Series: The Book of Revelation

Sun am 14 February 2010 – Kobus Swart

Luke 2:46-47; (Heb. 4:15); (Eccl. 3:11) Gal. 5:25; Luke 4:3; 1 Cor. 15:45; 2 Cor. 5: 16; Eph. 3:9-10; Heb. 10:13; Rev. 1:4-6; Ex. 19:5-6;  Job 12:10; Ps. 24:1; Heb. 10:31;

Ps. 2:1-12 (Message+ NAS); (Matt. 6:33); Rom. 6:4-11; Col. 2:14-15; John 8:32;

Gal. 2:20-21; Eph. 2:1-7; Rom. 8:19-22; Gal. 4:19

Rom. 8:18-32 (Phillips Translation) “In my opinion, whatever we may have to go through now is less than nothing compared with the magnificent future God has planned for us. The whole creation is on tip-toe to see the wonderful sight of the sons of God coming into their own. It is plain to anyone with eyes to see that at the present time, all created life groans in a sort-of universal travail and it is plain too that we who have a foretaste of the Spirit are in a state of painful tension while we wait for that redemption of our bodies, which will mean at last we have realised our full sonship in Him. Moreover, we know that to those who love God, who are called according to His plan, everything that happens fits into a pattern for good. God in His foreknowledge chose them to bear the family-likeness of His Son that He might be the eldest of a family of many brothers. He chose them long ago, when the time came He called them, He made them righteous in His sight, then lifted them to the splendour of life as His own Son.”

As a boy of 12 years old, we find Jesus in the temple asking questions as well as sharing with the teachers (Luke 2:46). He must have studied the Scriptures to find out more about Himself. We see in Luke 24:25-27 Jesus explaining all the things concerning Himself in the Old Testament. He knew all the prophetic Scriptures about Himself. We too, must find ourselves in the Scriptures; find your identity in the truth of the Word. Don’t let other people tell you who you are; most of the time they will be wrong. Read it until it connects with the inner man inside of you. Eternity is in the heart of every man.

Jesus is in the wilderness, about to start His ministry and Satan challenges Him on His true identity. “If You are the Son of God …” (Luke 4:3). To Paul was given the revelation of the many-membered Christ. “…even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer (2 Cor. 5:16). This new corporate identity of the Christ is going to be equally challenged by Satan. If we live in the spirit (of this reality) let us also walk in the spirit. This is going to be our major challenge (Gal. 5:25). The truth is in the realm of spirit; the challenge is for us to live it out. This will mean a death to the old life, and live on the new level. The last Adam became a LIFE GIVING spirit and paved the way for true believers to live on this level. God looks at us as being seated with Christ in heavenly places (Eph. 2:6).

We are still too event focused! God is not looking for a specific time; He is looking for a people that will create that time! Jesus is waiting for His enemies to become His footstool (Heb. 10:13) and that statement follows directly after the “once for all Sacrifice” revelation. Once we make this truth our own, we can live the finished works of Jesus, and His enemies have become His footstool.

“…. And He made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father … (Rev. 1:6). The book of revelation is addressed to these kings and priests. Where did this all start? ‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel” (Ex. 19:5-6). Sandwiched in between the two wonderful statements “you shall be My own possession” and “and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” we find this one sentence, “for all the earth is Mine”. It is sad that through the ages, “this earth” has been reduced (by some) to a little piece of land in the Middle East. That is not what the Bible says and has never been God’s intention. “The earth is the LORD’S, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it (Ps. 24:1). These kings and priests will function on this earth. This is God’s original plan and it is still His ultimate intention.

This government of priests has a job to do. We have been redeemed out of something unto something. God owns everything, He knows what’s happening and He has a plan and that plan is going to come to fruition. Jesus became the guarantee of this new covenant, it will not fail. Redemption must lead to possession. We have been redeemed which means we do not belong to ourselves. “Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Thine inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Thy possession” (Ps. 2:12). God is looking for stewards, an administration suitable called a kingdom, priests to Himself! The earth is waiting for apostolic people to go through nations and bring down principalities and powers that hold so many captive. God is going to demonstrate His wisdom to principalities and powers through a victorious Church, a kings and priests church.

If this Kingdom message is misunderstood it leads to trouble. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matt. 6:33). It is easy to seek the Kingdom and by that only see authority and rulership, but if you do not see it in conjunction with righteousness you will miss it. The Kingdom message is not to foster an elitist attitude in those who say, “I am a king and priest now.” Just the opposite.

The old humanity was nailed to the cross and at the same time, “… 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 (Col. 2:14). For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection (Rom. 6:5). There is no short cut into this royal priesthood. The problem is that the gospel message has become legalistic and religious about dying to self. Something in the apostolic message makes us want to die willingly. We are seeing a life that can be lived here and now, in the earth, but on a new level. There is a newness of life that we walk in; no more condemnation, a new law has taken over, the law of life in the spirit. It is stronger than the law of death. It is a renewal of the mind that’s going to help us appropriate this new life.

I have been crucified with Him and it is no longer I who live but Christ living in me (Gal. 2:20-21). The life we now live in the flesh we live by faith in the Son of God. Time for Christ to come to full stature in us! “My children, with whom I am again in labour until Christ is (fully) formed in you” (Gal. 4:19). This is what the world is waiting for. This is what Jesus is waiting for; this is what the enemy is trying to prevent. What is needed is a Church victorious, fleshing out the truth of what happened at Calvary two thousand years ago. He’s looking at this priesthood and He says, “I am going to reveal Myself to you and then through you.”