Speaker: Riaan Sinden
Series: Finished Works; Kingdom Realities
Series: The Christ Within; Finished Works
Sun am 14 July 2019 – Riaan Sinden
Psalm 119:160 (AMP); John 18:33-38 (NKJV); Ephesians 4:15; John 14:6; (1 John 4:17); John 1:1; John 15:1-6; Gen 3:5; Gen. 1:26; Col 2:9; Matt 5:48; 2 Cor. 5:17; John 8:31-32, 36; (Eph. 5:27)
There is a line in Psalm 119:160 (AMP) – The sum of Your word is truth. It is like doing all your calculations and in the end you realise, God’s Word is Truth. There have been times when I needed to hold onto what is true. The realization that you can hold onto God’s word just opens so many doors for us. There is always a quest for truth but often the lines have become blurred between the lie and the truth.
In Jesus was brought to Pilate for questioning: He asks Jesus “Are You a king then?” Jesus answers, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born and for this cause I have come into this world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth? (John 18:37-38 NKJV). This question has reverberated throughout history, “What is truth?” What is it that we are clinging to? Speaking truth to one another in love is one of the most powerful verses in the Bible (Eph. 4:15). It is declaring the truth of God’s Word into your brother and sister so that we can grow up as a corporate body.
Jesus would choose to start some of His sentences with, “Truly I say unto you” or “Truly, truly/Verily, verily”. Jesus was not trying to convince His listeners or trying to persuade them. When Jesus said, “Truly, I say unto you” that line was taken from the Hebrew word ‘Amen’. When we say ‘amen’ it is usually at an end of a prayer, or by itself to agree. But Jesus starts His sentence with ‘amen’. The word ‘amen’ means ‘so be it’ or ‘I am in complete agreement with what was said’. So if Jesus said ‘amen’ at the beginning of the sentence, Jesus was already agreeing with what He was going to say. Jesus was saying, “I Am the truth that I am speaking. I Am the agreement of the words. I Am in unity with the truth who is God”. So by saying that, He was emphasizing that it was not a truth that He was speaking out of habit, but it was literally “Who I Am, My nature, My character. I Am the Truth that I am revealing to you. Just being in Me is the revelation of the truth of who I Am”. “I AM the way, the truth, & the life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me” (John 14:6 NKJV).
Just as Jesus is Truth, we are truth. Everyone that is in Christ is truth. Just as Jesus, when He was on earth, was the truth manifested for all to see. So also we, as true believers, carry the same DNA, because as He is, so are we (1 John 4:17). We have also received the Spirit of truth; it is the Spirit of truth that guides us into all truth. Truth is always a person. God chose to pour Himself into a vessel called man. Truth is the incarnation of the reality of God in the earth.
Jesus was not just the representation of God; the Bible says He was the exact representation of God. I can represent someone, I can mimic someone or act like someone else, and even if I do it really well, I will not be that person. It is only the ‘exact’ of God that has value. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1 NKJV). It is one and the same. An exact representation is when you are who you represent.
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you…” (John 15:1-6 NKJV). So I need to be in Him. Outside of Him there is nothing. Everything that is in Christ is in Me. Now the proof of that is the fruit. God is a vinedresser; He comes and He prunes us, what is He cutting away? Those old parts which have lost touch with being “in Christ”; the old thinking patterns, the old man, the old habits.
The more we reveal God, the more God is put on display. That is the truth of who we are. We are supposed to bear fruit, if people do not know you are a Christian, it is probably because you are not bearing any fruit. The last thing the kingdom needs is secret agents; when no one knows you are a Christian.
When we stand in truth we will be tested, because the enemy will never be happy for us to come into that revelation of truth. Adam and Eve were already in His image and likeness (Gen. 1:26). There was nothing that one could add to it. Even today we are still tricked with the same, “If you do this, you will be more” (Gen. 3:5). There is nothing more to do. All we have to do is be in Christ. We just need to elevate our vision to view things from the finished works perspective. If we do not see the finished work of the cross in our lives, then we will continuously try and prove yourselves. The question that I have to ask myself all the time is, do I believe that which Jesus did was the finished work? Do I believe that there is nothing else that He must still do? Do I believe that He shed all His blood for me? Do I believe He has forgiven all my sins?
