look up right now and let Him into your life. Trip out on Jesus. |
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You can worry about "getting saved" later. (You already have the Judge on your side the moment you look to Him!) |
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But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33) |
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It has become fashionable in modern times to seek power with God. Much is written about how to have power with God. |
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I doubt if hundreds of years ago the Catholic peasants coming in from the field at vespers thought much about having power with God. It's probably a modern phenomenon. |
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The idea of getting power from the spirit realm goes along with the contemporary man-centeredness of everything. If we can get enough power we can build the Kingdom of God in the way we think best (in the way that will profit our own group). |
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The Bible doesn't exhort us to seek power, as far as I know, but to seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. |
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Righteousness always is an issue of power. It takes power to work righteousness and power comes to us from God when we practice righteousness. So righteousness is the big topic. |
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The reason we cannot overcome the evil in our own life is that we lack power. We have to pray like sixty to get the power to overcome temptation. |
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The reason we cannot overcome the evil in our nation is we don't have the power. (Some day we shall!) |
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We try to get power by voting or seeking political office or by lobbying or threatening politicians running for office. I don't know how much good these efforts do. |
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Since the evil of abortion and other problems are coming from Satan, how are we going to get rid of it by voting or threatening politicians? The source of the wickedness is spiritual. Spiritual battles are not fought with voting but with prayer, righteousness, holiness, and obedience to God. |
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It is the prayer of the righteous individual that avails much. |
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"Brother Thompson, I am righteous through Christ." |
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Horsefeathers. James, the writer who said the prayer of the righteous avails much, wasn't too pleased with the idea of imputed righteousness. He was interested in helping the orphans and widows in their troubles. |
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The powers of Hell are running wild in the streets of America. We have invited all the demons from India, Africa, South America, and other places, and are protecting them with the Bill of Rights. They are having a ball at the expense of our citizens. (Can you imagine the look on the faces of the framers of the Constitution?) |
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Yoga, a part of the Hindu religion, is practiced by people in our government, according to the newspaper. (It reminds you of the Book of Ezekiel.) |
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So you are not going to accomplish everything by the democratic process. |
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As spiritually dark as the present atmosphere of America is, there is far and away more Divine power available than is necessary to totally clean up the environment. |
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God is ready to issue all the power we need the moment we turn away from our sins. He's got it up there. Are we going to do what He has commanded or not? |
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He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. (Matthew 10:39) |
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What is God's answer to the presence on the earth of Satan and the fallen angels? |
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The cross. The cross of the Lord Jesus and the personal cross of the believer. |
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God will not save what man is. God will not save the race of Adam. |
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The race of Adam died in Christ Jesus on the cross of Calvary. |
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The members of the Kingdom of God are a new race. They are humans, but humans in whom every element of personality has become part of Christ Jesus. |
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They have died; but behold—they live! |
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They are crucified with Christ, yet they live. But it no longer is they who are living, it is Christ. |
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God has provided the answer to every terror of the last days. The answer is our death and resurrection in Christ. |
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We must reckon ourselves dead, experience the judgment of God in every aspect of our personality (which includes much suffering and the denial of our fondest hopes), and then receive the Presence of the Father and the Son. This is the spiritual fulfillment of the Jewish feast of Tabernacles. It is the provision God has made for the spiritual oppression of the closing days of this age. |
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In the day when so many are falling into the trap of viewing themselves as God, the Spirit says: |
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Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. (Revelation 14:12) |
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We must bow the knee to God, turning away from our pride, our arrogance, our haughtiness. We must keep God's righteous commandments. The Epistles of the New Testament are filled with guides to righteous behavior. We must keep faith in Jesus, guarding the word of His patience. |
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To follow the Lord in cross- carrying obedience, turning away from the "Christian" people who tell us we can have everything we want in the world, requires patience. |
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God is raising up a powerful army in our day. Each soldier has been judged thoroughly by the Word of God. In the moment of judgment the Lord's soldier will stand because he cannot be harmed by Divine judgment. He can "fall on the sword" and yet not be wounded. |
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Patience! Patience! Patience and the Kingdom of God! |
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If we are to possess our soul we must exercise patience in the prison in which the Lord places us. |
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Then, in the darkest of the night, the Lord gives us the solution: |
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And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. (Revelation 14:13) |
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"Die in the Lord from henceforth." |
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From henceforth. From this time forth. From the time man begins to make himself God. From this moment those who die in the Lord are blessed. In the midst of the fire of judgment they will sing and dance in the height of Zion. They will enter rest. Their works of righteousness and holiness will accompany them wherever they go. |
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Nothing can hurt them. Antichrist cannot touch them. The False Prophet cannot deceive them. Satan himself cannot overthrow them. |
