Series: Towards the Corporate Full Stature
Sun am – 20 September 2009
Kobus Swart
Luke 4:1-12; (John 5:39); Matthew 3:13-17; Hebrews 2:10; (Hebrews 10:13); (Romans 8:19); John 7:14; 2 John 7; James 2:19; 1 Cor. 12:12; (2 Cor. 5:16); 1 John 4:17; John 16:16; John 14:12.
Everything Jesus did as the first fruits or older brother modelled something for the sons to follow (Heb.2:10; Rom 8:29; Jn 17:18). While it is true that He died to redeem fallen man, Father’s plan included more than that. Jesus came as the pattern Son, pioneering the way in which the sons are going to follow. Jesus was the Word made flesh. In the same way, the Word must become flesh in the many-membered Body of Christ. The Spirit of the anti-Christ is fighting this truth with all he can. Satan’s biggest threat is coming from those in whom the Word has become flesh! The sons will make His enemies His footstool. Too many Christians are waiting for God to do something but He is waiting for the Church to do something (Heb 10:13).
The heavens opened when the Son emerged from the waters of baptism, and Father affirmed Him from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased!” Jesus never had to perform to please Father God. Jesus died to bring many sons to glory. The time will come when the voice of the Father will sound these words again: “This is my son!” This time He will refer to the corporate Son – the Son having come to full stature in the sons. Creation is in travail, waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God.
While we must continue to reach out to the unregenerate, there is a growing burden to see the believing community grow to the full stature. Something has to arise from the redeemed community that will provoke the Father to demonstrate His glory through a triumphant Church. There is no glory coming from the church as it is today.
In the midst of the Feast of Tabernacles (see Jn 7), Jesus stepped into the temple and began to teach. The crowds marveled. This is what the world is waiting for. Nice sermons have not accomplished this. When His voice now sounds, it is going to be the voice of His corporate son in the earth. The spirit of the anti-Christ denies that Jesus has come in the flesh and he will deny Christ coming in the flesh again (2 John 7). The corporate Christ is the devil’s downfall.
Jesus the Head of the body, is now seated at the right hand of the Father, but (the Body of) Christ never left the earth. How does Paul describe the Christ? “For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ” (1 Cor. 12:12). “Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer” ( 2 Cor. 5:16). Jesus, in His resurrection body, is seated at the right hand of the Father and is the federal Head of His Body, the Church. John the beloved said, “As He is, so also are we in this world” (1 John 4:17).
In His last teachings Jesus promised: “A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me” (John 16:16). He also said,“…lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Mat 28:20) The Holy Spirit (also known as the Spirit of Christ) will take of Him and disclose Him to us (Jn 16:14). We need a new relationship and revelation of the Holy Spirit and who He is. The sons will represent Christ in the earth. See everything that happened in the life of Jesus as a pattern for what will happen when the corporate son walks this earth. He Himself said that the works we saw Him do, we will do, and greater! (Jn 14:12).
It is time for the sons to upgrade! The world knows about (technological) upgrade. We sometimes want to do the same thing the same way and expect better results. Satan also knows something about upgrade, but he is an imitator not a creator. In the temptation of Jesus, twice His response was, “It is written.” Satan catches on and in the third temptation he also says, “It is written.” Satan ‘upgraded’ his temptation, but Jesus was one step ahead of him because not every written word carries power. Jesus spoke a proceeding Word! The letter kills but the Spirit gives life. So when Satan quotes the Word there is actually no life in it. If you have not found the Son of God in the Scriptures you have not found the life in the Scriptures (John 5:39). It is only when a proceeding word is spoken that you will carry the power of impartation. Jesus was the word made flesh. It’s not how much you read, it’s how much of Him you find in the reading. This is an important key to grow into the full stature.