In Colossians 2:9 it says For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Where are we? We are in Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Then the next verse says and you are complete in Him… You, meaning us, are COMPLETE in Him! Now the question still remains, do we believe this? Do we believe that we are complete in Christ? Do we believe that the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Him bodily, not just the body of Jesus, but the corporate body? Once again that means us. The corporate Son, the fullness of the Godhead, everything that is in God dwells in us, do we believe that?
Jesus said to His disciples Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect (Matt 5:48). Jesus did not say, “I wish you were perfect” or “I hope you will be perfect.” You do not really have a choice. Once you have been grafted into the Vine, once you are in Christ, then what is in Him is in you; the same DNA. The only way to get to the state of perfection is when we are in Christ. We need to take our position in this truth. It is time we start declaring it over ourselves! Like we have heard in the previous weeks, we need to make a declaration over our own lives, “I am perfection!” “I am health!” “I am love!” “I am worship!” This IS who we are.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Cor. 5:17). Once you get a revelation of these Scriptures it will change your life. For too long we have been tricked by religion into believing that we have to do things to acquire this. We have believed a lie. If you are in Christ you are a new creation! The old is gone, everything is new! That is the standard of Christ in us. If Jesus Christ is the fullness God and He is in me, all my weaknesses must rise up to the place where it submits to that authority in me, which is Christ. The strength of who I am is Christ, and He is stronger than any of my weaknesses.
Was it the truth, or the facts? It was the truth! (John 8:32). Now the fact is that we are weak, but the truth is that in Him we are strong. The fact is sometimes we fall short, but the truth is I am the righteousness of God in Christ. The fact is that sometimes I sin, but the truth is that I have been delivered; I have been set free of my old Adamic nature. That is the truth. So where do I put my trust? I put my trust in the truth of who I am in Christ. If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:31-32). The truth is we are free and whoever the Son sets free is free indeed! (John 8:36). He is not coming back for a people who are holding onto old mind-sets of who they used to be, He is coming back for a Bride that is without spot or wrinkle (Eph. 5:27).
We need to receive what has already been done. This is the truth of the word, the ‘I Am’ in us, and we in the ‘I Am’. I cannot emphasize this enough; just by waking up in the morning and saying “I am worship” or saying “I am peace” will change your day, and change your life. Not because of our abilities but because of who Christ is in me.
Series: Finished Works, Holy Spirit
Sun am 14 April 2019 – Kobus Swart
2 Pet. 1:3-11 (Voice, Mirror & Mess); Isa. 9:6-7; Rom. 4:17; (John 14:16); Eph. 4:30-32; Eccl. 3:11; (Heb. 6:4-6); Rom. 16:20
How do we relate to the future? For how long are we going to postpone things while God has already said, “His divine power has given us everything we need to experience life and to reflect God’s true nature through the knowledge of the One who called us by His glory and virtue. Through these things, we have received God’s great and valuable promises, so we might escape the corruption of worldly desires and share in the divine nature!” (2 Pet. 1:3 Voice). The majority of the Church at large is in a passive state of mind. The religious instructions in various ways over the years have conditioned the Church to passively wait for something, when God has given us enough to participate in His divine nature and to reflect His own life in the world. We were created in the image and likeness of God. Adam and Eve fell and we fell but Christ came to restore us to our original identity. His image and likeness is redeemed in us, the default settings are restored; we are rebooted to fully participate in the life of our design! (Mirror)
What does the future look like? A new heaven and a new earth – what does it mean? What does it mean to go to heaven? It is a concept that is overworked in the Church, to wait to die to go to heaven. You do not have to die to go to heaven. He has given us all things pertaining to life and godliness and He wants us to participate in the future now. One of the aspects of the future is peace (Isa. 9:6-7). From the moment Christ was born there would be no end to the increase of His government and of peace. It is not future. The Prince of Peace arrived 2000 years ago.