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Why not? Because it is not they who are living but Christ who is living in them. In order to conquer them, Satan would have to be able to suppress the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. |
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Do you choose to save your life or to lose it in Jesus Christ? (from Dying in the Lord) |
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And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. (Galatians 5:24) |
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Let us ask a question. |
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Why would God create man on the earth, give him access to many kinds of things, relationships, experiences, and then command him to deny himself? |
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This sounds like poor planning on God's part. |
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Why create little gods from the dust of the ground and then say to them, "Take up your cross and follow me"? "Present your body a living sacrifice to Me"? |
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The answer is, men are just that—little gods. |
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There are heavenly beings who are so tremendously large and intelligent, so filled with glory that we would be unable to stand in their presence. Some of these do God's will. Others joined with Satan in the rebellion against the Father. |
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God, in His unfathomable wisdom, reached down to the dust of the earth and from it created little gods—creatures who one day will judge the angels, who one day will be served by the most exalted of God's creatures. |
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What next? |
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The predictable—the first little God born on the earth murdered the second because of envy. |
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The little gods had to be given the chance to do whatever they wanted, although the Lord realized that the result would be six thousand years of agony as the dust- gods strove to glorify themselves. |
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Then God presented to these inexperienced divinities the only possible solution to their madness: "Take up your cross of self-denial so I may become one with you. Let Me bring forth My life in you. You can realize your foreordained destiny only by entering My death and My life." |
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It is the story of the prodigal son, the story of man. The Father gives us our inheritance. We end up with the pigs, having lost our inheritance in riotous living. We come to ourselves and return home—to the Father. We have learned we do not have the wisdom to use properly what has been given us. |
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For two thousand years the Christian churches have attempted to serve God by using His grace and gifts to build a tower that reaches to Heaven. The same attempt is being made today and soon will be supported with signs and wonders. |
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Some "Christian" leaders are busily engaged in teaching Christians how to live, how to profit by the grace and gifts of God, how to find victory and success in the present world. |
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They should be teaching the believers how to die in the Lord! |
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What God said to the Apostles of the Lamb He still is saying to His Church: "It is only by your death that you can live in My Presence. Enter My death and resurrection. Death is the only path to the Throne of God." |
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By death we mean the surrender of our personality to God, allowing Him to fill us with His Life. We tell the Lord we are His bondslave forever. Our delight is to do the will of God only. We have learned that to follow the desires of our own life brings frustration and pain. |
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Is this your point of view? (from Dying in the Lord) |
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He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. (John 14:21) |
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The feast of Tabernacles, the last of the seven feasts of the Lord, reveals to us that God's eternal purpose is to create a living Temple for Himself. The Temple of God is Christ—Head and Body. |
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Before we come to the feast of Tabernacles we must experience the Blowing of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement. The Blowing of Trumpets signifies the coming of the Lord Jesus to His churches to wage war against His enemies, and also to organize His saints into the Army of the Lord. |
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This is taking place now. The Lord is coming to His people before He appears in open glory to the world. |
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The Day of Atonement is the period during which each Christian is judged and reconciled to God. The Day of Atonement has begun and will continue throughout the thousand-year Kingdom Age. Each of us must be reconciled to God so we may serve as a dwelling place for the Lord. We must be delivered from our love of the world. We must be delivered from the lusts of our flesh. Finally we must, through suffering and imprisonment of various kinds, be totally delivered from self-will, envy, presumption, supplanting, and disobedience to the Father. Only then are we ready to be a living stone in the eternal Temple of God. |
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The emphasis of the Spirit now—today—is that we cease from our own works and look to the Lord. It is a new day. The Lord is calling us to repentance and to listen carefully to His voice. He stands at the door of our heart and is asking if He may enter. We may have been a Christian for many years. Yet this is what is taking place. Are you finding it to be true? Is the Lord speaking to you concerning your thoughts, your words, your actions? |
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The Lord Jesus desires to enter and dine with us on His own body and blood. We become part of Him as we partake of Him. We become the Wife of the Lamb as we partake of the Lamb. |
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Are you ready to hear the trumpet of the Lord? Are you ready to be reconciled to God in your entire personality? Are you ready to enter the spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles, into the rest of God, into the Kingdom of God? Then open your heart to the Lord Jesus and discover what He has for you today, what your role is in the Kingdom of God that is at hand, and what part you are to play in the great latter-rain outpouring. |
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If the mystery of the Gospel were Christ with us, the demands on us would be severe. But since the mystery of the Gospel is Christ in us, the demands on us are total. The Lord will have no idols in His house, no uncleanness, no presumption, no supplanting of the place of another, no envy, no rebellion of any kind against the Father's will. |
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Is this what you truly desire—to be made in Christ's image and to enter total, untroubled rest in the Father, in Him who is the Consuming Fire of Israel? If this is what you really want, then tell the Lord about it right now. Express your desire with your voice. Then get ready for the greatest adventure of your life as the Father and the Son make Their eternal abode in you. (from Two Purposes of the Latter-Rain Outpouring) |
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