Series: The Overcomer; Other Speakers
Sunday am 29 October 2017 – Johan Esterhuysen
Dan. 3:25-30; Ps. 51:17; (Ex. 32:1-20); (2 Pet. 1:5-8); (Prov. 3:5-6); Ex. 33:1; Phil. 3:13-14; Gen. 24:13; (2 Tim. 1:7)
Sometimes life seems unfair, but know that God is good. Often things do not happen according to our plans. I am not referring to inconvenient setbacks but rather about a crucible, a crushing that causes a contrite and broken spirit; those life events that we never planned that are a changing event in our lives. The good news is they have a purpose and plan in our lives. Out of brokenness comes wholeness; out of defeat comes victory. Out of death comes life.
When Daniel and his friends went through their crucible, they ended up being promoted (Dan. 3:25-30). So hang in there, your promotion is coming. Life sometimes seems unfair, but for those who trust in God, a breakthrough is coming.
When David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband murdered, He cries out to God for forgiveness. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise (Ps. 51:17). The Hebrew word for ‘contrite’ means to be crushed, crippled and broken. These are the sacrifices of God. I want to explain the word ‘contrite’. In science, there is a ‘colloidal suspension’ when a substance is taken and crushed to microscopic proportions and suspended in a liquid. When that process takes place, it is as though the property of the substance is changed. When Moses received the Law of God it was to change governance worldwide. God personally wrote the Ten Commandments. Moses came down from the mountain and found the children of Israel serving a golden calf. There was tremendous sin in the camp of Israel so Moses took the golden calf and threw it in the furnace and ground the gold to a fine powder. He made a colloidal by throwing the fine powder in the water and made the people drink it (Ex. 31:1-20). Gold does not dissolve in water but if you make it a fine powder it dissolves and gives the water a deep red colour. In medical science, they use silver and gold colloidal suspensions to treat patients. A contrite heart and a broken spirit change the person. It makes us to look away from self and to trust in the Lord. Sometimes we need to go through that process of brokenness. This is not negative; this is what life is about. This is where we get our promotion. This is where we grow. Character is not formed in a crisis; it is displayed in a crisis. The apostle Peter says, “With all diligence add the 8 virtues to your life, so when the time of testing comes you are able to face it and come out more than a conqueror” (2 Pet. 1:5-8). The good news is that crucibles have a purpose in life, so hang in there, it does not matter if you fall flat on your face; it is whether you get up. Have you ever fallen? You have to get up! Life seems unfair, and things are hard, but two things you must do: 1) Trust in the Lord totally (Prov. 3:5-6). 2) Get your life into gear again.
When the children of Israel sinned, 3000 were killed that day, everything had gone wrong. God spoke to Moses to leave the place of defeat, failure, mediocrity and sin; to leave the place where you cannot go ahead (Ex. 33:1). As long as you murmur and complain you will never leave the place. Get up and go! One thing the Lord hates is murmuring and complaining.
Paul says we should forget the things that are behind (Phil. 3:13-14). It is your choice to forget them and move forward to the upward call which is in Christ Jesus. The time has come for us to trust the Lord and to get our lives into gear and to go forward. It is up to us to make things happen in our lives.
Abraham asked his servant to find a wife for his son (Gen. 24:13-14). When life happens and things go wrong, and you are trusting God, you have to be diligent, you have to work on your gifting, you have to work on your calling, you have study and apply yourself because promotion is coming. So the Rebecca principle happened. The servant watched her. The test he used was the ‘sweat test’. It must have taken two hours to water the camels and she passed the test. When we pass the test, promotion comes. Hang in there, do not give up. God has not given us the spirit of fear or timidity. Do not be intimidated by what you are going through. Do not operate in fear. God has given us a spirit of love, power and a sound mind (2 Tim. 1:7). God has everything in control. Everything will work for our good. Things may be wrong, but it is temporary. God is opening a new door.
You will stay in your problem and in your corner when you concentrate on yourself. But when you reach out and see the needs of others, you will become a blessing and God will bless you.
God has somebody who is going to bless your faithfulness and your diligence. If today you are going through a crucible and things are tough, rejoice because your breakthrough is coming.