What is the kingdom? For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17). The elections are around the corner. Are we putting our hope in a worldly government or on the government of God? Fix your mind on the government of God. There will be no end to the increase of His government and of peace. We need to see more respect for and relationship with the Holy Spirit, without trying to re-activate old patterns. There is something fresh and new on its way. In fact, it is here; we must open our eyes. Jesus said when He would go away, He would send another helper, the Holy Spirit (John 14:16). Never offend or grieve the Holy Spirit. How do we grieve the Holy Spirit? Normally we think of sexual lusts and perversions, but that is not the only way. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you (Eph. 4:30-32). It is very important to forgive and not let unforgiveness build up to a place of anger and bitterness. Do not allow it; it will poison you spiritually. How many of you are tested to be kind to someone who does not like you? All the counter powers of love, such as bitterness, wrath and anger grieve the Holy Spirit. It should be our goal not to wait for the future before we change and become peaceful, loving and kind. Live that now by reflecting God’s nature. That is what I mean by living the future now! The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit! Let us live in the age to come now. God has put eternity in the heart of everyman; we are not removed from the future (Eccl. 3:11).
Here are some practical character qualities we must embrace. So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books (2 Pet. 1:5-9 MSG).
We are busy maturing, that is what sonship means. Jesus is not going to die again for future sins, He died for the sin of mankind; He has taken away the sin of the world. Sin being singular, not plural – He has taken away the root cause of sin. That is why is it so dangerous, having received the knowledge of the finished works, to deliberately sin again (Heb. 6:4-6). So, friends, confirm God’s invitation to you, his choice of you. Don’t put it off; do it now. Do this, and you’ll have your life on a firm footing, the streets paved and the way wide open into the eternal kingdom of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 1:10-11 MSG). God invited the world, so confirm His invitation to you by saying, “Yes Lord, I receive you Lord!” It is more than kneeling at the front on a Sunday night meeting. It has to impact your inner man and become an encounter with God. So confirm God’s invitation and choice of you.
How are we going to see the final trampling of satan? By the cross he was put under judgement, but it is the God of PEACE who will finally crush satan under our feet (Rom. 16:20). This is the kingdom we must proclaim by the demonstration of our lives, that our peace cannot be shaken by this present world.
May the peace of God be with you!
Series: The Finished Works; Healing
Sunday 12 August 2018- Kobus Swart
(John 19:28-30); 1 Cor. 6:19; (James 4:7); Luke 10:18-19; Luke 6:18-19; (Isa. 53:4-6); (Job. 1); (Job 42:10); Song of Solomon 2:15; Rev. 12:9-11
I am going to add another dimension to last week’s Word. Jesus had done everything He had to do when He said “It is finished” (John 19:30). The question that I have is: why are there so many believing Christians with disease and sickness that
Likewise, the enemy comes in as a squatter into what is God’s property: your body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? (1 Cor. 6:19). Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit! How can the enemy take possession of my body or parts of my body and legally claim ownership? That is what happens when we as Christians go through some phases of ignorance. Some Christians believe that if they have a sickness they must not talk about it because if they talk about it they give the enemy more rights. That is wrong! You must acknowledge it when the enemy has touched you in a portion of your body with a sickness and recognize it. Then resist the devil and submit to God (James 4:7). If we ignore it and we fail to acknowledge it, the enemy gets deeper and deeper and takes ownership. This is something we need to take seriously.
Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you (Luke 10:19). Here is the real translation from Greek: Behold I give you liberty to do as you please. I give you the power of choice and the power to influence and change all situations even to the level of governmental and rulership power including judicial decision-making power like that of a judge. This is legal language in the original translation! And you are to use this power and operate in it in any and over all powers of the enemy. And given this power and authority that I gave you, the enemy will not have power to violate, bring unjust consequences or perpetrate crimes against you
Let me remind you of the story of Job. Satan was standing amongst the sons of God. When God asked Satan where he had come from, he replied: “From roaming the earth” (Job 1:6-7). God felt good about his servant Job. Satan noticed and he is checking us out! Satan found an accusation against Job: “Job is serving you because of Your blessings. Take Your blessings away and You will see” (Job 1:9-11). Job did not turn against God but he had battles within himself. When he forgave his friends who also accused him, God restored to him double what he had lost (Job 42:10). Forgiveness is powerful. You cannot walk with unforgiveness, with anger or with hatred. Stand before the Lord! Catch the foxes for us, The little foxes that are ruining the vineyards,
These things must be absorbed; take it in because the enemy is going to test you. We stand on the finished works of Jesus, the blood of the Lamb. We do not submit to sickness, we submit to God! Some people build an emotional attachment to a disease that has been in their body for a long time. We have been bought with a price and Jesus’ blood is the only payment that satisfied the Father. The enemy cannot remain like a squatter. Jesus blood paid the price of all “taxes” needed for us to have a relief from any disease or sickness or whatever it might be. I am speaking this over you that will not know what sickness and disease is! We can walk in divine health! We need more than divine healing, we need divine health! It is ours by virtue of the cross, by virtue of the blood of the Lamb! Do not allow squatters to settle! Pick it up quickly, identify it, recognise it and say: “Out!”
