Thursday, 24 December 2009

Three reasons that will bring us joy in the Lord

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Three reasons: Mentioned in Isaiah 9
We live in the end-time, a time full of God's judgments over manhood because of its many sins. This is why it is good for God's children to learn how to be able to live in His spiritual joy in order that they might live in His joy, His strength, in spite of worldly problems. Nehemiah 8 verse 11 says:
"The joy of the Lord is your strength."

Let us first read Isaiah 60 verse 1-2:
"Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord (YaHWeH) is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord (YaHWeH) shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee."

The Netherlands, as it were, defy God with their laws, their homo marriage and euthanasia laws, their abortion law, their attitude toward life. Isaiah 8 verse 21-22 and 9 verse 1 speaks about these dark last days:
"And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward. And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness. Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulon and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the natoins."

The world of the last days force God to judge it.We read further in Isaiah 9 verse 2:
"The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined."

When we are plunged in great social and political darkness God will shine a GREAT LIGHT of His Spirit and His Word over us, as a result of which people's consciences will be strongly convicted of sin, and they will be converted; that is to say: the wise among us.
Let Isaiah 9 be our guide further. I will quote the next verse from the literal translation of the original Hebrew text, because the translation we have differ from it.
Isaiah 9 verse 3: "You have multiplied the nation (a great revival took place because of God's light of Word and Spirit), the joy You have not increased. NOW they rejoice in Your sight. They rejoice in the harvest the way one does, when the spoil is divided."
Many will be converted because of God's light. But there will only be spiritual joy in their hearts if they obey the three reasons, conditions, the three "FOR"s Isaiah's prophecy mentions in the following three verses.

The first "FOR":
Isaiah 9 verse 4: "FOR thou hast broken the yoke of his (satan's)[1] burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian."
The Lord fulfilled this on Calvary. There He broke satan's power of sin for ever. He worked an "eternal redemption" there .
Hebrews 9 verse 12: "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us."
We have to firmly believe in this victory over satan and, always/at all times. We should keep this in our hearts as a firm promise of God.
2 Corinthians 4 verse 10-11: "Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh."
Thus, we must stay focused on Calvary! One also must BELIEVE that Jesus has the power to deliver us from all power of sin.
1 John 3 verse 8: "He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested,that he might destroy the works of the devil."

The second “FOR”:
Believing in His offer for us, however, is not enough. This happened nearly 2000 years ago, but NOW, now that we are converted to Him, He must be able to fulfil this finished work in our personal lives. The sin in our hearts and lives still has to be defeated. For this purpose we must open our hearts and lives to Him so that the King of Glory could come in and wage war with us against every (power of) sin that reigns in our hearts, thoughts and lives.
Revelation 3 verse 20: "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."
Then He will have SUPPER with us, which means that He will work in us His death and resurrection, His victory over the power of sin and over satan. He must be allowed to do away with, and burn away, our sins and our sinful state; He must be allowed to wash them in His blood.
Isaiah 9 verse 5 tells us the same. And this is the second "FOR" that will make us rejoice in the Lord.
Isaiah 9 verse 5: "FOR every boot of the trampler is with shaking and the coat rolled in blood shall even become burning, fuel for the fire" (literal translation of the original Hebrew text).
Every act of ours that steps on our neighbour mercilessly, and every way of life, every tongue that kills/murders our neighbour, every sin of body, soul and spirit in relation to material or neighbour, as well as all labor for the Lord that we did in our own strength, must be burned away by the purifying fire of the Holy Spirit and of God's Word. We must be delivered of any stain of the old sinful life through participation in His death, in His victory over sin; we must be purified in His blood.
Again, this being freed from sin is not enough. We must also receive from Him the NEW divine life in this sinful world, and continue to walk in a fresh, living RELATIONSHIP with Him, our King and God.

The third “FOR”:
This is the third "FOR" through which we may receive joy in the Lord. Being delivered from the old, sinful life, we may also take part in His resurrection life. In that life we first are born again, and are then allowed to grow therein unto completeness, perfection, until the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ nature. In the process our relationship with Jesus Christ, our King and Lord, also grows into completeness.
First He is born in our heart:
Isaiah 9 verse 6-7: "FOR unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this."
He, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, has been given to us for an ETERNAL Friend
John 14 verse 16: "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever."
In this NEW LIFE we must be willing to obey our Leader and King under the discipline of His precious Word, and we must continue to walk circumspectly/carefully.
Psalm 2 verse 10-12: "Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth (we must OBEY the Son). Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling (we must SERVE Him). Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him (we must LOVE Him).”
We must continue to SERVE Him and to LOVE Him, and stay within the FEAR of the Lord lest we fall back into sin. Then He shall lead us with His wonderful counsel, and prove Himself our strong God. He shall be a Father to us and a Prince of Peace, and He shall be our King from NOW until eternity.