Series: The Garden of Eden; The Kingdom of God; The Overcomers
Sunday 21 May 2017 – Kobus Swart
Gen. 2:8-9; Matt. 13:11, 34 (Ampl); Isa. 61:1-3; Ps. 1:1-3; Ps. 92:12-13; Ps. 96:10-13; Ps. 37:35; Jude 4 & 12; (Matt. 12:33); James 3:12-18; Matt. 7:16-20; (Gen. 25:32-34); (1 Chron. 5:1); Gen. 49:3-4; (Gal. 5:22-23); 2 Cor. 12:9; (1 Cor. 1:27); Rom. 8:5-6; John 3:3-5; John 12:24-Msg; (Gen. 3:4-5, 10-11); (Matt. 6:10); Isa. 66:1; (Matt. 11:28); (Heb. 5:8); (Heb. 2:10); (Luke 23:43); Rom. 5:8-11
We must understand the numbers and the symbols in the Bible otherwise we miss the deeper truth, especially in the book of Revelation.
There were three kinds of trees in the Garden (Gen. 2:8-9): the tree of life, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and all the other trees. Both the Old and New Testaments are full of pictures and symbols. We have to know how to decode and go beyond, go deeper. Once you understand these pictures and symbols they are far more expressive than a thousand words. However, in order to understand the symbols of Scripture there are two things required:
1) We must understand their oriental customs and characteristics of the Hebrew mind. The original Old Testament was written in the Hebrew language.
2) The other is the spirit of revelation which is the Holy Spirit of truth.
Often times after a parable the disciples would pull Jesus aside and ask Him what He meant. He would explain it to the disciples (Matt. 13:11). It is like looking for the fertile prepared soil that will yield 30, 60 and 100 fold, instead of just throwing the seeds everywhere. It has pleased God to send forth much of His deeper truths like the mysteries of the kingdom, in such a manner that it becomes revealed only to the spirit-anointed mind (Matt. 13:34-Ampl). Often when Jesus stopped His public teachings He closed with: He that has ears to hear let him hear! (Matt. 11:15; Matt. 13:9, 43). May the Lord give us a full understanding of these deeper truths of the kingdom.
Trees usually represent people in the Bible. The trees in Isa. 61:1-3 represent God’s chosen ones at the end of this age. Psalm 1:1-3 and Psalm 9:12-13 speak of God’s elect people, those planted in the house of the Lord. Ps. 96:10-13 is pointing to the day when the Lord shall come forth and deal with all the nations and bring His glorious Kingdom to pass in all the earth. In Psalm 37:35 David talks of the wicked and impious men. See also Jude 4 & 12. You shall know a tree by its fruit (Matt. 12:33). Many people say one thing yet they are another (James 3:12-18). You can say the most beautiful things and even speak what is true but what will be imparted in a subliminal way, is what is in your spirit. What kind of tree are you? What kind of fruit comes out of you? (James 3:17; Matt. 7:16-20).
Two examples are Esau and Reuben. Esau sold his birthright. Reuben lost his inheritance. Both these men were eminent in dignity and power (Gen. 49:3-4). In the eyes of the public, they were strong men of value, but they were ruled by their flesh and they lost their inheritance (Gen. 25:32-34; 1 Chron. 5:1). What does it mean to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? It is facing us every day of our lives. The temptation, in a subtle way, is to eat of the wrong tree. Be careful who you associate with. Do not eat fruit from the wrong tree. They drew from the flesh instead of from the spirit. The lack of self-control began in the Garden of Eden. Self-control is one of the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). The lack of self- control today is still robbing many of their eternal inheritance in Christ. We are our greatest enemy. Many who are pre-eminent in dignity and pre-eminent in strength are uncontrolled as water and weak in spiritual strength. Look at the contrast, how does God work in terms of these elements? In this world, we are encouraged and motivated to be strong, but God’s power is perfected in weakness (2 Cor. 12:9). God has chosen the weak things of this world to shame the things that are strong (1 Cor. 1:27). It is so opposite to the values of the world that we live in.
There is a gulf between that which is natural and that which is spiritual. There is the gulf between life and death, between the good and the bad. How do I move from where I am to where I want to be? There is no shortcut no matter what people say. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace (Rom. 8:5-6). How important it is for us to get this mindset right? (John 3:3-5). How do we move from this level to the kingdom of God level? You have to be born–again! It means becoming like a child. Children do not have a history of failure; they do not have bad memories. They are so innocent and ready to be taught the positive. Become like a child and you will inherit the kingdom of God. By being born of water and spirit you will enter the kingdom. It is another realm.