Series: Finished Works; Healing
Sunday 5 August 2018 – Kobus Swart
Rev. 12:10-11, Isa. 53:1-6; John 19:28-30; John 19:28-30; Jas. 1:13; 1 Pet. 5:8; Mark 7:25-29; Heb. 8:6; Rom. 16:11, 20; Matt. 5:21-22; (John 9:1-3); Matt. 8:16-17; 1 Pet. 2:24; Zech. 3:1-7; (Job 1:6-7); 1 John 1:9
Let’s begin at the
Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging
I have been in healing crusades and I have seen miraculous healings, but I have also seen people being prayed for and not getting well. What is it then, even after Jesus said, “It is finished”, “all things have been accomplished” why don’t some get it? One thing we know – Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone (Jas. 1:13). Do not blame God when you are not being healed. God does not use evil; it is against His very nature and person to do such a thing. Sickness is not from God. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Pet. 5:8). Satan has no other job than to walk around looking for who he can devour, including Christians.
Look at this example: A Gentile woman was seeking deliverance for her daughter, was first denied by Jesus, because the New Covenant had not been put in place by Jesus work on the Cross. The Old Covenant was only for the Jews and was still in operation, but Jesus called healing “the children’s bread” (Mark 7:25-29). In other words
Do not miss what grace has done. We have not earned anything. Peter, the New Testament apostle understood that satan is still operating legally against us. Yes
We must not give the devil legal rights or he will use them against us in the courts of heaven. “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell (Matt. 5:21-22). A word spoken from a bitter, angry and hateful heart can cause legal troubles in the spirit. Could it be that we are not being healed because we will not deal with our hearts and with our bitterness? There could be a judgement against us in the spirit realm that will not allow everything Jesus died for to manifest in our life. Have our words of ridicule and judgements against others allowed legal things against us to hold us in sickness? (Henderson) If you are struggling to be healed and numerous people have prayed for you for healing, and you are still not well, it is time to stop and listen to this. Somewhere in your life you may have said something, done something that gave satan a platform from which to accuse you in the courts of heaven. Take time, sit before the Lord and ask the Holy Spirit to help you to see where you have given the enemy a legal right. We must learn to deal with motive, wounds, hurts or intention that can be used against us in the courts of heaven. People can even start to have emotional connections to their illness.
There are cases where generational things have followed you from your forefathers (John 9:1-3). There are sometimes issues that need to be dealt with once and for all. The possibility does exist that the iniquity in a person’s ancestry can give the devil a legal right to bring such things into being. We must be discerning when we deal with sickness and disease. Henderson states that the Cross at its core is a legal transaction in the spirit. The key is when we function in the courts of heaven we are operating from the finished works of Jesus on the Cross. One of the main purposes of Jesus dying on the Cross is to declare sickness illegal. That is part of the finished work. John the Baptist declared that Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the
Matthew quotes from Isa. 53:1-6 (Matt. 8:16-17). and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the Cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed (1 Pet. 2:24). We were healed! It is important to know that the Cross is a verdict rendered. That verdict only works if it is executed, otherwise
In the courts of heaven
Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel. He spoke and said to those who were standing before him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” Again he said to him, “See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes.” Then I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the Lord was standing by. (Zech. 3:1-6). The Lord rebuked satan and refused his accusations and had Joshua clothed in new clothes. Satan and his company of angels are always coming into the courts to find reasons to accuse people. When we do not respond to the accusations they torment us, often manifesting in sickness and can also affect our finances and aspects of our personal
Some people have been prayed for by faithful believers but have not been healed. Some only receive their healing after appearing in the courts of heaven and dealing with the accusations of satan. Look at the Lord’s promise to Joshua, if he lived in a way that pleased God, he would be allowed to walk among the heavenly beings that he saw surrounding him. He would be allowed to visit with a company of angels and saints. And the angel of the Lord admonished Joshua, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘If you will walk in My ways and if you will perform My service, then you will also govern My house and also have charge of My courts, and I will grant you free access among these who are standing here (Zech. 3:7).
