Series: Heavenly Realms; New Creation Realities

Sun am 13 January 2019 – Pastor Kobus Swart

Jer. 1:5; Ps. 139:15-16; Eph. 2:10; 2 Cor. 3:15-18; Rom. 8:28-29 (Mirror & Msg); Matt. 8:20; (1 Cor. 15:47); Matt. 6:10; Matt. 24:6-7; Rom. 8:19; Dan. 2:44; Is. 9:7; Rev. 11:15; 2 Kings 6:15-17; Mark 11:23; John 3:12 (TPT); John 10:9 (Voice); Rom. 12:2; Eph. 4:11-13, 23; 2 Cor. 5:17 (AMPC)

There has been a lot of prayer and, as a result, there is an expectation in God’s people worldwide; a major shift is busy happening. I pray that God will open our eyes to look deeper, beyond the immediate.

My foundation is in three well-known scriptures (Jer. 1:5; Ps. 139:15-16; Eph. 2:10). God knew the days that were ordained for each one of us before we were even born. Have these truths found a place in our hearts? Are we walking in that which was beforehand planned for each one of us to walk in? Sadly, in most cases the answer is: “No, I am struggling to connect with God’s divine plan for my life.” Why do you think most of the frustrations, pains, wrong decisions and wrong choices happen in many Christians’ hearts? It is because they have not yet connected to that which has been planned before they were even born.

We came out of the realm of eternity, with our testimony scroll in us. That scroll was meant to unfold as we grow up in life. Sadly, the spirit of this age has taken over in so many peoples’ lives that we allow something else to shape us, to define us, instead of what God has ordained us to be. That is where the frustrations come from.

But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, (some other translations say where the Spirit is Lord) there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:15-18)

We are born from eternity. We are born with a plan, it is written on a scroll, in the books of heaven. Somehow, many circumstances and many factors have put a veil over that. So we live something different from the divine plan that God had for us. That is why the world is in a mess and so much shakings going on out there. But when a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away! Now when you look into that mirror (2 Cor 3:18), the problem with most of us is, all we see is the “old you”. If you can look deeper, you will see the one that you are called to be; but there is a veil that needs to be taken away. We have to look with an unveiled face.

What do we see when we look into the mirror? He pre-designed and engineered us from the start to be jointly fashioned in the same mold and image of his son according to the exact blueprint of his thought (Rom. 8:29 Mirror). This is preceded by: And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28), and stay connected to that purpose! There is a purpose which is spelled out in verse 29. We see the original and intended pattern of our lives preserved in His Son. That is why we call Jesus the Pattern Son. He is the firstborn from the same womb that reveals our genesis. He confirms that we are the invention of God. God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored (Rom. 8:29 Msg). Jesus became the first man of a new humanity. It is so sad that so many people still live the old Adam. But Jesus is the last Adam! He is also called the second Man (Adam was the first man), but He is the first in the line of a new humanity. A new humanity are those whose lives are shaped into the life of His Son. So when you go through testing, when you go through shakings, when you go through pains and disappointments, do not look in the wrong direction. Do not ask the wrong questions. Take this to heart: God will make all things work together for good to shape your life and bring you in line with His Son.

Jesus said, The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head (Matt. 8:20). He is referring to the second Man, Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:47). Head always refers to government. The head must complete the body. The body of Christ needs a Head but the head will only be placed on that which has the same DNA, which represents Him, not something that religion has put together. Why do foxes have holes and birds build nests? It is to multiply. He – who we all wait to see with the final unveiling – is looking for the full revelation of Himself in us before He is going to come. That is why Matthew 6:10 is so important: Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

In our present world, what is it that we are really focusing on? What is it that we see? We listen to the news and read the newspapers and all we hear about is the chaos in today’s world. Are we going to focus on the things such as wars, famines, earthquakes, etc. as described in Matthew 24:6-7? Paul says, all of creation, all of the universe, is waiting anxiously for the manifestation of the sons of God (Rom. 8:19). Something is happening in nature, but we must look beyond the actual news; we must look deeper. Are we going to focus on the bad news? In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever (Dan. 2:44) I would rather focus on that! There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace (Is. 9:7 & Rev. 11:15). I would like to focus on this, not on the bad news.

Your focus is very important. Open your spiritual eyes! When Elisha, who walked in a double portion of Elijah, and his servant, were surrounded by the enemy, his servant was afraid and then Elisha prayed to the Lord to open the eyes of his servant. So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha (2 Kings 6:16-17). When it seems to be going very bad with dark clouds, surrounded by problems and enemies, there is a bigger truth: we are surrounded by angels; we are surrounded by the cloud of witnesses! We are surrounded by greater powers than the powers of darkness, but we can only see it when the veil is taken away. I pray a lot in these days, “Lord open my eyes. I want to see what is behind all the bad news in the media. I want to see your plan. I want to access the heavenly realms and see what is actually happening.”

What God is looking for are people who will co-write history with Him. He puts His hand on our hand to write. God can do these things without us, but He wants us to become participators, co-workers with Him. However, the veil must be taken away! We are talking about working along with God; co-workers with God participating in His end-time plan. The Lord says, “Get up and work with Me.” If you’re unable to understand and believe what I’ve told you about the natural realm, what will you do when I begin to unveil the heavenly realm? (John 3:12 TPT). If we struggle to believe Jesus when He talks of earthly things, how will we believe Him when He speaks of the heavenly things? We will have a problem! What will you do when He begins to unveil the heavenly realm? You know by now, heaven is not a far off place in outer space. Heaven is another dimension; heaven is around us – different realms. Jesus said, “I am the Gate; whoever enters through Me will be liberated, will go in and go out, and will experience life, freedom, and satisfaction (John 10:9 – Voice). Many people say they cannot wait to “go to heaven”. Begin to open up your heart to something that God is busy unfolding. A proceeding living word normally is present truth. When you hear it, that moment, everything depends on your response. When you hear something for the first time on that frequency, that carries that truth, then you need a response. Our problem is that present truth does not always fit into yesterday’s understanding. That is why we read, be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Rom. 12:2). Our minds must be constantly renewed. Be renewed in the spirit of your mind (Eph. 4:23). This is critically important!

Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! (2 Cor. 5:17 AMPC). The word ‘new’, is the Greek word ‘kainos’. He is a ‘kainos’ creation. This where the problem is: we know truths but we still live the old life behind the veil. The veil blocks us from the reality of who we are. ‘Kainos’ means the following: ‘a new kind’, ‘unprecedented’, ‘novel’, ‘uncommon’, ‘unheard of’. That is the new creation – unheard of! The old Adam is no longer in the picture. Jesus was the last Adam, but He came as the first of a new humanity. The word says we are a new creation! We say it and even sing it, but look in the mirror and see what you behold. Do you still see the old? The veil has to be taken away! The day you and I were born again, we became a new, a ‘kainos’ creation. May God give us the heart to embrace this, especially when the old Adam keeps knocking at the door of our understanding and our interpretations of life. The old Adam is holding you captive. Break out of it! Do not be trapped in the old mindset.

God is waiting for us! Foxes have holes, birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head. That is what Ephesians 4 is all about. The five-fold ministry is not given for titles and networks and organisations. The five-fold ministry was given to equip the saints, to bring the body of Christ to full stature, so that we can all grow up into Him who is the head! (Eph. 4:11-13). You need to hear it afresh and now embrace it in our heart. Spend time with the Lord in intimacy and breathe this truth in: I am a ‘kainos’ creation. We are going to see what this means and what is already happening in the lives of people who have embraced and experienced this truth.