Let us also take the next verses to heart:
Matthew 5 verse 8: "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall SEE God."
Psalm 16 verse 11: "...in thy presence is fulness of joy..."
Now the purified person can pursue the perfect relationship with the Spirit of the Lamb, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Philippians 3 verse 10-14: "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. 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."
Our old person must participate more and more in His suffering and death. The New in us, the divine nature, must in ever greater measure have a part in His resurrection Holiness, Glory and Power...! Amen.

By E. van den Worm

[1] We write the word satan not with a capital, as it is not a name, but a word meaning opponent or adversary, accuser.

Three reasons (mentioned in Isaiah 9) that will bring us joy in the Lord

Thursday, 10 December 2009

LUKE (Chapter 2) - The birth of Jesus Christ and our NEW LIFE

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The birth of the NEW LIFE
The previous chapter ended with the circumcision of John the Baptist, the symbol of a willing entering (on our side) of the Blood-covenant with Christ: a willing surrender unto God, that all of the process of God's work on the cross, unto the annihilation of our old life, might be done unto us. After the promises without repentance of God's Word the NEW LIFE of God, which will then be poured into us, will follow such faith and attitude of life. In this light it is understandable, that in this new chapter the NEW LIFE of God is depicted in the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. God's profound wisdom lies herein: John the Baptist had to be born earlier, and only thereafter God's Christ: first heartfelt repentance and surrender must be born in us before NEW LIFE of God can be produced in us; because, as we saw, this NEW LIFE could only develop within us on the pure and holy foundation of Jesus Christ.

The birth of Jesus Christ.
Luke 2 verse 1-3: "And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria). And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city."
Here is a brief report of the first census in the Roman empire. This census had taken quite a lot of doing: everyone had to be registered in the town or place of origin of the family. This most probably had to do with civil rights. In any case, this registration was done in connection with taxes, that were to be charged. Thereafter such censuses were to take place once every 14 years in the Roman empire.
Luke 2 verse 4-5: "And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem (because he was of the house and lineage of David); To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child."
Obeying the command of the emperor of Rome, because Israel in those days was under the dominion of the Roman Empire, Joseph, too, went with Mary to whom he was to be married, to Bethlehem, the city of the origin of the entire house of David, unto which Joseph as well as Mary belonged. Mary then was in an advanced state of pregnancy of the Child Jesus: it was about the time that she should deliver. One understands how difficult that must have been. This gives us a striking idea, how a Christian who is truly full of Jesus, often has to suffer painfully the things of this world. Here Mary already stood in the adumbration (the most central, darkest part of the shadow)(or foreshadow) of the cross, which would also crucify her own life, her "I"/self, completely. Quietly, and without grumbling, with a patient heart, Mary must have gone this for her difficult way beside Joseph.
Luke 2 verse 6-7: "And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger (i.e. a feeding trough for animals!); because there was no room for them in the inn."
He, Who is the NEW LIFE, the Resurrection Life, Himself, was born in a manger, in a stable for animals. He must be born there. God had determined that. That stable was the place predetermined by God. In that dirty stable for animals, where also was dung, He must be born; because the human heart into which He must be born in the Spirit, is also dirty, like a stable for animals, because of all the sins of the people. This explains why He had to be born there, exactly there. He was laid in a manger, because He was to be food, the Bread of Life, for us. When we eat Him in the spirit; i.e. when we open our heart unto Him, and allow Him (access) into our heart and life, then we will receive NEW LIFE. I repeat: Jesus Christ can only really become the Bread of Life for us, when we, in answer to the call of the preacher unto repentance (in those days John the Baptist), repent sincerely. If we thus have communion with Him, as our Prince of Life, by accepting His Word and by having all His promises in our life fulfilled by Him, then we know, by our faith, that the ETERNAL LIFE, the Kingdom of God, enters into our heart and life.

The witnesses to His birth.
Now we shall have a close look at the witnesses at His birth. Projected unto the inner life of our heart, the birth of the NEW LIFE knows similar witnesses. God's Word is unfailing and wonderful. As He came among witnesses in those days, so it is with the coming of the NEW LIFE into our heart.
God's Word mentions three kinds of witnesses around His birth. Shortly after His birth: the shepherds. Forty days after His birth: two old, faithful souls: Simon and Anna. The third group of witnesses are the three wise men, who came to witness to the birth of the "born King of the Jews" about two years after His birth. Alleluia! And so it is in the deep center of our own being. Let us learn to see this, as we study the relating Scripture parts in the light of the birth of the NEW MAN in us. For you already know that the Gospel after Luke is the Gospel which announces the NEW MAN in God, who as a matter of course is a priest of God; all this because this Gospel mentions Jesus Christ as God's NEW MAN and High Priest. By Him alone we could be a NEW CREATION, and priests of the most high God.


CLICK HERE if you want to read this study (Chapter 2) - that is to long for the Blog - further.[1]

By E. van den Worm


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[1] For part 1, see our Blog at 10 November 2009