Question: Can believers still sin? Sin means missing the mark. Here is the promise. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). We execute the verdict of the Cross when we ask forgiveness and confess; we put the finished works into operation in our life. Repentance must become part of our lives; a softness, brokenness, easy for the Holy Spirit to convict you. If the Holy Spirit highlights something, be quick to repent and stand before the Lord. By being quick to repent we may facilitate the healing of someone else who is involved in our life. In the final picture, Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death(Rev. 12:10-11). The God of peace will crush satan under our feet (Rom. 16:20).
Series: The Finished Works
Sunday am 22 April 2018 – Kobus Swart
Luke 9:23; Matt. 10:38; Luke 14:27; (John 19:30); (Rom. 6:8); (Gal. 2:20); (Rom. 6:11); Phil. 2:5-10 (Msg & The Voice); (2 Cor. 12:10); 1 Cor. 1:18 (Msg & NASB); Heb. 6:1-6; (Num. 20:8-13); (1 Cor. 10:4); Heb. 10:26-29; (Luke 22:42)
And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me (Luke 9:23). And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me (Matt. 10:38). Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:27). There is an emphasis here, his own cross. What does all this mean? There is a difference between the work of the cross and the way of the cross. We have to get a proper understanding of the finished works of Jesus. When He died on the cross He uttered the words, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Jesus died for us and Paul emphasizes that we died with Him (Rom. 6:8). When we refer to the ‘finished works’ we see that it was done in the past. “I have been crucified”, “reckon yourselves dead” (Gal. 2:20; Rom. 6:11). In our identification with the finished works of Christ we are delivered from sin’s guilt and its power. Do not allow gateways to be opened in your mind as the enemy would like to get his hands on those handles through which the enemy can find access. As born-again believers we can open ‘doors’ through which the enemy can come in and harass us. This is the where the way of the cross can be applied. The work of the cross is past tense, but the way of the cross is the way you and I walk daily. The old man in Adam experienced the work of the cross, but the new man in Christ is called to embrace the way of the cross. It is important to know the difference because we cannot keep going back to the cross. When Jesus died on the cross we died with Him (Rom. 6:8).
Here is our example:
Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion. Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father (Phil. 2:5-10 Msg). Jesus only needed to embrace the way of the Cross; He did not need the work of the cross because He knew no sin. He chose to be a bondservant and a slave. Weakness is the way of the Cross (2 Cor. 12:10). We are not talking about self-pity; we are called to mature sonship.
Look at the life of Jacob. Jacob wrestled with the angel (Gen. 32-24-20). Jacob came out of that wrestling match with a limp. If we see that through the eyes of the New Testament, every true son of God will have a ‘limp’. Jacob carried the mark that he was delivered from living in his own strength.
The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hell bent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense. This is the way God works, and most powerfully as it turns out (1 Cor. 1:18 Msg). How else do you think the early Church managed to survive all the events of the day and in fact impacted the world with the gospel? The Church managed to take the gospel across the earth by the way of the Cross. Today we have television and Facebook, we have all the media at our disposal but it is not having the same impact on the world. May a Church emerge that walks the way of the Cross, working in His strength and not their own.
Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. And this we will do, if God permits (Heb. 6:1-3). Our preaching must upgrade. When we preach about the Cross we say, “Let everyone take up his cross.” My cross will be different from your cross – depending on our personality and our circumstances. God has a way of dealing with our self-will and self-life. For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame (Heb. 6:4-6). Jesus will not be crucified a second time. The rock in the wilderness was a type of Christ. Christ is the source of living water. When Moses hit the rock twice, he broke a “type” (Num. 20:8-13; 1 Cor. 10:4). Jesus cannot and will not be crucified a second time.