How does a seed multiply? It needs to be planted, it needs a specific environment and then in a sense it dies and out of that “death”, it reproduces itself many times over. That is exactly what happened to the pattern Son, Jesus (Jn 12:24,25), the One who paved the way. He died but was raised again. In order to multiply Himself, He had to die. There is no shortcut for us if we cannot identify with that; not only with His death but with His resurrection.
The Garden of Eden, which always has the significance of the kingdom of heaven, has been re-established on earth by the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. When Jesus rose from the dead and sent forth His Spirit into the hearts of men on the day of Pentecost, the Garden of Eden was re-established in the earth and the tree of life was once more planted on earth in the midst of the garden. The life of Christ by the eternal spirit was again made accessible to man by faith. Satan will continue to lure you to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He will offer you shortcuts; he will offer you ‘better’ options. You and I must be very careful what we choose in this life. By His death and resurrection He plucked out the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, He uprooted it! So the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was destroyed by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but Satan will keep on holding this tree before you. He will tell you like he told Eve, “The moment you eat of this tree you will be like Him” (Gen. 3:4-5). In the daily fellowship, that wonderful state of being in the garden, God comes to the man and woman and suddenly they are hiding. Why did they hide? They discovered that they were naked (Gen. 3:10-11). God asked, “Who told you that you are naked?” Where does sin consciousness come from? The tree of life is the tree available to you and me.
Until humanity wakes up to the truth of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ it is going to take a long time until we see what life is about. Many people pray for an overnight rapture, “Take us home and give this planet to the devil”, but Jesus prayed “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). This earth belongs to the Lord. God is looking for a house in which to rest (Isaiah 66:1). He found a house in which to rest in Jesus when He came to the earth. Jesus was a man in rest but He could accomplish things (Matt. 11:28-29-Msg). He was not driven by religious fervour. May God give us that breakthrough in being fruitful and being in a place of rest. It all started with Jesus, God found a man in whom He could rest, with whom He could enter into a union, whose whole being was open to the rule of His will and nature and fellowship of His love. Between the ages of twelve and thirty, He learned obedience by the things He suffered (Heb. 5:8). At the age of thirty, His sonship was confirmed from heaven. He was recognised from heaven and Joseph had to step back as the Heavenly Father took over.
The earth by itself cannot produce fruit; neither can the seed by itself produce fruit. The two need each other. The seed needs to be put into the soil and under the right circumstances, it will start to grow. Jesus was the divine Seed that had to be planted in earthly humanity and die before He could produce and multiply Himself many times over. His Sonship on earth was the planting of the Divine Seed of the Father’s life into a human body and nature. The incarnation means God becoming flesh in the man called Jesus. The Son of God becoming the Son of Man, dying on the cross, being resurrected and He became a Son of God again. His ascension was admittance as man into the very glory of God, the perfect oneness with God in glory in the unity of the spirit. All of this was fulfilled in the first-born Son. The work was not complete because Jesus came to bring many sons to glory, not just Himself (Heb. 2:10). This is where we are in this Divine process. If it was not for Jesus who opened the door and paved the way, we would have been stuck outside the Garden of Eden forever, but He opened the gate, He opened the door and He said, “Today you shall be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).
In His resurrection and ascension, He was no longer only the Mighty God but He was the Mighty God whose divine life and nature had laid a hold on humanity and raised it up into identification with Himself. The Son of Man became the Son of God. Lord, help us appreciate and see these things and go through the open door. Stop battling with that which has already been conquered. The accuser of the brethren has been cast down. We give too much attention to the voice of Satan; he is a liar, a religious spirit, the accuser of the brethren.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us…. much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life (Rom. 5:8-11). Too often the preaching of the gospel has stopped before the “much more”. We have to live the resurrection!
It is one thing to be saved by the death of Jesus Christ it is another to be saved by His life. While both expressions are correct to talk about being saved by the death of Christ, there is a greater need to talk about being saved by the life of Christ. If reconciliation and justification by the death of Christ could make men to be conformed to the image of the Son of God then all baby Christians in Babylon’s harlot religious systems would be well on their way to sonship. You know that is not the case. The death of Christ can make one a justified believer but only the indwelling life of God’s Christ can enable us to truly put on the mind of Christ and be transformed in thought, desire, emotion, nature and body into His likeness. It is as if Christianity needs another explosion in a new insight into the finished works of Jesus. It is as if the gospel needs an upgrade; we need to speak these things so that our mindsets can change and the fruit will be seen and tasted in our lives. I pray that we will embrace the resurrection, not just in mind but begin to live the resurrection.