For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? (Heb. 26-29). The Cross was an event that changed the course of the history of mankind. We must understand what it means to be born again. “I was crucified with Him” becomes a reality. Our names have been written in the book of life before the foundation of the world in the fore-knowledge of God (Rev. 20:15). But now we are expected to walk the way of the Cross. “Take up your cross and follow Me”, that is how we become a disciple of Jesus. Walk the way of the cross. Do not let anybody boost your self-will. Jesus said, “Not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42).
Series: The Finished Works
Sunday 11 February 2018 – Kobus Swart
1 Cor. 15:45-49; Isa. 66:1; 1 Kings 3:1, 9-13; (1 Kings 4); 1 Kings 8:1, 12-13; 1 Kings 9:1-9; 1 Kings 10; 1 Kings 11; (Ex. 4:22); (John 1:29); Col. 1:19-20; (Eph. 1:10 -Phillips); Rom. 8:29-Msg; (2 Tim. 2:11); Heb. 2:9-11; Eph. 2:14-15–Msg; Matt. 11:28-30-Msg
Jesus – the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. He is also the second (a heavenly) man. (1 Cor. 15:45-49).
God has always looked for a house. Let’s look at the opportunity that Solomon had to build such a structure. (Remember to read the Old Testament through the eyes of the New Testament. Here we will see types and shadows).
Solomon built one of the most impressive structures ever, which attracted the attention of other nations. God gave wisdom and wealth (1 Kings 10). But Solomon turned away from God (1 Kings 11). He used slave labour to build a temple for the God who set slaves free. In just a few generations, the previously oppressed became the new oppressors. Those who were set free from Egypt were building another “Egypt”. Get the picture in modern days, where we are with the Church. Is Jerusalem becoming a new Egypt? Solomon imported horses and chariots from Egypt, which in modern language is the equivalent of tanks and fighter planes. He also exported them to the Hittites and Arameans (1 Kings 10). In modern language Solomon had become an arms dealer. Maintaining righteousness and justice? Hearing the cry of the oppressed? I do not think so! 700 wives and 300 concubines! These women turned his heart to other gods and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord His God. God’s intention was a house for Himself but look where it ended.
In the beginning, the Church that was born at the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was a fellowship of believers, centred on the living Christ. Then the Church moved to Greece and became a philosophy. Years later the Church moved to Rome and became an institution. Again, years later the Church moved to Europe and became a culture. Then years later, right into our recent history, the Church moved to America and became a business. From a fellowship of believers to a philosophy, to an institution, to a culture, to a business! This is sad but true.
Read The Message Bible’s introduction to the book of Galatians. “When men and women get their hands on religion, one of the first things they often do is turn it into an instrument for controlling others, either putting or keeping them “in their place.” The history of such religious manipulation and coercion is long and tedious. It is little wonder that people who have only known religion on such terms, experience release or escape from it as ‘freedom.’ The problem is that the freedom turns out to be short-lived. It was a glorious experience, and Paul set off telling others, introducing and inviting everyone he met into this free life. In his early travels he found a series of churches in the Roman province of Galatia. A few years later, Paul learned that the religious leaders of the old school had come into those churches, called his views and authorities into question, and were reintroducing the old ways, herding all those freedom-loving Christians back into the corral or religious rules and regulations. Paul was, of course, furious. He was furious with the old guard for coming in with their strong-arm religious tactics and intimidating the Christians into giving up their free life in Jesus. But he was also furious with the Christians for caving in to the intimidations. His letter to the Galatian churches helps them, and us, recover the original freedom. It also gives direction in the nature of God’s gift of freedom – most necessary guidance, for freedom is a delicate and subtle gift, easily perverted and often squandered……”
After 430 years of slavery, Israel (called the “Church in the wilderness” in Acts 7:38), escaped death and were set free by killing a lamb and putting the blood on the doorposts of each family-home. That was the beginning of the Feast of Passover. In that deliverance, God looked at Israel as His “first born son” (Exodus 4:22). God wanted them delivered by having blood put on their doorposts. The New Testament shows us that, in fact, Jesus, was the first-born SON; the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).
The underlying theme is that God is looking for a house; God is looking for a body, for a people that will put Him on display in the world – flesh and blood to show who and what God is. God is light, God is love, God is spirit, God is good – these are qualities that we must show the world. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven (Col. 1:19-20). By the death and resurrection of Jesus, we can actually see that His blood was put on the doorposts of the universe! He came to reconcile things on earth and things in heaven. God is waiting for an exodus from every religious structure; an exodus into the free life that is available in Christ. God is looking for an administration suitable. All things in heavens and earth will be consummated in Christ (Eph. 1:10 – Phillips). God wants to show the world the marriage between the divine and the human.
The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in Him (Rom. 8:29 – Msg). We died with Him so that Christ becomes our life (2 Tim. 2:11). … For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren (Heb. 2:9-11). The second Man, the first of a new humanity is now calling us brothers. He is the first born. The Church must put this new humanity on display. Get out of your religious mindset. The finished works of Jesus are to become our experience and be put on display in the world, free of religion.
The unique thing about Paul’s ministry is that he wanted to demolish the wall between the Jewish insiders and the non-Jewish outsiders. Paul came to break down the wall of division because in the death of Jesus Christ, the two groups were made one. We have to be careful not to divide the world into ‘Christians and non-Christians’. It may be technically correct but we must not build a dividing wall. Jesus came to take away the ‘sin of the world’. The Messiah has made things up between us so that we’re now together on this, both non-Jewish outsiders and Jewish insiders. He tore down the wall we used to keep each other at a distance. He repealed the law code that had become so clogged with fine print and footnotes that it hindered more than it helped. Then he started over. Instead of continuing with two groups of people separated by centuries of animosity and suspicion, he created a new kind of human being, a fresh start for everybody (Eph. 2:14-15 – Msg). He opened the door and created a fresh start for everybody! 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. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. (Rom 8:29 Msg)
This new humanity is not the latest trend. This new humanity is in trouble when it only attracts a certain age group, a certain tribe, a certain culture or class or personality type. This new humanity cannot be divided. It is inclusive! Church is people! It is not buildings or institutional structures. God is looking for a body. Church is not about attending large meetings. They are a people who live a certain way in the world, who have authority that comes from breaking themselves open and pouring themselves out to see the world healed. It does not come from how right, how cool or how loud it is, or the latest music, or how convinced it is about its doctrinal superiority. It’s not about that! If we try to attract a certain group in society, we are missing the point.
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly” (Matt. 11:28-30 Msg). We are surrounded by religion and we must not allow it to invade us. Open your eyes; we are called into the freedom of Christ. How much time you do spend quiet and alone with the Lord?
God is looking for a body, a temple that will show the world a real marriage between the human and the divine.
Sun am 4 February 2018- Kobus Swart
John. 11:1-44; (Gen. 2:17); (2 Pet.3:8); Rom. 5:18-21; John. 1:29; (Heb. 9:1-5); Eph. 2:8; John. 1:11-13; Heb.10:1-2 – AMP; Heb. 10:12-27; Heb. 9:26; Heb. 6:4-6; Rom. 8.1.
This is a well-known story – the story of the death and resurrection of Lazarus. I believe this is of extreme importance for the times we are living in. The Gospel of John calls all the miracles Jesus performed ‘signs’ (attesting miracles). Do not just look at the miracle, look at what it signifies. The word ‘significance’ comes from the word ‘sign’ it points somewhere. It will also help us to effectively touch the next generation; but this word applies to every person in every generation. This specific sign was the seventh sign that Jesus performed. So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” … Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was. … “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep.” The disciples then said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will [a]recover.” Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of [b]literal sleep. So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.” (John 11:3-15).
Jesus was deeply moved in spirit and He was troubled. There was a groaning in Him, it was not a sympathetic sadness, but actually He was angry because of the misunderstanding and the unbelief (John 11:33-38).
In Genesis 2:17 God tells Adam and Eve if they eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would die. Did they eat of it? Yes. Did they die? Yes, spiritually. When I say ‘they’, we are talking about the Adamic race – humanity. They ate of the wrong tree and they died. Martha *said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day” (John. 11:24). People always postpone to the ‘last day’ what has already happened. The Bible says ‘a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day’ (2 Pet. 3:8). Lazarus was dead four days; the Adamic generation was dead for four thousand years when Jesus came. When Jesus stood at the grave where Lazarus was buried, He called with a loud voice: “Lazarus, come forth!” Lazarus responded to the Word! He could not walk because he was still all wrapped up. The word brought him out. Jesus could have just dissolved the wrappings but he wanted the people to participate in the miracle, and told those who were there: “Unbind (unwrap) him and let him go!” There is a deeper truth behind that.