Series: The Garden of Eden, The Overcomers
Sun am 14 May 2017 – Kobus Swart
Gen. 1:27; (Gen. 2:8-9, 21-22); Gen. 5:1-2; (Luke.3:37-38); Rev. 2:7; John 1:1-2 &14, 29; (John 14:6);
Gen. 11: 3-4; Isa. 14:13-15; John 3:13; John 21:1-6; Matt. 1:17; Heb. 4:12; Phil. 2:5-8; Rom. 16:20; Gal. 4:19 Amp; Rev. 12:3-5; Rev. 11:15; Rev. 21:6-8; (Heb. 2:10); (John 17:21-22); 1 John 2:14; (Rom. 8:18-23)
God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them (Gen. 1:27). God put Adam into a deep sleep (Gen. 2:21-22) in order to bring Eve from his side. This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and He blessed them and named them Man (Adam) in the day when they were created (Gen. 5:1-2). Nobody can erase this truth! We have been created by God in His likeness and in His image. Nobody can question that, no matter what the evolutionists say.
The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:8-9). It is difficult to explain this and take it absolutely literally. What do these trees look like? Catch the deeper truth. We have to read it with the eyes of the Spirit to find out how relevant it is for us. How does it affect me? What can I learn from it? Adam was referred to in the genealogy of Jesus as the son of God (Luke 3:37-38). Mankind disobeyed God and they were banned from the garden, banned from that place of intimacy with God, that state of being where God and man had daily fellowship with each other. That is why it is called “Paradise”.
The physical locality of that garden was never found, but that should not shake your theology as it is not critically important. The word ‘paradise’ seems the most fitting place, that wonderful place where heaven and earth met. The word ‘paradise’ was adopted in the Hebrew language by the post-exilic rabbis, in particular, to speak of the ‘garden of God’. So ‘paradise’ and ‘garden of God’ are talking about the same thing.
It is interesting to compare the Genesis of the New Testament (John 1) with Genesis 1. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1). In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God (John 1:1-2). And the Word became flesh (John 1:14). John gave another way to view the ‘beginning’. It has almost gone full circle. The only way back to the garden (or Paradise) of God, is the Tree of life, which is Jesus Christ! He said it Himself (John 14:6). He was in the beginning; He is going to be at the end. They missed Him in the beginning and the only way back is Jesus Christ!
What is the meaning of the two trees in our daily life and choices? The danger is always there to eat of the ‘wrong tree’. Many people will say: “Eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil means sinning”. Not necessarily, sinning (=missing the mark) is wrong, but Satan is much cleverer than to force you into sin. Satan comes as an angel of light (religious Spirit), he brings religion your way; he sets traps for us in our daily choices. What is the bottom-line? What makes man want to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? It is a short cut to becoming like God without God. There is always a desire in man to be like God. ‘I want to do something better than everybody else’. Like with the tower of Babel:… Let us make a name for ourselves (Gen.11:3-4). It sounds so innocent. Beware of plans that exclude God! (Isa. 14:13-15). Let us rather follow the example of the pattern Son, who is the model to follow. Jesus came to this earth as the exact representation of God (John 1:14). In Him heaven and earth met. He was in heaven on earth (John 3:13). Jesus did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but He emptied Himself (Phil. 2:5-8). He is the pattern to follow, not the tower of Babel mentality which says, “Let us …” That is where Babylonian religion comes in. There is a lot of deception that can come on the wings and frequency of religion. May God help us to be wide awake.
We looked at eating of the tree of life; what does it mean? And what is the role played by the Word that is living and powerful? (Heb. 4:12). The Living Word represents the Word made flesh. There are a tremendous integration and sameness between Jesus and the Word of God. You cannot want access to Jesus but not want the Word. The Word of God is number one in our fundamental values – more than experiences, shows and programmes.