I want us to look at what happened on the cross. This is a message that we cannot soft-soap for the next generation because this is fundamental truth. The death and resurrection of Jesus-Christ! Get the typology: there’s a comparison between the death of the Adamic race, the death of Lazarus and Lazarus being raised 4 days later and Jesus coming 4 thousand years after the death of the Adamic race. It is a wonderful picture! “So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men”. (Rom. 5:18-21). Keep in your mind the picture of who Lazarus represents in this seventh sign Jesus performed.
With the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the problem of sin was dealt with once for all! John the baptist said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). He shouts this out by revelation. ‘Sin’ in singular, is the root, the problem, as opposed to ‘sins’ as a long list. We have given extensive teaching in this family about the Tabernacle of Moses. The tabernacle of Moses had three courts: the outer court, the inner court and the Holy of Holies. It is a picture of the believer’s growth in Christ but also the progression of the Church. In Hebrews 9 it does not mention the outer court, it no longer exists, it is not ever mentioned again (Heb. 9:1-5). Why? Jesus came and on the cross He became sin and dissolved sin! (Gal 3:13,14 Msg). The Church of Jesus Christ needs to fully understand it. We know it mentally, but have we experienced it in our inner being? Why is this still important in the Church of Jesus Christ? From the moment you receive Christ as your Lord and Saviour, the outer court has no longer any significance in your life. From now on it is all about spiritual growth, spiritual advancement; you have to grow in Christ. We were saved by His grace through faith, which means that we did not earn it; we did not have to do anything (Eph. 2:8). We still have to access it by faith but we do not have to labour and work for it; we cannot earn the grace of God. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. There is the born again experience! (John 1:11-13). There has to come a time in our lives when you receive Him by revelation, by an encounter and He gives us the right to become children of God and to grow into sonship.
For since the Law has only a shadow [just a pale representation] of the good things to come—not the very image of those things—it can never, by offering the same sacrifices continually year after year, make perfect those who approach [its altars]. For if it were otherwise, would not these sacrifices have stopped being offered? For the worshipers, having once [for all time] been cleansed, would no longer have a consciousness of sin (Heb. 10:1-2 – AMP). In too many churches preaching from the pulpit keeps sin consciousness alive. What does it mean? Lazarus is not unwrapped! By the death and resurrection of Jesus we were made alive through Christ but we now need to grow spiritually by eating the right food. His work was finished once for all (Heb. 10:12). We cannot become guilty of crucifying Him again. It is a process; He has perfected you for all time but you are still being sanctified. That is why we have to look at the courts – the inner court and the Holy of Holies, as the pattern for spiritual growth to maturity.
But now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself (Heb. 9:26). How many of you sometimes battle in your mind with sin? You think the wrong thoughts; you battle with the wrong desires? Where does that come from? It is because of the lack of feeding on the truth of the ‘once for all sacrifice’ that will make us conquerors! What Christ did was finished! You and I need to appropriate the finished works and manifest the finished works. Here is a warning. Jesus was crucified once for all, He is not going to be crucified again. For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame (Heb. 6:4-6). That is a hard Scripture. If we have been enlightened, we have heard the truth, we know what is right, we have tasted of the power of the Holy Spirit and then fall way? God forbid! For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries (Heb. 10:26-27). It is terrifying to fall into the hands of the living God.
Those of you who heard the words: “Lazarus come out!” and have responded, may still be tied up. All you need then is to be surrounded by brothers and sisters in the family of God that will unwrap you and not tie you up again. Become unwrappers not condemners! Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8.1). We must not become channels and voices of condemnation, we must become unwrappers. This new generation that is addicted to the internet and social media need to find again the love for the Word of God. God help us to help them skip over the religious phase of self-condemnation and sin consciousness. We as the Church at large, have a history of bringing young people under a sort of condemnation if they do not react a certain way, instead of releasing the once for all sacrifice, the freedom in Christ and becoming living examples. Are the wrappings off us? You have to answer that question for yourself. For me, to be unwrapped means never to allow sin consciousness prevail in my mind because I have been set free by the once and all sacrifice. In fact, I have been perfected by the one sacrifice and I am being sanctified.