Read John 21:1-11: The disciples went back fishing after the crucifixion but caught nothing. Then Jesus waited for them on the beach! He then told them to cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat. Why the right-hand side of the boat? There is a deeper story than the story; there is a deeper meaning that we need to catch. Doing things with your “left” hand means doing it by your own power and ability but with your “right” hand you are moving in that which is more spiritual and not your own strength. Then they caught large fish, 153 of them. What is the significance of the number 153? There is a reason. There was a miracle playing out. The number 153 is very significant in physics, in mathematics and in Bible numerology. According to Bullinger the phrase “sons of God” appears 7 times in the Bible. Gematria is when you find that every letter has a numerical value in the original language. When you look at the Hebrew word for ‘sons of God’: BEN-HA-ELOHIM adds up to 153. According to Strong concordance, the term ‘sons of God’ appears in the Bible 11 times. The Bible says there were large, (=mega) fish, which is a type of the overcomer. Jesus is the pattern for the overcomers. It is that group of saints that attains to the high calling of God and come forth to destroy the works of Satan (Rom. 16:20).
We looked at the 42nd generation – the generation called Christ (Matt. 1:17). He is the tree of life, the Head of a new humanity (Heb. 2:10). He is the pattern Son. The old order of pharisaical religious systems will never bring you to sonship. You must come ‘outside of the gate’. Come to the stormy banks of the Jordan River like Jesus the pattern son did. In many ways, there is a very strange new order that God is anointing in this hour. You can follow the Pattern. John the Baptist was born in a religious structure; his father was a priest in the ecclesiastical system of his day, which had become a religious system. Although there were still some good priests in Jerusalem, they tried to work with the religious leaders and stayed in the system to try and reform it. John the Baptist had to go out of the city, out of the system, to the banks of the river Jordan and start proclaiming. The same thing is happening today. Then Jesus appeared and wanted to be baptised. John baptised Jesus and it was a miraculous experience for John (John 1:29). After the miraculous experience of that day, John’s ministry should have come to an end; he fulfilled his purpose. Many of his disciples began to follow Jesus but John did not and landed in prison, started doubting, and lost his head (Matt. 14:8). Likewise, there have been movements that originated in powerful revivals, moves of God that gradually became movements of man. Even though they saw the new season, they failed to make the transition and lost their ‘headship’ or governmental role in the transition. The same will happen to many prophetic movements in our time if they fail to move on. The oneness Jesus is praying for will not come about by agreements, structures and organisations (John 17:21-22). Oneness cannot be organised, it cannot be reached by structures of man. Our oneness will come when our focus is on the pattern Son; He is our model. Jesus is the finished works of God. He is the alpha (beginning), and the omega (end) (Rev. 21:6).
That is why the purpose of all true ministry should be: My little children, for whom I am again in [the pains of] labor until Christ is [completely and permanently] formed within you (Gal. 4:19-Amp). This should be the burden, the passion of every authentic ministry in the five-fold graces. The burden is not to build organisations or to restore apostolic glory. Yes, God gives the graces to be used correctly with this burden in our hearts: “Father we pray for the Son to be fully, completely formed in the Church”. On the cross He was asked by the one thief, “Please re-member me when you are in the kingdom”. What does ‘re-member’ mean? When mankind sinned, they were banned from the garden, they were dis-membered (lost their ‘membership’ in the garden). This man saw the truth and said, “Re-member me”. That is why Jesus said, “Today you will be with me in paradise!” “Lord Jesus collect me again into that Kingdom and give me back my original place”. Full sonship is God’s plan for the mighty body of Christ. You and I cannot draw a line; we cannot choose who should become an overcomer. We have to sow the seed, release the truth and let the Holy Spirit quicken it in your heart.
… And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne (Rev. 12:3-5). Then … there were loud voices in heaven, saying, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever (Rev. 11:15). Can you see the 42nd generation? Can you see the corporate Christ? Can you see the overcomer, the male child? Can you see the sons of God, the corporate Son? Then He said to me, It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Rev. 21:6-8). The overcomers are part of the sons of God, the corporate Son. Which group to you want to be part of?
We are called to be overcomers! The ‘young men’ are those who overcome the evil one (1 John 2:14). How is this end time going to unfold? Do we need mega churches or mega sons? God weighs us; our spiritual weight is what counts. I trust the Holy Spirit will release a hunger in our heart to be part of the sons of God. All of creation is in travail for the manifestation of the sons of God (Rom. 8:18-23).